Let's Stop Celebrating Christmas

Let me ask you a question, what is the point of Christmas?

If you ask anyone with any concept of the Christian faith you'll most likely hear something along the lines of "To celebrate the birth of Jesus."

To that I ask this question, why was Jesus born?

Asking the same demographic as before you'll probably hear something to the effect of "To die on the cross and save us from our sins."

That's all good, but it isn't a complete answer. If Jesus' sole purpose in being born was to die then there is about thirty three years of wasted time between those two events. If the only point of the mission was to die then He could have done it differently. He could have shown up on the scene as a thirty three year old man and just gotten it over with. I've heard the argument that He had to be born in order to be fully man, but this is God we're talking about, He can do things however He wants to. And He chose to be born, and then to live for thirty-three years, culminating everything in His death and resurrection.

The birth of Christ, celebrated on December 25, is an important event. The death and resurrection of Jesus, on Good Friday and Easter, is the single most essential event in history. But, again, if that is the point, there is a lot of wasted time there.

Jesus' purpose in coming to earth was not solely to die on the cross. Again, it was the most essential moment in history, but it was the culmination of His mission, not the whole thing. Jesus came to earth not simply to die, but to live. As Mel Gibson said portraying William Wallace, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." Jesus came to really live, showing the world how to, and then died and rose again to make it possible for all to follow His example.

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus, not simply to die, but to live.

I think a big part of the reason that American Christianity is in the state it's in is due to the fact we have misunderstood the point of Christmas. For so long we have given the message of Jesus came to die, and we have left it at that. Jesus came to live. Jesus modeled for us what life was intended to look like. He lived a life of obedience and dependence upon the father. He lived in relationships with others, teaching them about God and how to live for Him. Finally, as He ascended back to the Father, He commissioned all who would follow Him to go and do what He had done.

Jesus' birth was about so much more than His death. He was born not simply to die, but to live. The events that took place in a Bethlehem stable over 2,000 years ago were simply the beginning of what God desires for all of us. He desires for all to born into new life through what Christ accomplished on the cross. Following that crucial moment, His intention is for all to live as Jesus lived, in relationship with the Father, and with others, teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded. God's design is for us to become disciples of Jesus, in order to make more disciples of Jesus.

Christmas was merely the beginning of a life that perfectly modeled how God would live life as a human. Human life ultimately ends, and the death of Jesus was essential because it paid the price for sin once and for all, and the resurrection brought the empowerment to follow in Jesus' example. It was new life that led to living new.

Christianity is not simply about being forgiven to get into heaven when we die, it is about embarking on a new way of living. It gives new life so that we may live new. It invites us into discipleship so that we may in turn make disciples. It invites us not simply to die, but to really live.

Christmas is not the end, but simply the beginning. So let us stop celebrating Christmas and begin living it. Let us embrace the life that Jesus was born to model, through the power of His death and resurrection. Let Christmas not be an isolated event, but something we strive to live in daily. It is not about God being born to die, but rather to live. New life is only life if it is lived, not if it is spent waiting to die and get to heaven. Christmas is not about ultimate death, but about real life.

This season let us seek to live as Jesus was born to live. Let us live as He modeled, fully trusting and obeying God, and teaching others to do the same. Let us not celebrate Christmas, but live it.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Worst Part About Hell

Yesterday began a three week class at Church called "Your New Life". Week one focuses on what new life is and how to receive it. Week two looks at assurance of new life, how to know that you do have it. Week three looks at growing in new life and sharing your story. As I sat with three people yesterday and began working through the material this thought came to me, "The worst part about Hell is..."

If you stop and think about it, the question almost seems redundant. Hell is a place of darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is the place reserved for the Devil, his angles, and those who reject Jesus. It's a place of eternal death and suffering. But the worst part about Hell is that it is eternal separation from God.

Think about it. We were made for the sole purpose of glorifying God, and existing in relationship with Him. We were made to have communion and fellowship with Him. That perfect relationship was broken when sin entered the world through disobedience, but because of Jesus it can be restored. Here on earth God still speaks. He still reaches out to us and pursues our hearts. Until the moment we die, God is longing for us and reaching out to us for the relationship we were made for.

In Hell all of that goes away. In Hell God's presence is completely absent. God does not speak, and God no longer reaches out for relationship. It is a place where sin goes to die forever, and where God is not. The worst part about Hell is that God is absent from it. It is there that the souls of those who rejected Him in life, will be sent for eternity. Those who wanted nothing to do with God in life, will spend eternity completely separated from Him. In Hell the soul is completely cut off from the One it was created to exist with.

Hell does not have to be your eternal destiny. You can enjoy an eternal, and perfect, relationship with God simply by accepting the new life that He offers through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Dying Jesus paid for sin, and rising again He defeated it along with death and Hell. Jesus made it possible for us to have a relationship with God again. If we accept the free gift of grace that He offers to us, we will never know Hell. Instead we will enjoy unity with God forever, just as we were created to.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Insights on Crucifixion

Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified. Tonight is also opening night for Angels of the Empyrean: Journey to the Empty Tomb. Tonight I get to portray Jesus, and one of the scenes is the cross. Over the past few weeks as we've rehearsed the scene I've gained some new insights on crucifixion.

In the play I'm not having nails driven through my wrists and feet. I'm not being beaten with sticks or a whip with shards of metal on the tips. I don't have to carry a 300 pound cross over rough, uneven streets barefoot. My arm isn't pulled out of socket to make it fit the beam. And though I do have a crown of thorns, it isn't real, and it doesn't cut into my forehead. Because I don't have to undergo all of that, it has opened my eyes to another aspect of crucifixion.

As your arms are spread out and the weight of your body works with gravity, blood doesn't flow easily to your arms, and they begin to fall asleep. It gets to the point after twenty minutes that i cannot get my hands out of the rope loops on my own. Every little movement gives that uncomfortably painful feeling you get as your limb begins to wake up. And every time you take a breath while being crucified you have to pull yourself up.

On top of this, during the scene I'm not able to move my feet/legs since we're going for realism and during a real crucifixion they would have been nailed down. Since I can't move them and they are in one position on a small platform (not nearly as small as an actual crucifixion) there begins to be a cramp that moves down my entire leg. And again, being unable to move, I just have to deal with it.

And I only have to be on the cross for about twenty minutes, Jesus was up there for six hours. I don't have to endure the torture that Jesus did as well. So He got to deal with all of that, and the little discomforts that are just icing on the cake.

This experience has given me a new insight into the pain that Jesus endured. Yes it may seem small and insignificant, He may not have even noticed it with everything else He was going through, but it's a thought to add as we reflect on the sacrifice of today.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Portraying Christ

Several months ago my brother-in-law called me with a request. At the church he attends he writes the holiday plays, as well as directs different video productions to promote events. Two Christmases ago (2012) we saw part one of a play with a cliffhanger ending, that would wrap up Easter of 2014. This particular favor involves me participating in the Easter play. He asked me to play the part of Jesus. It's one of those feelings that I'm not really sure how to describe. It's still difficult for me to put words to all of this. I started writing this in December after our initial cast read through of the script.

We've been working for months, and in less than a week we perform. It's one of those experiences part of me has always wanted. I've studied my character for the better part of almost three decades. I've come to know Him personally and intimately in that time, and as part of that it's my role to reflect Him to the world. This is the chance to literally do that. To stand before hundreds of people this upcoming weekend and give a portrayal of Jesus.

Spoiler alert, in the Easter play, Jesus dies, and then comes back to life. There is a scene where after the resurrection Jesus confronts Satan (if I say anything else I'll probably get in trouble). But reading the lines, speaking to the devil as Christ, you can't help but feel powerful. You can't help but feel the authority of Christ in that moment. It makes chills run up your body. And at the same time there is a scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing from the account in Luke, where Jesus is worshiped. In that moment there is a tremendous sense of unworthiness.

My hope is that this upcoming Easter weekend, the people in attendance will see a glimpse of who Jesus is. Not how the church has painted Him, or even how I have come to know Him, but who Jesus really is. The love that took Him to the cross. The victory that He won for us at the empty tomb. The authority that is ours because of His Spirit. The burden that is still there for the work that is still to be done.

My hope is that this is what my own life looks like every day. I want to live in the power of the Spirit, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, glorify the Father, and love God and others. That's what Jesus did on earth, and that is what I want every day of my life. Every day I want to be a portrayal of Christ.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Jesus

When I was younger during Sunday School I was asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" You've probably been asked the same question. A lot of people say Peter, he's an old favorite, actually most people probably say Peter. But I really think that's the wrong answer, not in that it's not who people are most like, but because it is who people are most like.

The world doesn't need more Peter's. It doesn't need more David's, Moses', Paul's, Joshua's or Timothy's. The world needs more Jesus. What would happen if when Christians were asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" they answered Jesus? What would a world look like where Christ followers actually looked like Christ?

We are called to become like Christ. When we enter into new life through salvation, we enter into life with a new purpose and goal. Romans 8 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified" (verses 28-30).

God created us to mirror Him to creation. When sin entered the world the mirror was broken. Jesus came to earth in order to show us what the image looks like, and then die and resurrect in order to make it possible for us to reflect the image. God causes all things to work together for our good, because everything molds us into the image of His Son. The goal of the Christ follower is not to be like Peter, or David, or Paul, but Jesus Christ.

What Bible character do you want to be most like?

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

God Will Provide the Lamb

Life has been more hectic than I thought it would be, and so my blogging here has been less than I thought it would be as a result.  But recently I've had a couple thoughts I really want to share, and so hopefully I can write over the next few days.

In our group Bible study a few weeks ago we read about Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and I noticed some things that I haven't before.  Abraham places the wood on his son, who carries it to the place where the sacrifice would be offered.  Then Isaac is laid on the wood to be killed.  God spares him, and then provides a ram to be sacrificed.  Abraham told his son the God would provide, and He did.

Now look ahead to the New Testament.  Jesus has a wooden cross placed on Him, and He carries it to the place where the He would be offered as a sacrifice.  There He lays down on the cross and is sacrificed as the Lamd God provided.

It is important to note the attitude of both men.  Isaac was probably in his late teens or early twenties at this point.  He could have easily over powered his father and not have almost been killed.  But he doesn't, and in him we see a willingness to do the will of God.   And in the same way Jesus, who could have easily overcome those who crucified Him, willingly lays down on the cross and is nailed to it to fulfill the will of God.

Finally, Abraham came out of a society where child sacrifice was common.  It would not have been unheard of in his mind for God to ask for his son.  But in this God shows more of His character.  He shows Abraham, this is not how we do things in my Kingdom.

With Jesus we see God again showing us His character.  We deserved the cross because of our sin.  But Gid says, "No, in My Kingdom, I will sacrifice my Son to save you."  He cannot over look sin, but He will not leave us to deal with it on our own.

God has provided the Lamb.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Christmas, it's really pretty amazing

So tomorrow is Christmas, hard to believe. I remember as a kid being really excited about it, but now, with how commercial everything has become it kind of feels like just another day to me. I honestly don't know the last time I really felt the Christmas spirit around the holiday. But maybe that's the problem. Maybe the problem is that we look for a feeling in the few weeks leading up to December 25. When instead Christmas is part of the story we live, or rather are called to live, everyday.

The reason for Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. That is why we celebrate tomorrow, but it is a celebration that is to continue. But I wonder how much of life is lived from holiday to holiday. How often do we reflect on the birth of Christ after December? How often do we think about the death and resurrection of Christ aside from the few weeks leading up to Easter? And how much have we missed the point of the holidays?

I'll be honest, I'm a little biased toward Easter. It is on that day that we celebrate victory in Christ over sin, death, and Hell. It's a pretty significant day, I've even called it the most important day in history, and I don't think that's out of line. Without Easter we wouldn't celebrate Christmas, if Jesus had never risen, why would we celebrate His birth? But of course when you say that some one always, without fail, has to say, "No Christmas, no Easter. He had to be born first."

As I've thought about that over the past few years I don't think I buy it. Jesus didn't have to show up as a baby. He could have come down as a man one day, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and brought salvation. He could have, but He didn't. Instead, He came as a baby. This time of year we hear the stories that He came as a baby, born in a stable and placed in a manger. Shepherds we the first to welcome Him to the world. We see that Jesus is for everyone, the least of these, the outcasts and social rejects. But what if there is more to it than that?

As I've thought about this over the past few weeks I've started to see Christmas in a different light. Jesus came to earth as a baby, so that He could one day die on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, and then rise from the dead conquering sin, death, and Hell forever. He came to die so that we could have eternal life, He died so that we could have new life. But when He came at Christmas, it was to give us something so much greater than the path to new life. Jesus didn't just give us salvation, He gave us an example to follow.

Jesus came as a baby, so that He could grow up and live life as God would live life. He showed us what it is to live righteously, and in a relationship with God. Jesus' birth was about so much more than His eventual death, it was about the 33 years of life leading up to it. In those 33 years He showed us how to live once we accepted salvation. He showed us what new life looks like. That is what Christmas is about. God became a man so that He could die as the ransom for humanity, but before He got to the cross He showed humanity how to live after the cross.

When we come to Jesus we go through the cross. We die with Him, and then we are born to new life. We grow and live in a righteous relationship with God. Tomorrow is about so much more than a baby born to die. It's about God becoming human to show us how to live life, and then sacrificing Himself to make it possible for us to live the way He did.

So as you celebrate tomorrow, may our focus be on what Christ has done for us. He died to and rose to bring us new life, but first He lived to show us new life. It's really pretty amazing.

Merry Christmas

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Track 3 is one that I've heard for a while. Initially it was the song the made my wife want the album. I used to play it every Sunday as part of the play list when people would enter the sanctuary. I was trying to help people understand more of what it means to be like Christ.

Jesus, Friend of Sinners is one of those songs that there is a lot you could say. For over a year now I've conversed with an atheist over Facebook, and in the beginning of the conversation I used portions of this song to address some of the issues she raised with the Church and Christians. This is one of those songs we all need to take a good, hard look at.

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

'Cause You are good, You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good
And Your love endures forever

Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

There is so much that could be said about these lyrics. It's easy to get caught up in the events of our world and react in what seems to be righteous judgment, but it's crucial to remember that the sword is never ours to swing, and judgment is never ours to pass.

"No one knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded." Do an experiment with me. Go to the top of your browser and open a new window. Go to Google and in the search bar type in "Christians are" and type the letters of the alphabet in order one at a time and watch what comes up as suggested searches.

Christians are... Annoying. Bullies. Cruel. Douche bags. Extremists. Fake. Gullible. Hateful. Ignorant of the Bible. Jerks. Known for there love*. Losers. Mean. Not nice people. Obnoxious. Pathetic. (Judgmental Quotes). Rude. Sinners too. Terrible people. Uneducated. Very judgmental. Weird. Zombies.

That is what the world thinks about Christians. That is how the world sees followers of Christ. Did you see that there is only one * by the statement for "K"? That is the only one that is positive. Aside for "X" and "Y" which didn't bring up anything, everything else is negative. How has something so beautiful become so ugly? We've become less and less like Christ. Now all we are is a bunch of "plank eyed saints with dirty hands and a heart divided."

That phrase has stood out to me as I've listened to the song over the past week. I believe most of us are familiar with the first part, "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7.3). But it wouldn't surprise me if you didn't know where the other two come from. Usually Christians only quote half of these verses.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4.8).

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29.13).

It is impossible to do the will of God and share the love of Christ with sin in our lives. It is impossible to seek and find God if we chase after other things. We cannot lead others to find Him if we are blinded to our own struggles and addictions. We cannot save the world if all we do is point our fingers in judgment, condemning it in the name of Christ. Do you know what the Crusaders declared as they slaughtered Muslims to reclaim the Holy Land? "God wills it!" And though we might not carry physical weapons today the damage we do with out words and actions, is just as devastating.

People see us, they associate us with the words listed above because that is what they see, and when that happens, the associate those attributes with Jesus and want nothing to do with Him. The friend of sinners is despised and rejected by them because those who claim to be His followers don't portray who He really is.

Church, the longer we refuse to act like Christ, the greater the damage we do is, and the harder it becomes to repair. There are people who have walked away from God and will never look back because of the Church. The world is full of people who are bitter towards the Church and cynical towards God because of what they have seen in those who claim to be His followers. The more we judge and condemn, the higher and thicker the walls become.

It is time for us to look inside. It is time for us to focus on who God is, and what Christ must do in our own lives. It is time for us to repent of the damage we have done and begin to tear down the walls as the hands of Christ so that the friend of sinners is able to reach out to them.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Is God the Father Humble?

That question was recently posted on Facebook by a guy I graduated high school with. Usually I just keep my mouth shut because things like this tend to get ugly, but I really couldn't resist getting into this one. It's an interesting thought, and probably one that really hasn't been thought about much. In nearly twenty-seven years this is the first time that question has ever been presented to me. And while I'm hearing and seeing what people who have the opposite opinion of me are saying, I don't think this is a characteristic we can attribute to God the Father.

The question was posted after a small group discussion on Philippians 2, the chapter which gives us what is perhaps the best explanation of both what Christ did, and how we should live and respond, in Scripture. Those who were saying that yes, the Father is humble point to the humility displayed in the life of Jesus, and how Jesus, who is God, reflects and displays the character and nature of the Father to the world. And while that is the case, I don't believe humility is an aspect of divinity.

Philippians 2.5-8 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

We see that Jesus humbled Himself, and became a man, who was obedient to death on the cross. But for some Jesus' statement in John 10.30, "I and the Father are one" posses an issue if we say that the Father is not humble. For this let's look at what humility is. In the English dictionary humble is defined, "1. not proud or arrogant; modest 2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc. 3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc. 4. courteously respectful 5. low in height, level, etc."

"Not proud or arrogant; modest," read the end of Job and show me this about God the Father. It isn't a pride thing, but more a statement and declaration of His greatness. "Having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience," this could never be said of God. Psalms tells us that "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." God's very being demands worship, simply because of His holiness, and if we fail to praise Him the rocks will cry out (Luke 19). "Low in rank, importance, status, quality," The Ten Commandments tell us, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20.2-3). "Courteously respectful" He is loving but He is also holy and perfect and cannot overlook wrong doing or tolerate sin. "Low in height, level," God is above all, there is no one higher than Him. Simply based on an present day English definition we cannot say that the Father is humble. But we also must look at the original text so see what the Biblical author thought.

In Philippians 2, Paul uses the word tapeinao (ta-pie-na-oh) which means "to make low; bring low". It can refer to leveling something to a plain topographically, but in the case of Jesus means, "to bring into a humble condition, reduce to meaner circumstances: 1) to assign a lower rank or place to 2) to abase 3) to be ranked below others who are honored or rewarded 4) to humble or abase myself by humble living".

This is what we see in Jesus. He humbles Himself, He gives Himself a lower rank as a man, a peasant, a working class carpenter. He sets aside aspects of His divinity, immortality, omnipresence, glory, and possibly some omniscience, and walks the earth as a man. He is still God. He is still Holy, Righteous, perfect, all powerful, and possessing all command and authority, but He is also fully man, which demands certain aspects of divinity to be set aside. And so Jesus humbled Himself, and walked in humility through Israel.

We see Him as a man, totally dependent upon God. He is constantly in prayer, alone seeking the Father. He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner" (John 5.19b). As a man He is humble, a servant of God and man. But His humility comes to an end. Philippians 2.9-11, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Jesus is restored to His place at the right hand of the Father. Every knee bows before Him and every tongue declares Him as Lord. His humility is at an end and He is now exalted on high. And so we come back to the question "Is God the Father Humble?" We clearly see that Jesus, while on earth, was the example of humility. And because Jesus while on earth showed us what God is like, there might be a natural tendency to attribute humility to God. But I think it is a characteristic that has now place in the Heavenly realm.

Humility is an attribute of a worshiper and a servant, thus why we see it in Jesus, the ultimate servant who showed us how to truly worship the Father. It is the response of creation towards it's Creator. But it is not something that God the Father possesses. He is the object of worship. Everything is done so that He may be glorified. All of creation declares His praise, and even with Jesus, every knee bows and every tongue confesses to the glory of God the Father.

I think the issue arises, partly, because humility is such an admirable human quality; it is only natural to attribute it to God the Father. We see it in Jesus because we see God living life as a man, showing how God would live life as a human. We see God as the servant of all, humbled and then highly exalted. We see how God desires for all of us to live life. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2.3-4).

Humility exists as a human quality, but I don't believe God has any reason to be humble. He is to be worshiped, praised and glorified. Everything is to be done for His glory. Jesus the Son, humbled Himself in order to save us, and model for us how we are to live. And once the mission was accomplished He is restored to His place of honor, the place the Father always maintained. So I am willing to say that God the Father has no need for humility.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Return of Christ

I've heard a lot on this subject in recent years. I worked at a church were I heard the pastor say almost weekly, "Another sign of the soon return of Christ." I've read Facebook posts on it a lot from other pastors, and as many of us will all recall the recent prediction for May 21 and then October 21, 2011. But my most recent encounter with this idea has come from a job I didn't apply for.

I've been looking for a ministry position for almost a year now, and this past week I found a posting that was pretty much exactly what I have been searching for. But after doing some praying and researching of the Church I felt God leading away from it. But one of the biggest things that hit me was their state belief on the return of Christ.

The Bible tells us that no one knows the day or the hour except for the Father (Matthew 24.36). We are told that Jesus will return in the same way He went up to Heaven (Acts 1.11), and that He will come on the clouds and every eye will see Him (Revelation 1.7). Also we are told that it will be soon (Revelation 22.7) and it will be a time we do not expect (Luke 12.40). Note that these are not all of the Biblical references on this topic, simply a few that hit the major things we are told about it.

We are never told when it will happen, other than soon, and it has been soon for about 2,000 years. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2 it began the "Last Days". We have been living in them since the day of Pentecost. So yes, we are in the last days, and yes Jesus is returning soon, because it has been soon for the last 2,000ish years, and we are closer to it now than they were then. But that is the only thing we can say with any certainty.

And so it leads me to wonder why people make concrete statements about when Jesus is coming back? Who do we think we are to be able to say with certainty that Jesus will return on this day, or at this point in the future? Billy Graham once said, "Live everyday like Jesus will return today, but live everyday like we have to plan for the next thousand years." I shared that with the pastor mentioned above when he asked me my thoughts on the second coming, and he threw it back in my face saying, "That's just a man's opinion." Yes Billy Graham is just a man, but I think he makes a really good point.

We do not know when Jesus is coming back, all we know is that He is. And so we need to live life like that. We live ready, because Jesus could come back today. He could come back before I finish typing this sentence (obviously He didn't). But at the same time we need to live like He isn't coming back for a while. After all, it's been soon for almost 2,000 years.

I think when it comes to this subject people fall in one of two extremes. The first is those who emphasis the soon part. They are almost obsessed with it, and point to all of the bad stuff that is taking place in the world as evidence that Jesus is coming back any minute. What about the bad stuff that has happened before today? What about the Holocaust? What about the Crusades? What about the early century persecutions? What about the wiping out of the Native Americans, or the Aztecs? Bad things have been happening for thousands of years, but somehow what is happening now is worse than all of that in the eyes of this group.

And then there is the other side, the group that ignores all of this. They live as if they have all the time in the world (Talking about Christian's here). The second coming is something they blow off, possibly because of all the attention it gets from the other group, and things like the Left Behind series. This group, usually the younger generation because there have been times when I have thought this way, almost doesn't take it seriously. It's something that is going to happen some day, but not for a long time from now, certainly not until after we're dead. Let some future generation worry about it.

I think the answer, as with many things, lies in the middle. Living with the realization that every day that passes brings us one day closer, but that it still could be years away. We live ready for it, as the Bible says, "loving His appearing" (2 Timothy 4) but fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4) in the event that it is still a long way off. We live sharing the Gospel in all that we say and do so that others see Christ in us, and we prepare the generation after us to do the same. We live every day like Jesus will return today, but at the same time live like He isn't coming back for a thousand years.

We do not know the day or the hour. It will happen suddenly and unannounced, like a thief in the night. The event will take place, and that is what matters. The when is not important, but what does matter is that it will happen. Jesus is coming back, how are you living?

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Ancient Social Custom

As part of the class I did for the Israel trip I had to read a book. I was smart and ended up re-taking the class I took for my undergrad on the trip four years ago, this time for master's credit. I had kept one of the books from the previous class and had the chance to re-read it this time. It's mentioned off to the right under my suggested reading.

Jesus and the Land by Charles Page, something about it had hit me on the first read through that I decided to keep it, and for some reason I also thought it was good enough to recommend that other people read. I had all of this in mind as I started it again, and at first I wondered what I had been thinking. There isn't much in the first chapters that hit me as significant or important. Until recently I didn't do much underlining in books, so I had nothing marked in it and had no way of knowing what had inspired me to keep it.

But then I got to the chapter on the Galilean ministry of Jesus, and one of the most thought provoking statements I've read hit me. "To be offered a drink and then to receive that drink of water was like a social contract in that this act of hospitality would require both the giver and the receiver to be friends for one year. There was also an implied social contract between people who ate together, requiring that they be friends for the rest of their lives."

This simple insight into the cultural protocol of the first century reveals a deeper meaning to so many statements and actions of the New Testament. There is the woman at the well in John 4, Judas at the last supper, and the first thought that hit me, Paul in Romans 12.20, "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." The knowledge of this ancient social custom casts all of this in a new light.

The woman at the well was a Samaritan woman of questionable character, and yet Jesus publicly talks with her, and asks her for a drink. He is offering her His friendship for one year by receiving the physical water, but then offers her living water, eternal friendship.

To Judas, His betrayer, Jesus shares His final meal before the cross. He and Judas share a moment when Jesus hands him a morsel (John 13), that came with the offer of lifelong friendship. Knowing what Judas was about to do, what he would leave to do as soon as the morsel was eaten, and yet friendship is the final thing Jesus offers to Judas as he leaves to betray Him to death.

And the words of Paul to the Roman Church, "if your enemy is hungry feed him, and if he is thirsty give him a drink" turn your enemy into your friend. Offer him lifelong friendship, offer him friendship for a year, and "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12.21).

Today if you visit Israel, as well as some other Middle Eastern countries, when you enter some hotels and businesses you will often be offered a beverage. In Israel I've been given juice, Egypt soda, Turkey tea and one carpet store owner bought our group lunch. I don't know that these signs of hospitality still carry the same meaning, but they might. As you enter a place to stay or do business the owner offers you his friendship.

Christianity is a about love. With this insight we again see that Jesus was teaching His followers and those He interacted with, what God is really like. We have been offered friendship with God. In the Church we celebrate the sacrament of Communion together. We eat the bread which symbolizes the broken body of Jesus, we drink the juice (in some cases wine) which represents His shed blood. We share a meal together, we commit to a lifelong friendship, and if this is the case why is there so much in the Church that isn't done among friends? That's all I'm going to say on that, at least for now.

The message of Christianity is the love of God. It is a message that turns enemies into friends. And as we see another aspect of the cultural world of the Bible, we see even more clearly who Jesus was, what He really said and taught, and more clearly of how to become like Him.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Bible on Church, Colossians 1

"He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Colossians 1.18

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions." Colossians 1.24

The Church is the body of Christ. Christ is the head, and verse 18 tells us that He is the beginning. The Church starts with Christ. He is the one who leads it, guides it, and instructs it. Christ is the standard that the Church is to follow. Christ is to be the focus of the Church, not Mary, but Christ.

In verse 24 Paul says, yet again, that he rejoices in his sufferings, doing his share on behalf of the body. Suffering is part of following Christ. We will suffer because Christ, the head suffered, and when the head suffers the whole body is affected. Paul rejoices, as we all should, because the suffering is done for Christ's sake, to make him more like Christ.

This thought just came to me, but when part of my body has been injured, I am constantly aware of it from that moment on. I had a wrestling accident about ten years ago where I had three of my teen broken. Every time I bite something I think about them. I have had other injuries (some self-inflicted stupidity ones) that have left scars I see daily. I wear glasses, something that wasn't a result of injury, but something that doesn't work as it should, and I am constantly aware of my poor vision.

When part of the body suffers the head is immediately aware of it. Nerves send messages to the brain to let it know that there is pain. The body of Christ works the same way. If you are part of the body of Christ, God knows your paid the moment it happens. The moment you feel pain, for any reason, God feels it with you. And the Church is to feel their pain as well. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, the chapter on Spiritual gifts, "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it" (verse 26).

The Church is the body of Christ. All those who call are believers make up the body. Paul says we are individual members of it (1 Corinthians 12.27). Each member is essential, each member has a function that must be carried out. When one part suffers they whole body is to feel for them and support them. And when one part rejoices all are to rejoice with it. We are one body, with Christ unifying us and holding us all together.

We are the body of Christ, literally His hands and feet. So let us live as Christ leads. Let us look and be like Christ. We are His body, let's act like it.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Bible on Church, Acts 11

"and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Acts 11.26

The Church is to be a place of teaching. Over a year ago I was in a conversation with a man who was very musically inclined. He had at one point lead music for a church, but as we talked he seemed to put too much emphasis on music in a church service. He said, "Why can't we just sing for the whole time, and that could be the blessing?" I kept my mouth shut because I knew nothing I could say would do any good, but music doesn't due what a Biblically rooted, Spirit empowered sermon will.

Think back the fear of the Lord comments from the last post, how many songs teach you about the fear of the Lord? How many make you feel it? I can't think of a single one. Pretty much every song I've ever heard in Church falls under one of these categories: Feel good, '90's hand raise chorus, Reflective prayer, or Tear jerker. I'm not trying to take anything away from music as a part of worship. I think it's an essential element that helps us connect with part of God. But looking at the songs we sing, they only connect to part of God.

Some of my favorite songs do tell us who God is (I think Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin do a phenomenal job with this), but music cannot replace the sermon. The Church is a place where teaching is essential. We must learn about who God is, and in that learn to fear Him and find comfort in the Spirit. We must learn what the Bible says, which many people today don't know even the simplest things (last week was the Student Week Championships on Jeopardy, and the three smartest high schoolers in the competition didn't know a single answer in the Biblical Quotes category). We must learn who Christ is, what He is like, and how to become like Him. I've yet to hear a song that does all of that.

Did you know that the word pastor is only found once in the Bible? Ephesians 4.11, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,". That's it, the only mention in the whole Bible. That verse is followed by the Biblical job description of a pastor/teacher, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4.12-13) Pastors are to teach so that the saints, those in the Church, are equipped to serve so that the Church, the body of Christ, can be built up. These works of service lead to the unity of faith and knowledge of Jesus as Savior and Lord, so that we may be mature and Christ like. (My mind is going to 1 John 2.12-14, but it's a different thought line so I'm putting this here so I remember it.)

Paul continues in verses 14-16, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." We teach to equip, so that the teaching can be passed on. We teach to equip so that all are able to use their gifts in the service of God. We teach to equip so that love is presented.

The Church is a place of teaching. It is an essential element that we cannot cast aside for the sake of more music. It is something we cannot water down to "tickle the ears" of people so as not to offend them. Here in Acts 11.26 we are told that it is in Antioch where the followers were first called Christians. They were taught about Christ, they were taught to live like Him, and they were given the title "Little Christ" because they followed the teaching they had received.

Today are we worthy of that same title? Does the teaching in the Church share who Christ is and challenge and instruct the people on how to become like Him? Over the years a lot of what I've heard hasn't done that. A lot of what I've heard has been simple, shallow, feel good about your life, sermons. The Church must be a place of solid, Biblically rooted teaching. We as pastors must take up our calling and equip the saints to serve so that the Church may be built up, and full of mature Christlike Christians. For this to happen we must teach.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

What does the Bible say about Church?

I started this post about two months ago, and it was a lot more negative than it should have been. After some time to think reflect, and begin looking at the Bible I'm finally diving into this. My goal was to look at this during my time in Israel. While I did get to look at some of the passages, the trip ended up being a lot more busy than I expected. While my study is not done it's time to begin sharing what I've found. I believe this message is crucial for today.

In the Bible the word "Church" appears 112 times (NASB), only two of them come from the mouth of Jesus. Several references talk about a group of believers in a specific location but don't give us any instruction on what the Church is to be, in these next few blogs I won't be looking at these. However, these stories do tell us about God doing great things in the lives of the believers who made up the first century church. Things we haven't seen in hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Some don't believe it's possible for those things to happen today, that God has changed, or that the people then were "Better" followers of Jesus than we could ever be. But God doesn't change, and those early believers were just people like us. So the problem must be with us.

Today the Church would rather be comfortable than consecrated, tradition than transformed, secure than serving, and right than righteous. We've made church too much about US and not anywhere near about God. Today I saw on Facebook a status from someone talking about how they have their dreams and they won't stop until they achieve them because that is what life's about. I believe they are preparing for ministry, which gives me pause. This isn't about us, it's not about you or me, it's about God. And I believe the reason we don't see the things that the early church did because we are too focused on us. We've made this about us. In 2013 is Church really about God? We say it is, we put on a good show, but at the end of the day is it really? From what I've seen I don't think so.

Part of me wonders how it happened. How did something that Jesus Himself prepared and the Holy Spirit began get so far from what God intended it to be? It's because we've lost sight of who Jesus really is, what He really said, and we've denied the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live as He did. Because of that His Church looks very little, if anything, like He originally intended it to. And so with that let's look at what the Bible says about the Church.

Again, the word "Church" appears only in the New Testament and then only 112 times. The first time we see it is in Matthew 16.18, and it comes from the mouth of Jesus, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Right away we see something crucial, Jesus claims ownership of the Church. He says quite clearly, "I will build My church;". One of my biggest pet peeves is when I listen to pastors talk about "My church". Pay attention the next time and you'll hear it.

It's human nature to take ownership of things we do and accomplish. It's probably something that's said without even thinking twice about it. I know I've said it just out of habit. But it's not my church, it's the church I have the opportunity to serve at. The Church belongs to Christ, and as His possession I think it should look like how He intended for it to look. (Let me clarify, I've heard several pastors, whom I love, respect, and trust use the phrase "my church" in the context of "this is where God has placed me to serve". They in no way claim ownership over it, but others, ministers and laity, use it in the possessive sense believing it is their's and they have the final say in what it does and looks like.) The Church belongs to Christ, it is His Church. He is the head, and all who make it up will be held accountable to Him for the part they play in it.

A few weeks ago I was in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus was in the area when he said this, possibly in the very spot where I was. That night we talked about this verse. My professor pointed something out that I hadn't thought of before. In Matthew 16 Jesus says "the gates of Hades will not overpower it." My professor said how he used to think of the church as being stationary and surviving an attack from the gates of hell, the same image I had. But then he pointed out how gates don't move, they are stationary. Actually the gate post is the strongest part of a fence or wall. The gates of hell are not on the attack but on the defensive.
The Church is to storm the gates of hell, and destroy them. Casting Crowns has a song that says,

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more

What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

That is what we are supposed to be, an army that is equipped and on the move against Satan and hell. We aren't to wait passively by and sit comfortably in our pews, but to be preparing and working to rescue souls. A church the is rooted in Christ will be victorious, hell itself will not overpower it.

The Church is to be an army that is constantly before God. Those lyrics come from a song entitled, "What if His People Prayed?" The early Church believed that we had to be an army that would constantly besiege God's throne in prayer. It realized that without Him they could do nothing, that they were nothing. And somehow we've lost that. Somewhere along the way we become focused on us, we took ownership of a building, built a fortress, and have just tried to survive. And you know what? We are wrong.

It's time for the Church to pick up and sharpen our swords. It's time for us to get back in shape and ready for battle. It is time for us move up to the front lines and storm the gates of hell. It is time for the Church to be the Church of Christ.

This is the first thing the Bible tells us about the Church. This is our primary instruction. The Church is Christ's, and we are to be on the move.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

One Day

That's the title of track 3 on Mark Schultz's most recent album. I actually can't find the lyrics online which is a shock, and the CD is out in my car which is covered in snow so at the moment I'm not going to get it. My wife and I have been listening to it since it's the only CD in the car, but honestly I haven't been paying attention to most of it. I love Mark Schultz but this is one of my least favorite of his albums, except for track 3.

Several hours have passed since I wrote that first paragraph. I learned how to make apple sauce from my grandmother, walked Rosie with my wife, and since I have driven got the CD case out of my car. As I said track 3 is the only one I've really paid any attention to, and even then it's only really one phrase that has stood out to me.

The lame will walk
The blind will see
The prisoners will be set free
And hope will rise as shadows disappear
And all that's lost
We'll find again
Death will die and tears will end
And we will come alive and truly live

Incredible lyrics, but the phrase that caught my attention is "Death will die". It sends chills through my body when I hear it. One day death will die and be no more. The thing that all men face, that respects no one, will finally meet itself and end. One day death will die.

That promise has led to some of the most rewarding moments of ministry for me. Sitting at the hospital holding a wife's hand as she's told her husband of 62 years might not make it through the night. Talking with a man dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and sharing with him the promises made to the faithful. Those are the moments when people really need you as a pastor. Those are the times when you do your greatest ministry. You are with people as they prepare to meet God.

My first funeral was easy because I knew the faith of the man. I knew that as I was giving his eulogy he was kneeling at the feet of Christ. His arms and legs had the mobility back that Lou Gehrig's disease had robbed for his final months on earth. He had died, but death was not victorious.

All men faith death, it's part of life, but death is not infinite. One day death too will die, and be no more. And this is the message that Christ has given us to share. Through Christ death has been defeated, and in Him eternal life is possible. Death will die, and those in Christ will live forever in His presence.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

A Prayer for Twenty-Seven Families

God, as more of the details of Friday have emerged my heart has broken for the families of victims. As I've read names and seen pictures of the children who were murdered. As I've seen videos of them and read stories of the final days and weeks of their lives I wonder how anyone could do this. As I watched an interview of a mother and father talking about their daughter who was taken from them, this has become more and more real.

I can't relate to their pain, and I pray I never will, but their pain is real. And it doesn't matter that I can't relate to them, because You can. Each child that was killed Friday morning was Your child. Each life that was ended was a life You had given, loved, and known everything about. The pain that these families are feeling is pain You are feeling with them. It is pain You understand more deeply than any human ever could.

Father, in Your love and compassion surround them. Help them to grieve, fill their minds with the joyful memories of the blessed years they had with their children. Guide them as they work through the anger. Surround them with people who will be quick to listen and slow to speak.

Above all I pray that You will fill them with hope. This is not the first time You watched Your child die. Nearly two thousand years ago you watched as Jesus, Your Son, was unjustly arrested, beaten, led outside of Jerusalem, and crucified in place of a criminal. But in His death there is hope and life for all. His sacrifice did not end in death, but in life, and because of Him hope and life are available for us as well.

This Christmas season as gifts remain wrapped and seats at the table are vacant, may they feel You all the nearer. May they know You are there with them, weeping with them. May they know that You are there offering hope, healing, and life. May their lives be filled with Your Spirit in ways that they have never experienced before. Father carry them through this time.

It is in the name of Jesus, the source of life and hope for the future, we lift these families up to You.

Amen

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Mankind, the Story of All of Us, Error

Last week the History Channel started a six part, twelve hour series about the history of humanity. I've always enjoyed history and so I've been looking forward to the series for the past few weeks. Today I'm watching the second part, and the beginning caught me by surprise. Part two began with the crucifixion.

As i think about it I don't know why I'm surprised, we're talking about a man who has influenced billions of lives over the last two thousand years, so it only makes sense that they would spend a few brief moments talking about Jesus. But all they talk about is his death by crucifixion, that didn't surprise me.

For the History Channel Christianity is the result of the crucifixion. Billions of people have committed their lives to a dead man who was brutally murdered. While martyrs do inspire followers of their cause, I don't know if any have continued to inspire almost two millennium after their death.

The crucifixion is an essential part of Christianity, but it is not the most essential part. It is important, but it is not the most important. Christianity does not hinge on the crucifixion, and Christianity is not based on the crucifixion. Because as the Bible tells us if all we have is the crucifixion, our faith is useless.

Even the early followers of Jesus had given up after they had seen Him killed. In Luke 24 we find two headed to Emmaus in defeat. Those who have stuck around in Jerusalem are hiding behind locked doors because they are afraid they are next. But then something happens that changes everything. Men who head home in despair return to Jerusalem to celebrate. Those who have gone into hiding begin to boldly proclaim the message publicly.

If Christ is dead that change isn't going to take place. If Christ is dead there is still no hope because the source of that hope was dead. If Christ is dead then faith is useless. The foundation of Christianity is not on the crucifixion, but in the Resurrection.

"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15.13-17.

The crucifixion is nothing without the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is what Christianity is all about. Christianity only means something if Jesus has been raised to live, because they ultimate hope of Christianity is new life with God after death. If Christ has not been raised to life, then there is no new life for any of us.

Christianity comes down to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Billions of lives have been transformed because God became man, died on a cross, and rose from the dead conquering sin, death, and Hell forever. It's all about the Resurrection.

The History Channel, to no surprise, left all of this out. And as I'm watching the rest of the episode their idea of the point of Christianity is mistaken. It isn't about people getting what the deserve, the wicked being punished and those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior being blessed. It's about entering into a relationship with the risen Jesus, and in that receiving new life. It's all about the Resurrection.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

In His Plan

"I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior." It was some time early in 2006 when I first heard those words from Aaron Shust's song "My Savior, My God".

Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for me. As I was writing the blog post on daily bread I got an email letting me know that I didn't get a job I had applied for. A job that on the surface looked like my dream job. That's pretty much how my day started, and so it wasn't the best start to the day.

I sat at the top of the steps, called my wife, told her, and shed a few tears of frustration and defeat. At that moment part of me really felt like just giving up. Doors keep closing, and the doors that are open aren't doors I'm being led to walk through. And I as I sat I cried out to God, wondering what I'm supposed to do, what He wants me to do.

Honestly, I was a little angry, and part of me really didn't want to talk to God at all. Part of me felt like He didn't want me to ever really be able to use my gifts. Part of me felt like He wanted me in situations where I would struggle and be miserable forever. And part of me wanted nothing to do with any of that.

It was a rough day. And last night as I was laying in bed those words came to my mind again. "I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned." You see throughout the day God showed me that He cares, that He loves me, and that he will provide.

I had shared the situation my wife and I are in financially with two friends here in Canal Fulton, and I found out that they immediately went to work to help us. And God provided for them to be able to do above and beyond the need that we expressed.

Something else happened that I cannot talk about at the moment, but it gave me hope again. Hope in my calling, hope in the potential for a chance to use my gifts and be able to live out my calling.

I went to bed last night in a better mood than when I woke up. I went to bed with more hope than I've had in a while. And this morning I woke up humbled and needing to seek His forgiveness. I know that God cares. I know that He will provide. I know that He has a plan for my life and my wife's life that will make full use of our gifts, passions, and talents.

I wish I didn't get so discouraged. I wish I didn't get so depressed. I wish I was stronger and had greater faith. I wish I could just trust and believe. But maybe that's the point of this experience. I shared a few weeks ago that the wilderness is a place of remembering. Hardships are chances for us to see God come through. When we face things that only He can overcome we see His power in action, and come to deeper faith in Him because we've seen Him come through first hand.

I know that all of this is faith building and hope enforcing. God is reminding me over and over that He does care, and that He has something better in mind than I could ever imagine. He will never leave me or forsake me.

"I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior." God has a plan for my life, and though I cannot understand it, there is a Savior at His side who reminds me that I have a place the plan. That Savior will never leave me. God will not abandon me or forsake me.

And the same is said for you. I know how hard it is at times, but I'm watching God come through. I'm seeing God give hope. God loves you, don't give up. His plan is so much bigger and better than anything you could ever imagine, and you have a place in it. He will not leave you for forsake you. Keep moving, keep trusting, and keep watching Him as He comes through.

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Resistance in the Wilderness

About a month ago my mentor gave me a book to read during my wilderness journey. When he gave it to me he said that I could probably just read his underlines and get the message of the book. Initially that was my plan. It's a book that I actually have on my to buy list and I like to mark up the books I read. So I was thinking I would get a general overview of it, then read it all when it was my own copy to mark in.

But as it turns out the first several pages didn't have that much underlined. In the first chapter he had one thing circled. I didn't touch the book for a the next few weeks, but yesterday my wife had a four hour shift at work so I decided to go with her and so I grabbed the book to keep me company.

It's called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge (any surprise that it was on my to read list?). I've only read the first chapter, but just based on those pages this book is for me at this stage of life. And as I read I was reminded that we are at war. We live behind enemy lines, and are surrounded by danger and and the target of attack all the time. And so as we have looked at the blessings that are to be found in the wilderness, we cannot neglect the reality that there is also great resistance waiting for us there.

If we look at each of the Biblical men who were blessed in their wilderness experience we have to take note of the fact that almost all of them ended up in the wilderness because someone wanted to kill them. Elijah ran from Jezebel, David fled from Saul, Moses bolted from Pharaoh, Paul escaped the Jews, and I read that John the Baptist was taken there by his mother to save his life from Herod's mass murder of infants. With the exception of Jesus the choice was wilderness or death.

But just because Jesus wasn't there to save His life, it doesn't mean His time in the wilderness was trouble free. In fact of all the accounts His gives the most detail of the resistance that is faced in the wilderness. Matthew 4 records this account of Jesus' temptation, in verses 1-11:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Jesus has just been baptized, and we saw that when He came out of the water the God spoke words of confirmation as the Spirit descended upon Him. After fasting for forty days alone in the wilderness Jesus is hungry, and at this point, when He is physically weak, Satan comes to Him and begins the attack.

The first thing that is targeted is Jesus' identity. The first two temptations begin with Satan saying, "IF you are the Son of God." Before any thing else Satan tries to raise doubt in who Jesus is. But right before this forty day wilderness experience began God not only said that Jesus was His Son, but His beloved Son, and that He is well pleased with Him.

The first thing Satan goes after is Jesus identity. If Jesus doubts who He is there will be the need to prove Himself. If he can make it seem like there is a division between Jesus and God then Jesus will be vulnerable to attack. And so Satan begins the attack by trying to plant the seed of doubt. But because of the affirmation at His baptism Jesus knows who He is. He knows whose He is, and He overcomes this resistance.

Secondly, Satan works to get Jesus to doubt His power. Satan tries to get Him to use His power for His own gain, to meet His own need. But again, Jesus knows who He is. He knows why He came. And He knows that His power is not to make His life easier, but to bring eternal life. And so this resistance is also overcome.

Third, Satan tries to discourage Jesus' trust in God. He challenges it, this time inviting Jesus to prove not only to Himself, but to the Jews, that He is the Son of God. But Jesus again, knowing His identity, knowing that there is a time and a place for God to display His power, refuses to give in. And because He knows God He trusts in Him. He relies on God's plan and timing, and this resistance is overcome.

Finally, Satan tires to bring depression to Jesus. He shows Him all the Kingdoms of the world, the world that Jesus has come to save. Perhaps this is an attempt to show the impossibility of one man's death to make any difference. But more than that it's an attempt to get Jesus to think there might be a way around the cross. Satan says "These are mine, and I am willing to give them to You. You can then save them or do whatever You like with them. All you have to do is bow down to me for a second and they are yours. Worship me for a moment, and avoid the agony of the cross."

But Jesus knows that He has a mission that must be done a certain way. He knows that sin demands death as payment. He knows that He cannot compromise and become like the world if He wants to save it. He must face the cross, with it's pain and humiliation, because that is the only way to really save the world. He refuses, again knowing that God has a plan and knowing that God will be victorious, and this final resistance is overcome.

We see that the devil leaves Him, and then angels come and minister to Him. There is rest and comfort after the battle. But we must be prepared for resistance in the wilderness. In the wilderness God wants to pour out blessings upon us, and after the wilderness comes great victories for the Kingdom, and Satan wants none of that. He does not want us to be blessed by God. He does not want us to help expand the borders of the Kingdom, and so he will do all that is within his power to prevent that. And where better to strike than in the wilderness? The times when we feel alone, abandoned, weak, and worn out.

A while ago on the blog I wrote about four weapons of the enemy, I've mentioned them here: division, doubt, discouragement, and depression. It's when we are in the wilderness that we face each of these. We feel alone, like no one cares. We believe that we are useless and don't matter. We get down and don't believe that things will change. We lose hope. But let me encourage you, these are lies of the enemy. We are at war, and he is trying to take you out because God wants to use you. You are a threat to what he is doing because you are a servant of God. That is why you are a target, that is why you face resistance.

When you look at it that way, the resistance really is a blessing as well. It confirms that we are on the right path, that we are making an impact for God. The fact that we're being targeted and attempts are made to take us out means that we are a threat the enemy has taken notice of. Be encouraged, and know that you are not standing alone.

Today in church we sang a song that said how the blood of Christ stands in our defense. We are God's beloved children. We will go through times in the wilderness, and we will face resistance from the enemy, but we belong to God, and He always wins. So be encouraged and find the blessings of the wilderness.

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Blessing of the Wilderness, Reflect

In my post yesterday I mentioned a three day solo backpacking trip I'd like to some day be able to take each year. And in all reality this trip would provide almost all of the blessings of the wilderness (it's a bit hard to regroup on your own). I have thought about going with a friend but intentionally spending most of the day apart, in which case all of them would be obtained.

And while rest, regrouping, receiving, refocusing, and revival are important, part of getting to all of them is reflection. Part of life is reflection. And the wilderness provides a great time and place for reflection. There, alone with your thoughts, the results, and God, is time to simply take it all in. There in the wilderness, with no cell phones, no internet, no one else, is time of silence to focus on what has taken place and what is to come. And as we look at the Bible, I think Jesus is the one we look to for this.

At age thirty Jesus left the carpenter's shop, headed to the Jordan River, was baptized by his cousin, John, affirmed by God the Father, and then led by the Spirit into the wilderness. We know very little about it, but the facts we do have can be found in the Synoptic Gospels. We are told that Jesus was led and filled by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness. We are told that He fasted for forty days, and at the end of them became hungry. And we know that during His time in the wilderness He was tempted by the devil.

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Satan came to Him after his forty day fast. What happened up to that point? I think there was a lot of reflection. Jesus has just been baptized, and Matthew 3.16-17 tells us, "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'"

This is the first recorded time that God the Father speaks audibly to Jesus. This statement is a confirmation of who Jesus is, His identity. We see that the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, Luke's Gospel says that Jesus is full of the Spirit. He is empowered to do what God has sent Him to do. And with that He is led into the wilderness, I think in part for reflection.

When He leaves the wilderness Jesus will begin His final three years on earth, His most intense three years on earth. During this time He's going to face His greatest trials and adversity, He's going to fight His biggest battle, and win His greatest victory. But in preparation for that there is some time of reflection.

I think, (key word think, this isn't found in the Bible and I'm not saying this is fact), there alone in the wilderness Jesus reflected on the words He heard directly from the Father. His identity as God's beloved Son is what is going to get Him through the hardships that are waiting for Him.

I think, there in the solitude of the Judean desert, Jesus reflected on the power that was in His hands. John tells us that it is through Jesus, The Word, that all things were created. And it is that power that is about to begin recreating. He will open the eyes of the blind, make the lame walk, raise the dead, but most importantly live a perfect life, pay for sin, and pave the road back to God for all to walk upon.

Jesus has a mission, an identity to endure the resistance that will try to prevent it, and the power to overcome the obstacles that will stand in His way. I think there, alone in the wilderness, Jesus reflected on all that was in store. On the role He would play in the turning point of History and the redemption of creation. It would be a hard road, a costly road, but it would all be worth it.

He, the Son of God, would do all that was necessary. It was for this that He came to earth. It was for this that all of creation had been waiting. The moment was fast approaching. There in the wilderness Jesus reflected, and He emerged ready for all that was ahead.

The wilderness is a place for reflection. It is time to discover who we are, what we are called to do, and prepare for all that is in store.

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you