If we could learn one lesson in 2007 that would increase our spiritual and emotional health more than anything else, it would be this one: how to forgive. Admittedly, it’s not easy. We live in a world that vigorously teaches us how to hold grudges. “Everybody thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea,” wrote C. S. Lewis, “until he has something to forgive.”
That puts it pretty straight, doesn’t it? All of us who are aware of our sin naturally want to be forgiven. Indeed, even those who aren’t aware of their sin actually need to be forgiven, whether they know it or not.
It’s worth remembering that Jesus said that receiving forgiveness from God goes hand in hand with extending forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. Listen to His very words as recorded in Matthew 6:14-15: “If you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.”
Jesus said that immediately after teaching the infant church what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” in which one of the petitions says, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” That little word “as” is the important one. It means exactly what Jesus expounded upon after the prayer: if we are unwilling to give forgiveness, we don’t receive it.
Many people are too easily offended. Some almost seem to take pride in their ability to hold a grudge or in their refusal to humble themselves or in their resistance to seeking or extending forgiveness. By contrast, true Christians love forgiveness. Because of God’s forgiveness of them, they know beautiful and Godlike it is to give or get forgiveness.
So how do we learn to forgive in a grudge-keeping world?
I have one bit of advice: go to the cross. Look upon the supreme sacrifice of the Son of God, and gaze in wonder upon the agony He suffered in bearing the sins of the world. Then remember that what He bore embraced every sin you’ve ever committed, including the grudges you’ve held. Realize that His torturous death was the punishment you should have received for what you did.
Pause and ponder the cost of your forgiveness, and then consider whether it makes more sense to forgive those who have wronged you, or to keep holding onto it. I believe you’ll see the folly of unforgiveness more clearly in the light of the cross of Jesus Christ.
The testimony of the late great British preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones should be the heart-cry of every Christian: “I say to the glory of God and in utter humility that whenever I see myself before God and realize even something of what my blessed Lord has done for me, I am ready to forgive anybody anything.”
Amazing words: “ready to forgive anybody anything.”
How close are you to that?
It’s time to go to the cross again.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
QUESTIONS OF HIS COMING
During the time leading up to Christmas, questions often arise about the day and its celebration. In fact, in this space last December, I printed a “Christmas Quiz” that raised a couple dozen questions about the details of our traditional Christmas celebrations.
Typical questions surround elements of the celebration. For example, some question why we use trees (a pagan symbol?), where He was born (a cave, a barn, or an open field?), and quite notably, when He was born (probably not December 25, was it?)
Of course, there’s a point to all these questions. They help us sift out all the cultural myths about Christmas from the biblical truths. But they may also distract us from the most important question about Christmas, and that is this: Why was Jesus born?
You see, when He was born, how He was born, and even where He was born are relatively insignificant matters. And that’s precisely why the Bible doesn’t waste any space on those matters.
But the “Why?” question: now that’s a different matter! And scripture is very clear about it. Let’s allow God’s Word to answer this one for itself.
First, here are some words Jesus spoke about Himself
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).
“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:11).
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).
And then we have the testimony of Paul, who, before he met Jesus, loved to persecute and even kill Christians.
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (Titus 1:15).
There are many more passages that say the same thing. It’s clear: the whole reason for Jesus’ birth was to save people.
But see who it was He came to save! Not the righteous. Not people who were trying to clean up their lives on their own. Certainly not those who considered themselves more worthy than others.
Sinners! It was sinners that Jesus came to save. Anyone and everyone willing to admit their sin and their need of a Savior.
That’s why every church that seeks to follow Jesus has doors that are intentionally open to anyone who is willing to admit he or she is a sinner, no matter what their sin may be. Jesus didn’t come to create churches that are saint museums, filled with people who gather to congratulate themselves on how good they are in contrast to others. He came to make sinner hospitals, outposts of hope and healing, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Are you a sinner? Do you admit it? If you do, it’s clear that Jesus came to save you from your sin, and make you God’s child.
And that makes Christmas worth celebrating!
Typical questions surround elements of the celebration. For example, some question why we use trees (a pagan symbol?), where He was born (a cave, a barn, or an open field?), and quite notably, when He was born (probably not December 25, was it?)
Of course, there’s a point to all these questions. They help us sift out all the cultural myths about Christmas from the biblical truths. But they may also distract us from the most important question about Christmas, and that is this: Why was Jesus born?
You see, when He was born, how He was born, and even where He was born are relatively insignificant matters. And that’s precisely why the Bible doesn’t waste any space on those matters.
But the “Why?” question: now that’s a different matter! And scripture is very clear about it. Let’s allow God’s Word to answer this one for itself.
First, here are some words Jesus spoke about Himself
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32).
“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:11).
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).
And then we have the testimony of Paul, who, before he met Jesus, loved to persecute and even kill Christians.
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (Titus 1:15).
There are many more passages that say the same thing. It’s clear: the whole reason for Jesus’ birth was to save people.
But see who it was He came to save! Not the righteous. Not people who were trying to clean up their lives on their own. Certainly not those who considered themselves more worthy than others.
Sinners! It was sinners that Jesus came to save. Anyone and everyone willing to admit their sin and their need of a Savior.
That’s why every church that seeks to follow Jesus has doors that are intentionally open to anyone who is willing to admit he or she is a sinner, no matter what their sin may be. Jesus didn’t come to create churches that are saint museums, filled with people who gather to congratulate themselves on how good they are in contrast to others. He came to make sinner hospitals, outposts of hope and healing, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Are you a sinner? Do you admit it? If you do, it’s clear that Jesus came to save you from your sin, and make you God’s child.
And that makes Christmas worth celebrating!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
CHRISTMAS EMOTIONS RUN DEEP
For Debbie and me, Christmas is a particularly poignant season. This time when the Child was born always reminds us how hard it was for us to have children. As we enjoy Jesus' birthday with our two wonderful children, Laura and David, we can't help but recollect the pain of two miscarriages, followed by the premature birth and subsequent death of twins.
On the day they were born, Aaron and Katherine were very much alive, and struggled to survive. We will never forget their valiant battle for life, their little chests heaving to draw breath. They cried, they wiggled, and they reacted in pain to the intravenous tubes inserted into their tiny bodies. They were alive. If born today, they would likely continue to live.
And yet, these living persons, little Aaron and Katherine, could have been legally aborted an hour before they were born, if we had been predisposed to do so. It would have been legal – and it would have been monstrous!
Debbie and I will never be the same, having held them in our arms, having prayed over them, and having wept at their graves. To us, theirs are the visible faces and audible cries of the millions of unborn Americans whose lives have been snuffed out by abortion.
Because of Aaron and Katherine, Christmas has taken on an expanded meaning for us. This special day marks the birth of a Child Who, had He been conceived today, might well have become a statistic of the abortion industry. The setting in which He was conceived, judged by current standards, would have made abortion a predictable "choice" today.
Consider the following circumstances.
His mother was young, unmarried, uneducated and poor. She was clearly unable to support a child on her own.
When her fiancee found out she was pregnant, his first thought was to call off the wedding. The Child's birth would only have brought increased hardship to a family already financially strapped.
Clearly, the Child would have a low quality of life.
Today, as you know, these circumstances comprise a classic profile for recommending abortion. It is chilling to think that, in our time, He through Whom the world was made would have been a likely candidate to end up in a dumpster behind a “clinic”!
Some would say, "Don't disturb me with such unpleasant thoughts, especially at Christmas." I would only ask one question: if just thinking about abortion is so troublesome – at Christmas, or at any time – then how much more ghastly is the fact that it happens a couple thousand times a day in our nation?
This Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of the Holy Child, may His Spirit stir your heart about the plight of our nation's unborn citizens, for whom He was born and died. Then, as you enter the new year, please do something in Jesus' name for the unborn children. Do it for His sake. And for theirs.
On the day they were born, Aaron and Katherine were very much alive, and struggled to survive. We will never forget their valiant battle for life, their little chests heaving to draw breath. They cried, they wiggled, and they reacted in pain to the intravenous tubes inserted into their tiny bodies. They were alive. If born today, they would likely continue to live.
And yet, these living persons, little Aaron and Katherine, could have been legally aborted an hour before they were born, if we had been predisposed to do so. It would have been legal – and it would have been monstrous!
Debbie and I will never be the same, having held them in our arms, having prayed over them, and having wept at their graves. To us, theirs are the visible faces and audible cries of the millions of unborn Americans whose lives have been snuffed out by abortion.
Because of Aaron and Katherine, Christmas has taken on an expanded meaning for us. This special day marks the birth of a Child Who, had He been conceived today, might well have become a statistic of the abortion industry. The setting in which He was conceived, judged by current standards, would have made abortion a predictable "choice" today.
Consider the following circumstances.
His mother was young, unmarried, uneducated and poor. She was clearly unable to support a child on her own.
When her fiancee found out she was pregnant, his first thought was to call off the wedding. The Child's birth would only have brought increased hardship to a family already financially strapped.
Clearly, the Child would have a low quality of life.
Today, as you know, these circumstances comprise a classic profile for recommending abortion. It is chilling to think that, in our time, He through Whom the world was made would have been a likely candidate to end up in a dumpster behind a “clinic”!
Some would say, "Don't disturb me with such unpleasant thoughts, especially at Christmas." I would only ask one question: if just thinking about abortion is so troublesome – at Christmas, or at any time – then how much more ghastly is the fact that it happens a couple thousand times a day in our nation?
This Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of the Holy Child, may His Spirit stir your heart about the plight of our nation's unborn citizens, for whom He was born and died. Then, as you enter the new year, please do something in Jesus' name for the unborn children. Do it for His sake. And for theirs.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
Mary was going to have a baby! It was simply impossible!
As if it weren’t scary enough when the angel Gabriel appeared right there in front of her, he proceeded to pronounce an incomprehensible, utterly implausible announcement, “You’re going to have a child . . .” I can envision Mary thinking something like this: “Whoa, now! Wait just a minute here. I know enough about the birds and bees to be one-hundred percent certain that I’m not going to have a child any time within the next nine months.” How do you suppose this young lady might have felt faced with the unimaginable, the unthinkable . . . the impossible?
“It just can’t be.”
How many times do we have the same kind of feeling when faced with the previously unimaginable?
It just can’t be . . .
. . . God would never let that happen.
It just can’t be . . .
. . . I’m not ready yet.
It just can’t be . . .
. . . I’d never be able to stand it.
And yet, though you try to convince yourself that it just can’t be, there the just-can’t-be thing is, in all its immense be-ing-ness, staring you in the face in bold defiance of your feeble self-assertion. It just can’t be . . . but it is!
And then what?
When the what of God’s plan exceeds our comprehension, we usually look for explanations. So did Mary. And when Mary asked “How shall this be?” Gabriel’s explanation was simply this: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you . . .”
What other indisputable impossibilities of life are out there, waiting to be blown away by God’s promise? “The Holy Spirit will come on you . . .”
I’ll never amount to anything!
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
There’s nothing that can be done about it!
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
This marriage is doomed.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
Like it or lump it, that’s just the way I am.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
The “then what” is this: God wants to do the impossible in your life.
Here’s the how: the Holy Spirit will come upon you.
And the why? Mary already knew that one. Do you? It’s simple. God wants to do the impossible in your life because He chose you for His glory. You didn’t earn it, you don’t deserve it and you never will. God just chose you.
And so Mary’s response is the key for us. She may have had doubts, may have still thought it all quite incomprehensible. And yet she expressed her faith in God’s plan with words we all should pray a dozen times a day: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to Your Word.”
As if it weren’t scary enough when the angel Gabriel appeared right there in front of her, he proceeded to pronounce an incomprehensible, utterly implausible announcement, “You’re going to have a child . . .” I can envision Mary thinking something like this: “Whoa, now! Wait just a minute here. I know enough about the birds and bees to be one-hundred percent certain that I’m not going to have a child any time within the next nine months.” How do you suppose this young lady might have felt faced with the unimaginable, the unthinkable . . . the impossible?
“It just can’t be.”
How many times do we have the same kind of feeling when faced with the previously unimaginable?
It just can’t be . . .
. . . God would never let that happen.
It just can’t be . . .
. . . I’m not ready yet.
It just can’t be . . .
. . . I’d never be able to stand it.
And yet, though you try to convince yourself that it just can’t be, there the just-can’t-be thing is, in all its immense be-ing-ness, staring you in the face in bold defiance of your feeble self-assertion. It just can’t be . . . but it is!
And then what?
When the what of God’s plan exceeds our comprehension, we usually look for explanations. So did Mary. And when Mary asked “How shall this be?” Gabriel’s explanation was simply this: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you . . .”
What other indisputable impossibilities of life are out there, waiting to be blown away by God’s promise? “The Holy Spirit will come on you . . .”
I’ll never amount to anything!
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
There’s nothing that can be done about it!
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
This marriage is doomed.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
Like it or lump it, that’s just the way I am.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you . . .”
The “then what” is this: God wants to do the impossible in your life.
Here’s the how: the Holy Spirit will come upon you.
And the why? Mary already knew that one. Do you? It’s simple. God wants to do the impossible in your life because He chose you for His glory. You didn’t earn it, you don’t deserve it and you never will. God just chose you.
And so Mary’s response is the key for us. She may have had doubts, may have still thought it all quite incomprehensible. And yet she expressed her faith in God’s plan with words we all should pray a dozen times a day: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to Your Word.”
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
IF FAITH IS REAL
In the political campaign just ended, faith was talked about more than in most campaigns in recent memory, at least out here in Colorado. We heard many candidates claim to have faith in God.
Interestingly, more than a few of them quickly went on to say something like this, “However, I try to keep my faith as a private matter between me and my God. I don’t let my faith affect the way I vote or make decisions in the political realm.”
That’s a fascinating kind of “faith;” a kind that, quite frankly, is completely unrecognizable when compared to what the Bible calls faith.
Such a so-called “faith” sees a person’s relationship to deity in completely private terms, making it a kind of hidden hopefulness that some god (who desires to play no active role in one’s day-to-day existence) will one day be nice to everyone and let us all go to heaven – or wherever.
The fact is, faith is not like that at all. If faith is real, it transforms you, and keeps on transforming you, making you little-by-little more like Jesus. That transformation is not isolated to the “religious” part of yourself, but extends to every aspect of your personhood: who you are, what you do, how you make decisions, and what you consider to be valuable.
Thus, if faith is real, it can’t be hidden, because it changes you. It can’t be privatized, because it makes you live differently. And it certainly can’t be relegated to the “religious sphere” of one’s life – whatever that is.
Inspired by God’s Spirit, James stated it this way: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). That’s blunt enough, isn’t it?
Or, to put it another way: if your faith doesn’t produce changes in your life, it’s not faith at all. It’s just a corpse – it may look real, but there’s no life in it.
If faith is real, it always results in change, because when you place your faith in Jesus Christ, a new life begins. You become a whole new person on the inside. Suddenly, you are changed. Formerly just a child of your earthly parents, you become a child of your heavenly Father. And since you have become His child, the family resemblance begins to take over. As you live out your life of faith in an intimate love relationship with God, the things that matter most to Him also come to matter most to you. Your values become more in tune with His values. Your heart begins to break over the things that break the heart of God. And you begin to be committed to those ideals God is committed to.
And, none of that can be hidden. It shows. Always. I repeat: A-L-W-A-Y-S. Indeed, if nothing shows, if no change is visible, then there’s nothing there. No real faith at all.
So, next time you hear politicians -- or anyone else, for that matter! -- say they have a kind of so-called faith that doesn’t change the way they live and act and vote, ask yourself who they’re trying to fool.
One thing’s for sure. They’re not fooling God.
Interestingly, more than a few of them quickly went on to say something like this, “However, I try to keep my faith as a private matter between me and my God. I don’t let my faith affect the way I vote or make decisions in the political realm.”
That’s a fascinating kind of “faith;” a kind that, quite frankly, is completely unrecognizable when compared to what the Bible calls faith.
Such a so-called “faith” sees a person’s relationship to deity in completely private terms, making it a kind of hidden hopefulness that some god (who desires to play no active role in one’s day-to-day existence) will one day be nice to everyone and let us all go to heaven – or wherever.
The fact is, faith is not like that at all. If faith is real, it transforms you, and keeps on transforming you, making you little-by-little more like Jesus. That transformation is not isolated to the “religious” part of yourself, but extends to every aspect of your personhood: who you are, what you do, how you make decisions, and what you consider to be valuable.
Thus, if faith is real, it can’t be hidden, because it changes you. It can’t be privatized, because it makes you live differently. And it certainly can’t be relegated to the “religious sphere” of one’s life – whatever that is.
Inspired by God’s Spirit, James stated it this way: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). That’s blunt enough, isn’t it?
Or, to put it another way: if your faith doesn’t produce changes in your life, it’s not faith at all. It’s just a corpse – it may look real, but there’s no life in it.
If faith is real, it always results in change, because when you place your faith in Jesus Christ, a new life begins. You become a whole new person on the inside. Suddenly, you are changed. Formerly just a child of your earthly parents, you become a child of your heavenly Father. And since you have become His child, the family resemblance begins to take over. As you live out your life of faith in an intimate love relationship with God, the things that matter most to Him also come to matter most to you. Your values become more in tune with His values. Your heart begins to break over the things that break the heart of God. And you begin to be committed to those ideals God is committed to.
And, none of that can be hidden. It shows. Always. I repeat: A-L-W-A-Y-S. Indeed, if nothing shows, if no change is visible, then there’s nothing there. No real faith at all.
So, next time you hear politicians -- or anyone else, for that matter! -- say they have a kind of so-called faith that doesn’t change the way they live and act and vote, ask yourself who they’re trying to fool.
One thing’s for sure. They’re not fooling God.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Not an actual article, but, so, like, anyway . . .
. . . I mean really, uh, anyway, we were going out to, uh, the ,uh, you know, thing, and all, and when we got there, well, uh, the dude was, like - "whoa man!" I mean, and we were all, uh, you know - "whoa!" and stuff, and when I said to him, like, you know, "hey man", and all they, I mean he, was all "what?" and stuff - and I just told him what you said and all and they were all man - "not cool dude", but whatever - so, uh, we split and went back to my lair and just hung out and whatever, but the whole thing was, like, just SUCH a bummer and all but, you know, it was cool and stuff, but you just gotta, you know, about the dude and all, like, it's cool and all you know, but what's up with that "blah blah blah"? Whatzit got to do with Jesus and all? I mean, really, dude, whatever . . . but, it's cool and all . . . so, anyway, you know, I mean, like, right?
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
PASTORS NEED TO BE PRAYED FOR
News flash: pastors are people too. Just like all Christians, pastors are tempted with many of the usual enticements of this world. Though this should never be used as an excuse for sin, it is an important reality to remember, especially in view of the recent news out of Colorado Springs. The much-publicized moral failure of well-known pastor Ted Haggard highlights the need for the church to learn to relate in more healthy way with the real people that pastors are.
However, before I go any further, let me state unequivocally that what Ted Haggard did was wrong and sinful, and it was appropriate, by his own admission, that He be removed from his ministry.
In his letter of departure from his church, Ted Haggard wrote something intriguing. He indicated that, though he had accountability partners to help him overcome temptation, he let pride and shame keep him from being honest with them, and so the power of the temptation grew until he sinned. Interesting, isn’t it? He was ashamed that he was tempted, so he quit talking about his temptations, and eventually gave in to them.
The question naturally arises: why would anyone be ashamed of being tempted? After all, being tempted is not the same as giving in to the temptation. Temptation is when we sense an opportunity or an urge to sin. Scripture says that everyone is tempted, and that includes Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry. Indeed, Hebrews 4:12 says, “He was tempted in every way that we are, but He didn't sin.” Clearly, temptation to sin is not the same as sin itself.
Why do some folks seem ashamed that they are tempted? I don’t know for certain, but, I do know why some pastors won’t talk about their temptations: they’re afraid if they admit to being tempted they may be considered weak or somehow flawed. They wonder whether their admission of being tempted will turn into a church-wide object of gossip rather than being kept a confidential subject of prayer. They may even think that, because church leaders must aspire to a higher standard (see James 3:1), some will criticize them because they haven’t “gotten over that” by now.
However, the point here is not so much to analyze pastors, but rather to learn to deal with temptation in a healthy way BEFORE it leads to sin. Imagine the victory we would enjoy if we could say to a fellow Christian, “I’m struggling with a particular temptation. Would you pray for me?” How healthy it would be if pastors could discuss their temptations with a few other Christians, to objectify the temptation, reveal the schemes of the Tempter, and thus prevent sin before it takes place. Indeed, how beneficial it would be if all of us would pray for each other about our temptations, lest we give in to them!
Yes, pastors are people. Though that doesn’t excuse it when they sin, it does remind us that they, like all Christians, need the freedom to share their temptations and ask for prayer.
Could your pastor ask you for this kind of prayer?
However, before I go any further, let me state unequivocally that what Ted Haggard did was wrong and sinful, and it was appropriate, by his own admission, that He be removed from his ministry.
In his letter of departure from his church, Ted Haggard wrote something intriguing. He indicated that, though he had accountability partners to help him overcome temptation, he let pride and shame keep him from being honest with them, and so the power of the temptation grew until he sinned. Interesting, isn’t it? He was ashamed that he was tempted, so he quit talking about his temptations, and eventually gave in to them.
The question naturally arises: why would anyone be ashamed of being tempted? After all, being tempted is not the same as giving in to the temptation. Temptation is when we sense an opportunity or an urge to sin. Scripture says that everyone is tempted, and that includes Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry. Indeed, Hebrews 4:12 says, “He was tempted in every way that we are, but He didn't sin.” Clearly, temptation to sin is not the same as sin itself.
Why do some folks seem ashamed that they are tempted? I don’t know for certain, but, I do know why some pastors won’t talk about their temptations: they’re afraid if they admit to being tempted they may be considered weak or somehow flawed. They wonder whether their admission of being tempted will turn into a church-wide object of gossip rather than being kept a confidential subject of prayer. They may even think that, because church leaders must aspire to a higher standard (see James 3:1), some will criticize them because they haven’t “gotten over that” by now.
However, the point here is not so much to analyze pastors, but rather to learn to deal with temptation in a healthy way BEFORE it leads to sin. Imagine the victory we would enjoy if we could say to a fellow Christian, “I’m struggling with a particular temptation. Would you pray for me?” How healthy it would be if pastors could discuss their temptations with a few other Christians, to objectify the temptation, reveal the schemes of the Tempter, and thus prevent sin before it takes place. Indeed, how beneficial it would be if all of us would pray for each other about our temptations, lest we give in to them!
Yes, pastors are people. Though that doesn’t excuse it when they sin, it does remind us that they, like all Christians, need the freedom to share their temptations and ask for prayer.
Could your pastor ask you for this kind of prayer?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
WHAT WE DESERVE
“I only want what I deserve in this relationship!” he growled as he turned and walked out of my office.
I cringed.
“Deserve.” What a deadly word.
Little-by-little, that attitude was crushing the life out of their marriage.
Sadly, like far too many relationships, this marriage had turned into a score-keeping contest. Every offense he committed against her was accurately tallied by her and indelibly inscribed in her memory. Every “nice thing” he did for her was remembered by him to see whether she would respond in kind or not.
Nothing was ever forgotten. They both kept very precise scorecards.
And, of course, they both insisted they wanted only what they deserved.
The encounter drew me back in memory to that night of trial when, all too early, my wife went into labor with twins. Having already endured two miscarriages, we were afraid and uncertain as we headed for the hospital, hoping and praying. As I counted the twenty-something miles to the hospital, Deb counted the minutes between contractions; and I cried out to God in my spirit, “Okay, Lord, how much is enough? After all, we’ve dedicated our lives to Your Kingdom. Doesn’t that mean anything to You? Don’t we deserve better than this?”
Nothing.
Nothing except that single word, “deserve,” thrown back into my breaking heart by the piercing sovereign silence of Him Who had already spoken so many times.
Like the tolling of a huge bell it sounded in my mind.
Deserve.
When all is said and done – or so the silence seemed to say – what indeed DO you deserve? In view of the fact that even your righteous deeds are like filthy rags before Him? Remembering that in you, that is in your flesh, dwells no good thing?
Suffering and pain, no doubt, if the truth were told. Let’s not kid ourselves. We know, all too well, the cherished jealousies and petty hatreds of our secret selves, the untold sin we try to hide even from our own consciences. What do we deserve? Ruin, anguish and fear, in this life, to be sure. And after that, worse forever, unspeakably worse.
That’s the gloomy ride for which keeping score buys you a fist full of tickets, all purchased and paid for by your own desire to “deserve” it.
But God has a better plan.
It’s called grace.
God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
It means not only do you NOT get what you deserve – and that would be enough! – but, moreover, that you DO get what you DON’T deserve. In fact, you get what Jesus deserves, because He took what you deserved.
It’s an amazing transaction to which God calls us! What an astonishing offer! We let go of our deserved desperation, and received an eternally undeserved mercy!
Now, in view of the immensity of God’s grace, how dare we cry out for what we deserve, as if God were beholden to our sorry sense of justice?
You think about that, next time you’re tempted to demand what you deserve.
I cringed.
“Deserve.” What a deadly word.
Little-by-little, that attitude was crushing the life out of their marriage.
Sadly, like far too many relationships, this marriage had turned into a score-keeping contest. Every offense he committed against her was accurately tallied by her and indelibly inscribed in her memory. Every “nice thing” he did for her was remembered by him to see whether she would respond in kind or not.
Nothing was ever forgotten. They both kept very precise scorecards.
And, of course, they both insisted they wanted only what they deserved.
The encounter drew me back in memory to that night of trial when, all too early, my wife went into labor with twins. Having already endured two miscarriages, we were afraid and uncertain as we headed for the hospital, hoping and praying. As I counted the twenty-something miles to the hospital, Deb counted the minutes between contractions; and I cried out to God in my spirit, “Okay, Lord, how much is enough? After all, we’ve dedicated our lives to Your Kingdom. Doesn’t that mean anything to You? Don’t we deserve better than this?”
Nothing.
Nothing except that single word, “deserve,” thrown back into my breaking heart by the piercing sovereign silence of Him Who had already spoken so many times.
Like the tolling of a huge bell it sounded in my mind.
Deserve.
When all is said and done – or so the silence seemed to say – what indeed DO you deserve? In view of the fact that even your righteous deeds are like filthy rags before Him? Remembering that in you, that is in your flesh, dwells no good thing?
Suffering and pain, no doubt, if the truth were told. Let’s not kid ourselves. We know, all too well, the cherished jealousies and petty hatreds of our secret selves, the untold sin we try to hide even from our own consciences. What do we deserve? Ruin, anguish and fear, in this life, to be sure. And after that, worse forever, unspeakably worse.
That’s the gloomy ride for which keeping score buys you a fist full of tickets, all purchased and paid for by your own desire to “deserve” it.
But God has a better plan.
It’s called grace.
God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
It means not only do you NOT get what you deserve – and that would be enough! – but, moreover, that you DO get what you DON’T deserve. In fact, you get what Jesus deserves, because He took what you deserved.
It’s an amazing transaction to which God calls us! What an astonishing offer! We let go of our deserved desperation, and received an eternally undeserved mercy!
Now, in view of the immensity of God’s grace, how dare we cry out for what we deserve, as if God were beholden to our sorry sense of justice?
You think about that, next time you’re tempted to demand what you deserve.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY?
"The Lord helps those who help themselves."
"Know thyself. To know thyself is the deepest knowledge of all."
"To thine own self be true."
How many of the above quotes are from the Bible? Stop for a moment and think before you answer.
In a recent survey of American homes, 91% had at least one Bible. Yet, eight out of ten American adults think the first quote above is from scripture. It's not. You'll find it in "Poor Richard's Almanac;" but it’s not in God's Word.
The second quote comes from an ancient Greek document called "The Delphic Oracle," ascribed by legend to Pythagoras; but it’s not in the Bible.
The third quote is interesting. New Age guru and sometime actress Shirley MacLaine, in her book “Out On a Limb,” claims that Jesus said it. MacLaine must have forgotten her Shakespeare. The Bard penned that line, and you can find it in "Hamlet;" but it’s not in the Bible.
Famous pollster George Gallup recently stated that America has “become a nation of biblical illiterates." Gallup and Christian researcher George Barna back up that claim with plenty of survey results. Look at the statistics revealed in some recent polls, and compare with your answers.
Fewer than half of all American adults can name all four Gospels. How many can you name?
Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the twelve apostles. How about you?
Sixty percent of Americans can't name more than four of the Ten Commandments. Give it a try yourself. How did you do?
Here are some more examples, even more astonishing.
One Barna poll stated that one out of eight American adults thought Noah's wife was Joan of Arc! A survey of high school seniors indicated that over half of them thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. Another poll asked who preached the Sermon on the Mount, and many respondents said Billy Graham did.
We are in big trouble!
It’s one thing for the general populace to be ignorant about the bible. The deeper tragedy is biblical ignorance in the church. Sadly, survey after survey shows the same thing: Christians know less and less about the Bible.
In a nation where more than nine out of ten homes have at least one Bible, why are so few aware of its message? Gallup answers, "Americans revere the Bible – but, by and large, they don't read it.” To know the Bible, you have to read it. Sadly, only four out of ten Bible-owners read it as often as once a week, while just 11% read it daily.
The result of such biblical illiteracy is that God's people are open to deception. God's Word warns of tragedy for those who don't know His decrees. "My people are destroyed by their lack of knowledge . . . because they have neglected the Law of God" (Hosea 4:6).
The world around us is full of deception. The only way you can know the truth is to read it.
Do you?
"Know thyself. To know thyself is the deepest knowledge of all."
"To thine own self be true."
How many of the above quotes are from the Bible? Stop for a moment and think before you answer.
In a recent survey of American homes, 91% had at least one Bible. Yet, eight out of ten American adults think the first quote above is from scripture. It's not. You'll find it in "Poor Richard's Almanac;" but it’s not in God's Word.
The second quote comes from an ancient Greek document called "The Delphic Oracle," ascribed by legend to Pythagoras; but it’s not in the Bible.
The third quote is interesting. New Age guru and sometime actress Shirley MacLaine, in her book “Out On a Limb,” claims that Jesus said it. MacLaine must have forgotten her Shakespeare. The Bard penned that line, and you can find it in "Hamlet;" but it’s not in the Bible.
Famous pollster George Gallup recently stated that America has “become a nation of biblical illiterates." Gallup and Christian researcher George Barna back up that claim with plenty of survey results. Look at the statistics revealed in some recent polls, and compare with your answers.
Fewer than half of all American adults can name all four Gospels. How many can you name?
Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the twelve apostles. How about you?
Sixty percent of Americans can't name more than four of the Ten Commandments. Give it a try yourself. How did you do?
Here are some more examples, even more astonishing.
One Barna poll stated that one out of eight American adults thought Noah's wife was Joan of Arc! A survey of high school seniors indicated that over half of them thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. Another poll asked who preached the Sermon on the Mount, and many respondents said Billy Graham did.
We are in big trouble!
It’s one thing for the general populace to be ignorant about the bible. The deeper tragedy is biblical ignorance in the church. Sadly, survey after survey shows the same thing: Christians know less and less about the Bible.
In a nation where more than nine out of ten homes have at least one Bible, why are so few aware of its message? Gallup answers, "Americans revere the Bible – but, by and large, they don't read it.” To know the Bible, you have to read it. Sadly, only four out of ten Bible-owners read it as often as once a week, while just 11% read it daily.
The result of such biblical illiteracy is that God's people are open to deception. God's Word warns of tragedy for those who don't know His decrees. "My people are destroyed by their lack of knowledge . . . because they have neglected the Law of God" (Hosea 4:6).
The world around us is full of deception. The only way you can know the truth is to read it.
Do you?
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
What's Possible
In the previous article I discussed the life transformation that can take place when you trust Jesus minute by minute and step by step with the details of your life. I proposed that He can and will change your life, and you will become more like Him, if you do that.
Even as I pushed the “send” button that transmitted my article via cyberspace to the local newspaper here in Sterling, I could hear the sound of unbelief saying, “Yeah, riiiiight! This is Sterling, and we’re different. We don’t change.”
I could hear those words, because I’ve heard them before. Indeed, any pastor who has been here more than a few months has heard those words, or read them in the archived minutes of his church’s business meetings.
Think with me for a moment about the magnitude of those words, “We don’t change.” Jesus came to change lives, to transform them utterly. Remember that Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, which would be miracle enough. No, He came to do much more than that. The transformation He works is nothing less than making dead people alive. Change, in other words, is so very at the heart of what Jesus came to do, that saying “We don’t change” is the same as saying “Jesus, we don’t want You here.”
With that in mind, let’s remember why we often don’t want to change. I think it has to do with our conviction about what’s possible. Let’s face it: we either live up to our beliefs or live down to them. I think a lot of the time when we say, “We don’t change,” what we really mean is “We can’t change.” Maybe other people can, in nicer towns, where people have more money or more opportunity, but not us, not here.
When we talk like that or think like that, we’re focusing on the wrong part of the picture, and by “the wrong part,” I mean us. The issue, at its most basic, is not whether we can change, but rather, whether God, Who spoke the world into existence and raised His Son from the dead, can change us. Do we believe God can change us?
Here are some questions we who claim to trust Jesus need to ask.
What’s possible . . . when human beings pursue the kingdom of God with Jesus as their Leader?
What’s possible . . . when we learn to bring the details of everyday living under the Lordship of the crucified and risen Son of God?
What’s possible . . . when we enter into apprenticeship in the service of the King, with the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Guide?
What’s possible . . . when we dare to make radical obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ the cause and source of our life’s joys?
Anybody out there want to find out . . .
. . . what’s possible?
Even as I pushed the “send” button that transmitted my article via cyberspace to the local newspaper here in Sterling, I could hear the sound of unbelief saying, “Yeah, riiiiight! This is Sterling, and we’re different. We don’t change.”
I could hear those words, because I’ve heard them before. Indeed, any pastor who has been here more than a few months has heard those words, or read them in the archived minutes of his church’s business meetings.
Think with me for a moment about the magnitude of those words, “We don’t change.” Jesus came to change lives, to transform them utterly. Remember that Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, which would be miracle enough. No, He came to do much more than that. The transformation He works is nothing less than making dead people alive. Change, in other words, is so very at the heart of what Jesus came to do, that saying “We don’t change” is the same as saying “Jesus, we don’t want You here.”
With that in mind, let’s remember why we often don’t want to change. I think it has to do with our conviction about what’s possible. Let’s face it: we either live up to our beliefs or live down to them. I think a lot of the time when we say, “We don’t change,” what we really mean is “We can’t change.” Maybe other people can, in nicer towns, where people have more money or more opportunity, but not us, not here.
When we talk like that or think like that, we’re focusing on the wrong part of the picture, and by “the wrong part,” I mean us. The issue, at its most basic, is not whether we can change, but rather, whether God, Who spoke the world into existence and raised His Son from the dead, can change us. Do we believe God can change us?
Here are some questions we who claim to trust Jesus need to ask.
What’s possible . . . when human beings pursue the kingdom of God with Jesus as their Leader?
What’s possible . . . when we learn to bring the details of everyday living under the Lordship of the crucified and risen Son of God?
What’s possible . . . when we enter into apprenticeship in the service of the King, with the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Guide?
What’s possible . . . when we dare to make radical obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ the cause and source of our life’s joys?
Anybody out there want to find out . . .
. . . what’s possible?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
When You Trust Jesus
The Gospel, if it is about anything, is about Jesus transforming your life. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was all the time changing people. He changed a Roman tax collector and a Zealot into friends. He changed a prostitute into a servant. He changed Peter, a pompous boaster, into the leader of the fledgling church. He changed Christian-hunter Saul into world-evangelizing, empire-challenging Paul.
The common factor of all these lives changed by Jesus is not what they were before they met Him, but what happened when they did. And what happened was that they all began to act more like Jesus. His nature, His character, and even His actions came to dominate their very lives.
To them the Gospel was more than just something to be affirmed in church on Sunday. The Gospel was what introduced them to Jesus, and Jesus is what - or rather, Who - changed their lives. Changed them. Transformed them. Made them different from what they were before - radically different!
The world, when it takes time to be honest with the church - and by "the world," I mean those outside the church, those who have never truly met Jesus - has some great questions to ask the church and its people who claim to have met Jesus, claim even to know Him. One of the greatest of the world's questions is this one: "Why don't Christians act more like Jesus?"
The reason I say it's a great question is that it's very similar to one Jesus Himself posed to His sometimes-avid, sometimes-aloof followers of two millennia ago: "Why do you say to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' but do not do what I say?"
I think the answer to both questions is the same: we don't trust Him. Not really, not with the everyday things of this life where we live. Oh, there are plenty of people who trust Him with the sweet by and by. But what about the sour here and now?
Trusting Jesus in the here and now means saying to Him, "Jesus, I want You to be in my whole life. I want You to be in all of my living. Please transform every aspect of my life. Please, Lord, I want you to show what to do and how to do it."
And then learn to listen and obey.
And so the cure to the problem of not acting like Jesus, of not having a transformed life, is this. Trust Jesus. Trust Him in everything and with everything. Trust Him in your job. Trust Him in your marriage. Trust Him with that co-worker who's always on your case. Trust Him with your money. Trust Him with your health. Actively, consciously, in trusting prayer, bring all these aspects of your daily life to Him.
Then, see how He changes you, transforms you and remakes you . . .
. . . when you trust Jesus.
The common factor of all these lives changed by Jesus is not what they were before they met Him, but what happened when they did. And what happened was that they all began to act more like Jesus. His nature, His character, and even His actions came to dominate their very lives.
To them the Gospel was more than just something to be affirmed in church on Sunday. The Gospel was what introduced them to Jesus, and Jesus is what - or rather, Who - changed their lives. Changed them. Transformed them. Made them different from what they were before - radically different!
The world, when it takes time to be honest with the church - and by "the world," I mean those outside the church, those who have never truly met Jesus - has some great questions to ask the church and its people who claim to have met Jesus, claim even to know Him. One of the greatest of the world's questions is this one: "Why don't Christians act more like Jesus?"
The reason I say it's a great question is that it's very similar to one Jesus Himself posed to His sometimes-avid, sometimes-aloof followers of two millennia ago: "Why do you say to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' but do not do what I say?"
I think the answer to both questions is the same: we don't trust Him. Not really, not with the everyday things of this life where we live. Oh, there are plenty of people who trust Him with the sweet by and by. But what about the sour here and now?
Trusting Jesus in the here and now means saying to Him, "Jesus, I want You to be in my whole life. I want You to be in all of my living. Please transform every aspect of my life. Please, Lord, I want you to show what to do and how to do it."
And then learn to listen and obey.
And so the cure to the problem of not acting like Jesus, of not having a transformed life, is this. Trust Jesus. Trust Him in everything and with everything. Trust Him in your job. Trust Him in your marriage. Trust Him with that co-worker who's always on your case. Trust Him with your money. Trust Him with your health. Actively, consciously, in trusting prayer, bring all these aspects of your daily life to Him.
Then, see how He changes you, transforms you and remakes you . . .
. . . when you trust Jesus.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
What We Really Need
Hmmm. Maybe I should call this space "Once a MONTH for God." Sorry it's been a while. Here's the most recent piece written for the Sterling, Colorado "Journal-Advocate"
One of the common experiences of the human heart is to cry out to God in time of need. Even people who don’t consider themselves Christian may occasionally say something like “God, help me!”
This kind of prayer arises out of all kinds of needs. Common on this list of needs are financial problems, physical illness, marital difficulty, and what I call “rust needs,” meaning the problems that arise from the fact that all the mechanical things in our lives wear out or rust out.
I find myself praying like this a lot; indeed, too much. It disturbs me that so much of my praying is about my felt needs, rather than about the plans of God for my life. After all, who is the focus of my life: me, or Jesus Christ? As a Christian, I declare that Jesus Christ is the rightful center of my existence. He alone has the right to sit on the throne of my life, and thus, He should be at the heart of all my praying. Sadly, I find that far too often my prayer life is driven primarily by the needs I feel in my life.
Do you experience that? Mind you, Jesus truly desires to be the Lord of all those needs, and longs to show Himself to us in every situation. However, shouldn’t our focus be on Him, and not on ourselves?
Recently I’ve been blessed by Elisabeth Elliott’s book, “Keep a Quiet Heart.” Mrs. Elliott is the widow of Jim Elliott, a missionary to the Auca people in South American who was slain by those with whom he was attempting to share the gospel. After her husband was killed, she continued to minister to his murderers, eventually leading many of them to faith in Christ.
In “Keep a Quiet Heart,” Mrs. Elliott reminds us that what we really need from God far transcends our felt needs. One of her chapters describes the “Jesus Prayer,” which developed in Middle Eastern tradition more than a thousand years ago, but has obvious roots in Jesus’ own teaching on prayer. It goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It’s similar to the prayer that Jesus Himself affirmed in Luke 18:13-14a – “But the tax collector . . . beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified . . .”
It’s a concept of crucial importance for our prayer lives, because it reminds us that anything God gives us, except the condemnation we so richly deserve, is the result His overt and extravagant mercy. What we feel we need may involve all sorts of blessings and repairs, and God may, in fact, wish to give them to us. But let’s be wise about this: what we need, what we all need, what we really need, is mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you asked Him for mercy today? It's a really good way to start.
One of the common experiences of the human heart is to cry out to God in time of need. Even people who don’t consider themselves Christian may occasionally say something like “God, help me!”
This kind of prayer arises out of all kinds of needs. Common on this list of needs are financial problems, physical illness, marital difficulty, and what I call “rust needs,” meaning the problems that arise from the fact that all the mechanical things in our lives wear out or rust out.
I find myself praying like this a lot; indeed, too much. It disturbs me that so much of my praying is about my felt needs, rather than about the plans of God for my life. After all, who is the focus of my life: me, or Jesus Christ? As a Christian, I declare that Jesus Christ is the rightful center of my existence. He alone has the right to sit on the throne of my life, and thus, He should be at the heart of all my praying. Sadly, I find that far too often my prayer life is driven primarily by the needs I feel in my life.
Do you experience that? Mind you, Jesus truly desires to be the Lord of all those needs, and longs to show Himself to us in every situation. However, shouldn’t our focus be on Him, and not on ourselves?
Recently I’ve been blessed by Elisabeth Elliott’s book, “Keep a Quiet Heart.” Mrs. Elliott is the widow of Jim Elliott, a missionary to the Auca people in South American who was slain by those with whom he was attempting to share the gospel. After her husband was killed, she continued to minister to his murderers, eventually leading many of them to faith in Christ.
In “Keep a Quiet Heart,” Mrs. Elliott reminds us that what we really need from God far transcends our felt needs. One of her chapters describes the “Jesus Prayer,” which developed in Middle Eastern tradition more than a thousand years ago, but has obvious roots in Jesus’ own teaching on prayer. It goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It’s similar to the prayer that Jesus Himself affirmed in Luke 18:13-14a – “But the tax collector . . . beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified . . .”
It’s a concept of crucial importance for our prayer lives, because it reminds us that anything God gives us, except the condemnation we so richly deserve, is the result His overt and extravagant mercy. What we feel we need may involve all sorts of blessings and repairs, and God may, in fact, wish to give them to us. But let’s be wise about this: what we need, what we all need, what we really need, is mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you asked Him for mercy today? It's a really good way to start.
Friday, July 28, 2006
God's Word: Let's Pray It
Last Friday in this space I sought to remind us that the church is in a battle. In a battle, good armies pay attention to three main things: the strategy for victory, the tactical application of that strategy, and the logistical considerations required to support the tactics.
In the church, our objective is to glorify God by worshiping Him, obeying Him, and bringing the lost to Christ: that’s the strategy. The tactical application of that strategy includes the “how-to’s” of ministry. Logistics involves finding the supplies, asking God to meet our needs.
But just read most of our prayer lists, and you might conclude that we are an army that has turned things upside down: preoccupied with logistics, but mostly unaware of our strategic purpose or our tactical orders.
So, what then must we do to expand our practice of prayer?
The obvious first answer is to remember that we are, indeed, at war. There is a devil who hates God and His people, and there is a world increasingly hostile to the clear claims of Jesus Christ. Even our own sinful natures are at odds with God. We need to re-orient our entire outlook into a constantly conscious awareness of the state of war that exists, and in which we are called to be warriors.
A second way to expand our prayer-lives is to learn to pray what’s on God’s heart, rather than simply praying those felt needs that preoccupy our minds and emotions. However, maintaining a focus on the big picture can be tough: as the old adage says, “It’s hard to remember that your job is draining the swamp, when you’re up to your elbows in alligators.” But, to carry that illustration out, if we would ask God to help us drain the swamp, then little by little the alligator problem would go away.
God knows the big picture, the overall strategy of the church, and we must learn to pray strategically about that big plan. That means catching hold of His heart, learning to pray back to God what He tells us in His Word.
In practical terms, it works like this. As we spend time reading God’s Word, He enlivens His Word as He seeks to pour into our hearts that which is on His heart. Then, we simply pray His Word back to Him. The Word of God then serves not only as the guide for your life, but as your prayer list.
A good place to start this approach would be in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Carefully read the first chapter, and highlight the big-picture plans God reveals there. Then simply pray back to God the strategic matters He lays on your heart.
That particular chapter is filled with God’s eternal purpose for Christ and Church. As I read that amazing text, it always excites me to consider what God wants to accomplish through the church. But let’s do more than consider it.
Let’s pray it!
In the church, our objective is to glorify God by worshiping Him, obeying Him, and bringing the lost to Christ: that’s the strategy. The tactical application of that strategy includes the “how-to’s” of ministry. Logistics involves finding the supplies, asking God to meet our needs.
But just read most of our prayer lists, and you might conclude that we are an army that has turned things upside down: preoccupied with logistics, but mostly unaware of our strategic purpose or our tactical orders.
So, what then must we do to expand our practice of prayer?
The obvious first answer is to remember that we are, indeed, at war. There is a devil who hates God and His people, and there is a world increasingly hostile to the clear claims of Jesus Christ. Even our own sinful natures are at odds with God. We need to re-orient our entire outlook into a constantly conscious awareness of the state of war that exists, and in which we are called to be warriors.
A second way to expand our prayer-lives is to learn to pray what’s on God’s heart, rather than simply praying those felt needs that preoccupy our minds and emotions. However, maintaining a focus on the big picture can be tough: as the old adage says, “It’s hard to remember that your job is draining the swamp, when you’re up to your elbows in alligators.” But, to carry that illustration out, if we would ask God to help us drain the swamp, then little by little the alligator problem would go away.
God knows the big picture, the overall strategy of the church, and we must learn to pray strategically about that big plan. That means catching hold of His heart, learning to pray back to God what He tells us in His Word.
In practical terms, it works like this. As we spend time reading God’s Word, He enlivens His Word as He seeks to pour into our hearts that which is on His heart. Then, we simply pray His Word back to Him. The Word of God then serves not only as the guide for your life, but as your prayer list.
A good place to start this approach would be in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Carefully read the first chapter, and highlight the big-picture plans God reveals there. Then simply pray back to God the strategic matters He lays on your heart.
That particular chapter is filled with God’s eternal purpose for Christ and Church. As I read that amazing text, it always excites me to consider what God wants to accomplish through the church. But let’s do more than consider it.
Let’s pray it!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO PRAY?
Recently I heard a well-known Christian teacher describe some research he conducted in his travels throughout the nation. For more than two years, he tracked the prayer requests people shared with their fellow Christians, both in small groups and in worship settings.
He discovered that more than ninety-five percent of prayer requests were based upon a felt need or a problem that had arisen. A friend has cancer. A brother needs a new job. A neighbor’s child has chicken pox. A co-worker’s marriage is shaky.
Please understand something here: he wasn’t saying there’s anything wrong with such prayer requests. I am not saying that either. Such requests are important.
Does God care about such things? Of course He does!
Should the church pray for needs like these? Of course we should!
But should prayer requests like these occupy ninety-five percent of our praying? Absolutely not. While not neglecting these felt needs, the church must awaken to the fact that there are many other matters about which God has called us to pray.
Think of it this way.
In a military operation, the energies of the battle group are divided into three major components: strategy, tactics, and logistics. Strategy refers to the overall objective: winning the battle. Tactics is the practical how-to aspects of achieving victory. Logistics has to do with provisions: getting the ammunition, food and supplies to the warriors so they can do their job.
In all of this, strategy must dominate, because the focus is the overall victory. The needs of the troops are addressed not merely with their comfort in mind, but as a function of their warfare: they call for provisions so they can win the battle.
I hope you see the analogy.
The church is in a battle. The glory of God is our objective, and that involves worshiping Him, obeying Him, and bringing the lost to Christ: that’s the strategy. How we achieve these goals in the ministries we conduct, the outreach with pursue: that’s the tactical aspect. Logistics in the army of God is finding the supplies, and that includes praying for sick friends and people who need better jobs.
Looking at our prayer lists, you might conclude that we are an army that has turned things upside down. We seem preoccupied with logistics, but mostly unaware of our strategic purpose or our tactical orders.
Perhaps the reason we focus so much prayer on felt needs and logistical concerns is that we have forgotten we are at war. As a result, Christianity has been reduced in some circles to a “feel-good” experience, with the church serving as a kind of spiritual therapeutic massage center. In such a setting, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that much of our praying is a reaction to our aches and pains, rather than a response to the glory of God and the holy majesty of our risen Lord Jesus.
So, what then must we do to expand our practice of prayer?
More on that next week.
He discovered that more than ninety-five percent of prayer requests were based upon a felt need or a problem that had arisen. A friend has cancer. A brother needs a new job. A neighbor’s child has chicken pox. A co-worker’s marriage is shaky.
Please understand something here: he wasn’t saying there’s anything wrong with such prayer requests. I am not saying that either. Such requests are important.
Does God care about such things? Of course He does!
Should the church pray for needs like these? Of course we should!
But should prayer requests like these occupy ninety-five percent of our praying? Absolutely not. While not neglecting these felt needs, the church must awaken to the fact that there are many other matters about which God has called us to pray.
Think of it this way.
In a military operation, the energies of the battle group are divided into three major components: strategy, tactics, and logistics. Strategy refers to the overall objective: winning the battle. Tactics is the practical how-to aspects of achieving victory. Logistics has to do with provisions: getting the ammunition, food and supplies to the warriors so they can do their job.
In all of this, strategy must dominate, because the focus is the overall victory. The needs of the troops are addressed not merely with their comfort in mind, but as a function of their warfare: they call for provisions so they can win the battle.
I hope you see the analogy.
The church is in a battle. The glory of God is our objective, and that involves worshiping Him, obeying Him, and bringing the lost to Christ: that’s the strategy. How we achieve these goals in the ministries we conduct, the outreach with pursue: that’s the tactical aspect. Logistics in the army of God is finding the supplies, and that includes praying for sick friends and people who need better jobs.
Looking at our prayer lists, you might conclude that we are an army that has turned things upside down. We seem preoccupied with logistics, but mostly unaware of our strategic purpose or our tactical orders.
Perhaps the reason we focus so much prayer on felt needs and logistical concerns is that we have forgotten we are at war. As a result, Christianity has been reduced in some circles to a “feel-good” experience, with the church serving as a kind of spiritual therapeutic massage center. In such a setting, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that much of our praying is a reaction to our aches and pains, rather than a response to the glory of God and the holy majesty of our risen Lord Jesus.
So, what then must we do to expand our practice of prayer?
More on that next week.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
The TRUTH Will Set You Free
When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), He wasn’t talking about just any old facts. And He certainly didn’t have some relativistic idea of an evolving kind of “truth” that supposedly changes from time to time and from place to place.
In contrast, today’s post-modern society is characterized by a refusal to acknowledge the concept of “absolute truth.” The irony is that no one has ever proven that there is no such thing as absolute truth: those who hold this view simply assume that it is so.
Please note, however, that denying the existence of absolute truth is a logical contradiction. When people say, “There is no such thing as absolute truth,” they are themselves making an absolute truth claim.
Let’s listen in on a brief conversation between Joe and Mary.
Joe: “There is no such thing as absolute truth.”
Mary: “Are you sure?”
Joe: “Yes I am.”
Mary: “How can you be so sure?”
Joe: “Because it’s true.”
Mary: “So . . . it’s absolutely true that there is no such thing as absolute truth?”
Joe: “Uh, yes, I mean, no - well, maybe.”
I’m sure you get the point.
But there’s more to this than simply exposing the folly of Joe’s assertion. Postmodern society, in its denial of absolute truth, has come perilously close to cultural insanity by holding with absolute certainty the notion that nothing is absolutely certain, thus sawing off the limb upon which it stands.
Sanity is restored by knowing the truth; or rather The Truth, with two capital T’s.
Among the many things Scripture says about The Truth, three stand out as being critically important to post-modern culture. First, there is the relationship of biblical love and The Truth, described in that great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Verse 6 says, “Love . . . rejoices in the truth.” Why? Because if you truly love someone, you don’t want that person to live in error, because living in error causes needless pain.
Second, Scripture tells us where to find The Truth. Ephesians 4:21 says, “The truth is in Jesus.” If you want to discover The Truth, develop a relationship with Jesus. All The Truth you need for life and salvation is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus Himself made an immense claim in John 14:6, when He declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Me.” By declaring Himself to be identical with The Truth, and by claiming to be the only way to heaven, Jesus forced upon us a decision: is what He said false, or is it true?
If it is false, then He was either a liar or a lunatic. If it was true, then He was, and remains to this day, the Lord of the universe, and your only hope for eternal life.
In contrast, today’s post-modern society is characterized by a refusal to acknowledge the concept of “absolute truth.” The irony is that no one has ever proven that there is no such thing as absolute truth: those who hold this view simply assume that it is so.
Please note, however, that denying the existence of absolute truth is a logical contradiction. When people say, “There is no such thing as absolute truth,” they are themselves making an absolute truth claim.
Let’s listen in on a brief conversation between Joe and Mary.
Joe: “There is no such thing as absolute truth.”
Mary: “Are you sure?”
Joe: “Yes I am.”
Mary: “How can you be so sure?”
Joe: “Because it’s true.”
Mary: “So . . . it’s absolutely true that there is no such thing as absolute truth?”
Joe: “Uh, yes, I mean, no - well, maybe.”
I’m sure you get the point.
But there’s more to this than simply exposing the folly of Joe’s assertion. Postmodern society, in its denial of absolute truth, has come perilously close to cultural insanity by holding with absolute certainty the notion that nothing is absolutely certain, thus sawing off the limb upon which it stands.
Sanity is restored by knowing the truth; or rather The Truth, with two capital T’s.
Among the many things Scripture says about The Truth, three stand out as being critically important to post-modern culture. First, there is the relationship of biblical love and The Truth, described in that great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. Verse 6 says, “Love . . . rejoices in the truth.” Why? Because if you truly love someone, you don’t want that person to live in error, because living in error causes needless pain.
Second, Scripture tells us where to find The Truth. Ephesians 4:21 says, “The truth is in Jesus.” If you want to discover The Truth, develop a relationship with Jesus. All The Truth you need for life and salvation is found in the person of Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus Himself made an immense claim in John 14:6, when He declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Me.” By declaring Himself to be identical with The Truth, and by claiming to be the only way to heaven, Jesus forced upon us a decision: is what He said false, or is it true?
If it is false, then He was either a liar or a lunatic. If it was true, then He was, and remains to this day, the Lord of the universe, and your only hope for eternal life.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
WHERE WE LOOK FOR GUIDANCE
Odd, isn’t it, the places we look for guidance these days? Some look to the stars for lucky lottery numbers, hoping some twist of chance, some fluke of fate will make them instant millionaires. Others search online for advice about love from people they’ve never met, hoping for riches they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t need, so they can impress people they don’t like.
Some even seek direction revealed by the deal of a deck of cards, or fortune told by the marks in the palms of their hands.
All the while, in most of our homes is a Book, written for us by the Creator of the Universe, containing every instruction we need for life and peace, joy and love, fulfillment and purpose, just waiting to be read and followed: the Bible.
Are you looking for joy in life? The Book says you can find it in a relationship with Jesus: “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
Need advice about love? One little chapter of the Book shows fifteen practical ways to be a more loving person: “Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast, nor is it arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
Wondering about direction for your life? The Book says: “Because the Lord is righteous and good, He teaches sinners the path they should follow. He leads the humble in the right way and teaches them His will” (Psalm 25:8-9).
There’s lot more in the Book for you to read and live by. God made sure it all gotten written down for you, because He loves you and dreams wonderful dreams for you. Like David said in Psalm 119:1, “Oh, the joy of those who live lives of integrity by following the Lord’s word!”
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, a time came when some of His followers began to disagree with His teaching because it was contrary to the common religious sentiment of the day. Some even forsook Him. When this happened, Jesus asked His closest followers, “Do you want to leave also?” Peter’s answer speaks for all who are seeking the truth: “To whom could we go, Lord? You’re the only One Who has the words of life.”
Indeed.
So rather than have someone look at marks in the palms of your hands, focus on the marks in the palms of His hands, for they remind you that He loves you and has a good plan for you – all written down for you in His Book.
And if you’ll read His Book, you’ll never have to try to read His mind.
Some even seek direction revealed by the deal of a deck of cards, or fortune told by the marks in the palms of their hands.
All the while, in most of our homes is a Book, written for us by the Creator of the Universe, containing every instruction we need for life and peace, joy and love, fulfillment and purpose, just waiting to be read and followed: the Bible.
Are you looking for joy in life? The Book says you can find it in a relationship with Jesus: “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
Need advice about love? One little chapter of the Book shows fifteen practical ways to be a more loving person: “Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast, nor is it arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).
Wondering about direction for your life? The Book says: “Because the Lord is righteous and good, He teaches sinners the path they should follow. He leads the humble in the right way and teaches them His will” (Psalm 25:8-9).
There’s lot more in the Book for you to read and live by. God made sure it all gotten written down for you, because He loves you and dreams wonderful dreams for you. Like David said in Psalm 119:1, “Oh, the joy of those who live lives of integrity by following the Lord’s word!”
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, a time came when some of His followers began to disagree with His teaching because it was contrary to the common religious sentiment of the day. Some even forsook Him. When this happened, Jesus asked His closest followers, “Do you want to leave also?” Peter’s answer speaks for all who are seeking the truth: “To whom could we go, Lord? You’re the only One Who has the words of life.”
Indeed.
So rather than have someone look at marks in the palms of your hands, focus on the marks in the palms of His hands, for they remind you that He loves you and has a good plan for you – all written down for you in His Book.
And if you’ll read His Book, you’ll never have to try to read His mind.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
THE LOCK WAS ON THE INSIDE
As I listened to her recount her experience, she recited with amazing clarity the words of her former friend, painful statements filled with venom and cruelty. Obviously, they had stung deeply. I longed to extend the healing balm of God’s grace to this wounded heart, so I asked a question. “When did this happen?” After all, the hurt seemed so vivid and fresh!
This graying great-grandma replied, “We were in High School. It was May of our senior year, just before graduation.”
Oh my! That was nearly sixty-five years ago! To hear her describe the event you would have thought it took place yesterday: tears still moistened her eyes, and the angry pain still caused her voice to crack.
In the six-and-a-half decades since it took place, she had relived and recited the event until it came to dominate her whole life. And now, she had called me, her pastor, because she felt trapped and afraid.
It struck me that, through all those decades, she had been constructing her own private prison. Building on the foundation of that oft-rehearsed High School betrayal, she had mixed the mortar of her pain, and stacked the bricks of other bitter memories, each pain remembered, each disappointment recorded, all put carefully in place.
In this prison-building process, a time came for her when prayer had changed into an exercise in doubt. She began to approach God convinced He did not love her, as evidenced by the pain in her life. Eventually she had all but given up praying, except in a routine, religious sense.
By the time we first talked, she had been incarcerated in her pain-prison so long she had begun to doubt her salvation. She was unsure about heaven. She questioned the truth of the Gospel. She struggled between her sometime faith in God and her mounting fear of the future. And she wanted me to give her assurance.
We talked. I prayed for her. Not once, but often. Sadly, every scriptural assurance I offered evoked only another recitation of her ancient pain. Every prayer I prayed caused her only to argue that God doesn’t answer prayer.
In the last conversation we had, I tried once more to assure her of God’s love and grace. She said she hoped it was true.
Some time ago I heard that she had died. I hope she left her prison before she left this planet. No prayer I prayed, no scripture I shared, could free her from that prison. The lock, you see, was on the inside. She had put it there herself. Only she could open it. But she would not.
Do you know people whose well-rehearsed pain has confined them to such a prison? If so, tell them the lock is on the inside, and Jesus offers them the key of forgiveness He forged at the cross. He paid the price. They only need to forgive to be set free.
This graying great-grandma replied, “We were in High School. It was May of our senior year, just before graduation.”
Oh my! That was nearly sixty-five years ago! To hear her describe the event you would have thought it took place yesterday: tears still moistened her eyes, and the angry pain still caused her voice to crack.
In the six-and-a-half decades since it took place, she had relived and recited the event until it came to dominate her whole life. And now, she had called me, her pastor, because she felt trapped and afraid.
It struck me that, through all those decades, she had been constructing her own private prison. Building on the foundation of that oft-rehearsed High School betrayal, she had mixed the mortar of her pain, and stacked the bricks of other bitter memories, each pain remembered, each disappointment recorded, all put carefully in place.
In this prison-building process, a time came for her when prayer had changed into an exercise in doubt. She began to approach God convinced He did not love her, as evidenced by the pain in her life. Eventually she had all but given up praying, except in a routine, religious sense.
By the time we first talked, she had been incarcerated in her pain-prison so long she had begun to doubt her salvation. She was unsure about heaven. She questioned the truth of the Gospel. She struggled between her sometime faith in God and her mounting fear of the future. And she wanted me to give her assurance.
We talked. I prayed for her. Not once, but often. Sadly, every scriptural assurance I offered evoked only another recitation of her ancient pain. Every prayer I prayed caused her only to argue that God doesn’t answer prayer.
In the last conversation we had, I tried once more to assure her of God’s love and grace. She said she hoped it was true.
Some time ago I heard that she had died. I hope she left her prison before she left this planet. No prayer I prayed, no scripture I shared, could free her from that prison. The lock, you see, was on the inside. She had put it there herself. Only she could open it. But she would not.
Do you know people whose well-rehearsed pain has confined them to such a prison? If so, tell them the lock is on the inside, and Jesus offers them the key of forgiveness He forged at the cross. He paid the price. They only need to forgive to be set free.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
YOU OUGHT TO BE COMMITTED!
It was the day we had been looking forward to for months, and it dawned hot and beautiful. The music was rehearsed. The vows were memorized. The preacher was prepared. The punch was mixed. The gowns and tuxedos miraculously fit.
The sanctuary was air conditioned, but the fellowship hall was not, so we had to put the cake in the refrigerator to keep the icing from melting!
A lot of money went into the day: dresses, tuxedos, invitations, travel, decorations, cake, flowers, and a hundred other little things, along with gratuities for the organist, the guitarist, and the pastor. Then, in a blur of whites and pastels, veils and patent leather, it was over. The crowd was gone, the cake was eaten or put away, the leftovers wrapped and stored.
All for what? Forty-five minutes of ceremonious pageantry? A couple of hours with friends and family?
Of course not. What it was all for was to show how important commitment is.
That’s why we put so much into weddings. Not to show off the bride. Not to build a monument to the prosperity of somebody’s family. Not to satisfy the wishes of a mother who didn’t have a nice wedding herself. Not for the romance, or the presents, or the party.
A wedding is a showcase for a life-changing, life-long commitment, and that’s why we make such a big deal of it: we don’t want the commitment to be made haphazardly or without solemn forethought and intentionality. By the way, that’s also why more and more pastors are requiring three or four months of pre-marital preparation. After all, a wedding lasts a few minutes: a marriage is supposed last a lifetime.
Commitments are critical to our growth as God’s creatures, because we become what we're committed to.
Whenever you make a commitment, at that moment you don’t yet measure up to it. For example, when I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I barely had a minimal grasp of that commitment: all I knew is that I was giving my life to Jesus. Yet, to this day, forty-four years after I was born again, the commitment I made continues to draw me further on. The fact that I committed to follow Jesus keeps pulling me higher up and further into His plans for me.
I could not do it on my own, without the accountability of commitment. I probably wouldn’t give of myself, or strive to serve God, or put my wife and family first, if I hadn’t promised God I’d try to do so, and hadn’t asked for His help. The commitment I made is what keeps me growing.
That’s why God expects people to keep making commitments. It is only as you keep growing that you stay effective and productive in your relationship with Jesus! It is only as you make solid, Spirit-led commitments that you grow up into them.
Are you committed to following Jesus? Is it time for a fresh commitment to Jesus, to your church or to your family?
The sanctuary was air conditioned, but the fellowship hall was not, so we had to put the cake in the refrigerator to keep the icing from melting!
A lot of money went into the day: dresses, tuxedos, invitations, travel, decorations, cake, flowers, and a hundred other little things, along with gratuities for the organist, the guitarist, and the pastor. Then, in a blur of whites and pastels, veils and patent leather, it was over. The crowd was gone, the cake was eaten or put away, the leftovers wrapped and stored.
All for what? Forty-five minutes of ceremonious pageantry? A couple of hours with friends and family?
Of course not. What it was all for was to show how important commitment is.
That’s why we put so much into weddings. Not to show off the bride. Not to build a monument to the prosperity of somebody’s family. Not to satisfy the wishes of a mother who didn’t have a nice wedding herself. Not for the romance, or the presents, or the party.
A wedding is a showcase for a life-changing, life-long commitment, and that’s why we make such a big deal of it: we don’t want the commitment to be made haphazardly or without solemn forethought and intentionality. By the way, that’s also why more and more pastors are requiring three or four months of pre-marital preparation. After all, a wedding lasts a few minutes: a marriage is supposed last a lifetime.
Commitments are critical to our growth as God’s creatures, because we become what we're committed to.
Whenever you make a commitment, at that moment you don’t yet measure up to it. For example, when I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I barely had a minimal grasp of that commitment: all I knew is that I was giving my life to Jesus. Yet, to this day, forty-four years after I was born again, the commitment I made continues to draw me further on. The fact that I committed to follow Jesus keeps pulling me higher up and further into His plans for me.
I could not do it on my own, without the accountability of commitment. I probably wouldn’t give of myself, or strive to serve God, or put my wife and family first, if I hadn’t promised God I’d try to do so, and hadn’t asked for His help. The commitment I made is what keeps me growing.
That’s why God expects people to keep making commitments. It is only as you keep growing that you stay effective and productive in your relationship with Jesus! It is only as you make solid, Spirit-led commitments that you grow up into them.
Are you committed to following Jesus? Is it time for a fresh commitment to Jesus, to your church or to your family?
Thursday, March 16, 2006
HYPOCRITES IN HEAVEN?
In all my years of ministry, I have talked with lots of people about heaven, and asked them if they wanted to go to heaven when they die. In all those conversations, only one person ever told me he didn’t want to go to heaven. When I asked him why didn’t want to go to heaven, he said something like this: “I don’t want to go be with all those hypocrites forever.”
Amazing! At first I was shocked. Then, I began to wonder: are there hypocrites in heaven?
To answer that question, we need to consider what people mean when they say “hypocrite.”
That word commonly refers to someone who says one thing and does another. It’s typically used to describe folks who come to church on Sunday, and seem to be pretty saintly in the sanctuary; but who then spend the rest of the week sinning like those who never go to church at all.
Unfortunately, that definition of “hypocrite” disregards the Biblical nature of the church. God’s Word doesn’t define the church as a saint museum, but rather as a sinner hospital. There’s no better place for sinners to be than in church, because that’s supposed to be the place we gather to learn of God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing. That includes you and me.
Jesus encountered the same problem in His earthly ministry. His infant church was comprised mostly of people formerly famous for sinning, but who were now forgiven and striving to overcome sin. Jesus was accused of having a hypocrite-filled church back then, so it shouldn’t surprise us if the church is accused of the same thing today.
But that’s the church.
Heaven’s going to be different: perfectly different. All the sin that plagues the church, that we Christians struggle to overcome, will be completely wiped away in heaven. Gone. Erased. Forever.
When you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, at that moment, God delivers you from the eternal penalty of your sin. Then, as you grow in your faith and begin to obey God, He delivers you from the power of sin, so that little by little, you sin less and less. Finally, when you die, He opens heaven to you and delivers you from the presence of sin.
Free from sin’s penalty – that’s salvation, or “phase one.”
Released from sin’s power – that’s spiritual growth, “phase two.”
Delivered from sin’s presence – that’s heaven, “phase forever.”
If you are a Christian, right now you are in “phase two,” still striving to defeat sin. But when you die, you will enter into complete and sudden victory in the heavenly presence of God.
Heaven will be filled not with hypocrites, but with former hypocrites, those who were once very imperfect sinners, saved by grace and welcomed into heaven by God’s astonishing mercy.
If you’re willing to look humbly at your own sin instead of glaring proudly at the sin of those around you, there’s always room for forgiveness with Jesus. There’s still plenty of room in heaven, and lots of room in church!
Amazing! At first I was shocked. Then, I began to wonder: are there hypocrites in heaven?
To answer that question, we need to consider what people mean when they say “hypocrite.”
That word commonly refers to someone who says one thing and does another. It’s typically used to describe folks who come to church on Sunday, and seem to be pretty saintly in the sanctuary; but who then spend the rest of the week sinning like those who never go to church at all.
Unfortunately, that definition of “hypocrite” disregards the Biblical nature of the church. God’s Word doesn’t define the church as a saint museum, but rather as a sinner hospital. There’s no better place for sinners to be than in church, because that’s supposed to be the place we gather to learn of God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing. That includes you and me.
Jesus encountered the same problem in His earthly ministry. His infant church was comprised mostly of people formerly famous for sinning, but who were now forgiven and striving to overcome sin. Jesus was accused of having a hypocrite-filled church back then, so it shouldn’t surprise us if the church is accused of the same thing today.
But that’s the church.
Heaven’s going to be different: perfectly different. All the sin that plagues the church, that we Christians struggle to overcome, will be completely wiped away in heaven. Gone. Erased. Forever.
When you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, at that moment, God delivers you from the eternal penalty of your sin. Then, as you grow in your faith and begin to obey God, He delivers you from the power of sin, so that little by little, you sin less and less. Finally, when you die, He opens heaven to you and delivers you from the presence of sin.
Free from sin’s penalty – that’s salvation, or “phase one.”
Released from sin’s power – that’s spiritual growth, “phase two.”
Delivered from sin’s presence – that’s heaven, “phase forever.”
If you are a Christian, right now you are in “phase two,” still striving to defeat sin. But when you die, you will enter into complete and sudden victory in the heavenly presence of God.
Heaven will be filled not with hypocrites, but with former hypocrites, those who were once very imperfect sinners, saved by grace and welcomed into heaven by God’s astonishing mercy.
If you’re willing to look humbly at your own sin instead of glaring proudly at the sin of those around you, there’s always room for forgiveness with Jesus. There’s still plenty of room in heaven, and lots of room in church!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
I got one of “those” phone calls recently: a public opinion poll, the kind where they ask questions about political candidates. It was more than little entertaining. However, as I listened to the issues on the agenda of this particular pollster, I was reminded that our culture has obviously lost its sense of direction. We have completely severed the chains of our moral anchors, and we are utterly adrift on a stormy sea of rival opinions. We know neither where we are nor where we’re going.
It got me to thinking. And praying.
There was a time when the church served as the moral and spiritual conscience of our culture, not because it was perfect or pure, but because it called society without compromise to submit to Him Who is.
How did the church lose its moral influence in our culture?
It boils down to the fact that the church was asleep during those crucial times when the culture was making critical moral and spiritual choices. During the secularizing upheaval of the 1920’s, the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, the cultural relativism of the 1980’s, and the moral decline of the last decade, the church in western culture has done little more than wring its hands and pout.
Keith Green put it this way in one of his songs:
“The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can’t fight,
‘Cause it’s asleep in the light!”
What can be done to restore the church to its rightful place as the conscience of our culture?
It will never happen if we wait on the leaders of the church to make it happen. Indeed, the moral lapses of so many church leaders practically guarantee their inability to bring the needed changes. It has to begin with each of us. With me and you.
Admittedly, you can’t change the whole culture.
However, in the power of the Holy Spirit, here’s what you can do.
You can quit griping about the way things are, and start doing something about it, by bringing the moral imperatives of God’s Word to bear in your own life and in the public arena of decision-making and policy formation.
You can pray for your community and its leaders, and occasionally even attend a School Board or City Council meeting to say a word of Godly encouragement.
You can impact your sphere of influence: the people you know; the neighborhood where you live.
You can share God’s truth with others.
You can live God’s truth for them to see.
You can love people in Jesus’ name and demonstrate to them that He loves them very much.
You can show up where God’s presence is required.
You can stand up where God’s influence is needed.
You can speak up where God’s voice must be heard.
You can change your world, in the power of God: one choice at a time, one life at a time, one heart at a time.
You can. And you must.
It got me to thinking. And praying.
There was a time when the church served as the moral and spiritual conscience of our culture, not because it was perfect or pure, but because it called society without compromise to submit to Him Who is.
How did the church lose its moral influence in our culture?
It boils down to the fact that the church was asleep during those crucial times when the culture was making critical moral and spiritual choices. During the secularizing upheaval of the 1920’s, the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, the cultural relativism of the 1980’s, and the moral decline of the last decade, the church in western culture has done little more than wring its hands and pout.
Keith Green put it this way in one of his songs:
“The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can’t fight,
‘Cause it’s asleep in the light!”
What can be done to restore the church to its rightful place as the conscience of our culture?
It will never happen if we wait on the leaders of the church to make it happen. Indeed, the moral lapses of so many church leaders practically guarantee their inability to bring the needed changes. It has to begin with each of us. With me and you.
Admittedly, you can’t change the whole culture.
However, in the power of the Holy Spirit, here’s what you can do.
You can quit griping about the way things are, and start doing something about it, by bringing the moral imperatives of God’s Word to bear in your own life and in the public arena of decision-making and policy formation.
You can pray for your community and its leaders, and occasionally even attend a School Board or City Council meeting to say a word of Godly encouragement.
You can impact your sphere of influence: the people you know; the neighborhood where you live.
You can share God’s truth with others.
You can live God’s truth for them to see.
You can love people in Jesus’ name and demonstrate to them that He loves them very much.
You can show up where God’s presence is required.
You can stand up where God’s influence is needed.
You can speak up where God’s voice must be heard.
You can change your world, in the power of God: one choice at a time, one life at a time, one heart at a time.
You can. And you must.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
WHY SHOULD HE LOVE ME SO?
Formative. Almost determinative.
It’s one of my early childhood memories, the kind that take on foundational importance. The details are a bit fuzzy, but the core is solid.
This formative, almost determinate moment took place during my Dad’s first pastorate, in a little old church in Stilesville, Indiana. While they had hired him to preach, and that only part-time, mind you, it seemed like every job that somebody wasn’t already doing fell to him, whether he could do it or not. So it was that, even though he didn’t read music, he became the choir director, because he sang bass in a barbershop quartet. Even though he’d never done it before, he ran the youth group, because he had teenage sons. And even though he wasn’t a soloist, he sang a solo several times a month, because he had the nerve.
Maybe it was on a Sunday night – that’s usually when he got to (translation: had to) sing – when I heard the song that lately has come rolling back through my mind like an 18-wheeler.
Love sent my Savior to die in my stead.
Why should He love me so?
Meekly to Calvary’s cross He was led.
Why should He love me so?
And the refrain:
Why should He love me so?
Why should He love me so?
Why should my Savior to Calvary go?
Why should He love me so?
When I was eight, it was just another song my Dad sang, not so different from most: nice enough, to be sure; and the people who heard him sing it obviously liked it, even though, as Dad said afterward, it was just a little out of his range.
Forty-four years later, I have discovered it’s completely out of my range.
Musically speaking, the song is certainly not daunting; but then, unlike my Dad, I had lots of musical training. He saw to it that I did. But there is no training, musical or otherwise, that can put the event the song refers to within our range.
Why, indeed, should He love me so?
That’s a question that just won’t go away, if you’ve pondered the crucifixion of God’s Son. All the logic of theological expertise and all the wisdom of the wise leave us staring awestruck into the marred countenance of Unexplainable Love, incarnate from the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, Who suffered and was buried, and on the third day rose again.
Why should He love me so?
I can’t describe it, except to point to the cross. I can’t figure it out. What did He see in me that would move Him to endure such horror, such unspeakable agony for my salvation?
Why should He love me so?
There are no words left to speak.
Why should He love me so?
There is only a life left to offer. Here I am, Lord. Take me. I’m Yours.
It’s one of my early childhood memories, the kind that take on foundational importance. The details are a bit fuzzy, but the core is solid.
This formative, almost determinate moment took place during my Dad’s first pastorate, in a little old church in Stilesville, Indiana. While they had hired him to preach, and that only part-time, mind you, it seemed like every job that somebody wasn’t already doing fell to him, whether he could do it or not. So it was that, even though he didn’t read music, he became the choir director, because he sang bass in a barbershop quartet. Even though he’d never done it before, he ran the youth group, because he had teenage sons. And even though he wasn’t a soloist, he sang a solo several times a month, because he had the nerve.
Maybe it was on a Sunday night – that’s usually when he got to (translation: had to) sing – when I heard the song that lately has come rolling back through my mind like an 18-wheeler.
Love sent my Savior to die in my stead.
Why should He love me so?
Meekly to Calvary’s cross He was led.
Why should He love me so?
And the refrain:
Why should He love me so?
Why should He love me so?
Why should my Savior to Calvary go?
Why should He love me so?
When I was eight, it was just another song my Dad sang, not so different from most: nice enough, to be sure; and the people who heard him sing it obviously liked it, even though, as Dad said afterward, it was just a little out of his range.
Forty-four years later, I have discovered it’s completely out of my range.
Musically speaking, the song is certainly not daunting; but then, unlike my Dad, I had lots of musical training. He saw to it that I did. But there is no training, musical or otherwise, that can put the event the song refers to within our range.
Why, indeed, should He love me so?
That’s a question that just won’t go away, if you’ve pondered the crucifixion of God’s Son. All the logic of theological expertise and all the wisdom of the wise leave us staring awestruck into the marred countenance of Unexplainable Love, incarnate from the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, Who suffered and was buried, and on the third day rose again.
Why should He love me so?
I can’t describe it, except to point to the cross. I can’t figure it out. What did He see in me that would move Him to endure such horror, such unspeakable agony for my salvation?
Why should He love me so?
There are no words left to speak.
Why should He love me so?
There is only a life left to offer. Here I am, Lord. Take me. I’m Yours.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
MY BIRTHDAY WISH LIST
Every year, my wife asks me, "What do you want for your birthday?" Every year, I don't know what to tell her.
So, this year, since my birthday is coming up in a little over a month, I thought I'd tell you the six items on my birthday wish list with plenty of lead time, and see what you can do about it. Remember, this is just what I want for my birthday. I may not get everything on this list; but, I can always ask. See if you can help me out here.
Birthday Wish #1 - I wish that all the church members in the town where I live would actually ATTEND the church of which they are members. I've always thought being a member of a church without participating in the life of that church was like owning a closet full of clothes and going naked all the time.
Birthday Wish #2 - I wish that Christians would remember who the enemy is. It's not that visitor in church who sat in "your" seat. It's not the church board, or the pastor, or anybody else who can bleed. We have an enemy, and his name is not on any church role in town. The devil's biggest successes occur when people forget that he and his lies are what we're supposed to be fighting, not somebody else at church, or some other church.
Birthday Wish #3 - I wish people would complain less and pray more. Not only is complaining a sin (see Philippians 2:14!), it doesn't do any good anyway. If we would spend half as much time praying for people and situations as we do complaining about them, God would do twice as many miracles. I include myself in this.
Birthday Wish #4 - I wish that more of the people who notice problems would become part of the solution. God didn't appoint any of us critics. But He did call us to be problem-solvers. You don't like how the youth leaders teach Sunday School? Ask them if there's any way you could help. You think your church's nursery needs improvement? Get involved. If you're not part of the solution, you may be part of the problem.
Birthday Wish #5 - I wish people would praise God more. I've read about places where the economy is bad. It's not bad here. My wife has worshiped in China where it's prohibited to have a Bible study in your home. A friend of mine has been in countries where church buildings are illegal. Fact is, we have it pretty good in America. Those who know where the blessings come from should give God the credit He deserves.
Final Birthday Wish - I want to be a better husband and father in the fifty-fourth year of my life than I was in the fifty-third. While my ministry at First Baptist is vital, my job at home is more important still. I thank God for a wife and family who haven't gotten too upset when I've forgotten that fact. Next to Jesus, they are the greatest gift I've ever received.
So, this year, since my birthday is coming up in a little over a month, I thought I'd tell you the six items on my birthday wish list with plenty of lead time, and see what you can do about it. Remember, this is just what I want for my birthday. I may not get everything on this list; but, I can always ask. See if you can help me out here.
Birthday Wish #1 - I wish that all the church members in the town where I live would actually ATTEND the church of which they are members. I've always thought being a member of a church without participating in the life of that church was like owning a closet full of clothes and going naked all the time.
Birthday Wish #2 - I wish that Christians would remember who the enemy is. It's not that visitor in church who sat in "your" seat. It's not the church board, or the pastor, or anybody else who can bleed. We have an enemy, and his name is not on any church role in town. The devil's biggest successes occur when people forget that he and his lies are what we're supposed to be fighting, not somebody else at church, or some other church.
Birthday Wish #3 - I wish people would complain less and pray more. Not only is complaining a sin (see Philippians 2:14!), it doesn't do any good anyway. If we would spend half as much time praying for people and situations as we do complaining about them, God would do twice as many miracles. I include myself in this.
Birthday Wish #4 - I wish that more of the people who notice problems would become part of the solution. God didn't appoint any of us critics. But He did call us to be problem-solvers. You don't like how the youth leaders teach Sunday School? Ask them if there's any way you could help. You think your church's nursery needs improvement? Get involved. If you're not part of the solution, you may be part of the problem.
Birthday Wish #5 - I wish people would praise God more. I've read about places where the economy is bad. It's not bad here. My wife has worshiped in China where it's prohibited to have a Bible study in your home. A friend of mine has been in countries where church buildings are illegal. Fact is, we have it pretty good in America. Those who know where the blessings come from should give God the credit He deserves.
Final Birthday Wish - I want to be a better husband and father in the fifty-fourth year of my life than I was in the fifty-third. While my ministry at First Baptist is vital, my job at home is more important still. I thank God for a wife and family who haven't gotten too upset when I've forgotten that fact. Next to Jesus, they are the greatest gift I've ever received.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A TOUCH OR A CHANGE?
As we sat in the sanctuary, dozens of folks handled the big chunk of clay. Many touched it. Some even poked little impressions into its rounded surface.
However, after being passed through scores of hands, the ball of clay remained pretty much as it was when the first person among us touched it. Still just a more-or-less spherical glob.
It had been touched many times.
But it had not really been changed.
Reminds me of a lot of us Christians.
We go to Church on Sundays longing for a touch from God’s hand. And when He touches us, we sing with a tear in our eye or a lump in our throat, “He touched me! O, He touched me, and O! the joy that floods my soul.”
Believer, we don’t need only to be touched. We need to be changed!
Paul referred to this fact when he told the Galatian Christians he was laboring for them “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). Jesus Himself placed before the Church the challenge to become like Him, to be remade into His likeness.
Scripture calls God the Potter and us the clay in His hands.
Have you ever seen what it takes for a potter to make something out of a lump of clay?
First, the clay has to be dug from the ground. Then it has to be ground into a fine powder, and all of the impurities removed. Next, it is mixed with water into a thick paste and extruded into big chunks. From this lump, the potter breaks off a chunk and kneads it to bring it to the right consistency. Then he slams it down onto a wheel, gradually and painstakingly turning and molding it into shape. Finally, after the clay dries, the potter places it into a blazing kiln.
Then, and only then, is the clay fit for the use designated by the potter.
It takes more than a touch.
If all you want is just a touch from God, you are welcome to ask Him, and He will probably touch you. However, if that’s all you want, it’s all you are likely to get: just a touch from God. It will be wonderful, to be sure, and your soul will be thrilled.
And, after the thrill wears off, you may remain basically unchanged.
God’s preference is that you place yourself fully into His hands. Let Him utterly remake you, and form you into the likeness of His Son.
When you go to Church this Sunday – and you WILL go to Church this Sunday, won’t you?! – don’t come out of the building the same as you went in. Prepare your heart to let God make you different, indeed, make you more like His Son Jesus.
Let such a desire be your prayer for these trying times. After all, it takes more than a touch. It takes a change.
However, after being passed through scores of hands, the ball of clay remained pretty much as it was when the first person among us touched it. Still just a more-or-less spherical glob.
It had been touched many times.
But it had not really been changed.
Reminds me of a lot of us Christians.
We go to Church on Sundays longing for a touch from God’s hand. And when He touches us, we sing with a tear in our eye or a lump in our throat, “He touched me! O, He touched me, and O! the joy that floods my soul.”
Believer, we don’t need only to be touched. We need to be changed!
Paul referred to this fact when he told the Galatian Christians he was laboring for them “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). Jesus Himself placed before the Church the challenge to become like Him, to be remade into His likeness.
Scripture calls God the Potter and us the clay in His hands.
Have you ever seen what it takes for a potter to make something out of a lump of clay?
First, the clay has to be dug from the ground. Then it has to be ground into a fine powder, and all of the impurities removed. Next, it is mixed with water into a thick paste and extruded into big chunks. From this lump, the potter breaks off a chunk and kneads it to bring it to the right consistency. Then he slams it down onto a wheel, gradually and painstakingly turning and molding it into shape. Finally, after the clay dries, the potter places it into a blazing kiln.
Then, and only then, is the clay fit for the use designated by the potter.
It takes more than a touch.
If all you want is just a touch from God, you are welcome to ask Him, and He will probably touch you. However, if that’s all you want, it’s all you are likely to get: just a touch from God. It will be wonderful, to be sure, and your soul will be thrilled.
And, after the thrill wears off, you may remain basically unchanged.
God’s preference is that you place yourself fully into His hands. Let Him utterly remake you, and form you into the likeness of His Son.
When you go to Church this Sunday – and you WILL go to Church this Sunday, won’t you?! – don’t come out of the building the same as you went in. Prepare your heart to let God make you different, indeed, make you more like His Son Jesus.
Let such a desire be your prayer for these trying times. After all, it takes more than a touch. It takes a change.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
DIVINE APPOINTMENTS, ETERNAL DESTINATIONS
Have you stopped lately to consider the destinations of the people who move through your life: you know, all those folks you meet and interact with, if even for only a few moments? In any given week, there may be a hundred or more lives that you touch in one way or another. For a few of us, there are more. For some of us, there are less.
But for all of us, there are some.
These people all have a destination. As your path crosses theirs, they’re going somewhere; and because of that fact, they may seem to be in a hurry. Then again, maybe the one who is hurrying is you, with the result your encounters seem fleeting, trivial or perhaps even annoying.
But there is something vital about each momentary meeting. If you believe that God is in any sense sovereign in the affairs of His creation (and I do), your so-called “chance meeting” may in fact be a divine appointment God has been arranging for years. The blessing of a life or the salvation of a human soul may be what God would like to place on your agenda, and if you fail to understand that possibility, you may miss an appointment God made for you.
God may have arranged for the path of one who has forgotten Him to cross your path so that you can do some reminding. He may have brought a hurting heart before you so you could apply the healing touch of His blessing. That cranky teller, that absent minded clerk, or that waitress who forgets your order may be just the person God has brought to you (or sent you to), with a redemptive purpose for the meeting.
That’s why you and I must always be prayed up and ready to extend God’s blessing, share His love, and reveal His truth. You see, there is much more ministry in your day than what you may think. If you’re too busy to pray for someone, you’re too busy. Your schedule is simply too full if you don’t have a moment to ask a hurting or angry soul, “How may I pray for you?”
These people all have a destination: every one of them is headed either for heaven or hell. The very fact that you have contact with them is evidence that our sovereign God has placed you strategically in their lives as a kind of missionary.
If you know Jesus and they don’t, who else is going to tell them? You don’t think for a moment that it’s up to your pastor to tell them, do you? It’s very likely they don’t even know your pastor.
If God brought that person to you, it’s obvious He expects you to do what you can to bring that person to Him. It’s a divine appointment, and someone’s eternal destiny may be involved.
What, with the help of God, are you doing about it?
But for all of us, there are some.
These people all have a destination. As your path crosses theirs, they’re going somewhere; and because of that fact, they may seem to be in a hurry. Then again, maybe the one who is hurrying is you, with the result your encounters seem fleeting, trivial or perhaps even annoying.
But there is something vital about each momentary meeting. If you believe that God is in any sense sovereign in the affairs of His creation (and I do), your so-called “chance meeting” may in fact be a divine appointment God has been arranging for years. The blessing of a life or the salvation of a human soul may be what God would like to place on your agenda, and if you fail to understand that possibility, you may miss an appointment God made for you.
God may have arranged for the path of one who has forgotten Him to cross your path so that you can do some reminding. He may have brought a hurting heart before you so you could apply the healing touch of His blessing. That cranky teller, that absent minded clerk, or that waitress who forgets your order may be just the person God has brought to you (or sent you to), with a redemptive purpose for the meeting.
That’s why you and I must always be prayed up and ready to extend God’s blessing, share His love, and reveal His truth. You see, there is much more ministry in your day than what you may think. If you’re too busy to pray for someone, you’re too busy. Your schedule is simply too full if you don’t have a moment to ask a hurting or angry soul, “How may I pray for you?”
These people all have a destination: every one of them is headed either for heaven or hell. The very fact that you have contact with them is evidence that our sovereign God has placed you strategically in their lives as a kind of missionary.
If you know Jesus and they don’t, who else is going to tell them? You don’t think for a moment that it’s up to your pastor to tell them, do you? It’s very likely they don’t even know your pastor.
If God brought that person to you, it’s obvious He expects you to do what you can to bring that person to Him. It’s a divine appointment, and someone’s eternal destiny may be involved.
What, with the help of God, are you doing about it?
Thursday, February 02, 2006
TIME TO GET DESPERATE
From time to time we sing a song at our church that is emotionally and spiritually enormous in contrast to the actual brevity of it lyrics. Every time we sing it, the words convict me about the state of my relationship with God.
“This is the air I breathe: Your Holy Presence living in me.
This is my daily bread: Your very Word spoken to me;
And I, I’m desperate for You! And I, I’m lost without You!”
The melody is so easy that is makes singing the song not so much a musical experience as an intimate prayer.
Read the words again, and think of them as praying. Go ahead. Read them again.
There, now.
Isn’t the Presence of God as important as the air you breathe? Without air, you’d be physically dead. Without God’s Presence, you’d be even worse off: spiritually dead.
And how about God’s Word? Without His Word spoken into your life by the Holy Spirit, you would become spiritually malnourished, weak and diseased.
That leads you naturally to say “Lord, I’m desperate for You! I’m lost without You!”
Since I learned the song, I haven’t been able to escape that word “desperate.” God keeps pressing the question: “Are you really desperate for Me, John? Or is that just a nice song?”
According to the huge dictionary in my office, the word “desperate,” as it is used here, means “to have an urgent need or desire,” or “to make an ultimate effort, to give all.”
Does that sound like your attitude towards your relationship with God? Kind of makes you wonder. If you were desperate for God, how would it show in your life?
If you were desperate for God, you would take exceptional steps to pursue Him.
If you were desperate for God, you would pay any price to obey Him.
If you were desperate for God, you would take any risk to experience His power.
If you were truly desperate for God, you wouldn’t put limits on what you ask Him to do. You would crave His power, and you wouldn’t care how He manifested that power.
If you were truly desperate for God, you wouldn’t mind personal inconvenience or discomfort, just so long as you could live in the Presence of God.
If you were truly desperate for the Lord, you would be willing to do anything He tells you to do, even if it were something new or different or unfamiliar.
The problem is, folks like you and me are often more concerned with comfort than with the Presence of God. And that, brothers and sisters, is a sin for which we all need to stay in a state of repentance.
Are you desperate for God? Do you “have an urgent need or desire” for His Presence? Are you willing “to make an ultimate effort, to give all” for the sake of knowing Him?
We need God like never before! And that means we may need to do something we’ve never done before. It’s time to get desperate!
“This is the air I breathe: Your Holy Presence living in me.
This is my daily bread: Your very Word spoken to me;
And I, I’m desperate for You! And I, I’m lost without You!”
The melody is so easy that is makes singing the song not so much a musical experience as an intimate prayer.
Read the words again, and think of them as praying. Go ahead. Read them again.
There, now.
Isn’t the Presence of God as important as the air you breathe? Without air, you’d be physically dead. Without God’s Presence, you’d be even worse off: spiritually dead.
And how about God’s Word? Without His Word spoken into your life by the Holy Spirit, you would become spiritually malnourished, weak and diseased.
That leads you naturally to say “Lord, I’m desperate for You! I’m lost without You!”
Since I learned the song, I haven’t been able to escape that word “desperate.” God keeps pressing the question: “Are you really desperate for Me, John? Or is that just a nice song?”
According to the huge dictionary in my office, the word “desperate,” as it is used here, means “to have an urgent need or desire,” or “to make an ultimate effort, to give all.”
Does that sound like your attitude towards your relationship with God? Kind of makes you wonder. If you were desperate for God, how would it show in your life?
If you were desperate for God, you would take exceptional steps to pursue Him.
If you were desperate for God, you would pay any price to obey Him.
If you were desperate for God, you would take any risk to experience His power.
If you were truly desperate for God, you wouldn’t put limits on what you ask Him to do. You would crave His power, and you wouldn’t care how He manifested that power.
If you were truly desperate for God, you wouldn’t mind personal inconvenience or discomfort, just so long as you could live in the Presence of God.
If you were truly desperate for the Lord, you would be willing to do anything He tells you to do, even if it were something new or different or unfamiliar.
The problem is, folks like you and me are often more concerned with comfort than with the Presence of God. And that, brothers and sisters, is a sin for which we all need to stay in a state of repentance.
Are you desperate for God? Do you “have an urgent need or desire” for His Presence? Are you willing “to make an ultimate effort, to give all” for the sake of knowing Him?
We need God like never before! And that means we may need to do something we’ve never done before. It’s time to get desperate!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
"What's Your Line?"
You remember the show, don't you? It was called, "What's My Line?" and I seem to have heard that it tried to make a comeback on the tube a while back.
The show featured guests with fascinating or odd careers, or unlikely positions in life (i.e., their "line," whence the show's title), and a panel of celebrities who would interview the guests to see which of the three was the real person with the fascinating tale to tell, and which two were just fakes trying to fool people. The panel would try to select the "real" person, and the more wrong votes they cast, the more money the guests would receive. The truth was always revealed when the host of the show would say dramatically at the end, "And now, would the REAL Bill Smith please stand up?!"
And Bill would stand.
It was a clever show with a fascinating premise: how many people can a person trick into thinking he's someone that he's actually not?
Sadly, there seems to be a parallel between the show and what sometimes happens in church life. The term, "getting dressed for church" doesn't always mean putting on a certain outfit: it may mean adopting a certain set of behaviors and responses. We want, after all, to live up to everyone's expectations when we go to church, don't' we?
However, it may be a different story when we go to work on Monday morning.
Or to the ball game on Friday night.
Or to the mall.
Or to a party with our friends.
It kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it, just how many roles the typical Christian tries to play. There's the work role and the home role; the "by-myself" role and the "with-my-friends" role; and, oh yes, the "going-to-church" role. No wonder that God often calls out to those who can hear Him, "Would the REAL you please stand up?!"
Some try to rationalize their role-playing by making it sound spiritual: "I'm just trying to 'be all things to all people,' like the Apostle Paul said." Right!? Let's not forget that Paul's motive was to win more people to Christ. Could our motive be that we just want to fit into our culture, or be accepted by people? All the while, we disregard God's commands about fitting into His Kingdom and being more like Jesus.
What God is seeking from His people is NOT that they "fit in." Indeed, God expects us to stand up for Him, which means we may stand out. Since He expects us to make a difference in this world, it is necessary that we live differently from the world.
The next time you feel pressure to "fit in," or play some role, stop and ask God, "Who have you called me to be? Lord, please help the REAL me to stand up . . . for You."
The show featured guests with fascinating or odd careers, or unlikely positions in life (i.e., their "line," whence the show's title), and a panel of celebrities who would interview the guests to see which of the three was the real person with the fascinating tale to tell, and which two were just fakes trying to fool people. The panel would try to select the "real" person, and the more wrong votes they cast, the more money the guests would receive. The truth was always revealed when the host of the show would say dramatically at the end, "And now, would the REAL Bill Smith please stand up?!"
And Bill would stand.
It was a clever show with a fascinating premise: how many people can a person trick into thinking he's someone that he's actually not?
Sadly, there seems to be a parallel between the show and what sometimes happens in church life. The term, "getting dressed for church" doesn't always mean putting on a certain outfit: it may mean adopting a certain set of behaviors and responses. We want, after all, to live up to everyone's expectations when we go to church, don't' we?
However, it may be a different story when we go to work on Monday morning.
Or to the ball game on Friday night.
Or to the mall.
Or to a party with our friends.
It kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it, just how many roles the typical Christian tries to play. There's the work role and the home role; the "by-myself" role and the "with-my-friends" role; and, oh yes, the "going-to-church" role. No wonder that God often calls out to those who can hear Him, "Would the REAL you please stand up?!"
Some try to rationalize their role-playing by making it sound spiritual: "I'm just trying to 'be all things to all people,' like the Apostle Paul said." Right!? Let's not forget that Paul's motive was to win more people to Christ. Could our motive be that we just want to fit into our culture, or be accepted by people? All the while, we disregard God's commands about fitting into His Kingdom and being more like Jesus.
What God is seeking from His people is NOT that they "fit in." Indeed, God expects us to stand up for Him, which means we may stand out. Since He expects us to make a difference in this world, it is necessary that we live differently from the world.
The next time you feel pressure to "fit in," or play some role, stop and ask God, "Who have you called me to be? Lord, please help the REAL me to stand up . . . for You."
Thursday, January 19, 2006
I'VE GOT TO SPEAK UP!
When the Declaration of Independence was written nearly two-hundred thirty years ago, the founders of this nation pledged their sacred honor to the notion that God gives every human being three basic rights. These include the right to pursue happiness, the right to enjoy freedom, and the right to live. Their assertion was not that the government provides these rights, but rather that they come as gifts from Almighty God. It follows then, that the government’s job is simply to speak up for and protect the rights given by God to its citizens.
For decades now – and especially since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision handed down 33 years ago today, legalizing abortion on demand – our nation has argued over the most basic of these three God-ordained rights: the right to life. The basic meaning of Roe v. Wade is that a child resting in its mother’s womb does not have the same rights as a child resting in its mother’s arms. The place of that child’s residence is seen as the determining factor regarding that child’s God-given rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Today there are politicians on both sides of this issue. Some of them say they will stand up for the value of every human life from conception until death. Others declare they will always support a “woman’s right to choose.”
As you ponder such differences, let me remind you of a crucial factor to consider. It’s a child we’re talking about here, not a “choice”!
By the time a woman is certain she is pregnant, her unborn child possesses every trait that medical science employs to define persons as “living.” By the twenty-first day after conception, the child’s heart is pumping blood through a closed circulatory system, and that blood is usually a different type from that of the mother. By forty days, the child’s nervous system reacts to outside stimulus, and his brain activity is measurable on an encephalogram. By nine weeks, the child is breathing amniotic fluid steadily, and will continue to do so until birth. The child does not drown by breathing the fluid, because she obtains oxygen from her mother through the umbilical cord.
The earliest that most abortions occur is around 11 or 12 weeks after conception. This means that virtually every abortion extinguishes a child who, by medical definition, exhibits every sign of life: pulse, brainwaves, and respiration. It is clear that “terminating a pregnancy” also terminates a life.
Therefore, before God, Who, according to Scripture, earnestly yearns to participate in the development of every unborn child; and before the church, charged by God with upholding His truths; and before our leaders, elected to uphold the rights of the citizens; I ask this question: how can a civilized nation deny to a child in the womb the rights it preserves for those outside the womb?!
Who will speak up for these little ones?
I’ve got to speak up. Won’t you?
For decades now – and especially since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision handed down 33 years ago today, legalizing abortion on demand – our nation has argued over the most basic of these three God-ordained rights: the right to life. The basic meaning of Roe v. Wade is that a child resting in its mother’s womb does not have the same rights as a child resting in its mother’s arms. The place of that child’s residence is seen as the determining factor regarding that child’s God-given rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Today there are politicians on both sides of this issue. Some of them say they will stand up for the value of every human life from conception until death. Others declare they will always support a “woman’s right to choose.”
As you ponder such differences, let me remind you of a crucial factor to consider. It’s a child we’re talking about here, not a “choice”!
By the time a woman is certain she is pregnant, her unborn child possesses every trait that medical science employs to define persons as “living.” By the twenty-first day after conception, the child’s heart is pumping blood through a closed circulatory system, and that blood is usually a different type from that of the mother. By forty days, the child’s nervous system reacts to outside stimulus, and his brain activity is measurable on an encephalogram. By nine weeks, the child is breathing amniotic fluid steadily, and will continue to do so until birth. The child does not drown by breathing the fluid, because she obtains oxygen from her mother through the umbilical cord.
The earliest that most abortions occur is around 11 or 12 weeks after conception. This means that virtually every abortion extinguishes a child who, by medical definition, exhibits every sign of life: pulse, brainwaves, and respiration. It is clear that “terminating a pregnancy” also terminates a life.
Therefore, before God, Who, according to Scripture, earnestly yearns to participate in the development of every unborn child; and before the church, charged by God with upholding His truths; and before our leaders, elected to uphold the rights of the citizens; I ask this question: how can a civilized nation deny to a child in the womb the rights it preserves for those outside the womb?!
Who will speak up for these little ones?
I’ve got to speak up. Won’t you?
Sunday, January 15, 2006
As Simple as A - B - C
Recently I talked with friend of mine named Dwight, a pastor in Alabama, about an evanglism class we’re taking. During the conversation, Dwight told of another preacher in his town who came to him for advice. A man in that preacher’s church had asked him how to become a Christian, and he wasn’t sure how to answer the man, so he had come to Pastor Dwight to ask what he should tell him.
To put it mildly, Pastor Dwight and I were both astonished! Imagine, a pastor not knowing how to become a Christian. It’s so simple!
Come to our church on a Wednesday night and ask the eleven-year olds in Awana: they can tell you how to become a Christian. It’s as simple as “A-B-C!”
The “A” stands for the word “Admit!” and it’s the first step to becoming a Christian: admit you need a Savior. Jesus put it this way: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). That might sounds like bad news, but really it’s very good news, because the fact is, we’re all sinners. Listen to the Word of God. “There is no one who lives righteously. No, not one” (Psalm 14:3). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Until you admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior, then to you, Jesus is basically irrelevant. So, the first step is “A” – Admit you need a Savior. Do you admit that?
After “A” comes “B” – Believe Jesus died to save you from your sins. Notice that it’s not just “Believe in God.” Scripture says this about simply believing in God, “The demons also believe – and tremble!” (James 2:19). Obviously, there’s more to saving faith than just believing God exists. God’s Word says that to be a Christian, you must “believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). “Believe in His name:” what does that mean? It means believing He is what His name declares Him to be. Jesus is His name, and “Jesus” means “The Lord Who saves.”
Do you believe that Jesus is the Lord Who saves? That’s step number two.
The third step to becoming a Christian is “C” – commit your life to Him.” Look back at step two for a moment and notice that “B” means believing that Jesus is the LORD Who saves. As the LORD, He is worthy to be in charge of your life. If you believe that He is the LORD Who saves, then commit your life to Him! One translation of Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way unto the Lord;” another version simplifies it this way: “Put your life in the hands of the Lord.” Have you done that?
It’s simple enough for an eight year old, and profound enough for a ninety-eight year old.
Admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior.
Believe Jesus died to save you from your sins.
Commit your life to Him.
To put it mildly, Pastor Dwight and I were both astonished! Imagine, a pastor not knowing how to become a Christian. It’s so simple!
Come to our church on a Wednesday night and ask the eleven-year olds in Awana: they can tell you how to become a Christian. It’s as simple as “A-B-C!”
The “A” stands for the word “Admit!” and it’s the first step to becoming a Christian: admit you need a Savior. Jesus put it this way: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). That might sounds like bad news, but really it’s very good news, because the fact is, we’re all sinners. Listen to the Word of God. “There is no one who lives righteously. No, not one” (Psalm 14:3). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Until you admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior, then to you, Jesus is basically irrelevant. So, the first step is “A” – Admit you need a Savior. Do you admit that?
After “A” comes “B” – Believe Jesus died to save you from your sins. Notice that it’s not just “Believe in God.” Scripture says this about simply believing in God, “The demons also believe – and tremble!” (James 2:19). Obviously, there’s more to saving faith than just believing God exists. God’s Word says that to be a Christian, you must “believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). “Believe in His name:” what does that mean? It means believing He is what His name declares Him to be. Jesus is His name, and “Jesus” means “The Lord Who saves.”
Do you believe that Jesus is the Lord Who saves? That’s step number two.
The third step to becoming a Christian is “C” – commit your life to Him.” Look back at step two for a moment and notice that “B” means believing that Jesus is the LORD Who saves. As the LORD, He is worthy to be in charge of your life. If you believe that He is the LORD Who saves, then commit your life to Him! One translation of Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way unto the Lord;” another version simplifies it this way: “Put your life in the hands of the Lord.” Have you done that?
It’s simple enough for an eight year old, and profound enough for a ninety-eight year old.
Admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior.
Believe Jesus died to save you from your sins.
Commit your life to Him.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Where Are All the Christians?
I'm taking a class these days about evangelism. In studying for the class I have learned some overwhelming statistics about the number of people in the USA who don't know Jesus Christ.
What I've learned is that even though as many as 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, somewhere around 150 million Americans say they don't have a "relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ." They may believe in God, but they don't know Him. These 150 million don't follow Him, serve Him or worship Him. From what we can tell, their so-called faith hasn't made one bit of difference in their lives.
I don't know about you, but to me information like that can be depressing if I ponder it for long in its full statistical enormity. I prefer to break it down into more manageable hunks, smaller pieces I can wrap my brain around -- or, more importantly, my heart. When I do that, with God's help, then I can remember that part of the good news about the Good News is that I don't have to share It with everyone. The 150 million unsaved people are not all my own personal responsibility, or yours either.
But some of them are.
Who do you know that you could share Jesus with? Is there a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member you could talk with about what Jesus means to you? Is there anyone at all you could invite to your church, or to a Bible study? Surely there's someone you know and care about whose soul you could pray for and whom you could take with you to church.
Surely, there's someone.
Some one.
One life at a time: that's all you need be concerned about. Leave the masses to someone else, and you just attend to one there in front of you who doesn't know the Lord.
At the close of his book called "The Unchurched Next Door," Dr. Thom Rainer relates the following true story shared by Emily N. about her acquaintance Celeste.
"I knew Celeste was different. In fact, I knew she had that peace that I didn't have. We had known each other for just three weeks when Celeste started telling me about her faith. She invited me to church. No, she came by my house and picked me up. Two months later, I accepted Christ.
"You need to understand that I went from totally unchurched, no church background, no knowledge of church to becoming a Christian in just a matter of weeks."
Celeste wasn't focusing on 150 million people. She was concerned about one person she knew who didn't know Christ: her friend Emily. Celeste was just one person, and she made an eternal difference in the life of one other person, Emily.
Emily concluded her story this way: "What I'm still trying to figure out, with the millions of Christians in American, is how come it took forty-three years for someone to share about Christ with me. Where are all the other Christians?"
Good question, Emily.
What I've learned is that even though as many as 90% of Americans claim to believe in God, somewhere around 150 million Americans say they don't have a "relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ." They may believe in God, but they don't know Him. These 150 million don't follow Him, serve Him or worship Him. From what we can tell, their so-called faith hasn't made one bit of difference in their lives.
I don't know about you, but to me information like that can be depressing if I ponder it for long in its full statistical enormity. I prefer to break it down into more manageable hunks, smaller pieces I can wrap my brain around -- or, more importantly, my heart. When I do that, with God's help, then I can remember that part of the good news about the Good News is that I don't have to share It with everyone. The 150 million unsaved people are not all my own personal responsibility, or yours either.
But some of them are.
Who do you know that you could share Jesus with? Is there a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member you could talk with about what Jesus means to you? Is there anyone at all you could invite to your church, or to a Bible study? Surely there's someone you know and care about whose soul you could pray for and whom you could take with you to church.
Surely, there's someone.
Some one.
One life at a time: that's all you need be concerned about. Leave the masses to someone else, and you just attend to one there in front of you who doesn't know the Lord.
At the close of his book called "The Unchurched Next Door," Dr. Thom Rainer relates the following true story shared by Emily N. about her acquaintance Celeste.
"I knew Celeste was different. In fact, I knew she had that peace that I didn't have. We had known each other for just three weeks when Celeste started telling me about her faith. She invited me to church. No, she came by my house and picked me up. Two months later, I accepted Christ.
"You need to understand that I went from totally unchurched, no church background, no knowledge of church to becoming a Christian in just a matter of weeks."
Celeste wasn't focusing on 150 million people. She was concerned about one person she knew who didn't know Christ: her friend Emily. Celeste was just one person, and she made an eternal difference in the life of one other person, Emily.
Emily concluded her story this way: "What I'm still trying to figure out, with the millions of Christians in American, is how come it took forty-three years for someone to share about Christ with me. Where are all the other Christians?"
Good question, Emily.
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