Life Incarnadine

Sacrifice

2010-08-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

“So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:5b-7, ESV)
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10, ESV)
There is something about the Christian life that seems to have been forgotten as the gods of materialism and power raised their ugly heads over much of the world in recent years. What is it? As one man put it many years ago, in a room of Christians sometimes it’s hard to catch the smell of Jesus. What did he mean? And what connection do hardship and suffering have with living the Christian life? These are serious and a light perusal of little snippets of Christian ideas, sometimes not grounded in God’s Holy Word, that are seemingly forever forwarded through e-mails, will not be enough when we are called into account for our lives. In the two references above, we have two dissimilar situations. Firstly, we have the third human to be on this planet in a conversation with the Almighty God. Cain has a “situation” as modern dramas like to put it. He has willfully disobeyed God and now God is gently rebuking him for his sinful actions. Cain has a typical response when caught in disobedience; he becomes angry and he’s “down in the mouth”, to use an older expression. He’s a sourpuss; suddenly everything in his world has gone wrong. We can surmise that he was asked by God to sacrifice an animal as an offering of thanksgiving, but the scripture does not state that. We do know, however, that under the Jewish law, people purchased animals for sacrifices because the law specifically stated how each sacrifice was to be made. Other than grain offerings for specific reasons, produce was never indicated as a proper sacrifice to God. When we look at the world’s pagan religions, we find that the offering of foods to the gods is very typical and is usually associated with the idea of ancestors or statues needing to consume food. At any rate, God did not accept Cain’s sacrifice and so Cain found himself in the above situation.
Contrary to popular misunderstanding, the offering of sacrifices is key to our relation to the God of the Universe, not simply part of our religious culture. Sin entered the world and death came through the sin, as is even evident in the clothing God made for Adam and Eve after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. Leaves of fig trees were not risque, they simply were not of a sacrificial nature. Hence, God made clothes for Adam and Eve from the skins of animals. The animals had to die for God to make those clothes. God is the first person in history to perform an animal sacrifice to expiate the sins of man. I wonder how Adam and Eve felt after that. Surely they realized their act of disobedience brought death to these animals, perhaps animals they had been with, since Adam named all of the animals before Eve was created. The purpose of sacrifice was to keep man in communion with God, to expiate the sins of man, and to keep man in remembrance of what a great sacrifice has been made because of his acts of sinfulness.
Cain had a choice to make. Either he could do what God had asked, in which case he would feel good again, his anger would dissipate and he would not commit further sins, or he could follow his feelings. We know the rest of the story, which ended not only in tragedy, but the first murder in the world. Cain carried the mark of his sin the rest of his life, but he also carried the memory of killing his own brother. Sin does that.
Now it would seem that the second scripture, written by the apostle Paul, has no bearing on this topic, but it does. Paul is telling the Corinthian Christians about his own struggles in preaching the gospel; he is frustrated at their refusal to obey his instructions, instructions that were meant to strengthen the Corinthian Christians in their Christian living. That is what preachers do, that is what spiritual leaders do, they bring from God’s Holy Word the instructions we need to live according to God’s ways, not our own sinful ways. Just as Cain carried the mark of his sinfulness, Christians are meant to carry the marks of the cross, to show the world that our God is a living God who suffered for us. God does not want His children to suffer, but He will allow it to the extent that it brings the godless into closer contact with the Suffering Servant. The world is watching us as we react to circumstances around us, especially times when we have fallen. Truthfully speaking, as well as making honest mistakes, Christians make willful mistakes and sin. The world holds itself up as a model of everything that is right and proper, having no power to live that way, but is quick to criticize Christians who make even one mistake, who fall even one time. It is easy in those situations to get angry, to lash out at others, to sin. Surely the apostle Paul was tempted to vindicate himself on more than one occasion, as is even evident in his response to the High Priest’s order to have Paul slapped (God will slap you, you white wall. See Acts 23:3)
Christians who are stricken, but not crushed, who are perplexed, but not driven to despair, rely on the power of God that is in them to keep from sinning and to present the Wounded, Suffering Savior to the lost. It will always be so. A better measuring stick for the health of a church is not the number of people sitting in the pews on Sunday, but the number of Christians who take it to heart that suffering is part of the cup that is filled to overflowing by the Lord. We enjoy “creature comforts”, usually taking the easy way, in everything we do. We love labor-saving devices so that we have more time to relax. Relaxation time simply means time to sit and do little or nothing. We will go out of our way to avoid anything that is physically strenuous, but pay for membership in a gym, so that we can work off unwanted pounds, to look better, or even just to feel better. Our Christian lives are similar. We tend to think that showing up on Sunday morning for one hour is all that should be expected of us and even then, we complain about the singing, the lengthy prayers or the long-winded preacher. For years the worship has been called the “worship service” and many Christians have taken the word service out of context. Worship is worship, not really even a service to others of any kind. Our contributions of money are simply giving back a little of what God has so generously given to us, no more, no less. Even our giving is not sacrificial in nature, but simply a little we might have left over and can spare. We can become indignant if we are asked to serve in other ways, to work in ways to help the poor and downtrodden, especially to give of our precious time. We like to take the easier way, so we hire those to do the things in church that we really don’t want to do. Years ago a Christian attended worship services away from home and was surprised to find that the song leader was not a Christian, but had been hired to lead the singing. Churches often hire secretaries who may not even be Christians, or at least not a member of that congregation. We think nothing of it, because our minds are wrapped around a business world view that is in stark contrast to the Christian world view we should have. If the secretary is efficient, though not a Christian, we praise her for her service and pay her a salary. If the song leader can make the singing more beautiful, even though not a Christian, we believe that is more acceptable to God, that it somehow honors Him more. It is easy to forget that there are three different places in the Psalms that command the worshipers to make a joyful noise to the Lord. Maybe the noises people make when singing off-key are more delightful to God than our painstakingly crafted contemporary songs are.
Cain took the easier, less costly way when offering his sacrifice. It cost him everything. Paul endured hardship for the sake of others, that they might know the Risen Savior. There have been good men and women since the beginning of the Church who have sacrificed that others might know Jesus.
Sacrifice is what our relationship with God is all about, the sum of everything. The supreme sacrifice was made by God Himself, Jesus Christ, who bore the marks of sin in His body that we might bear the marks of His Righteousness in ours.
The smell of Jesus is the smell of love, mercy, forgiveness and humility. Were we to stand next to the Cross on that Great Day, we would have smelled the blood of Our Wonderful Savior. His very life blood smells of love. There is no bloodless sacrifice, no painless way to salvation. He asks for our love and He tells us how we can show that love to Him. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John14:15, ESV) Cain showed neither love to God or to his brother. What will we do?

The Coming of the Lawless One

2010-04-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist ” (2 John 1:7, ESV)
“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22, ESV)
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” ( 2Thessalonians 2:3-12, ESV)
Some of the questions that have perplexed Christians since the time of the apostles are these: just who is the lawless one? Who is the antichrist? Are we in the last days? Is the breakdown in society around the world a sign of the coming of the lawless one? And so forth.
I don’t pretend to know the answers to all of these questions but I would like to offer some thinking that may help the Christian to remain strong in these troubling times.
First of all, there is confusion between who the antichrist is and who the man of lawlessness is. Are they one in the same person? Is that talking about the end times? While it is true that the man of lawlessness or the lawless one is definitely antichrist, it does not follow that all who are antichrist are the man of lawlessness. Why? Because the apostle John makes it quite clear that many antichrists had already gone out into the world when he wrote his letters. He speaks of antichrist in the plural, not just simply one person. He further explains that anyone who denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is antichrist. There is a deep mystery about the incarnation, or God becoming flesh, but it is so paramount to our faith that to deny this one point puts a person at odds with God. To deny that deity came and dwelt with men as a man is a false teaching and earns a person who believes in this way the title of “antichrist.”
The lawless one or man of lawlessness, which ever term you prefer, is more than just antichrist. This is the manifestation of the evil one in a last ditch attempt to deceive men and women. It would appear from the Thessalonian letter that prior to the return of Christ, there will be a visible manifestation of Satan, probably as a human, in his attempt to take control of every last individual who can either be shaken in his faith or thwarted from belief in Jesus. I personally do not relish the prospect of being on this earth when these final events take place. Those who are His will not be taken from God’s Hands. This is the promise that was made while Jesus was still on this earth and He never breaks His promises. But to watch the delusions and lies and deception that will be a part of the coming of this lawless one will be to witness the destruction of souls, those who refused the opportunity to turn and be saved by our Savior.
Right now we see a spirit of lawlessness in country after country, city after city. One is reminded of the verses in Genesis chapter 6 where the Spirit of God says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The only thought that people had, man or woman, was evil and that was non-stop or 24/7 as we like to say. The Christian cannot imagine people so filled with evil that their minds are constantly fixed on how to commit sin, to do evil acts. The Spirit of God lives in us and so our hearts are fixed on the heavenly home that God has prepared for us. We are separated from the world so our hearts are not on worldly things.
Are we in the last days? A definite, “yes” and an indefinite, “perhaps.” What do I mean? We are in the final age of the world. God revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ and Christ is the last spokesman for God (Hebrews 1:1-2). There will be no further word from God beyond the Word that He has already given, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Word of God, the Bible. That’s it. There are no fresh revelations, no new prophecies, nothing. Period. If a person cannot or will not believe the eyewitness testimony of those who walked and talked with Jesus while He was on the earth, no further word from God would change his mind. Yes, we are in the last days as far as the ages of the world are concerned. Global warming? You bet. God plans to roast the entire planet. He made it, He will destroy it. He compares Himself to a potter who has the rights over the clay. God made the world for a specific purpose and when He decides that the purpose has been completed, He will destroy what He made.
But are we in the last days of the last days, so to speak? Perhaps, perhaps not. I, for one, really don’t know. God isn’t willing that any should perish and He is still populating heaven with those who love Him. God is infinitely patient and will be patient until He decides the curtain should come down.
So how should we live our lives in times like these? As Christians have lived down through the ages. We should be firm in our resolve to follow Him. We need to spend time in prayer, lots of time. Jesus asked the apostles to pray for Him when He most keenly felt the attacks of Satan, in the Garden of Gethsemane. So with the world in the mess it is in right now, prayer is our greatest weapon. Let’s be people of prayer. And we should be regular readers of Holy Scripture. To be filled with the words of God is to grow stronger in faith and be ready for the attacks of the unholy one. Finally, we need to serve others, to stop being selfish and try being selfless, just as the Christ was. Selfishness accounts for most of the problems we see in the world today. If Christians will show an attitude of selflessness, they will truly live their lives incarnadine, the color of the blood of Jesus. Through our lives we pray that others will see Jesus. By doing these things, we will be best prepared for the attacks of the evil one.

Jesus Christ Cannot Save the World, Part 2

2010-02-26T02:09:00.000-08:00

"But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (2 Peter 3:7-13, ESV)
Global warming? People continue to debate the idea of whether or not there is any global warming at the present time, whether it is a cyclical phenomena, if there is global warming, and
whether or not mankind has anything to do with its cause. Saving the world from extinction has become the latest fad among many that we people on this earth go through from time to time. For those who are unaware of the fact, global warming was debated in the 1930s and was a political football at that time.
For Christians, the idea that this present world will last forever is absurd. Most Christians believe in the second coming of Christ as much as they believe that He actually came the first time. Most believers hold in their hearts a deep-seated desire for the Master’s Return. One of the slogans for 1st Century Christians was the term, “maranatha,” or Lord, come quickly. Perhaps they were comfortable with the hope that the miseries of this life would soon be gone when Messiah returns. Certainly many early Christians, as well as Christians down through the ages, shed their blood for the faith they had in their Savior. The term “martyr,” literally means “a witness.” To witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, to tell others about the good news of the Kingdom of God was to put ones life on the line. In the book of Acts, Peter and the other apostles stood before the Jewish high court, so to speak, and when told not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus, replied like this: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20, ESV) The Jewish high court wanted to punish the apostles for spreading the word about Jesus. Why? Because most of them were involved in putting Jesus to death and feared that their sin would cost them their power in Jewish politics.
Men and women were put to death by the Apostle Paul, before he turned to Jesus Christ. He dragged them off to Jerusalem for judgment. He stood witness at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. He later lost his own life, after suffering at the hands of both Jews and Romans for his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.
These people looked for a home in heaven where our Heavenly Father is. This world is not our home, at least not our eternal home. Peter said that we should live in this world as if we were sojourners, travelers who were on their way somewhere else. We cannot save the state of the present world; it will stand or fall by the Hand of Almighty God. He has already slated the entire universe for destruction. He created it beautiful, good, without sin and without death. But once sin entered the world, death came with it. That meant death for the entire universe, not just humans, plants and animals. Not even just the earth! God is going to remake everything, and it will be made perfect without any possibility of the corruption we now see around us.
Should we then just abuse the earth and throw it away, much as we do all of the consumer goods that surround us today? Not at all. A careful reading of the entire Bible will help us to understand that God wants us to take care of the charge He has given us, to use the earth wisely and not destroy it. For true Christians, there is no paradox between the two. A true Christian will use the earth wisely, love all of God’s creation, love people and serve them, and work to remain faithful to Jesus Christ while they wait for His return. True Christianity has within it the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ and Christians will use what Jesus has given them to share that life with others. That’s living your life incarnadine, the color of blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ Cannot Save The World, Part 1

2010-01-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-5)
In the past few years, the world has seen disasters on a scale that seems unprecedented. Who can forget the anguish and suffering of those who were victims of the tsunami in
Indonesia and India, hurricane Katrina in New Orleans or presently, the victims of the earthquake in Haiti? In Haiti alone the number of casualties may well number in the hundreds of thousands as disease and famine press upon the poor people who have already lost loved ones and homes. Even as the world desires to rush aid to Haiti and has already begun to do so, the help is bottlenecked at the airport. Help is so close and yet so far away. On top of this, Haiti is the poorest nation in the North America, perhaps the poorest in the world or close to it.
People have attributed such disasters to God, claiming either that He has utterly forsaken certain people or that He has brought disaster as a punishment for the sins of the people. But is this true? When someone is stricken with cancer or any other life-threatening disease, people are quick to jump to conclusions; this is punishment for someone’s sins, either the person stricken or someone close to the victim.
Jesus made it clear in the case of the Galileans and the victims of the accident involving the tower of Siloam, that these disasters were not a punishment for sin but one more sign of the temporariness of this world and those who live in it. Satan made it clear that he had been given the world as his place for mischief making and that he could have even offered it to Jesus if Jesus would just bow down before Satan. Whether that was one more of Satan’s lies or not, it’s hard to tell, but it seems that he always mixes truth with lies to get others to believe what he is saying. So there may be some truth to that.
Jesus Christ cannot save the world. That was not the purpose for his coming to the world the first time. While hanging on the cross, He was chided about His inability to save himself, even though He had saved others. The truth of the matter is this: when Jesus took on mortal flesh to come to this world, He had to leave that behind in order to return home to the Father. The old song, “The Way of the Cross Leads Home” was just as true for Jesus as it is for us. The only flesh that can enter heaven is flesh that is changed, according to the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15.
We often hear people talk about receiving a death sentence when told about a terminal illness. The truth of the matter is we have all received a death sentence, all of us are terminal. Jesus can only save men and women who turn to Him in faith and cry out for mercy, repenting of the evil they also have been involved in committing. Is that fair?
God sent His Son into the world that His Son might die for the sins of the world, but only those who believe on the Son will receive the gift of eternal life. The pages of the New Testament are filled with the words of the Savior indicating that this world is not permanent, that it will finish the task for which it was created and then it will be destroyed.
Back to the beginning. Are the many disasters we are witnessing punishments sent by God? I don’t believe so. If anything, they are a reminder to us that disaster can overtake anyone, a believer or a non-believer. What should our reaction be? Mercy. Sympathy. Help. Ceaseless prayer for the poor people. Perhaps through the disaster, some will find Jesus Christ, will turn to Him and be healed. Even if they do, their physical bodies will one day perish. So will yours, so will mine.
Footnote: Lazarus had to face death again, even though Jesus raised him from the dead. The widow’s son at Nain had to die again, even though Jesus raised him from the dead and gave him back to his mother. Jairus’ daughter had to go through death again, even though her physical body was brought back to life by our Lord. Every person that Jesus healed while He ministered on this earth had to face his or her own mortality. Jesus cannot save this world; only those who turn to Him and are spiritually saved will receive a pass to get out of this world, be changed and taken to live with Him eternally, when He then creates a new heaven and a new earth. Only those who live their lives incarnadine, blood-colored, covered in the mercy-filled blood of Jesus Christ, will be raised to be clothed with immortality.

The Preaching of the Word

2009-11-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

“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

2009-11-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

“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

2009-10-19T01:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-25T02:09:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-04-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-19T01:42:00.000-07:00

"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?

2009-03-04T23:59:00.000-08:00

"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)

Walking in the Light

2009-02-11T02:30:00.000-08:00

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” (John 8:12, ESV)
“The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”(John 12:35-36, ESV)
There is so much to be said about producing the fruit of the Spirit and it seems so little is known about how to go about producing the fruit. Some people think that once a person is born again into Jesus Christ, he or she is filled with the Spirit, once and for all, and that magically fruit production begins. According to some, if a Christian isn't immediately a peaceful, joyful, patient person, then that is clear evidence that the person is either lacking the Holy Spirit or is unconverted. (Some miss the point made by Paul in Romans 8:9 that anyone who does not have the Spirit doesn't have Christ, either.)
I enjoy walking more than just about any form of exercise, save perhaps jogging. Due to school changes and after school activities, while in high school I often walked, almost every day, from school back home, hoping to get a ride from a neighbor who lived out where my folks had their home. It was almost 8 miles one way and though I didn't have to often walk the entire 8 miles, I usually walked half or more of the distance. I am thankful for that experience because it made me into a person who loves to walk. Now the point I want to make is this: if you have never walked much, the first excursion can be downright painful. But as you continue, day after day, you build muscles in your legs and you learn a rhythm that actually makes the exercise enjoyable. You become more productive. It even becomes exhilarating.
So it is when we walk with the Lord. If spiritual fruit production were to be automatic, why are there so many scriptures in the New Testament encouraging us to walk in the light, to produce spiritual fruit, or to put aside sin? Why?
Are you familiar with Ephesians 5:18-21? These verses, so often wrongly used to talk about aspects of worship, are really talking about the Christian walk. “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (ESV) Doesn't sound like a Sunday morning worship service to me. The original language basically says, “do not continue getting drunk with wine,. . . but continue being filled with the Spirit. . .” One habit needs to be broken and another needs to be put in its stead. A heart that is being filled over and over again with the Holy Spirit is a thankful heart, in every circumstance. A heart that is being filled with the Spirit is a heart that is full of song. The early Christians came out of Judaism, out of worship in synagogues. In those religious services, even to this day, there is a person called a “cantor” who literally sings the scriptures to the audience. Early Christians didn't have hymnals as we have, but had spiritual songs, the Psalms, and other hymns that they knew by heart. The Holy Spirit through Paul is encouraging Christians to even address one another with the words of those Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. They would be singing those songs in their hearts as they spoke the words to another brother or sister.
If our hearts are not filled with the good things out of the Word of God, how can we expect to produce spiritual fruit? If our hearts are not filled with Jesus, how can we say we are walking in the light? Make no mistake about it: there will be many who profess to be Christians who will take a hard fall during the current worldwide upheaval that is upon us. Very few people will come out of this unscathed and some have already taken their lives because of great financial loss. But if we so live our lives, forgiven and covered in the blood of Jesus, we will be in the light. We will have light to share with others. We will have Jesus. And the world is hungry for the light. They are longing to see the light that comes from Christians who live their lives incarnadine, blood-colored from the blood of the Lamb.

Children of Light

2009-01-30T18:04:00.000-08:00

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. " (James 1:17, ESV)
Change is inevitable. All living things experience change, whether animals or plants or fish or humans. When change stops it seems life stops, too. In a world of constant change, the human spirit longs for that which doesn't change. And that would be Our Father in Heaven. Nothing in this world is perfect, nothing purely good. But every gift from Our Father is both perfect and good. Everything from the evil one is both imperfect and doomed to destruction. It is as simple as that. The verse in James is beautiful in its simplicity. Firstly, God is the Father of lights. In the beginning He spoke light into existence before He created anything else. He is the Source of light. In the book of Revelation it says that in the New Jerusalem, there will be no need of sun or moon because God will shine on it and the Lamb shall be its lamp. God is light and in Him there is no darkness.
Secondly, God doesn't change. There is no dark side to God, there are no gray areas. James says there isn't even a bit of variation. God is so solid that you can stake your life on Him. He doesn't lie, break promises, or even tempt Christians to do something that they shouldn't do. God is straightforward, a Rock. In fact, if you check the word Rock in the Old Testament, you will find that word used many, many times to describe God.
God intended for those who love Him to be His children, and thus to be children of light. "... for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10, ESV) The entire first half of chapter five in Ephesians compares those who walk in darkness with those who are the children of light. It's quite clear that God intended His children to be like Him, light.
God intended that the children would be proactive in this world, light shining in darkness. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Mat 5:14-16, ESV) God intends for Christians to be noticed in order that others will glorify Him. Our good works are not for show to bring glory to us, but to be seen so that people will give God the praise.
Do you know the difference between actual light and darkness? For instance, you probably know how light can be measured, but do you know how darkness is measured? When I was very young, my father bought his first SLR camera. That would have been about fifty-five or six years ago. I remember that he had a light meter. He would hold the light meter up near a person's face or in a certain area, take a reading, and then set his camera accordingly. He wanted to have the right light in order to produce a good photograph. He measured the light. You measure darkness by measuring the absence of light. Darkness has no properties of its own; light has many properties that scientists can actually measure. When we remark how dark the night is, we are really saying that there is so little light shining in the night. A room is dark due to an absence of a certain amount of light that is visible to the eye. Simple.
The world is full of darkness. That is not the way God intended for things to be, but once sin entered the world through Adam, death followed. Darkness returned. When God created the earth, the earth was formless and there was a great void. There was a great darkness. God simply said, "Let there be light," and light entered the world. That was for the material world as we know it. Before sin entered the world, bringing darkness, God had already planned to send His Son, the Lamb who is the Lamp, to bring light into the world. In order to keep light in the world, the Son died on the cross of Calvary so that He might return to the Father and send the promised Holy Spirit. As the Spirit works in us, the Light of the Lamb shines through us. We give off the Light that He is.
How then, shall we as Christians live in this world? We need to take seriously the call from Jesus to be light shining in darkness. Even now the darkness seems to be increasing all around us. In subsequent articles, I would like to explore in depth how Christians should live to increase the light we give off. Or rather, how we can cooperate with God to give off His light. Suffice it to say, the Son gave off the greatest Light when He died for all of us. He lived His life in order to give His blood. Let us live our lives incarnadine, blood-colored, covered with the blood of Christ, that others may see the blood of Christ through our actions. That is how we can truly be children of light.

Jesus, the Artist, the Poet

2009-01-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"(Matthew 6:26-30, ESV)
God is such a wonderful Being. He not only created us and everything in the world and the universe, He also gave us emotions of love and an appreciation for beauty. Even when Jesus was teaching the people, He used things from nature, to be sure, to emphasize His teachings, but He did so with a choice of language that was at once beautiful and poetic. He called attention to the beauty that was around Him. Why? Did He do this merely because of the teaching value of the scene He describes, or rather, did He use the beautiful expressions to also give peace and comfort to the hearer? Do not the words of the Lord bring joy to the reader or the listener? Remember that the Lord has called us to love Him with all our hearts, not just our minds or even just our minds plus our strength. Those are necessary, too, but God wants us to love Him and Him onlyThere is a natural beauty to the Bible, the Word of God. It is not there just to inform us or instruct us. It does that quite adequately. But the Word of God was given to us as a great treasure to be read over and over again, that we might listen to the majesty of the words, to see the beautiful scenes that God describes to us. Consider the lilies, the beautifully fragrant lilies of the field. I have seen wild iris flowers in lonely places along the highways of northern Japan. I have seen the beautiful California poppies covering the hillsides, lasting for only a few days and then gone. I have seen the thick cherry blossoms on so many beautiful Vancouver streets, only to fall in a few days and fill the gutters with pink mounds of petals. God is artistic and God is poetic. Consider your life, the beauty that He created in you, and then you will want to share His love with others. The greatest thing in the world was God dying on the cross for all of humanity that ever lived or ever will live. That is truly an expression of love but it is also an expression of the greatest Poet that ever lives. If you are bored with reading your Bible or think that it isn't interesting, pick it up again and rediscover the words of the Poet. Your heart will sing with Him, you'll see the beauty that is around you, and your worries and your cares will suddenly regain their proper proportions. When you live your life under the blood of Jesus, you will become a person who loves the beauty that He loves and your heart will be filled with that beauty.

In The Fullness of Time

2008-12-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (Galatians 4:3-9, ESV)
Have you ever thought much about the fullness of time? At this time of year, people all over the world are celebrating the birth of Christ. This is the greatest event of all time and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you should delight in the fact that God sent His Son into the world. What a wonderful thing Our Father has done for us! If we listen to the news, we get the idea that Christianity is on its back, its on the way out, finished, over. No, far from it. Christianity is growing in places where you would hardly expect it to grow. Did you know that the British journal, The Economist, in a report in October, estimates that there may be as many as 130 million believers in China? Think about it. That represents almost ten per cent of the Chinese population. And that’s not the only bright spot on the earth. Many other places are seeing a revival of Christianity.
The fullness of time. God sent His Son when He knew it to be the right time, not when conditions were best for humans. It wasn’t because the Roman empire was so large and strong that God said it was the right time to send His Son. It wasn’t because Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire. It wasn’t because the Jewish nation was ready to receive Him. It was because it was God’s time - He knew it to be the best time to send His Son into the world.
Right now, many people are overwhelmed with the financial meltdown happening around the world. The gods of money and power are being destroyed as we watch the news unfolding before us. Many will suffer deprivation, not just in poorer countries of the world, but in major monied countries as well. While many will mourn the situation, we should rejoice that many others will turn their attention to God. This may be one of the greatest times in centuries for Christians to tell others the beautiful news. The Savior of the World was sent into this world by His Father for our sakes. We were slaves to sin and He broke the power of sin through the act of sending His precious Son into a world that was hostile to Him.
Let’s rejoice. Let’s do what the angels did for shepherds in the field, sing songs of joy. Praise His Holy Name. In the fullness of His Father’s time, He willing came for you and me. Is there anything greater than that? He truly lived His life for the one act of giving His precious blood to enact the new covenant and to wash away our sins. Let us live our lives incarnadine, bathed in that Holy blood, so that we have real life in us. Let us carry this message of hope and joy to the men and women around us who are under the heavy burden of sin, worry and regret. Praise His Holy Name!

Weedy Weeds and Thorny Thorns

2008-12-08T00:52:00.000-08:00

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:19-23, ESV)
How many times have we heard this parable taught to us, either in Bible class or Sunday school or from the pulpit. I think we concentrate on the part about not being rocky soil or hard of heart, like the path where the seed fell. But what about the last two kinds of soil?
We have seen good men and women who were obedient to God’s Holy Word but little by little, they seemed to stop coming to church or Bible class, they stopped getting involved in the good works that the church set out to do and they seemed to lose interest in things sacred. How did that happen?
I grew up in the hills of southern California and we did much of the work around the little ten-acre farm by hand. Oh, it was a farm alright. We had every kind of farm animal you can imagine, from horses to geese to chickens to pigs to cows to goats to sheep, well, you get the picture. In order to save on buying hay for the cow, we planted a large field in oats or barley each year. Now, there was a path near the fence that was very hard and there was rocky ground, to be sure. Some of the ground near our water supply was filled with weeds. We planted the grain by hand, much in the way you see it being done in pictures of times gone by. You cannot control exactly where the seed will fall, but after it sprouted, you knew. Just like the parable, the seed on the path would not sprout, the seed on the rocky soil would wither and die and so forth. The good soil produced a nice crop. At least the cow enjoyed it.
There is much you can do to prepare the soil before sowing the seed. You can remove the rocks, the weeds and whatever. You can plow the land until even the paths become soft and ready for the seed. You can remove the weeds. But in the event you do none of those things, you can expect that some of the seed will be lost. It will not produce a crop.
The book of Hebrews warns Christians not to drift from their faith. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:1-4, ESV) Jesus first said that those with ears should hear. Hearing implies obedience. When I disobeyed my parents they would often question, “Didn’t you hear me?” We must pay closer attention to the word. The Word of God is reliable and it means what it says. If we take our salvation lightly, we could possibly drift away from God. The problem here is the heart. The heart can be deceptive. But the heart can be trained to do what is right. It can be trained to pay attention. Jeremiah had another way of saying something about the heart. “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds." (Jeremiah 4:3-4, ESV) The heart can become hard, impervious to God’s Word. Circumcision of the heart means that we must deal with our hearts in a straightforward manner. No dancing around the sins that we enjoy or playing with the temptations that can lead to sin. We must deal harshly with sin and with a heart that says, “Well, everyone’s doing it.” Otherwise, the thorns will grow up and choke out the Holy Word of God. We must take God seriously. One particular Christian group did the world a big disfavor by classifying sins into two groups, mortal and venal. Mortal sins are those that will bring death. Venal sins are sins, but not so bad and they won’t cost you your soul. That is a patent lie. All sin leads to death. If you would like a list of some sins, even sins that don’t seem so bad, look at Romans 1: 24-32 or Colossians 3:5-9. Notice what the Spirit says through the apostle Paul in Colossians: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col 3:2, ESV) Now compare that with what Jesus said about the seed that fell among the thorns. The cares of this world can choke out the faith that we have in Jesus Christ. This is of paramount importance to remember. If we would really live life incarnadine, covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, we must be good soil that produces a large crop. We cannot do that by our own strength. We must allow the Holy Spirit to conform us to the will of God and not allow the world to conform us to what we see around us. Do you like reality? This is reality.

What About Baruch?

2008-11-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, 'Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.' Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up--that is, the whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go." (Jeremiah 45:2-5, ESV)
The world is in a financial meltdown, or so it would seem according to the latest news on any of the major news channels. Greed has been fueling the fires of power grabs and corruption in all walks of life. Banks, long considered to be a bulwark against the possible fall of government and society were some of the first to go down. And the saga hasn’t been played out to the end yet.
Where do Christians stand amid the turmoil that surrounds us? How will we fare? Sadly enough, the false prophets of a Christianity that declares God wants you to be rich have nothing to say. The large churches will possibly see a drop in membership, the preachers of a theology of prosperity “if you really have the Spirit” will eventually fall silent. The economic crisis may hit everyone; at least most people will feel the change to some extent. World news says that Iceland, that beautiful, self-contained island nation, will probably have to go back to the old ways of doing things and that it may well be a lesson for the rest of the world. While growing up, the catch word was “progress.” One company even boasted that “progress is our most important product.” In the last decade we have heard the word “sustainability.” It is a word that has been coined, not one you will find in older dictionaries. In fact, you will find it as two words, not one, if you use your spell checker. Somehow, we must sustain whatever it is we are doing. And now, heaven forbid, we will be thinking of the old ways. Regress, not progress. Christians will be affected by all that happens.
At possibly the most terrible time in the history of the Jews, Baruch, scribe to Jeremiah the prophet, was running around crying “woe is me.” That word woe means “cursed.” Baruch felt that as he was a righteous person, scribe to a man called by God to preach the truth, he should be exempt from all of the pain and suffering that his fellow countrymen were experiencing. Not so. Not even our physical life is exempt. Everyone dies, somewhere, sometime.
So what is our reward? Where are we to place our trust? If we have been faithful to God, won’t He see to it that we don’t lose anything of what we have worked so hard to get? “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” ( John 5:24, ESV) There is the reward. God has promised us eternal life. You are probably saying as you read this, “I know all of that already.” Yes, but do we really believe it? Do we really believe Jesus’s words about laying up treasure in heaven? How could we not know that all of this that the world puts its hopes in is destined for destruction? Are we so naive as to believe that any country or even the whole world economic order can withstand the power of our God? Nations have risen and fallen in the past. They will do so again in the future. No one nation is the guarantor of freedom or truth. Jesus is truth. He will be honored. He will rule the nations of the world. When Christians take seriously the Sermon on the Mount and begin living as Jesus commanded us to, we shall have the peace that passes understanding, even in the face of economic and material loss. We will learn to live our lives incarnadine, the color of the blood of our precious Jesus who economically didn’t even have a home of His own on this earth, but willingly died to give us a home in His heaven. This may be the greatest opportunity in history for Christians to really be counted on, to really take a stand for Jesus.

My apologies for the long time out in the blog, but we are up and running, howbeit, from a different venue. May God bless you. Please check the blog from time to time. Thank you.

Godly Men and Women, Godly Lives

2008-05-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47, ESV)
The world needs real Christians and it needs them right now. We have had enough of the cults and the false prophets, the end-of-the-world doomsayers and the social gospel crowd. Real Christians, real men and women filled with the Holy Spirit are what this sick, war-torn, hatred-filled world needs.
I love to go back to the book of Acts when I hear all of the doom and gloom around us. If the right person isn’t elected president, if this bill isn’t passed, if someone doesn’t do this, and on and on it goes. While visiting the U.S. recently, I noticed that the news channels are filled with dire warnings and a sense of impending destruction, for mankind, for animals and for the world itself. But when I read the opening chapters of Acts, I am thrilled at what the first Christians experienced and what they did. They were men and women of action. Living under the Roman Empire with all of its paganism and vanity, and with a constant threat of annihilation from the Jewish community, these first Christians paid attention to the most important thing of all - their souls and Kingdom of God.
While these good people were praising God, they were considered attractive by those who were not yet Christians. They shared what they had with others. They shared what they had with each other. The things of this world, all destined to perish, were not considered important, but rather things to be used to the glory of God and to the help of the less blessed. Three thousand souls devoted themselves to learning more of God’s word and to working together in love and harmony. Three thousand souls devoted themselves to worship and prayer. They sold what they had and distributed the money to those in need. What a concept! They ate in each other’s homes and went to worship together. They received their food with glad and generous hearts. I wonder if we remember to thank God for all that we have, for the food that we eat. But do you get your food with a generous heart, a heart that wants to share with those who have less?
Faith is the victory. That is a wonderful song, but please remember the words: “Let tents of ease be left behind. . .” Let’s start living our lives with a desire to share the gospel, to learn more of His Word, to praise Him fully, to have generous hearts, to turn from selfishness to selflessness. That’s what Jesus did. He was so selfless that He willingly died on the cross for a world that looked very much like the world we live in now. Godly men and women, Spirit-filled Christians, chose to be filled with hope and to put selfishness behind, because they now knew the Risen Savior. They lived their lives incarnadine, many actually paying the price of their lives for Jesus. Can we do less?
Note: I am in the process of relocating to Japan and will be unable to write my blog for the next two months. Please come back and visit the blog after that time and thank you for your interest.

Taking the Stress Out of Our Lives

2008-04-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:4-8, ESV)
We live in stressful times, no doubt about it. Just ask anyone about how busy they are or how stressed out they are and they will be quick to tell you about their stress-filled lives. The problem with stress is that it robs us of the freedom we have in Jesus Christ, it mars our relationships with others and even reduces our productivity. I believe that Christians have lived in stressful situations since the beginning of the church. But notice the beautiful passage in Philippians chapter four and how it reduces the stress in our lives, almost immediately. Rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. When shall I rejoice? Always. The Christian rejoices in each and every situation, whether the world sees it as a good situation or a bad situation. This particular teaching of Christ is so important that the Spirit asked the apostle Paul to repeat the word. Rejoice. Again I will say, Rejoice. That means it is extremely important for Christians to be filled with rejoicing at all times. Coupled with the teaching about rejoicing is the encouragement to be reasonable. We live in unreasonable times. People in countries all over the world are so filled with self that they have become unreasonable. If you think I am wrong, just consider the daily news. Unreasonableness is a mark of our world, our generation. That is why it is so important to be reasonable. Not only are we to be reasonable, we are to let that reasonableness be known to everyone, not just a few. We need to be reasonable with our spouses, with our children, with our aging parents, with our friends. We are to be reasonable with those who serve us in our communities, in restaurants, in stores. When’s the last time you “ripped a strip” with a waiter or waitress, with a clerk in a store? When was the last time you acted unreasonably when you received less than good service? And when we act unreasonable, it upsets us. We become victims of our own unreasonableness. We carry bitterness in our hearts, we nurse the hurt we believe we received because of the carelessness or attitude of someone else.
Are you anxious about anything? Anxiety increases because we have become unreasonable. We then forget that the Lord is close by, He is “at hand.” The best antidote for anxiety is prayer. Do we really pray? Do we really trust God to care for us, even in small things? Remember when Jesus raised Lazarus? He prayed before He raised His friend and in that prayer He thanked God for hearing Him, letting us know that God always hears Him. God hears Jesus right now as He continues to intercede on our behalf. He is close. He knows our every thought, our every anxiety. By praying, with thanksgiving for all He continues to do for us, we lay every care on Him and He deals with our anxiety. Supplication. That is an interesting term. That’s a bit stronger than just asking. I am reminded of Jesus’ parable about the man who went to bed, but the neighbor had guests and needed some bread, so he continued knocking on the door until he got the man up. Supplication is that kind of knocking and patiently believing that God will supply our every need, like knocking on the door of a friend’s house at midnight, believing he will get up and loan or give us what we need. If we pray like this with faith, our anxiety will be dealt with and the peace of Jesus Christ will guard our hearts. Against what? Against the voice of Satan trying to get us to think that God hasn’t heard our prayers or that God won’t answer our prayers favorably. You know the old cop out, “Well it must have been God’s will that He didn’t . . .” God loves His children and He will never withhold anything that His children need. And we need the peace of Jesus Christ.
If we will follow the injunctions of the Lord in the passage above, we will be able to think about things that are just, pure, lovely, of good report, excellent, commendable, things that are deserving of praise. And this is precisely what Christians need to be doing in times that are filled with stress, with uncertainty, with real wars and with the threat of more wars. God will guard our hearts. He will give us peace, peace that others cannot understand. Even Satan will be confused at the peace that we hold in our hearts, because he desperately wants the citizens of the Kingdom of God to be doubters, bitter, distressed and disenchanted followers of Christ. But if we live our lives under the blood of Jesus, life incarnadine, we will certainly be filled with rejoicing and be a shining light to a world that is groping about in the darkness, a world that is filled with fear and stress.

Maintaining the Unity of the Spirit

2008-04-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ( Ephesians 4:1-3, ESV)
"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:20-21, ESV)
A religious fanatic, a government sympathizer, some low class menial workers, these are the men that Jesus chose to turn the world upside down. It wasn’t these men who turned the world upside down, it was Jesus Christ and the message of peace that He brought to a broken world that did it. True, Jesus said there would be divisions in families because of faith in Him, but there was to be no division among the members of the family of God. But there is division among the Lord’s people and we try to brush it aside as “a necessary evil” when we defend our positions about anything and everything. Do we have an opinion? You bet we do. If you don’t have one yet, the news media on TV will encourage you to get on-line and cast your vote on whatever nonsense is currently the fad. We have opinions about health, about wealth, about politics, about world politics and about religion. What puzzles me is the wealth of opinions many have when they have no idea in this world about a particular subject. For instance, should Tibet be free? Have you ever read the history of that country? Do you know about the violations of human rights prior to the Chinese entering that country? Is it a country? We could ask questions all day long and I won’t give you my opinion about the matter, because I don’t really know what the answer is.
But my point is not Tibet. My point is division among brothers and sisters. Division is wrong, it is sinful and there is no way to sugar coat it. Many have made their understanding of doctrine a test of fellowship. Is that right? To be sure, there are some things that can never be compromised. Take Jesus Christ, for an example. Did Jesus come as God and take on human form? According to John’s second letter, to deny that God came in the flesh is a reason not to associate with a person who holds the belief that He didn’t come in the flesh. “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2John 1:7, ESV) That’s pretty clear to me. But I have heard folks use the verses that follow to justify disassociating with Christians who hold differences about other things in scripture that don’t seem that straight forward. “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." ( 2John 1:8-11, ESV) It seems to me that the teaching John refers to is this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came down from heaven and became a human, took on flesh. Anyone who does not abide in that teaching will lose God, but those of us who hold to that teaching have the Father and the Son.
It is so disheartening to see the world of Christianity so disunited, so broken. Christ’s body was broken that we might be one, be whole. If the world could see us united in love, surely they would hate us more for standing firm for Jesus or they would welcome the light and move toward faith. Living life incarnadine means dying to all of my pride, even when my pride says I know better than you or someone else what the Bible teaches. God who is Supreme asks His people to come and reason with Him."Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” ( Isaiah 1:18, ESV) God, who is pure and holy and righteous, asks His people, who are sinful, to come and reason with Him. Can we do any less with a brother or sister who disagrees with us? Let us understand that there are beautiful Christians who belong to political parties that are different, who think differently about global warming, who hold different opinions about illegal immigration, and the list goes on and on and on. Let’s not withhold the hand of fellowship because of these things. That would be wrong. And that would be less than to live our lives the color of the blood of the cross, dying to our own opinions and ideas in order to embrace our brothers and sisters. I really wonder how Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector got along so well. The Bible mentions nothing about their relationship within the twelve, but surely their differing political views were a potential point of division. They stayed united. Can we? Are we eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit? That isn't a casual approach, but a very positive action to keep brothers and sisters united in the Spirit of the Lord. We are not to have a spirit of unity, but work hard to maintain the unity that the Spirit gives the church. With all humility, patience, forebearing with one another in love, we are to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit. There is no room here for church hopping or cutting of relationships due to a difference of opinion. I pray my brothers and sisters can love me, even with my strong opinions as I work to love them.

Love Not The World

2008-03-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15 , ESV)
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:19, ESV)
It hurts when friends who are not believers turn against you. That’s just plain truth. I’ll never forget what happened to a lovely lady who turned to the Lord while she was living in Japan. She was the wife of a military man, stationed in the north of Honshu. She and her husband were headed for divorce and the family was being hurt. Young Christians visited her family to talk to her husband and her children about God. When this happened, she would be conveniently out of the room, but not out of earshot. A few months later, while I was preaching, her husband decided to be born again into Christ. A few minutes later, this lady came forward and asked to be baptized, too. She had found what she was looking for - the peace, the love and the joy that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. What happened later was striking, but all too familiar. This lady belonged to a bowling league and every week she went bowling with her friends. The next time she went, her friends asked her what she wanted to drink, beer or soda. She said no more beer, her life had changed and she had what she wanted now. (She was close to becoming an alcoholic before she turned to the Lord.) Her friends all teased her at the time, but that night, her very best friend called her on the phone. The friend asked, “What’s all this about you being baptized? Until you get over this, I’m not your friend anymore.”
That hurts. And when it happens, we are tempted to give up our faith. This Christian lady hadn’t been a Christian for more than a few days and Wham! Her best friend dumped her. I didn’t see her for a few months, but the next time I visited that military congregation, I saw amazing things. I saw this couple, once considering divorce, ministering to young military families, many who were reservists who had been called up near the end of the Viet Nam War, suddenly living in a strange land, far away from home. Many were from the deep South. And that was the greatest thrill of all. For you see, this wonderful lady was African American. She was spiritually serving the needs of these young couples who were struggling so hard. What a beautiful picture that has always been for me.
The world doesn’t know us; the world hates us. Why? Because the world doesn’t know the Messiah, the Annointed One. Those of us who know Him love Him. And because we love Him, the world hates us. He was hated without cause and this was the fulfillment of scripture. We are often hated without cause because we love the One Who was hated. Guilt by association. But that’s the kind of guilt we can deal with.
This world is temporary. Things are passing away. If you don’t believe it, just check some statistics on the fate of the globe. Despite all of the hype about global warming and our endangered environment, the truth is that our world is winding down. That’s exactly according to God’s own plan. Christians should understand this better than anyone else. Once sin came into the world, death came to everything, not just the humans. Death came to the world. When Jesus came, He died to redeem those who would turn to God and believe on the One and Only Son of God. Once He was resurrected, death for the earth was inevitable.
With that in mind, Christians are called to die to this world and the things of this world and live to Jesus Christ. We are not to be taken out of the world, except when it is our time to die, but we are to live in the world as light, as salt and as yeast. We are to spread the good news of Jesus to a dying world. We are to be the smell of life to dying humanity. But we are not to get caught up and love a world that is at most temporary. It’s passing away.
So when we are shunned, mistreated, or worse, let us remember that we live to serve the Master who died for the fallen human race. Only in dying can there be life. We must die to our selfish desires, our love of things, so that others might live. That’s what living life incarnadine is all about. It’s living our lives so that others can see the very marks of the nails of the Risen Jesus.

Salvation and Obedience

2008-03-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:40, ESV)
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--
to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. ( Romans 16:25-27, ESV)
There seems to be a lot of confusion in the Christian world about the relationship of faith to obedience to salvation. Much of this stems from an erroneous idea about whether or not men and women have free wills, the freedom to choose. You would think that from day one, that is, from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, it would be self-evident that humans can choose good or evil. We can choose God or Satan. We can choose the spiritual or the material. And on and on it goes. Is there anything a person can do on his own to obtain salvation? If there is nothing for a person to do since God has already chosen those who are going to be saved and those who are going to be damned, then most of my Bible is superfluous.
How is it that so many good men and women became confused about faith and salvation and the role of obedience in all of this? Rather than point fingers, let’s look at the heart of the matter. If a person says that everything bringing about salvation was accomplished by the mission of Jesus to the earth, His living, His miracles and healings, His suffering and dying on the Cross and His wonderful resurrection, I would whole-heartedly agree. He did it all. What the Law of Moses could not achieve, He did. Ah, but there’s the problem. So many have totally confused works of the Law of Moses with the question of faith and salvation that they have completely missed the point. When Paul is contrasting the faith and works in Romans, he is talking about the Law of Moses. That’s why James is quick to point out that he would show his faith through his works and that faith without works was dead, being alone. That flies in the face of tons of Bible notes and commentaries written over the ages. Even Luther, though not daring to take James out of the Bible, relegated James to the very end of his.
Am I daring to say that humans can do something to accomplish their own salvation? In terms of what Jesus did, that is incongruous. But there is something that humans must do or else we cannot understand the Bible at all. What is the obedience of faith? Let’s take a good example from everyday life. If I need to lose weight and I hear of a terrific program for losing weight, that’s wonderful. But if I do nothing at all, I guarantee my weight will not change. I did not create the program. Someone did it all for me. But faith is action on my part to apply that to my life so that I can in fact lose some weight. Jesus did it all. Faith, obedient faith, is believing that Jesus has done it all and acting accordingly to bring that salvation to apply to my soul. He is the object of my faith. No object, no faith. No object, no love. I love Him because of what He did for me. I want to obey Him because I now love Him.
One of the most abused scriptures in the New Testament is Acts 2:38. Responding to the question of the Jews, "Brothers, what shall we do?", Peter replies "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." (Acts 2:38-39,ESV) Peter has just finished delivering one of the most powerful sermons in history. He has convicted the Jews of killing the Christ, the Promised One. The people listening to the sermon are cut deeply by his words and believe they are totally lost, ready to be sent to the fires of hell. Without hesitation they respond, “What shall we do?” They might as well say, “What can we do?” They believe their situation is hopeless. Peter tells them that there are two things they must do. (For those Bible scholars who want to start quoting Greek to me, please cool your jets. The translation into English is correct and we will look at it from an English standpoint.) When you have the word “and” in English, usually you need to give equal weight to the two things that are mentioned. They asked, “what shall we do?” Do. Not believe. They already believe. They are convicted. Do, do, do. Action. Peter says there are two actions: repent (active on the part of the person) and be baptized (passive; the person is baptized by someone else.) Those two actions will result in two things, the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter then goes on to say that this double action, or these two actions will bring about the giving of these two gifts for everyone in the audience, for all of their children and for those who are far off (Gentiles), everyone whom the Lord God calls to Himself generation after generation, throughout the world.
Ah, you say, but there is the catch. Only those God calls are going to be saved. Oh, you missed a point somewhere along the way. Excuse me, I probably left out a very important part of the message. Jesus Himself tells us in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. . .” A good reading of the sixth chapter of John will clear up a lot of confusion about how one comes to God. Paul continues in Romans 10:13-15, For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Calling on the name of the Lord is another way of saying to respond in faith to the message of the gospel. Pure and simple.
Can a person be obedient to faith and thus be saved? I truly believe that is what the scriptures teach. Anything less is a very dangerous twisting of God’s word. Faith in Jesus demands my total obedience. If He is the great example of obedience, even to death on a cross, than who am I that I don’t need to be obedient? Dying to self is not passive, it’s active. When Christians learn to die to their worldly nature, they begin to understand the obedience that led Jesus to Calvary.

Joy

2008-03-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)
. . . looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)
If there is any one thing that should mark the Christian in such a way that the world is amazed by it, it should be a sense of joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. The world seeks for happiness. Every commercial on TV is aimed at bringing the consumer happiness if he or she will simply buy the latest product, follow the latest fad or indulge in the latest craze. Happiness is a word that is connected to “happenstance.” If something happens and I feel that I like it, I am happy. If something happens and I feel that I don’t like it, I feel bad. That’s happiness. Joy, on the other hand, has a far deeper meaning. If you are filled with joy, you can be compared to a tea kettle: you can still whistle, even when you are up to your neck in hot water. (That is not original with me; I heard it first when I was twelve years old, when I was attending a gospel meeting.) The prophet Habakkuk states it very clearly; joy does not depend on everything going my way. He paints a very dismal outlook, a landscape that smacks of famine. Even so, he says, he will still rejoice in the Lord. “I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” That doesn’t sound like happiness.
The Christian is a person who is filled with joy just knowing the Lord. Do you ever tell God that you love Him? We have a hard enough time telling our family members that we love them, let alone telling our Father in Heaven that we do. Can you just say, “Father, I love you. Jesus, I love you.” Did I forget to mention the Holy Spirit? Well, He’s busy interpreting everything we say to God into words that God can completely understand. He even does that with groaning, according to the writer of Romans. I have heard Christians groan and I have done a bit of that myself, to be honest. But my groans don’t begin to compare with the groans that the Holy Spirit utters on my behalf before the Father. Do you love God?
Can you love God when the world around you seems to be falling apart? Do you love Him when you lose your job or your house (more and more a reality these days)? Do you love Him when a loved one falls ill and life suddenly changes? Do you love Him when He takes a loved one from this earth? Those events don’t sound like the harbingers of happiness, do they? But we should be filled with joy. Why? Because Habakkuk says He is the God of our salvation. Habakkuk even says he will rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice means to have joy again. In Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus said this to His disciples: "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12, ESV) I don’t know about you, but I find it very difficult to rejoice, to be filled with joy again, when people say terrible things about me. I have had people say nasty things about me because I am a Christian. I have mostly lived in areas of the world where being a Christian is not culturally acceptable. And this is increasingly the situation in North America. Even governments get in on the action. There are those in power who would like to strip preachers of the right to perform marriages or penalize them monetarily should the preachers refuse to perform weddings for same-sex couples. Cities pass by-laws prohibiting the building of new church buildings. We do not live in the blissful era of days gone by when Christianity was considered the major moral force for society.
Christians must learn to be filled with joy in every event, in every situation. It is when we learn, as Jesus did, to be obedient, even unto death, that we will begin to understand the cross. It is when we are willing to live our lives incarnadine, as though we were on our way to execution, that the message of the cross and our Savior Jesus Christ will shine so brightly that the world will be utterly amazed. If first century Christians were accused of “turning the world upside down,” it is because they were willing to die for what they believed. And they counted it all joy to do so. Are we up to the test? Where will we stand? A dying world needs to hear a living message, the sweet news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the One who died for everyone in the world.

Our Corrupt Societies

2008-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2Peter 1:3-4, ESV)
And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:40, ESV)
Anyone who is a Christian cannot help but notice the increase of evil in the world. Some would dismiss the idea that there is more evil in the world now than there has ever been, but if the world population is the largest it has ever been, then the number of people practicing evil is larger than it has ever been, too. John Scofflaw is the name of many people you see around you. Traffic violations go mostly unnoticed, perhaps because there aren’t enough police men and women to catch all of the lawbreakers or just perhaps they have given up, too. After all, you can’t arrest everyone, can you? Petty theft, such as shoplifting, goes on unabated. Even greater crimes than these are commonplace and we have grown to expect it. Even worse, we are not often shocked by the crimes that people commit.
While there are many gurus out there telling people that they can be their best, that the inner man or woman is really a very good person just waiting to be released, that doesn’t seem to be what hits the eye. Society is trying to rid itself of all laws, all taboos, anything that says “you can’t do that,” or “you shouldn’t do that.” Our societies are being filled with petulant children who call themselves adults. Society is corrupt.
Now, before you write me off as a doomsday prophet, think again. The newspapers are still filled with all of the terrible crimes and the terrible gossip about people that filled the newspapers years ago. News on TV isn’t any different. But what is shocking, or should be shocking, is the fact that when people who are popular or well known get caught in outrageous behavior, we have many others who are condoning this bad conduct or even praising it. At the very least, self-proclaimed psychologists will immediately begin their spin on why all of this has happened, that the person is not to be blamed, but rather bad parenting or a bad society produced this problem. No responsibility. No guilt. The petulant children have won another victory.
Is society corrupt? That’s what Peter said to the people on the Day of Pentecost. Peter exhorted the people to “save themselves” from the corrupt society around them. How can you save yourself? That flies in the face of some very basic Protestant thinking. No human can possibly save himself. Faith alone, without any action whatsoever, is the way to salvation. If that were true, then Peter would have used some other words. If you buy into the idea that faith is totally passive and there is absolutely no response necessary on the part of the individual, then I would suggest you believe in miracles. But if, in fact, the heart is free to respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ as taught in the gospels, then it seems to me that there is something a person can do to save himself or herself from this corrupt society we live in. What? Believe on the One that the Father sent. Belief is an act, a choice that is made by each and every human being. True belief puts the believer into motion. The believer now seeks to actively take part in the transformation God wants to work in every Christian. That means that we must at least cooperate with God. It means we avail ourselves of those things that are spiritual. We seek to be pure, to be right with God and man, to choose good over evil.
Society is corrupt. That hasn’t changed since the first man and woman sinned. Remember, after they sinned, every sort of vile thing imaginable came into the world. God was so saddened at what man had become that He vowed to wipe everyone off of the face of the earth. Evidently, though, one man lived his life with great moral integrity. God was so pleased with him that He gave him the job of preaching the good news (he anticipated God’s sending of Messiah) and the job of saving all of the animal species of the earth. Noah was a great light shining in an extremely dark world. Christians are called to be the very same. We must live our lives as though we are willing to take the blows that Jesus took, for the sake of those who are dying around us. We must believe that the people of the world are lost, that they live in total darkness in a very corrupt world. When we live our lives incarnadine, real hope for the people of the world shines brighter than the stars on a very dark night. Societies can change. Societies do change. However, societies only change for the better when men and women are willing to die for justice, for mercy and for righteousness. Anything less than that is like putting a band aid on a severed artery. And that is a lesson in futility.

Right Thinking

2008-02-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, ESV)
We live in a world where very little is held sacred anymore. What do I mean? Things that I would never have dreamed of seeing or hearing on TV have become common place. Every aspect of personal hygiene is discussed in commercials, cursing and foul language are common to regular programming, not just confined to movies. Diseases that were not even mentioned in polite company are now paraded out before us with the idea that education is taking place to prevent others from contracting the same diseases.
Baloney. The commercials, the TV programs, the movies, all have one common goal and that is to titillate or to encourage people to desire to know what is sordid in life. It’s like adding sugar to foods; the sugar isn’t necessary to many products, but it gets the consumer to come back for more. We already know the end result of too many calories from sugar, but what about too much of the dark side of the world? Our minds are bombarded daily with sleaze, filth and horror. News programs don’t try to hold back on showing carnage but rather put up some flimsy warning to viewers, “May not be suitable to some audiences.”
So what’s the antidote for all of this? People have talked about how bad TV is getting since I was a teen and that’s more than forty years ago. Nothing has changed except the purveyors of the evil in our world have become bolder. You can unplug your TV. You can sell your computer. You can quit taking a paper. You can cancel your magazine subscriptions. And? And even those bold moves won’t entirely eradicate the darkness that is ever present. No, the real antidote is given in the book of Philippians. Walk with me through this verse. “Whatever is true. . .” We are so quick to latch onto things that we should know are patently untruthful when we should stand up for what is true. The Word of God is true and to think on the Word of God is to fill the mind with truthfulness. Once we begin thinking about things that are true, our view of the world begins to change. “Whatever is honorable. . .” Hollywood starlets carrying out immoral actions to be displayed on TV and in the magazines certainly isn’t honorable. I don’t need to know the latest episode in the sordid lives of celebrities. But what about the honorable deeds that happen everyday, right around me? Do I take time to think about those things? There are many honorable things done but they don’t make it into our newspapers. “Whatever is just. . .” I think we hear so much about injustice it is hard for us to think about things that are just. God is just. Christians should crave justice for everyone. We are bombarded with calls for rights, but the call for justice goes unheard. We should think about just things. “Whatever is pure. . .” There’s the one we really need to spend time on. We should think pure thoughts, not unholy, filthy thoughts. Once again, the antidote is to spend time in God’s word. When we reflect on the pure life of Jesus, our hearts are filled with light, not darkness. Whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent, anything worthy of praise, these are the things we should be thinking about. We need to act decisively in this world, not merely go with the flow of what society is throwing at us. The goal of all that is lurid in what is euphemistically termed “entertainment” is our minds and our wallets. TV programs and movies need money and they get their money from sponsors. Sponsors want their products to sell and believe they will get more people to consider their products if they are connected to the latest seamy show. We need to be thinking about things that are beautiful, excellent, praiseworthy, lovely.
Thinking about what is good and pure rather than thinking about all that is evil in our world is a choice. It is the choice that Christians who are trying to live their lives incarnadine, lives colored blood red, will make because to take up your cross daily means to die to self, daily. And to die to self is to deny my mind the darkness, the evil, the vile things of this world and to replace that with the very thought of the Master. Jesus could see a "woman of the world" as a daughter of God, created by Him for that which is lovely, rather than to exploit her, even if only in the mind. Dying to self is the call of Jesus to every Christian who ever lived. Sunday morning pew sitting by itself will not insure protection from the evil one. Daily praying and meditating on God’s word will.

The World’s View of the Church

2008-02-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." (John 18:36, ESV)
And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." ( Mark 1:38, ESV)
When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:14-15, ESV)
The three passages of scripture above give us a glimpse of what the world wanted from Jesus and how Jesus corrected the misconceptions people had of His mission.
The first misconception was that of a physical kingdom with an earthly territory to be governed. This was the misconception that Pilate had. He was astonished that such a simple looking man could be viewed as a threat by the Jewish religious leaders. Pilate believed he had the power to give or to take life from this simple peasant, this itinerant preacher standing before him. When Pilate asked Jesus if Her were a king, he was taken back with the simple answer, "You say that I am a king.” Jesus then went on to explain that His kingdom was different from the kingdoms of this world. Neither Pilate or his boss, Caesar, had anything to worry about. Jesus wasn’t another rebel seeking to overthrow the power of Rome. Jesus also took it to a higher level. If His kingdom were similar to the kingdoms of the time, including Rome, Jesus could have easily defeated the world powers.
The second and third misconceptions were those held by the common people. After Jesus performed many miracles of healing, the people, including Peter and the other disciples, thought that Jesus had come into the world to relieve the suffering of the people. Period. It is here that many pick up on what is commonly termed the social gospel. Help the people with their needs. Give money to the poor. Often God is criticized when people say, If there is a God, why does He allow suffering? The so-called faith healers are able to continue to defraud people by claims of miraculously curing illnesses, all in the name of Jesus. Jesus had a reply to such folks: “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” (Matthew 7:22, 23, ESV)
Obviously, working miracles is not proof of citizenship in the Kingdom of God nor of allegiance to Jesus Christ. No, Jesus Himself told Peter and the disciples that they now needed to go into other towns to preach the good news “for that is why I came out.” Came out? Came out from where? For that is the reason the Son left His Father’s side in heaven to come out into the earth, to preach good news to the captives, to those held in bondage to sin.
The third misconception is similar to the second. Many think that Jesus should feed all of the poor, hungry people of the world. Certainly in our time there are millions if not billions of people who have less than enough to live on. We have seen books with various titles about Christians living a rich life while the rest of the world is suffering starvation. And so the world tries to dictate to the church what the world view is of the mission of the church: the church should feed the poor around the world but not try to make any new Christians. A couple of years ago I heard a politician state that since the government was short on funds for social assistance the churches were being looked to as a resource for picking up more of the responsibility of helping the poor. Large cities across North America have many churches serving meals and helping the homeless and less fortunate in their communities. Politicians believe this is good, to relieve the financial burden of the state. But at the same time, those same politicians want to severely restrict the movements of the church and obliterate any influence the church may have on society.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not opposed to helping the poor. In fact, I believe that every Christian man and woman has a God commanded responsibility to share with the less fortunate in society. But that is not the mission of the church! The mission of the church is to continue the work that Jesus began while He walked the earth, to preach the good news to everyone who will listen. As more people turn to God and are healed, they in turn will help shoulder the responsibility of caring for the destitute, the sick, the suffering in our societies. That becomes a multiplication of assets, not merely an addition to what is already done by various governmental agencies. We are reminded by Jesus’ actions as well as by the words of scripture that pure religion is to care for the needs of widows and orphans, that is, those most unable to help themselves. Preaching the good news does not exempt Christians from helping others; if anything, it stimulates Christians to larger acts of kindness and help.
If we are to live our lives incarnadine, we need to become a threat to those who promote evil and that is not done by merely feeding the poor and nursing the sick. Jesus said that whoever would follow Him needed to remember this: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27, ESV) Evidently Stephen understood this for he gave his life after preaching to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Peter understood this, because on two different occasions he was imprisoned for preaching the good news, the second time believing that he would be murdered just as James had been. Paul understood this because he was stoned and left for dead for preaching the good news and suffered many times at the hands of religiously self righteous men. And the list goes on and on. Are we willing to live our lives in purity, in helping others, and in sharing the good news with those around us to the point that we might actually suffer physically for the name of Jesus? That is what it means to live life incarnadine. Life that already is colored red like blood, because that is what we have been called to do. When the world sees lives lived in this way, some will come to the light because they want the light. Others will do what they can to suppress the truth. That is the nature of the battle we are in. God, please help us to be strong enough to do what you have called us to do.

Whatever Happened to Jesus’ Church?

2008-02-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, ESV)
The church as we know it is probably very different from the church that the believers knew in the first century. That is to be expected when you consider the vast amount of time that has passed. Thankfully, some things are more convenient than they were in those days. But I wonder if we have lost the true meaning of what the church was meant to be.
It’s interesting to note that in the gospels the word “church” appears only twice. But once you get into the book of Acts, the word church pops up numerous times. Evidently, Jesus taught the disciples and the apostles some things about His church that were meant to be part of the body life and that were not going to be applicable until the giving of the promised Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
In many towns around the world, not just in North America, men and women meet together for worship. They sit on chairs or on pews, they sing some songs and pray, someone preaches or teaches a lesson and they share what they call the Lord’s Supper and go home, believing they have done everything God wanted them to do and believing that they are the church. Most Christians, though, are hard to find between Sundays and so the leaders of the local congregations devise schemes to bring people together. These plans may be for a mid-week Bible study or more probably, for some kind of reason to eat together, but true fellowship still eludes these groups. If you ask a Christian a question about worship or the Bible, that person might say, “My church teaches . . .” My church. It just doesn’t sound like the church belongs to Jesus, even if we put His name on it. We make plans and after all is ready, we pray and ask Him to bless those plans. He often doesn’t get asked before we make those plans, but only asked to put a stamp of approval on them when all is said and done.
A most interesting statement is made about the church in Acts, right after the church was begun on the Day of Pentecost. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42, ESV) In surveying the situation in many churches, I think it would be hard to say that the members have devoted themselves to any of the four items mentioned in that verse. Devotion. One of the definitions for the word devotion as found in Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary is this: the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal (as to an idea or a person). Can we really say that many Christians are ardently dedicated to the teaching of the apostles as found in the New Testament? Do people arrange their schedules so that they can have many opportunities each week to learn more of the Bible? Can we say people are on fire to be with other Christians in fellowship? And by the way, fellowship is not just eating together; fellowship is involving ourselves with others to do things, to serve, to help, to comfort. Yesterday my wife and I dropped everything to go and be with a Christian couple who were distraught because the husband had suffered something physically and was in need of being hospitalized. We went to their home and the husband was resting on the sofa and the wife was holding her granddaughter, obviously overcome by the situation. My wife sat at the feet of her husband, patting his leg and trying to reassure him that things would work out alright. I motioned for the wife to sit beside me and let her put her head against my shoulder, as an older brother would do. Her stiff body relaxed a bit and the tears streamed down her face. She hugged and clung to my wife when we later left her at the hospital. We had fellowship with this sister in Christ, helping her with a burden that was too heavy for her to carry alone. We didn’t eat anything. Other members called her to find out how her husband was, assuring her that they were being prayed for. We were devoting ourselves to this family because they are part of the body of Christ.
If we understand the breaking of bread to be the Lord’s Supper, I would suggest that we don’t devote ourselves to that, either. Many folks believe that if they don’t take communion, they haven’t worshiped God. Get it? Take communion. We don’t say, I want to commune with my brothers and sisters and with God and share in the meal we call the Lord’s Supper. It has become a symbol, not an act. Often our minds are elsewhere. Let’s get it over with, have the last song and prayer, and I can take the family to lunch, or catch the game on TV. The apostle Paul so desired to commune with the brothers and sisters at Troas that he spent an extra week, just to be with them. That’s devotion.
And devotion to prayer. Now that’s the really hard one. I used to cook breakfast, once a month, for any members who wanted to come and pray together on Saturday morning. This went on for several years. I tried to get others to take the lead, but they politely turned me down. Once, though, a brother who was also the other preacher in the congregation, agreed to take the lead. But instead of prayer, they spent their time singing. Why? Because prayer is hard work for many of us. It is comfortable to sing, but to pray and pour out our hearts, especially in front of others, is something we are not comfortable in doing.
The book of Acts says that as the Christians did these things, they were having favor with all the people. The idea of having favor means they were attractive to the people of Jerusalem. People saw Christ in the men and women who devoted themselves to Jesus and to each other, extending themselves to others in the city. Only when we devote ourselves to Jesus in every way and only when we try to imitate the devotion of first century Christians, will we be seen as those who live their lives incarnadine, colored with the blood of Jesus. He died for the church, His church. Instead of a purpose driven church, how about a Jesus Driven Church? Unless He is the object of our fervent, ardent, undying love, all of the things we do that we call church are just so many empty things that may not count for anything in eternity.

God in the time of Famine

2008-01-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. (Genesis 45:5-7, ESV)
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, 'Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.' Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up--that is, the whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go." (Jeremiah 45:2 -5, ESV)
We live in a time of growing economic uncertainty. As I listen to people from Taiwan, China, the United States, Canada or Japan, I hear the uneasiness in their voices. What’s going to happen? The economy of the U.S. is stumbling. A believer in California told me yesterday that the banks in Europe are in great fear of a U.S. collapse because they have invested heavily in the U.S. housing market. The local university here in British Columbia has lost millions in the housing market. In some areas where there has been much wealth, there is a growing fear that everything will be lost. The Financial Times of London has predicted higher prices for things such as wheat and rice. Food will be expensive. People will lose their homes, their jobs.
How does the Christian respond to all of this? When we read the story of Joseph and his brothers, we often forget that the famine that came to that part of the world was severe, so much so that Jacob and his sons despaired of life. Joseph was able to reassure them after the many years of separation that what the brothers had done evilly was God’s plan for preserving a nation. When we read Jeremiah we are somewhat perplexed at the message to Baruch. Baruch was the scribe who wrote for Jeremiah. It seemed he despaired at the loss he was about to incur. For some reason, Baruch felt he should be spared the loss that was coming on the whole nation. God’s reassurance to Baruch is that what is coming on the nation is God’s doing and that Baruch will lose a lot, too. However, God promised Baruch that he would live, he would keep his life “as a prize of war.” In other words, just as soldiers come out with only their lives, Baruch will live much the same way, but it won’t matter where he goes, for he will still be protected by God. In the book of Daniel, when the terrible things come upon Judah at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes, God reassures the people that they will be delivered, although it seems some will die for the promise is that they shall rise from the dust to everlasting life.
We read the words of the Sermon on the Mount and when Jesus says to not worry about the things the Gentiles worry about, we agree with Him, as we continue to worry about our jobs, homes and our futures. But remember, His promise is to provide the necessities if we seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness. Merely sitting on the pews in church is no sign that a man or woman is truly seeking God’s Righteousness. Our lives must be permeated with the smell of death, a willingness to die for Christ, should that be necessary. That means we should be willing to endure the hardship that may be coming on the world, without anxiety, but with a sense of solid trust in the One who gave His life, His all, that He might bring us to eternal life. Make no mistake about it: if hardship comes, it will come to the nations plural, not one nation, singular. We are encouraged to “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. . .” ( Philippians 2:14-15, ESV) Lights in the Bible often refer to stars. Stars shine their brightest when other light is least visible. If Christians will truly live their lives incarnadine, dying to self and living to Christ, then the world will be able to see a Risen Savior who reigns in heaven. They will see Him through us as we live as true believers. Salvation will come to many who have never believed before.

My Lord and My God

2008-01-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:28-29, ESV)
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:6, 7, ESV)
There is a lot of misinformation being propagate by the people whose god is the god of political correctness. I often hear teenage students tell me that in their socials class or other classes in their schools, they are being taught that the god of Islam, Judaism and Christianity are in fact one and the same god. This is also the view that is popular on news stations, both radio and television. But is that true?
There are several sites on the internet where you can find information about the god of Islam. Some of the sites push what is current Islamic teaching: Islam worships the same god as the god of Abraham, believes Jesus to have been a prophet, but the last revelation was from Mohammad. Other sites will show you clearly that archaeology, the bane of religious groups that want to claim things contrary to fact, proves that a moon god has been worshiped in Arabia and the Middle East for thousands of years and that is actually the god of Islam. Why the crescent moon on the flags of Islamic nations? For more information about the archaeological discoveries concerning Allah, go to http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm. Most people who have done any study on the subject know that the god of Islam is not the god of the Jews.
But is the god of the Jews the God of Christianity? Make no mistake, Jesus Christ was born a Jew and lived among the Jewish people. His ancestry is all Jewish, being of the tribe of Judah and the family of King David, prophesied to sit on David’s throne as the last king of Israel. Before He went to the cross, Jesus prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem and the entire Jewish system. Why? In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus sings a lament for Jerusalem. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" (Matthew 23:37 -39, ESV). Jesus says that the house, the nation, will become desolate. Finished. Now when Jesus made this statement, “you will not see me again,” was He talking of Himself or God the Father or both? I believe He is talking about the very God we worship. When Jerusalem was destroyed, about forty years after Jesus returned to heaven, the temple, the worship, the things that the Jewish people held to be sacred, were all taken away.
The apostle Paul makes it even clearer. Remember Saul who persecuted the church so heavily and then saw Jesus on the road to Damascus? What did he think about the rejection of Jesus as God? “. . . though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (I Timothy 1:13-17, ESV). Paul said he had been a blasphemer. He had acted against God. How did he do that? By not accepting Jesus as God, as the Messiah, the promised One. To reject Jesus is to reject God. Period. Then Paul honors the King of ages, who is Jesus, by stating that He is invisible and the only God! Paul does not see one god in heaven, the Father, and another god or prophet named Jesus Christ. Jesus is God. You cannot get more God than what you get with Jesus, if I may put it bluntly.
So the god of Islam and the god of Judaism are not the same God as the God of Jesus Christ, who is God. Christians are asked to defend the faith that was delivered to us. We are told to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that is in us, Jesus Christ, but to do so with humility and fear of God (I Peter 3:15). To try and placate those who are attempting to blur the lines between Jesus and other gods is to do even them a disservice, because we withhold the knowledge that will give them life, life in the Son. We must be aware of the fact that we may see days in our free countries where we will be persecuted for His, for Jesus’s sake, because we do not accept what the world says about the gods of other religions. But that is also how we will live life incarnadine, life lived in the color of blood, because His disciples have been told to take up their own cross and follow Him. To take up your cross means you may have to forfeit your earthly life, for His sake. Are we willing to do that?

Who Do You Imitate?

2008-01-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Heb 13:7 , ESV)
Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. ( 3Jn 1:11, ESV)
We imitate those around us, especially when we are younger. But even older people often imitate those they are around the most. Have you ever seen a husband and wife who seem to have the same smile, the same mannerisms? Perhaps it’s because they have looked into each other’s faces so many times for so many years that they begin to reflect the other person more than their own image which they see daily in the mirror.
Disciples of Christ are called to be imitators of Christ. Ask a young person who they would most like to be like. If they are interested in sports, it may be some hero in the sport they love best. If they are interested in fashion or entertainment, it may be a model or a movie star, perhaps a famous singer. It used to be that boys wanted to grow up to be like their dads and girls wanted to grow up to be like their moms. You can still see that some times.
If those who believe Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Christ, were to really try to imitate Jesus, what would the world look like now? We chuckle at the joke about a woman who was arrested because she was using foul language at another driver, giving offensive sign language, and acting completely the opposite of the bumper stickers on her car. The police apologize because they were sure the car had been stolen; the woman was acting totally out of character for what her bumper stickers portrayed her as. What would Jesus Do? We love that little slogan. But it seems that while we might try to think once in a while about what Jesus would do in a given situation, we don’t stop to analyze the fact that we are to be in character, always. We should be living like Jesus so much so that others begin to find it difficult to see us more than Jesus.
If a young person started acting like a famous person, wearing the same kinds of clothes, imitating the gestures, the walk, the way of talking, people would begin to say that something was wrong. They might even suggest that the person was out of it, losing his mind, over the top, and, well, you get the picture. A nut case. A wierdo.
The problem is, not many people are imitating Jesus to the point where others are saying those kinds of things about Christians. No one accuses Christians of being over the top, out of it, living in la-la land, or whatever. People don’t see Jesus; people see men and women who say they are Christians but who live as worldly a life as a non-believer. And so, Christianity isn’t attractive to many people. In Acts 2:47, it says the believers were “having favor with all the people.” That term, ‘having favor,’ is similar to the word attractive. Christians were attractive to the non-believing Jews because of their behavior. They were sharing their food, their homes, their worldly goods with those who had less or not at all. They were in each other’s homes to eat together and have fellowship. They shared in the tasks of the church, helping the poor, telling the good news to others. They literally lived to worship; they never thought of "going to church" because they were the church. They hung on every word from the apostles who were their leaders. They ate with glad and sincere hearts. They were thankful to God for such a great salvation.
In many towns and cities, Christians aren’t very attractive. We cringe if another Christian wants to visit our home. We rush away from church so we don't have to invite someone for lunch or in order to avoid being invited to lunch. Many believe that all activities of the local congregation should take place in the church building; don't bother people in their homes. Fellowship for some is worse than a trip to the dentist. Living as a Christian is seen more as a chore to be done than a life to be lived. And even though Jesus said he came to give life "abundantly" that is interpreted as life in the hereafter, not abundant, joyous living in the here and now. Others don't see Christians as transformed people because Christians don't want to take the time to change. To listen to many Christians, it would seem that life was so busy with their agenda that God's agenda just couldn't be considered; His agenda isn't on hold, it's out of the question entirely.
Do we dare to imitate Christ? Do we dare to “take up our cross, daily” and live as though we might be put to death for our beliefs? Do we dare to stand up, not just in word, but in deed, to a dying world with a message of peace and love and forgiveness? Do we dare show others that we, too, need to repent of time wasted, opportunities for the Lord missed, greediness, immoral thoughts, unethical practices, and lying to one another, to our mates, to our children, to our parents? Do we dare to live our lives as though we were covered in the blood of Jesus, a life that is truly incarnadine, blood-colored? If we dare, we might find a hungry and thirsty world ready to listen to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Living Virtuously - Taming the Desire for Revenge

2007-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Matthew 5:39-41, ESV)

For many people, applying Jesus’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are just plain difficult. Christians may be able to repeat the Beatitudes, but few can remember exactly what the Sermon on the Mount teaches. Yet, if I understand the gospel at all, I believe that this is the very heart of Jesus’s message and it is imperative for Christians to live according to these teachings. We know that the Spirit is given to us to recreate us into really spiritual men and women, living in a world of darkness and evil. The Spirit is God and the Scripture plainly teaches, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” ( Philippians 2:13, ESV) We can only know what kind of person He wants us to be by looking again and again at the Sermon on the Mount. There is the essence of spiritual living in one sermon.
It would seem that one of the more difficult teachings is overcoming the desire to seek revenge or giving “tit for tat.” When we have been wronged, often totally uncalled for on our part, we would really like to lash out at the person who injured us. And we are even devious in the ways in which we express that desire. “Lord, please forgive the guy who smashed my car in the parking lot today. Please do something to bring him down so he knows that he is full of sin and hurting others.” We pray like that. No real forgiveness on our part, but rather a real desire for God to strike that person back. Oh, yes, we want the perpetrator to become a Christian and we really hope God will bring some terrible calamity on him so that he will wake up and turn to God. Notice, though, that we really want that terrible whatever to come upon that person!
Jesus said to turn the other cheek. When we read that, we are thinking of someone walking up to us, hitting us across the face and then, as really good Christians, we will just turn our cheek and let them hit the other, too. But that isn’t really the way things happen, is it?
Week before last, I was walking my dogs down the alley behind our house, as I do every morning, when we were attacked by a Pit Bull mixed dog belonging to one of the neighbors. We have been attacked before, but no injuries happened. The dog is kept behind a steel fence, but when the owner backs his car out, he opens the gate and doesn’t bother to put the dog in the garage temporarily or on a chain or whatever. So we have been attacked, not once but several times. This time, though, he bit deep into the shoulder of my Lab, leaving a deep puncture wound. I took her to the vet and spent almost 400 dollars for blood tests, an overnight stay in the hospital, a minor surgery to put in a drain, etc., and antibiotics. I called Animal Control, which I have done in the past after my wife and daughter were chased by the animal, and lodged a complaint. I took my bill to the door of the house, not once but three times, but both the people from Animal Control and I have had the same response; no one comes to the door. This leaves me with a feeling of anger, that the owner will not take responsibility for his own actions. My unspiritual self wants the bill paid, especially just before the holidays.
But what would Jesus tell me to do? I think He would tell me to drop it, to suffer loss. Going the extra mile is to be defrauded of time. To turn the other cheek is to suffer personal injury, whether physically or mentally. If we buy into pop psychology as dished out on television, we could convince ourselves that it is for the other person’s own good to make them pay, to make them be responsible. Human rights are not the same as Christian rights. The Christian has the right to suffer loss, to suffer harm, to return good behavior for evil behavior. These are the rights we should staunchly defend as Christians.
That we live in an age of increasing irresponsibility is a given. Nations are irresponsible, politicians are irresponsible, parents are irresponsible and on and on goes the list. By turning the other cheek, we show the greater responsibility. I have been in situations where I was wrongly accused and you probably have, too. Let us promise to turn the other cheek, thereby disarming the power of Satan. We must believe that it is Satan who is the real adversary, the one who wants the power. He wants us to seek revenge, to give the other person “what’s coming to him.” We serve the Risen Jesus and help to disarm Satan by living like Jesus, turning the other cheek. How can we read the trial scene, when Jesus did not even open His mouth to defend Himself and think that we should be any different? To live our lives bathed in His blood, life incarnadine means to deal decisively with our desire for revenge, to get even, to make things right in our eyes. That is the sermon that this world desperately needs to hear and every Christian should be preaching it, every day.

Living Virtuously - Herod and the Pharisees

2007-12-05T22:58:00.000-08:00

“Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” (Mark 8:14-15, ESV)

As we discuss the true Christian life, one that is lived bathed in the blood of Jesus, we are reminded by Christ Himself to separate ourselves from the worldly influences of two different groups: the politicians and the morally self-righteous legalists. The Herodians, or followers of Herod, represented the political aspirations of Jesus’s time, while the Pharisees represented the morally self-righteous legalistic religionists. I say religionists because the Pharisees seem to have lost their love of God in favor of a slave like mental attitude toward the Scriptures.
Both of these extremes are very visible in our world today. It would seem that many Christians believe that our western democratic form of government is the only viable government for the promotion of Christianity. Many years ago I heard a man pray, “Thank you Lord for the United States of America which made Christianity possible.” I don’t doubt the man’s sincere belief in God but I am perplexed that someone would believe that a democratic form of government was necessary in order for Christianity to thrive. Please don't misunderstand me: I love the democratic form of government and I served my country during the Viet Nam conflict. I deeply respect the political institutions in the United States and Canada, to mention a couple.
In Jesus’s time, a Roman emperor ruled the known world, the Jews had the upper hand in local politics and Christians were the extreme minority. While the book of Acts is thrilling, considering three thousand converts on the Day of Pentecost to the point where the numbers were multiplying, nevertheless, Jews and pagans outnumbered Christians. Despite the overwhelming odds, the apostles were emboldened to preach the good news to any and every group or person who would listen. Paul did some of his best work from inside a jail cell. But following the warnings of Jesus, Christians worked hard to steer clear of the negative influences of politics or the extremes of the religious establishment.
How does this play out in the twenty-first century? Every time the ACLU presents a lawsuit against prayer or some Christian observation, be it Christmas or whatnot, e-mails start circulating rapidly around the world, asking people to not only read the note, but to affirm that this is true and to pass it on or reap the consequences. One hoax alleging that Madeline Murray O’Hare is working to get religious broadcasting off the airwaves still circulates, years after her death. Many Christians truly believe that unless the United States is preserved as they understand it, the nation is doomed to godlessness and the churches will all die out, around the world.
During the Biafran War in Nigeria several decades ago, the non-Christian Nigerians did their best to annihilate the Biafran tribe which was largely Christian. However, during the entire war, the number of Christians among the Biafrans doubled, even though their community was incarcerated and murdered regularly.
Much of the hype coming out about the direction of the nation of the United States is fomented by Pharisaical religionists. One such a person has on occasion suggested the assassination of leaders of other countries to preserve the United States. Beware the leaven of the Pharisees is the admonition given by our Lord. We can get carried away with politics thinking we are fighting to preserve the Christian faith when in fact we are playing into the hands of the real enemy, Satan.
Christians need to be informed, they need to be people who trust in God before trusting in man. I don’t watch the news much anymore, especially since 9/11. I find that it doesn’t inspire me, it doesn’t fill me with good, it fills me with worry and concern about matters that God can deal with better than I. The New Testament writers Peter and Paul had a profound respect for governmental leaders, even though they suffered at the hands of some of these brutes. Their teaching? Pray. Pray for the emperor, pray for those who have the power. We should be a people who pray for the president and the congress men and women. We should pray for our local leaders. Ask yourself a question: if you are a Republican, did you pray for President Clinton during his presidency, especially during his impeachment hearings? If you are a Democrat, did you pray for Mr. Nixon during Watergate or do you pray for Mr. Bush during these times of war in Iraq? Most of us cannot answer in the affirmative. I know I didn’t pray for Mr. Clinton as I should have. I haven’t prayed for Mr. Bush as I should. I also need to pray for Mr. Harper here in Canada and those local leaders who help me to live in peace in this country. Living life incarnadine means to live it in the world, but not of the world. We should never let politics divide brother and sister in the church, we should never think that politics will save us. It won’t. Only Jesus Christ can do that. And last I checked, He’s still very much alive and still very much involved in our current history. Let’s dare to live our lives bathed in his blood, life incarnadine.

The Christian and His Money

2007-11-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

"You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.” ( Deuteronomy 16:13-14, ESV)
“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." ( Luke 14:12-14, ESV)
Many years ago my father-in-law told me of a family in the congregation where he was preaching who took the injunction set out above by Jesus and literally applied it to their lives. For some time it was their custom on Friday nights to make a dinner and invite people they knew would not be able to return the favor and invite this couple to dinner.
The Christian is called by Christ Jesus to live a life that reflects the very nature of God Himself in the day-to-day business of serving others. Too often we see people who readily give of their means to erect buildings or to pay for programs that will give them a return, usually in words of praise or plaques on the sides of buildings. When we do that, we have already received our reward and should expect nothing further for that particular effort when we enter Paradise.
When God gave Moses the commands and laws, there were specific laws in regards to worship other than the weekly Sabbath. Three times a year all of the males were to present themselves before the Lord at the places God designated for worship. The Feast of Booths was a celebration of harvest, but more than that. In pagan religions, various gods were honored for sending the harvest. In the Israelite community, God was to be honored for giving the people the bounty of the land, but it was also a celebration of the reward for the labor of their hands. The striking thing about this festival was that it was to be celebrated by sharing with those who had little or nothing, the Levites (they did not receive an area of land for their tribe), the widows and orphans and even the sojourners, those who did not own any of that area or who were perhaps, non-Israelite believers in the One God.
We may readily put money into the collection plate on Sunday, we may back the programs of the church, but are we willing to actually share our abundance with those who have less? And here, let’s not just think of the many tear jerking commercials on TV that promote this charity or that, but how about actually inviting the poor in our communities to sit with us at our tables, to eat our food and to use our fine China and crystal. Are we willing to part with our hard-earned money to help the truly desperate, the downtrodden, those whose lives are far less fortunate than ours?
Some believe that Christianity is on the way down, perhaps on the way out. But if we really lived our lives incarnadine, the blood color of Jesus, the Jesus who willing gave everything for us, then true Christianity would be so visible to others that the message of Christ would scream across the land.

Paying the Price for Moral Integrity

2007-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. (Genesis 39:7-10, ESV)
Moral integrity is certainly one of the things most noticeably missing in the political leadership of many countries around the world. But it is not just the political leaders who seem to lack good moral sense; leaders in business, medicine and other professions, education, and sadly enough, even in our churches, often wander when tempted. That this has become a blight on the social landscape seems to be mostly ignored by those who should be quick to point to our God-given commands that call for purity in our lives.
But this isn’t anything new. The temptation to be unfaithful to a wife or husband or to take advantage of others by tempting them to break their vows to their mates and to God is accepted as part of our society. Have you heard a good sermon lately about how we should conduct our lives in regards to sexual morals? Or rather, haven't you heard sermons about how we shouldn’t do some things in worship? Have your heard lessons about giving to the Lord, from your pocketbook, but no lessons from the Lord about how you should honor the Lord with your body by keeping it pure, by keeping your marriage bed “undefiled,” as the writer of Hebrews puts it? In our age, even some school teachers, men and women, those wonderful people we entrust our children to for so many hours every day, every week, for the greater part of the year, are caught defiling children, the innocent young who will be the leaders of our society tomorrow. Pornography is so rampant, partly as a result of the internet, that even pubescent children are addicted to it, not realizing that they will be sexual cripples as adults, unable to build lasting, loving relationships with the opposite sex. But sadly enough, there is no real outrage or indignation on the part of the populace as a whole. No outcry for a stop to the insanity of pornography that hides under the guise of freedom of speech has been heard from the people. No demand for strict punishment of those who prey on the innocent children has been called for. People have become numb to what sexual immorality is doing to our lives, to our nations.
Joseph should be the role model for every Christian man or woman. Here was a handsome young man, sold into slavery by his brothers, who finds himself managing a man’s home, with everything under his control except the man’s wife. And she, seeing how handsome and viral he is, tries daily to tempt Joseph to sleep with her. But Joseph is a man of high moral standards. Joseph believes that to betray his master by sleeping with his wife would be sin against God. He calls it a “great wickedness.” Not a momentary moral lapse. Not something that “goes with the territory.” Now, Potiphar’s wife would probably have accused Joseph of rape had he slept with her; this was truly a “lose-lose” situation. Nevertheless, because Joseph holds to his high moral standards, he refuses to succumb to the pleasures of the moment and he pays for it dearly. For this one little thing, rebuffing his master's wife's advances, Joseph languishes in prison for years, spending more time in prison for this stand against sin than many rapists spend for their violent offences. Think about it.
In I Corinthians, we are told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6:18-20, ESV)
We will never see the church of Jesus Christ really attract sinners until we take a stand against every sort of sexual immorality that is known to man. And we will never live our lives “incarnadine,” blood colored, until we are willing to pay the high price for living up to the standards that God has set for us. Jesus held to the high standards and so did Joseph. It’s time to get over milk sop Christianity and begin living our faith with a true sense of dying to self. Only then will we begin to have a faith that moves mountains.

Adding to Your Faith

2007-09-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:13-18, ESV)

The above scripture has to be one of the most exciting in the entire Bible. Just think of it, God has invited us to become partakers of the divine nature. That means He wants us to become like Him. When we feel small and insignificant, we need to remember that God loves us so much that He invites us to be with Him forever with a nature like His. In another place, God speaks through the apostle Paul to tell us that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7, ESV) This means that in Christ, we are sitting next to God in the heavenly places. This has to excite us. No other religion, no other god offers the kind of rewards that our God offers us. And I’ll bet you thought that being a Christian was just about being forgiven and that one day we get to go to heaven. Of course, those are the promises, too. But if you think that the Christian life is one of dreariness and hardship, holding on for dear life and then, if we are lucky, a trip to heaven, you need to rethink what God is calling you to be. Holy. Godly. Divine. Sitting next to Him. Not only in the future, right now!

In the second letter of Peter, the writer starts off with a list of “adds.” Isn’t it interesting, though, that he doesn’t go straight to the knowledge part? Before you become that Bible scholar that you think you should be, you need to hang out in the virtue area. We live in an age that is anything but virtuous. Those of us living in democratic countries have watched as what used to be called privileges have now become rights; we have seen law with virtue replaced with scorn for the law and nothing resembling real virtue. No longer is the criminal on trial, but the law is on trial. No lawyer has met a law that he didn’t despise and no criminal that he didn’t believe he could get off the hook with a bargain here or a deal there. Justice? The word is unknown to most victims of crime.

When you read the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, much of it appears like a court trial. God has brought suit against His people. He tells them in the 58th chapter that while they are going through all of the motions of religion, the fasting, the praying, the bowing, they are really practicing deceit before God. They think that by all of their religiosity they will be heard. But what does God say? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58: 6-7, ESV) Virtue. Godliness. Holiness. Humility. Kindness. When we work toward being a virtuous person, God sees it. He gives us everything concerned with life and godliness. And the result? In Isaiah, He said He would hear their prayers. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer. . .” (Isaiah 58:9, ESV) I hear people say, “I prayed and prayed and nothing happened.” Really? Could it possibly be that you are asking for yourself and not practicing the things that God calls the virtues? Are you tired of being a Christian because you spend your time trying to be religious rather than living to be like Jesus?
More on this next time. If we really want to be walking as people covered in the blood of Jesus, “incarnadine,” we need to remember that we have been called to die to self and live to Christ. Only then will others bask in the glow of the wonderful, powerful blood of Jesus.

Mustard Seed Faith

2007-09-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Mat 17:20, ESV)
When considering faith, most people compare their own faith with the faith of others, whether Biblical characters or godly people they have read about or even someone they know. Often we hear people say, “She must have had a strong faith to continue like that, even when things were so terribly bad,” or, “I just don’t know how he did it. I would have given up long ago. Where did he get his faith?”
For the Christian, the “where” is really the “who.” The man whose son was demon-possessed had faith, but that faith was not in Jesus’s disciples as much as it was in Jesus himself. Even then, he had his doubts. When Jesus challenged his faith, the man acknowledged his doubts and asked for a greater faith. Only by focusing our lives on the Christ of the pages of the New Testament and not on the Christ of Hollywood or of the popular media can we expect to have a stronger faith. Once the father realized his faith must be in the Teacher who stood before him, he realized the weakness of his own faith, but desperately wanted to believe. Jesus has a way of evoking faith if a person will truly look at Jesus as God Incarnate, God in the flesh.
Animals and children have a sense of trust that puts many adults to shame. I grew up on a small farm and my family raised geese, goats, cows, pigs, chickens, sheep and had a horse for a time, as well as a pet skunk. All of the animals had one thing in common - they trusted us to give them their food and water and to take care of them when they became sick. The family cow was with us for ten years, until I went off to college. We had a well that supplied our water and the pump was a windmill, very eco-friendly. When the wind blew, the windmill would turn, pulling the water up from 137 feet below the surface of the earth, cool and delicious, even on the hottest of days. Then the pump would continue to push this refreshing liquid several hundred feet up the incline of the hillside we lived on, to fill a large wooden reservoir that could hold 500 gallons. Usually the wind blew daily over those dry, dusty hills, filling the tank with water until it overflowed, watering the desert-like hillside and giving life to trees that had been planted by the birds of the air, including a palm tree. On occasion, though, someone would forget to turn off a tap somewhere, draining the tank and leaving the family and the animals without water. And sometimes the wind would not refill that tank for several days. Once we went without for ten long days. In that event, we would pull a trailer with a 60 gallon tank to a neighbor’s house where we could fill the small tank and take it home for drinking water and water for the animals.
The point of all of this is: the animals never worried about where the water came from, nor whether or not there was any water to be had. Their trust was fully in those responsible for caring for them - us.
And that’s the way it should be with our faith walk with God. We should never question or worry about where He will get the things that we need. He has always taken care of us and always will. Once we have a trust like that of a small child for his mother or an animal for its owner, we will really begin to be those who learn how to live our lives “incarnadine,” bathed in the blood of Jesus so that those around us will be filled with a sense of the presence of Jesus. A spirit-filled life is a life of strong faith. Jesus was able to do everything well because He knew who He was and He knew who His Father was. When we know those things, we will see our faith soar. We will learn to wait on the Lord and see His great and wonderful way of caring for us and others. We will truly learn what the scripture means when it says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31, ESV) Let's look for people who are interested in learning to fly.

Lord, Give Me Faith

2007-09-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest problems for anyone coming to Christ is the problem of faith. How do I get it? What is it really like? What can I expect to happen in my life if I have faith? Is it a matter of how much faith I have or is it a matter of the quality of my faith? Remember the man who came to Jesus to ask why the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon that left the man’s son mute? He asked Jesus if He could do anything to help. Jesus replied, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." (Mark 9:23, ESV) The man in desperation cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24, ESV) I think that is the feeling of most of us in life. I believe. Lord, help the part of me that has trouble believing! How is it possible to have a stronger faith, a deeper faith, a faith that cannot be shaken, no matter what may come in life?
The man with the son that Jesus cured believed in One God. Every good Jewish person could quote what Moses had written in Deuteronomy, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4, ESV) For New Testament Christians, to believe that God is One and that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit seems pretty common. Even when we meet a severe crisis in life, most of us are still able to say that we believe in God and that His will, His purpose for our lives, will be done. We can look back at some pretty rough places in life and see where God has helped us, has given us the strength to go on, even done some pretty remarkable things in our lives.
But what about the long periods of silence, when it seems God isn’t listening to my prayers, when the problem that I am faced with just doesn’t resolve itself, when even year after agonizing year, I just seem stuck in a rut. No solutions, no miracles, no quick response. In the story above, I wonder how long the father had watched helplessly as his son suffered from the demon, the demon who made his son mute, who threw him in the fire or the water, trying to kill the boy? Surely that father prayed and asked God for deliverance for his son. When we read the pages of the Old Testament, we find men and women who prayed for long periods of time before they heard an answer from God. Think of Hannah who prayed long and hard for a son, who suffered the abuse of ridicule because she couldn’t have a child, and who was even accused of being drunk when she went up to the house of the Lord and continued to pray. “Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.”(I Samuel 1:13, ESV) We are even told that Hannah wept bitterly because of her plight.
Or what about the times when we just know that God has given us a great victory, especially when we have helped others, only to be followed by personal hardship. Elijah was just such a person. After praying that it wouldn’t rain on the earth and seeing God withhold rain for three years, after a great victory over the prophets of Baal, after praying and waiting on the Lord and seeing God send rain again, even after being filled with God’s spirit and outrunning Ahab, who was riding in a chariot, Elijah heard that Jezebel wanted him dead, so he ran away and wanted to die. He gave up. God had to show Elijah that He doesn’t always operate in the spectacular. Much of the time God is in the whisper of a breeze, gently urging us on, knowing that we will come through with a stronger faith than we had before, and then be able to serve Him again. (I Kings 19:1-14)
Next post I would like to take this subject a bit further, to look into some aspects of faith that can help us to grow in Christ, to have a faith that really can’t be shaken. Once we establish the importance of such a faith, we can then look at some things that are to be added to that faith.

Life Incarnadine

2007-08-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as I was walking home after my workout, I noticed how beautiful the sun was as it was moving toward the western horizon. The shade of the sun on the trees and the grass gave a very warm and peaceful feeling inside, making you think you still had a lot of evening left when in fact, you knew that it would be getting dark in a couple of hours. It was thrilling to see the trees, the houses, even the roads, bathed in the soft glow of sunlight that comes before sunset.
The soft glow of that sun is the same soft glow that is given through the blood of the Son, Jesus Christ. When life is bathed in the blood of Jesus, there is a sense of well being, of peacefulness, and added to that, a sense that there is still more to be done and a little more time in which to do it. The theme of this blog is: Life Incarnadine. The word, “incarnadine,” has a dictionary definition of “flesh colored; blood red.” That’s the way the Christian life is to be lived, bathed in the blood of Jesus. It carries with it the desire to give all that we have, our very life blood, to extend the glow to those around us, to cause our eyes to look up to the eternal God who is the Giver of life, to walk in Him every day of our lives.
I chose this as the title for this blog because I know many Christians who wonder if they are really getting all they should out of their faith, out of their Christian life. Many who attend church every time the doors are open still feel that something is missing, that what they read in the pages of the Bible seems so different than the life they are currently living. Many years ago a famous cigarette company used a phrase to sell their product: “Come up, come all the way up .” I think that is what Jesus cries out to the Jews who had a real heart to know God, but were so busy trying to fulfill all of the demands of the law that they never quite got the whole picture. Jesus knew that even the Sadducees, the Jewish sect that accepted only the five books of Moses and who didn’t believe in resurrection or angels, were looking for life when He said, “ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39, 40. ESV). So even while criticizing them for their unbelief, Jesus points out a very common problem for anyone who would have more life than he or she now enjoys, that is, we think that we can find what we are looking for by merely going through the motions of religion without looking to the very One who is life, who is love, who is peace, joy and gentleness. Some even think that when Jesus talks about giving life in John 10:10 (“ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”) that He is talking exclusively about eternal life, never realizing that God’s intention for His children was a full life here and now.
As subsequent postings will reveal, the purpose of this blog is to help us open our eyes to living our lives, not just committed to doing our best, but intensely saturated in the blood of Jesus to the point where we “get it.” One of the purposes of the church, in fact a function of the church, is to insure that every Christian “gets it.” This is why God gave the gifts of apostles and other spiritual leaders to the church. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:11-14, ESV) Think about it. God wants to build us up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. He wants us filled up to the point where we not merely follow Jesus, but start to resemble Him. Only living our lives, bathed in His blood, will we begin to understand what it means to truly be Christ like. We question ourselves, “Can I do it? Can I really be like Christ?” If the answer is no, close this site and go do something else, don’t read your Bible, and by all means, don’t bother to pray for a Christ-like spirit. On the other hand, just think how thrilling it would be to have someone mistake you for Jesus! Or say to you that you are a real Christian! Paul, the apostle, said that the mystery hidden from the ages was “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) It is a mystery, it is a hope, it is Christ so filling you that you have a deep-seated hope in glory, glory that only the Father can give.
I hope you will join me from time to time, as we look at some aspects of living our lives “incarnadine.” Blood red. Flesh colored. Looking like Jesus, especially when he was beaten and bleeding, dying for us. That is where the real victory for Christians lies. We cannot expect our churches to grow or people to come to Christ if they cannot see the body of Christ living as He did. I hope to cover practical aspects of our Christian living as well as spiritual insights, for both are tightly woven together when lived in a Life Incarnadine.