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Patience’s Perfect Work

” My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:4-5)

To some, the words of James drop like a lead balloon. “Can he be serious?”, they say; their question loaded with emotional exasperation from what they’ve been through or what they are going through in this moment. Does he really mean to say that we are to rejoice in every trial and through every test or challenge of life?                                                  

Yes.

“How can I“, comes the reply. We all have a certain tolerance for circumstances beyond our control but there is a limit to what we can bear. What is your threshold? How much is too much – is so much that it changes your outlook and extinguishes your peace?

The problem of pain impacts us all but it’s really the object of our attention during those times and seasons of life that has the most profound impact in our life and the lives of those around us. Our biblical quote above is taken from a Christian, actually from one of the siblings of Jesus Christ. He did not always believe what his half-brother Jesus said or declared about Himself but one day that changed. His begins his exortation by assigning it to his audience and calls that audience, “my brethren.”

His brethren is a reference not only to people who were but also to those who in these days also are believers in Jesus Christ. Now, the fact is that mankind is born to trouble as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7); in other words there are certain things that afflict believer and non-believer alike: cancer, sudden loss of a loved one or child, (sadly) divorce, loneliness, abandonment of one sort or another, grief in its various forms, economic hardship, layoff etc. But Christians the world over and for two millenia have also faced scorn, hatred, pressure and persecution from family, friends, coworkers, despots, national leaders and other religions just for believing in the name of Jesus and saying so both in word and action. In the midst of such trials of faith James tells believers to rejoice.

One reason for our joy should stem from the fact that every time our faith is put to the test and we patiently endure it our faith is strengthened. Just as a weight lifters strength is increased by adding more weight to the bar and repetitiously straining and lifting the weight, so a Christians faith is strengthened by every trial that does not kill him or her. Another reason for joy in these trials is that the goal of each is to mature us spiritually. Every successful test brings the Christian that much closer to the goal of being like Christ.

So our joy under pressure stems from the two things which our trials produce: endurance and Christian maturity. These are the perfect works of patience. But, when the trial is great, the pressure is high and the time is dragging on and on it helps to have our mind focused on Him who under great trial, anguish and suffering endured the cross and bore its shame (Heb. 12:2) for our souls sake. You see, in my mind, the only way to consider let alone endure any trial or test of faith with an attitude of joy is to focus on Him who went through all of that for us. Jesus is our Savior! Heaven is our home! These trials will come to an end but until then train your mind on a focal point beyond the pain: turn your eyes upon Jesus.

I like the hymn that reminds me of today’s verse: Andre Crouch’s ” Through it all;” part of that songs lyrics are the following words:

“I’ve had many tears and sorrows,
I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
there’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave me blessed consolation,
that my trials come to only make me strong.

“Through it all,
through it all,
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God.

“Through it all,
through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.”

A good way to end this short study I think…

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The Amazing Resurrection of Jesus Christ

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”  [Luke 24:1–9]

     It was the third day since Jesus had been among His followers; the third day since His arrest at Gethsemane, the third day since His suffering on our part had begun – where were His disciples and those women who loved Him dearly?  They were in Jerusalem mourning His death.  Had they forgotten the words of their Master spoken just days earlier? Had they forgotten that He said, “On the third day I WILL rise again?” Had they forgotten or did they just fail to believe what He said?

To be fair to His followers, what Jesus said about His suffering and death was unconscionable – unthinkable, unreasonable and unacceptable; they could not bear the thought of their Teacher and friend being treated in the ways that Jesus had described He would be; but it was after all Jesus who told them – shouldn’t they have believed? 

The Proof of the Resurrection of Christ…

The fact that Christ’s closest followers were still in Jerusalem is an important one for this reason – had they believed that He would rise again they should have been well on their way back to Galilee. It was on their way to Gethsemane Matthew writes, where Jesus spoke the following words [Matthew 26:30–32]:

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [Zech. 13:7]

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.””

Jesus did not command them to go to Galilee but He suggested to them that they’d find Him there.  A point that the angel confirmed to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome “and certain other women with them” in the gospel of Mark [16:7]:

“But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.””

If you had believed the words of Christ concerning His resurrection where would you have been?

I say this to you for a reason this morning.  You see, from that time till now there have been those who suggested that Jesus’ own disciples and followers had taken His body and hidden it so as to create the illusion of His resurrection.  Had they believed – perhaps; but seeing as they did not yet believe – that they didn’t even understand the point (see John 20:9) concerning Christ’s resurrection; seeing as the women were coming to complete the burial process begun two days earlier – seeing as they came to the tomb that day to anoint a corpse and not to see a risen Savior it can then be safely ruled out that the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax.

And just where were the men while the women went to anoint the body of the Lord? They were where the risen Lord would soon meet them – in the same secret place wherein they shared the last supper with Him in fear of the Jews, behind locked doors (John 20:19)

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem and He did not scold them for their lack of faith – He met them where they were.

The Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ…

     There were many witnesses of the resurrection and the resurrected; among them the angels and the empty tomb, these bore witness to both the resurrection and the resurrected.  The Apostle Matthew wrote [28:2] “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.” The angel opened the tomb and heralded the message of the resurrection to all who came to look in (Luke 24:6; Matt 28:6):

“He is not here, but is risen, as He said!”

The empty tomb, the folded grave clothes these became evidence supporting the announcement of the heralding angel’s – the same who had announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds 33 years earlier were now announcing that He who had been killed and who was dead, was now alive!  Good news – Christ is alive! The Angel rolled the stone away for one reason – so that we could look in and see the evidence of the resurrection.

Consider this as well – Jesus died before a crowd but He rose before no one. No one bears witness to His walking out of the tomb, through (not past) the boulder that sealed it back into the land of the living. Perhaps the guards who had been stationed at the tomb since just after the Lord’s body was placed in it (Matt. 27:62-65) saw the actual resurrection; they no doubt saw something (Matt. 28:4), something which overwhelmed their senses, something which was so significant that the chief priests and elders felt it necessary to bribe the guards to tell a lie, [Matt. 28:13]: ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

“We operate every day with the principle that truth may be established on the testimony of eyewitnesses. We punish criminals even when we did not see the crime being committed, precisely because the evidence gives away the truth of the matter“[i] – in the case of the risen Savior there are many witnesses both to the empty tomb AND the risen Savior:

  1. He appeared to the women who had come to anoint His body for burial [Matt. 28:5-10]:

“But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

  • He appeared to Mary alone at the tomb [Mark 16:9]:

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” (see John 20:11-18)

  • He appeared to Cleopas and another disciple whom I suspect was his wife Mary on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:15-16]:

“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” [for the larger context see Luke 24:13-35]

  • He appeared to Peter [Luke 24:33-34]:

“So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!””  This is not the appearance at the sea of Galilee recorded in John 21 but another otherwise unmentioned meeting.

  • He appeared to the remaining apostles [John 20:19-20]:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

The Bible says that later Thomas (John 20:26-28) and a number of others adding up to over 500 more witnesses spoken of in [1 Cor. 15:5-6]:

“…and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

Why mention all of these witnesses? Because the Bible states that a case is substantiated by the witness of two or more people (Deut. 19:15); in the account of Christ’s resurrection there were many more than 2 or 3 who saw Him alive AFTER His death, burial and resurrection.

The Attitudes concerning the Resurrection of Christ…

 There were many emotions and attitudes at work during the period of Christ’s suffering, death burial and resurrection as you might imagine – there was fear, then grief and heartbreak at His suffering and death.  Then hopelessness as expressed by the two on the Emmaus road [Luke 24:21]:

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.”

These two represent the disappointment and hopelessness felt by all who totally misunderstood why Christ came; in their understanding of the old testament scriptures they “saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross”[ii] they didn’t fully understand until Jesus explained it to them on the road home (v.27; 32). Let me tell you that Jesus meets people at the point of their despair and hopelessness [v31] says,

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

When Thomas later handled Jesus his hopelessness and doubt was also changed and He exclaimed [John 20:28]:

 “My Lord and my God!””

The Bible says that after their eyes had been opened the two from Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem over 7 miles away to tell the others the good news – they had seen and spoken with the Savior but before they could tell them that the disciples also had news that Peter had seen the Savior – Unbelief was turned to joy unspeakable when the disciples saw for themselves the risen Lord in the upper room – hope fulfilled has a way of doing that. [Luke 24:41] tells us that “they still did not believe for joy;” but that is the “I can’t believe it’s you!” kind of joy that comes when one is coming to terms with something amazing!

There aren’t many places more heartbreaking than a children’s hospital cancer ward; there, children who ought to be out playing and enjoying life are isolated, medicated and otherwise treated for their menacing life-threatening illness.  David Jeremiah told the story recently of a woman who with her Christian drama team went into such a place to put on a show for the kids – the drama was to be a musical reenactment of C.S.Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The children piled in and kept coming in wheel chairs, crutches one even on a gurney; there were so many kids that portions of the set had to be removed to accommodate them all; still the kids were nearly right next to the actors.

In one scene the Witch of Narnia kills the lion Aslan.  The children were silent except for their soft weeping – many of the children were crying.  You see, Aslan is in the story is symbolic of Jesus Christ – kind, loving, strong, brave and the lion was dying to save the life of another.

The tears and weeping of the children brought the activity director alongside the representative of the troupe and she was furious exclaiming that the children were already suffering enough without such a thing. The troupe director calmed her down and the scene continued to unfold –two girls, sisters singing and weeping in front of the body of their dead friend Aslan who at that same moment was rising up again alive!  The excitement and joy of that moment was electric as the children celebrated even poking their neighbor’s young and old alike saying “did you see!!!????He is alive!!” The director said that at that moment it was as if she were present at the very resurrection of Christ Himself – expressing that she imagined this is how it was when Christ arose victoriously over death and the grave.

Unbelief gave way to unspeakable joy the day Christ arose.

The Reason for the Resurrection…

What is the reason for the resurrection? Joy? Believability? No Jesus didn’t give His life and take it back again so that you’d necessarily be happy – that’s a benefit. Neither did He lay His life down and take it up again just to prove the point that He could.  No, the reason for Jesus’ death burial and resurrection is much more profound:

All mankind was “dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).”

All mankind needs the forgiveness of God because all have sinned against Him (Rom. 3:23) and anyone, if they will live for God need new life.

You see, Jesus’ death is the key to the forgiveness of God. 

The Bible says in [Hebrews 9:22] “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” “It is the blood” says God in [Lev.17:11] that makes atonement for the soul.”

According to the word of God it is Christ’s blood that paid the price to rescue, save, deliver, ransom, and forgive us [1 Peter 1:18–19]: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” He laid His life down as [Heb. 2:9] says “…that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

If Jesus’ death and specifically, His shed blood is the key to God’s forgiveness then His resurrection is the key to our new and eternal life.

[1 Corinthians 15:20–23]: “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

The scripture declares [Eph. 2:4-7]: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus died so that we might be forgiven and rose so that the life we have from Him we can share with Him forever.

Earlier I said that Jesus met His followers where they were.

Today, he is meeting you where you are.

Today he is meeting with the skeptic, the addict, the cynic and the sinner – He is saying, “Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave” of your sin or your addiction and your doubt. He came to rescue and save not to judge and condemn (John 3:16-17) but that time is coming.

Jesus’ empty tomb proves that death does not have the last word.

The Lord said in [John 11:25]:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Adding in (v.26)

“Do you believe this?”

That is the question of all questions on this day. Your unbelief does not change the truth that Jesus is Risen but your belief in the risen Son of God will change your life…. Do you believe?

The women who came to anoint the body of Jesus had to believe the angels report; the disciples who heard the women’s account had to believe the women; and we who have heard today and you who would have eternal life must believe the report of the disciples in the Word of God – Christ IS risen; risen indeed!!!

[i] Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 173). Leominster: Day One Publications.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Lk 24:13). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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The Perspective of the Sacrifical Lamb

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.” (John 12:27–36, NKJV)

I imagine that the Jewish celebration of Passover looked very different to the sacrificial lamb.  To the people attending it was more or less a time to celebrate God’s mercy in delivering them from their bondage in Egypt. There was laughing, and eating, and catching up with old friends (since this feast required every Jewish male over the age of 12); there was the ritual of remembering and there was the ceremonial sacrifice of a lamb as the Lord had instructed Moses nearly 1400 years earlier. Of that lamb, the Bible says in [Ex. 12:3, 5-8]:

“Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.” “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

You might say that until that little lamb was killed that it had no idea it was going to suffer or why – not so with Jesus Christ whom John the Baptist declared in [John 1:29] to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus knew that He was coming into Jerusalem to die and He knew why; nevertheless, He said in [v.27] “My soul is troubled.”

Suffering Soul…

As we come to this passage the Lord Jesus had already arrived in the city for the most important Passover ever to be celebrated. Jesus was teaching great truths about Himself and about true discipleship (see vs. 23-26) when He declared that His soul was troubled or agitated. Unlike the sacrificial lamb which was bred for the very purpose of dying but never knew it, Jesus knew that His mission from God would involve His death from the beginning. The Bible declares Him in [Rev.13:8] to be “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” which is to say that before time had begun to tick away it had been understood that mankind would sin and that Jesus Christ would die to redeem sinful men.

Even though Jesus knew that He would have to “suffer and rise on the third day” (Luke 24:46) fulfilling all scripture and ushering in the way of repentance and remission of sins – He was still a man. 

This is the tension of the duel nature of Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man; Almighty God has never feared or been afraid but what man has not feared or trembled or at least been grieved by circumstances which they knew could not be avoided?

Who among us has never known fear, or trouble or grief?

Did Jesus fear the cross?  No! Did He fear death?  No! Did He fear our tormentor Satan? No! Was He afraid of anything man could do to Him? No! I believe that the Lord was troubled by at least two things, the most important of which was the separation from His Father which He would experience from His cross. We have the promise of [Hebrews 13:5-6] which declare:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?””

But we have that promise because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross – He endured the forsaking of God (see Matt. 27:46) and I think that His foreknowledge about that moment troubled His soul. That, and if I may be so bold, the fact that mankind was so unworthy of His sacrifice – He knew that the majority of those for whom He had come would not believe in or turn to Him.

Nevertheless, He was resolved – this was the mission He came to complete; it was His Father’s will and Jesus would be faithful to complete it.

Suffering’s Purpose…

[v.28-31] “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”

The purpose of the Lord’s suffering is in many ways unique to Him in the sense that no one else has or ever will give his or her life for the redemption of all mankind.

Jesus was in Jerusalem for a fight. At His disposal were all the angels of heaven and the limitless power of His deity and yet the weapons of His warfare were a whip, a crown of thorns, three nails, a hammer and a cross all to which He willingly submitted Himself. Not one of those things did He wield against the “ruler of this world.” Simply because there was no power in the whip, the crown, the nails, the hammer or the cross but there is power in His blood!!! By His blood, He redeems! By His blood, He overwhelmed the enemy!!! By His blood, He forgives!!! By His blood, He sets captives free!!! By His blood, Satan is defeated and by His blood, the world owned and controlled by Satan is and will be judged!!!

Jesus won the fight for the souls of men by His death and by His rising again from the dead!

The Lord’s sufferings were also unique in that no other man or woman could ever glorify the name of God or restore the honor due His name which had been trampled upon by mankind’s many sins – but Jesus could restore the honor and fulfill the righteous requirement of God’s justice. He glorified the name of His Father among men through His willing obedience and humility and He would soon glorify it again in paying the debt of men owed to God on account of their disobedience, pride and sin – He would pay it completely.

Suffering’s Platform…

[v.32-33.] “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”

The cross was many things – an instrument of torture, an agonizing and humiliating form of capital punishment, a spectacle to be seen and a platform from which the glory of God and the story of the gospel is declared to the world.

The word used in (v.32) for lifted up is the (GK) word – hupsŏō which actually speaks to two truths of the cross; it speaks to the actual elevating of a person from the ground such as is done in crucifixion but it also speaks of exaltation. Both of these truths are fulfilled in Jesus – He has been crucified and He is exalted by all who believe today and one day (soon to come, I think) He will be exalted by all people!!! It is because of His cross that Jesus is given a name that is above every name (Phil. 2:9-11) and the eventual reverence of all mankind – willing or not.

Those to whom He was speaking expressed consternation and maybe even doubt at the Lord’s insinuation that He who presented Himself as the Son of Man would die – they asked “who is this Son of Man?” Daniel taught that the “Son of Man” whom they were to expect would be as everlasting (see Dan. 7:13-14) as the Kingdom He was establishing but Jesus implied that He would have to die first. Their misunderstanding ultimately led to Israel’s rejection of their Messiah as Isaiah the prophet foretold in (Isaiah 53:1) concerning Jesus: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the Arm of the Lord been revealed?” To them Jesus said:

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John 12:36, NKJV)

Since His ascension the people for whom Jesus was sent have walked in the blindness of their rejection of Him and the eyes of many gentiles (like you and me) have been opened to see and believe in Him but there is a day coming when “the light of the world” (John 8:12) will return to dwell among mankind and at that time (Zech 12:10):

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

Then they will see the light and believe.

In our day, the fact is that Jesus Christ on His cross draws the attention of many people. It causes them to ask questions like “why did this happen?” or “how could God allow the innocent to die?” It leads to even bigger questions once we realize that His death was not for His sins but for ours – questions that lead to forgiveness, reconciliation with God, the salvation of our souls and eternally changed lives. All of this because He was lifted up and since He was the attention of every generation of people in the world to this day has been drawn to His suffering on the cross.

Have you seen the light and believed?

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Who is Jesus? The Objective Truth

In a search for cover art for my thoughts today I came across many which , instead of a statement asked, “Who is Jesus to you?” At first blush, I wanted to dismiss this question out of hand; I mean, is the identity of Jesus Christ really just a subjective summation of a person determined by our own suppositions, preclusions and pre-conceived notions?

There is objective truth to answer the question of who Jesus is but in order to get to it a person has to accept that there is also only one authority on the subject – the Bible. “But wait,” some would object, “after all wasn’t the Bible written by men? What makes their opinion the end all to the question?” The Bible itself answers even that question – can you accept it? The answer is found in (2 Timothy 3:16-17):

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

That the words are inspired require an instigator of inspiration and that instigator is the Holy Spirit of God (see 2 Peter 1:20-21). Everything given to us to know about Jesus Christ is found in the Bible, a book written by God through the hand of prophets, priests, tax collectors, fishermen, and even an ex-Pharisee. Some of these men were also eye-witnesses of the ministry of Jesus Christ as well as of His death burial and resurrection but the Holy Spirit, who provided the inspiration and is co-author of every word in the Bible, as eternal and intrinsically connected to both the Father and the Son is eyewitness to everything pertaining to Jesus from eternity past to this very moment. In essence, God Himself testifies in the Bible, declaring who Jesus is.

Did you know that not every self-declared Christian agrees with the Bible, let alone with each other about Jesus? Jehovah Witnesses for instance, believe that Jesus is inferior to or less than God having been created by God rather than being co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God. It is really this point about Jesus that I would like to address: Is Jesus God?

What do the scriptures say?

In prophetic literature we read of the coming of Jesus Christ in books like (Micah 5:2):

““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”“

Here we see God the Father declaring the eternality of the One (a reference to Jesus His Son) coming forth to Him from Bethlehem. What does Isaiah the prophet Isaiah say about the Son of God then yet to be born in Bethlehem?

“For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Again, in Isaiah 7:9 the Bible says:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Allowing the Bible to teach the Bible, what does the name Immanuel mean? ““Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1:23) In the New Testament we also read in (Hebrews 1:1-12):

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. for to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again:“ I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says:“ Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.””

Was Jesus a good man as some have said? Yes. Was He a great man? Yes. Was He a good teacher? A Rabbi? Or as eventhe Muslims say, a prophet? Yes, yes and yes. Was and is He MORE than those things? Without a doubt!!! Jesus said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus said, “I and My Father are One.” (John 10:30) Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am;” (John 8:58) this also being a reference to the unique name of God: YHWH also speaking to the eternality of Jesus. Beyond that we read in (John 1:1-3):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Can the Creator create Himself? Yet the Bible declares not only His eternal equality with God but also that Jesus at creation made all things. Passages like (Philippians 2:5-11 and Colossians 1:15-18) likewise point to Jesus’ deity.

Jesus is God – He has a divine nature, so says the Bible but is that ALL that Jesus is? God’s don’t die and Jesus, as we have learned is eternal – He is as His Father is: from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2). In order to “reveal God to men” as Ryrie wrote and to “provide us with an example for godly living” as well as to be the sacrfice for sin (see John 1:18. 1 Peter 2:21 and Hebrews 10:1-10) Jesus was also 100% man. In other words, Jesus had two natures: he was all man as well as all God. To be our Savior he set aside His rights as God rather then ceasing to be God (see Phil. 2:5-11) He was in the “form of God” but for our sakes He took on ” the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.”

Regardless of our personal beliefs, descriptions, preconceived notions or understandings there is ONE OBJECTIVE TRUTH concerning who Jesus is; this truth is foundational to the Christian faith and a failure to believe that truth or a rejection of that truth about Jesus is to build a faith on a faulty foundation. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) – the word of God declares who Jesus is and what He has done for your sake and mine; hear that word and believe. Does it matter if you believe that Jesus was less than God, a created being, a mere man or rather that He is equal with God, co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God? It matters as much (in that it as distinctly different) as day or night, darkness or light and life or death.

What you believe about the objective truth concerning Jesus Christ does not change it but your belief holds profound implications for you. Think about it…..

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God’s Best Gift

Satisfied with less…

Does that describe the hearts of people during a season which I’ve come to call the season of discontent – are they satisfied with less?

Are you?

I call it a season of discontent because when asked, rather than an “I have everything I need”” people young and old readily state what they want for Christmas. In reality, discontent rather than contentment is a problem for many people and the materialism of the season feeds that felt need for more or better.

This isn’t a rant on that but it is meant to challenge you to consider your desires. You see, I believe that the desire which God has for your life is far greater and better than what you want for and from it. I Believe that most people are simply satisfied with less than what God in Christ wants for them.

Those outside of faith in Jesus Christ are perfectly content to be in the condition I just described and that fact makes clear to me that while some people are never truly content with the things they possess – more are simply content with less.

Jesus Christ promised abundant life (John 10:10) to those who trust in Him – abundant life now and forever more but so many people are satisfied with less than that.

So many are satisfied with less because they can’t imagine a better life, a fuller life or a happier life than the one they have – they are satisfied with less because they don’t know or believe that there is more or better than what they have now or that they can have it.

God sent His Son to usher in better things – whether you know it or not, more than anything else, you really have need of those better things – of grace, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life and an eternal relationship with the Lord.

In Christ, those better things have been provided and are yours for the asking.

Click the link to listen to the full message on today’s subject. https://www.thetextmessages.org/sermons/gods-best-gift/

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Missional Christianity – Intervening for Jesus

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” (1 Corinthians 9:19–23, NKJV)

Evangelism is the God directed and Spirit empowered effort of lovingly conveying the gospel of grace to people with the intention of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ.

A writer for Christianity Today wrote:

“Evangelism always involves a bloody cross and an empty tomb. It always involves Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin and in our place. Those facts are a constant. Without that message, there is no evangelism since there is no good news. Evangelism is transcultural and universal, and it goes throughout every era of time.” Evangelism is every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ inviting others to trust, follow and believe in the risen Lord.

But the “how” concerning our approach to people is varied because people are not all cut from the same cultural cloth – even in America. Not only that but “different personalities communicate differently” such is true not only for the hearer but for the speaker as well.

The Apostle Paul certainly varied his approach – he took the approach of the Intellectual approach with the “Epicureans and Stoics” of Athens in (Acts 17); he took the Testimonial Approach with King Agrippa in (Acts 26:1-23) as well as with his own countrymen in (Acts 22:1-21) and often in his teaching and preaching he took a Direct and confrontational approach in communicating the gospel.

In the passage of (1 Cor. 9:19-23) we encounter Paul mid discussion begun in (chapter 8) concerning the consuming of meat offered to idols. His point was that even though believers were free to eat such meat because they understood that the Lord God was the provider of all such food and that an idol has no power not all believers had such an understanding; thus the more mature believers were to deny themselves of such meat for the sake of the weaker brother. He declared in (v.8) that their liberty might become a stumbling block to the weaker brother – a lack of concern over this issue was declared to be sin against Christ (v.12). In [v.13] we read,

“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

The principal of self denial concerning food which Paul taught in that section led to a personal illustration concerning self denial in his ministry for the sake of those he was trying to reach. The attitude he details in the following verses should be our approach to everything we do in our lives – esteeming others as better than ourselves requires self-denial.

In (Chapter 9) Paul reflects on his “rights” as an apostle to share in the material blessing of those to whom he ministers (v.11-12) declaring in the second half of (v.12):

“Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.”

Paul had the right to compensation for his service as an Apostle, He had the right to expect to be cared for by the people to whom he ministered but for their sake and the gospel he refused to demand those rights. Instead he who was already a doulos (bondservant) of the Lord became a dŏulŏō (a servant) to all men. He saw himself as a “debtor to all men, to Greeks and Barbarians, to the wise and the unwise” (Romans 1:15); he was eager to share the gospel with everyone. His purpose in denying himself was to lead more people to a life saving and changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Paul did not give up His freedom in Christ to become a slave to those he was trying to reach but in his freedom he gave up His rights for their sake and the gospel.

A Missional Mentality…

(v. 22) “I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some.”

In his missionary journeys, Paul met many people from many different backgrounds – but he found common ground with them. He made it his effort not to deliberately insult them in his efforts to reach them but that does not mean he compromised his beliefs, forsook his moral convictions or sacrificed a biblical doctrine in his efforts to bring them to Jesus.

Paul met people where they were just like Jesus did; this needs to be more than something we say and nod our heads at today – it needs to be something believers practice in their efforts to reach people for Christ.

Four groups are listed in the previous verses:

  • Jews in general (His Countrymen). (v.20a)

The word translated “Jew” in (v.20) referred to the national distinction of being from the region of the Jews. I think that to a point Paul, in trying to reach the Jews drew from the undeniable fact that he was one of them. He had things in common with them, in (Philippians 3:4-6) we read that Paul was “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin and a Hebrew of the Hebrews.”

Beyond the commonality of nationality Paul, in his effort to gain a hearing among the Jews he allowed Timothy to be circumcised in [Acts 16:1-3] “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.” Had Timothy not been circumcised the Jews in the region where they were going would have been insulted and likely would never have listened to Paul’s gospel message.

  • Those “Under the Law.” (The Religious) (v.20b)

Not every Jew was a practicing believer thus the distinction between “Jew” in (v.20) and “those under the Law” in (v.21). Paul was formerly a well trained Pharisee and blameless with regard to keeping the Law of Moses (Phil. 3:6) so in his efforts to reach those of this group he was careful – he did nothing to compromise the truth that justification came through Jesus Christ.

Even so, when among them, Paul “behaved as a Jew in matters of moral indifference. For instance, he ate the foods which the Jewish people ate and refrained from eating such things as pork which were forbidden to them (see I Cor. 8). Perhaps Paul also refrained from working on the Sabbath day, realizing that if he did this, the gospel might gain a more ready hearing from the people.” [i]

  • Those “Without the Law.” (The Irreligious) (v.21)

Those without the law is not a reference to “outlaws” – Paul didn’t become a bank robber so that he could reach bank robbers; “those without the law” is a reference to gentiles or simply those who were not Jews or Jewish proselytes. In true missionary fashion Paul, when he was with this group of people adapted to the culture and customs to the degree that the Lord would allow. Paul specified a caveat or limitation to how far he would go in honoring and keeping the customs of the people with the words in parenthesis in (v.21): “(not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ).” He recognized a responsibility to honor, serve and obey the Lord Jesus before the gentiles – because of His love for the Savior.

  • The spiritually weak. (V.22)

Paul was also patient with immature believers such as those he mentions may have been offended by the food that more spiritually mature believers understand they are free to eat. The goal with regards to the weaker brother was not justification – Paul was most likely not trying to “win” them in the sense of salvation but rather the goal was the sanctification and maturing of the weaker brother or sister.

In each instance Paul spent his effort doing whatever he could to gain some for Jesus – that is what a good witness does: “A good witness tries to build bridges, not walls” [ii]towards those he or she is trying to reach. In the past many efforts have been made to reach people for the Lord – radio evangelism used to be popular and still has its place, the “bus ministry” of the seventies was another as was meeting based evangelism such as tent revivals and the large meetings like those of Billy Graham but today the trend is toward home based evangelism but as important as these strategies are for large group evangelism souls are still reached one at a time. Every believer carries the personal responsibility to by all means strive to gain people for Jesus.

This responsibility causes certain fear and anxiety in the hearts of some believers today so as I conclude today I would like to briefly direct your attention to Six Approaches to Evangelism taken from a book by Bill Hybels titled “Becoming a contagious Christian:”

1. Direct Approach (Confrontational)

This is the Apostle Peter’s approach in Acts 2, boldly proclaiming the Gospel to whoever would hear. Evangelists who use the direct approach are often equipped with Gospel tracts and ask questions like, “If you were to die tonight, are you 100% sure that you would go to heaven?”

Direct evangelists get straight to the point, preach Christ, and seek a response.

2. Intellectual Approach

The intellectual approach to evangelism is what Paul modeled in Acts 17 when he reasoned with philosophers and the deep thinkers of Athens and is today practiced by apologists and other logical thinkers.

If you are a person who likes ideas, evidence, logical thinking, and Christian Apologetics, you might be an intellectual evangelist.

3. Testimonial Approach

Personal stories of transformation carry a unique weight and often do things that facts alone cannot do. Evangelists who thrive with the testimonial approach tell powerful stories of Christ’s saving work in their lives.

This is clearly seen in the blind man of (John 9) who was healed by Jesus and then testified about Christ, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see!”

4. Interpersonal Approach

Not everybody is drawn to knowing apologetics or sharing their Christian testimony. For those who have the natural ability to relate to people and love being with others, the interpersonal approach to evangelism is a natural way to share Christ. You know you can be effective with the interpersonal approach when you are able to share your faith with others out of a growing friendship.

5. Invitational Approach

The invitational approach is similar to the interpersonal approach, but as its name suggests, thrives on inviting people to events like a church service, a retreat, or a Bible study. This is one of the most natural ways newer believers are able to reach out to others even if they may not have the right words to say.

(ex) The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well in John 4.

6. Service Approach

If you naturally notice the needs of others and enjoy serving them, you might prefer the service approach to evangelism. People who prefer this approach often enjoy sharing the love of Christ through deed over word. People with the gift of hospitality often fall into this approach.

The biblical example of this approach is Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) in Acts 9:36-42. She is described as “full of good works and acts of charity,” which used her gift of making clothing for God’s glory.

I suggest that none of these is based so much on your comfort in the moment as it is on the situation in which you find yourself.

This morning I mentioned that because people are different, we can “be as creative as the Lord leads us to be in reaching them.”  What works for one may not work for the next one but there is nevertheless a common thread running through whatever way you attempt to “win” a person to Christ and that thread is the word of God.

We should never forget that “the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to ALL who believe!” (Romans 1:16) and that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) However you begin your effort to reach an unbeliever it MUST involve the word of God about the Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Intervention is necessary to reach others for Christ. Unless a Christian cares enough to take a chance in sharing the Gospel of Christ, the lost will likely die without hope, separated from God. There is always risk involved when you share Jesus. But agape love and trust in the Holy Spirit will enable the Christian to exercise the intervention of personal witnessing.

I’ll never forget what an emergency nurse told me one day: “I want to thank you for teaching me how to share Jesus. Reaching those who don’t know Christ reminds me of doing CPR in the emergency room. My ER training tells me that when they bring in a patient who’s not breathing and whose heart isn’t beating, Do something! Even if you don’t know what to do. Do something! If you don’t, they’re gone.”

Even when we’re not sure of what to do, we must trust the Holy Spirit and love enough to intervene. Sharing Christ is vital to those around us.” Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pp. 86-8[iii]

[i] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1778). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 601). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[iii] Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

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The Standing Order of the Savior

There is a song which declares,

“These are the days of Elijah declaring the word of the Lord

and these are the days of Your servant Moses righteousness being restored. And though these are days of great trial, of famine and darkness and sword” how does the rest go; anyone know?

“Still, we are the voice in the desert crying, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’”

Why?  Because He is coming and His coming is nearer than it has ever been before.

There is no need to rewind and review the news reels of recent weeks, the contents of those reels present clear evidence of the moral, spiritual and social decline of our world. They reveal the abounding iniquity or lawlessness of our day, lawlessness which is producing in some people, even some of God’s people a dying love, a lack of compassion, mercy, empathy and replacing it with a seething bitterness.

When Jesus declared in [Matt. 24:12] that “the love of many will grow cold” in the last days He was making a statement of fact rather than approval. Jesus saw that such a departure from the love which His followers ought to have for friends and enemies alike was actually a departure from the mission He set every one who believes in Him out to accomplish. What is that mission?

Look in [Matt 28:19-20]; the great commission has we have it here was first given to the remaining eleven disciples (apostles) and it reads as follows:

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

From those days to these days that commission has been applied to every Christ follower from every age as our mission both in a global sense and more importantly in a local sense; it is our standing order from Jesus. We can be as creative as the Lord leads us to be in the accomplishing of our part in the mission but we no less must be constantly engaged with the goal of accomplishing it as doing so hastens (Peter declared in 2 Peter 3:12) “the coming of the day of the Lord.”

In our remaining time today, I’d like for us to review this well-known passage of scripture as we consider that in the “post covid,” “postmodern,” and anti-Christian world in which we live today, our part in the mission is not yet finished. In fact, it has arguably never been more essential as we truly near, in my mind at least, the conclusion of this age and the coming of our King, Jesus Christ.

We Never Go Alone

First of all, Jesus wrapped His marching orders between the two matching book ends of power and presence.  He said, “all authority is given to Me in Heaven and on earth” and “I will be with you always;” in so saying, He reminds us all that He has all power to send us. This was the risen Savior of the world speaking. He had conquered death. He had defeated the power of Satan. He had made the way of escape from the power of sin as well as the forgiveness for sin available to all who turn to Him in faith. The One who was sending them was no longer the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world only: He was and is the risen and conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. The authority by which He commands us comes from His Father – and it was by that authority that we are to go.

Along with a reminder of His authority, Jesus Christ gave those who undertake the mission an assurance that He would always be with them; not in the physical sense that they had come to enjoy for the previous three and a half years nevertheless in an unmistakable and new way. His promise finds fulfillment (in Acts 2) at Pentecost when, after He had returned to Heaven and to His Father, the Holy Spirit came to ignite a fire in both those who preach the gospel and those who hear it. That same Spirit which overshadowed Mary the day she conceived within her the Holy Son of God at that moment overshadowed a group of men and birthed the body of Christ. I suggest to you that when you and I undertake the commission the Lord has left us we too go in the power and presence of the Lord – we never go alone.

We Are to Go to All People

The (Greek) word pŏrĕuŏmai and translated to the English word “go” implies more than one might think. When Jesus said, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” He was not speaking of the one-time act of going from their meeting on that mountain in Galilee back to their homes, rather the word is a command to return to their journey of life with a deliberate purpose – making disciples was to be their life’s work. On this point my mind goes back to the instruction which Moses left to the people of Israel before he died [Deuteronomy 6:6-9]:

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

In the same way that the father figure in that OT passage was to be diligent about teaching his children, no matter what they might be do, where they may be or who they might meet along the way (the word ethnos here translated nations meaning all people) those on mission for Jesus we’re to be about making disciples. With this understanding as a guideline, we will never pick and choose who to be Christ to, in fact, if we are modeling Christ well in our own lives, we won’t even have to choose them, they will choose us. Recall if you will the words Jesus spoke in His sermon on the mount, specifically these found in [Matt. 5:16]:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Over and over, we are instructed in the scriptures, as one man said, to be “the perceptible presence of Christ in our world, appealing to every sense – sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch.” We are to be the “salt of the earth” (Matt 5:18) which changes the taste of the world around us. We are to be the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:14) lighting the way to Christ by declaring and modeling His truth. We are not only to be “the fragrance of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15) with regard to our worship towards God but also with regard to our dealing with all people (v17) “for we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God.” We are “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20) pleading with those we meet: “be reconciled to God!” To be frank, our mission requires us to earn the right to be heard through a lifestyle that preaches Christ to those around us even before we open our mouths. It does not require perfection – it requires authenticity and integrity and submission to the Holy Spirit of God who indwells EVERY follower of Christ. [Acts 2:44-47] concerning the growth of the body of Christ from its earliest days makes my point:

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

As believers practiced their new found faith, like a light to moths, their practices and their message drew others to the One who had saved them and “the Lord” added to their numbers daily.

Since our journey through life involves more than the time we spend in fellowship and worship together in God’s house it should also be clear to us that our mission is more about us going to “them” than it is expecting them to come to us. Philip went to Nathanael (John 1:45-46) and invited him to come and see the One about whom Moses and the prophets wrote. Later, Philip went to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26>>) and explained the word of God to him which led to the man’s conversion to faith in Jesus Christ; likewise, Andrew went to his brother, Simon Peter (John 1:40-42) and told him that they had “found the Messiah” and then he brought his brother to Jesus. The Samaritan woman at the well went to her neighbors after having met Jesus and invited them to “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”” (John 4:29) I dare say that since most of us live out our lives away from the church building that our greatest opportunities to lead others to faith in Jesus Christ and then to disciple them will also occur on the outside of these four walls; again, our mission is to go.

We Are to Baptize and Instruct

This may startle some of you but I’m not sure that a person’s baptism after conversion MUST take place within a house of worship and I’d again like to refer to the exchange between Philip and the eunuch of (Acts 8) in [v.36] the eunuch asks after believing, “what now hinders me from being baptized?” Alone, in the desert, far from the eyes of anyone but God and Philip the man was baptized. We have made baptism a public spectacle because it illustrates the exchange made upon our conversion: our death with Christ and our resurrection to new life in Him and often churches use the ordinance of baptism to bring the new believer into fellowship with that local assembly but I would suggest that as believers we may baptize a new believer anywhere and at any time after they have believed. If a fellowship of believers is baptizing a new believer, then by all means, the pastor or other ordained minister should be the one to baptize the person but if, as the situation was for Philip and the eunuch the need for baptism arises away from the local fellowship then I think we have some precedent to baptize as the need presents itself and frankly anything else seems to be leaning more on ritual than on the redeemer.

We have seen that the making of a disciple does not always begin or continue within the four walls of the local church in fact the commission of Jesus in our passage implies the exact opposite; that far from being a corporate thing to start off with it is a personal, one on one thing. Likewise, while the only setting suitable for baptism may not be limited to the structure of a local fellowships meeting place, the ultimate goal after a person becomes a Christian is to bring him or her into the larger fellowship of believers found in the local church. There they will continue to be instructed through sound preaching and teaching from the word of God while also coming to learn how to do life as a follower of Christ. So, this work of evangelism is not one or the other: either done by the church in the church or by believers away from the church, rather God uses both means to accomplish His ends and mission in the lives of people.

As I wrap it up, I must stress that the end game of evangelism is not getting them into the church, rather, the endgame of evangelism is to take the gospel message to all people.  The words of Jesus found in the great commission are His standing orders to every Christian man, woman and child; in a word the order is to go and do. The reaction of our society as a whole has had a impact on the church as well. “Staying home and staying safe” has made some believers and churches less impactful and more willing to relax our efforts with regard not only to our fellowship and worship as believers but to evangelism as well. Let the words of the Lord in this familiar passage challenge you to press in and continue the mission – the work is not yet finished.

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Grappling with the Hard Questions (Part 2) A Biblical Answer

Finally, lets address the question of whether God either exists or is good in the light of the fact that evil exists from the standpoint of what God has done to deal with it. The supposition of the skeptic is that God was taken by surprise by the rebellion of the first man and woman in the garden of Eden and is either unwilling or unable to deal with the evil their sinful choice ushered into the world but what does the Bible say?

Was the Lord surprised by the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden? No; that in and of itself is an amazing and astounding truth – God knew and still God made man. God KNEW that Adam and Eve would go against His will and disobey the only command He had given them. He KNEW that the “intent of the thoughts” of the hearts of men would be, as Genesis 6:5 says “only evil continuously.” He KNEW that He would have to intervene at great cost to Himself to rescue mankind from the consequences of their rebellion. 

First off, God was not surprised by the rebellion of men, the Bible makes it clear that “from the foundation of the world…names were written in the Book of Life” (Revelation 17:8) and that judgment would fall upon those whose names were not written in it (see Revelation 3:5, 20:12-15, 21:27). The Bible also makes clear that God’s answer to the problem of evil was not an after-thought. (John 3:16) declares that God “gave His only begotten Son” (to die for our sins Matthew 1:21, John 1:29) but (Revelation 13:8) indicates that “from the foundation of the world” literally from the dawn of creation, “the Lamb” (God’s only begotten Son) was also “slain.”

It was the sinful choice of Adam and Eve which ushered death and decay (Genesis 3:17, 21, 4:8) into our world. Evil, suffering, physical death (Genesis 3:19) and a spiritual relational separation from our Creator (Genesis 3:22-24, Ephesians 4:18) all have their beginning in the moment of mans first rebellion. Creation itself even now groans under the weighty consequences of the fall (Romans 8:20-22) but God has done great things to overcome the problem of evil.

For one thing, God condemned the instigator of man’s rebellion. Consider (Ezekiel 28:11-19), this passage, addressed to the king of Tyre is clearly speaking to someone besides the king. In fact, with references to the recipient being the “anointed” and “covering cherub” (vs’s 14,16) and to the fact that he was both “in Eden” (v.13) and “perfect in all his ways from the day he was created” (v.15) the recipient is clearly none other than Satan aka Lucifer himself. Consider that Satan was cast down the Bible says in (Ezekiel 28:16-17) and condemned for his evil (Isaiah 14:12-15), and that one day, the deceiver who corrupted Adam and Eve and countless others over all time will be cast first into a pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:3). After that, Satan will be released for a short time only to lead a final rebellion which God crushes swiftly finally, eternally casting Satan into the lake of fire burning with fire and brimstone forever (Revelation 20:10). Satan was condemned for His prideful rebellion and the evil he helped usher into the world will be condemned with him on that day.

Even more important than the condemnation of Satan is the atonement God made available to every man, woman and child through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in (Romans 5:8,10) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us….For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Jesus Christ has done more than He ought to have done, more than we deserved, to deal with the evil and sinfulness in our lives (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He dealt with the problem of evil (sin) from His cross, dying to free us from our bondage to evil (sin) and freeing us from guilt to live a life pleasing to God (Hebrews 9:14). He granted every believer an eternal future where evil will no longer exist. After His resurrection and ascension or return to His Father in Heaven, Jesus, through His Spirit continues to deal with the problem of sin and evil in our lives through His Holy Spirit – warning, convicting and giving us power to overcome sin and live a life which brings glory to God.

Honestly, the only answer I can offer – the only answer that the word of God gives to the problem of evil is this: the shed blood of the risen Savior (Revelation 12:11), faith in Jesus Christ (John 16:33) and the new life faith in Him produces (1 John 5:4-5) overcomes it . Not because faith in Jesus eradicated evil in the world around us but because faith in Jesus deals with the evil within us, and will continue to do so, as the Apostle Paul said in (Philippians 1:3-6) “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”

Apart from God there is no answer to the problem of evil, but by His grace one day every believer will be free of it forever!

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My Journey – Gazing Into The Mirror Of My Soul

People consult me every day; sometimes many times a day – I always tell them the truth. What am I?

A look into the mirror may lead you to think about your younger days – good or bad; it may also lead to wonder about who you are becoming but it only reveals to your eyes who you really are today.

A mirror may take the form of reflective glass in a bathroom or hall, or a photograph or a glimpse into a placid pool of water but God has provided us a different kind of mirror, one which when honestly observed reveals more than meets the eyes in those other types – it is a mirror to your soul. That is what James, the half-brother of our Lord considered the word of God to be:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” (James 1:23–24)

I too have always considered the word of God to be a mirror which reveals not the outward appearance of a person but rather the inward appearance of that person and not as they wish they appeared but as they do actually appear. The problem, as James saw it, was that after people have seen themselves in God’s mirror – if they are a hearer of the word and not a doer – they just walk away and disregard what had been revealed to them. Naturally speaking, have you ever done that? As a man I have disregarded my reflection in the bathroom mirror and forgotten to shave but I dare say that a scant few women have EVER looked into the mirror after having just woken up and done nothing to alter the appearance they first saw with their waking eyes. But spiritually speaking, how often have we gazed into God’s mirror and been struck with the fact that something is spiritually out of place with us and done nothing about it?

In (Romans 7:7) Paul declared that he “would not have know sin except through the Law.” The Law of which he spoke was the law of Moses and the Levitical law given to men by God; the words of those laws revealed certain expectations of God; but Paul says that the law also revealed sin to him. The law brought his personal rebellion against God to Paul’s attention – it revealed something of his own heart to Paul.

When the Pharisees and Scribes came to the Jordan to see or else to be baptized by John the Baptist, he said to them:

“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7)

These people did not see themselves as God did and were under wrath as is every person today who either has not looked into God’s mirror at all or has looked into it and disregarded what they saw.

When I first believed, it was from a place of conviction that I came. I knew that God had expectations of those He created and I knew that I had not lived up to them – I did not yet know that living up to God’s expectation was impossible apart from a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and the residency of His Holy Spirit within me; I learned that the day I was born again and continue to learn it today.

I say this to you today because I believe that two things are necessary or required for the salvation of a soul. First, a warning from God which produces godly sorrow and second, belief or faith in Him whom God has provided to deal with our sins as a ransom and a refuge for our souls. That warning from God will come by God’s Spirit (John 16:8–11):

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

and through God’s word (Acts 2:36-37):

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?””

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Truly, I think it is as Oswald Chambers wrote in his book “Our Ultimate Refuge”: “Until a person is hit with sorrow, the last thing they seek God to be is their refuge.” A refuge isn’t a place a person seeks when all is well with them; refuge is sought from danger: from storms, from rain and from terror. But as soon as a person sees him or herself as God does – as a sinner and a rebel possessing no way of justifying or saving themselves, that person won’t glibly walk to Jesus – they will run to Him and by faith in Him they will be born again (John 3:3)

It starts with an honest look in the mirror and frankly, spiritual life is driven in part by returning to the mirror of God daily.

More on this later this week….

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A Light in the Darkness – Sharing the Things Which Make Peace with God Possible

Our celebration concerning the resurrection of Christ, like the ancient Jewish celebration of Passover has certainly changed over the generations since Jesus rose from the grave.  In years past, the occasion has been marked by much tradition – sunrise services, special attire (bows, dresses and suits) along with the more secular aspects of the day – Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets full of chocolates and other seasonal candies as well as family get-togethers; but this year it will be different.

This year it will be like the first Passover in this one way: we will all be “staying safe and sheltering in place.” Just like the Israelites in Egyptian captivity, shut in their homes awaiting the deliverance of God from a plague He was using to set His people free (see Exodus 12:13), we will be shut in our homes awaiting deliverance from a plague as well. For those of us who have believed in the resurrected Lord, the passion week, including Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday will be a time to reflect on the salvation made available to us through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior – a time to consider the things which made for our peace.

This year, we will not be able to rely on our pastors and special “in house” church services to share the important message of this season with people who would otherwise not come to church. Even if some church doors ARE open, it is doubtful but that a few of the faithful will attend; the unbelieving, because of the pandemic will most likely stay home as ordered. Now it is up to you (as it really always has been) to share either from across the yard, over the phone, through an email or by a text message – the importance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that what He did, He did for your neighbor too (good or bad); now is the time to let your light shine in the darkness. Perhaps you could start by asking them this simple question:

“What does Easter mean to you?” After giving them time to respond, you might tell them that it made peace with God possible for you and then ask them, “Do you know the things that have been done on your behalf to make peace between you and God?”

You could then tell them what Isaiah the prophet said of Jesus over seven hundred years before Jesus did those things:

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; therefore, I will not be disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” [Isa. 50:4-7]

Plucked beard, beaten back, spit covered face…this is only part of the price that was paid for your peace with God. Jesus Christ, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, weeping as He went, was coming there to die on an instrument of torture…for you.  He wept not at the apparent futility of His sacrifice nor in fear of His imminent suffering and death. His tears fell with understanding – He knew what His people (the Israelites) would have to suffer in the future because of their present rejection of His gracious sacrifice (see Luke 19:43-44); likewise, He knows what you will have to suffer for your rejection as well.

Amid the noise of the crowd upon the celebration of the Passover, one Man riding on the foal of a donkey entered into Jerusalem with tears in His eyes – His face was set like flint; His destination: the cross of Golgotha there to fulfill His Father’s will in making peace possible to all who will allow Him to apply His blood to their lives. This is the passion of the Christ – He loved His Father so much as to die at His command for us:

“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

“…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)

Point them to Him “… who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

It was God’s plan and will that His Son should come and die in our place and for our sins to make redemption from God and peace with God possible for ALL who would believe in Jesus Christ.

Ask them, “Now that you know the things that made for your peace………will you receive it?”

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