Pastor Terry's Blog

THANK YOU, HOLY SPIRIT!

2011-06-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

During the month of June at Trinity Church, we have been emphasizing the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives. It is impossible to overstate the value of His role. Jesus' atoning work on the Cross was done -- not only to make it possible for us to go to Heaven some day -- but also to make it possible for the Holy Spirit to indwell us in the here and now. This morning in my devotional reading I encountered these words spoken by Jesus on the eve of His crucifixion:

"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you." (John 14:15-17 The Message)

The Holy Spirit indwells believers the moment they accept Christ as Savior. However, there is a further experience with the Spirit that involves an overwhelming fullness of His presence and power in our lives. This is called the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 1:5) and is available to every believer, providing power for Christian living (see Acts 1:8).

One of the bi-products of the Baptism in the Spirit is spiritual language. What a favor God has done for us in this blessing. Sometimes called "speaking in tongues", it is a controversial subject in the Church, unfortunately. But for those who will embrace all of God's gifts as "good and perfect", it brings tremendous benefits.

More on this in my next post.

GOD'S PRESCRIPTION FOR WORSHIP

2011-02-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

"Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it." Exodus 20:23-26

We are not left to wonder what God wants from us in the way of worship. He is very explicit in explaining what He wants. And what He wants is not demanding or difficult. The passage above reduces the matter to three simple principles. Even though they are found in the Old Testament, they can easily be applied to New Covenant worship. They are:

1) Simplicity. "Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. Make an altar of earth for me." No silver or gold. Just an altar of earth. Anybody could afford such an altar. God doesn't require gilded cathedrals, fancy robes, and elaborate liturgy. He just wants our simple and sincere expressions of love. He wants our hearts, which are his "altars of earth" (considering we are made of dust).

2) Sacrifice. "Sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings." God does want our worship to involve cost. He wants a "sacrifice of praise -- the fruit of our lips, confessing His name" (Hebrews 13:15). He wants worship to be more than just a perfunctory routine, just going through the motions. He wants it to involve our heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we employ our minds and mouths, our hands and hearts, it can be a pleasing sacrifice to Him, especially when we don't feel like it. The sacrifices mentioned in this Exodus passage -- burnt offerings and fellowship offerings -- involved a meal the worshipers would eat in the Lord's presence. What started off as a sacrifice ended up as a feast! What a picture of true worship!

3) Spirituality. "Do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it." That sounds a little strange the first time you read it. Basically, the Lord is prescribing modesty and spirituality -- in contrast to sensuality. Ancient pagan worship often involved sexual immorality -- a perversion of the pure and holy worship we owe the true and living God. God understands our human bent toward the sensual. It doesn't take a lot to get our minds off of Him and on the flesh. So He says, "Keep your worship expressions modest and spiritual." On a few occasions I have been grieved by preachers or worship leaders who were more sensual than spiritual. If you are in a position to lead others in worship, be mindful of your appearance. If you show a lot of skin, if you "jive" to the music in a seductive way, you distract people from true worship.

Check out this gracious promise inserted in the middle of this Exodus passage: "Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you." If your worship is simple, sacrificial, and spiritual, it honors His name, and He will "come" and He will "bless you." Sounds a little like Jesus' promise in Matthew 18:20 -- "Wherever two or three of you gather together in my name, there am I in your midst."

ANATOMY OF A TRAITOR

2011-02-11T05:07:00.000-08:00

"That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, 'What will you give me if I hand him over to you?' They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over." Matthew 26:14 (MSG)

Judas' betrayal of Jesus occurred on the heels of offense. Mary of Bethany had just broken her expensive alabaster box of ointment and poured its contents on Jesus. (There are multiple accounts of this incident in the gospels and each supplies additional details to the story.) The disciples protested such "waste" of resources, which, they said, could better have been spent on the poor. One account indicates Judas actually voiced the objection. Jesus intervened, rebuking the disciples and defending Mary's action: "What she has done is a beautiful thing. She has anointed my body for burial. You will always have opportunity to do something for the poor. You will not always have opportunity to do something for me."

Judas was stung by Jesus' rebuke. As treasurer he handled the money, and evidently he felt he should have a voice in how it should be used. Judas' perspective was too narrow-- monetary decisions were defined only by a "cost/benefit analysis." Furthermore, all this talk of death and burial didn't fit Judas' paradigm of success. Again, his perspective was too narrow -- too utilitarian (what "works" is what's good) -- too temporal ("kingdom now not later") -- too selfish ("what's in it for me?")

A purely "cost/benefit" analysis of expenses might be fine in the case of for-profit business, but not in the case of Kingdom matters. They must be viewed from a higher, wider perspective -- a spiritual perspective. Jesus knew the deeper dimension to Mary's act. The disciples did not. Judas had personal spiritual problems that further skewed his perspective on this incident. Another account indicates he was dishonest. For him, money was the all-important consideration.

While we should be good stewards of resources, beware of the tendency to make money the all-important consideration. Look beyond the "cost-benefit" concept and see if there might be other things to consider. What appears to be "waste," may in fact, be something very pleasing to God. Check your heart on this. Beware of taking offense over money issues. It can lead to the betrayal of God's people and God's purpose.

EVIDENCE

2011-01-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

"The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, 'This is it! You are God's Son for sure!'"
Matt 14:32 (Message)

When He came walking across that blustery sea in the middle of the night, Jesus gave his disciples an amazing show of indisputable evidence that he was the son of God --something he did not do for the pharisees when they asked for a "sign". Why would He grant evidence to one group and not to another?

By the time of this miracle, his disciples had demonstrated their faith in and commitment to Him. They were not curiosity-seekers merely wanting a show. Nor were they hangers-on, seeking the fringe benefits of Jesus' ministry -- interesting talks and free lunches. These men had made the commitment of faith. They had forsaken the world and put their lives on the line for Him and His kingdom. And He accommodated their faith with faith-confirming evidence.

This illustrates the principle that to those who have, more will be given. To those who have simple, trusting faith, more evidence will be given to bolster and grow their faith. To those who have no faith, yet demand evidence, what they have will be taken from them -- the rare and precious opportunity to believe.

But Jesus didn't reserve convincing evidence only for His inner circle. A couple of verses later we read, "On return, they beached the boat at Gennesaret. When the people got wind that he was back, they sent out word through the neighborhood and rounded up all the sick, who asked for permission to touch the edge of his coat. And whoever touched him was healed." Matthew 14:34 Those dear people trusted Him for healing and their faith was not disappointed.

Someone has said: For the one who doesn't believe, no proof is adequate; for the one who does believe, no proof is necessary.

Still, God always confirms the faith of the simple, trusting heart.

A TALE OF TWO KINGS

2011-01-06T06:05:00.001-08:00

Genesis 14:17 (MSG)
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and his allied kings, the king of Sodom came out to greet him in the Valley of Shaveh, the King's Valley. Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine---he was priest of The High God---and blessed him: Blessed be Abram by The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And blessed be The High God, who handed your enemies over to you. Abram gave him a tenth of all the recovered plunder.

Today's reading in Matthew 6 and yesterday's reading in Genesis 14 correlate with each other. Jesus teaches us not to be so preoccupied with getting that we miss all that God is giving. Abraham illustrates this principle. Following the battle in which he rescues his nephew Lot, Abraham is visited by two kings. The King of Sodom represents a world-view all about getting. The King of Salem is about giving. One offers Abraham material riches. The other offers him spiritual blessing. One offers him what he wanted. The other offers him what he needed. Abraham wisely chooses the latter and gets both!

There is no disconnect between spiritual and financial blessing. They are not mutually exclusive. When you prioritize the spiritual you are not forfeiting the material. However, when you prioritize the material, you do forfeit the spiritual.

Every day two hands are extended to each of us. Both are full. One contains the promise of momentary profit and pleasure. The other contains the promise of eternal life. Abraham chose wisely. Read his story again and pray for his kind of wisdom.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers---most of which are never even seen---don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting , so you can respond to God's giving . People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." Matthew 6:30-33 (MSG)

A MAN TREASURED BY GOD - PART 4

2010-12-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

"Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for Your own sake, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name." Daniel 9:19

Why was Daniel called "a man treasured by God"? Having already established that his prayer life was a key to this, let me point up the final and most important aspect of his prayer life that made him so special: Daniel's praying was God-centered and Kingdom-focused. This is abundantly clear in the verse above, as Daniel is concluding his prayer beseeching the Lord to fulfill His promise to restore the Jews to their ancient homeland. Daniel is concerned, not just about himself and his people, but also about the Lord's interests in this matter. "For Your own sake...because Your city and Your people are called by Your name." Daniel's praying is God-centered.

By contrast, much of the praying we do today is man-centered and need-focused. It concerns our interests -- our needs -- our desires. God should do this or that because of how it will affect us. "Heal me because I'm in pain. Meet my financial need so I won't suffer lack. Help our marriage so we can be a happy couple." Seldom do we pray about a matter from God's perspective, and for His sake. It's mostly for our sake.

Please don't misunderstand. I am not saying that we shouldn't pray about our personal problems and needs. On the contrary, in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus instructed us to pray, "Give us this day, our daily bread..." Instead of worrying about our problems, we are to lay them before our Father in confident prayer (Matthew 6:25-34). In fact, Jesus urged that we persist in praying until our needs are met: "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching and you will find. Keep knocking and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7-11).

BUT, Jesus also taught us to pray FIRST about God's kingdom interests, before we pray about our personal needs: "Therefore you should pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...[Then pray] ...Give us this day our daily bread...'" (Matthew 6:9-11).

Again, don't misunderstand. This is not a cumbersome "formula" to be followed at all times. Obviously if we are in crisis, we should just cry out to God for help. If a pit bull is attacking me, I'm not going to work through some religious protocol. I'm going to scream, "Jesus, help me!"

But what about other times, when our needs are not so urgent? And even when praying for our needs, shouldn't we consider them from God's perspective? Why not pray, "Father, heal me because my healing will bring honor to You. Your Son bore the stripes for my healing -- do it for His sake." Regardless of the issue, when we pray from God's perspective, our praying will be more faith-filled, and therefore, more powerful.

God-centered and Kingdom-focused praying is biblical praying. We see it all over the Word. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God...and all these things will be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). In other words, we should pray first about God's kingdom interests, while also trusting Him to take care of our personal interests. When the Apostles were arrested and threatened by the religious authorities, as soon as they were released, they gathered the church for a prayer meeting. What did they pray for? Relief from persecution? Protection for themselves? No. "And Now Lord, consider their threats, and grant Your that servants may speak Your message with complete boldness, while you stretch forth Your hand to heal and perfome miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus" (Acts 4:29-31). That's God-centered and kingdom-focused praying and it is powerful! Read the prayers of Paul in his epistles and pray them, inserting your name and the names of your dear ones. You will find yourself praying some powerful, God-centered prayers -- prayers that get results.

Not long ago the Lord laid it on my heart to create a little booklet that contains seven prayer topics -- one for each day of the week. Each topic is a matter dear to the heart of God. In the booklet each topic has several bullet points (I call them "prayer prompts") as well as scriptures that pertain to that particular topic. The booklet is titled "Come Boldly", and is available free of charge to anyone who requests it. It is a great tool to prompt us toward God-centered, Kindgom-focused praying. I commend it to you for your praying in 2011.

A MAN TREASURED BY GOD - PART 3

2010-12-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

"...in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Daniel 9:2-3

Daniel, the man "treasured by God" was distinguished because of -- among other things -- his prayer life. The first thing I noticed about Daniel's prayer life (in chapter 6) was the priority place it occupied in his life. Prayer was not occasional or crisis-driven. It was not based in his feelings or lack thereof. Daniel made prayer a part of his daily routine -- he had a set time and place for it every day.

The second thing I noticed was that Daniel's praying was informed by the Word of God. In the verse quoted above, from chapter 9, Daniel says he was reading in the book of Jeremiah and discovered that the exile of his people was coming to an end. Jeremiah had prophesied it would last seventy years. After a quick calculation, Daniel realized the seventy years were almost up. So he began praying that God would fulfill His promise and restore the fortunes of Jerusalem, his beloved city. Daniel knew he could pray with confidence, because he found the basis for his prayer in God's own Word. When you know what God wants to do -- what He has promised to do -- you can pray with complete confidence and total faith. This is the sentiment expressed in 1 John 5:14-15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him."

Another verse that bears on this principle is Romans 10:17: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When you know God's Word on a matter, your faith soars, giving wings to your prayers.

True, there are some things we may not know God's specific will for -- whether to take a particular job, or move to a particular city. On the other hand, God has clearly stated His will about so many things we deal with -- illness, relational problems, financial needs, and so forth. By living in His Word, our praying on these matters will be informed by His will and our faith will be strong.

Live in the Word and let the Word live in you until it saturates your thinking, your values, your desires. Twenty minutes of reading and meditating each day will take you through the Bible in one year. Do that for a few years and you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your prayer life. Memorize God's Word on healing, on finances, on relationships -- and, like Daniel, pray the Word when you pray.

By the way -- the passage Daniel found in Jeremiah -- was in chapter 29. Does that ring a bell? A favorite verse that we all love to quote is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Guess what the very next verse says? Jeremiah 29:12: "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

Wow! God promises to listen to His people when we pray. And as we pray the Word of God, His wonderful plan is fulfilled in our lives -- His plan to prosper us and give us a hope and a future.

More on this in the next post.

A MAN TREASURED BY GOD - PART 2

2010-12-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Daniel 6:10

Daniel was a man "treasured by God" (Daniel 10:10). One reason for this distinction was his prayer life. Reading through this book again, I was impressed with three outstanding things about Daniel's prayer life. I will address the first of them in today's post and share the others in subsequent posts.

The first thing I notice about Daniel's prayer life is that prayer was his priority. It was not occasional or random. It was not dependent on feelings or circumstances. The words of the old Negro spiritual would not have applied to him ("Every time I feel the Spirit movin' in my heart, I will pray.") Daniel prayed whether he felt the Spirit movin' or not. The verse above indicates Daniel had a practice of praying three times a day. Imagine that! He was the Prime Minister of a world empire, yet he made time to commune with his heavenly Father three times a day. Sadly, many Christians today struggle to find the time to pray once a day.

Daniel not only had a set time for prayer, he also had a place -- "his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem." Daniel knew when he would pray and where he would pray. When you structure your praying to that extent, you tend to go there by default. You don't leave yourself to wonder whether, when or where. You have established a routine. And once a habit is developed, it's easier to follow it than to break it. That's human nature. Wisely, Daniel used the momentum of his own human nature to work for his spiritual health rather than against it.

The events of chapter six happened late in Daniel's life. He was an old man. By this stage he was a solid, mature believer. So, why did he still need to follow such a rigid prayer structure? Because Daniel understood the principle of spiritual drift: There is no standing still in our spiritual walk. Either we are growing or we are drifting. We never arrive at a stage where we needn't press in and press on.

One other thing. In Daniel chapter six we read that prayer had been outlawed by the king. It wan't just politically incorrect. It was illegal. The penalty for violating the law was a night's lodging in the lion's den. One would think that under that kind of pressure, Daniel would at least take a pause in his routine. Or, at the very least, close his windows before praying. Not Daniel. He would not be swayed from the pattern he had established years before. He was not being defiant or arrogant. He was not being foolishly super-spiritual. He was merely carrying on his righteous life-style that involved daily time with his God.

What about you? Is your prayer life a priority or a pastime? Is it need-driven or feeling-based? Have you developed a structure that takes advantage of your inate tendency toward the habitual? Someone has said that it takes 40 days to establish a habit -- six weeks. Remember, once a habit is formed, it's easier to follow it than to break it. What a great habit to have in your life -- the habit of prayer!

Why not start that 40-day journey today?

A MAN TREASURED BY GOD

2010-12-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

“Suddenly, a hand touched me and raised me to my hands and knees. He said to me, "Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I'm saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you." After he said this to me, I stood trembling.” Daniel 10:10-11

God loves everyone -- especially His children. Each and evey believer is treasured by Him. Each is unique and indispensable. His "saints" are the riches that He longs to inherit (see Ephesians 1:18).

However, some of God's children endear themselves to Him in such a way that they become special treasures to Him. They seem to shine brighter. Daniel was such a treasure in the eyes of God.

As I have read again this beloved book that bears the prophet's name, I am reminded how special Daniel was. He seems to have all the virtues of Abraham and Joseph and David -- without the flaws. He is one we would want to emulate. But what was it exactly that made him such a rare "treasure" to God? Was it his whole-hearted devotion to God? His sterling character? His humility? Yes, all of the above. But two other things seem to stand out in my mind: His Purity of Purpose and his Priority of Prayer.

Daniel 1:8 says, "Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's delicacies." As a Jewish exile living in a pagan culture, Daniel could have found plenty of excuses to just go with the flow -- give in to the moment. After all, God had abandoned them to Babylonian captivity. Why should they go through the motions of honoring Him? Besides, whatever moral restraints may have been in place in Jerusalem are non-existent in Babylon. Here, the only rule is -- "if it feels good, do it."

But Daniel didn't fall for that deception. Despite the judgment of God that had befallen his beloved homeland, Daniel understood that God still had a purpose for his individual life -- a high and holy purpose. And he would not violate that purpose by defiling himself with the scentilating delicacies of this pagan court.

Yet Daniel did not isolate himself from his environment -- sinful as it was. He was fully engaged with his pagan culture. But he would not let himself be defined by it. He was "in the world but not of the world." He contributed, he served, he gave back. He didn't consume the culture or try to copy it.

Daniel critiqued his culture but he didn't condemn the people in the culture. He was gracious and humble, not obnoxious (see 1:8b). He made no demands. He humbly appealed to the chief official. And God gave him special favor with him (see 1:9).

When we understand our purpose and live accordingly -- when we choose to live pure in an impure world -- we attract Heaven's attention and favor. We are "treasured by God."

Next time: the Priority of Prayer.

HUMBLING THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY

2010-11-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

"This is so the living will know that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men." Daniel 4:17

The events described in chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Daniel do not occur in chronological order. They are grouped together because of the similarity of their subject matter. Both describe God's intervention to humble the pride of arrogant men -- in this case, world rulers.

Chapter 4 is the story of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling. (I'll call him "Nebu" for short.) Perhaps the greatest king of all time, Nebu had built a city unparalleled in the history of the world to that time. His "hanging gardens" are still considered one of the "seven wonders of the ancient world." The entire civilized world looked to him as its sovereign. He answered to no one. He committed atrocities with impunity and unquestioned authority.

It's hard to be humble when you're that great. At least that's what Nebu thought. The truth is, Nebu wasn't as great as he thought he was. God was the true greatness behind his throne (see 5:18). Nebu was just "a turtle on a fence post." He couldn't have got where he was unless God had put him there. So, to humble Nebu, God took his sanity from him and for seven years he roamed the earth like a beast. Talk about Jeckyl and Hyde -- Beauty and the Beast -- this "beauty" became a beast -- a dumb brute -- eating grass with the wild donkeys.

"But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever" (4:34). Personally, I believe Nebu got saved, changed his wicked ways, and went to Heaven when he died.

Unfortunately, his successor, King Belshazzar, didn't learn from this, even though he knew about it (see 5:22). Belshazzar defied the God of Nebuchadnezzar -- even mocked Him. He brought the sacred vessels from the Jersualem Temple to his drunken orgy and drank wine from them while praising his own gods of silver, gold, stone and wood. Again, God intervened to humble an arrogant king. Only this time, there was no redemption for the king. "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN" was the verdict written on the plaster wall by a supernatural hand. The king was alarmed. His knees knocked together in fear. Daniel was called to interpret: "Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, Divided. Your days have been numbered and are over. You are weighed in the balance and found deficient. Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." "That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom" (5:30). That is history's requiem to a proud king who would not humble himself before the KING of kings.

Bottom line: God rules in the affairs of men. Never forget that regardless of how powerful the so-called "high and mighty" may seem, there is Another who alone is MOST HIGH. He will have the final word. His will, will prevail. Praise be to His name!

THE POWER OF "THANKS-LIVING"

2010-11-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

The verse above offers a powerful "doubt-buster" that, if practiced, will give lift to your faith, enabling you to "bust" through the clouds of doubt into the rarified air of God's wonderful presence.

Thanksgiving and praise do for your praying what an airplane can do for you on an overcast and gloomy day. Once airborne, the plane can break through the cloud bank into warmly sunlit, blue skies. From that vantage point you have a new perspective on everything. The clouds are below you; the sun is shining. You have visibility.

Many times when I have felt downcast -- "under the weather" spiritually -- intentional praise and thanksgiving have produced a spiritual breakthrough involving the warmth of God's presence, a new perspective on everything in my life, and vision -- spiritual vision -- to see the way ahead.

This verse from Hebrews 13:15 is packed with keys to help us apply the principle. Let's look at a few of them:

"By Him" -- Fundamental to our relationship with God (and therefore, our prayer life) is the understanding that we approach God -- not on our own merits -- but on the merits of Another. We come through Jesus, the altogether lovely, sinless Son of God.

"Continually" - Praise & thanksgiving are not occasional activities prompted by special blessings. They are a way of life -- a consistent part of our daily prayers. Discover the power of "thanks-living."

"Sacrifice of Praise" -- No sacrifice is involved when you feel like praising the Lord. When you don't feel like it and do it anyway, it is a sacrifice with which God is well-pleased.

"Fruit of our lips" -- Not just the thoughts of our hearts, but the fruit of our lips. Verbalize your praise and thanksgiving. The devil doesn't know what you're thinking -- unless you say it out loud. Besides, you need to hear yourself giving praise to God. It is therapy to your soul!

"Giving thanks to His name" -- In the original Greek that phrase reads, "confessing His name." Study the compound names of God in the Old Testament, names like Jehovah-Jireh (see Genesis 22:14). God's name is His nature, His character. When we confess WHO HE IS we remind ourselves that HE IS ALL-SUFICIENT for our every need. Again, that is powerful therapy for our souls. It also disturbs the devil and sends him packing.

Let me encourage you, as we are about to go into a new year, to re-commit to daily prayer. Begin your prayer with a time of thanksgiving and praise. Let it become part of your life. You will discover the power of "thanks-living."

GOG AND MAGOG

2010-11-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

"Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.'" Ezekiel 39:1

In the previous post we saw that God will make Himself known to the nations, one way or another. If they will not respond to His grace and kindness, turning from sin and selfishness, He will get their attention another way -- through His judgments.

In Ezekiel 38 and 39 the prophet predicts a coming invasion of Israel by a confederation of nations led by Russia. Many Bible scholars believe "Gog and Magog" are ancient names for the land now occupied by Russia and their former Soviet puppet states. Some believe "Meshech" is modern-day Moscow and "Tubal" is modern-day Tubalsk -- both well-known Russian cities. Further description locates Gog and Magog "in the far north" (38:15). On a world map draw a line from Israel northward and you will eventually hit Russia. But Russia will not be alone in this aggression. She will have "many nations with her...a great horde, a mighty army" (38:15). Persia (modern-day Iran) is an important part of that confederation (38:5). These chapters in Ezekiel also specify the time frame for this invasion as "the last days" (38:8), so the event is still future. With graphic detail the prophet describes how the hordes will descend from the north upon the mountains of Israel, intending to wipe her off the map.

If you listen to the news you know that Russia and Iran are allies. Both are against Israel. In fact the president of Iran has vowed to annihilate Israel. Russia is unwilling to join any international effort to place sanctions against Iran for their nuclear developments. Meanwhile, Iran is pressing toward nuclear capability. Given these facts, there is the distinct possibility that Ezekiel 38 &39 could be fulfilled in our lifetime. It could happen before the Rapture. It could happen at any moment. None of us would want to witness such a horrible spectacle as a major invasion of Israel. However, as believers, we will not be surprised by it. The Bible has told us it is coming.

Oddly, it will not be the United States that comes to Israel's rescue. I wonder why. Is it possible that after ten long years of war on two fronts, we simply lack the resolve to enter another one? Will we forsake our commitment to Israel out of psychological and financial exhaustion? For whatever reason, the U.S. will not be the world's "savior" this time. Instead, the nations will witness a supernatural intervention that will make them know the God of Israel is the living God (39:7). God will intervene with a supernatural barrage of rain, hail, fire and brimstone that will slow the advance of this "mighty army" and then pulverize them, leaving them as corpses to litter the mountains of Israel (38:22,23; 39:4). So vast will be the carnage that the burial and clean-up will take several years.

There is an interesting and unsettling reference in 39:6 about God also sending "fire against ... those who live securely on the coasts and islands." What other nation has lived as securely as the U.S.? For centuries the oceans that separate us from Europe and Asia have afforded a security unparalleled in history. And we are known for our extensive "coasts." They make us the envy of the world, affording us the most powerful navy in existence. Furthermore, one of our fifty states is a chain of "islands". What is the "fire" the prophet mentions? I don't know. But here's a sobering question: While God is judging Russia and Iran for attacking Israel, will He also judge America for failing to help Israel? Your guess is as good as mine, but I think the question deserves some consideration.

All of this to say the hour is late; the time is short; the Lord's coming is near. If you're not ready for it, get ready. If you are, stay ready, and help others get ready. Watch and pray.

KNOWING GOD THROUGH HIS JUDGMENTS

2010-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

"So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel." Ezek 39:7

"Then they will know that I am the Lord." This statement occurs more than 60 times in the book of Ezekiel. Usually it follows the threat of judgment. God says that after He pours out his wrath on a nation -- THEN, they will know that He is the Lord.

Isn't it sad that the nations (including our own) don't know God by His goodness and kindness, nor by His grace and mercy? He has showered blessing after blessing on us -- the beauty and bounty of nature, all the fresh air we want at no charge, food and clothing and shelter, family and friends, the joys of labor and liesure -- not to mention the spiritual blessings available to us in Christ. Yet the nations thumb their nose at Him. Worse, they ignore Him. Once they knew Him, but they intentionally ignored Him, and now they don't even know His name (Romans 1:21).

So God says, since they won't acknowledge Him through His goodness, He will wake them up through His judgments. "THEN, they will know that I am the Lord." The prophet Isaiah makes this even more clear:

"When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord" (Isaiah 26:9-10).

God's judgment is a terrible thing. Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Yet, even in His judgments, God remembers mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). His purpose is ultimately redemptive. He wants to get people's attention so they may know Him, for knowing Him is life eternal (John 17:3).

Don't misunderstand. I'm not welcoming judgment on our nation. Judgment could not come without also affecting God's people in some way. Yet, I do want to see people learn righteousness. So, if judgment comes, let's remember the ultimate purpose of it and pray for a sweeping revival in the midst of it.

THE DANGER OF TAKING ANOTHER'S OFFENSE

2010-11-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

"Because you maintained an ancient hatred and handed over the Israelites to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster... therefore, ...I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you." Ezekiel 35:5,6

So begins Ezekiel's prophecy against the land of Edom -- Judah's neighbor to the east. When the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, the Edomites rejoiced at her fall. Judah and Edom had been enemies from ancient times. Now Edom welcomes and aggravates the disaster that has befallen her neighbor. The Babylonians stab Israel, and Edom twists the knife. "Sweet revenge." But God is not happy about it.

How did this ancient animosity begin in the first place?

If you read the story of the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25), you will learn that Edom was Esau's nickname (Edom means "red" in Hebrew). Esau was nicknamed "Red" for two reasons: At his birth, the first thing they noticed was the reddish hair that covered his body (Gen. 25:25). Later, as a grown man, he bartered his birthright for a bowl of stew -- that "red stuff" in Jacob's pot (Gen. 25:29). Esau left that encounter with a full stomach but a gnawing resentment toward his conniving brother. When Jacob further compounded this insult with injury by stealing Esau's blessing, Esau was infuriated and vowed to kill Jacob. Aware of Esau's plot, their mother Rebecca urged their father to send Jacob away to her family in Mesopotamia. Years later, homesick for family, Jacob returned to the land of Canaan in trembling and fear of his brother's wrath. But the crisis was resolved in an emotional display of forgiveness and affection as Esau embraced his younger, weaker brother. Following that meeting the two brothers parted in peace, Jacob occupying the land of Canaan (later named "Israel") and Esau crossing the Jordan River to the city of Seir. Seir would become the capital of the nation that would bear Esau's nickname -- "Edom" (Gen. 33:16). So the rivalry between two brothers is the origin of this "ancient hatred" mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy (see above).

But wait. If Esau forgave Jacob way back in that ancient time, why was there still a hatred between the two nations centuries later? The answer to that question exposes a common but little-understood dynamic in human relationships: the tendency for people to take up the offenses of others. You see, Esau had wives and children and brothers-in-law and other extended family. And even though he had forgiven Jacob, the likelihood is, his family had not. They had seen the hurt and harm done to Esau through Jacob's conniving ways. They deeply resented the fact that after all that wrong-doing, Jacob ended up with the family fortune, living on the "estate" with his father, while Esau had to abandon his home and carve out a new existence elsewhere. Even though Esau had laid down the offense, his family had taken it up and carried it, passing it from generation to generation. The feud that resulted may have been the original version of "the Hatfields and the McCoys." When opportunity came for revenge, Edom relished it and took full advantage of it. But their action incurred the judgment of God, as Ezekiel pronounced in the verse above.

Let this story serve as a warning. There is grave danger in taking up someone else's offense. Your husband is mistreated at work, and as a good, loyal wife, you carry his offense -- you hate his boss. Your friend is embroiled in a nasty divorce and you vow your animosity toward the spouse. That's dangerous. Why? First, you don't know all the facts. You are not in a position to judge the other person because you are not omniscient.

Second, you are not given grace to deal with the offense, because the offense is not yours to deal with. Bill Gothard, a well-known Christian teacher, says that when a person is offended, God supplies grace to that person, enabling him to bear the offense and forgive the offender. But the same grace is not supplied to others, because the offense is not theirs. If they choose to take up the offense anyway, they bear it without the intervening grace of God, and it becomes a root of bitterness in their hearts.

Third, vengeance is so volatile only God can handle it. Vengeance is not wrong when it is in the right hands -- God's hands. But it belongs to God alone. "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord; I will repay" (Romans 12:19). Only God is in a position to know the whole story and render a valid judgment. When the Edomites took vengeance on Israel they were usurping God's place. They made themselves the judge. God responded with judgment on them.

Be warned. When your friend or loved one is offended, support them, encourage them, be loyal to them. But beware of taking up their offense against the offender. Encourage forgiveness. Realize you don't know the whole story (even if you think you do). Only God does. Even if it seems the scoundrel is getting away scot free, leave it to God to reel them in and deal with them. "The wheels of God's justice turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine."

IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG

2010-11-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

"Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips... He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Now this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for.'" Isaiah 6:5,7

One minute Isaiah was feeling vile and loathsome -- "ruined" -- beyond repair. The next minute he was cleansed and whole and called into the ministry. It doesn't take long for God to perform surgery in us. We come to Him in virtual despair over our situation, thinking that, at best, it will take years of agonizing struggle to become whole. However, as we humble ourslves before Him, acknowledging His worthiness and perfection, we find the work is done instantly -- not by some great noble effort on our part, but by Him. It is totally a work of His mercy and grace. But it isn't automatic. It doesn't happen by osmosis. Isaiah went to the place of prayer where he sought the Lord. He didn't go away disappointed. Neither will you. Believe the promise. Heed the word: "Therefore, let us come boldly to God's gracious throne, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

The power behind Isaiah's encounter with God was not in himself -- his performance, his great faith. It was in the blood. The coal from the altar that touched Isaiah's lips was blood-soaked because the blood of animal sacrifices had fallen into the flames below, soaking the glowing embers. The angel took one coal from the fire and put into effect the wonder-working power in the blood. That is powerful symbolism.

Under the New Covenant we no longer practice animal sacrifice. Those rituals were a temporary provision that pictured and pointed forward to the ultimate, perfect sacrifice -- the Lamb of God. When Jesus died on the cross He fulfilled completely and finally all that was foretold through those temporary measures. Today, New Covenant believers can rejoice in the wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb.

Don't re-invent the wheel (as if you could!). Don't try to be your own savior. Don't offer your own sacrifice. God has already provided a Lamb for the sacrifice. Embrace Him. Give yourself totally to Him. Say to Him, "I am yours, Lord. Save me." He will do in an instant what you could never do in a lifetime. "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

YOU BEAR HIS NAME

2010-11-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

"You will know that I am the Lord, house of Israel, when I have dealt with you because of My name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts." Ezekiel 20:44

The verse above concludes a dialogue between the prophet Ezekiel and the elders of Israel. Ezekiel has just catalogued for them the history of their people from the Exodus to the present. At each stage of that history, the people of Israel disobeyed God -- even rebelled against Him, inviting His judgment. However, instead of judging them, He spared them because of His name "so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations" (v22).

God's name is His character. He does not want His character tarnished in the eyes of unbelievers. So He often deals with His people with great favor, answering their prayers, blessing them, protecting them, prospering them, not because they deserve it, but because His reputation is at stake. If we understand this principle, it will take our focus off of ourselves and place it where it should be -- on the Lord. Indulge me as I use a personal illustration to explain what I mean.

Because of my perfectionistic temperament (a huge liability) my faith often falters. For example, this morning I was praying for our church and its mission and ministries, for its health and growth, for people to be saved and transformed. In the midst of that prayer I was reminded of some recent shortcomings in my life. I'm not talking about gross immorality or malicious greed. I'm talking about shortfalls -- days when I should have risen earlier so I could pray longer, times when I should have fasted more but yielded to appetite, people to whom I should have witnessed but didn't. Instantly my faith faltered and old man Doubt whispered, "Why would God answer your prayer? You are such a disappointment to Him. You are such a failure as a pastor."

Thankfully, I pressed on in spite of those doubts, and after a while experienced a sweet spirit of intercession, sensing the presence of the Spirit in my praying. The reason? I am learning the principle in this verse from Ezekiel -- that it's not all about me and my perfection or performance. It's about Him and His kingdom interests. It's about His reputation in the eyes of the nations. So when confronted with my own shortcomings, I am learning to acknowledge them, repent of them, and then quickly move beyond them, focusing my faith on more important things -- God's kingdom interests for His church and His world. God wants to bless our church because His name is attached to it. He wants to answer my prayer -- not because I deserve it, but because His reputation is at stake. He wants to bless it because He loves the unchurched people we will reach for Him.

Do you know that God wants to answer your prayers about your job, your marriage, your children, your finances -- not because you have been perfect -- but because His name is attached to you! You are known as "Christian." So pray in faith for His blessing and favor in every area of your life. And when old man Doubt whispers his insidious accusations, just acknowledge your shortfalls, repent, and then quickly move on in your praying.

THE VELVET-COVERED BRICK

2010-10-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

"A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone." Proverbs 25:15

O the wisdom of Solomon. Proverbs is known as "wisdom literature," and no wonder, because it is full of wisdom. Take the verse above. There is enough wisdom in those few words, that if understood and followed, they could prevent broken relationships and accomplish much good. But true wisdom -- especially biblical wisdom -- often contradicts the prevailing wisdom of the day.

Many people conduct their inter-personal relationships as if they believe volume and intensity are the keys to effective communication. When the other person doesn't understand their point or doesn't agree, they turn up the volume and press their point a little harder. They think this will persuade, when in actual fact, it does the opposite. It causes the other person's defense mechanism to kick in. When you turn up your volume, they turn down their hearing.

People love to buy things, but nobody likes to be "sold" anything. If you have ever been the victim of a "hard-sell" salesman you know what I mean. Such an approach insults my intelligence. I don't need to be persuaded. Just give me the simple facts and back off so I can make my own decision.

That's what Solomon meant when he said, "A ruler can be persuaded by patience." Just make your case; state the facts as you see them; then back off and show some patience. Give the other person time to consider what you have said. Such an approach demonstrates that you respect their intelligence -- you believe they have the good sense and the good will to make the right decision. What a winsome and winning approach! Even a ruler can be persuaded with such an approach! So can your husband or wife, your boss or your teenager!

"A gentle tongue can break a bone." That's a metaphor. Solomon is saying that it doesn't take shouts or yelling or physical blows to convince the other person. Try Solomon's approach with your teenager. Watch the difference in their response when you use his wisdom. I have a book in my library titled, The Velvet-Covered Brick. It's a book for men, written by a man. The author's premise is that husbands and fathers should be to their families like a velvet-covered brick: solid and firm, but soft on the edges. Have solid standards and hold firmly to them, but speak about them in low decibles. That approach will have a powerful effect on your kids.

Solomon said so!

STEPS TO REVIVAL

2010-10-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

"In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them." 2 Chronicles 29:3

If you read the last few verses of 2 Chronicles 28, you get a picture of the deplorable situation Hezekiah inherited from his wicked father, King Ahaz: Idols filled the land and even the Temple of the Lord. Ahaz eventually put the Lord's Temple out of business, fired the priests, and shut the doors.

When Hezekiah ascended to the thone he wasted no time in dealing with that situation -- "in the first year of his reign, in the first month!" The first thing he did was open the doors of the temple and bring the priests back on duty. Next, he told the priests to remove every vile thing from the temple (v5). Then he told the priests to resume the practice of burning incense to the Lord each morning and evening (vv 7,11). After that they offered animal sacrifices, sprinkling their blood at the altar as a sin offering (vv 23-24). Finally, they "struck up the band" and began to sing the songs of David (vv 25-30).

Each of these "steps to revival" has present application for us:

1) Just as Hezekiah opened the doors of the Temple, we must open the doors of our hearts to the Lord. This suggests the idea of living openly and transparently before Him, not hiding sin, but bringing everything to the light, as 1 John 1:7 says: "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all sin."

2) Just as the priests removed all the vile idols from the Temple, we must remove all known sin from our lives. No more dabbling in sin, tolerating on-going disobedience. We must deal with the idols that have hindered our walk with the Lord. Idols like sexual sin, unwholesome entertainment, materialism, uncontrolled anger, and self-pity. In the New Testament we read, "Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).

3) The sprinkling of the blood of sacrifice reminds us that the blood of Jesus completely cleanses us from all sin. Once we have repented and renounced our sin, we must claim the "wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb" to remove all our defilement (again, see 1 John 1:7). No more living under guilt, beating ourselves up for past failures. We live free and whole and righteous before God and man.

4) Resuming the incense offering in the Temple is figurative of prayer. Each day, morning and evening, the priest would go into the "holy place" (the first room in the Temple) and burn fragrant incense to the Lord. The psalmist likens this to prayer: "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2). When Christians deliberately carve out time each day to spend with God in prayer, revival is near.

All of this amounts to "planned spiritual activity." Revival is a sovereign move of God, but it doesn't happen in a spiritual vaccuum. God sovereignly sends revival to people who intentionally prepare themselves for it.

We believe He is wanting to send a "near" revival -- one that begins in our hearts, our homes, our church, and our community. If we will begin to live openly and transparently before Him, cleaning out the vile things from our lives, letting His precious blood cleanse us anew, then carving out time to seek Him in prayer, God will respond. How can He not? He has promised: "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

When we take these "steps to revival" and God responds, then when we "strike up the band" we will have something to sing about!

A REVIVAL FOR OUR GENERATION

2010-10-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

"Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king...He did what was right in the Lord's sight just as his ancestor David had done." 2 Chronicles 29:1,2

In the last post Isaiah faced a sobering reality: The Lord tells him that despite his praying and preaching, ultimate judgment is coming to the nation. The cities of Judah will lie in ruins and the inhabitants of the land will be carried away into exile (see Isaiah 6:11,12). This begs the question, "If judgment is coming anyway, what's the point of praying for revival and preaching to hard-hearted people who won't listen?"

The answer to that question lies in the events that would unfold before Isaiah. True, Ahaz came to the throne and wreaked havoc on the nation, just as Isaiah feared he would. King Ahaz set up idols and shrines all over the land and encouraged the vile practices that went along with pagan worship. He erected an altar to a foreign god in the court of the Lord's temple. He even sacrificed his own children to the god Molech. In short, he made wickedness the law of the land. He called "evil good and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). As a result his rather short reign (16 years) was characterized by economic collapse and military defeat.

Nevertheless, through it all a man named Isaiah was praying and preaching. While many rejected his efforts, Isaiah's influence would reach into places he could not have imagined -- even into the king's palace. Isaiah's personal revival "infected" a few key individuals who would have dramatic influence on the nation. Among these was Hezekiah, the son of King Ahaz. Despite the wickedness of his father, Hezekiah followed Isaiah's God with all his heart. Hezekiah caught the "good infection" from Isaiah, and when he became king, Hezekiah led Judah in a national revival.

Here's the moral of the story: Even though we know ultimate judgment is coming, we can still secure revival for our generation. Furthermore, we have the responsibility to do so. This is the "word" that has been echoing in my spirit for weeks: "Every generation has the responsibility to secure revival for their generation."

We must not conclude that because judgment will inevitably come (as the book of Revelation makes clear), there is therefore nothing for us to do but huddle in our holy enclaves and wait for Jesus to come. No. We must pro-actively address the present need around us with present action, specifically, revival praying and preaching and witnessing to our friends and neighbors. God is ready and willing to accommodate the faith of those who will. He will send a "near" revival -- one that begins in our own hearts, homes, church and community -- one that starts now.

In the next post we will look at the specific action steps Hezekiah took which led to his "near" revival.

ME? A MISSIONARY?

2010-09-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: 'Who should I send? Who will go for us?' I said: 'Here I am. Send me.'" Isaiah 6:8

Having experienced a powerful revelation of God's majesty and holiness resulting in a personal revival, Isaiah is immediately commissioned to carry the revival to those beyond the church. His commissioning begins with a revelation of the heart of God. Isaiah learns that God is not only powerful and holy, He is also compassionate. He cares about "all those sinners out there" -- even those who reject Him and rebell against Him. God is looking for someone who will share His compassion and actually do something about it --someone who will go for Him. Someone to be a "missionary" to his neighbors. Isaiah volunteers.

Genuine revival translates into redemptive action. Revival is more than goose bumps and good feelings. It is more than spiritual refreshing. It involves deep changes in our behavior and priorities. We find ourselves concerned about the spiritual condition of the people we encounter every day. We find ourselves praying for our neighbors and co-workers, reaching out to them, inquiring about their needs, offering to pray for them, sharing God's love with them, even warning them about ultimate and eternal realities. We find ourselves becoming "missionaries" -- not to those accross the ocean -- but to those accross the street.

But we mustn't expect that everyone we reach out to will reach back. God warns Isaiah that most of them will not listen: "Say to these people: 'Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see... hear... understand... turn back, and be healed" (vv 9,10). God uses a bit of sanctified sarcasm to prepare Isaiah for a difficult and disappointing task. Nevertheless, the task must be done because God's compassion demands that we at least warn the people.

Reasonably enough, Isaiah wants to know how long he must reach out. If people will not be receptive, how long must I keep trying? God's answer: "Until the cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, and the land is ruined and desolate, and the Lord drives the people far away..." (v11). In these words God predicts that judgment is coming on the land of Judah -- that despite Isaiah's personal revival, despite his praying and his preaching, the situation will ultimately end in disaster for the nation. In other words, things have been set in motion that are irreversible, things that demand divine judgment.

America is in a situation very similar to ancient Judah. Despite the knowledge of God's truth, despite unparalleled blessings and favor, Americans have largely turned away from God -- if not in thought and word, certainly in deed. As a result, like the "sword of Damacles" the wrath of God hangs low over this nation. We cannot shed the blood of 50 million unborn children and get by with it forever. We cannot trounce His commands regarding the sanctity of marriage and think He will look the other way. The justice of God will not allow it. Decades ago Billy Graham said, "If God does not judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."

If ultimate judgment is unavoidable, what is the use of "revival praying?" Why cry out to God for revival? Why be "missionaries" to our neighbors and co-workers? Why care about the sinning masses around us? Why not just stay huddled in our churches and try to hold out until Jesus comes to take us out of this mess? If they will not hear, why try? Why care?

There is an answer to those questions. See the next post.

A BLOOD-SOAKED COAL

2010-09-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

"Then one of the Serpahim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: 'Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for.'" Isaiah 6:6,7

Isaiah's vision of God's majesty and holiness left him with a self-revelation of his own vileness. So utterly undone was he that he cried out, "I am ruined." When something is ruined it is beyond repair. The only thing to do with it is throw it away. That's how Isaiah felt about himself.

We know very little of this kind of response today. We have been so marinated in grace teaching, so coyed and complimented by our pastors, that we have difficulty relating to Isaiah's experience. Conviction of sin is rare, even in the church. Oh, we know we aren't "perfect," but compared to the people in the world, we feel pretty righteous. That's the way Isaiah felt until he had this revelation of God. But happily, the experience doesn't end with him in despair.

As soon as Isaiah acknowledged his need, heaven intervened. A Seraph flew to him with a burning coal from the altar, pressed it to his mouth, and declared him clean: "Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for." Having had a revelation of the holiness of God and his own vileness, Isaiah now has a revelation of the cleansing power of the blood.

The coal was from the brass altar where sacrifices were burned as sin offerings to the Lord. The blood of sacrifice spilled to the coals below, in the base of the altar. So the coal in the Seraph's hand was blood-soaked, and it didn't take long for the blood to do its work. Isaiah didn't have to do pennance or a pilgimage or rehab. Once he acknowledged his sin and threw himself on the mercy seat, God took care of his problem -- pronto. The cleansing power of the blood is instantaneous. One minute he felt totally worthless and ruined. The next minute he was as pure and clean as if he had never sinned.

King David understood this. After his horrible twin sins of adultery and murder, he prayed, "Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). Hyssop was a bush from which a branch was broken off and used as a brush to sprinkle the blood. The Old Covenant priest would dip the hyssop branch in the blood of sacrifice and whatever he sprinkled with the blood was made holy the moment it was touched by the blood. This was an Old Testament picture of a New Testament reality. The Bible says, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son cleases us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) In the words of the hymn, "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb."

I never ceased to be amazed at how quickly God works when we put our situation and ourselves in His hands. The change is so total and it happens so quickly, we are left with a sense of awestruck wonder at the mercy and love of our wonderful Lord. We thought if there was any hope for us, we would have to prove ourselves worthy of it by years of agonizing pennance or a long series of noble deeds. But God's cleansing work is a quick work. Of course, He will do other things in us that will take longer, but cleansing is instant.

However, God has a purpose beyond our own cleansing and salvation. We think He's just getting us ready for Heaven. No, He has much more in mind. He has an assignment for us on this earth -- a commission for us to fulfill. That's what's next for Isaiah -- his assignment and commissioning.

Don't miss the next post.

RESTORED VISION

2010-09-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him... And one called to another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.'" Isaiah 6:1,2

The situation Isaiah faced was not unlike the one we face today. The nation had turned its back on God. Injustice and immorality abounded. Crime was rampant. Leadership was corrupt. Life was cheap. World conditions were threatening the fragile peace. A political shift was in progress. In the midst of the turmoil Isaiah did what we must do. He sought the Lord. He set aside everything else and went to the Temple to pray.

Whenever you intentionally pull away from the routine and spend time in God's presence, seeking His face, you position yourself to see and hear things you never saw or heard before. As he prayed, Isaiah had a vision. The first thing he saw was the majesty and greatness of God. The Lord was seated on a high and lofty throne. Isaiah was reminded that God is all-powerful, totally competent to handle the situation, and completely in charge. He has not abdicated His throne. We need to be reminded of that, too. It is so easy to get our eyes on the situation and forget that Someone is above it all, faithfully superintending. There is a Heart at the heart of the universe.

The next thing Isaiah saw were the Seraphim -- six-winged angels whose sole purpose is to declare the holiness of God. Isaiah heard them calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts!" Isaiah was reminded that God is not only powerful, He is holy. The combination of power and holiness produces glory. Glory appears as pure, penetrating, brilliant light. The glory of God was so pervasive it "fills the whole earth."

This vision of majesty and holiness and glory overwhelmed Isaiah. In this new light he saw something else. He saw himself in a way he had not seen himself before. He saw his own uncleanness. He was deeply convicted of his own vileness. Previously, Isaiah considered himself basically righteous -- at least when compared to the people around him. They were the problem he had come to pray about. Now, he was convicted over sin in his own life -- paticularly, his filthy mouth. Not that he had used profanity. He was just painfully aware of a lot of things he had said he should not have said. Previously it didn't bother him. Everybody did it. Compared to other things, it didn't seem so bad. Now, he realizes he is afflicted with the same vile affliction that afflicts all humanity -- and it is deadly serious. He is no better than the people around him -- the people he had been judging for their unclean ways. Isaiah is so overwhelmed with his own corruption that he feels totally ruined -- beyong repair -- beyond hope. "Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unlcean lips and live among a people of unlcean lips..."

The vision Isaiah saw was of things he should have been seeing all along. He had no idea his vision was so impaired until this experience restored it. Have you wondered lately about your spiritual vision? How are you seeing?

Isaiah's vision is something so foreign to 21st century Americans that we have difficulty "seeing" it. We have a very limited view of God's majesty and holiness and almost no awareness of our own vileness. The fear of the Lord and conviction of sin are almost non-existent in our culure -- even in the church. Our worship services are happy and celebrative -- sometimes even humorous. No problem. But where is the balance? Why are there not times when the presence of God presses in on the congregation to the point that they want to prostrate themselves before Him -- awestruck -- like Isaiah, almost afraid to move because of His majesty and holiness. Why do we not run to the altar, feeling our vileness, crying out our sense of ruination, confessing the uncleanness of our lips?

The reason we are not seeing the glory of God, nor our own uncleanness, is that we are not seeking God. We are satisfied, smug, content to put in a couple of hours at church each week, drop our tithes in the plate, nod approvingly at the sermon, and then move on with the routine. Unless we pull back from the routine and intentionally carve out time to spend in prayer, seeking the face of God with no agenda but His, we will remain in some measure of spiritual blindness.

But why would I want to seek God if it results in my feeling unworthy and ruined? I'm depressed enough as it is! I need something to lift me, not press me down.

More on this in the next post.

A TALE OF TWO VISIONS

2010-09-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

"Daughter Zion is abandoned... The faithful city -- what an adulteress she has become! She was once full of justice...but now, murderers!" (Isaiah 1:8,21

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's house will be established at the top of the mountains... All nations will stream to [Jerusalem]." (Isaiah 2:2)

The first two chapters of Isaiah begin with the same words: "The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem..." However, the two visions are very different, even though they concern the same city -- Jerusalem. The first vision is of desolation and destruction: "Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire... foreigners devour your fields ... If the Lord had not left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would resemble Gomorrah" (1:7, 9). Isaiah uses the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah as a seguay to indict Jerusalem's rulers and people: "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!" The prophet calls Jerusalem "Sodom and Gomorrah" for two reasons. First, the people of Jerusalem are living like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah: immorality, idolatry, materialism, injustice are some of the sins Isaiah catalogues. Second, if she doesn't repent, Jerusalem will experience a fate similar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

When Isaiah wrote these words Jerusalem was enjoying peace and prosperity. The people had a hard time receiving Isaiah's words. The desolation he described seemed impossible. However, history records that those words came to pass -- literally. Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians -- burned to the ground -- her walls and buildings left in ruins. Isaiah's first vision was fulfilled.

Isaiah's second vision, in chapter two, is of a Jerusalem that is yet future. This vision is yet to be fulfilled. This is the Jerusalem of the Millennial Reign of Christ, when all nations will flow to her to receive the instruction of the Lord. Isaiah describes a time of universal peace, when "they will turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will never again train for war" (2:4) Interestingly, these words are inscibed on a highly-visible plaque at the United Nations building in New York City.

Before the fulfillment of the second vision, there will be more devastation. That devastation will come from two sources: First, the Anti-christ during the Great Tribulation. Then, God will pour out His wrath on the Anti-Christ and his kingdom. "For a day belonging to the Lord of Hosts is coming against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up -- it will be humbled...So human pride will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted on that day" (2:12, 17).

Keep the second vision alive in your heart. But don't forget the first. God's judgment will come on those who turn from Him. Repentance will bring restoration. Keep your eyes on the eastern skies. Jesus is coming!

A STUDY IN HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY - Part 2

2010-09-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

Like the book of Job, Ecclesiastes is a study in human psychology. It's not the musings of a theologian in an ivory tower, far removed from life's problems. It's the real-life experience of a real man. We believe that man is Solomon. Though he never names himself, he gives some clues as to his identity: He is the son of David and he is king in Jerusalem (1:1). He also mentions that he had assembled a lot of Proverbs (12:9).

In both Job and Ecclesiastes you find a fair amount of cynicism. But for different reasons. Job is cynical because he has lived right and everything has turned out wrong. Solomon is cynical because he has lived wrong and everything has turned out right. As you read this book you get the sense that you are listening to the ramblings of a jaded old man who has tried it all and is weary of life. In essence, the message of Ecclesiastes -- at least the first part -- is: "I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt -- so, what's the point of it all?" The key word in Ecclesiastes is "emptiness." (The King James Version uses the word "vanity.")

Apparently Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes in the latter years of his life, because he talks about all the things he has tried in the pursuit of meaning and fulfillment: pleasure and indulgence, material possessions, acquiring knowledge, and achievement in work (chapters 1 & 2). After passionately immersing himself in these pursuits, obviously for many years, Solomon offers his assessment of their value: "When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun. ... Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind" (2:11, 17).

If you do a Bible study on the life of Solomon, you will learn something about the latter half of his life. After marrying many foreign women and incorporating their false religions into his own, he departed from the fear of the Lord. His life is a tragedy. After a brilliant start in which he asked God for wisdom, he ultimately abandoned the fear of the Lord, which is the source of wisdom. Apparently he left God out of all the pursuits he describes in this poem. No wonder he comes up empty. His words in 4:13 are a self-disclosure: "Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings."

Despite that there are moments in this poem when Solomon breaks through to brilliance: 3:1-8; 11:1-10; and 12: 1-14. In summation, the message of Ecclesiastes: There is nothing wrong with acquiring knowledge, enjoying legitimate pleasures, achieving success in your work, etc. But when you leave God out of all that, you are in for colossal disappointment. You will end up empty and unfulfilled.

On the other hand, Ecclesiastes gives me hope for Solomon, because at the end of the poem he comes to his senses and re-discovers what life is all about: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (12:13-14).

Ecclesiastes is a great read for the young, because it contains a powerful message for them: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth before the days of adversity come..." (12: 1).

A STUDY IN HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY

2010-09-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

The books of Job and Ecclesiastes are both studies in human psychology. They are the accounts of authentic human experiences, not tall tales where the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black hats. In Job the "good guy" says some pretty terrible things and the "bad guys" say some things that are true.

As we have already seen, Job is a righteous man who suffers crushing loss, and consequently, his words are the product of pain and confusion. He bounces between faith and fear, between confidence and cynicism. One day he boldly declares, "Even if He kills me, I will hope in Him" (13:15). The next day he questions whether there even is an afterlife: "When a man dies, will he come back to life?" (14:14). In one breath he accuses God of doing him wrong: "It is God who has wronged me... I call for help, but there is no justice" (19:6,7). In the next breath he rises to his greatest pinnacle of faith: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another" (19:25-27).

Don't misunderstand. I'm not justifying Job's inconsistencies nor his rashness. I'm simply saying this is real life. This is the way real people often handle real pain. I'm also saying that God is big enough to handle us in times like this, and that He won't abandon us. The proof is chapter 42.

But before God restores Job He confronts him (chapters 38-41). More precisely, He confronts his self-righteousness and spiritual pride. Job was a righteous man. The problem was, he knew it. Worse yet, he thought his righteousness was his own doing, and he was proud of it -- so proud that if given a chance, he'd tell God a thing or two. So God gave him the chance -- He showed up in the midst of Job's self-righteous babbling. Confronted with the resplendant holiness of God, Job saw a true picture of himself, and he changed his tune: "Surely I spoke things I did not understand ... now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes" (42:3,5,6).

Job's friends were not so wise. Instead of falling on their faces in repentance for all their foolish pontificating, they inwardly gloated that God was giving Job the thrashing he deserved. So God addressed them: "I am angry with you ... for you have not spoken the truth about Me, as my servant Job has" (42:7). By the time God was through with them they were on their faces before Job, begging him to pray for them! God has a marvelous way of leveling the playing field -- of settling the score. How faithful He is!

The story of Job turns out very well. So will your story, O follower of Jesus, though in the mean time you may experience pain and confusion. You can mitigate the confusion by losing your self-righteousness and humbly trusting yourself to God's faithfulness.

The guy in Ecclesiastes, while also painfully honest, is different from Job. But that's a story for another day.

A COVENANT WITH MY EYES

2010-08-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

"I have made a covenant with my eyes that I will not stare at a young woman." Job 31:1

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar business that is destroying countless lives. As a pastor I have counseled with too many men who have fallen into this trap. In a few cases I have stood by helplessly and watched the disintegration of a marriage -- and a life -- because of an addiction to porn.

Job was a wise man. At some point earlier in his life he had made up his mind that he would not be a victim to this waster. He had made "a covenant with his eyes." The eyes are a gateway into the heart. Proverbs tells us to guard your heart with all diligence, for out of your heart flow the issues of life. In other words, what I put into my heart is what will come out. I am a fool if I think I can drink poison and remain healthy.

Of course, Job was referring to more than just pornography (and believe me they had porn in his day, though to be sure, it was not as graphic as today). Job was also talking about the thing Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount -- that if you stare at a woman with lust in your heart, you commit adultery. But don't deceive yourself into thinking that looking at pornography is not the same thing, because it only involves pictures. The industry horribly exploits the women in those pictures.
Pornography turns women into objects and men into slaves. Pornography is an artificial stimulant. It creates unrealistic expectations in men that no normal woman could fulfill -- or would want to. As a result it ultimately leads to sexual dysfunction and potentially, to Hell. Pornography is one of the big lies in our culture today. It promises what it will never deliver.

My appeal today is to men. I encourage and challenge you to make a covenant with your eyes. Determine not to defile your heart with unwholesome images that war against your own soul. Refuse to give in to mental fantasies. Renounce any and every flirtation with sexual sin.

Here are a few simple steps that can help you win the battle against porn:

1. Decide that victory is possible, is essential, and is non-negotiable. Establish a "zero tolerance" attitude.
2. Set boundaries for yourself. Don't put yourself in situations that you know produce temptation.
3. Seek accountability with another man who has victory in this area of his life. This will require humility and vulnerability, but it pays off.

A long-term addiction to pornography will require more. It will require professional counseling. It will require fasting and prayer for deliverance. But deliverance is not only possible; deliverance is promised to every person who calls on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). As a pastor I have heard the testimonies of men once bound by pornography who now walk in freedom. So take hope and then take action. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

MOWING THE GRASS

2010-08-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

"The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping." Job 12:5

My brother-in-law Ron Denham is a man of few words, something rarely found in pastors. When my sister Kristy was dying with cancer, Ron went to see her and her husband, Milton. After a few minutes of just standing at her bedside, Ron slipped away. Moments later Milton heard the roar of a small engine coming from the yard. When he looked outside he saw Ron mowing their grass -- something Milton had not been able to do. Ron didn't offer words, he offered himself. He is a wise man.

Job's "miserable comforters" could learn a lesson from Ron. All they offered Job was words. And in the multitude of words, their goal shifted from trying to comfort Job to trying to straighten him out. As I mentioned in the previous post, in some cases, it is not Job speaking, but his pain. Emotional pain can be so intense that it demands expression. And when the expression comes forth, it brings with it all the anger and confusion it has been breeding down in the dark recesses of the soul. C.S. Lewis experienced this at the passing of his wife, Joy. This famous defender of the Faith struggled -- not only with his grief -- but with anger and deep inner conflict. For months he wandered in a "no man's land" of doubt, questioning the goodness of God. As our character Job will do, Lewis eventually emerged from his dark cave and wrote about his experience in the book, A Grief Observed.

The person who has never been through crushing loss and inconsolable grief has no window into the inner hell the sufferer experiences. Therefore, they find it easy to utter pious platitudes about life and God, and even look condescendingly on the sufferer as if they are somehow above such a fate. In their heart they may secretly accuse the sufferer of deserving what has happened -- that somehow he brought this trouble on himself. Our text speaks to this: "The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping." The person who has never experienced calamity cannot imagine it may one day come his way. He feels safe and secure -- as if his own feet are forever on firm ground.

In the case of Job's three "miserable comforters" the problem is, they just talk too much. Even though much of what they say is true, it's ill-timed. It's out of place. There is a time for philosophising about tragedy and loss, but not in the presence of tragedy and loss. Of course they mean well. They think they will help Job if they can just straighten out his warped thinking. But in his pain Job hears their endless philosophising as mockery. Their monologues fall on him like a sledge hammer crushing the one slight relief he has found for his pain -- the chance to ventilate. When Job just can't take it any longer, he retaliates: "How long will you torment me and crush me with words?" (19:2) "I have heard many things like these. You are all miserable comforters." (16:2) "If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom." (13:5) Finally, he almost begs them to just be quiet and let him ventilate: "Pay close attention to my words; let this be the consolation you offer. Bear with me while I speak. Then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking." (21:2,3)

When you go to someone in this kind of pain, be careful what you say. Better to say nothing than the wrong thing. After all, it is your presence, not your words, that are needed. Don't say things like, "I know how you feel." "They're better off." Don't offer reasons why it happened. Don't try to defend God's goodness. Saying and doing such things indicate that you underestimate their calamity -- you hold it in contempt -- as if it is so slight that it can be assuaged with your "wise" words.

Don't talk. Just be there. Pitch in and do something practical like mowing the grass.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO IS COMING

2010-08-23T05:39:00.000-07:00

"Then Job answered: 'If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it on a scale, it would outweigh the sand of the seas! That is why my words are rash.'" Job 6:1-3

The man Job was probably a contemporary of Abraham, who lived circa 2000 B.C. The book that bears his name is possibly the oldest book in the Bible, though its place in the canon is near the middle. The book is part of a genre of biblical literature known as Hebrew poetry. This genre also includes Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. (Which is why Job is placed in this part of the Bible.) Of its forty-two chapters, only the first two and the last are written in prose. The rest is poetry.

The message of this book counterbalances the message of Proverbs. In Proverbs we find the general "rule of thumb" that applies to life almost universally. That "rule" could be stated like this: "If you live right, things will go well for you. If you don't, they won't." The book of Job gives us the exception to the rule: Sometimes, even when you live right, things don't go well.

Job was a righteous man who enjoyed great prosperity and blessing. Suddenly, without warning and with no explanation, everything went in reverse. His losses were total and unimagineable. Yet his integrity before God shone through in his response -- he worshiped! He acknowledged that he started out with nothing, so if he ended up with nothing, well, "Praise the name of the Lord" (1:21). Then, just when he thought things couldn't get worse, he found himself afflicted from head to toe with painful, oozing boils. At this point his three best friends show up to offer their condolences. Their response to his suffering is appropriate -- at first. They sit with him and grieve with him in silence. But when Job opens his mouth and begins to ventilate his pain, his friends make a huge mistake. They get on his case for complaining; they preach to him about how just and righteous God is; and they accuse him of bringing his troubles on himself by some hidden sin. In essence their "encouragement" to him is, "You're guilty of some terrible sin. If you will just confess it, God will make everything better." Chapters three through forty-one comprise a series of debates along these lines -- Job ventilating his pain, his friends accusing him, and Job defending himself.

There are a number of life lessons in this book. Let me suggest a couple of them. First, when people are totally devastated by inconsolable grief, they may speak rashly. They say things they would never say under normal circumstances. The truth is, the person isn't speaking, his pain is. When Eliphaz corrects Job for speaking rashly, Job explains, "If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it on a scale, it would outweigh the sand of the seas! That is why my words are rash." In other words, "I'm crushed -- can't you give a guy a break?" The lesson here is, when people are hurting, let them ventilate, even if they say terrible things. Don't take it upon yourself to defend God's justice at such a time. Just listen and grieve with your friend.

Another lesson from Job: It's not over till it's over. Job's losses were total, but they were not final. There was another chapter yet to be written in the story of Job's life. Chapter forty-two is that chapter. In the midst of his grief and suffering Job could not have imagined a day when he would laugh again. But that day came. God restored everything he had lost -- twice over! His pain receded into history and his joy overwhelmed him. So, when you experience loss and devastation in your life, don't assume that will be the final chapter of your story. Remember the lesson of Job: "Chapter forty-two" is coming!

PRAYER & PROVIDENCE

2010-08-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

"The king inquired, 'What honor and special recognition have been given to Mordecai for this act?' The king's personal attendants replied, 'Nothing has been done for him.' The king asked, 'Who's in the court?' Now Haman was just entering the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him." Esther 6:3-4

Talk about timing. The wicked Haman is plotting to kill Mordecai the Jew, so he arrives early at the palace to secure royal approval for the execution. Meanwhile the king has had a sleepless night, during which he commanded that recent court annals be read to him. One episode especially catches the king's attention: A Jew named Mordecai had warned of an assassination plot against the king just in time to save his life. When the king learns that Mordecai was never rewarded, he wants counsel on how to adequately show his appreciation to this deserving man. Who should appear in his court, but his counselor Haman, the man who is about to ask for Mordecai's head. The story gets better. When the king asks Haman for advice on how to honor an especially deserving subject, Haman assumes he is the subject the king has in mind, and prescribes a truly royal treatment. How chagrined Haman is when he learns that Mordecai -- the man he hates -- is the honoree, and Haman is required to confer the honor. This marks the beginning of Haman's downfall and the rescue of the Jewish people from extermination. It was all a matter of timing -- perfect timing.

How did this miraculous timing happen? It happened because Queen Esther, the heroine in the story, took the time to seek God before taking action. When Mordecai informed her of Haman's plot to destroy her people, she didn't just rush into the king's presence with her appeal. Instead she set aside three days, calling God's people together to fast and pray. This time in prayer set in motion a series of providential events that would change the situation. When Esther did approach the king, she invited him and Haman to her apartment for lunch, where she finally exposed Haman and his wicked plot and sealed his fate. What seems to be delays on Esther's part were actually a prudent effort to secure God's providential timing.

Haman, on the other hand, did not make room in his world for God. He did not pray about his problems. He did not seek God's counsel for his situation. Instead, he took matters in his own hands, relying on his own cunning and the advice of his family and his cronies, all of which failed him in the end.

The simple lesson here is that when faced with a desperate situation, take time to seek God for His perfect will and timing. Include fasting. Your time and effort will not be wasted.

By the way, Esther is the only book in the Bible in which God is not mentioned -- not even once. Yet He is in it everywhere. His superintending hand, His divine guidance, and His providential protection are the themes.

SUBTLE VIOLENCE

2010-08-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

"The violence of the wicked sweeps them away because they refuse to act justly." Proverbs 21:7

If the verse above from Proverbs had said, "The violence of the wicked sweeps away the poor victims who cannot defend themselves" -- we would not be surprised. But it says something different. It says the violence of the wicked sweeps THEM away -- the wicked. Why? "Because they refuse to act justly."

Injustice cannot stand for long. Though at times it seems invincible and eternal, it will eventually fall. We have seen examples of this in recent years. The fall of Sadam Hussein -- that monster who decimated his own people and defied the world to do anything about it. For years we watched his defiant swagger. We heard his arrogant boasts. Then, one day, he was gone, along with his entire regime. "The violence of the wicked sweeps them away." Going back a little further, in the 1980s we saw the fall of the Iron Curtain and the dismantling of the Soviet Union -- "the Evil Empire" -- as Ronald Reagan called it. The Berlin Wall -- the symbol of Communist injustice -- literally came down, ending sixty years of violent atheism that oppressed millions. "The violence of the wicked sweeps them away."

Violence is not always overt. Sometimes it is much more subtle -- and pernicious. There is a violence that slowly eats away at our freedoms, robbing us of justice. The United States Supreme Court has engaged in that kind of violence over the past 60 years, so that today our public schools give our children condoms but prohibit Bibles. They teach them tolerance for every perverted, deviant way of life while demonstrating intolerance for Christian values. A recent ruling by a federal judge in California will likely rob us of the sacred institution of marriage and undo a 5,000-year-old institution. One man took it on himself to overturn the will of the majority. That's blatant tyrrany. (By the way, it scares me to consider what the Creator thinks about us tampering with something so sacred -- something He handed to us as a gift and said, "It's good, just like it is.")

Then there is economic violence. Some in Washington have blamed the current economic recession on the "fat cats" on Wall Street. The truth is, in the 1990s our Congress changed age-old, common-sense banking policies, forbidding mortgage companies from even checking the credit worthiness of individuals seeking home mortgages. Our federal government literally required banks to loan money to people knowing they could not afford to pay it back. The resulting economic "bubble" had to burst and when it did, it deflated the hard-earned equity of honest home-owners. Subtle economic violence. They may not hold a gun on you and take your money, but the result is the same.

But such injustice will not stand. It may last a long time -- fifty, sixty, a hundred years -- who knows? But sooner or later, "the violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to act justly."

CAN'T IMPROVE ON THIS

2010-08-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

Psalm 34

1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

2 My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Of David.

NIV

THE CATALYTIC GIFT

2010-08-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

"So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working." Nehemiah 4:6

When it comes to getting something done, leadership is the key. Bill Hybels calls leadership "the catalytic gift" because it calls forth and releases all the other gifts. The book of Nehemiah is a perfect example. "The people had the will to keep working" because Nehemiah kept challenging and encouraging them. Before Nehemiah showed up, they had no will to work. The wall was broken down and the city was littered with piles of rubble. There was no will to work. Their attitude was expressed in these poignant words:
"The strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble.
We will never be able to rebuild the wall" (verse 10).
Yet through the challenge and inspiration of Nehemiah all that changed, and rather quickly. Nehemiah was the catalyst. On the other hand, the job was far bigger than one man could do by himself.

In chapters three and four Nehemiah chronicled the names of the builders. It's rather tedious reading. But it's important because it shows the power of the combined efforts of many people working together to accomplish something. In this book Nehemiah leaves us a record of how the wall was rebuilt: Not by one man, but by teams of people, each with their special gifts. Note the individual talents of some of these people: "Uzziel...the goldsmith; Hananiah...the perfumer..." Nehemiah knew he couldn't do the work alone. It was a mammoth undertaking that required many people with a variety of talents. But somebody had to be the catalyst to call forth and release those talents. That's the job of the leader.

The gift of leadership can work through anyone. Some people, because of their temperament or personality, seem to be "born leaders." However, in actual fact, the people who get things done often don't have those traits. Take Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. Was there ever a more lack-luster, nerdy kind of guy? Yet he built an empire and changed the world -- literally! How? He saw a need and an opportunity and he decided to do something about it. He planned, he worked, he talked to other people, and he inspired them with his vision and passion. Together they got it done! Bill Gates would be the first to acknowledge that Microsoft is not a one-man-show, but a joint venture involving the talents of many diverse individuals. But somebody had to be the catalyst. Somebody had to call forth, inspire and release the talents of all those people.

What are you aware of that needs to be done? What need? What opportunity? What are you doing about it? This thing bugs you. It may be a problem at work. A huge need at church. A situation in your neighborhodd. You wonder why somebody doesn't DO SOMETHING! You may be that somebody. The situation is calling for leadership and you may be the leader. Think about it! And like Nehemiah, pray about it (see 1:4-11). Amazing things happen when the catalytic gift goes into action.

THE VOLATILITY OF SEXUAL SIN

2010-08-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

"Flee from sexual immorality! Every sin a person can commit is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18

Sexuality is something our Creator intentionally designed as part of our humanity from the very beginning. It was not an afterthought, and it was certainly not something associated with the Fall. From the moment God presented Eve to Adam in the quiet bowers of Eden, they enjoyed the pleasures of married love. The implications in Genesis 2:24-25 are unmistakable: "...a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame." Within the sacred confines of marriage sexual expression is one of God's greatest gifts, freighted with a number of benefits: procreation, pleasure, and bonding. Psychologists have discovered that when two people experience mutual sexual pleasure it leaves a physiological stamp on the brain that associates the partner with pleasure. In marriage this strengthens the bond between husband and wife.

But used in the wrong way, outside the bond of marriage, sexual expression is anything but beneficial. It is a volatile force that can wreak havoc: unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, guilt, shame, and deep resentment. When a woman gives herself to a man outside of marriage, instead of the warm afterglow of committed love, she is left with a sense of insecurity and emptiness.

You probably have heard someone say, "No sin is any worse than another," or "All sins are equal in God's sight." That sounds plausible, but it is biblically wrong. There are several passages in both the Old and New Testaments that indicate some sins are worse than others. In this passage in 1 Corinthians, Paul indicates that sexual sin carries a heavier price tag than other sins: "Every sin a person can commit is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body." Let me hasten to add, this does not mean sexual sin is more difficult for God to forgive. It may mean that it is more difficult for us to forgive ourselves.

Sexual sin stains deeply because it is a sin against our own body -- and it wars against our own souls (see 1 Peter 2:11). The reason this sin is so volatile is because our sexuality is tied so closely to our identity. The very first thing that was said about you when you were born was either "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" Our sexuality is a key part of who we are.This touches on the destructiveness of homosexuality, which Paul also mentions in this passage (see verse 9). All sexual sin, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is volatile. But homosexual sin strikes at the very heart of an individual's most basic identity and wreaks unbelievable damage.

But there is good news in this passage. Paul says no matter how bad the sin, no matter how deeply stained, God is ready to forgive and cleanse! "Some of you were like this [sexually immoral]; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (verse 11).

If sexual immorality is a problem in your life, turn to the Lord in full surrender. Ask for grace to thoroughly repent of and renounce the behavior. Re-direct your thought patterns to things wholesome and holy. If necessary, seek the counsel and support of someone walking in victory in this area. Determine that you will live by a "zero tolerance" rule regarding sexual sin. Purity is possible, it is essential, and it is powerful!

CULTURAL RELEVANCE

2010-08-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

"For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles." 1 Corinthians 1:22, 23

For quite a while a buzzword in church ministry has been "cultural relevance." Implicit in this term is the idea that the church must identify its "target audience" -- the people it wants to reach; then discover their needs, interests, and preferences; and finally, tailor its ministry to that. In other words, if the church expects lost people to give us a hearing, we must meet them where they are. Otherwise, we are irrelevant. Compounding this is the lightening speed at which our culture is changing. We are told that the church must stay on the cutting edge of that change or be shoved to the margins of society and ignored. Fact is, there is a lot of truth in that. Just as cross-cultural missionaries must learn to connect with the culture they seek to reach, American Christians must do the same within their own culture.

Yet, in the verses above Paul says his target audience thinks his message is irrelevant. To the Jews, the cross of Jesus is a stumblingblock, and to the Gentiles, it is foolishness. Sounds a little like 21st century American culture, doesn't it? Whether the pop culture, academia, the federal judiciary, the press, the entertainment industry -- they all consider the gospel foolishness and Jesus an embarrassment. Everywhere in our culture Christians are feeling the pressure to soften their stand; to keep their faith to themselves; to not mention the name Jesus. And if they do talk about him, above all, don't insist that he is the only "way, the truth, and the life." That idea is just irrelevant to today's enlightened culture.

But Paul was not about to change his message. He told the Corinthians: "When I came to you, I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (2:1,2).

Why was Paul so determined to keep preaching Jesus and His cross, even though so many considered it irrelevant? Because he knew it is the only message with the power to save: "to us who are being saved it is God's power" (1:18). He knew if he accommodated the fickle whims of his audience, he might get a hearing; he might even win them over; but in the end, he would not have helped them. Paul was convinced of what he would later write to the Romans: "The Gospel is the power of God for salvation for those who believe." Paul also knew that the power of the gospel is not dependent on the eloquence or ability of the messenger: "I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom" (2:3,4).

Be bold in standing for Jesus. Don't be ashamed of Him or embarrassed to bear His precious name on your lips. Be clear on His uniqueness as the only Savior -- the only hope for mankind. Magnify His cross, as Paul did. At that cross, and nowhere else, your hearers will find forgiveness, deliverance, and eternal life. And don't worry too much if you're not the most eloquent speaker. Neither was Paul.

One more thing. While we will not change our message in an attempt to be more relevant, we must be willing to change our methods. Methods are not sacred. When we revere our methods as much as our message, we err. Let's be relevant to our culture in the ways we present the gospel. Paul wholeheartedly believed in that kind of cultural relevance. Later in this same letter to the Corinthians he will say:

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. ... To those not having the law I became like one not having the law ... so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (9:20-22).

A DAY WITH GOD

2010-08-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

"God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9

God has not only called us from sin to salvation, and from selfishness to service; He has called us from loneliness into fellowship -- with Him!

Let me say it this way: Our God is a relational God! He doesn't just permit us to have fellowship with Him, He calls us into it! God wants relationship with us. God is the Initiator of relationship. That has always been the case, from the dawn of creation when He walked with Adam in the cool of the evening, to the Incarnation when He came seeking us, to the last words of the last book of the Bible where He bids us "come." God wants fellowship with us.

But He won't force it. He calls us. And He waits for our response. Patiently. He waits.

The Corinthians took a tangent from fellowship with Jesus. Other things became more important. Good things. Like spiritual gifts and spiritual leaders. They got their eyes off Jesus and on to Paul, or Peter, or Apollos. They were mesmerized with speaking in tongues -- as an end in itself, instead of a means to an end (fellowship!) The good became thief of the best. So at the outset of this letter Paul reminds the Corinthians of what salvation and serving God are really all about: fellowship.

When's the last time you spent a day with the Lord?

That question is not intended to put you on a guilt trip. In fact, I would expect you to be somewhat surprised by it: "Spend a day with God? I can't find time to spend an hour with Him? And even if I could what in the world would I do for a whole day?" Well, have you ever spent a day with your spouse or with a close friend? What did you do? You probably did something special, out-of-the-ordinary. And you probably didn't talk non-stop. You probably did something together that you both enjoyed.

I occasionally spend a day with Sandra. We may go to Charleston and walk through the old Market or along the Battery. Not long ago we visited a plantation house. Sandra loves the outlets, so we usually stop there for a while. We always try to sample a new restaurant. We just enjoy being together for a while, doing things we don't usually do, and without the pressures and stress of daily living.

A day with God is like that. Just go somewhere away from everything. If possible, plan to stay overnight. Take your Bible and your journal, a favorite devotional book, and maybe a hymnbook. (Leave behind your radio, your Ipod, your laptop.) Spend some time walking and enjoying the beauty of God's world. Feel free to comment to Him about it. Sing. Think. Listen. Then, break bread with Him: Sit down at His table for an unhurried time of fellowship, feasting on His Word. Talk with Him about what you read. Don't feel bad if you get sleepy and doze a little. He won't mind, and you will be amazed how refreshed you feel when you wake from your nap. And He will still be there, right at your side, just enjoying being near you, watching you as you sleep. Knowing that you love Him and want to be with Him is food to Him. You may find yourself telling Him again the things about your life that bother you. Feel free to use your prayer language -- copiously. It opens dialogue and enables you to hear His voice. Then just listen. He may have some things to whisper to your heart.

A day with God. There's nothing like it! I guarantee when you come back home you will feel like a new person. By the way, there are Christian retreat centers that can accommodate you at affordable rates, for a day with God. There is one in Rock Hill called the Oratorio and one in Greenville called the Anchorage and one in Moncks Corner called Mepkin Abbey. I can personally recommend Christmount in Black Mountain, NC. Also, some Roman Catholic monastaries welcome overnight guests for this very purpose. For a list of such retreat centers by state, go to FindtheDevine.com.

FRIENDS

2010-08-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

"Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquilla, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life." Romans 16:3

"Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them..."

These words, sung by Michael W. Smith, come to mind when I read Romans chapter sixteen. In this passage Paul greets twenty-six people by name, people with whom he has developed close friendships over the years. He also greets many others without calling their names. Additionally, he sends greetings to all of these from seven other close friends who are presently with him in Corinth, as he writes this letter.

Paul was not a "solo artist." He was a team player. Although a great apostle with a "heavenly vision" and a burning passion to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth, Paul understood the value of friends. He understood that he couldn't do the Lord's work in isolation. He might be "God's man of faith and power," but he needed others around him -- close to him -- who participated in and contributed to God's mission with him. He also cherished friends who labored in vineyards different from his own, and he validated their work.

Paul was intentional about this matter. He didn't leave it to chance that people would get close to him. He reached out to them, pulled them close, and even recruited some of them as helpers. Read the stories of how he got acquainted with Priscilla and Aquilla (Acts 18) and Timothy (Acts 16), and you will see that he initiated these friendships.

Yesterday I had lunch with one of my best friends. He also happens to be my associate pastor, Warren Parker, who works along with me in leading and caring for the flock at Trinity Church. Our conversation turned to this subject and he commented on the close relationships I enjoy with other ministers and the benefit he saw in that for me. I thought about some of them -- my brothers-in-law Ron Denham and Milton Dykes; my dear friend and now my pastor, Victor Smith; my "fathers" and mentors, Walter Dixon, Ed Blount, and Jack Sharpe; my "sons," Randy Knechtel, Roy Ingle and Brian Rivers; my prayer partner, Don Dillard. And I could also name many more who are not pastors, but have become life-long friends and encouragers, people without whom I couldn't have made it. Some of those are reading this post right now.

Then I looked at Warren and I told him how much it meant to me to have him working with me at Trinity -- to have someone in the same yoke, pulling the load in the same direction -- someone with wisdom and experience and passion for the work -- someone who is loyal. I told him that in the four years he has been on staff, I have sensed a greater peace in my own life -- a lightening of the load -- a greater joy in the work of the Lord.

There is no way to put an adequate value on friends. I can't imagine living without them and I sure can't imagine trying to serve God without them. Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent his disciples out two-by-two. The wise man Solomon said, "Two are better than one. For they have a good reward for their labor."

Be mindful of the true-blue friends in your life. Be loyal to them. Be intentional in developing those relationships. Take the time to communicate with them, to validate them, to tell them what they mean to you. And one more thing -- let them help you. Be open and transparent with them about things that bug you. We like to think the reason we don't do this is that we don't want to bother them. After all, they have enough problems of their own. The real reason may be our pride. We don't want to admit -- to them or to ourselves -- that we can't handle our own problems, that we need their help. Lose your foolish pride and let them help you. Paul allowed Priscilla and Aquila to "risk their own necks for his his life."
By the way, if you want a fascinating Bible study, get a good commentary and look up this passage. Learn something about the people behind some of these names -- people like "Epaenetus", "Andronicus and Junia", "Rufus and his mother", and "Erastus." A whole new world of insight will open before your eyes when you get to know some of Paul's friends.

TRANSFORMATION

2010-08-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

In my last post I discussed Romans 12:1 -- that classic verse calling Christians to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord. In the next verse, Paul tells us how to do that. Admittedly, it is not easy to be a living sacrifice. Let me rephrase that. It is not possible to be a living sacrifice -- at least not through our own strength. (Someone has said, "The Christian life is not difficult. It's impossible!")

So Paul gives us the key to living life as a sacrifice to God: Instead of conforming to the pattern of this world, allow yourself to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Let's take that in reverse and start with the renewing of our minds. When we consistently expose our minds to the Word of God, the ways of God begin to fill our minds, and they gradually push out the old conditioning toward sin that once occupied our thinking. This is a process called transformation. It doesn't happen overnight. But it is a very real process that eventually affects our attitudes, priorities, behavior, business, relationships -- in short, it changes us inside and out. Things that were once so important no longer matter that much, and vice versa. And it doesn't happen because we employ will power or go on a guilt trip. It happens because over a sustained period of time we have been washing our minds in the Word, meditating on it, memorizing it, thinking about what God thinks about.

Twenty minutes a day, meditating in the Bible, is transformative. It will change anyone's life. So I challenge you to take the dare and commit to a consistent exposure to God's Word. Read it with an open, hungry heart. Read it with a prayer that God will illumine your mind, that the Holy Spirit will be your Teacher. Nothing would please Him more!

One other thing. Being a living sacrifice doesn't sound like much fun. In fact, it sounds like vowing to be miserable for the rest of your life. Not at all. Not at all. Paul makes it crystal clear that when you choose to live this way through the renewing and transforming power of His Word and Spirit, "then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." In other words, your devotion to His will, will please God. And His good will, will please you! You will discover that living life God's way is the only way to live. It is good, pleasing, and perfect for you. It fits you like a glove.

THEREFORE

2010-07-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

When you see a "therefore" in Scripture, look to see what it's there for! In this case, Paul tells us what it's there for -- "in view of God's mercy." That has been his subject up to this point -- the mercy of God in Jesus Christ which has set us free from the law of sin and death, declared us righteous in His sight, imparted His Holy Spirit to indwell us, and promised us eternal life with Him! Now, in view of those mercies, Paul inserts a "therefore," which means, "In light of what I have just said, this is what is expected of you:"

First, you are to offer your bodies to God as living sacrifices. Your bodies. Amazing! Paul has just scaled the pinnacle of the most sublime theological truths ever revealed to man. Now, he gets down to the nitty gritty and says, "God wants your bodies." Not just your souls, not just your minds. He wants you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices -- holy and pleasing to Him.

There are Christians who have bought into the lie that as long as we give our hearts to the Lord it doesn't matter what we do with our bodies. Some even teach that bodily sins don't affect the spirit of a born again believer. That is not true. Our spirit, soul, and body are so closely intertwined that what affects one affects them all. In other scripture Paul says the same thing in slightly different words: "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" (2 Corinthians 7:1) It is true that holiness is not just about the body. It certainly involves the thoughts of our minds and the attitudes of our hearts. Jesus made that clear in the Sermon on the Mount. But holiness also includes what we do with our bodies.

We are living in a time when society openly condones and even encourages what once was considered immoral. For example, couples live together outside of wedlock and we think nothing of it. It is common to hear of the latest Hollywood "couple" deciding they will have a child together. The fact that they are not married is incidental. Then there are those who promote recreational sex as normal, and without the expectation that the couple should even love each other.

Contrast this with the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit."

God's ways are higher than man's ways, and He doesn't change His ways with the shifting sands of culture. Modern man (and post-modern man) may not like it, but God's moral law, as reflected in the Ten Commandments, is still binding. We break that law at our own peril.

But it is so hard to live pure in an impure world! True. That's why He calls it a "living sacrifice." It costs us big time to offer our bodies to Him. Yet every committed follower of Jesus will want to please Him and honor Him in our behavior. We will find no satisfaction in wrong things done in secret because we know His eyes see everything we do, and we don't want to wound His love. We will purify ourselves to please Him. And when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him, He will accept it as an act of worship! Spiritual worship! Amazing! God says that keeping our bodies pure is spiritual worship!

So, God bless those who are offering themselves, body, mind, and spirit, to God. Your daily life is a perpetual praise to the Living God! And it certainly defies the expectations of the worldlings around you.

In tomorrow's post -- Paul gives us the key to living pure in an impure world. Don't miss it!

ISRAEL

2010-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

"And so, all Israel will be saved..." Romans 11:26

Today I'm back in Romans. After establishing the fact that righteousness comes through faith (chapters 1-7), Paul rejoices in the role of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant believer: He is our Source for life and service. This is the subject of chapter eight. Paul concludes this wonderful chapter by exulting in the security believers enjoy in Christ: "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor principlalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Romans 8:38-39).

Chapter nine seems at first glance to be an abrupt change in subject, as Paul turns his attention to Israel. However, in chapters 9 through 11, Paul is answering a hypothetical objection: "If God has rejected Israel, His chosen people, how can Gentile believers be so sure He will not reject us." In other words, "Hasn't God's plan for Israel failed, and if so, are we really that secure in Christ, after all?"

Paul will show that it was not God who rejected Israel, but Israel who rejected God -- by rejecting the way of faith in their Messiah. Paul will also show that not all Israel rejected the Messiah. There is a faithful remnant, as there has always been, who have followed the Lord. In fact, God has always worked through a remnant.

But for the most part, Israel stumbled because she pursued righteousness through the works of the Law instead of through faith. In chapter 10 Paul explains the way of faith -- that it involves two things: heart belief and mouth confession: "That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). However, instead of believing in and confessing Him, Israel rejected Jesus. For that reason, God has rejected Israel -- but only temporarily, and with a redemptive purpose in mind: In His infinite wisdom and mercy God has used Israel's stumble as an "excuse" to save the Gentiles. If His own chosen people won't have Him, He will reach out to those who were not His people -- and they will! (Romans 10:19-21)

In chapter eleven Paul will show that Israel's rejection is not total, nor is it final. For one thing, even now there is a faithful remnant of Jews who believe in Jesus. Eventually, Israel as a nation will accept Jesus as her Messiah: "And so, all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26). This glorious "revival" will occur at the second coming of Christ when God says He "will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10). That day -- the day when Israel embraces Jesus as her Messiah -- is going to be so amazing, so extraordinary, that Paul describes it like this: "If their being rejected is world reconciliation, what will their acceptance mean, but life from the dead!" (Romans 11:15). Indeed, that event will usher in the Millenial Reign of Christ -- the utopia that mankind has longed for since the Fall.

Some Christian theologians hold to what is known as "replacement theology." This is the view that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan, and all the Old Testament promises for Israel's future now apply only to the church. In other words, Israel as a nation no longer figures at all in God's plan. In my opinion this view is absolutely wrong, especially in light of Romans 9 through 11. In these chapters Paul makes it clear that more is at stake than Israel's well-being. God's reputation is also at stake. If there is no future for Israel, it means God was not able to fulfill His sweeping promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If His mercies ran out for Israel, what confidence do we have in His mercies for us? In fact, all of this brings into question God's competence to be God -- does He even know what He is doing?

Such questions do no intimidate Paul. God has indeed kept His promises to Israel and He will keep His promises to us. Furthermore, His mercy is not diminished by Israel's failure, it is magnified! Rejoice with Paul as he concludes this section in a grand doxology to our glorious God: "For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?...For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11: 32-36)

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

2010-07-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9

This wonderful promise -- one my mother quoted often -- is actually part of a rebuke to King Asa by the prophet Hanani. Asa had enjoyed a long and prosperous reign over the southern kingdom of Judah. As a young king he had followed the Lord with all his heart, destroying idols and restoring the worship of the true and living God. He even removed his own grandmother from her position as Queen Mother because of her idolatrous ways. When confronted with overwhelming odds -- the million-man-army of Ethiopia and Libya --he looked to the Lord and God sent a miraculous deliverance. Unfortunately, in his latter years, Asa stopped depending on the Lord. Instead, he put his trust in man. Again confronted with a hostile army, this time Asa bought the help of a foreign, pagan king. This is the point at which the prophet Hanani rebuked him: "Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with very many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the Lord, He handed them over to you." Apparently Asa didn't learn from Hanani's rebuke, because shortly afterwards, when afflicted with a severe disease in his feet, "he didn't seek the Lord but the physicians" (v 12).

What happened to Asa? How could a man so wholely devoted to the Lord in his youth, who had seen such wonderful miracles and enjoyed such blessings, become hardened toward the Lord in later life? We don't know exactly. We do know his failure wasn't adultery and murder, like David's. We also know Asa didn't fall into idolatry, like his ancestor Solomon. He remained "orthodox" in his religious beliefs to the end of his life. Yet something happened that got him off track spiritually. Perhaps Asa became complacent. In his prosperity he no longer felt so dependent on the Lord. Prosperity, wonderful as it is, can cheat us out of greater blessings. Perhaps he was just the victim of spiritual drift -- the slow erosion of his relationship with God through simple neglect. One thing we do know, at some point in his life he stopped praying and seeking God (see 2 Chron 16:12). He stopped meditating in the Word. Proverbs speaks to this: "If you stop listening to instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge" (Proverbs 19:27). Asa stopped "listening" and as a result, he strayed.

Someone has said that the downfall of young men is pleasure; the downfall of middle-aged men is power; and the downfall of old men is pride and prejudice -- not prejudice in the racial sense, but in its original sense -- the tendency to pre-judge, to assume that we already know. Prejudice stops learning, like the man who said, "I don't need to read the Bible any more. I've already read it and I know what it says." Prejudice is a hardening of the spiritual arteries. It is a mind not only closed to new ways, it also neglects the old ways -- the good ways -- the ways Jeremiah spoke of: "This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'" (Jer 6:16). Prejudice neglects the old ways because in its pride it assumes it has already "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt!" As an old man Asa stopped asking, "Where is the good way?" He assumed he already knew.

To me, the story of Asa is like a caution light on the dashboard of my car. It makes me sit up and take notice. It warns me that I must never rest on my laurels, spiritually speaking. It reminds me that I must keep praying, keep meditating in the Word, keep seeking God. It says, "Stay hungry for God." It tells me to carve out time in my schedule to "be still and know that He is God," to listen for His voice, and to remain humbly dependent on Him in everything. If I will do that, then I can claim that wonderful promise in 2 Chronicles 16:9:

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His."

THE NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT

2010-07-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

"For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do." Romans 7:18,19

In my opinion the seventh chapter of Romans is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I have heard born again Christians apply this to themselves. They lament their tendency to sin, then excuse it as the plight of all Christians by quoting the verses above. "Why even Paul struggled with this," they say, "he even says so in Romans seven." What a sad mis-interpretation of scripture. Unfortunately, this interpretation is sometimes bolstered by well-meaning theologians and Bible scholars.

The fact is, even though Paul is speaking in the first person in Romans seven, he is not talking about himself, and he is not talking about born again believers. He is using a literary device that allows him momentarily to step into the shoes of another person -- in this case, the religious person attempting to serve God under the Law, but without the help of the Holy Spirit. In other words, Paul is describing the experience of the unconverted religious person who has not yet been born again.

The operative word in chapter seven is the personal pronoun "I" (the Greek word is ego.) Take a minute and count the number of times "I" appears in this one chapter. It will amaze you. Paul is telling us what "I" can do without the help of the Holy Spirit: "I" wants to do good, but "I" lacks the power to do it. "I" sometimes achieves a victory. But more often "I" experiences failure. "I (without the help of the Holy Spirit) do not do the good that I want to do..." The cause of this malady is the principle of sin that inhabits my flesh. Even though I know the Law and consent that it is good and spiritual, I live in flesh that is not spiritual. In fact my flesh is downright incorrigible -- "For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh."

Standing in the shoes of this miserable individual, Paul finally reaches a climax of misery and exclaims, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Then he steps out of those shoes and back into his own, and gives us this glorious answer: "I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord!" which introduces the subject of chapter eight: "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus because the principle of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the principle of sin and death."

If the operative word in chapter seven is "I", the operative word in chapter eight is "Spirit." In fact it appears no less than twenty times! The "I" unaided by the Spirit is doomed to a pattern of failure with occasional victories. But the "I" filled with the Holy Spirit experiences a pattern of victory with occasional failures. What a difference the Holy Spirit makes in a life! "Those whose lives are in the flesh are unable to please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (8:8,9).

The word "Spirit" occurs only once in chapter seven, in verse 6: "But now we have been released from the Law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the Law." This verse is actually a simple outline of chapters seven and eight. Chapter seven is about serving God under "the old letter of the Law." Chapter eight is about serving God "in the new way of the Spirit." As you read chapter eight, note the benefits of this "new way of the Spirit."

LIBERATING GRACE!

2010-07-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

"For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:14

To a casual reader the verse above might suggest that Paul got it backwards -- that he meant to say that sin will not rule over us because we are under law. Many have the idea that too much grace will lead to sin, or that the best way to restrain sin is to apply the Law.

But Paul was right on. The fact is, grace liberates from sin. We died with Christ and are no longer enslaved to sin's power. We were raised with Christ and now live under a new principle -- the Spirit of Life. Once we were chained to the old locomotive of sin that always pulled us in the wrong direction. Our pattern of life was sin. And the Law only made matters worse. The more we knew of the Law, the more we sinned. The harder we tried, the more we failed.

But when Christ came in He severed the chain that bound us to that old locomotive, and He connected us to a new engine -- the Spirit of Life (see 8:2). And He did it all by grace. Grace is more than mercy. Mercy withholds the judgment we deserve. Grace imparts blessings we don't derserve. Grace is far more than nice feelings that God enjoys toward us. Grace is His active impartation of divine power that enables us to live right: "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin's dominion over the body may be abolished so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin" (6:6)

However, this doesn't mean we give up our free will. We are not so bound to the new engine of grace that we can't commit sin if we choose to. Paul addresses this in 6:15: "What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!" We still have the power of choice. In fact, we must make the right choice every day! And the truth is, on occasion, we all have made the wrong choice. We still live in a physical body and that body sometimes desires things that are wrong. So we must learn to "just say no" to our own bodies. After all, under grace we have that ability: "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin..." (6:12, 13).

The problem with wrong choices is that they often lead to other wrong choices, and so on. Paul says that if we consistently make wrong choices we will find ourselves right back where we started -- enslaved to sin again -- chained to that old locomotive (see 6:16). And we won't like the destination that old locomotive is headed toward: death (see 6:16, 21).

So, as New Covenant Christians, living under the liberating power of grace, we have the ability and the responsibility to choose the way of grace -- the way of life. This is why we should pray daily, "Lead us so that we will not fall into temptation; deliver us from the evil one." In other words, "Thank you, Lord, for your grace that is at work in my life, leading me and empowering me to do right. Help me make choices today that cooperate with your liberating grace!"

In chapters eight and twelve Paul will tell us the secret of making grace choices. Meanwhile, he leaves us with the contrast between two ways of living: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (6:23)

ONE MAN

2010-07-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned." Romans 5:12

The doctrine of original sin comes from Romans chapter five. Paul says that sin and death entered the world through Adam and "spread to all men..." Interestingly, he adds: "...because all sinned." In other words, all men sinned in Adam. Because Adam is the federal head of the human race, his actions count for us and as us. When Adam sinned the entire human race was still in is loins. So, in a sense we all were complicit in his sin and are all guilty. We come into this world infected with sin. This is what David had in mind when he said, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Ps 51:5).

Furthermore, we have all confirmed our inbred sinfulness by commiting acts of sin (Romans 3:23). We sin because we are sinners (not the other way around). And sin is a terminal disease. All men sin. All men die. The death rate is 100%.

That's the bad news. The good news is God has sent a Second Adam. He is the Federal Head of a new race -- a new creation. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Those who trust in Him are included in Him so that what He did counts for us and as us. Just as we were in Adam through birth, we are in Christ through the new birth. His righteousness is ours. His life is ours. Because of what He did we are declared righteous and we are given eternal life.

Your sin was placed upon Him. Why not put your faith in Him, too? Trust Him. Believe His promise:

"So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. For just as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through one man's obedience the many will be made righteous...so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righeousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:18, 19, 21).

JUSTIFIED!

2010-07-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

"They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24

So far in Romans Paul has established that the whole world is guilty before God and furthermore, they are helpless to do anything about it. Even those who have God's Law -- the Jews -- can't be saved by observing it because the Law can't save. It only condemns us by showing us our sin.

Now that we are at the point of despair, Paul tells us that God never intended to save us by our observance of the Law. Instead, God has provided a Savior for us -- Jesus Christ. Not only salvation, but righteousness comes to us as a free gift through faith in Him. This becomes the sub-theme of Romans -- the righteousness of God that comes through faith and does not depend on the Law whatsoever: "But now, apart from the Law, God's righteousness has been revealed...that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe..." (Romans 3:21, 22). Another term Paul uses that says the same thing is "justification by faith." Justification is not just forgiveness. It is much more. Justification means "not guilty!"

So Paul takes pains to show that we are all guilty before God -- even those of us who try to do right. Then he shows that through faith in Christ we are "not guilty."

But among Paul's readers are Jews. He imagines them saying, "This righteousness by faith without the Law may be okay for Gentiles. After all, they've never had the Law. They don't know any better. But we Jews have been raised with the Law, steeped in it, all our lives. Surely we can't expect to be justified by faith. Surely God expects us to keep the Law!

So Paul proceeds to show the Jews that faith has always been God's way of justifying sinners -- not Law. And he will show them this by taking them into the Law! He will take them into the very Old Testament scriptures they so highly revere. In fact, he will take them to their most hallowed anscestor -- the father of the Jewish nation -- Abraham. Paul will show that Abraham himself, the "first Jew," was justified not by the Law, but by his faith.

And that is the subject of chapter four: "What then can we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?" (Romans 4:1). I invite you to read it for yourself and rejoice that God is a "grace and faith" God! Rejoice that in Christ you are justified!

NAKED

2010-07-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

"For no flesh will bejustified in His sight by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20

In the first two chapters of Romans the Apostle Paul has established the universal guilt of mankind. In chapter one he demonstrated that immoral pagans are guilty because they know about God through the created order, yet have rejected Him and His moral law. They are "without excuse" (1:20). In chapter two Paul demonstrated that moral and religious people -- even Jews -- are also guilty. Even though they have superior revelation from God -- the written Word -- "the Law" -- they don't obey it. They too are "without excuse" (2:1). Paul sums up his argument in chapter three: "both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin...so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God's judgment" (3:9,19). In other words, "All of you have broken God's law -- those who know the Law and those who don't -- and you're all guilty."

Then Paul makes a statement that on the surface, makes no sense: He says that no one can be justified by obeying the Law anyway! (3:20). Get the picture: He declares everyone guilty because they have violated God's law; then he tells them that even if they try to follow the Law, they won't be justified. What is he saying?

Our efforts to observe the Law won't justify us because we simply can't do it. On his own, man lacks the moral and spiritual power to obey God. So our best efforts will end in failure. We may get it right at one point, but we will fall flat on our faces at another. The only way the Law could save us is if we obeyed it perfectly.

Another reason there is no justification in keeping the Law is bound up in the meaning of the word justification. This word means more than forgiveness or pardon. It means "not guilty." So even if we started today and kept God's Law perfectly from now on, it doesn't have the power to atone for past sins and declare us "not guilty."

Bottom line -- the Law is powerless to save us, much less justify us in the sight of a holy God. So what good is the Law? Paul answers that question in the same verse: "for through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (3:20). Theologians call this verse a "purpose statement". It is one of only a handful of verses in Paul's writings that tell us the purpose of the Law: The Law makes us aware of our own sin. The Law doesn't save us, it condemns us! That's its job. Why? Because we can't be saved until we know we are sinners. The Law is like a huge mirror that God holds up to us allowing us to see ourselves as He sees us. The Law strips us naked and exposes our sin -- not so God can see it, and not so others can see it -- but so we can see it! The Law takes away our "blind spot" and forces us to admit that we have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

So the next time you are reading the Word of God and something jumps out and pierces you with guilt or makes you feel naked and exposed for what you really are, don't try to wiggle out of it and don't beat yourself up, either. Just say to yourself, "The Law is doing its job. It's showing me my sin." Then say to God, "Father, thank you for this mirror of your holy Word. I realize again that like every other human being, I have sinned and fallen short of your glorious standard. Thank you for the riches of your grace that abound to me in Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the Law for me. Through His blood I am forgiven and cleansed and through faith in Him I am justified in your sight -- no longer guilty! AMEN!"

WITHOUT EXCUSE

2010-07-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

"Therefore, anyone of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things." Romans 2:1

"Without Excuse" could be the title of this section of Romans (2:1-29). Remember Paul's purpose for this letter -- he is explaining the Gospel as he has preached it. Gospel means "good news." But before giving us the good news, he tells us the bad news. He begins with man's problem, which is the subject of today's reading. Like a prosecuting atorney, Paul is presenting evidence that the entire human race is guilty before God and without excuse. In chapter three he will offer his summation: "For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:9, 10).

In yesterday's post we discussed those who refuse to acknowledge God or His law and are turned over to a "worthless mind" to do things that are morally wrong. We might call these folks out-and-out "pagans." They are the subject of 1:18-32. No one questions their guilt before God.

Now, in chapter two, Paul turns his attention to another kind of sinner -- the "religious" sinner. This is the guy who despises the pagans and loves to point his finger and condemn them for their immorality. This guy was really enjoying Paul's diatribe against the pagans in chapter one. Imagine him standing at Paul's side saying, "Yeah, that's right, sic-um Paul! They're nothing but scum!" When suddenly, Paul turns to this religious guy and says, "You are also without excuse! You are also guilty! You are judging the pagans for what they do, and you're doing the same thing! Maybe you don't do it as overtly or patently, but you still do it -- in thought or word, if not in deed." Like Jesus told the Pharisees -- "You look good on the outside, like white-washed tombs. But inside you are full of rottenness."

So, in chapter two Paul demonstrates that just being religious doesn't make a person right with God; for example, the religious Jew who thinks that because he knows God's Law, he's okay. He's not like those lawless pagans. But Paul says knowing God's Law is no good if you don't keep it. And he will show in chapter three that no one keeps the Law -- not even the religious people. As evidence, Paul cites the Law itself (3:10-18). So he confronts the religious person with this inescapable truth: "You who boast in the Law ... dishonor God by breaking the Law" (2:23).

The point -- without Christ, we are all guilty before God. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of us. The pagan and the religious. All of us are under the sentence of death. All of us need a Savior. And the first step toward that Savior is to admit that you need Him.

A WORTHLESS MIND

2010-07-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

"And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong." Romans 1:28

In this verse the writer is describing mankind in general. Man has rejected God and His right to rule our lives. Man does not acknowledge God. As a result his mind is affected. His mind has become foolish -- worthless -- good for nothing.

Some act as if rejecting God only affects the religious department of our lives. Truth is, it affects every department -- because it affects our minds. They can't think right, and when you can't think right, you can't do right. The consequence of rejecting God is a series of bad choices that ultimately lead to destruction. So if you think you can jettison God from your life and still come out ok, think again. Augustine, in his famous prayer, said it like this: "You have made man for yourself, O Lord, and he cannot rest until he rests in you." How can we be so blind as to think we can make it without the One who made us?

In the 1930's the American Communist Party was outlawed in this country. With no where else to go they changed their tactics and infiltrated a major political party. They were already in high places in the media, the press, and academia -- especially Ivy League law schools, where they were influencing young lawyers, journalists, and up-and-coming politicians. It was only a matter of time before their anti-God dogma would trickle down into government policy. An example of this can be seen in the rulings of our Supreme Court, which for decades has been removing God from our public life. A brief review of the last 60 years is eye-opening:

1947 – First time the court cited the phrase “separation of church and state” from Jefferson’s letter and applied it to the First Amendment, ignoring all judicial precedents, which led the way for the Supreme Court to outlaw God from our public schools:
1962 - Declared prayer in public schools unconstitutional
1963 – Banned the Bible from public schools
1980 – Stripped the 10 Commandments from public schools
1985 – Declared moments of silence in public school unconstitutional, if students were encouraged to pray during such moments.
1992 – Prohibited members of clergy from praying at public school graduations
2000 – Banned prayer at public school football games
2005 – Pledge of Allegiance phrase “under God” in litigation

During this same time frame, while dismantling all references to God in public life, the Supreme Court has placed their blessing on immoral and perverse behavior, including abortion and homosexuality. Since "they didn't think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God has delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong."

The tragedy is, this won't just affect the religious and moral department of our national life. It will ultimately affect every department. Acting out of a "worthless mind" our leaders can't make good decisions about anything -- foreign policy, domestic policy, economic policy, military policy, etc. This situation would be bad enough in "good times." But given the crises we are facing -- economic recession, natural disasters, war on two fronts, threats of international terrorism -- we may be in for a rough ride, and without the comfort of being able to confide in our leaders. Personally, I don't trust the decisions of any politician whose policies and platform align with the anti-God movement in America. They couldn't make a good decision if our lives depended on it -- and they may!

So, what can we do about the situation? Well, first of all, we must make the Lord our refuge and not our government. We must put our trust in Him. Even the best government cannot be our ultimate refuge. The hymnwriter said, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!" In addition to trusting the Lord, let's keep God in our knowledge by staying in His Word, being faithful to church, spending time in prayer, training our children, witnessing to our co-workers, denying the flesh. Then our minds will be worthwhile, filled with good thoughts and able to make good choices. And let's keep praying for America and our political leaders, that God will open their eyes and restore their minds. There may still be hope for America, if God's people keep on trusting, obeying, and praying.

ROMANS - PAUL'S MAGNUM OPUS

2010-07-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Romans 1:16, 17

October, AD 56. Paul has arrived in the Greek city of Corinth after three years of fruitful but exhausting ministry in Ephesus. He is at the end of his third missionary journey and he decides to take a sabbatical and winter at Corinth. At last he has time to reflect on twenty years of ministry – ten of them as a missionary. Then he considers his future. He is looking forward to fulfilling a long-held dream – to visit Rome! He sits down to write the church in Rome and tell them of his desire to to visit them and of his plan to press on beyond them to Spain (see 1:10,11; 15:20-23). And so we have the Epistle to the Romans.

Paul also sees this letter as an opportunity to explain the gospel as he has preached it for the past twenty years. This undertaking becomes the main subject of the letter, a subject he introduces in chapter 1, verses 16 and 17, his thematic statement: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

"In the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed...that is by faith." If the theme of Romans is the Gospel, the heart of the Gospel is how sinful man can become righteous through faith. So "Justification by Faith" becomes Paul's primary subject in this letter.

Martin Luther described Romans as Paul's greatest work and the "purest Gospel."

The first half of the letter (chapters 1-8) is doctrinal: Paul explains man’s problem (sin) and God’s solution (Jesus). He discusses God's mercy toward man in sending Jesus to the cross. Chapter 8 is not only the half-way point, it is the high point. Here we have the key verse ("Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." -v1), then a description of the freedom we enjoy in Christ and the role of the Holy Spirit in that freedom. Paul then rises to a crescendo of faith in verses 38 and 39 -- the peak of a "mountain range" of God's mercies that are ours in Christ: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In chapters 9-11 Paul explains God’s ongoing interest in the nation of Israel and His mercy to her despite her rejection of the Messiah. In chapters 12-16 he addresses the practical side of Christian living -- our conduct: "In view of all these mercies, present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and don't be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds." (Romans 12:1,2).

Finally, Paul concludes the letter with personal greetings to a host of friends and relatives who have worked with him in Gospel ministry over the years (chapter 16). But don't dismiss this chapter as Paul's personal musings. It is indicative of a man who understood the value of relationships and treasured the people in his life -- especially God's people.

Enjoy the Epistle to the Romans. As you read it, ask the Lord to open your understanding and help you see things you have never seen before. May you come away from this letter with an overwhelming sense of the God's mercies and a greater assurance that because of those mercies, you are JUSTIFIED by FAITH in Christ!

SANCTIFIED BY FAITH

2010-07-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

"...to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18

When Jesus arrested Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, He not only called him to salvation, He called him to service. Right then and there He gave him his mission. Paul was to take the life-transforming message of Jesus to the Gentiles. Notice in the verse above what Jesus said happens to people when they place their faith in Him: 1) their eyes are opened; 2) they are turned from darkness to light; 3) they escape the power of Satan and experience the power of God; 4) their sins are forgiven; 5) they are given a place in God's family; and, 6) they are sanctified (which means "made holy, set apart for sacred use").

Take special note of the fact that Jesus said all of this happens "by faith in me." We are not saved by good works, nor by church membership nor water baptism -- nor anything else we can do. We are saved by faith in Him. Period. To put it another way, "Faith in Jesus plus nothing equals salvation!"

Yet faith in Jesus is more than mere head knowledge. It is the conviction that He is the crucified and resurrected Son of God and the only Savior. It is the solid confidence that His blood is sufficient to cleanse our sin. It is the firm assurance that He will secure us on Judgment Day. It is the living hope that we will see Him again and live with Him forever. It is unconditional surrender to His lordship. Yes, we are saved by faith, not by works. But saving faith is accompanied by works! In this very chapter of Acts, Paul tells us exactly what he preached to the Gentiles: "I preached ... to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance" (v20). Faith without repentance is not saving faith. Faith without turning to God is not saving faith. Faith that is not accompanied by good works is not saving faith. An associate of Martin Luther, the great reformer, was a man named Melancthon. He is credited with the saying, "We are saved by faith alone. But faith that saves is never alone."

But wait a minute -- don't get the cart before the horse and think that doing good works will evidence saving faith. On the other hand, realize that saving faith is not anemic "easy believism." It is the transformative power of God that He releases into our lives when we honestly and humbly acknowledge our sin and our desparate need, and throw ourselves on His mercy. Faith is the spark that ignites a quiet explosion within us, empowering us to do things we could never do in our own ability. Faith opens our eyes to the Light, rescues us from Satan's power, assures us that we are forgiven, transfers us into the body of Christ, and sets us apart to God.

"Father, release your saving faith into me. I want to turn from my selfish and sinful ways, and trust in your Son alone for my salvation and sanctification. Do for me what I cannot do for myself. Let me see your light. Set me free from Satan's power. Forgive my sins. Grant me a place among your children. And set me apart for your holy purpose until you come for me. In Jesus' name, through His shed blood, and for His sake, Amen."

MY TONGUE, MY LIFE, AND MY WIFE

2010-07-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

"Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." Proverbs 18:21, 22

The Bible says a lot about the way a person uses his tongue. This verse from Proverbs says the tongue holds the power of life and death and that we "eat its fruit." What does that mean? The previous verse explains it -- verse 20: "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is satisfied; he is filled with the product of his lips." In other words, it's not what I eat that satisfies me inwardly, it's what I say -- it's the way I speak. My words fill my life with either good things or bad things -- it all depends on how I use my tongue. One way or the other, I will "eat" the fruit of my lips. This is consistent with Jesus' statement in Matthew 15:18 that it's not what goes into your mouth that affects you, but what comes out.

"Those who love it will eat its fruit." What does that mean? It means two things: First, those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Proverbs 10:19 says "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." On a more positive note, it means that when you respect the power of your tongue, and use it carefully and wisely, you will reap the positive benefits.

I find it interesting that immediately following these verses about the tongue, is that classic statement about finding a wife: "A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." Might this suggest that the way you speak will affect your marriage? I think so. Marriage is a good thing - it is a God thing. God Himself said, "It is not good for a man to be alone." Those who forbid marriage miss the mark a million miles. In my opinion, and I say this respectfully, the Roman Catholic Church has suffered hugely because it forbids marriage to its priests. On the other hand, if you are fortunate enough to have a wife, mind the way you speak to her! Life and death are in the power of your tongue! With your mouth you can nourish her love or kill it. Either way, you will eat the fruit of your mouth! Dr. Jack Sharpe, my dear pastor and mentor, once told me about his wife, Meredith: "What's right with Meredith -- I make that my business -- and I tell her about it. What's wrong with Meredith -- I make that her business and God's." Good advice!

Of course, the same may be said for the way a wife speaks to her husband. If a husband's greatest need is to be respected, then a wife's greatest care should be the way she speaks to her husband. So much is conveyed by the tongue -- both the words said and the way in which they are said.

Let me end this post with a word from the Epistle of James: "So also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark." James 3:5

KICKING AGAINST THE GOADS

2010-07-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

"When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'" Acts 26:14

Have you ever been disappointed after witnessing to someone, when they rejected your efforts -- or worse, seemed unmoved and unconcerned? You aren't the only one who has experienced that. Sometimes I tend to think that the great men of the Bible always had great results in their preaching and witnessing. But that's not true. They often experienced the same disappointment we experience. The 26th chapter of Acts contains three different responses to the Gospel -- all of them disappointing.

First, there is the "persecutor" response. Saul of Tarsus reacted violently to the preaching of Stephen and consented to his death. Then he went on a rampage rounding up Christians everywhere, throwing them in jail or worse. There is a hint in Jesus' comment about the "goads" that many of these persecuted believers witnessed to Saul. A goad is a pointed stick used to prod oxen during plowing. The truth of the Gospel kept coming at Saul -- pricking his conscience, but he kicked against it the way an ox kicks against a goad. Old-fashioned conviction will cause people to react to the gospel -- and those who preach it -- with down-right meanness. We used to hear women with unsaved husbands testify that the more they prayed for their husbands the meaner they got. Conviction was goading them and they were kicking. Ultimately, Saul surrendered, though he had to be knocked off his high horse and blinded. Once humbled, he became a believer and an avid witness for Christ. Sometimes those who react the meanest to the gospel end up being apostles!

Then there is the "mocker" response. Governor Festus interrupts Paul's testimony by shouting, "You're out of your mind, Paul!" It seems to me we are seeing this response more and more. Our educational institutions have become anti-God, anti-Christ. Our government denies any role for God and faith in public life. The media has a hayday making fun of the gospel and those who carry it. So this spirit of mockery has trickled down into the minds of many ordinary people. When you try to talk to them about Christ, they look at you like you're crazy. But Paul was not intimidated by Festus, nor did he lose his cool. He simply replied, "I'm not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I'm speaking words of truth and good judgment." There is no evidence that Festus accepted the gospel, but Paul was faithful to stand up for the Lord. In this sense, Paul was a success.

Finally, there is the "undecided" response. When Paul asked for a response from King Agrippa the king replied, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" In other words, "I'm not ready to make a commitment. I'm unconvinced. I'm undecided." This may be the most disappointing response of all.

So what can we take from this chapter? Here's one thing: Our job is to witness for Christ, not to convert the lost. When we have faithfully shared the gospel and our testimony, we have done our job. Then we must leave the results with the individual and with God. At best, the seed we planted may germinate later and bring forth much fruit -- as in the case of Saul of Tarsus. At worst, it may be picked up by the birds. But if we have been faithful, God has been honored, and we will be rewarded.

One other thing. Remember that witnessing is a shared responsibility. Your witness may be one of many God will use to finally get through to an individual. Yet it is vitally important to the process. Billy Graham says, "The first person to witness to an individual thinks he did nothing. The last person to witness to him and actually lead him to Christ, thinks he did it all. Both are wrong."

So remain faithful in your witness for Christ and trust the results to God.

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

2010-07-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

"Jabez called out to the God of Israel: 'If only You would bless me, extend my border, let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain.'" 1 Chronicles 4:10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

The first few chapters of I Chronicles consist mainly of lengthy genealogies. When reading these I usually allow my eyes to scan the material. I don't read every word or try to pronounce every name. At the same time, I'm watching for any "gold nuggets" that might be lying here or there in the reading. Today I came accross one of those nuggets. It's known as "The Prayer of Jabez." A few years ago a man named Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book by that title which became a nation-wide best-seller.

Jabez is a man we know very little about. In fact, this is the only mention of him in the entire Bible, other than a cryptic reference in 1 Chronicles 2:55 to a village by the same name where the "clans of the scribes" lived. Some believe the village was named after this man because he became a godly scholar who inspired and mentored other students of the Word of God.

But let's take a look at what we are sure of. First, Jabez got his name because his mother either had a difficult pregnancy or delivery, or because of some tragic circumstances surrounding his birth: "His mother named him Jabez and said, 'I gave birth to him in pain'" (I Chronicles 4:9). The word "Jabez" sounds like the Hebrew word for "pain" or "sorrow." So to say the least, Jabez didn't have the best start in life. His very name was a constant reminder that he had been a source of pain and sorrow.

The second thing we know about Jabez is that his life turned out to be a contradiction to his name. "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers" (1 Chronicles 4:9). Furthermore, we are told why his life turned out so honorable: "Jabez called out to the God of Israel." Stop. A great lesson is hidden in these words. Jabez started out in life with a huge strike against him. But he chose to rise above it by praying about it. Jabez prayed! He didn't just bemoan his bad start, and he didn't consign himself to a miserable life. He prayed! He called out to God! His prayer evidenced his faith that there was a God, and that God would hear and answer -- IF he would pray! Here's the lesson: When you are troubled over something bad in your life, don't give in to despair. PRAY! Pray fervently, desparately, persistently -- but pray!

I fear that far too often, when confronted with serious problems or disappointments, we do everything but pray. We complain. We commiserate. We cop out on life. We let our problem serve as an excuse for living at a lower level than we should. We feel we have a right to be miserable -- and to make everyone around us miserable, too. After all, look at the hand we were dealt!

Maybe your mother died while giving birth to you and you are haunted by guilt. PRAY! Maybe you were orphaned as a baby and you know nothing about your parents, and now you feel inferior to your peers because of circumstances over which you had no control. PRAY! Maybe you know too much about your parents -- you were raised in a home where there was abuse or addiction or abject poverty. PRAY! Maybe you have a birth defect that mocks you every time you look in the mirror. PRAY! Maybe when you were younger you made a stupid choice that cost someone else their life. PRAY! Maybe your spouse deserted you for someone else and you feel reduced and worthless. PRAY!

Let's see what Jabez asked for in his prayer -- three specific things: 1) that God would bless him and extend his border -- that is, increase his influence for good; 2) that God's hand would be with him to keep him from harm -- that is, cover him with divine protection; and 3) that he would not cause pain. Jabez didn't want to ever again be the source of pain for anyone.

"And God granted his request." What a noble prayer. No wonder the Lord so graciously granted his request. God even did more for him than he requested: "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers." And God is the same today as then. He will be just as gracious to grant your request and mine -- IF WE WILL PRAY!

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

"I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men." Acts 24:16

A clear conscience is more valuable than gold. To know that your heart is right with God and man is a soft pillow for your head and a great sleep aid.

In his defense before the Roman governor Felix, Paul explains his reason for doing what is right -- he wants a clear conscience! He wants it so much that he works at it -- "I always do my best..." But being right with God is only half of Paul's concern. The other half is being right with his fellow man. And that's where the work comes in. Paul would not agree with those who say, "As long as I'm right with God it doesn't matter what people think." On the contrary, he admonishes, "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:17-18). In Paul's view, if he must go the extra mile to make things right with his fellow man, it is worth it.

Paul wants a clear conscience not only because it helps him sleep better, but because he believes in an ultimate reckoning with the Judge of all men. "I have hope in God...that there is going to be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous" (Acts 24:15). A healthy sense of coming judgment will keep us honest. The founders of our country observed that belief in God should be a prerequisite for public service. While they were tolerant of citizens who professed atheism, they did not believe they should hold elective office. The reason? They knew that if people believe in an after life, if they believe they will stand before a holy God and give an account of their lives, they will be more inclined to honesty in their public service. On the other hand, politicians who have no basic fear of God feel no moral obligation to do right.

Governor Felix was such a politician. He had a conflicted conscience. On the one hand he liked to hear Paul preach, and he even became convicted when Paul talked about "righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come" (Acts 24:25). But on the other hand, though convinced of Paul's innocence, Felix kept him in prison, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe for his freedom.

How is it with your conscience today? Are you right with God? Or are there unconfessed sins on your ledger? Are you right with your fellow man? Does someone have something against you that you have not done your best to clear up? Make the choice today to confess and forsake sin. Make the choice to go to the one you have offended and make things right -- even if you must go the extra mile. You will love the peace that comes when you can say, "I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men."

CHRONICLES

2010-07-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

As we launch into the two books called "Chronicles," I felt a few words of explanation might be helpful. The word "chronicle" means an orderly account of historical events. In this case, these two books cover the time of the kings of Israel and Judah, much like the two books of Kings we have just completed. So you will find many of the same stories you read in Kings. But there are some important differences.

The books of Kings were written at the time of the Exile, Chronicles after the return from the Exile. Kings were written from a human perspective, Chronicles from the divine (compare 1 Kings 14:20 & 2 Chron 13:20). Kings deal with Judah and Israel, Chronicles with Judah only. Kings is political and kingly, Chronicles ecclesiastical and priestly. Kings emphasizes the throne of earthy kings, Chronicles the earthly throne of the heavenly King.

I Chronicles begins with a series of genealogies going all the way back to Adam and continuing through the Exile. The actual story line begins in chapter 10 with the death of King Saul. According to the Jewish Talmud, Ezra the priest gathered and compiled these records which had been kept by earlier prophets such as Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.

Chronicles is a roller coaster ride, of sorts. It details the ups and downs of God's Chosen People, from the reign of David to the kingdom expansion and economic prosperity of Solomon to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. We will read the stories of good kings who revered the Lord and experienced His blessing. And we will read of bad kings who introduced or perpetuated idolatry and reaped the grave consequences. Overall, the trajectory of Chronicles is downward, and the sad conclusion contains one of the most heart-wrenching statements in the Bible, serving as a warning to every generation since:

"Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah." 2 Chronicles 36:14-21

But this sad account doesn't have to be repeated in every generation -- if we will learn the lesson of Chronicles and return to the Lord. The key verse of Chronicles offers us this hope: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

PRAISE HIM!

2010-07-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!" Psalm 150:6

As we come to the end of the book of Psalms we are forcefully reminded to praise the Lord. Praise is the first item on the agenda for the child of God. Praise is the highest priority of our day and the grandest occupation of our minds. Praise is powerful as a therapy for the soul. Praise dispells the darkness and brings the light. Praise hinders Hell and activates the hosts of Heaven on our behalf. Praise is and will forever be the preoccupation of Heaven. No wonder the psalmist repeats it over and over -- "praise Him!"

We are to praise the Lord because He is our Creator (Ps 148:5, 13) and our loving Savior (Ps 149:4). We are to praise Him for His "powerful acts" and "His abundant greatness." If we praise Him because of who He is and what He has done, we will never run out of something to praise Him for, because He is infinite in His greatness and goodness.

We are to praise the Lord with singing (Ps 149:1) and music (Ps 149:3). In fact, the word "Psalm" means "a song sung to the accompaniment of musical instruments." When we gather on Sunday for worship and the leader "strikes up the band" and calls on us to sing, he is calling us to engage in a thoroughly biblical practice, and we should participate with all our hearts! We are even told to praise the Lord with dancing (Ps 149:3). In other words, put your whole being into this business of praise! The Lord is your audience!

When Jimmy Carter was president he hosted the famous "Camp David Accord" -- peace talks between Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin. On Friday evening Begin and his entourage broke away from the talks to observe Sabbath worship to which they invited President and Mrs. Carter. Rosalyn Carter was impressed with the vigor and joy of Jewish worship and commented to Begin about it. Menachim Begin replied (and I paraphrase), "O, we must never come before our God with less than our best and highest praise."

That statement should also express the attitude of Christian believers. We must never come before our God with less than our best and highest praise! The psalmist says, "Let the godly celebrate in triumphal glory; let them shout for joy ... let the exaltation of God be in their mouths" (Ps 149:5,6). In other words, be vocal about it. Don't just think nice thoughts about God. Open your mouth and speak forth your praise! Verbal and vocal praise will defeat the devil. Verbal and vocal praise will change the atmosphere of your home! Praise should not be reserved for the worship service on Sunday. It should be a vital part of our daily life. The psalmist says God's people should even "shout for joy on their beds."

I don't know about you, but I recognize a deficiency in my praise. These closing psalms have encouraged me to speak forth my praise to the Lord throughout the day. And when I go to church again, I intend to really celebrate Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength! "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!"

"THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH"

2010-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

"Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a marauding band, so they threw the man into Elisha's tomb. When he touched Elisha's bones, the man revived and stood up!" 2 Kings 13:21

The ministries of Elijah and Elisha are without parallel among the Old Testament prophets. This dynamic duo experienced more miracles than all the other prophets put together. They didn't leave behind lengthy written prophecies as did Isaiah and Jeremiah, but they made a huge contribution to God's program during a chaotic time in Israel's history. They were men of action, not words. In fact, the ministry of Jesus would more closely resemble that of Elijah and Elisha than any other prophet, and John the Baptist, the Lord's forerunner, would minister "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).

Elijah was an amazing man. He boldly challenged the wicked King Ahab and his witch of a wife, Jezebel. His prayers shut up the heavens for three and a half years, and there was no rain. Then his prayers opened the heavens and rain came again. Elijah's prayer brought fire from heaven at Carmel in the sight of all Israel. His prayer raised a dead boy and parted the waters of the Jordan.

Yet, in the New Testament we are told that "Elijah was a man just like us...." (James 5:17). Despite the miracles that attended his ministry, he was thoroughly human. He had his foibles and weaknesses. Elijah experienced severe mood swings and suffered from depression. For example, the "revival" at Carmel, where the fire fell from heaven, was the highpoint of his ministry. But in the very next chapter we see Elijah at his lowest point: "Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life" (I Kings 19:3). In this episode Elijah would become so despondent he would pray to die. He would become so demoralized he would "resign" from the ministry (I Kings 19:10).

In some ways Elijah was a contradiction. A mighty man of faith and power -- a broken and defeated man. But aren't we all -- at times? The Apostle Paul says, "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). "Jars of clay" -- that about sums up what we are. Clay pots -- and some times, cracked pots! Yet God is pleased to place His treasure -- His "all surpassing power" in us, so that it may shine through the cracks!

The key to Elijah's effectiveness was the fact that despite his weaknesses, he prayed! "Elijah was a man just like us, yet he prayed earnestly..." (James 5:17). In other words, it wasn't Elijah who was powerful. It was his prayers. Here's the lesson we can learn from Elijah: you and I may not feel very powerful, we may be conscious of deficiencies in ourselves, but we can still pray powerful prayers!

One other factor that made Elijah effective -- he mentored younger leaders. When the time came for Elijah to go to Heaven, he left behind a school of prophets who carried on God's work. The leader of that school was Elijah's personal assistant, Elisha, whose ministry would excel beyond Elijah's! Elisha asked for a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit (2 Kings 2:9) and by the end of his life, he had performed exactly twice the number of miracles performed by Elijah, minus one. But there was so much of God's power in Elisha's life that even after his death, when a dead man came in contact with his bones, the dead man came back to life! (2 Kings 13:21) Elisha did indeed receive a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit. O for the "spirit and power of Elijah!" (Luke 1:17). O for praying mentors!

GRANDCHILDREN

2010-06-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

"But from eternity to eternity the Lord's faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep His covenant..." Psalm 103:17-18

Grandkids are everything I was told they would be, and more. They are so much fun! Our twin three-year-olds are visiting us from Florida, along with their parents (our daughter and son-in-law). We just got back from four days in the mountains where we had a blast doing things they enjoyed. One day we rode the Great Smoky Moutains Railroad from Bryson City to Dillsboro and back and toured the Lionel train museum. Another day we pic-nicked and swam at Lake Santeetlah. One night we built a fire in the firepit on the deck of the chalet and roasted marshmallows, then ate watermelon under the starry canopy of the night sky. The kids enjoyed it and so did the adults.

I hope this explains why I haven't posted much on this blog lately. Since we don't get to see our grandkids often, when they do come I usually immerse myself in them while I have the chance. And that leaves little time or energy for anything else. Our grandkids get up early -- usually while I am trying to read my Bible -- and they want pancakes -- right then! From that point until they go to bed at night it is non-stop attention to their needs and wants. I am a firm believer that the purpose of grandparents is to spoil the grandkids (that's a joke -- though in our case, it probably contains more truth than fiction.) Anyway, by the end of the day, I am exhausted and braindead and blogging is not an option. So now you know why you haven't seen much from me lately.

I have a friend who is a grandfather and he loves to quote the following little verse after a visit from his grandkids:
"I've seen the lights of Paris and I've seen the lights of Rome, but my favorite lights are the tail lights when they take the grandkids home."

If our grandkids lived in the same city with us, maybe I'd share that sentiment. But knowing they will be nine hours away makes it tough to see those "tail lights when they take the grandkids home." We bid farewell to them tomorrow.

With our kids and grandkids at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Bryson City, NC

TOXIC SPILL

2010-06-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

"Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends ... To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out." Proverbs 17:9, 14

If you have seen the news lately you are well aware of the tragic explosion of an off-shore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico that resulted in the deaths of eleven men and the worst oil spill in history. A recent news report said that at the current rate of flow, the Gulf spill is the equivalent of another "Exxon-Valdez" disaster happening every five days!

The verses above from Proverbs describe a different kind of toxic spill -- one that threatens relationships the way the oil spill threatens the Gulf. Profound wisdom is wrapped up in these little verses. If followed this wisdom will safeguard relationships. If ignored, strong relationships may be destroyed.

Imagine two friends discussing a mutual friend. In the discussion a critical remark is made about their mutual friend. If the friend who hears the remark keeps it to himself, he "conceals the offense" and little harm is done. The "spill" is contained. If, on the other hand, he goes to the mutual friend and "repeats the matter", it becomes a toxic spill with the power to "separate close friends." I have witnessed the disastrous effects of this kind of toxicity and it is not a pretty sight. Proverbs 18:19 says, "An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel." Such offense separates and isolates friend from friend, as if they are locked up in separate prisons. No wonder the wise man says, "stop the dispute before it breaks out," because "to start a conflict is to release a flood."

Why would a person repeat such a matter to the mutual friend? Usually there is a twin motive: jealousy and control. The "informant" wants to drive a wedge between the mutual friend and the friend who made the remark. The assumption is the mutual friend will see the "informant" as his loyal supporter and be drawn closer to him. The "informant" then feels he is in better control of the relationship. Such a motive is twisted and sinful. In a list of "seven things the Lord hates" one item on the list is "a man who stirs up dissension among brothers" Proverbs 6:16-19. God is serious about the importance of relationship.

But there is another way to "cover over an offense" (NIV translation of Proverbs 17:9). Suppose you are the mutual friend about whom the critical remark was made. Suppose the "informant" comes to you and repeats the remark. You have a choice. You can allow the remark to embitter you against the friend who made it -- thus perpetuating the flood of toxicity. Or, you can stop the spill right then and there by choosing to ignore the offense and forgive the offender. Agian, Proverbs offers us profound wisdom: "A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult" (Proverbs 12:16).

The truth of the matter is, at one time or another, in an ungarded moment we have all made a critical remark about a friend. Such remarks are not malicious. They may just be "observations" we would do better to keep to ourselves. But in a fallen world, such things happen. When you are the object of such a happening, remember your own failures in this regard, and be forgiving of your offender. Let your love flow over the offense. Follow Peter's advice: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). The right response will save the relationship and demonstrate your prudence.

CORNELIUS, THE FOREIGNER

2010-06-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

"God doesn't show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him." Acts 10: 34, 35

Cornelius was an Italian on assignment with the Roman government in Palestine. Although he was raised as a pagan, his exposure to Judaism convinced him of its moral and ethical superiority over paganism. Preferring the simplicity and beauty of monotheism, he embraced the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Cornelius was a "God-fearer" -- a term referring to Gentiles (foreigners) who had not fully converted to Judaism, yet worshiped the God of Israel. Cornelius was sincere and pious, praying daily and giving to the poor. Jews respected God-fearers, but didn't fully accept them as fellow believers. But God accepted him. In filling Cornelius with the Holy Spirit, God demonstrated that He fully accepted him and those like him -- even though they lacked the Jewish pedigree.

The story of Cornelius in Acts chapter ten is a pivotal moment in this book -- as are chapters two and thirteen. In chapter two the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus' disciples at the Jewish festival of Pentecost, birthing the Church. Ten years later, in chapter ten, a similar thing happens. Only this time the recipients are Gentiles. This is a watershed moment in the story of the Church. Prior to Acts chapter ten, the Church was Jewish. After Acts ten, the Church will become more and more Gentile. In Acts chapter thirteen, God will direct Paul and Barnabas to undertake a mission to carry the gospel to the Greco-Roman world, which will accelerate the conversion of Gentiles into the Church.

In the Cornelius story God is telling us that the Church is not to be an exclusive club for just one kind of people – the Jews. The Church is an inclusive community for all people – all races, cultures, nationalities, ethnicities and languages. Within three centuries after Pentecost, half the world's population would be Christian – some 30 million people. What began in Jerusalem as a sect of Judaism became a wonderfully diverse and spiritually powerful Church. This is God's ideal for His Church -- this is Christ's wish for His Bride -- not a monochrome, uniform body, but a diverse and unified Church!

Every generation of Christians must rediscover the significance of Acts chapter ten, because every generation of Christians tends to make the Church an exclusive club for "our kind of people." Some are tolerant of other kinds of people worshiping with them, yet make no effort to really get to know them and fellowship with them. They never visit in each other's homes. Even in multi-racial congregations I have observed that when they gather for food and fellowship people tend to sit with those of their own race and color. This is wrong. Paul rebuked Peter for this kind of thing (see Galatians 2:11-14). The Bible tells us that we are all members of the same Body -- that we are members "of one another" -- and we need each and every one (see 1 Corinthians 12).

John the Revelator gives us a snapshot of the crowd that will populate heaven. As you read the following verses, use your sanctified imagination to visualize what you are reading:

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb'" (Revelation 7:9-10).

Next time you are at church, look around for a brother or sister of a different race -- or maybe a "foreigner" -- and make a point to reach out to them. Look for opportunities to develop a closer relationship with them that goes beyond a Sunday morning service. As you get better acquainted with them, you will discover you have opened a treasure chest of rich blessings.

"JEROBOAM, WHO CAUSED ISRAEL TO SIN"

2010-06-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

"because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger." 1 Kings 15:30

As we have noted before, there are some sins that are especially offensive to the Lord and call for severe judgment. Jeroboam's sin is one of those. As you read the story of the divided kingdom in First and Second Kings, you will see this refrain repeated again and again: "Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin." It's as if God wants to underscore the disastrous nature of Jeroboam's sin.

Jeroboam was not in the royal family. God hand-picked this commoner to rule the ten northern tribes of Israel that rebelled against the house of Solomon. The division of the kingdom was God's punishment for the gross idolatry Solomon had introduced to Israel. Through the prophet Abijah, God told Jeroboam that He would establish him as king and give him a lasting dynasty -- if he would follow the Lord and not the ways of Solomon. But as soon as Jeroboam was crowned king he set up golden calves in the cities of Dan and Bethel and told his people to worship at these shrines instead of going to Jerusalem. The reason this sin was so heinous is that it led others into sin, hence the refrain, "Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin."

All sin is serious, but when a person's sin directly influences others to sin, it is far more serious. Jesus spoke of this kind of sin with grave overtones: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). People who are in a position to influence others must be more circumspect about the example they are setting. Pastors, politicians, parents, and others have a huge responsibility to model righteous behavior because others are following their cues. As we approach Father's Day this word should be a sober caution to dads: watch what you do because little eyes are also watching what you do.

Why did Jeroboam set up the idols? In one word -- fear. He was afraid the people of Israel would revert to King Rehoboam if they continued their pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem. To secure his power Jeroboam was willing to offend the God who placed him in power. Makes no sense, does it? But we can learn a lesson here. When God gives us something we need not fear losing it; nor must we resort to wrong behavior to hold on to it. Jealous husbands should take heed. Your irrational jealousy can squeeze the love right out of your marriage. Pray for your marriage, committing your wife into God's care. Maintain righteous behavior toward your wife and trust God to keep what you have committed to Him. Trust is a facet of love. The same goes for your job. Don't engage in rivalry with your co-workers and don't fear they will get your job. Trust the One who gave it to you and maintain righteous behavior toward them.

FOREIGNERS

2010-06-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

"...may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all the foreigner asks You for. Then all the people on earth will know Your name, to fear You as Your people Israel do..." 1 Kings 8:43

Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple is one of the most beautiful prayers in all the Bible. It is a prayer about prayer! Again and again Solomon entreats the Lord to hear the prayers of His people -- in all kinds of circumstances -- as they pray at or toward this temple. Solomon assumes people will pray.

In verse 41 Solomon expands his request to include the foreigner. He prays that even foreigners' prayers may be heard from this temple. Solomon's concern is missional in purpose: "Then all the people on earth will know Your name, to fear You as Your people Israel do..." This is one of the first hints in the Old Testament that God's concern goes beyond one nation (Israel) -- that God cares about people in every nation. Centuries later Isaiah will refer to this temple as "a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7). If you want an eye-opening experience look up the word "nations" in a concordance and see how many times Isaiah talks about God's missionary intent for the whole world to know Him. Israel was certainly God's chosen people, but not His only people! In fact the reason God chose Israel was to be His light to the other nations so they would want to know and worship Yahweh.

Unfortunately, by the time of Jesus, the people of Israel had lost this missionary vision. They had become religious bigots, proud of their pedigree as God's chosen people, despising Gentiles, even calling them "dogs." They made no effort to accomodate Gentiles at the temple. On the contrary, they put up dividing walls in the temple court with signs forbidding Gentiles on pain of death! In the "court of the Gentiles" they established shopping bazaars where the focus was not praying pilgrims but paying customers! Jesus burned with righteous indignation against this outrage and went on a holy rampage through the courtyard clearing all of this out of the way so Gentiles could pray (see Mark 11:17). Just before His ascension, Jesus instructed His Jewish disciples to take the good news of salvation to "all the world" (Mark 16:15) and "make disciples among all nations" (Matthew 28:19, 20).

Today the "mission field" is coming to us! America is being flooded with immigrants from all over the world. Since 1990, 30 million immigrants have crossed our borders -- many of them legal. These 30 million have produced 60 million children, which means that of our 300 million population, almost 1/3 are from a culture and language different from what we typically think of as "American." Meanwhile a public debate rages over the issue of illegal aliens and nobody seems to have the solution or the political clout to push their solution. This situation involves serious consequences economically and culturally for America, and we should pray that God will grant wisdom to our government leaders in addressing it.

Meanwhile, what are the implications of this situation for the Church -- the people of God? It is not my purpose in this post to debate the illegal alien issue. My purpose is to suggest that however foreigners have arrived in our country, Christians have a responsibility to shine the light of Christ's love to them. May the Lord open our eyes to see them as a mission field at our front door. May we think of America, not as exclusively our own, but as a place where foreigners may also come to know Jesus Christ.

Pray for immigrants. Show kindness to them when you encounter them. Invite them to church! Tell them your church is a "house of prayer for [people from] all nations." Let's love the foreigner for Jesus' sake!

CLASH OF CULTURES

2010-06-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

“In those days as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.” Acts 6:1

The idea that the early church was perfect is naïve, to say the least. Yet many people today expect the church to be perfect. Acts chapter six proves otherwise. In this chapter conflict occurs when two cultures clash with each other. Charges of discrimination are leveled. The conflict gets the attention of the apostles.

Two kinds of Jews comprised the Jerusalem church: Hebraic Jews (those who lived in Palestine) and Hellenistic Jews (those who had come to Jerusalem from all over the Greco-Roman world for the festival of Pentecost). After Pentecost many of the Hellenistic Jews remained in Jerusalem instead of returning to their homes. As the church began to multiply, problems arose in the benevolence ministry. Hellenistic Jews complained that their widows were being neglected. The apostles asked the people to select leaders who could oversee the benevolence ministry. Judging by their names, the leaders chosen were all Hellenistic Jews: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus. Interesting – Hellenistic Jews made the complaint, so the church appointed Hellenistic Jews to oversee the matter. What a beautiful example of fairness. The conflict was resolved.

Conflict is inevitable – even in the church. No matter how godly the people, there will be conflict. And conflict is not necessarily bad. In fact, when properly managed, conflict can be very good. Pastor Phil Edwards says conflict is like the tension on a guitar's strings. Without it there can be no music. How is conflict beneficial?

In the first place, conflict says that people care enough to have an opinion. Second, conflict can yield some positive fruit, like a better way of doing things -- again, when properly managed. In the case before us, the apostles properly managed the conflict and the positive result was the implementation of a new role in the church – the role of deacon. (Even though the term “deacon” doesn’t appear in the chapter, most scholars believe this chapter is the origin of the role.) The word comes from the Greek, diakonos, and literally means "servant" or "minister." The early deacons were essentially assistants to the apostles and elders (pastors). The appointment of deacons had a two-fold benefit: it not only solved the problem of discrimination in the benevolence ministry, it also freed the apostles to do what God called them to – prayer and the ministry of the Word. The ultimate result was a new spiritual harvest (see verse 7).

The world’s way of dealing with conflict is divide and go separate ways. People become victims of the “play my way, or I’ll take my marbles and go home” syndrome. When conflict results in permanent division, sin is always involved.

God’s way is best. It calls us higher. It calls us to rise above our selfishness and pettiness and see the bigger picture – the Kingdom of God and the salvation of the lost. How refreshing when people follow God’s way of handling conflict: 1) acknowledge the conflict; 2) deal with it openly and honestly; 3) bend over backwards to see your brother’s point of view; and 4) when possible, accommodate his concerns. The psalmist said it best: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers can live together!” (Psalm 133)

FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT...AGAIN!

2010-06-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

“Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said…” Acts 4:8
“When they had prayed…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.” Acts 4:31

Every time I have bought a new car the dealer delivered it with a full tank of gas. Driving that car off the lot was exhilarating. It seemed I could go forever on that first tank. But after driving a couple of hundred miles, the gauge told me I needed to re-fuel, and I understood. It was time for a stop at the gas pump.

That is a simple metaphor that illustrates our need to be filled and then refilled with the Holy Spirit -- again and again. The Bible verses form Acts chapter four which I quoted at the top of this post cite two instances of people being "filled with the Holy Spirit." But this was not the first time they were filled. The first time occurred at Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter two. So these instances in chapter four might be termed “re-fillings.” Speaking of the Holy Spirit, someone has said there is one baptism but many fillings. In other words, our initial reception of the Spirit – our “baptism in the Spirit” -- is not a final or terminal experience. On the contrary, it is a doorway into the dimension of the Spirit. It is the first of many fillings.

Paul had this in mind when he wrote to the Ephesians to “be [continually being] filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 – literal rendering). He understood that life and ministry tend to deplete our spiritual reservoir and we need to be replenished. But how do we get refueled with the Spirit?

The two instances in Acts chapter four are instructive. They suggest two ways for us to be refilled with the Spirit. Peter’s refilling came as he was engaged in ministry -- testifying of Jesus to the authorities. The other disciples were refilled as they sought the Lord in prayer. Both ways are essential to the Spirit-filled life. If all we do is pray and we never minister, we stagnate. If all we do is minister and we never pray, we eventually run out of fuel. The key is to do both. Prayer is like stopping at the gas pump. As we make time in our schedules for regular prayer, God is faithful to fill our tank from time to time. But if we are not using the fuel by reaching out to others in ministry, eventually the re-fillings will cease.

Recently our church put on an evangelistic drama called "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames." The cast and crew involved about 50 of our people. Night after night they "preached" the Gospel to hundreds of people through the medium of drama. They were definitely engaged in ministry. But one hour prior to the performances was devoted to prayer -- and how they prayed! As a result of this twin engagement of prayer and ministry, quite a few of our people were refilled with the Spirit. Several of them testified that the experience had changed their lives. Being filled and refilled with the Spirit is definitely life changing!

One other thought. In my study through the book of Acts, I have noted that when people are filled or re-filled with the Spirit, they speak! At Pentecost (ch 2), at Cornelius’ house (ch 10), and in Ephesus (ch 19), they spoke in tongues. When Peter was re-filled with the Spirit, his answer to the authorities was Spirit-inspired and Spirit-empowered (4:8-12). After the disciples were re-filled in the prayer meeting, they spoke God’s word with boldness (4:31). Peter told the authorities, “We are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Is it any wonder? Jesus said, “Out of the abundance (fullness) of the heart the mouth speaks!” If you’re struggling in your efforts to witness for Jesus, seek the Lord for a fresh re-filling of the Spirit. You won’t be able to contain the words.

BELIEVE AND LIVE

2010-06-03T01:32:00.000-07:00

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name." John 20:30, 31

Although it comes near the end of His gospel, these two verses comprise John's purpose statement. They tell us the organizing principle around which John writes as well as the purpose for which he writes. Jesus did many miracles that were witnessed by His disciples. But John selects seven of those to talk about in this little book: turning water into wine (ch. 2); healing the official's son (ch 4); healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (ch 5); feeding the 5,000 (ch 6); walking on water (ch 6); healing the man born blind (ch 9); and, raising Lazarus from the dead (ch 11).

John intentionally selects these seven miracles because they convey something he wants us to know about Jesus. He calls them "signs" because they point us to something. Some of these signs are the basis for key statements Jesus makes about Himself. For example, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus says, "I am the Bread of Life." As He heals the man born blind, Jesus announces that He is the "Light of the World." In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus claims He is "the Resurrection and the Life." John is showing us that Jesus was not all talk. He backed up His claims with power -- power that demonstrated the very thing He claimed. But His displays of power were not mere sensations in themselves. They were gracious and compassionate works aimed at relieving human suffering.

John says he has two purposes in mind for sharing these miracles: first, that the reader will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; second, that in believing the reader will find life through His name. The second purpose is the primary one. John is not merely seeking to tabulate more "believers" for the cause. He wants to bring people to eternal life, and he knows that faith in Jesus is the path to that life: "by believing you may have life in His name." Belief is not an end in itself; it is the means to the end -- Life! God does not ask us to believe in Jesus in order to satisfy some defenciency in His self-worth. He does not need our belief. He asks us to believe so that we might LIVE. Belief and Life are twin themes John uses repeatedly throughout his gospel. Jesus is the Source of LIFE (John 1:4). He is the way, the truth and the LIFE (John 14:6). He came that we might have LIFE and have it in abundance (John 10:10).

Someone has well said that Jesus did not come to make bad men good but to make dead men live. Life in Jesus is not just bios -- biological life. Nor is it just unending days in Heaven someday. It is zoe -- a quality of living that begins the moment we believe -- the moment we place our complete faith, trust, and hope in Jesus -- in who He is and in what He did for us in His death and resurrection. We receive this life "in His name" -- through His character and authority. His very name becomes precious to us. We cherish His name because He is our LIFE. Why not pause right now and thank Him for giving His life so that you can experience LIFE in His name! Hallelujah!

OFFENSE & BETRAYAL

2010-06-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

"So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel." 2 Samuel 15:6

One of the hardest things any of us will ever bear is betrayal by a trusted friend. In our Bible reading of late we have seen two cases of betrayal -- perhaps the most well-known in all of history -- Absalom's betrayal of David and Judas' betrayal of Jesus. David describes his personal experience with betrayal in the words of Psalm 55:

"For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng." (Psalm 55:12-14)

In each of these cases the betrayal followed an offense or a perceived offense. David's son Amnon had raped his half-sister, Tamar. Tamar's brother, Absolam, was enraged over the incident. When David did nothing to punish Amnon, Absolam's rage exploded into violence. After killing Amnon, Absolam fled from his father. Even though his father eventually invited him back to the kingdom, their relationship was never the same. Absolam took offense over David's behavior and his offense grew into full betrayal.

Judas' offense occurred when Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. Three of the Gospels record this story. In each one we are told the disciples were indignant over this "waste". John's version specifically mentions Judas as the one who voiced this offense (John 12:4) and in Matthew's account, the betrayal occurs immediately following the incident (Matthew 26:14). It is impossible not to draw the conclusion that Jesus' stinging rebuke to Judas (John 12:7) was the tipping point that sent him over the edge toward betraying his master.

There is danger in taking offense. John Bevere calls offense "the bait of Satan." In his book by that title he describes how Satan baits his trap with offenses or perceived offenses. When the Christian goes for the bait, the trap is sprung and the Christian gets caught up in something he never would have thought possible. Sometimes he is caught in his own trap of betrayal. That was the case with both Absolam and Judas. Each was caught in his own trap.

It is a terrible thing to be betrayed. It is a worse thing to be the betrayer. Remember the link between offense and betrayal and beware of taking offense. Grow up in your walk with the Lord to the point where you just refuse to take offense -- even if someone offers it.

The three-fold secret to refusing offense is 1) feeding on the Word 2) staying full of the Holy Spirit, and 3) being quick to forgive. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165)

FRESH FROM THE E.R.

2010-05-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything for the last couple of days. I have spent the last two nights in the E.R. with lower abdominal pain. This thing hit me suddenly Saturday afternoon about 2 PM -- acute pain that wouldn't let up. After twelve hours of suffering I finally went to the E.R. where they did a battery of tests that all came back negative. By the time we left the E.R. Sunday morning (6 AM) I was feeling well enough to go to church. But Sunday afternoon at 4 PM the pain came back with a vengeance this time accompanied with nausea and vomiting. Back to the E.R. where we spent the next 8 hours doing more tests, still with no positive answers. I'm home now, resting, feeling better but still not up to par.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me. Please continue praying until this thing totally clears. I will keep you posted on my progress through this blog, facebook and email.

AN IDLE MIND & THE PERFECT CRIME

2010-05-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

"In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel...but David remained in Jerusalem." 2 Samuel 11:1

The eleventh chapter of 2 Samuel is one I wish were not in the Bible. But God does not whitewash his heros. His Word tells the whole story -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. One familiar with David cannot read this chapter without a heavy heart. It is the story of David's shameful adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah. How could a man who has walked with the Lord with such integrity plummet into such moral darkness?

David set himself up for failure. From the scripture quoted above we discern a subtle change in David. Previously he has been at the battlefront with his soldiers, fighting the Lord's enemies, taking territory God intended for Israel. Now, well established in his fortress capital, Jerusalem, he is at ease in his palace and sees no need to involve himself in the Lord's battles. He will delegate it to others and make it easy on himself. Someone has well said, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." In his liesure David quickly becomes bored and hungry for excitement. An evening walk on his upper-story terrace yields a feast for his eyes -- his neighbor, Bathsheba, bathing in her courtyard.

Up to this point no sin has occurred. Had David done what Joseph did when faced with a similar temptation, he would have come away unscathed. Joseph ran! David "inquired." He went for the bait and the trap was sprung. (If only we could realize that what looks like eye candy is really the bait in Satan's trap.) Bathsheba is pregnant and David is caught in a dilemma. To cover his sin David summons Uriah from the battle and sends him to Bathsheba. A night of pleasure with his wife will make Uriah think the baby is his and everything will be fine. But Uriah has such patriotic integrity that he will not indulge himself while his comrades are on the battlefield. So David sends Uriah back to the front carrying his own death warrant. That David could stoop this low is mind-boggling: to send a good man -- a loyal man -- to his death in order to cover up David's sordid business. But people will do surprising things when they see no other way out of a trap, and then manage their consciences with a little rationalization: "After all, I'm the king. Kings are entitled to things ordinary people aren't. It's my kingdom and Bathsheba and Uriah are my subjects -- so let them serve my needs." Do you detect a smidgen of pride in those sentiments?

The plot works. Uriah is killed and his widow becomes David's wife. The baby is born. And no one is the wiser. It was "the perfect crime." Unbelievably, David seems to feel good about the whole matter. Sin deceives, and it deceives no one more than the sinner. There is one thing David had not considered: "The thing David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Sam 11:27).

The way God confronts David is classic. Nathan the prophet tells David about an incident that occurred in his kingdom involving terrible injustice. David is furious and calls for the perpetrator's death. Nathan looks David square in the eye and utters those immortal words: "You are the man." The truth falls on David like a sledghammer, and for the first time he sees his sin for what it really is. He is mortified and collapses under guilt and remorse, confessing, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:13). David will spend seasons of time in brokenness and repentance. One of these prayers is preserved for us in Psalm 51. The depth and genuineness of his repentance is seen in the acknowledgement that his sin was really against the Lord: "Against you -- you alone -- I have sinned and done this evil in your sight..." (Psalm 51:4). Yes, he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah. But in sinning against them he had "despised the command of the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:9). God was deeply offended that David would despise Him, and David is heartbroken that he has wounded his Lord. God forgives David, but while forgiveness washes away the sin, it does not remove sin's immediate consequences. Nathan tells David that because of this sin, trouble will come to his household -- trouble that will never go away.

Prepare yourself for more heartache as you read the next few chapters of 2 Samuel. You will see the awful consequences of David's sin. As we read let's be reminded that though "there is pleasure in sin for a season,"that fleeting sinful pleasure carries a high price tag.

UZZAH AND P.K.'s

2010-05-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

"When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God." 2 Samuel 6:6-7

Another difficult passage presents itself in this account of David's attempt to move the Ark of the Covenant from the home of Abinadab to Jerusalem. Excitedly David has the Ark loaded on an oxcart and begins the festive procession. However, when the oxen stumble and the Ark is jostled, one of Abinadab's sons grabs the Ark to keep it from falling. Suddenly the fire of God bursts out against Uzzah and he falls dead on the spot. David is shocked, angry and terrified all at the same time, and calls the whole thing off.

At first reading it seems God is in the wrong here. Why would He strike a man dead for trying to steady the Ark? Come, let's reason together.

First, David is at fault. There is no mention in the text that David sought the Lord about this move. Second, David did not consult the Torah -- the Law of Moses -- about how to handle the Ark. Had he done so, he would have learned two things: the Ark is to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites, using the poles -- not placed on a cart. Second, no one is permitted to touch the Ark. The clearly prescribed penalty for doing so is death (see Numbers 4:15). The lesson here is that God must be reverenced and His work must be done in His way. David or his High Priest should have instructed the people and set perimeters around the Ark to prevent the very thing that happened. Instead, they handled the Ark with a careless disregard for God's Word on the matter.

God is a God of love and mercy, but He insists on being reverenced. He is serious about His Word being obeyed. After all, His Word and His character are inseparably linked. To disregard one is to disregard the other. Often in His mercy God overlooks careless and unthinking acts on the part of His people. There are rare occasions, however, when He acts decisively against such. The Bible Exposition Commentary provides the following note on this matter:

"At the beginning of new eras in biblical history, God sometimes manifested His power in judgment to remind the people that one thing had not changed: God's people must obey God's Word. After the tabernacle was erected and the priestly ministry inaugurated, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for willfully trying to enter the sanctuary (Lev 10). When Israel entered the land of Canaan and began to conquer the land, God had Achan executed for disobeying the law and taking loot from Jericho (Josh 6-7). During the early days of the New Testament church, Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to God and His people (Acts 5). Here, at the start of David's reign in Jerusalem, God reminded His people that they were not to imitate the other nations when they served Him, for all they needed to know was in His Word."

Did Uzzah go to Heaven? Yes, I believe he did. In my opinion, his unthinking act cost him his life but not his soul.

Uzzah's act, though well-intentioned, was presumptious. It demonstrated an unhealthy familiarity with the things of God. Uzzah is the son of Abinadab, in whose house the Ark had been kept. He had grown up with the Ark in his house. We might speculate that Uzzah had become so accustomed to being around the Ark that he took it somewhat for granted. The holy and the sacred were trivialized as mere religious objects -- objects that required his care -- objects that he could control. He lost the sense of awe that Jehovah God dwelt upon the mercy seat and was perfectly capable of taking care of Himself.

Bill Gothard has drawn a parallel between Uzzah and PK's (preacher's kids). He observes a similar tendency that sometimes occurs in those who grow up around the "holy things." We saw this in the two sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12). A "preacher's kid" can be over-exposed to the church and lose the fear of the Lord. Unwise pastors make their children privy to all the inner-workings of the church through too much talk. Sometimes church members hold the pastor's kids to a higher standard, which creates a breeding ground for resentment. When church people misbehave pastor's children can be wounded. As a result PK's can grow up with an over-familiarity toward the things of God and lose their sense of reverence.

Thank God this doesn't always happen. There are many PK's who grow up as committed disciples of Jesus, following in the footsteps of their pastor-parents. But the danger is there. So pray for PK's. Pray that God will make Himself real in their experience. Pray that they will come to know an intimate but awe-filled relationship with the God who loves them. Pray for pastors to be wise in the way they relate to their own children.

PSALM 119

2010-05-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Ps 119:105

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and one of the most unusual in terms of its structure. In my earlier years I assumed that because the Bible was inspired by God it all flowed spontaneously from the heart of the writer to his pen, without involving his "head," and certainly with no preconceived arrangement. I have since learned that many parts of the Bible were carefully structured by the human author, which in no way diminishes its divine inspiration. Psalm 119 is one of those carefully structured "poems." Here's what Adam Clarke's Commentary has to say about that structure:

"This is another of the alphabetical or acrostic Psalms. It is divided into twenty-two parts, answering to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Every part is divided into eight verses; and each verse begins with that letter of the alphabet which forms the title of the part, e.g.: The eight first verses have the Hebrew letter 'aleph' (a) prefixed, the second eight verses have 'beth' (b), each beginning with that Hebrew letter; and so on of the rest."

Psalm 119 is a prayer. The psalmist is exulting over the blessings and benefits of the Word of God. All 176 verses speak about the Word, using various terms like "Law", "Commands", "Statutes", "Judgments", "Truth" -- but all referring to the Word of God. You will recognize some of these verses:

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." v9

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." v11

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." v18

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." v130

"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble." v165

But the psalmist makes no claim that he has perfectly followed God's law -- wonderful as it is. In fact he begins the psalm with this wistful prayer: "If only my ways were committed to keeping your statutes!" (v5); and he ends it with this plea: "I wander like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commands" (v 176).

Let me suggest that you read portions of this psalm aloud -- as your own prayer to God. I think you will discover new reasons to continue your journaling journey in the Word.

ENCOURAGE YOURSELF! (IN THE LORD!)

2010-05-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." 1 Samuel 30:6

This is perhaps the darkest moment in David's life up to this point. For years he has been on the run -- a fugitive, alienated from his homeland, and hunted by a maniacal ruler. Now, his own loyal followers are talking about stoning him. He had led them to join the battle between the Philistines and the Israelis only to be rejected by their comrades and sent home in humiliation. Upon returning they found their village destroyed and their families kidnapped by Amalekite marauders. Exhaustion, grief, and anger overwhelm them and they look for somebody to blame. As their leader, David is the most visible target. He should have left some of the warriors behind to protect their families. What kind of a leader is he anyway -- leaving their wives and children defenseless? To compound this dire situation, David has his share of grief too. His own wives and children are among the captives. As the text says, "David was greatly distressed."

What do you do when you are "greatly distressed" -- when everything is going wrong -- when the people who once sang your praises now call for your blood? And you really can't conjur a defense against their accusations, because they are probably right. You dropped the ball. It's your fault and there's no way to dodge that reality.

The Bible says David "encouraged himself in the Lord His God." What does that mean? I believe in the midst of the commotion, David slipped away to a solitary place and prayed. He poured out his heart to the Lord. He reminded himself of the many times the Lord had intervened to save him and he dared to believe and confess his belief that God would be faithful in this situation, too. As he prayed, courage began to form within him. His watery weakness turned into solid strength. Another translation says, "David found strength in the Lord his God." (I wouldn't be surprised if one of our Psalms was forged in this crucible.) Furthermore, a plan began to formulate in his mind and resolve in his spirit: He would pursue the enemy! He would not roll over and play dead! When he enquired of the Lord, God confirmed that he should indeed pursue. He gathered his men and inspired them with the new strength he had found "in the Lord his God." And they turned tragedy into triumph.

Recently I made a decision that seemingly went bad. At first I panicked. I was "greatly distressed." My mind raced this way and that, trying to figure out a remedy. My wife spoke wisdom into that panic. She said, "Don't do anything suddenly. Wait on the Lord and see what He will do." I heard the "still, small voice" of the Spirit in those words. Peace came to my heart. We joined hands and prayed. Later in a quiet, solitary place, I poured out my heart to the Lord about the matter. As I did, I sensed His reassuring presence. I felt Him saying, "Your decision was a good decision. You made it sincerely believing it was the right thing to do. Now stand by it." With that word came new strength, vision and direction. I had encouraged myself in the Lord.

The test of leadership is finding strength when you feel very weak and afraid. Every leader, at one time or another, has been to Ziklag. Every leader has found himself like David -- "greatly distressed." At such times the temptation is to cower in fear and surrender to the problems. But if you know the Source of strength, and you tap that Source in prayer, you can then channel the strength to those who follow.

Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. When everything goes wrong don't give in to panic. Be still and know that He is God. Pour out your heart to Him. Confess your trust in Him. Quote His promises. And do all of this out loud! No silent praying at this point. Find a place where you can "encourage yourself in the Lord!"

SAMUEL'S "GHOST" & THE WITCH OF ENDOR

2010-05-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!" The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground." "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground." 1 Sam 28:12-14

Ghosts and witches -- the subject of campfire stories and Halloween. So what in the world are they doing right here in God's holy Word? To be sure, this Bible story is one of those problem passages that scholars grapple with and speculate about. Was the apparition really Samuel, coming back from the dead? Was it a demon spirit impersonating Samuel? Was it a clever trick perpetrated by the palm reader? All of those ideas have been suggested. But let's start at the beginning.

In his earlier reign King Saul had banished all spiritualists and mediums from Israel in obedience to the explicit commands of the Law of Moses (see Ex 22:18; Lev 19:31; 20:6; Deut 18:9-13). Clearly God does not want His people consulting occultic mediums. He wants them to seek Him for the answers to life's riddles. However, Saul has long since apostacized from the faith and no longer hears from God. Now, in desparation over a looming battle with the Philistines, he decides to consult a well-known medium at Endor who somehow survived his previous purge. Disguising himself he asks her to conjur the spirit of Samuel. When Samuel comes forth, the medium screams in fear, Samuel remonstrates with Saul for disturbing him, and pronounces Saul's doom.

So what is happening here? Some say this was a demon spirit impersonating Samuel. We know that the power behind mediums and witches is demonic. Or was this just a hoax perpetrated by the medium? It is a well-documented fact that mediums and palm readers resort to trickery to convince their paying clients. Others say, whatever it was it couldn't have been Samuel. As Bible-believing Christians, we know the dead don't come back, and besides, "there's no such thing as ghosts!"

Well it's true that the dead don't come back. That's the rule. But every rule has its exception, and in my opinion this is the exception. This apparition was not a hoax because the medium screamed in horror at the unexpected sight of this "ghost" rising from the ground. Personally, I believe God intervened in this "seance" and brought Samuel back for one last confrontation with Saul. It wasn't the medium who called him up, it was God. And because He's God He can do as He deems best, even if His action doesn't fit our theological framework. We all need to make room in our theology for God to color outside the lines on occasion. A similar exception comes to mind -- when Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matthew 17).

Let's just be sure we keep the exception exceptional. The danger comes when we try to make the exception the rule. As far as I know these two cases -- I Samuel 28 and Matthew 17 -- are the only cases in the Bible where the dead come back. And in one of these no medium is involved and Moses and Elijah speak only with Jesus -- not the observers.

Seances that profess to communicate with the dead are a hoax and have been from ancient times when necromancers used ventriloquism to trick their clients. Ample documentation is available that modern mediums use fraudulant means to manipulate their clients and keep them paying.

So let's allow the Scripture to speak without squeezing it into our theological box, but let's be careful not to use such passages as justification to replicate them today.

WHO SINNED?

2010-05-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

"As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples questioned Him: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:1,2

In my last post I discussed the matter of cultural understandings (more accurately, mis-understandings) and how they flavored the perceptions of people in Bible days (as they continue to do in every generation. Everyone, to some extent, is affected by his culture). The focal issue in that post was the phrase, "an evil spirit from the Lord" (I Samuel 16:14). That phrase is an example of how the cultural understandings in ancient Israel colored their conversation.

In John 9 we have another example of this. When the disciples see this blind man, and learn that he has been afflicted from birth, they see an opportunity to finally get an answer to a long-held theological question: "Whose sin caused this affliction -- his own or his parents?" The very question betrays the mis-information prevalent in the Jewish culture of that day. Let's consider the fallacies in the disciples' thinking:

First, the question assumes the cause of the affliction was sin. This is one more facet of "fatalism" -- the false notion that everything bad is caused by God as punishment for someone's sin. This idea is not all that remote from our own culture. A number of years ago a young widow asked me if her late husband's death might have been God's punishment for something she had done wrong. Of course, I assured her that was not the case. Why would God kill him if she was the culprit? Why would God afflict an innocent newborn with blindness because his parents committed sin? Such a notion impugns the character of God. But these questions are indicative of serious misconceptions that lie just below the surface of our conscious minds. Then, when tragedy strikes, those misconceptions rise suddenly and cruelly to the surface with their accusing voices.

Second, the disciples' question assumes the pre-existence of the soul. If the man's blindness was punishment for his own sin, and he was born blind, he must have sinned before he was born! Allow me to quote from Adam Clarke's Commentary:

"The doctrine of the transmigration of souls appears to have been an article in the creed of the Pharisees, and it was pretty general both among the Greeks and the Asiatics. The Pythagoreans believed the souls of men were sent into other bodies for the punishment of some sin which they had committed in a pre-existent state. This seems to have been the foundation of the disciples' question to our Lord. Did this man sin in a pre-existent state, that he is punished in this body with blindness?... Most of the Asiatic nations have believed in the doctrine of transmigration. The Hindus still hold it; and profess to tell precisely the sin which the person committed in another body, by the afflictions which he endures in this. ... For instance, they say the headache is a punishment for having, in a former state, spoken irreverently to father or mother. Madness is a punishment for having been disobedient to father or mother or to one's spiritual guide."

My point in sharing this is that as we go through life, we all pick up wrong ideas. Everything from off-hand comments our parents make ("Be good so Jesus will love you") to doctrinal errors taught by the church ("purgatory") to ideas that come from our culture ("God helps those who help themselves"). The fact that we belong to the Lord doesn't automatically remove these false notions from our psyche. The disciples had walked with Jesus for three years, but still had lots of wrong ideas floating in their minds. However, they did the right thing in asking Jesus for understanding. His word corrected their thinking and it will correct ours. "The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:130)

That's one more reason why we need a daily "bath" in the Word of God. "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds..." (Romans 12:2).

"AN EVIL SPIRIT FROM THE LORD"

2010-05-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

"Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord began to torment him..." I Samuel 16:14

One of our fellow journalers emailed me about this verse, wanting to know how it is possible that "an evil spirit" could come "from the Lord." I answered her via return email, but in our reading today this phrase is mentioned again, multiple times, so I thought others might have a similar question.

This is a tough passage to interpret and after checking several commentaries I can tell you that there are various opinions about Saul’s “evil spirit from the Lord.” Here are a few:

1 – This was a demon that God allowed to afflict Saul because of his rebellion. When a person willfully and defiantly disobeys God, he walks out from under God's protective favor and exposes himself to anything the devil sends.

2 – This was a mental illness like depression or morbid anxiety that gripped Saul.

3 – It was some of both.

“From the Lord” is a figure of speech not to be taken literally but to be understood as God permitting an evil spirit to torment Saul. When holy men of old wrote the Bible they used idioms of speech that were familiar to them, but don't quite come through for us in the translation. We use idioms in the English language all the time. For example, we speak of the sun "coming up" or the sun "setting." We all know that the sun does not literally "come up" or "set." In reality, the earth is turning. So, are we being untruthful to use the idiom? No, of course not. We all understand what we mean. But if the idiom were translated for people who speak a different language, it might seem a little odd to them. So part of this issue is the inevitable problem with the translation process.

Then there is the issue of cultural understandings. The men who wrote the Bible were immersed in a particular culture -- as all of us are -- and they spoke out of their cultural understandings. Just because they were men of God doesn't mean they were lifted out of their culture and injected with omniscience. They were simply men limited by their own frame of reference, and they spoke accordingly. There was a sentiment in the East (and it is still there today) called “fatalism”. Essentially, it is the belief that everything that happens is the will of God (the Muslims today say, “It is the will of Allah.”) So, when things go wrong, some Easterners think God is ultimately behind it -- perhaps even causing it.

Remember in the book of Ruth when Naomi returned from Moab and told her friends the “Almighty” had afflicted her and made her life bitter? That was the cultural understanding of the day. I think Naomi knew in her heart that God didn’t cause the misery, but she used the terminology that was in place. The same thing may be in play here. If we could talk to Samuel about this he would probably say, "I know God didn't literally send the evil spirit, but that was the cultural idiom of the day, just like you modern Americans talk about the sun "coming up."

One important factor in this sad story is that God still loved Saul, even though He had rejected him as king. God loved Saul so much that He anointed David with the Holy Spirit to play and sing so that the presence of God filled the room and drove the evil spirit away. I can imagine David singing some of the songs we know today as "Psalms." Imagine David softly strumming his guitar and singing the lyrics, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...Though I walk through the dark valley, I will not fear..." As David played and sang, the sweet Spirit of God caressed Saul's tormented soul and brought soothing relief. Potentially, Saul could have been totally delivered and healed under such "therapy."

But Saul would not repent. He rejected the overtures of the Spirit and listened instead to his own tormenting paranoia -- "David is out to steal the kingdom from you!" Saul not only listened, he acted. Again and again he tried to kill David. When he missed with his own spear, he sent his agents to do the job. That is nothing less than premeditated determination to murder this young man who had ministered so loyally and lovingly to him.

What if instead, Saul had humbled himself under God's mighty hand. What if he had said, "God, even if I can't have the kingdom, I still want You. Please forgive me and restore me to fellowship with You. Then do what You will with the kingdom. If you want David on the throne, I will not stand in the way." But Saul was narcissistic (self-absorbed). In his mind the kingdom was not the "kingdom of God" but the "kingdom of Saul" and he was determined nobody would take it from him. Not even God. He set his will to defy the will and purpose of God and that is a prescription for insanity. Saul is another classic case of a charismatic leader without character. His story serves as a warning to us all.

DAVID

2010-05-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.'" I Samuel 16:7

In today's reading we have the beginning of a transition between two kings and two kingdoms. God rejects Saul and chooses David.

Saul was a major disappointment both to Samuel and to God. A powerful specimen of masculinity and stature, Saul was a natural leader. He stood head and shoulders above any other man in Israel. At first Saul was humbled by his appointment as king. However, as the years rolled by and he chalked up one military victory after another, Saul gradually lost his humble dependence on the Lord. He became impressed with himself. He started to believe his own press. Self-love always breeds the fear of man, which was Saul's downfall: "I have sinned. I transgressed the Lord's command and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them" (I Samuel 15:24).

David was the opposite of Saul in so many ways. He was not noticed for his stature and bearing, nor for his status. He was the youngest of Jesse's sons -- consigned to the job nobody wanted -- watching smelly, noisy sheep, day after day, in the miserable heat of the Judean hills. In other ways, David turned out to be very much like Saul. He had weaknesses and on occasions he gave into them, committing gross sins and even rebelling against the clear instructions of God's word.

So what was it God saw in David that He didn't see in Saul? Samuel tells us. He said of David, "The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people..." (I Samuel 13:14). "A man after God's own heart." What a statement! God looked into Saul's heart and saw selfish ambition and callous disregard for the Lord. God looked into David's heart and saw a yearning for God and His righteousness. When Saul sinned and was confronted by the prophet he made excuses (1 Samuel 15:20,21). When David sinned and was confronted he instantly repented (2 Samuel 12:13). God can work with a man like that.

David is a pivotal figure in the Bible and in salvation history. God will not only make him king, He will promise him an everlasting dynasty through the coming Messiah who will be called "the son of David." Through David God will further establish the Kingdom of Israel and expand its borders all the way to the Euphrates. The story of David is one of the most thrilling and fascinating in the whole Bible. Get ready for an interesting ride!

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

2010-05-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

"Samuel said to Saul, 'You have been foolish. You have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord your God would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure.'" I Samuel 13:13,14

King Saul was worried and impatient. Samuel had not arrived at the battlefront to offer the sacrifice. The enemy forces were assembling and Saul's army was deserting. He needed to engage the enemy quickly, before more of his troops left; but he couldn't go into battle without seeking God's favor. So he presumed to offer the sacrifice himself. Immeditately Samuel arrived on the scene and rebuked the king for his presumption. Samuel also decreed that this presumptious act signaled the beginning of the king's downfall.

What was so bad about Saul offering the sacrifice? After all, he was the king -- and the Lord's anointed king at that! Why wouldn't God be pleased for Saul to offer such an expression of worship to Him?

The answer lies in the fact that God intended a separation of powers and roles for those in leadership. There were basically three offices in ancient Israel: Prophet, Priest and King. It seems that various individuals were allowed to fill one or two of those offices but not all three simultaneously. Saul was God's chosen king, and he was also a prophet of sorts, by virtue of his charismatic experience after Samuel anointed him (see 1 Samuel 10:9-11). However, God was not pleased that Saul now took upon himself the role of priest as well. His presumption would ultimately cost him the kingdom. A later king will make the same mistake Saul made, and will also suffer grave consequences (read about King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:16-21). God knows that the centralization of power into one individual or one entity has disastrous results. Power is heavy and no single human being can handle it all. As someone has well observed, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

We might conclude from this that God wants a "separation of church and state." In other words, He has establised two institutions that stand side-by-side, each fulfilling its own role: the Church and the State. God does not want the church intruding into the arena of civil government nor does he want the government intruding into the arena of the church. I am not saying that individual Christians should not be involved in government. On the contrary, godly people must serve in government if we want our nation to prosper (see Proverbs 28:12). But God doesn't want the Church as an institution to usurp the role of government. In other words, in the present age it is not the role of the Church to rule the nation. The Church is to stand at the side of government, as a prophetic voice -- as the conscience of the nation. And the government is to stand at the side of the Church to protect the innocent and avenge the victim. Each is to respect and protect the role of the other. When the Church presumes to run the government or the government presumes to run the church, it spells trouble.

The founding fathers of our nation were, for the most part, godly men, well versed in the Bible. They understood this principle and implemented a system that would separate the powers -- executive, legistlative and judicial. The resulting checks and balances would prevent the centralization of authority into one office or individual. They also determined there would be no official "state church," such as in the mother country. People would be free to worship (or not) according to the dictates of their own consciences. But the framers also put in place a provision that would allow the Church to operate freely without interference from the government. That provision is called "the first amendment," and it says, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

In the last fifty years we have seen the misuse and abuse of that amendment. It has been redefined to mean that God has no place in our public life -- something the framers never intended. In the opening session of the United States Senate psalms were read and prayers were offered invoking God's blessing on the new government. When George Washington took the oath of office he added the words, "So help me God!" When Thomas Jefferson was president he attended worship services in the United States Capitol building! Today, by contrast, school children cannot pray or read the Bible and it is illegal to post the Ten Commandments in school classrooms. Like King Saul the government is presuming to control the worship of Almighty God. No wonder our country is in trouble on so many fronts.

There is another principle at work in this story. God assigns certain roles to individuals. When we presume to go beyond our assigned role, we are in water over our heads. I have seen deacons presume to run the church -- trying to tell the pastor what to do and how to do it. I have seen pastors go beyond their assigned sphere of spiritual leadership and get involved in secular business pursuits. Such actions will not prosper.

There is only One who can handle absolute power -- only One who occupies all three offices of Prophet, Priest and King: Jesus!

WHEN GOD NEEDS A MAN

2010-05-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

"I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord." I Samuel 1:27, 28

Someone has said that when the Lord needs a man He first finds a woman. How often that is true! We saw it in the case of Moses and Samson and Jesus. Now we see the principle at work in the case of Samuel.

God needs a man. Israel is backslidden and her leaders, Hophni and Phinehas, are apostate and immoral, committing sins "very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt" (1 Sam 2:17). Their father, the high priest, will not remove them or even restrain them. Furthermore, there is no prophetic vision -- no "word from the Lord." Clearly, God needs a man.

Enter Hannah. This good woman has a need of her own -- she is barren. (How often God uses people who are aware of their own great need!) Even though her husband, Elkanah, is kind to her, Hannah has a rival who insults and taunts her constantly. Finally, she can bear it no more, so she goes to the Tabernacle in Shiloh and pours her heart out in prayer. She vows that if God will give her a son, she will give him back to the Lord. God hears her and graciously answers. Samuel is born. Hannah has her child and God has His man.

Samuel will play a vital role in the history of Israel. He is the transition between the judges and the kings. He is the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. He will select and anoint the first two kings of Israel. He also fulfills the role of priest in the wake of Eli's dismal failure. His godly leadership and powerful prayers will lead Israel out of "the dark ages" of idolatry.

From the start Samuel has a tender heart toward God. The story of God calling him after he lies down at night, and his innocence in thinking it is Eli's voice, is a favorite many of us learned in Sunday School. From that early call Samuel will grow "in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men" (2:26). It will be said of him that "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground" (3:19).

All of this because of one godly mother! Samuel's success as a prophet of the Lord didn't come because of Eli. We have seen the fruit of his leadership -- Hophni and Phinehas. No, Samuel was the product of a loving mother who taught him at her knee to love the Lord. The Bible says she kept him until she "weaned him." According to Hebrew custom he would have been three to five years old at this point. (I believe he was at least five.) During those early years I am sure Hannah often told him the story of his birth, of her vow to God, and of his destiny to be a servant of God. Without doubt she also taught him the Word of God and she introduced him to the prophetic work of the Spirit through her own prayer life. See her prophetic "prayer" in I Samuel 2:1-10 -- which is reminiscent of Mary's prophetic "Magnificat" in Luke 1:46-55. Through Hannah's influence Samuel would develop a powerful prayer life of his own (see 1 Sam 7:5, 8-9; 12:23).

There is no way to fully appreciate the value of mothers in the economy of God. The Apostle Paul saw the effects of a godly mother and grandmother in his apprentice, Timothy: "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also" (2 Tim 1:5). Timothy's mother and grandmother not only lived the Word, they taught Timothy the Word:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:14-17)

O for more mothers like Lois and Eunice and Hannah! How much we need them in these dark days! The power of a mother is fabled: "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world!"

Mother, don't leave the spiritual instruction of your children to the Church and please don't let the TV be their tutor. Teach them at your own knee -- at your own bed -- to kneel and pray and love the Lord. Teach them to memorize Scripture. Turn off the TV and open the Bible story book! As long as God needs men and women He will need godly mothers. Be one of His godly mothers!

"UNDER HIS WINGS"

2010-05-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

"May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." Ruth 2:12

I am intrigued by these words of Boaz to Ruth, especially the clause, "under whose wings you have come for refuge." Ruth had left everything behind to follow Naomi and Naomi's God. Her parents and extended family, her religion, even her hope for another marriage -- all of that was left in Moab. She would be a foreigner in a strange land. The only person she would know would be her mother-in-law who was a broken woman. Upon their return to Bethlehem, Naomi's frame of mind is exposed by her words to her friends and family: "Don't call me Naomi (which means "pleasant"). Call me Mara (which means "bitter") for the Almighty has made me very bitter. I left full but the Lord has brought me back empty..." (Ruth 1:20, 21). Despite these words, Naomi's attitude is not one of bitterness, but of submission to what she perceives as the hand of God that has been against her. The common sentiment of that day was that when things go wrong, God is the cause. (A lot of people still think that way).

Despite the tragedy they had endured in Moab (the deaths of all their men) and Naomi's bad theology about the cause of the tragedy, Ruth sees through all of that to a God whose ways are righteous and just -- a God who is good. And she abandons everything to follow Him. Boaz's words come as a refreshing drink of water to her thirsty spirit: "... under whose wings you have come for refuge." Ruth replies, "My lord, you have been so kind to me, for you have comforted and encouraged your slave, even though I am not like one of your female servants."

Do you realize that when you leave the world to serve the Lord, you are coming under His wings for refuge? There is no safer place than "under his wings." Let me leave you today with the words of the hymn by that title:

Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Tho' the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life's trials are o'er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
Resting in Jesus I'm safe evermore.

KINDNESS THAT LED TO CHRISTMAS

2010-05-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

"She bowed with her face to the ground and said to him, 'Why are you so kind to notice me, although I am a foreigner?'" Ruth 2:10

You could sum up the message of the book of Ruth in one word: kindness. Truly this book is a bright spot in an otherwise dark time in Israel's history. The young woman Ruth is the first in this story to show unusual kindness in her treatment of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Although her husband -- Naomi's son -- is dead, Ruth doesn't desert Naomi. She leaves her own family in Moab to follow Naomi back to her home town, Bethlehem. There is a strong indication that Ruth's decision to leave her own parents, her country and her religion was motivated by her desire to follow Naomi's God (see 1:16). Apparently she had seen something in the lives of this Jewish family into which she had married -- something beautifully different from the moral squalor of her pagan culture. And she wanted what she saw.

Back in Bethlehem Naomi and Ruth have a problem. They are widows with no means of support except gleaning the fields behind the harvesters -- cruel, backbreaking, day-long work in the heat of the Middle-Eastern sun - too much for Naomi, an older woman. So Ruth offers to glean for the both of them. Ruth's kindness to Naomi is noticed by an important man -- the owner of the field where she is gleaning! And Boaz repays Ruth's kindness by showing unusual kindness to her. Before the story ends he will show her the ultimate kindness by serving as her "kinsman-redeemer" or "family-redeemer". In this role he buys her dead husband's land, takes her as his wife, and provides for her and her family. If children are born to this marriage, they are considered the children of her dead husband and they retain inheritance rights to everything their dead "father" owned. The man who was first in line to fulfill this role refused (4:1-6). He didn't want to encumber his own children's inheritance. If the truth were known, he probably didn't want to bring this "foreigner" into his household. But Boaz graciously agrees to be Ruth's family-redeermer and takes her under his "wing."

There is an interesting play on words centering around that word "wing." In chapter 2 verse 12, Boaz says to Ruth, "May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." Later, after the the threshing floor "party" where everyone sleeps outdoors, Ruth slips in after Boaz is asleep and lies down at his feet. When he awakens at midnight and realizes a woman is lying there, he asks who she is. Ruth answers, "I am Ruth, your slave. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a family-redeemer" (3:9). This ritual of spreading his garment over her would indicate he was fulfilling the role of kinsman-redeemer --taking her under his wing. Interestingly, the word translated "corner of your garment" is the word for "wing" - the same word Boaz used earlier when he spoke of Ruth taking refuge under God's "wings." In essence Ruth is proposing to Boaz! She is saying, "True, I have come under the Lord's protective wings. Will you allow me to come under your wings as well?" Boaz is moved by her willingness to marry an older man in order to provide for her mother-in-law, and he instantly agrees to the marriage.

What else might move Boaz to show such kindness to this foreign woman? There is a hint in chapter 4, verse 21, where we learn the name of Boaz's father -- Salmon. Where else have we seen that name? You will find it in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5: "Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab..." Did you catch the name of Boaz's mother? It was Rahab (a.k.a. "Rahab the harlot"). Remember her? She was the prostitute in Jericho that hid the two Israeli spies and was spared when the walls came tumbling down (Joshua 6:22-25).
Get the picture: When Rahab was spared at the fall of Jericho, the Bible says she was taken in by the Israelis and lived among them. An Israeli man named Salmon (one of the two spies?) was moved by Rahab's decision to turn from her pagan ways and trust the God of Israel (you might call this her "conversion") and he took her as his wife -- although she was a foreigner.

So Boaz's kindness to Ruth was a reflection of his own father's kindness to another foreigner -- his mother!

Boaz and Ruth will have a son whom they will name Obed. Obed will have a son whom he will name Jesse. Jesse will be the father of David -- the great king of Israel. Through David the Messiah will come -- the One known as "the son of David."

And that is why Jesus had to be born in the "little town of Bethlehem" -- "the city of David."

By the way, you and I are the foreigner and Jesus is our "family-redeemer." Like Boaz with Ruth, Jesus has brought us under His wings -- graciously covered us with His righteousness. He has betrothed us to Himself as His bride. He has promised to provide our every need in this life and an eternal inheritance in the next.

That's KINDNESS!

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

2010-05-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

"Wherever you go I will go, and wherever you live I will live; your people will be my people, and your God my God." Ruth 1:16

The last story in the book of Judges is perhaps the darkest moment in the "dark ages" of Israel's history. It is the story of civil war which erupted over a horrible atrocity committed by scoundrels from the tribe of Benjamin. After the war the Benjamite survivors are left without women -- and therefore without any hope of preserving their tribe in Israel. Ironically, the other tribes who had just decimated Benjamin now feel compassion for their plight and resort to an almost comical means of providing wives for them. Earlier they had vowed never to give their daughters to Benjamites. Unwilling to break their vow they arrange a "game" which would allow Benjamite men to capture a bride. If you haven't read the story, check it out in Judges 21.

All of this seems very odd to twenty-first century Westerners. Why not just break their vow and give their daughters to the Benjamites? The answer to that question is found in the high value they placed upon spoken words. A vow was sacred. Their word was their bond. It must be honored at all costs. We saw this principle at work in the story of Jepthah (Judges 11) and earlier in Israel's treatment of the Gibeonites who deceived Joshua (Joshua 9). Some of these situations almost beg for a little common sense. The cost of keeping the vow seems greater than the cost of breaking it.

But that senitment may have more to do with our own culture than with common sense. In our culture words are cheap. Truth is whatever you want it to be at a given moment. Truth is whatever serves your agenda, so it can fluctuate hourly. Maybe there is something for us to learn from these ancient Israelis. Maybe even in their darkness they had more light on some things than we do with all of our civilized sensibilities.

Speaking of light -- the book of Ruth is the bright spot in these dark days. The events happened during the time of the Judges but they shine in so many ways. Though it begins with tragedy, "Ruth" is one of the sweetest stories in the whole Bible. Ruth's loyalty to her mother-in-law has inspired millions down through the ages. Though she was from a pagan country (Moab) she demonstrates the highest values. Talk about a happy ending -- this story has it! Enjoy reading this little book and as you do, take special note that it occurs in Bethelem. The events that occur in this story would make that "little town" the focus of the first Christmas twelve hundred years later.

"THE WIND BLOWS WHERE IT WISHES"

2010-05-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

The third chapter of John is one of the pinnacles in the New Testament, along with Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians 13 and a few others. In this chapter we find the night-time interview Nicodemus conducts with Jesus. Nicodemus is a high-ranking member of the Jewish Supreme Court. He is a Pharisee -- one of the strictest denominations in Judaism. To say the least, he is very religious. In chapter 4 we will meet the exact opposite of Nicodemus -- the woman at the well in Samaria. She is not only a female (one strike against her), she is also a social outcast -- even among her own people -- the despised Samaritans. She barely has a clue about religion. Yet Jesus makes time for both of these individuals and patiently instructs them about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus expresses surprise that Nicodemus doesn't understand the concept of "new birth" (see verse 10). After all it is not new. The prophet Jeremiah had predicted a "new covenant" under which God would "write My laws in your mind and in your heart" (Jer 31:33) and Ezekiel promised, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezek 36:26-27). Nicodemus should have understood the application of these familiar verses. Nevertheless, Jesus patiently instructs him that being "born again" is not physical but spiritual. It is an operation of the Holy Spirit upon the human heart.

But Jesus cautions Nicodemus not to reduce the Holy Spirit to just another ritual or a formula. The Spirit is like the wind -- He goes wherever He chooses and you can't know for sure where He will go next or what He will do. "So is it with everyone born of the Spirit" (verse 8). In other words, there is a "serendipity" to the things of the Spirit. You can't confine Him and you can't contain Him and you must not take Him for granted.

Can we guarantee that just by repeating a "sinner's prayer" a person will automatically be "born again?" No. But we can assure them that "God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). We can assure them that "all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). We can quote the "Golden Text" of the Bible -- John 3:16 -- which offers eternal life to everyone who looks to the Lamb of God in faith. And we can trust that the "Wind" will choose to blow in their direction. I would add: "Cry out to the Lord with all your heart and don't stop until you know that you know that you know that you are born again! Being born again is not a ritual; it is real! And you will know it when it happens to you!"

You can't make the wind blow but you can hoist a sail to catch it when it does!

SAMSON AND DELILAH

2010-05-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

"Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her. ... Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah..." Judges 16:1,4
"The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. ... When the people saw him they praised their god..." Judges 16:21, 24

The events of the late 1980s shook the church world -- especially in the Pentecostal-Charismatic sector. The fall of Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert stunned the millions of viewers who followed and supported their ministries. Many who came to faith in Christ through those ministries were disillusioned. These two men who had done so much good for the Kingdom passed off the scene leaving behind the stench of personal moral failure. But they were not the first "mighty men of God" to disappoint us.

Samson could have gone down in Bible history as one of the greatest men of all time. Instead, like Bakker and Swaggert, he left a mixed legacy of great exploits coupled with crippling personal weaknesses and gross moral failure. Samson could rip the gates off the city wall and carry them a mile away, but he couldn't control his own passions. He ended up the prey of a seductive and selfish woman.

The danger of sin is that it will let you "get by with it" for a while. It will even tell you that God doesn't mind. After all, look how much you're doing for Him. He knows you need a little "harmless relaxation" -- what with all the stress of ministry. Then one day without warning, Satan's trap springs -- "the Philistines are upon you!" -- and what always worked so well no longer works. Judges 16:20 contains one of the saddest comments in the whole Bible: "But he did not know that the Lord had left him." Samson had become so insensitive to the Spirit of the Lord he was unaware that the anointing had dissipated. Which suggests it's possible to go through the routine of "serving the Lord," but in our own strength without His abiding presence and power. I don't know about you, but the very thought scares me. Yet it happens all the time. And the devil has a heyday using it all to his advantage: "When the people saw him they praised their god..."

Samson's downfall didn't begin with Delilah. Much earlier he demonstrated selfish immaturity in demanding from his parents what he wanted (Judges 14:1-3). And they demonstrated a doting accommodation of his whims (14:7). One wonders if this was a pattern established in his childhood. Parents are not necessarily responsible for the bad choices of wayward children, but they can unwittingly set up unhealthy expectations in their kids if they give them everything they want. Years ago when my daughter would point at something and say, "Daddy, I want one of those..." I would often reply, "That's fine. But just because you want it - doesn't mean you have to have it."

Our culture craves charisma but cares little for godly character. We exalt our heros and love the "largeness" of their lives. We are awed by the glitz and glamor. Long ago we gave up any expectation that our Hollywood heros might also be people of character. The culture even applauds when they "come out of the closet" and celebrate their perversions. Since the late 1990s we have accepted the same with our politicians, being told that what a man does in private has no bearing on his public service. (Do we really believe a man who violates the trust of his wife will honor the trust of the electorate?)

I pray that we will never become comfortable with moral failure in the Church. May it always shock us and leave us bewildered -- for a while at least. But may we always remember the many unsung "heros" who do have godly character: mothers of small children who invest their talents in their kids hours every day; businessmen who value more than the "bottom line;" pastors who are faithful to their calling and their family and spend time in the secret place.

One final word -- God forgives. He forgives the worst failures. And He restores. That doesn't necessarily mean full restoration to ministry. Confidence lost is difficult to regain. But it does mean relationship with Jesus and eternal life. But how much better to stay true, to nurture godly character, to live in Him, and to keep the trust of those we serve. May God help us all to do it!

MOST UN-LIKELY TO SUCCEED and SOCIAL NETWORKING

2010-05-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

"Jepthah the Gileadite was a great warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute..." Judges 11:1

So often the people God chooses are not the ones we would choose. Jepthah is an example. His half-brothers rejected him. In their eyes he was a second-class citizen because of something he had absolutely no control over -- the circumstances of his birth. But Jepthah called on the Lord and the Lord didn't reject Him. God cares nothing for pedigree. He looks at the heart and responds accordingly. Jepthah's story has a sad ending because he made a foolish vow. However, his integrity shines in his determination to fulfill the vow even though it meant his daughter and only child would suffer (most scholars don't believe he sacrificed her but prohibited her from marrying and confined her to his house -- in essence, making her something of a "nun").

Samson's mother is another example of the most unlikely. She was barren, which was considered a curse for a woman in those days. But God loves to take the things the world despises and do something amazing with them. He opened her womb and gave her a son -- and a great son at that. Despite his powerful exploits, however, Samson also had a sad ending. More on that in my next post.

The opening chapter of the Gospel of John offers more examples of God choosing the least likely to succeed. When Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus, Jesus looks beyond the obvious ("Simon" means "reed" -- and by extension, "wishy-washy", "impulsive", "undependable".) Jesus acknowledged that about him -- "You are Simon," he said. But then he made an amazing statement that must have caught Simon totally off guard: "You will be called Peter (which means 'rock')." We know the "rest of the story": In time Jesus turned this reed into a rock.

By the way, the Gospel of John is uniquely different from the other three Gospels (which Bible scholars call "the synoptics" because they contain very similar material.) Ninety-two percent of John's material is not in the other three. And when you know John you can understand why. John became Jesus' best friend. He had a relationship with Jesus that no other disciple had. John refers to himself several times in this Gospel, but in a veiled way. (The "John" he talks about in chapter one is a different John -- John the Baptist.) But John does refer to himself in chapter one. Look in verses 35-40 and you'll find him. One of the two disciples mentioned is Andrew. The other is unnamed. That one, we believe, is John. At other points in the Gospel he will call himself "the disciple Jesus loved."

John's Gospel is so rich it would take a commentary to do it justice. I encourage you to study it as well as read it. It will yield treasures.

One further word about the first chapter. Social networking is the way the Gospel spread in the early days of the church and to this day it remains the best way. Word of mouth. Friendship evangelism. Andrew telling Simon. Philip telling Nathanael. Brother telling brother. Friend telling friend -- about Jesus. Have you told anyone lately?

UNWISE UNBELIEF

2010-04-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

"He said to them, 'How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!'" Luke 24:25

The story of the encounter on the Road to Emmaus has always intrigued me. There is a mistique about it that captivates my imagination. Two disciples are walking and talking about the disaster they have just witnessed in Jerusalem. The One they believed was the Messiah of Israel had been arrested and summarily executed by swift Roman "justice."

The text in Luke indicates the two were arguing with each other. Each had a different explanation for these unexplainable events. Perhaps they were assigning blame -- the thing we all tend to do when things go wrong. How did this happen? Who dropped the ball? Why didn't the Twelve protect Him?

Then, maybe they started with the "what if's": What if we had just stayed in Galilee -- this never would have happened. What if we hadn't made such a big ta-do over His entry into Jerusalem last Sunday. Perhaps anger erupted as their thoughts turned to the traitor Judas. Then one of them voiced a worrisome thought that only added confusion to their grief: Why would God allow all of this -- if Jesus really was the Messiah? Were we mistaken about Him? To say the least they were totally confused and disheartened. A deep, deep sadness wrote its message accross their faces (v 17).

Suddenly a Stranger is walking with them. In the heat of their debate they hadn't even noticed Him until the moment He spoke: "What are you discussing?" After their initial surprise, their words tumble out, one after another, about the horrible fate their Rabbi Jesus had just suffered. To their amazement the Stranger doesn't sympathise with them. He rebukes them! "How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken." And then He gave them a Bible lesson, quoting numerous Old Testament passages about the Messiah and how He would suffer and rise again.

When they reach their destination the two disciples invite the Stranger to stay with them. At dinner He does something usually reserved for the host, not the guest. He initiates the meal by picking up the bread and breaking it, distributing it to them. Suddenly and strangely, recognition comes. Their eyes widen. This is no Stranger. This is Jesus! Then, as suddenly as He had come, He was gone.

But He left something behind: an irreppressible joy and a boundless faith that now exploded in the hearts of these disciples. Their confusion and sadness is gone, along with debate and arguing. They are in total agreement: "Weren't our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (v32) One session with Jesus, listening to Him explain the scriptures, chased away their gloom and replaced it with a mission: They had to tell somebody! So they got up and headed back to Jerusalem to find the Eleven.

Often when I meditate in the scriptures I come away with a similar experience -- though not necessarily as intense. The cold and gloom of the night dissipate as His Word warms my heart. Understanding dawns, chasing away the doubt and fear. A sense of purpose and mission fills my heart and channels my energies for the day. As I read this story again this morning, the verse that stood out to me was verse 25: "How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!" I felt convicted that I, too, am often slow to believe. I allow the "reality" of my circumstances to cloud the assurances of His Word. I question and doubt. Jesus said to the Emmaus two, this is "unwise." It's not smart to doubt. It's smart to trust and obey God's heart-warming promises!

"WRONG FOREVER ON THE THRONE"?

2010-04-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

"[Abimelech] went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his 70 brothers, the sons of [Gideon] on top of a large stone." Judges 9:5

The story of Abimilech is one of those low points in the book of Judges that I referred to a few days ago. His kind of behavior is why Bible scholars refer to this period as the "dark ages of Israel's history." It's hard to imagine how any man could contemplate killing 70 innocent men at one time. It's even harder to imagine when you consider they were his own half-brothers! The scripture above is poignant in saying "he went to his father's house..." Imagine him doing something like that to the household of his own father!

Human nature never changes. The evil that lurked in Abimelech continues to lurk in people to this day. As I read this story I thought of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, and how he came to power in a way similar to Abimilech. As a young rising political star, Saddam called a meeting of all the high-ranking political leaders in his country. In the meeting he began calling names and accusing them of treason and other crimes. As he called the names his henchmen grabbed them and led them outside one-by-one and executed them on the spot. Scores of innocent men died that day. On another occasion Saddam was seated with his top leaders at a conference table discussing policy. When one of the leaders spoke in opposition to an idea of Saddam's, the dictator stood and invited the man to follow him to another room where he pulled out his revolver and shot the man on the spot. Saddam and his sons were known for many such ruthless and brutal acts throughout their regime.

When a kingdom or a regime is built on such injustice it cannot last. God is the "mighty King" over all kings, and He watches the affairs of men. Our reading in Psalms today speaks of God's love for justice: "The mighty King loves justice. You have established justice and fairness; You have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob" (Psalm 99:4). Sooner or later God will intervene and enforce justice. Someone has said of God's justice that "His wheels grind slow but they grind exceedingly fine." We only need look back a couple of years to remember Saddam's end. Tomorrow you will read of Abimilech's demise as well as all those who conspired in the horrible crimes he committed. Proverbs 14:14 says, "The disloyal will get what their conduct deserves, and a good man, what his deeds deserve."

All of this should both warn and comfort us: Warn us to avoid behavior that inflicts injustice on the innocent; Comfort us in knowing that however powerful evil people may seem at the moment, they will not endure.

The poet Lowell tells the story of history in a few lyric lines:

“Careless seems the great Avenger; History’s pages but record
One death-grapple in the darkness ‘twixt old systems and the world;
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne –
Yet that scaffold sways the future and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.”

LEARN TO DISCERN

2010-04-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

"I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said." Judges 6:37

Discerning the will of God is an art that is developed over time and grows with each experience. The story of Gideon is an example of one man's growth in this art. God initiates the encounters with Gideon, but Gideon needs confirmation to bolster his faith. There is nothing wrong with asking the Lord for confirmation when we feel He may be leading us to do something. Indeed, He says, "By the testimony of two or three witnesses every word shall be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1). The more radical the action the greater the need for confirmation.

The first time Gideon requests confirmation he chooses the terms of the confirmation. Most everyone is familiar with the story of Gideon's fleece (see Judges 6:36-40). Most Christians at one time or another have laid out their own "fleece" before the Lord in their attempt to discern His will. This doesn't always work as well for us as it did for Gideon. When we choose our own terms we can get some strange "answers." I once heard of a boy who asked his dad for a new bycicle. Being a Christian, the dad said, "Son why don't you pray about it first and see if it's the Lord's will for you to have a new bike." The next day the boy confidently announced to his dad, "Well I prayed about it and I know it is definitely God's will for me to have a new bike!" Surprised at this quick development the dad asked, "How can you be so sure?" The boy replied, "Last night I prayed if it's God's will for me to have the bike He would let the sun come up this morning. When I woke up, the sun was up!"

Choosing our own "fleece" is probably not the best way to discern God's will. It is far better to simply ask God for confirmation and then trust Him to choose the terms. After God instructed Gideon to reduce his fighting force to only 300 men, He knew Gideon needed additional assurance that he was hearing right. Whether Gideon voiced a prayer for confirmation or not, we don't know. But God surely heard the cry of his heart and initiated the "fleece" this time. He told Gideon to slip down the hillside and eavesdrop on the conversations going on in the tents of the enemy. What Gideon heard was the exact confirmation he needed: "When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship...and said, 'Get up, for the Lord has handed the Midianite camp over to you" (Judges 7:15).

At some point in your life God will initiate instructions to you about something He wants you to do. It may involve starting a new ministry. It may have to do with a relationship that needs your intervention. It may involve giving or investing a large sum of money, applying for another job, buying a house, moving to another city... I counsel you to check your "hearing." Ask the Lord for confirmation, but leave it to Him to choose the terms. Then keep your eyes and ears open and your spirit sensitive. God will give you the assurance you need and when it comes you will recognize that it is from Him. Confirmation may come through another person or an unusual circumstance or a verse of scripture, but you will recognize it. If the "instruction from the Lord" is radical, involving major changes for you and your family, definitely seek multiple confirmations. Talk to your spouse, your parents, your pastor. Watch for "open doors." Ask God to supply faith equal to the action you are considering, remembering that "faith comes along with hearing the word of the Lord" (Romans 10:17). God will be faithful to teach you as you learn to discern His will and His ways.

MIGHTY WARRIOR? WHO, ME?

2010-04-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

"Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.'" Judges 6:11

Every time I read this story I chuckle. The Lord definitely has a sense of humor. Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine vat. Does that strike you as odd? It should, because you don't thresh wheat in a wine vat -- you thresh wheat on top of a hill where the wind can blow the chaff away. So why is Gideon using the wine vat? Because he is scared witless of the Midianites. These marauding bands would swoop down on unsuspecting Israeli farmers, steal their produce and wreak havoc on them. So Gideon is working in the wine vat hoping the Midianites won't see him. I can just imagine him bent double, keeping his head just below the wall of the vat, peeping out every few minutes to see if the bad guys are coming. On one of those "peeps" he is startled to see the Messenger of the Lord who has suddenly "appeared." Can you imagine the tremor that must have gone through Gideon?

The angel's first words are: "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!" Get the picture, Gideon is already scared and now he is freaked out by this sudden appearance of the angel. Then the angel calls him a "mighty warrior." (I can imagine Gideon looking behind him for that "mighty warrior" the angel is addressing, then realizing the angel is talking to him, Gideon says, "Mighty Warrior? Who, Me?)

Do you ever feel like Gideon? The Enemy is bearing down on you. Everything is going wrong. You're waiting for the next shoe to drop. You wonder, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" (v13) You feel like saying, "My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family." (v15)

Is the Angel's greeting to Gideon just a sarcastic joke?

No. Not at all. God sees something in Gideon that no one else sees, something Gideon doesn't even see in himself. God sees what Gideon can be -- what he will be -- when God has His way with him. God also sees the victory that is coming, in spite of present circumstances. So the Angel decrees what God will do and what Gideon will become as if it's already a fact. If you read "the rest of the story" you will see that what the Angel declared did indeed become a fact.

Doesn't the Lord do the same with you and me? He looks beyond our present circumstances, beyond what others see in us -- beyond what we see in ourselves -- and He declares something wonderful about us: You are "more than a conqueror" through Him who loved you (Romans 8:37). Regardless of where you are now, regardless of what you're going through, you are God's "mighty warrior!" The battle is already decided. The outcome is known: you win!

If we could see ourselves as God sees us we would all be encouraged. Whatever your situation might suggest, God has something better to say about you. Tune in to His thoughts. Still your panic. Listen with your heart. You will hear His voice whispering, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." That's the key, isn't it? You're a "mighty warrior" because "the Lord is with you."

GREAT STORIES!

2010-04-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

"The Israelites cried out to the Lord. So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother as a deliverer to save the Israelites." Judges 3:9

I didn't mean to imply in yesterday's post that Judges is all darkness. Actually it makes for some of the most exciting reading in the Bible. The story of Ehud in today's reading is an example. It is a cliff-hanger suspense story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

And then there's the story of Deborah and Barak. (I find it interesting that the name of one of Israel's recent Prime Ministers was Ehud Barak.) And who can forget Gideon and his famous "300"? Or Samson, the strong man and his disasterous relationship with Delilah. These are great stories that demonstrate God's miraculous intervention when His people cry out to Him in repentance and desparation. They also reveal the inconsistencies and weaknesses in human nature.

Judges will be great reading -- so buckle your seatbelt!

HAVE IT YOUR WAY

2010-04-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 17:6

We are at another pivot in redemption history. We bid farewell to another great leader - Joshua. In his farewell address Joshua challenges the people of Israel with these immortal words: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Like his predecessor (Moses) Joshua has prophetic insight into what will happen after he is gone: the people will abandon the covenant and go after the false gods all around them.

The invasion of the Promised Land under Joshua had not actually rid the land of all their enemies. There were still fortress cities and population pockets yet to be taken. God kept encouraging the people to drive them out. But once they settled in the people of Israel became comfortable in their new home and found it easier just to coexist with their enemies. Ultimately this would be their downfall. They would find the pagan practices attractive if only because it was novel. They would intermarry and adapt to the customs of the culture.

The book of Judges is the sad story of the consequences of accommodation. Accommodation led to compromise which led to defeat before the very people they accommodated. When they suffered defeat they would remember the promises of Jehovah and cry out to Him for deliverance. God would raise up a deliverer ("judge") who would fight and conquer the enemy, leading to a time of blessing and prosperity. Within a few years the whole cycle would repeat itself. That is what Judges is all about. Defeat, repentance, victory, blessing, defeat, repentance, victory, blessing...etc.

The time of the judges is sometimes called "the dark ages of Israel's history." Prepare yourself for some of the most despicable and deplorable stories of human nature at its worst. There was no guiding authority -- no prevailing morality. Everybody did his own thing. Twice in this book we read these words: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:25). When people follow their own wisdom they usually end up in a ditch.

That's where we are in our society today -- everybody doing his own thing. Anyone who calls for a basic minimum of moral behavior is considered a bigot or at the very least very old-fashioned. "Have it your way" is the rule in 21st century America.

Judges is a good book to read at this point because it shows us where our society is headed if we don't turn back to the Covenant.

TRICK QUESTION

2010-04-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

"Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children...In the same way, all seven died and left no children. Finally the woman died too. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be?" Luke 20:29-33

The Saducees were a sect of Judaism that had some "squirley" beliefs. They accepted the first five books of Moses, but none of the other books of the Old Testament. They didn't believe in the supernatual realm -- angels, demons, miracles, etc. They didn't even believe in life after death or a resurrection. They believed this life is all there is. They believed if you follow the Law of Moses this life would go better for you. Since that's all there is, this life is all important.

Are you surprised that "churchmen" didn't believe the Bible or what it teaches about the supernatural? We have the same situation today in that many pastors in the historic denominations don't believe either.

The Saducees had a favorite trick question they would pull whenever they debated someone on the issue of the resurrection. It was based on the Mosaic law requiring brothers to marry the childless widow of their deceased brother. The Saducees thought this question proved how preposterous the notion of resurrection really was. There couldn't be a resurrection because there's no way all these men could share the same wife.Their question had probably stumped a lot of Bible scholars and ended the debate.

But not with Jesus. He wasn't perturbed at all by the question. He explained that the resurrection will not be merely the resuming of life as it was on earth. It will be different. People will not marry. He then reminded the Saducees of the words God spoke to Moses at the burning bush -- that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "He is not God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to Him" (v38). In Matthew's rendering of this story Jesus adds this comment to the Saducees: "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (Matt 22:29). Amazing! Churchmen who don't know the Scriptures -- though they have studied them in seminaries -- they don't know them. And they don't know the power of God. They do not have the Holy Spirit in them generating faith. They have no personal experience with the power of God.

But we do know the Scriptures and we do know the power of God. We do believe the Bible and the possibility of supernatural miracles in answer to believing prayer. And we do believe in the resurrection.
Take comfort from that statement: "All are living to Him." If you have a loved one who has died in the Lord, they are not "dead." They are very much alive in His presence along with the saints of all the ages who have died in Him. There will be a resurrection. We will be reunited. This life is not all there is. The best is yet to come!

ONLY TWO OPTIONS

2010-04-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

"Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder!" Luke 20:18

Martin Luther said, "God made the world out of nothing. If you are willing to become nothing He can make something out of you."

In our reading in Luke today the religious authorities try to draw Jesus into a debate. He had just entered Jerusalem with His Palm Sunday "triumphal procession" and had wreaked havoc on the merchants selling their wares in the Temple courtyard. The chief priests and elders were incensed. They confronted him publicly, in front of all the people: "Who gave you the right to do this? Who do you think you are?" He answered them with another question: "Who gave John the Baptist the right to baptize?" They were stymied. They knew the common people considered John a true prophet. They also knew John had endorsed Jesus as the Messiah. They couldn't answer. Jesus had won the debate. He could have smiled in triumph and walked away leaving the authorities speechless and humiliated in front of the people. But he didn't. Amazingly he reached out to these authorities with a promise and a warning, demonstrating that he loved them though they hated him.

Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable about a vineyard that the owner leased to tenants. When he sent his servants to collect the rent the tenants beat them and sent them away empty-handed. Finally the owner sent his son thinking they would respect him. But the tenants saw their chance: "He's the heir. Let's kill him and the vineyard will be ours."

The chief priests were stung by this story. They knew Jesus was making them the tenants and himself the owner's son. They were also familiar with the vineyard analogy. A famous passage in Isaiah (chapter 5) describes the nation of Israel as the Lord's vineyard. They understood what Jesus was getting at: "You priests and elders are the keepers of the vineyard (Israel) but you have abused your power and failed to render to the owner (God) the fruit of righteousness He deserves. He has sent His servants (the prophets) and you rejected them. Now He is sending His son (myself) and you will kill him. But that isn't the end of the story. If the tenants kill the son the owner will come and destroy the tenants (the chief priests and elders) and give the vineyard to others.

These religious authorities recoiled at such a thought: "No, never! We would never reject God's servants or His Son, and such a fate will never happen to us." Again Jesus reaches out to them, appealing to them through another Old Testament scripture they knew well: "The stone that the builders rejected -- this has become the cornerstone" (Psalm 118:22). This Old Testament prophecy points to the builders (religious authorities) rejecting the most important stone in the building (the Son of God).

Then Jesus added this promise and warning: "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder." In other words, there are two options: Either fall on the stone (humble yourselves before me) and be broken to pieces (through godly sorrow and repentance) or else the stone will fall on you and crush you to powder (you will experience the wrath of God and ultimate judgment).

The authorities didn't like either option. People today don't either. We don't want to humble ourselves and be broken. And we won't even consider the possibility of judgment. But Jesus only offers those two options. There is no other course.

It has been said, "There are none so blind as those who will not see." These religious authorities refused to see the Truth that spoke to them. They rejected the cornerstone. They killed the son of the vineyard owner. And a generation later the Roman army destroyed their precious Temple. The Romans ground them and their nation to powder and scattered them to the four winds.

KEEP SWINGING THE AXE

2010-04-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

"He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged." Luke 18:1

In one of his books Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle tells the story of their teenaged daughter who had rebelled, left home and thrown her life to the dogs. Of course the Cymbalas prayed for her again and again -- and begged and pleaded and fretted -- like any concerned parent. But nothing changed. Then, in one of the Tuesday night prayer meetings for which the Brooklyn Tabernacle has become famous, a church member said she felt a strong burden that they should pray for the Cymbala's daughter. Pastor Jim says he felt no such burden. After all, they had prayed for her many times. Nevertheless, he consented and the people raised a volume of prayer for her. The next day the doorbell rang at the Cymbala home and when Jim and Carol went to the door there stood their daughter. She stepped inside and instantly fell at their feet sobbing out her remorse for the way she had failed them and God. They prayed with her as she wept her way through to a relationship with God. When she rose she was a changed girl and has been ever since.

What was it about that last Tuesday night prayer that made it different from all the previous prayers? Was it more fervent, more faith-filled? Probably not. It may just have been the final prayer in a series of many prayers that together broke through the barriers. Let me explain what I mean.

Think of a large tree that needs to be moved. There are different ways to move it. You can plant dynamite at the roots and blast it out in one blow. You can bring a bull-dozer to push against the trunk until it falls over. Or you can take an axe and strike it again and again until it finally falls. Prayer works in different ways depending on the situation. Sometimes it seems to work like dynamite -- we pray one time and wham -- the mountain moves! Other times prayer is like a bulldozer -- it requires more effort, more pushing -- but in a little while the tree falls. More often than not, prayer is like an axe. It takes many blows in succession to finally cut through the resistance and you never know when the next swing of the axe will be that final blow.

That's what Jesus is teaching us in Luke 18: When you pray and don't see immediate results, don't get discouraged and give up. Keep at it. Keep swinging the axe. Often there is thick resistance -- like the trunk of a huge tree -- that must be penetrated. Jesus makes it clear that the resistance is not on God's part. He is nothing like the unjust judge in the story who kept saying "no". God cares for His children and wants their prayers answered. Nor is the resistance merely from the people we are praying for. The Apostle Paul tells us the exact nature of the resistance we are up against: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against ...the rulers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

The old-timers in the Church used to talk about "praying through". This is exactly what they had in mind. We must pray through the resistance. Most often we don't do that in one session. We have to keep coming back, like the widow in Jesus' story. So, if you have prayed and seen no change, don't be discouraged. Keep swinging the axe. Sooner or later the tree will fall and you never know which swing will finally fell it.

GENOCIDE IN JOSHUA?

2010-04-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. Joshua 11:14-15

Why would God command Joshua to slaughter entire populations? In our day we call that genocide and we execute the perpetrators of genocide as war criminals. Viewed from the perspective of the 21st century these passages in Joshua seem horrific and gratuitous in their violence. In answer to that question let me remind you that God views things from a different perspective than man views them -- especially 21st century post-modern man.

Joshua's sword was God's righteous judgment against a people who for centuries had committed the most horrible atrocities and gotten away with it. First, these Canaanite nations had invaded the land they now occupied and brutally murdered the existing populations without mercy. So in God's book it's pay-back time. Second, the Canaanites practiced some of the most vile behavior imagineable. In fact it is so vile that I prefer not to describe it in detail because I don't want to offend your sensibilities. I will say this much: in their pagan "worship" they engaged in sordid sexual orgies and sacrificed their own children to their idol-gods. One of these "gods" was called Molech. The idol to Molech had a huge open mouth and his belly was a furnace. The "worshipers" of Molech would throw their babies into the mouth of the idol to be burned alive in the raging fire below. Add to that the horrible things that fathers were doing to their daughters -- with impunity, for they had no moral or ethical code to the contrary. They lived by brute force, dog-eat-dog, might is right.

God had given these people ample time to repent and change their ways. In fact, centuries before Joshua invaded Canaan, God told His servant Abraham that his descendents (Israel) would live in Egypt for 400 years before returning to Canaan. One reason for this long delay was that God's mercy would not allow Him to judge people prematurely or in greater measure than their sins deserved: "In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure" (Genesis 15:16). In other words, God is in no hurry to rain judgment because He "takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked." He holds out hope that people -- even pagan people -- will come to their senses and repent of their wicked ways."

By the way, we haven't seen the last of God's judgments. The Bible says that when Jesus returns He is coming in judgment: "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8). Before the end things will get so bad for God's people that we will welcome the Lord's return, and our sensibilities will not be offended at His righteous judgments. Why hasn't Jesus already come? Peter has the answer: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Let me close with a verse from today's reading in Luke:
"Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, 'The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, "There he is!" or "Here he is!" Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other" (Luke 17:22-25).

HEAVEN'S GATES & HELL'S FLAMES

2010-04-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off and Lazarus at his side. "Father Abraham!" he called out, "Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!" Luke 16: 22-24

In this story Jesus confirms the concepts of Heaven and Hell. He also confirms that after we die we are fully conscious. Some teach the annihilation of the wicked -- that when they die, their "dead." Jesus debunks that idea. Others teach "soul sleep" for both the righteous and the wicked -- that when they die they're unconscious until "resurrection day." Jesus debunks that idea, too. In this story both men are fully conscious. And the rich man is not only conscious of his own situation, he is allowed to see Lazarus in "Heaven".

In a sense Jesus upset everyone's theological "applecart" with this story. The prevailing belief was that the rich are rich because they are under the favor of God and the poor are poor because they are under His curse. Of the rich it was assumed that somewhere in their youth or childhood they must have done something good. The poor, on the other hand, must have done something very bad. The rich would go to Heaven and the poor to Hell. Jesus turns that idea on its head.

In our day people believe in Heaven but they don't much believe in Hell. In my role as a pastor I attend a lot of funerals. My observation is that no matter how the deceased lived -- whether a professing Christian or not, whether a church-goer or not, whether they lived responsibly or threw their life away -- they all went to Heaven -- at least that's the sentiment of the mourners: "Jimmy's up there partying right now, listening to Charlie Daniels and drinking Jack Daniels." There is no concept that maybe the deceased didn't make it -- that maybe there is an alternative to "Heaven." Consequently, I find very little sober conviction in the survivors that might cause them to consider their own eternal destiny. If they believe in the after-life at all, their attitude is, "After we die it's just one big party."

As Christians we have the responsibility to confront people with the reality of judgment and Hell. That's one reason I appreciate the play, "Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames." It graphically and powerfully presents two options and calls everyone to choose one. Every time we have presented this drama people have made that choice. Some may have walked away, rejecting the Savior. Many responded to the invitation to receive Him. But all were shown the sober reality of what happens one second after we die.

Please pray for Trinity Church as we present three performances of Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames May 2, 3 & 4, 7 PM. Pray that many people will come and many will respond. If you live in or near Columbia invite your friends to a performance. Admission is free. Childcare will be provided. (Not recommended for children under nine.)

KINDNESS AND STERNNESS

2010-04-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." Rom 11:22-23

Two stories in our reading over the last couple of days show us two sides of God: Kindness and Sternness -- Grace and Wrath. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is an example of God's magnanimous kindness. The story of Achan in Joshua chapter 7 is an example of God's just wrath.

I must admit I don't like the story of Achan -- especially the way it ends. I would much prefer to see Achan repent and God simply forgive him and let him live. Frankly, the sentence seems harsh to me. After all, his crime was not a capital crime -- or was it? His sin of defying God's explicit orders to devote everything in Jericho to the Lord caused the deaths of 36 men (see Joshua 7:5). Considered in that light, the death of one man as a penalty for the deaths of 36 doesn't seem so harsh after all.

But God may have had a further rationale for requiring such a harsh penalty. This was a pivitol moment in the life of His people. They were transitioning big time -- from 40 years in the wilderness under Moses to a new life in the Promised Land under Joshua. This is a "hinge" in their history. What happens at this moment sets the precedent for the future. If God had merely winked at Achan's sin it would have encouraged more sin and ultimately His chosen people would be as vile as the pagans He was driving out before them. As it was Achan served as a sober example to all the people that God means what He says. Ultimately many lives would be spared because they heeded the lesson learned from this one life taken. So even in His wrath His mercy is at work ("in wrath -- He remembers mercy." Habakkuk 3:2). Throughout the Bible there are similar cases at "hinges" of history where God enforces harsh penalties: Ananias and Sapphira is a New Testament example (see Acts 5).

I like the story of the Prodigal Son much better. Of course it is a "parable" that shows us God's great big heart of forgiveness toward His straying children when they "come to themselves" and come back to Him. Notice in the story that the Father doesn't force the Prodigal to do right or to come home. He let's him sow his wild oats and He also let's Him reap the bitter consequences. The Father doesn't intervene to help him (tough love?). But the moment the Prodigal starts home the Father starts running toward him. And you know the rest of the story -- He hugs him, clothes him and puts the ring -- the family ring -- back on his hand. Then he throws a party! -- all without even mentioning the Prodigal's sins.

These two stories provide a sense of balance in my walk with God: On the one hand I am encouraged that God will graciously forgive me if I come to Him with my failures. On the other hand I must not take His grace for granted and commit willful and reckless sin. That would be presumption, not faith. In His word God makes it very clear that He wants us to serve Him with gladness, not with cringing, slavelike fear (see Psalm 100:2 and Romans 8:15). But He also tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). There is a wholesome, reverential fear that results in right living -- and, great peace and joy. The second verse of the beloved hymn, "Amazing Grace" mirrors this thought: "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!"

NO SUCCESS WITHOUT A SUCCESSOR

2010-04-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

"Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses." Deuteronomy 34:9

As a leader Moses was unparalleled. His achievements were many and great. He defied Pharaoh and decimated Egypt, the world super-power; he took a dozen clans of slaves and galvanized them into a nation, convincing them to migrate from the only home they had ever known to a barren desert; he wrote the Torah -- the first five books of the Bible -- which contains the greatest assemblage of moral and ethical principles the world has ever known. It is the basis for our jurisprudence system in America and its centerpiece, the Ten Commandments, is the most sublime statement of human relationships known to man. Without question Moses was a great man.

But one of Moses' greatest achievements often goes overlooked -- the man Joshua. Moses had hand-picked him as an assistant when Joshua was young. For 40 years Moses poured into Joshua everything he knew about God. There was no jealous rivalry in Moses -- fear that Joshua would get his job. There was no arrogance ("I'm not going to show you the tricks of the trade. You can learn them the same way I did -- in the school of hard knocks. Each man has to find his own way!") NO. Moses patiently and humbly mentored Joshua because Moses understood this principle: THERE IS NO SUCCESS WITHOUT A SUCCESSOR.

Where would Israel have been if Moses had not equipped Joshua to step into his shoes when he died? Because Moses invested in a younger man, his own greatest accomplishments came after he was gone. Moses didn't lead the Israelites into Canaan. Yet, in a sense, he did -- through Joshua. Moses' investment in Joshua was as great as anything else he ever accomplished.

Joshua learned well from Moses. It is said of Moses that he was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). So we would expect his disciple to be a humble man as well. And he was. Joshua's words in the verse above (Joshua wrote the last chapter of Deuteronomy) evidence his humility. He credits his own wisdom to Moses. In effect, he is saying, "Any wisdom, any leadership ability, any success you see in me -- came from my mentor." No wonder Israel was willing to accept Joshua and "obey him". He was a worthy successor to a great man.

Are you mentoring a Joshua? Is there someone who will be ready to take the baton from your hands when you must lay it down? None of us lasts forever in this life. None of us is indispensable. A time will come when we will move on, or retire, or get promoted to another position, or die. Our true effectiveness will show up in how things go after we are gone. The greatest leaders accomplish far more after they are gone than while they are here. Another great Mentor once said to His followers, "The works I have done, you will do -- and greater works than these will you do, because I go to my Father" (John 14:12).

"ON NEBO'S LONELY MOUNTAIN"

2010-04-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

"Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land." Deuteronomy 34:1

Today, as we come to the end of Deuteronomy and bid farewell to Moses, I want to share an excerpt from a journal I kept while studying for my master's degree in Israel and Jordan. Our travels took us to Nebo and I stood on the very spot where Moses surveyed the Promised Land just before he died. I had a moving spiritual experience. This is a little longer than my usual posts but I think you will find it worth the read:

June 19, 1997
For me, the highlight of the Jordan trip - even topping Petra - was Mt. Nebo. Petra awed me because of man's achievement, but Nebo awed me because of a man's humility. Here a humble man named Moses, having led God's people to the very door of the Promised Land, viewed the land and then died -- never having set foot in it.

From this vantage point I could see what Moses saw -- much of the Promised Land -- the north end of the Dead Sea to my left, with Judea stretching beyond it; the city of Jericho straight across, and the green Jordan rift valley stretching away to my right toward Samaria; and just below, on this side of the Jordan, the plains of Moab.

While the view itself was exhilarating, what captivated my thoughts was the man, Moses -- this most humble man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). The words from Hebrews 3:5 came to mind, "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house..." As a pastor I empathized with Moses, the shepherd, the faithful pastor. I thought about the long years he had persevered with the people of God. I shared his disappointment over missing the Promised Land, but was awed to think that God Himself officiated at his funeral and angels were his pallbearers. (Jude tells us that Michael the Archangel buried him somewhere in this area, though no man knows where.) I felt intense admiration for him and prayed that I, too, might be counted faithful when my work is finished. I remembered a poem my mother had recently given me, entitled,

"The Burial of Moses"
On Nebo's lonely mountain
This side of Jordan's wave
In the vale of the land of Moab
There lies a lonely grave.

No one knows that sepulchre
No man saw it e'er
For the angels of God upturned the sod
and laid the dead man there.

And that was the grandest funeral
That ever passed on earth
And that was the greatest poet
That ever breathed a word.

And never earth's philosophers
Traced with golden pen
On deathless page, truths half so sage
As he wrote down for men.

And had he not high honors?
A hillside for a bier
To lie in state while angels wait
The sound of the trumpet clear.

As I reflected on the words of the fourth stanza -- "...on deathless page, truths half so sage, as he wrote down for men" -- I was moved to tears. What a favor Moses did, not only for Israel, but for the human race, when he wrote down the Torah -- the Law of God -- with its sublime Ten Commandments -- the cornerstone of every benevolent civilization. No other words are "half so sage".

For a long time I sat, looking out over the vast landscape before me, and savoring these thoughts. Finally, I stood and walked the short distance to the church which commemorates both the man and the place. Climbing the front steps, I noticed a simple plaque and was surprised to see this verse:

"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

Looking back at the view of Canaan, my attention was drawn to a monument - a brass serpent on a cross -- standing as a lookout atop the mountain. At the base of the cross was this engraving:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:14

Suddenly my reverie about Moses changed into adoration for my Savior, the Good Shepherd, who in giving his life for his sheep, gave us something greater than Law: He gave us grace and truth. The Law told me what I ought to do and condemned me for not doing it. But, the Grace of the Lord Jesus forgave me and saved me from the Law's penalty. Then it showed me what I could become and gave me the power to start becoming it. Hallelujah!

As great as Moses was, as much as I admire him, I must agree with the writer of Hebrews, that Jesus is "worthy of greater honor than Moses." (Hebrews 13:3)

This was a wonderful, spiritual moment for me.

DON'T WORRY. BE HAPPY.

2010-04-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

"Then He said to His disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear...But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. Don't be afraid little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.'" Luke 12:22, 31-32

In these verses Jesus is not speaking to the crowds of onlookers. These words would not apply to them. He is speaking to His disciples -- those who have committed their lives to Him. The reason He tells them not to worry is because they are worried. Everybody worries: How am I going to make it? Will I have enough...? What if...?

The One who is in the know -- the One who comes to us directly from His Father in Heaven -- the One who speaks with authority -- tells us to lighten up, quit worrying.

Easy for Him to say. He doesn't have three kids and a mortgage!

No, He doesn't. But He has something else. He has perfect understanding of reality. And He paints a picture of reality in these verses that applies to every committed believer: Instead of stressing out over material things, set your minds and hearts on the kingdom of God. And God will set His mind and heart on taking care of you. You take care of the kingdom. God will take care of you.

Then, to cap it all off, Jesus makes this shocking statement: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor" (v 33). When I read that verse this morning, I paused and asked the Holy Spirit for insight: "Is Jesus telling ME to sell everything? Is this a general command that applies to all of His followers? Please help me understand this verse." And here is what came to my mind (and it came with gentle peace): This is not a command. It's permission. He is saying, "Your Father is so committed to taking care of you that you could sell everything you have, give the money away, and still be OK." In other words, instead of clinging feverishly to your meager possessions, as if your security is wrapped up in them, open your hand and let go of them. You will discover that your life will go right on just as well without them.

If I am honest I must say it's still scary to think of just giving everything away. Even though in my heart of hearts I know Jesus is telling me the truth. It's kind of like jumping off the high dive. You know you will survive the fall, but stepping off the board onto nothing but air -- the very thought gives you a sinking feeling (no pun intended).

So let me leave this discussion with this thought in mind: Go back to Jesus' first words in this passage: "Don't worry." No matter what life throws at you your Father is watching. No matter how you fall, you will land on all fours. So, make the choice today to stop worrying and BE HAPPY!