PJ's Journal

The Hidden Agenda!

2012-01-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Matthew 6:1

Like most things in life, it is not what you do that is important but why you do it in the first place. This applies to things that most would consider good and things that most would consider bad. The hidden agenda is what Jesus asks us to evaluate.

In Matthew 6:1, Jesus issues a warning to his disciples during the Sermon on the Mount. He tells them to be careful! Jesus is asking them to devote thought as to why they are doing their "acts of righteousness". Jesus will go on to talk about a few such acts, like giving to the poor, fasting, and praying. I think all of us can agree that these are good things, and in no way is Jesus telling His disciples to cease doing them. He simply wants them to give thought as to why they are doing what they are doing.

I don't know about you, but there are times that I have shied away from praying or fasting because I didn't want people to know I was doing them, yet they were appropriate at the time. Is it wrong for people to see you praying, observe you giving to the poor, or even know that your fasting? The answer is no! It is almost impossible to keep these things hidden all the time, but what we do keep hidden is our agenda. The solution is not to stop doing them, but to devote thought as to why we are doing what we are doing.

So what is the reason we ought to do those things? The Glory of God!!! Jesus already said that we are the light of the world. This light is not our own but that of the Lord Jesus. John says, "In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:4-5)" As believers, Jesus Himself, dwells within us and we don't reflect light but rather allow His light to shine through us. It is the beauty of intimacy! As we become less... He becomes more! So when you give, you do it because Jesus is prompting you to give and you are just being obedient. It's not about your glory but His! When you fast, it's because Jesus is prompting you and you are just being obedient! When you pray, it's because Jesus is prompting you, and you are simply doing what He asks. I think you get the point. It is all about living for the glory of Jesus!

Honorable motives always center themselves in the glory of God! Jesus tells us that God rewards honorable motives. Again, we don't do it because He rewards us (a little bit self-centered right?), but we do it because He calls us to and His reward is just icing on the cake.

So devote some thought today as to why you "do" what you do! Is it for God's glory or your own? Some examples to help your thinking...

1. Why do you sing or play an instrument in worship? (especially relevant to those that sing special music)
2. Why do you give your tithes to the church?
3. Why do you serve in AWANA?
4. Why do you tell others your story?
5. Why do you volunteer to pray before a class begins?
6. Why do you serve other people?
7. Why do you blog? :)
And the list goes on...

The same questions can be asked a different way. Why don't you...

Devote some thought to your hidden agenda today!

Jewish Religious Thought and Worldview

2011-11-08T07:28:00.003-05:00

As I was reading this week, I could not help but think about the similarities of Jewish religious thought and worldview to that of my own; however, there is a huge difference relative to receiving salvation.

First let’s take a look at Jewish religious thought during the Intertestamental time period. Jews had a very high view of God. It starts with His name. They held the name of God in such reverence that they “put a fence around” His name by refusing to say YHWH for fear that they might mispronounce His name, and therefore, misuse His name breaking the third commandment.¹

The Jews had an elitist attitude toward the rest of the world. The considered themselves to be the elect of God through the covenant relationship they had with Him. The law played a special part in this relationship. Scott says, “Through the requirements of the law Israel was constantly reminded of her inclusion in the covenant.”² This provides the backdrop to the huge difference relative to receiving salvation. Though some have claimed that the Jews saw the keeping of the law as a “condition for remaining in the covenant community,”³ the evidence certainly points in a different direction. There is little doubt that the Jews viewed the law as a means of becoming right with God. Jesus points this out several times, particularly when addressing the teachers of the law. In Luke 18:9, Jesus implies that the Pharisees were trusting in themselves to be righteous. Paul talks about this attitude relative to the law all throughout his epistles, perhaps none more strong than Gal. 2:21, where Paul says, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”⁴

They considered God to be the ruler of the heavens and the rightful ruler of the inhabited world; however, they did make a distinction between the kingdom of God (God’s influence) and the kingdom of Satan.⁵ They considered the other nations of the earth to be influenced or ruled by Satan. Ultimately God is sovereign and His sovereignty will be realized one day throughout the whole inhabited world.

It is important to point out that the Jews felt no need to prove the existence of God to others. They were the partakers of the covenant relationship, and God was going to one day come as the judge of the world and again restore Israel as a nation. It is also helpful to understand that the Jews were more interested in knowing how to practice their religion than actually having correct doctrine about God.

The Jewish worldview had a common framework though details within that framework seemed to vary quite a bit. This framework starts with God as the Creator, recognizes the fall of man, believes in the restoration of the inhabited world, and hopes in consummation.⁶ They believe that during the restoration phase, God will intervene creating two ages (former age and later age). Apart from the creativity in naming these ages, I believe that they were right. I too believe in this framework. I believe that God is the Creator of this world, and that Adam was given the ability to make a moral choice and, consequently, disobeyed God bring about the fall of man. I believe in restoration and even the division of two ages. The difference is that I recognize that Jesus was “God’s intervention” and that an age of grace began. I would categorize the previous age as “Man’s inability to save himself”. Romans tells us that the law was put into effect so that we would know what sin is (7:7), that trespasses might increase (5:20), and we might recognize how far short we fall in keeping the law (Chapter 7). Listen to Paul’s words on the heals of this argument, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by our sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4). I believe in the consummation of all things. God will restore all things when His redemptive plan is finished.

Though I have similar theological leanings and the same worldview framework, there is a huge difference in how that framework is carried out relative to salvation.

¹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 268-269.

² J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 273.

³ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 274.

⁴ The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible: New International Version, 1293.

⁵ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 301.

⁶ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 269-272.

2nd Century Apologetics

2011-11-03T07:26:00.003-04:00

I read one of the more fascinating letters written by a second century apologist named Justin (given the title of Martyr because that is how his life ended). In the following post I describe 2nd century apologetics and what the church can learn from it.

Apologetics is a defense of one's belief system. In the second century, as a result of persecution by the state, Christians began to defend their faith by incorporating their culture into their defense. Apologists, like Justin Martyr, were defending the faith on several fronts: pagan intellectuals, the state, the Jews, and heretics within the church.¹

Rome was accusing Christians of atheism, cannibalism, and incest.² The accusation of atheism is not what you or I immediately think of. According to Ferguson "An atheist was someone who did not observe the traditional religious practices, regardless of what faith he professed."³ Christianity was not thought of as a traditional religion, but rather a new one... one not recognized by Rome; therefore, Christians were considered atheists. Because of the ignorance about the Eucharist, or what many know as communion, the Christians were accused of cannibalism. To the Roman world, these people of this new religion were drinking someone's blood and eating their flesh. The third accusation comes again from the ignorance of the practice of a "love feast" and the way that the people would address each other. Without knowing any context, upon hearing of this new group, who call each other "brother" and "sister", having a love feast, the state assumes incest is taking place.

The church was being mocked by the ignorance of the pagan intellectuals, who saw this new religion as unreasonable. The church to this point had been relatively quite about what they believed and why they believed it to the outside world... that is until the rise of Christian apologectics. By the second century, much of the Greco-Roman world had been strongly influenced by Hellenism, which had a strong emphasis on reason and philosophy. Christian apologists began to defend the faith using philosophy to appeal to reason. This seems to be a result of the wide spread persecution of Christians by Rome. These apologists would use the mediums of writings and debates. Some writings took the form of letters written to prominent people with the goal of bringing about reasonable action. One such letter comes from an apologist named Justin Martyr, who wrote to the Emperor Antonius Pius Augustus Caesar, his sons, and the senate.

Justin was appealing to the Emperor and senate to be reasonable in their judgments about Christians. He makes the argument that they were arresting and executing Christians based on the fact that they were followers of the Name (Jesus), and not because they had actually committed any crimes. He was asking for those arrested to be tried fairly and punished according to their crimes. In this letter, The First Apology of Justin, he uses reason to show the state their hypocrisy in dealing with issues that pertain to their gods. He attempts to form a reasonable basis for why Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God who was crucified, buried, and rose again as the only acceptable sacrifice for sin. His main argument comes through the Old Testament prophesies. He makes a very clear and convincing argument that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies beyond reasonable doubt. This does two things, it gives reason-ability to the Christian faith because only the Divine can speak of what is to come in such detail and see it carried out, and it makes the case that Christianity is not a new religion which is huge! Christianity is not new, it was simply a recognition that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. This is what Justin says at the conclusion of his prophesy argument:

"So many things therefore, as these, when they are seen with the eye,
are enough to produce conviction and belief in those who embrace the truth,
are are not bigoted in their opinions, nor are governed by their passions."⁴

According to Justin, it is reasonable to see how Christianity is not just a viable faith but the faith that God has spoken of since the beginning of creation. He also seeks to clarify their practice of the Eucharist, and fellowship (addressing the rest of the accusations).⁵

The fascinating aspect of second century apologetics was their use of culture to communicate the principles of the Christian faith without compromising any of them. When defending the Christian faith they attempted to communicate truth in a way that appealed to a person's thought process and how he looked at the world. The modern church can learn much from this approach. We need to know our context and communicate truth in such a way as to appeal to that context without compromising our beliefs and values. For example, when reaching those who approach life with a post-modern worldview (everything is relative), you might first have to establish a standard (God's Word) before you can explain the Gospel. If not, they might look at you and even agree, but because everything is relative, they will most certainly walk away not having understood the truth but rather one "truth" among many. Knowing our context establishes our starting point. In the New Testament, when the apostle Paul was defending the gospel to Jews, he started with Abraham, yet when he was defending the gospel to Gentiles he started with creation. As it pertains to apologetics, the modern church needs to know its context and determine the appropriate starting point. This may/will mean that we have to adjust our approach to reach a lost world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

¹Everett Ferguson, Church History: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, 73.
²Everett Ferguson, Church History: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, 66.
³Everett Ferguson, Church History: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, 67.
⁴Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 1, 181.
⁵Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 1, 185-186.

Comparing the 3 Prominant Religious Sects of Judaism

2011-11-02T08:55:00.003-04:00

During the time of the New Testament, there were three major religious and political sects of Judaism. They were the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. Two key issues defined each of these groups: religious philosophy and practice, and social and political philosophy.

First, let us look at their religious philosophy and practice. The Sadducees were generally men associated with the priesthood probably as a carry over from their association with the priestly Hasmonean rulers.¹ However, Scott says, “it must not be assumed that all Sadducees were priest nor that all priest were Saducees.”² They did control the operations of the Temple. Their authoritative source for religious philosophy and practice was the Old Testament law. They rejected the oral law of the Pharisees in favor of the written law of the Old Testament. Scott says, “The Sadducees were conservative and literalistic in handling the Old Testament law as they resisted the new ideas and traditions of the Pharisees.”³ Like the Sadducees, the Essenes rejected the oral law of the Pharisees and sought the purity of the Levitical law. The Pharisees, in attempt to interpret and understand the practice of the Old Testament law, added what has already been referred to as the oral law or what Mark refers to as, “the traditions of the elders” (Mark 7:3). The Sadducees differed from the Pharisees in philosophy about how ceremonial rituals that were carried out, while the Essenes rejected ceremonial worship at the temple altogether because the priests were not from the lineage of Zadok.⁴ Scott says of the Essenes, “Their interpretation and practice of the law were more strict than any other known Jewish group.” ⁵ The New Testament gives us insight into the different philosophies that the Pharisees and Sadducees held relative to the spirit world. Acts 23:8 says, “(the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all).”⁷ The Essenes also believed in the immortality of the soul, and were completely fatalistic.⁸ They were all similar in that they all held the written law in high regard, but they differed in how it was to be interpreted which lead to the oral law of the Pharisees of which, again, both the Sadducees and Essenes rejected.

While the differences in religious philosophy and practice are complicated, the social and political philosophies are relatively simple. The Sadducees were people who were open to Hellenism and the Roman political system.⁹ It is easy to see how they are sympathizers to Rome, which cannot be said of the Pharisees and the Essenes. Both the Pharisees and the Essenes rejected Roman rule and Hellenization (Greek culture). The difference between the two groups is how they functioned in a society ruled by Rome and increasingly influenced by Hellenism. The Pharisees generally took a peaceful approach while living amongst the Jewish populous. They sought to influence the people primarily through the Synagogues, while the Essenes lived a more monastic life separating themselves from the world.

I agree with the fatalistic leanings of the Essenes. God is completely sovereign and in control of all things. I also sympathize with their commitment to live a life totally devoted to God through their obedience to His Word. Jesus Himself said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”¹⁰ This is how we express our love to Christ! I do not agree with their isolationist approach to living, especially in light of the great commission. I appreciate the approach of the Pharisees to influence the people back toward obedience instead of isolating themselves; however, I reject their legalistic outcomes due to their adding to the Scriptures. Their “obedience” was to gain their own righteousness not as an expression of love toward God. I also appreciate the Sadducees conservative interpretation methods of the written law, yet I reject their beliefs about the non-existence of the spirit world and their lack of belief in the resurrection of the dead. I agree with Paul, that if I did not believe in the resurrection of Christ, you all should just pity me right now! This is an essential basis of the hope that we have in Christ! Additionally, one cannot read any of the New Testament books and reject the existence of the spirit world.

¹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 207.

² J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 208.

³ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 208.

⁴ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 217.

⁵ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 216.

⁶ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 208.

⁷ The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible: New International Version, 1239.

⁸ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 217.

⁹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 208.

¹⁰ The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible: New International Version, John 14:15, 1197.

Religious Institutions of the Time of Jesus

2011-11-01T13:34:00.002-04:00

In this post I will be explaining the religious institution during the time of Jesus and talking about what the church can learn from them.

There are three religious institutions during the time of Christ. The first institution is the Temple, which was the worship center of Judaism.¹ Sacrifices in the morning and the evening were offered and both rituals were almost identical.² While in the temple, where no Gentiles were permitted, the Jewish people would observe the sacrifice, recite the Ten Commandments, the Shema, benedictions, other prayers, and even sing in praise to God.³ Toward the end of the ritual, the Levites began singing, trumpet blasts prompted the people to prostrate themselves, and when the singing ended so did the service.⁴

The second institution is the synagogue. The synagogues provided a variety of functions for Judaism. Lea says this about the synagogue, “The synagogue served as the center of religious, social, and educational life for the Jewish community.”⁵ Every week Jews would gather to study the law, and during the weekdays children were instructed in the law. It also served as a place of worship and a place were money was collected for the poor.⁶ Though the Temple was the center of worship, the synagogue became the center of Jewish life, and was emphasized more.⁷ The synagogues were operated by the scribes who, according to Emil Schurer, “took more and more control of the nation’s spiritual guidance.”⁸

The third institution is not mentioned so directly by Lea, but cannot be overlooked and that is the institution of the home. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 lays out the importance of the home and the responsibility of parents to pass on the faith to their children. Scott says, “The Shema and other prayers were recited before the household started the affairs of the day and at other times.”⁹ Mom and dad were given the primary task of instilling the Jewish faith into their children. While the synagogue emphasized the study of the law, it seems that the home emphasized the practice of the law through the feasts and festivals, the Sabbath, trips to the temple, and the evening meal. The home played a major role in the spiritual formation of a Jewish child; however, it seems that the synagogue was the most important institution during the days of Jesus.

The church and synagogues are similar in a few ways. It is a place of worship as well as a place to learn the Scriptures, but to compare the activities of the synagogue to that of the modern church is a difficult task since many churches put their emphasis in different areas. I will say that it alarms me to see a lack of emphasis on doctrine in many modern churches. Many shy away from doctrine, either because it becomes divisive or it is boring to the average person. Regardless of the reason, I believe the church would do well to learn from the model of the synagogues and teach right doctrine without compromising our command to love God and love others.

Additionally, in many cases, the church has replaced the home as the primary place where faith is passed on. The synagogue, temple, and the home had a symbiotic relationship where as the church, I fear, has de-emphasized the home as God’s design to pass on the faith. The church has become primary as opposed to the being a partner to the primary… the home! What would it look like to have a church who genuinely partnered with the home to pass on the faith to their children?

¹ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 60.

² J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 152.

³ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 151-152.

⁴ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 152.

⁵ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 63.

⁶ Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black, The New Testament: Its Background and Message, 63.

⁷ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 155.

⁸ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 158.

⁹ J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Background of the New Testament, 251.

Pickens' Family Update

2011-10-20T06:55:00.003-04:00

I sit at my desk in front of my computer screen thankful for what the Lord has given and what He has taken away. Many people have been asking me about what is going on in life and so I want to share. My natural instinct is to hold back and not let people in for several reasons...

1. Life's next step was so unclear that to even talk about a direction seemed irresponsible.

2. I didn't want to move myself nor my family in a direction emotionally without knowing clear direction from the Lord.

3. Does anyone even care about our drama?! haha

For those of you that do care, here is the scoop.

Since I was in college, God had given me a passion for discipleship and a love for young people. That pushed me into youth ministry, the area I have been serving in some capacity since I graduated High School. I thought I would always be a youth pastor! I used to cringe when people asked me about becoming a senior pastor and assumed I was in youth ministry as a stepping stone toward becoming a senior pastor.

Over the past several years, God began to open my eyes to a reality I could not ignore. I began to see the essential role that adults have been given in the role of discipleship... especially the home. I also saw that my passion for discipleship could be used in a more effective way to have greater influence on children and students through their parents and other influential adults in their lives. God showed me the absolute importance of the home when it comes to passing on the faith and that starts with adults! When I looked at all the ministries of the church, I saw that they were championed and staffed by adults. I also noticed how many adults were so busy "doing" ministry that there seemed to be a certain anemia about their own walk with the Lord.

As all these things were flooding my heart (among other thoughts), I began to evaluate and seek God about the most effective area of ministry for me. It was an obvious answer to me... the discipleship of adults. What was clear to me was that God had shaped me to become a senior pastor. I love to preach and teach God's Word, I am a visionary who is driven by a passion for the Gospel, and God has given me the gift of discernment. I would constantly get affirmation from others about becoming a senior pastor. What I was unclear about was the timing. I was asked by some people working with the church I was serving if I would consider shifting to a different position... Working with adults. At that time I began to think that maybe this is where God was leading. It would give me experience with adults while carrying out my passion for discipleship and I could work on my Master's of Divinity as well. It seemed like the right thing to do since I would serve Jesus by serving people that I had grown to love so very much at a church that I loved. Back in January, I announced my resignation confident that God was shifting my area of effectiveness. Regardless if I got the position or not at First Baptist of New Castle, I knew that God was moving me toward the discipleship of adults, so I asked myself the question... What is best for the Kingdom? It was clear that FBC of New Castle had just launched a vision that I believe in and that regardless of what happened with me, they needed to hit the ground running in the fall. I know how long search processes can be, so I resigned so that the process could start right away. Back in March, God shut the door on this opportunity and I was confused. I thought for sure God was leading in that direction, but He had other plans.

Ever since I announced my resignation, I began to aggressively search and apply to churches that I felt would be a potential good fit for where I was at. Time after time I would get back an email saying that they were looking for someone with experience with adults and a masters degree. There were several times that I made it through the first and second "cut" before I would receive a similar email. It seemed obvious to me that I needed to focus on my Masters degree, but at age 37 and two teenagers, this option seemed daunting. So I was confused and uncomfortable with where I was at in life.

Then I got a call from a friend who told me about this church in Michigan who was looking for a senior pastor and asked me if I would send them a resume. I went online and checked out the church and thought it could be a potential fit. I sent my resume thinking that I will probably never hear from them. In the mean time, We moved from New Castle to Lima to stay in the house that my wife grew up in. It was sitting empty and was in need of some remodeling, so we moved and began waiting and working on the house. Trish was looking for a full time job and this point still very unclear about the future. One of the options that we had was to just land ourselves in Lima, Ohio and there I would get a part time job and try to get my master's degree online. This process has been very difficult for all of us, but especially my wife. In mid July, after talking, praying, and crying together, I decided that we should just land in Lima and make it work. Then 30 seconds later, I got a phone call. The search committee at this church in Michigan wanted to know if I would be interested in a phone interview with the committee. I agreed to the interview, but that meant we were back in the land of questions. You have to love that place! I interviewed and thought it went well. I wasn't sure what they were thinking, but I was pleased with what I heard from those whom I interviewed with. A couple of weeks later I got a call asking if I would interested in coming up there to meet with the deacons and preach as a guest speaker for the morning. So we headed to Lowell, MI not knowing what to expect, and were overwhelmed with the potential of this church, and the people were incredible. We really enjoyed our time with them, and the waiting game resumed. I knew they were looking at other people as well for the position, and I knew that my lack of a master's and senior pastor experience was a hurdle. Then one morning my wife received a call about a potential full time opportunity. She interviewed and they offered her the job. It was decision time. We certainly needed the money and direction seemed to be nice thing as well, so I again made the decision to land in Lima. I sent an email to the committee in Lowell, MI dropping out of the process to focus on my master's. The next weekend I went to a pastor's conference in Grand Rapids (just west of Lowell) and I could not stop thinking about First Baptist Church of Lowell. I thought to myself, "Did I make the wrong decision by dropping out?" Well, as uncomfortable as I was, I knew I had already made the decision so it is what it is. In the mean time, I registered for classes (which start Monday) and committed to an internet contract. A few weeks after my email to drop out of the process, the chairman of the search committee calls me asking me to reconsider. The committee was sensing the Spirit leading them to me and at the same time I was sensing led in that direction as well, but I knew that meant living in the land of uncertainty again. Trish was away that weekend, so when she got back we talked, prayed, and cried together... both desperately wanting to be obedient to Christ. We both sensed God's leadership in this, and without making a long story longer, we were asked to candidate on November 13th and 20th. We both recognize that we are still living in the land of uncertainty. We don't know if the Lord will shut that door or not, but we are very excited to go through it while it is open. So please pray for us. The kids are doing great! They understand that this is a time of uncertainty and you bet that it takes it's toll on them, but they have been wonderful. I asked Tori what she was thinking when I was reconsidering jumping back into the process, and she said to me... "Dad, what is best for the Kingdom?" That is a courageous thing to say!

In the mean time, I start classes on Monday and have several sermons to prepare in the next three weeks, so I will not be blogging on a regular basis unless time permits. Thanks in advance for your concern and prayers for the Pickens' family.

Imitating Jesus Is Not Enough! - John 17:20-26

2011-10-19T07:08:00.003-04:00

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

John 17:20-26

This morning I woke up thinking about what it means to be one with Christ and how that relates to glory. This is something that God has been working on me for a while. I want intimacy not mere imitation! I don't want to merely be like Jesus, I want to be one with Jesus. As I laid in bed, reluctant to get up, God was bringing to my mind John 15. I had the passage of the vine and the branches going through my head. Things like... "Apart from me (Jesus) you can do nothing", "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit", and "This is for my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." So I pondered on them and decided to get my bible and read John 15. Well 15 turned into chapter 16 which led to chapter 17. As I was reading chapter 17 I came across Jesus' prayer for all believers and the idea of intimacy and glory was right there... so I will share.

Jesus prays that the believers would be one. I have always immediately assumed that Jesus was just praying for unity... that they would get along, but I do not think this what Jesus is doing. I believe He is praying for intimacy, and that intimacy starts with the Father. Jesus tells us that He and the Father are intimate. "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you" is a declaration of unity. He then prays that "they also be in us". He then goes on to say, "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me." And then he ends His prayer with a reiteration of the kind of intimacy He is asking for... "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." He desires that the love the Father has for Him would be in us and that He HIMSELF would be in us! This is intimacy! This is the kind of unity He is talking about. Paul tells us all throughout the epistles that Christ is IN us. He desires us to not just be like Him, but to be one with Him. In doing this, we bear fruit! What is that fruit? It is glory!

What I am saying is that we need to move toward the crucified life, where we have surrendered everything to Christ. We desire to be one with Jesus and desperately want His glory to radiate through us. It is all about HIM and not about ME! So how does God radiate His glory through you? It is when people see the living Christ living in and through you!

I am my own enemy when it comes to intimacy with Christ. It is my love of self that puts the brakes on oneness! Now before you start saying, "Wow, Jon loves himself?!" I want you to know that I am in good company! We all struggle with self! It is the nasty beast inside us! We say often that it is all about Jesus, but we live like it's all about ME! My agenda, my time, my desires, my entitlements, my family, my money, my glory... and the list can go on! We need our ego stroked and we are quick to point out that we did something good. We want to be the hero and the focus of attention. Self is an ugly beast that keeps us from intimacy and subsequently glory!

John the baptist said "He (Jesus) must become greater, I must become less." John knew it was not about Him but about Jesus. So how do we deal with the beast in order to enjoy oneness with Christ? Jesus said that we need to deny ourselves and take up our cross DAILY and follow Him. We need to think differently... we need to think truthfully. We need to recognize and embrace the truth that Christ is living in each of us. Just as God manifested His presence in the The Most Holy Place of the Temple, He now manifests His presence IN you! We are His dwelling place! He lives in us! He wants to show His glory through us, but first we must die to ourselves!

"I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, but Jesus Christ now lives IN me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. 2:20-21)

Quit Bottle Feeding! - Hebrews 5:11-6:3

2011-10-18T08:06:00.003-04:00

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so."

Hebrews 5:11-6:3

Wow! Sometimes the truth hurts. You begin to get the sense of the author's frustration because of the lack of understanding by the people. He knows they need to move on in their walk with Christ, but they are stuck at the elementary teachings of the faith. It seems to me that they elementary things are...

1. Repentance: Yes an essential truth, but foundational. If we don't get this one we certainly can't move toward a deeper relationship!

2. Faith: Rehashing over and over again what it means to be a people faith was critical but because of their "slowness" they could not move on.

3. Instructions about baptisms: Baptism was a foundational practice of the church, but the text seems to indicate that the people were not understanding it.

4. The laying on of hands: This is a subject that I am going to be looking into deeper. There are many ways that this phrase is interpreted and practiced. By the text in Hebrews, it seems to be foundational, therefore important for us to look into.

5. The resurrection of the dead: Culturally speaking, there were many Jews who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. That was an obstacle when the resurrection of Jesus is so important, not to mention our promised resurrection.

6. Eternal Judgment: I tend to think that many in the church are stuck on this one as well.

These teachings were the bulk of the content and the author wants them to move on to meat. What are the teachings for the mature? They are teachings about righteousness and distinguishing good from evil in our daily lives. It's about learning the character and heart of Jesus! It is becoming one with Christ who is our righteousness! It shifts from the "what has God done for me" mentality to the "What does God want from me" mentality. It is less of a focus on the work of Christ (though so incredibly important) and more of a focus on the person of Christ! It is a shift from the intellectual knowledge of Christ to the intimacy of knowing Christ.

What about you? Do you concern yourself with righteousness? Do you seek intimacy with Christ? Do you hunger to know the heart of Jesus? Do you wake up in the morning offering yourself to God and His purposes? Or are you still feeding off the bottle? The challenge given was to "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity." God permitting... we will do so!

Get Back on the Horse! - Hebrews 5:1-10

2011-10-17T09:29:00.002-04:00

"Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. " And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."

Hebrews 5:1-10

So the previous passage ends with the author claiming that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses so we should come to God with confidence knowing that is the place we will receive mercy and find help in our time of need. Now the author is explaining why Jesus qualifies as our sympathetic High Priest.

1. When Jesus became like us in every way (Hebrews 2:14&17), He subjected Himself to weakness. In theological circles there is a question that is asked about the possibility of Jesus falling into sin. Personally, I do not think that it was possible for Jesus, though fully human, to sin because He was fully God at the same time. Some believe that Jesus had the ability to sin, but chose not to. The answer to that question will probably be debated for ever, but one thing is for sure... He knows how difficult it is to be obedient! If you think it's not difficult to be obedient, than I guess you figured out something that our sinless Savior didn't. Doubt it! He knows the lure of this world, He knows about the potent potential for pride, and He knows the power of the enemy! Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way! There is not a temptation that you face that He has not faced, so He sympathizes with our weaknesses. Hebrews tells us that while Jesus walked this earth He cried out to His Father, offering up prayers and petitions knowing His Father could save Him from death. He suffered but yet was obedient. This qualifies Him to be a sympathizer of people. Just because Jesus never gave in to temptation, doesn't mean He can't relate to the struggle. Oh yes, He struggled yet overcame.

2. He was appointed by God to be our High Priest! The Son did not appoint Himself to the our High Priest, He was given that honor by the Father.

3. He was sinless! When He died on the cross, He did not die for His own sins! He didn't have to because He was sinless, however, he became the sacrifice for sin!

So He is the perfect and appointed High Priest who can relate to His people in every way! It is in Him that we receive mercy and find grace to help us in times of struggle! He is our great High Priest, therefore, "let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." (Hebrews 4:14)

I don't know where you are at in your journey with the Savior! So often we beat ourselves up to a point that we cannot breath let alone enjoy the Savior. I have a newsflash for you... God is not interested in you being perfect, but rather in a process of becoming perfection. We are weak and we prove that often, but don't forget that we have a great High Priest. In Him we receive mercy and find grace to help us in times of need. This doesn't give us a license to sin but rather hope for our reality. Pursue Christ and don't give up because you failed again! Get back on the horse! We have a great High Priest!

"I Deserve Hell", but... - Hebrews 4:14-16

2011-10-14T07:37:00.003-04:00

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Hebrews 4:14-16

In verse 13 of Hebrews 4 we are faced with the reality that all of our activities, thoughts, and even motives are laid bare before God whom we must give an account. That is a frightening thought apart from the grace of God. But it is true! All of our sin is an open book to God. We can't hide it or cover it up... He knows! So on the heals of that sobering thought, the author of Hebrews gives the reader good news. We have a High Priest!

Now certainly a Jewish audience would be very familiar with what a high priest is. In the Old Testament, a high priest was the people's representative before God. He would be the only one of the priests who would be allowed to enter the Most Holy Place where God would manifest His presence. The high priest was a mediator between us and God. Jesus is our High Priest! He represents us before His Father. But we have something in our favor... He is a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way while He walked this earth and yet was without sin. He made Himself vulnerable by taking on flesh, so He knows our weaknesses. When you and I are tempted, He knows that it is hard to overcome, that is why our great High Priest does three activities for the people He represents.

First He gives us confidence when approaching God the Father. As we approach God there is a confidence that we come with that is not based on our own merit or spirituality, it is solely based on the merits of Jesus. He is our confidence when approaching the Father because He is representing us.

Second we receive mercy! I don't know if you grasp the depth of that word (I am not sure that I do), but it is a powerful thing. Mercy by definition is not receiving what we deserve. In the context of our relationship with God, our sin deserves death... separation from God. We deserve the wrath of God being poured out on us. The simple fact that God allowed Adam and Eve to live was an act of mercy, and thus our living is by His mercy as well. I have a friend who wrote a song "I Deserve Hell", that was written because he felt the weight of that truth. It is true! That is what we deserve, but mercy came running! I have been shown mercy! That is what our High Priest gives to us.

Third we find grace in our time of need. Grace is another beautiful word and is an extension of mercy. It means to receive favor that you don't deserve. God gives us His favor! We don't earn it or in any way deserve it, He just gives it to His people. So when we are struggling and are in desperate need of help, He gives us His favor!

Jesus can relate to His people! He understands and can sympathize with our weaknesses. He knows how difficult faith can be! He knows how difficult falling into Satan's lure can be! He knows how strong the pull of this world can be! So don't give up! Hold on the faith you profess! When you say things like, "How could God still love me?", remember that you have a sympathetic High Priest that is ready to extend mercy and give grace! Approach your God boldly based on the merits of Christ and say, "Help!" Watch His favor come!

When I Feel Like a Failure... - Hebrews 4:14

2011-10-13T06:38:00.002-04:00

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

Hebrews 4:14

The start of a new section and thought. It seems to be the pattern of the author of Hebrews to begin with a challenge to the reader followed by the explanation. Yet it seems that each of these challenges is connected to each other as well. It seems appropriate timing for this challenge to be issued which I will explain tomorrow, but first, I want to take a deeper look into the challenge itself.

"Therefore", the author's preferred transition word, "since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." The challenge is to hold firmly to the faith we profess! I have already said that this book is all about faith. The author has been trying to convince a Jewish audience that God has always expected His people to be people of faith and the central figure of that faith being Jesus, the Son of God. The Old Testament points towards Jesus. Look at Hebrews 4:2... "For we also have had the Gospel preached to us just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." Have you ever thought about it that way? The story has always been the same! It's the story of redemption and faith. It's as if throughout the entirety of Scripture God is screaming "WILL YOU BELIEVE ME?" It has always been about faith, so hold firmly to the faith you profess.

But if you're like me, this is something I could not do on my own. I fall short of being worthy of the Gospel, and find myself showing my unbelief at times. I find myself struggling with sin and giving in to its lure. I find myself leaning toward a me centered life as opposed to a Christ centered life. I desperately need help in this journey of faith that I am on. I find the words of Hebrews encouraging to know that I have a "great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God!" This challenge comes on the heals of the very daunting challenge to "make every effort to enter that (God's) rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Everything about us is laid bare before God and it is easy to feel like a failure. None of us can live up to the standards of a Holy God, but yet He demands holiness. God would not be God if He demanded anything less, and He knows that we need help... so He gives us Jesus! Tomorrow I will explain why this is such a glorious truth! I want to encourage you again to hold firmly to your faith. Everyday this faith is tested, and everyday we need to stand up and say... "I BELIEVE!"

I Have Hidden My Shameful Ways! Really? - Hebrews 4:11-13

2011-10-12T05:50:00.004-04:00

"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 4:11-13

How big is your God? The greatest joy in this life is to know the true God, yet many times we are guilty of creating a false image of God based on our own biases and reason. For instance, many try to reason an infinite being who does not think like us. We create a God that we can reason in our mind instead of accepting His revelation of Himself through the Scriptures. It is through the Scriptures that we primarily know God, though He has revealed Himself through His handy work and through the person of Jesus Christ. Often times we feel the temptation to lower who God is, so that we can comprehend Him and quite honestly stomach some of the things He has done and will continue to do. I guess I start with the premise that an incomprehensible God cannot be comprehended, and therefore I am bound to embrace His revelation of Himself through the Scriptures.

Here in this passage of Hebrews, we find the author encouraging the people to make every effort to enter that rest by not following the example of disobedience from the people Moses led out of Egypt. Remember their disobedience was a result of their unbelief. They never internalized their faith in the God who rescued them. Their actions made the heart visible. The author is not promoting a works based salvation, but rather imploring the people to believe or have genuine faith. It is true that this genuine faith will produce obedience, but the issue is faith not works.

Then the author goes on to talk about the Word of God. He tells us that the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword. It is a sword that can divide the soul from the spirit. It can cut a man up on the inside. A regular sword can kill the body, but the Word of God does it's work in the internal realm... the soul and spirit. It can judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The point is that God is concerned about who we are internally! Outward obedience can mask a heart that is distant from the living God and dark, but the heart is what matters. It is in the heart that we hide from people. We are afraid to reveal too much about ourselves because we are afraid that they may discover too much of what we have kept hidden. We think we are fooling people and hiding our true nature, but take note of what the author continues to say.

"Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight." Wow! That includes the thoughts and attitudes of the heart! They are laid bare before God. We maybe fooling other people, but it is an open book to God. Why is it that we give thought to what people think about us, and therefore hide things from them. Probably shame, and rightfully so, but what about God. Do we give any thought to the fact that our actions in secret or, better yet, the thoughts of our heart are laid bare before God. He knows our motives, He knows our darkness, and He knows our true desires. I will venture to say that we will hide shameful things from people and ignore the eyes of God because of our unbelief. We fear people more than God because of unbelief.

I know that it is hard to believe in a God that you cannot see, touch, smell, or hear. He is not very tangible to our physical senses, yet He is very tangible to our soul. I know that God is real because of how He interacts with me on the inside. I have no doubt of His existence, yet I have never seen God, touched the scars of His hands or the wound in His side, smelled Him, or heard an audible voice from Him. He speaks to my soul when I can quite my heart long enough to hear. This life we have been called to is a life of faith! If God was so physically tangible then faith loses it's power. Jesus, after letting Thomas touch His wounds and exclaim that he believes, said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." It is true that we have not had the privilege to touch His wounds or see His resurrected body but He is real none the less. In the words of Jesus, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." That is me! Is that you? May the reality of your faith motivate you toward "whole self" obedience.

On another note, I decided to blog because of a prompting from God to share my journey through the Scriptures in a way that will challenge people to think and encourage them in their faith. I really would love to know what is helpful to you or any suggestions that you may have to make this blog more effective. For example, are the posts too long? Are the post too frequent or not frequent enough? Are there places I could post the site to that you know of? Just leave a comment or a suggestion.

What Is God's Rest? - Hebrews 4:3-10

2011-10-10T09:20:00.004-04:00

"Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."

Hebrews 4:3-10

What is God's rest? Think about it... God, who never grows tired or weary, rested after creation. He didn't rest because He was tired, so what is it? I will venture to say that the Sabbath Rest is a time to enjoy that which is good! God created this world and declared that it was good, and now it was time to enjoy His creation. When sinned entered the world that which was good was corrupted and cursed, yet there is still a Sabbath Rest in the age to come where God, together with His people, will enjoy all that is good again. I'm starting to sound like Lord of the Rings! Did sin interrupt that goodness, or did God allow it to demonstrate the full extent of that which is good... namely Himself. Would we have known the full extent of God's love had not Christ entered the world to be sacrificed for the atonement of our sin? God had to have known sin was going to enter the world, after all, "He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy blameless in His sight." (Eph. 1:4) He knew! It did not surprise Him! It was a part of the bigger picture... the Glory of the God who reveals Himself to His creation! He rested! And there is a day when those who obey the Gospel, that is to say... those who turn to Christ in faith, will share in that rest! We will enter into a time and place where our single task is to enjoy our God and all that is good.

Unbelief is the great barrier between such enjoyment! A hard heart is the single biggest obstacle in the way of resting! Do not lose heart! Do not turn away! Do not get sucked in to empty philosophies that are based on human tradition or pride! Humble yourself before God and He will lift you up! God desires you to enjoy Himself and all that is good for all eternity, not the pleasures of sin for a short while. Just believe! believe! believe! Turn to Christ!

Faith = Giving Up Ourselves for the Sake of His Agenda and Glory - Hebrews 4:1-2

2011-10-07T06:17:00.004-04:00

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."

Hebrews 4:1-2

I hope that by now you see a very common theme in Hebrews. The author is stuck on the whole faith thing! We saw that the God's people, whom Moses led out of Egypt, were not able to enter God's rest because of their unbelief. Now the author tells us that the promise of entering God's rest still stands. God's rest was not the promise land as we will find out later in the passage. It is important to define what the author means by the phrase "God's rest", and we will do so another day as we work our way through the passage. However, for now I want to stick with the main point of the passage... faith!

The author begins his sub point with a statement... "Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you is found to have fallen short of it." How do you fall short of God's rest? This speaks to the heart of the Gospel. Many live in the fear that they are not good enough to enter. Years ago I was teaching 7th grade students the heart of the gospel. We talked about how we could not be good enough to be right with God and spend eternity with Him, and that was the point of Jesus. He took our sin and exchanged it for His righteousness, so when we place our faith in Jesus, we are made right with God. Salvation is by grace through faith! So then I asked a few students... "How do you know if you are going to heaven?" The response was along the lines, "Well, I hope I have been good enough." Now before we think that seventh graders are the only ones who miss it, know that I have had several similar conversations with adults. This whole faith think seems to easy for people. It is natural to think that we have to do something to earn our "ticket", but in reality, that is not the case... we simply must believe.

Now before you think that what I am promoting is easy, let me give you a description of what it means to have faith in Christ from my understanding of the Scriptures. Belief is not some intellectual exercise of who knows the right answers, but rather a surrendering of the heart, mind, and will to the object of your faith. Jesus said, "If you want to come after me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me." Faith requires us to trust God enough to let go of ourselves and live for His glory! It is not easy to believe. Have you ever participated in a trust fall? It's not easy to let yourself drop into the arms of others, but lets be real... we know the others are there because we see them. No, belief in Christ is like jumping off the Empire State Building with Jesus saying "I'll catch ya." Do you believe enough to surrender your whole self to Christ? That is belief! Just a note, if you decide to jump off the Empire State Building and expect Jesus to catch you, well that would not be a good idea. He is certainly powerful enough to do it, but He never promised He would... so don't.

Do you remember the rich young man who came to Jesus asking what good thing he must do to gain eternal life. The man assumes he can do something good to gain eternal life. Going along with the man's assumption, Jesus told him to obey the commandments. The man then asks which ones. Jesus says, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." The man replies, "all these I have kept," but he still recognized that he still lacks something. Then Jesus gets to the heart of the issue by telling the man to sell his possessions, give them to the poor, and then follow Him. The man's issue was not doing good things, but rather faith. It is as if Jesus was saying, "Do you believe me enough to give up your life here for for the sake of my agenda and glory?"

God has always operated this way... It's been about faith! And this faith is not easy! Often times we will say that salvation is a free gift. While it is true that salvation is a gift by God's grace, there is a cost... We must be willing to give up our whole self to Christ! This is called faith! So I ask you again, do you believe?

To Believe or Not to Believe that Is the Question! - Hebrews 3:14-19

2011-10-06T06:53:00.003-04:00

"We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed ? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief."

Hebrews 3:14-19

Moses continues with the theme that a hard heart is an unbelieving heart. He starts out with a statement that can be easily misunderstood. Lets be honest, when you look at verse 14 it seems to indicate that we need to hold on to our faith till the end if we want share in Christ. Yet I do not believe that is what the verse is talking about. For one, as I blogged earlier this week, there are too many places in the Scriptures where God has clearly stated that our salvation is by His grace and He keeps us by His power till the end. Second, look at the verse a little closer. The verse does not say we are going to share in Christ if... It says we have come to share in Christ if... In other words, those who genuinely have placed their faith in Christ presently have come to share in Christ, and those who genuinely share in Christ will hold confidently to the faith! Again life is a test to see if faith is genuine! You can say you believe in Christ and even make steps that look like you believe in Christ, but what happens when your tested? Is your faith proved genuine or was it a false faith? The author's point is that a hard heart is an unbelieving heart, so he is imploring the reader to genuinely believe!

God's people were an example of this. Moses led them out of Egypt and they saw the incredible miracles of God, yet they rebelled and sinned constantly against the God that they witnessed firsthand. Why did they rebel? They had a hard heart which is an unbelieving heart! And they did not enter the the promise land. It is not a coincidence that the two spies that came back from their mission to scout out the promise land were the only ones in that generation to enter the land. Why were they set apart? They came back and encouraged the people that God would give them victory and enable them to enter the land. Unfortunately, Ten others came back and said "no way!" The ten represented the condition of the people... hard hearted, that is to say that they did not genuinely believe in their God. They played the part of belief when God would make His presence and power obvious, but that was short lived because they did not genuinely believe.

I don't know where you are in life when it comes to Jesus Christ. Many people have a misconception that Christianity is all about following certain rules and living in such a way that God may somehow be pleased. That is not what I get when I read the Scriptures. The foundation for pleasing God is faith! As Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God..." What is it that you believe? Do you believe in Christ? Do you truly believe that He is the Son of the living God who, out of love, gave Himself up to take our punishment and give us His righteousness? He manifests His presence in us and is one day coming back for us. Do you believe? Be careful how you answer that question, because if you genuinely believe it will change your life!

Help! I Need You! - Hebrews 3:12-13

2011-10-05T07:02:00.002-04:00

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Hebrews 3:12-13

Yesterday we established that a hard heart is an unbelieving heart, and the challenge was not to be found to have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. So the question today is... "How do we do that?" When you read the Scriptures, especially the New Testament, you cannot ignore the value that God places on community... relationships with other believers. Being a lone ranger was just not God's design. It is true that God has given us His Word and His Spirit, but He has also given us each other. The Old Testament teaches this as well.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Proverbs 27:17

Jesus established the church. What is the church? It is a body of believers of whom Christ is the head! We are all connected to each other and as the Scriptures teach...

"there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

1 Cor. 12:25

So how do we guard ourselves from a sinful, unbelieving heart? Well the author of Hebrews tells us. He says that we should "encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Notice that we are told to encourage each other daily! Do you want an indication on how powerful sin is at deceiving the heart, look no further than here. It is so powerful that we need encouragement from each other daily!

I have to pause and chuckle because I thought to myself earlier this morning... "Maybe I am blogging too much. Maybe everyday during the week is too much." Then I read this and said, "Nope! We need encouraged everyday!!!" The author says to encourage each other daily, "as long as it's still called Today!" Do it now! Do it often! Encourage one another in the faith!!! It's sin's deceitfulness that tells you that you don't need others in your life! It's sin's deceitfulness that convinces you to be passive about encouragement. Folks, we need each other! So encourage other believers often and with urgency, and open yourself up to others who can encourage you as well!

What Is a Hard Heart? - Hebrews 3:7-12

2011-10-04T06:02:00.003-04:00

"So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."

Hebrews 3:7-12

What is a hard heart? Is it not a heart that turns away from the reality of the Sovereign Lord? Often times when I think of a hard heart, I think of pharaoh and how he continued to challenge the authority and power of the God of Israel. "I will not listen to this God!" I can hear him screaming it. Yet it is interesting to me that the author of Hebrews doesn't bring up pharaoh, but rather God's people! The very same people who witnessed the plagues as bystanders, who were redeemed from the clutches of Egypt, who saw the pillar of fire holding back the armies of Egypt while they crossed the Red Sea with walls of water on the right and their left, who saw the Red Sea swallow the army of Egypt, who witnessed water spring from a rock at the tap of a staff (enough to provide drinking water for a million plus people), who saw army after army being destroyed by God's power, who saw the face of Moses glowing after he meet with God in the Tent of Meeting, who saw the manifested presence of God resting over the Tent of Meeting, and who were the recipients of God's provision, protection, and presence! These were the people with a hard heart! They were the ones whose hearts were hard! They saw the power and presence of God yet refused to trust Him at every turn. A hard heart is an unbelieving heart!!! Pharaoh refused to believe and so did the people God redeemed from Egypt. So the author of Hebrews says to the reader... "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."

The issue is faith! Do you really believe that God is truly God? Most of us say "yeah, I believe!" Yet do we really? Do we not struggle with our belief often? Let me probe a little deeper...

Have you ever prayed about something but all the while your saying to yourself, "My prayer will not make a difference!"?
Do you worry?
How often do you think about things and act on things that you know are dishonoring to God?
Do you ever do something shameful in secret because you think that no one is watching you?
Do you ever shy away from doing something that God is calling you to do because your afraid?

I could go on and on with the list, but the point is that our faith is tested all the time and most of the time we are not even aware of it happening. Will I choose to believe that my God is big enough to accomplish the supernatural? Will I choose to believe that my God is present with me when I am alone? Will I choose to believe that God will provide for me and my family when I all seems so hopeless? Will I choose to believe that God will empower me to carry out that for which He has called me. Will I choose to believe that God is God... ALL THE TIME!?

Let me challenge you with the same challenge that the author of Hebrews offered the people... See to it that none of you have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God! Your faith is being tested, refuse to fail!

Are we secure in Christ? - Hebrews 3:2-6

2011-10-03T06:42:00.002-04:00

"He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."

Hebrews 3:2-6

As the author of Hebrews continues to establish the validity of the person and work of Jesus to a Jewish audience, it is not surprising that he brings up Moses. The author makes his point and then expounds on it in the rest of chapter 3. Greater honor belongs to Jesus than Moses, so pay attention to what He is doing! Moses was just a part of what God was building, but Jesus, being very God Himself, is the builder! In His role as the Son, He is also over this house! The author then defines this house as being those who posses the hope of sharing in the heavenly calling!

If you notice verse 6 it says, "But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." This brings up and interesting question... If we have been given salvation through Jesus Christ, then is it our responsibility to keep it? Or is it possible for us to lose it? There has been much debate on this issue over the course of history and has been the source of much division. It is hard not to have a strong opinion either way when it comes to this issue. It is important when studying the Scriptures to remember that a passage has an immediate context that fits into a much bigger context. This starts with the premise that God's Word, from Genesis to Revelation, is indeed inspired, inerrant, and authoritative in our lives. It, therefore, cannot contradict itself and must be taken as a whole. So when you are encountering a passage that could possibly mean several things and the immediate context is a little vague, then you must look at it in light of the whole of Scripture. For this reason, I believe that the answer to those questions is no. Here is why?

When it comes to the security of the believer, it seems too clear to me from the Scriptures that you cannot lose your salvation.

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory."

Eph. 1:13-14

Notice the progression...
1. We were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth (Gospel)
2. Having believed you were marked in Him with a seal (The Holy Spirit)
3. The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Notice the word guaranteeing)
4. Until the redemption of those who are God's possession (Time frame)

We are saved by the work of Christ and kept by the work of the Spirit. Salvation has always been the work of God... we do not do anything to gain it nor to keep it.

"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

Philippians 3:8-9

When we stand before God on the day of judgement, we will be found to be righteous on the merits of Christ alone or found condemned by our own attempts to be good enough for God. Salvation is by the grace of God taking unrighteous people and making them righteous on the merits of Christ... our response is faith! Do we genuinely believe Christ? The issue is never, did I have enough faith to keep my salvation, but rather did you have genuine faith to begin with. Life is a testing ground for genuine faith...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

1 Peter 1:3-9

We are shielded by God's power!!! Until when? Until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Seems clear to me. Notice that the purpose of trials was to prove if their faith was genuine or not.

I have many friends who believe you can lose your salvation and they all ask a very logical question. "What about the guy who was on fire for the Lord and then latter rejected Jesus?" That is a logical question. My answer is that he simply did not posses genuine faith and that was made clear through the testing of time. Genuine faith will not result in a rejection of the things of Christ, it will however lead you toward Him.

Back to the main passage. What did the author of Hebrews mean when he said "if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." He could be inferring that you can lose your salvation, but he could be inferring that we are a part of Christ if our faith is proven. How is it proven? Well, we will hold on to the courage and the hope of which we boast. Since the whole of Scripture teaches that the believer is eternally secure, then I vote for the latter interpretation.

That being said, I will encourage you to stand firm with courage in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and embrace the hope that one day you will inherit all that is God's as His child!

Hebrews 3:1 - What's Vying for Your Attention!

2011-09-30T06:22:00.003-04:00

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."

Hebrews 3:1

Whenever you see the word therefore, the reader is reminded that what is about to be said is connected to what has already been said. In this case, the author of Hebrews is calling the reader to fix their thoughts on Jesus because of who He is! He is the Son, who has spoken to us, who is very God (greater than angels), who was clothed with humanity for our sake, who is the author of our salvation, who has become our merciful and faithful high priest, and who has made atonement for our sin through His own suffering! This is who He is; therefore, fix your thoughts on Him.

Hebrews has a common pattern to it. Many times throughout the book you are going to notice these "therefore" statements. These are challenges by the author in light of truth about Jesus and His redemptive plan throughout history. Here are a few "previews":

Hebrews 2:1 "We must pay more careful attention therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

Hebrews 3:1 "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."

Hebrews 4:1 "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it."

Hebrews 4:14 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

Hebrews 6:1-2 "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment."

Hebrews 10:19-25 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with sincere hearts in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together , as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the day approaching."

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Hebrews 12:12-13 "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet,' so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

Hebrews 13:15-16 "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Do you notice a pattern? We are challenged to think about Him, draw near to Him, pursue Him, hold hold firmly to Him, and offer our praise to Him! We are also challenged to pay attention to what is being taught about Him, grow up in Him, encourage each other in Him, and serve others for this is what pleases Him! IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM... JESUS!

So today, will you fix your thoughts upon Him! We have an enemy that is attacking the very heart of our relationship with Christ... our faith! You might pray, "Lord, help my unbelief." And a great way to accomplish that is to fix your thoughts on Him! In a world that is vying for our attention and pulling our thoughts, be strong and focused... fix your thoughts on Jesus!!!

It Was Fitting!

2011-07-28T10:03:00.003-04:00

Wow! God became man! It had to be that way. Think about it! Because God the Son clothed Himself with humanity, he became the perfect acceptable sacrifice for sin. God chose to show His love and justice all in one act so that you and I can be forgiven and our sin still punished. It was fitting!

He became like us so that he could relate to us... a merciful and faithful high priest! He understands us... junk and all! He helps us in times of temptation, after all, He is qualified to help us because of the sinless life He lived. It was fitting!

He walked in to the realm of death and destroyed it, so that we would no longer have to be a slave to our fear of death. It was fitting!

This is why He became human! It was all for people! He took on suffering instead glory, experienced rejection instead of praise, and He suffered death when He didn't deserve it... all for us! It was fitting!

So when the author of Hebrews says it was fitting, I say AMEN! He didn't have to! In no way was He obligated! But He chose to for the benefit of us all! He didn't need us, but He wanted us! There is no hidden agenda! God loves people enough to become like them to save them, to sanctify them, and make them securely His! This is our God! This is love! It was fitting!

Hebrews 2:10-18 (Examine)

2011-07-27T08:02:00.002-04:00

"10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Hebrews 2:10-18

What does the author mean by "should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."? Isn't Jesus already perfect or is the passage talking about something else?

According to the context of Hebrews, I believe the author is referring to Jesus being made the perfect sacrifice. Consequently, He had to become like man and suffer inorder to satisfy the demands of the Father. Suffering takes on more significance than just enduring the cross, becoming a human was part of it. Jesus, the Son of God... very God Himself, had never suffered physical pain, hunger, thirst, or limitations. He became a man! 100% human, yet 100% God! The climax of His suffering was the cross, but taking on flesh and enduring the reality of humanity and ultimately laying down His life for them, He was "made perfect"... the perfect sacrifice for sin. He qualified to be the perfect sacrifice by satisfying the demands of the law through a sinless life. He is qualified! He was made perfect! Notice how the author says that "it was fitting..." It was all a part of the wise and sovereign plan of God. It had to be so. This is what the author is saying! The Messiah being human... IT MAKES SENSE AND HAD TO BE SO!

What is the purpose of the second Scripture quote "I will put my trust in him"? It seems pretty random...
The author is quoting from Isa. 8, which the readers would have likely known since it is a Messianic passage. In Isaiah 8, the New American Standard translates "I will trust in Him" to "I will look eagerly for Him." The context is about Israel missing the Messiah, He would be hidden from them, because they were looking for someone high and kingly, not a lowly baby born in a manger, a homeless teacher wandering the land with fishermen (common folks), and certainly not a man who died at the hands of the Romans on a cross. No, the Messiah would be a stone that they would stumble over because they were not looking in the right direction. The author of Hebrews is reorienting the Jewish audience to look in the right direction... to look eagerly at the Messiah who had come in the person of Jesus. He is that stone that they were stumbling over! The author is making his argument!

Who are Abraham's descendants?

This refers to all those in a covenant relationship with God through Christ. Listen to what Paul says in Gal. 3:9... "And if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's descendant, heirs according to promise."

Why does the author feel compelled to bring up the humanity of Jesus?

I think it is clear that the Jewish people were looking for a Messiah that was not human but divine. I am sure they thought He would be eternal and take on the form of man, but to be made like man in every way... I believe they struggled with that. The author seems to think so, for why else would he spend a chapter and a half talking about the humanity of Jesus with a clear intent on convincing a Jewish audience that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

Hebrews 2:10-18 (Observe)

2011-07-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hebrews 2:10-18

Observations:

The NIV appears to say that Jesus was made perfect through suffering.
It was fitting for Jesus to be made perfect through suffering relative to bringing many sons to glory.
Everything exist through God and for God!
The author seems to equate suffering with taking on humanity, evidenced by the the one who is holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
Jesus is not ashamed to call humans His brother. He is of the same family... human!
The author again uses the Old Testament to show that the Messiah sees humanity as family.
Since His family had flesh and blood, Jesus shared in their humanity. He has become like them.
We are given reasons why Jesus took on flesh and blood evidenced by "so that".
Reason Number 1: Jesus destroyed the one who holds the power of death through His own death... the devil.
Reason Number 2: To free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Reason Number 3: He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God.
Reason Number 4: He might make atonement for the people.
Reason Number 5: He helps those who are being tempted.
Jesus is not helping angels, but humanity... He didn't become like angels, He became like man in every way.
Jesus suffered when He was tempted. He can relate to humanity.
It seems that being made perfect through suffering is a reference to Jesus taking on flesh and blood to become a perfect sacrifice... one that was acceptable to make atonement for people.
The author is definitely dealing with the human thing... answering the question of why Jesus was made human.
Angels are mentioned again indicating that the author is continuing his thoughts.
This is what is meant when Jesus was "made a little lower than angels." He was becoming like man. So He is still greater than angels, even though He took on human flesh.

Interpretive Questions:

What does the author mean by "should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering."? Isn't Jesus already perfect or is the passage talking about something else?
What is the purpose of the second Scripture quote "I will put my trust in him"? It seems pretty random...
Who are Abraham's descendants?
Why does the author feel compelled to bring up the humanity of Jesus?

Hebrews 2:5-9 (Relate)

2011-07-22T08:13:00.002-04:00

God's ways are not always our ways! I can't help but think about that phrase after studying this passage. I mean think about it! You have a whole people group that was misguided as to the purpose and timing of the Messiah's coming and reign as king. This is even evidenced by the question the disciples asked at the ascension... "Lord, when are you coming back to set up the kingdom of Israel?" Kingdom of Israel? God had much bigger plans than that. He has a plan that includes every tribe, every tongue, and every nation... all people groups!

Now Jesus preached this often while He was on earth. He said, "For God so loved the WORLD." Jesus said he didn't come into the WORLD to condemn the WORLD but to save it! He has much bigger plans then what the religious leaders had anticipated. Our ways are just not His ways.

Have you ever looked at life and asked God why? God, why would you allow ______ to happen? Sometimes we sit in judgment on God because we think we know best how to run the world and fulfill God's purposes, but God's ways are not our ways. This reminds me to take a step back and look at who God is, rather than what is happening in my world, and affirm His sovereignty. He is God and I am not! He thinking is greater, His sense of justice is greater, His love for the world is greater, and His wisdom is greater. His ways will never match up to my ways... they will always be greater.

This gives me a sense of confidence and clarity about life. If I live my life constantly challenging God by calling His actions into question, I affirm that I don't believe He is really God. I can let it rest, knowing that He knows best and what He does is ultimately good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. God's ways are not my ways... and I need not make them so!

The Missing Piece

2011-07-21T07:31:00.002-04:00

I wanted to elaborate a little about why the Jews had a difficult time accepting Jesus as the Messiah. I mentioned yesterday that they had a misguided perspective on the timing of the Messiah's physical reign. They expected the Messiah to come and kick some Gentile tail and establish His kingdom forever. Once again the Jews would have a King who would be King of all kings.

Then along comes Jesus... If you read through the gospels carefully, the conversations begin to buzz about the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah. "Could he be the one?" is the question that was being asked. Jesus asked His disciples at one point, "Who do people say that I am?" Jesus was not fishing for affirmation to stroke His ego, rather He was setting up the disciples for the more important question... "Who do YOU say that I am?" Peter responds, "You are the Christ of God!" Understand what Peter is saying... He is saying that Jesus is the one that every Jew has longed for and waited to see! He is the one that every mother, when they looked at their baby boy, thought "could he be the one?" Peter was making a statement of affirmation that he believed Jesus to be the one mentioned in Genesis 3. The one who would rescue the Jews from their oppression and set up a kingdom that will last forever!!! Salvation for the Jews!

Then Jesus drops a bomb shell. Jesus affirms that He is the Christ, but the Scriptures proceeds to say:

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that He must be KILLED and on the third day be raised to life."

Matthew 16:21

Can you imagine the reaction from the disciples. This did not fit their understanding of the Messiah or Christ. Look how Peter responds:

"Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him (Jesus). 'Never Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you.'"

Matthew 16:22

Wow! First of all... what guts Peter has. He just affirmed Jesus to be the Messiah, Jesus then proceeds to rearrange their thinking about what will happen to Him, and then Peter rebukes Him. Not sure if he thought that one through! This just shows us how strong the belief that a Jew had that the Messiah would come and reign and establish the kingdom for the Jews forever! It was ingrained in their thinking that even the Son of God had a difficult time changing it. As a matter of fact, they still never grasped it until they actually saw the resurrected Christ. Look what Jesus said after He rose from the dead while walking with two men on a road to Emmaus:

"He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself."

Luke 24:25-27

These men were discussing with Jesus (before they saw that He was Jesus) about the tragic events of the week. They told Him that they had hoped Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel, but He died and now the women came back from the tomb with stories of angels and no one in the tomb. Then Jesus had a little one on two session with them. After He was done teaching them, He open their eyes so that they recognized who He was. They immediately ran back to Jerusalem... this news couldn't wait. They told the disciples about what had happened and then Jesus appears to the disciples where He opens up the Scriptures with them again. They finally got it! There was to be a gap between His ascension into glory and His physical reign on earth. God's plan went beyond redeeming Israel, He was redeeming the world! And guess who gets to play a part in that? That's right, you and me!

Now the Messiah is coming back to physically reign on earth, but for now we are to be His witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you want a great passage to read that even deepens this thought, read Acts 1:1-11. Great stuff!

Back to Hebrews for a sec... If you are going to convince a Jew that Jesus is indeed the Messiah you must deal with the delayed kingdom issue! Jesus clearly dealt with it while He was alive and His disciples didn't get it, but it finally clicked when they saw Jesus after the resurrection. The author knows this because he is, no doubt, a Jew himself.

Hebrews 2:5-9 (Examine)

2011-07-20T07:45:00.002-04:00

"It is not to the angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

'What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet'

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at the present time we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone."

Hebrews 2:5-9

I wrote down several of my questions the other day. I will answer those questions and talk about what I believe the author is saying.

1. What does the author mean by "It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come"?
2. Does the phrase "world to come" speak of the future world?

Answer: I am going to combine these two questions since the answer to the second one greatly affects the answer to the first. The word "world" literally means the inhabited earth. We are talking about a physical inhabited earth that is to come... a future inhabited world. This is what John MacArthur says about the word "subject":

Now it's an interesting use of the term put in subjection. That's hoopatasa which is a military term and it's the term used for arranging your soldiers in order under a commanding General. The word speaks of a system of administration.

The author is pointing out that God's intention is not for the angels to administer or rule the future inhabited earth.

3. Why is the author using this Psalm right here?

Answer: Again he is talking to a Jewish audience and references an objection that they may have for Jesus being less than angels because He was man. I believe that Psalm 8 prophesies about the coming Messiah, who was Jesus. That "He" would be made a little lower than angels in the sense that He took on human flesh. Him becoming a man was necessary, which we will see later on in Hebrews. So how can Jesus be superior to angels since he took on humanity? This is the question I believe the author is answering. He has already made the assertion that Jesus is superior to angels, so now he has to deal with the "human thing".

4. Is the author implying a reference to Jesus (the Son of man) when quoting this Psalm?

Answer: I believe so.

5. Why does the author only point out two of the three things God would do relative to the Son of Man?

Answer: The author's point is that Jesus is superior to angels and therefore His words are to be trusted and believed. He now is making a sub-point by saying that God did not intent the angels to rule or administer the future inhabited earth (which I believe is a reference to the Millennial Kingdom). As a fulfillment of Psalm 8, we see Jesus who was made a little lower than angels and crowned with glory and honor. What we don't see is everything subject to Him. In other words, we see our present inhabited world being administered by evil forces (fallen angels). Satan is called the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31) among many of his designated titles. This world, in a sense, is subject to Satan. He is still the ruler of our present inhabited earth. Though Jesus is on the throne, He is not physically ruling this present world. The author of Hebrew knows that this issue has to be addressed because it is the biggest reason that the Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah. You have to understand the mindset of a Jewish believer to really get this. We they thought about the Messiah coming, they thought about Him taking on humanity and setting up His kingdom (the kingdom of the Jews) immediately! This is why the religious leaders taunted Jesus at the cross saying, "He saved others but he can't save himself. He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." The disciples were confused by the death of Jesus because that was not what the Messiah was "supposed" to do. They didn't understand that the Messiah was going to take on humanity and die. Jesus was crowned with glory and honor at the resurrection and ascension into heaven, but will not set up His physical kingdom until later... The future inhabited earth.

6. Did the people have trouble looking at Jesus being "the Son of Man"?

Answer: Yes, because of their understanding of what the Son of Man was supposed to come and do.

I know this maybe a lot to process, I will speak more to it tomorrow, but just keep in mind that the author is trying to convince a Jewish audience of the authority that Jesus holds, so he has to address the issue of his humanity and delayed kingdom rule.

Hebrews 2:5-9 (Observe)

2011-07-18T06:54:00.004-04:00

"It is not to the angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

Hebrews 2:5-9

Observations:

God did not subject the "world to come" to angels.
Definitely connected to the what was said early because of the phrase "about which we are speaking."
The author is quoting the Old Testament again... specifically Psalms 8:4-6.
Man was made a little lower than angels.
A question is being asked about why God even cares for man.
This Psalm seems to speak of God crowing man with glory and honor and putting everything under his feet.
Everything under his feet means everything... there is nothing that is not subject to him.
The author makes an observation... they do not see everything subject to "him".
The author notes that what they do see is Jesus... Made a little lower than angels and Crowned with glory and honor.
There were three phrases that described what God would do in the Psalm relative to the son of man... 1. Made him a little lower than the angels; 2. Crown him with glory and honor; 3. put everything under his feet.
The author only points out two of the three in reference to Jesus.
Jesus suffered death in order that He might taste death for everyone.
First time that Jesus was referenced by name!

Interpretive Questions:

This passage brings up several interpretive questions that need to be answered. I will write down questions that come to my mind without the assumption that I already know the answer to them.

What does the author mean by "It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come"?
Does the phrase "world to come" speak of the future world?
Why is the author using this Psalm right here?
Is the author implying a reference to Jesus (the Son of man) when quoting this Psalm?
Why does the author only point out two of the three things God would do relative to the Son of Man?
Did the people have trouble looking at Jesus being "the Son of Man"?

Hebrews 2:1-4 (Relate)

2011-07-14T06:25:00.002-04:00

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will."

Hebrews 2:1-4

Whose words hold highest place in your life? Whose words do you rely on to form the foundation of what you believe which affects how you live? As the author of Hebrews forms the foundation of his argument, he is starting in the most logical place... source of truth. The message spoken by the Son, is greater than the message spoken by the angels. The prophesies tell us this, God testified to it by signs and wonders, and the nature of the messenger makes it obvious that we should listen to Jesus! He fulfilled the Old Covenant and ushered in the New. He holds a position of authority right now at the right hand of God! Oh, and He created all things, is heir of all things, and sustains all things. LISTEN TO HIM! His message is true and holds the power of life and death!

So the author challenges the people to "pay more careful attention" to what they have heard. Because most couldn't read, they were dependent on teachers and what they had heard. The words that people spoke were a powerful influence, so you must pay careful attention to who you are going to believe. In their case, they had to decide whether they were going to believe "the message spoken by angels" (Law) or the message spoken by the Son (New Covenant).

They same is true in our case. It's likely, if your reading this blog, you are not Jewish and you probably don't struggle with desiring to return to the Old Covenant, but the principle is the same... Whose words form the foundation of what you believe about reality? Some possible sources may be science, a particular philosopher, mom and dad, your church, yourself, Oprah, music, or any number of things. Where do the words of Jesus fit into all of this? What place do His words hold? It all comes down to our source of truth!

Years ago I was having a conversation with an older gentleman whom I love, and he asked me what I thought about interracial marriage. I proceeded to tell him that I had no problem with it because the Scriptures didn't address it. I told him that the primary principle was that a believer marry another believer, race had nothing to do with it. He responded to me like this... "Well, they way I look at it, God created the red bird and the blue bird, and you don't see them getting together." Do you see how easy it is for us to form an opinion about what we believe by something other than the Scriptures... even if it "involves God"? We must pay attention to what we hear or we will go down a path of believing what is not true!

I will issue a challenge to you as the writer of Hebrews does to his Jewish audience. Pay attention to what you are hearing or reading about life! Allow God's Word to be the source that forms the foundation for real life! Ultimately, we all want reality! Reality is found in the author of life, and HE HAS SPOKEN!

God, give us a hunger to know the truth of your words! May we allow Your truth to penetrate our hearts and minds as we learn from You what is ultimately real! Give us a discerning spirit to filter out what is false, whether it be from music, books, science, parents, and even our churches. May Your Word hold the highest place of influence in our lives!

Hebrews 2:1-4 (Examine)

2011-07-13T07:24:00.003-04:00

Hebrews 2:1-4

After giving this passage some thought for a few days, I have changed my questions just a little bit.

1. Who is the author talking to?
Answer: I believe the author is talking to the Jewish people. I believe he identifies himself as one of those Jews. Here is a guy who loves his people and wants them to know the truth of the gospel ("such a great salvation"). There is no doubt that they're was a struggle with fully embracing the New Covenant as delivered by Jesus because of the fact that they have been inundated with the Old Covenant since birth. Even Peter struggled with this...

"When Peter came to Antioch, I (Paul) opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, 'You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?'"

Gal. 2:11-14

This was a huge issue in the beginning of the church among the Jewish population for both believers and those who claimed to be believers. I believe the book of Hebrews is a call toward the truth for the Hebrew reader.

2. What exactly was the "message spoken by angels"?
Answer: I believe that the message spoken by angels is a clear reference to the Old Covenant, particularly the Law. The giving of the law was associated with angels in several places in the Scriptures (Deut. 33:2, Acts 7:38, Acts 7:53, Gal:3:19). It also makes sense with the rest of the book of Hebrews. The author dives into Old Covenant Law and shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and has made the Law obsolete in terms of how God relates to His people. Jesus (New Covenant) is the fulfillment of the Law (Old Covenant), and Jesus is better than the Law.

3. What is meant by "drift away"?
Answer: The people that the author addresses have heard the truth of the Gospel and have apparently given it some thought. It is certainly a warning to not go back to Old Covenant thinking, which is really no gospel (good news) at all. As a matter of fact the author says, "If the message (Law) spoken by angels was binding and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, who shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" The Law dooms us! The author is warning the people that if they are seeking to be right with God through the Law they are dead in the water! Jesus satisfied the demands of the Law so that salvation was possible through receiving His righteousness by faith (Romans 3:21-26)! That passage is a must read!!! The author is warning the people to not drift away from truth!

4. Why the whole bit about signs, wonders and miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Answer: Lets not miss the forest for looking at a single tree. We can easily get caught up asking ourselves the question, "does God still work this way or do tongues still exist today?" Often times this passage is used to make such arguments, but that is not the intent of the author. The author is simply saying that God used signs, wonders and miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to validate the truthfulness of the message spoken by His Son! The author is establishing the validity of the message spoken by the Son. He is laying the foundation of his argument that the message spoken by the Son (New Covenant) is truth and is a fulfillment of the Law making the Law obsolete.

Still Thinking!

2011-07-12T08:29:00.002-04:00

Not ready to blog my thoughts on this passage yet. I am still mulling it around in my head, which sometimes takes a while for a simple man like myself. I will blog about it tomorrow. In the mean time, have you come to any conclusions as to what the "message spoken by angels" is?

Hebrews 2:1-4 (Observe)

2011-07-11T06:26:00.003-04:00

Hebrews 2:1-4

Observations:
1. The word "therefore" appears in the first verse which is a sure indicator that the author is continuing his thought from the previous passage.
2. This is a warning to pay more careful attention to "what they have heard".
3. "What they have heard" indicates that they are hearing teaching that involves a message from angels that is closely connected to the law.
4. The phrase "so we do not drift away", is an indication the the author is speaking to Jewish believers because he assumes they know the truth already.
5. Apparently there were people who were drifting away.
6. The author begins his thesis on why "This Salvation" is greater than Law.
7. The message spoken by angels seems to be a reference to the Old Testament Law.
8. The author logically concludes that if this message was binding and those who violated this message or disobeyed it received their just punishment, then they would not escape its consequences.
9. It's like the author is saying that if they believe this message their doomed by the message itself. This would make sense if the author is speaking of the Law, for one of the purposes of Old Testament Law was to show us how sinful we are and how short we fall of God's righteousness.
10. The author indicates there is a salvation that is great and cannot be ignored.
11. This salvation was...

First announced by the Lord
Confirmed by those who heard Him
Testified to by signs, wonders and miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit

12. If this salvation was announced by the Lord, and confirmed by those who "heard" Him, this seems to indicate a clear reference to Jesus. He announced it and people heard it.
13. "Confirmed to us by those who heard Him" seems to indicate that the author did not hear this "announcement" personally by the Jesus while He was walking the earth.
14. One of the purposes of signs, wonders and miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit was to testify to the validity of this salvation.
15. It seems to me that the people know exactly what the author is talking about because he doesn't go into any specific detail about "the message spoken by angels".

Interpretive Questions:
1. What exactly were the people hearing? What teaching is the author referring to?
2. What is the "just" punishment for violations and disobedience to the "message spoken by angels"?
3. What exactly is the "message spoken by angels"?
4. Who is the author of Hebrews and did he hear from Jesus himself?
5. What does the author mean by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Please feel free to add observations and questions that come to your mind as we continue our journey through Hebrews.

The Implications of Inherited Salvation

2011-07-08T07:40:00.003-04:00

So instead of moving on to the next passage for the weekend (I will not be blogging over the weekend), I have been contemplating the last phrase in chapter 1... "Are not angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" I am particularly meditating on the implications of what it means to be a person who "will inherit salvation."

It is kind of strange to think of salvation in terms of "will inherit" since I would most certainly claim to you that I am presently saved, so what is the author talking about?

First of all, salvation is inherited! I love that word because it captures the truth that I had nothing to do with my salvation. I did not earn it, and I most certainly didn't deserve it. God, in His grace and mercy, sent His Son to lay down His life to provide purification for sin and then raised Him from the dead as proof that He is the Messiah. Christ made it possible for unrighteous people to become righteous people in the eyes of a holy God, but even this righteousness is not earned!

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Cor. 5:21

Salvation is inherited... given... shared! We didn't do anything to earn it nor have we done anything to deserve it! It is inherited! Inherited is a family term. The Father says to His children, all that is mine is yours! Think about these verses...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

1 Peter 1:3-5

Secondly, complete salvation is a future deal! Although, presently I can say with confidence that I am saved and know I have eternal life, that salvation has not quite been realized yet. I am still living in a fallen world where there is death, disease, hardships, natural disasters, imperfect relationships, temptation at every corner, and more. I long for the day when I will be completely rescued from the consequences of living in a sinful fallen world. Presently I have been rescued from my sin and declared to be in a right relationship with God, but I still have not been rescued from the consequences of living in a fallen world. Here is what I do know... I will inherit salvation! I will be completely rescued from the consequences of living in a fallen world!

The reality is that we are left in this fallen world to bring glory to God by making His name known among others who might possibly become a part of the same family and share in the same inheritance! So until that day comes, make this your life's mission!

Hebrews 1:3-14 (Relate)

2011-07-07T06:48:00.003-04:00

When forming the Big Idea of a passage, I try to determine what question is the author addressing. Is he addressing a who, what, when, where, why, or how question. Here is a simple way to find the Big Idea...

Subject (what question) plus the Compliment (the answer to that question) equals the Big Idea.

What we are looking for is the main point, so its important not to get caught up with the little things, though there is much we can learn about God in the little things.

Big Idea:

Subject... The author is trying to convince the audience that the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant. As a matter of fact, we will find that he is trying to convince them that the New Covenant, of which Jesus is the author, has replaced the Old Covenant. He begins with the superiority of the Son. The Son is the author of this New Covenant and the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, therefore the New is validated by the author Himself. A Jewish person held a high view of angels since they believe the law was put into effect by them... but Jesus is greater!

So I believe the question the author is answering is a "who" question... Who is the more superior when it comes to matters of true faith?

Compliment...

The Son is more superior! Think of it this way:

The Son...

Is heir of all things
Is Creator of the universe
Is The radiance of God's glory
Is The exact representation of His being
Sustains all things by His powerful Word
Has the title of Son indicating the relationship He has to the Father
Will rule as King
Is unchangeable and Eternal

Angels...

Are created beings
Are just messengers
Are directed by God to worship the Son
Exist to serve those who will inherit salvation

So who is more superior. It's pretty obvious!

Big Idea...

When it comes to matters of true faith, Jesus is more superior to angels because of who He is and what He does!

My Thoughts:
Our understanding of who Jesus is has a huge impact on how we live our lives. Do you really believe that Jesus is who He says He is? What impact does that make on your life? Do you try to fit your understanding of Jesus into a framework that you're comfortable with, which diminishes His glory, or do you see Him as the Scriptures reveal? I know the author is establishing the credibility of the New Covenant to Jewish people by first establishing the credibility of its author, but I think the same principle applies to us. Our view of the author of our faith will directly impact the practice of our faith. He is the eternal, powerful, unchangeable Creator God, who provided purification for our sin and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven who has given Him the right to rule as King!

Hebrews 1:3-14 (Examine)

2011-07-06T05:56:00.003-04:00

1. So why does the author compare the Son to angels?

Understanding this question is huge when trying to understand what God is trying to teach us through the book of Hebrews. If your just looking at the book of Hebrews, you would come to the obvious conclusion that the people of that day held angels in high regard. You even see this in Hebrews 2:2-3...

"For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?"

What was this message spoken by angels? Well, it is obviously something that a Jewish person would hold dear and pay attention to. It could be violated and disobeyed, so it included clear commands. Knowing that the author is proving to a Jewish audience that the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant, contextually it makes sense that this message is the law.

If we look outside of this passage for insight into what the Jewish people believed in regards to the law and angels, we find a consistency. Look at Acts 7:53...

"...you (Jewish people), who have received the law that was put into effect by angels but have not obeyed it."

Here you have Stephen connecting the dots for us in his sermon right before he was stoned. Obviously there was a real connection for the Jewish reader between angels and the law, so it is fitting that the author of Hebrews addresses it right away, especially if your point is that the New Covenant is better than the Old.

2. There is a tension I find in this chapter as to the Sonship of Jesus. I see phrases like...

"...His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things..."
"So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs."
"You are my Son; today I have become Your Father."

These are the phrases that give me pause, and I ask myself, "What does God mean by this?" It seems that Jesus has not always been the Son, or heir of all things, or superior to angels. Yet I also see things like...

"...through whom (the Son) He made the universe."
"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being."
He sustains all things "by His powerful word."
In reference to the Son, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain."
"But You (reference to the Son) remain the same, and your years will never end."

On one hand you see the eternal nature of the deity of Jesus, and on the other there are words like appointed, inherited, became, and become. This leads me to believe that there is a separation between the nature of the Son and His role with His creation. Maybe, the triune God took on titles so that the creation could relate to them... especially Father and Son. Maybe when it comes to the phrase "He became as much superior..." is a reference to man's understanding of who Jesus is as He ascended to the right hand of the Father.

These are questions and possible answers, but there is no doubt as to the deity and eternal nature of Jesus. He is greater than angels... He is greater than you and me! Your thoughts are appreciated...

Hebrews 1:3-14 (Observe)

2011-07-05T05:41:00.003-04:00

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father'?

Or again, 'I will be His Father, and He will be my Son'?

And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.'

In speaking of the angels He says, 'He makes his angels winds, His servants flames of fire.'

But about the Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.'

He also says, 'In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hand. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.'

To which of the angels did God ever say, 'Sit at my right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet'?

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"

Hebrews 1:3-14

Observations:

1. In talking about how God has spoken to the people "in these last days", the Son is the focal point.

2. The Son is described as the radiance of God's glory.

3. He is described as the exact representation of God's being.

4. The Son sustains all things by His powerful word.

5. The deity of the Son seems to be very evident through these verses.

6. The Son provided purification for sin.

7. The Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

8. The author concludes the profile of the Son by stating that He has become "as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs."

9. There is an obvious emphasis on setting apart the Son from an angel.

10. The Son is an obvious reference to Jesus.

11. Vs. 5 tells us that the Son is superior to angels in title and birthright.

12. Vs. 6 tells us the angels demonstrate that superiority in function... they worship the Son.

13. Vs. 7-9 their in a comparison in role... Angels are servants, and the Son is a ruler.

14. Vs. 10-12 the Son is accredited with... 1. creation of the heavens and earth, 2. being eternal, 3. never changing. These are characteristics of God.

15. Vs. 13 asks a rhetorical question about the position of angels verse the Son that again emphasizes the superiority of the Son.

16. The angels have the role of even serving those who will inherit salvation.

17. The author quotes the Old Testament 7 times in 12 verses.

Interpretive Questions:

1. Why the comparison with angels?

2. What does it mean that "the name He (the Son) has inherited is superior to theirs"? I am particularly interested in the word inherited.

Please feel free to comment any observations or questions that you might have.

Hebrews 1:1-2 (Relate)

2011-07-04T06:41:00.002-04:00

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe."

Hebrews 1:1-2

I find it interesting that this letter starts out with no salutation or soft introduction, but rather a straight forward declaration as to how God has spoken to us in these last days. I believe it is important for us to recognize an intentional shift pointed out by the author. God has spoken to us through His Son. Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets, has now come and has addressed us directly. To a Hebrew, the author is pointing out that the words of Jesus are greater!

There is no doubt, as you read the New Testament, that a new covenant has been established through the death and resurrection of Jesus which includes the gentiles and does not include the Law. The Jewish people were struggling with this change, so if you are going to convince the people of this change, you must establish credibility of the author of that change. This is what is happening in the verses to come, but as for the first two verses... What the Son has spoken is greater than what was spoken in the past through the prophets. The one who fulfilled the old covenant, is the one who is establishing the new covenant. This shift is only as legit as the one making the shift... Jesus, who was appointed heir of all things and through whom the universe was made.

What voices do you listen to when it comes to real life issues? Whose words form the foundation for what you believe? Is it the Discovery Channel? Is it your parents? Is it your church? Is it your friends? Is it pop culture? Is it a certain writing? Or is it Jesus? Whose words hold more weight in your life in practice (not theory)? Think about it!

Hebrews 1:1-2 (Examine)

2011-07-02T06:11:00.002-04:00

Today we want to look a little deeper at the passage through the questions that were brought up. Here are a few of those questions and some thoughts behind them...

1. Who was the author writing to?

Thoughts: This letter never identifies the recipient outright, so it is wise to look at the internal evidence for answers to that question. Hebrews quotes the Old Testament more than any other book in the New Testament. It details the Levitical system and emphasis "fathers" like Abraham and many other "witnesses" who were all important to Jewish folks. In verse one we find that God spoke through the prophets to the "fathers". This word is used to indicate descendants. The NIV says "our Fathers", while the NASB says "the fathers". Regardless, you can't read the book of Hebrews without coming to an obvious conclusion that it was written to Jewish Christians. that is why it was given the title "Hebrews" or more specifically "Letter to the Hebrews." Here is a link that will expand your perspective on the background information on the book of Hebrews.

2. Why does the author compare "in the past" to "in these last days"?

Thoughts: The author is emphasizing a change in the primary way that God speaks to His people. As a part of the old covenant ("in the past"), the word from God was spoken by many prophets and in many ways, but that is not the case presently. "In these last days" the emphasis is on one person with no mention of a variety of ways. He spoke to us by His Son!

3. What does the author mean by "in these last days"?

Thoughts: If I am trying to put myself into the perspective of the author, who was most certainly a Jewish believer who had extensive knowledge of the Old Testament and the Levitical system, I would think that "in these last days" is referring to the time before Jesus comes back. Jesus ascended and the angels declared that He was coming back in the same manner (Acts 1:11). The idea of the return of Jesus is referred to as the "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). These literally are the last days, however, we don't know how long these last days will last.

4. Is what was spoken by the Son a replacement of what was spoken through the prophets?

Thoughts: Jesus never came to replace the law or the prophets, He was the fulfillment of them. Now that the Son has come, there is no longer a need for that which foreshadowed or spoke about His coming. He has fulfilled the Law by satisfying the demand of the law inorder to make purification for sin, and He has fulfilled the prophets by being the one to whom the prophesies was about. Not a replacement but a fulfillment... which makes Him greater!

5. How does the way God has spoken by His Son compared to the way God has spoken through his prophets?

Thoughts: I was intrigued by the differences in the translations, so I dug a little deeper. NIV translates "through" the prophets and "by" His Son. KJV translates "by" the prophets and "by" His Son. NASB translates "in" the prophets and "in" His Son. Both Dave and Chelsea made that observation. The preposition used in this passage is the same for prophets and His Son in the original language, so I don't think there is an emphasis denoting a difference using that preposition. The question is.... Is it "by" or "in". It is interesting that in the KJV that preposition is used 2782 times, and is translated "in" 1874 of those times. Why it is translated by here, I don't know, but based on other translations and the usual meaning of the word I believe "in" is the better word. I think of it as the dwelling place of truth. In the past truth dwelt in the words spoken by the prophets, but in these last days, it dwells in the words spoken by the Son and what has been revealed to the apostles by Jesus. Truth dwells in the person of Jesus.

Additional Thoughts: There is an emphasis on the Son in verse two that is intriguing. He was appointed heir of all things and He was involved in the making of the universe. You see His supremacy and His power! Can you imagine that the heir of all things and creator of the universe is the dwelling place of truth? How crazy is that? What is crazier is that we have access to that truth! Dwell on this truth today or rather let this truth dwell in you!

Hebrews 1:1-2 (Observe)

2011-07-01T05:43:00.004-04:00

OK, we are starting our journey through the book of Hebrews. My desire is to direct you through a process of self discovery as you learn a method of bible study that will help you process the intent of the writer. We are going to keep it simple, so each passage will take three days to process. The first day (Observe) I will walk you through a process of Making Observations and Asking Interpretive Questions. The second day (Examine) we will look at the questions, provide answers, and include my thoughts. The third day (Relate) we will determine the Big Idea of the passage and how it applies to life. Let's begin...

God, we come to You knowing that we cannot understand and experience the transforming power of Your word without Your Spirit opening up our eyes and heart to see truth revealed. So we simply ask that Your Spirit would lead our spirit as we seek to know You through Your Word.

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe."

Hebrews 1:1-2

Observations:

Good Bible Study always starts with making observations about what you just read. These are statements that are obvious from the reading of the passage. We have to be careful not to interpret during this process, but simply make observations based on what seems obvious. I would invite you to make some observations with me. I will make a few and then you can make some more. I would invite you to share your observations either on the comments section in this blog or in the Journey Through Hebrews Facebook group.

1. The author is comparing the past to his present time.
2. The author explains that God spoke through the prophets in the past.
3. The author uses the word "forefathers" indicating a Jewish audience.
4. The prophets spoke at many times and in various ways.
5. The author uses the phrase "in these last days".
6. There seems to be a change in how God is speaking to the people.
7. In the author's present situation, God has spoken to them through His Son.

OK... You continue to make observations...

Interpretive Questions:

Interpretive questions are simply questions that you feel will help you understand what is going on in the passage. Perhaps you're confused by a word or a phrase that the author uses. Maybe there is a seeming contradiction with another passage of Scripture or you are just not sure what the author is saying. Write down those questions... We will seek answers to those questions later, but for now lets just jot them down.

1. Who is the author writing to?
2. Why does the author compare "in the past" to "in these last days"?
3. What does the author mean by "in these last days"?
4. Is what is spoken by the Son a replacement of what was spoken by the prophets?

Write down any other questions that you might have about this passage...

Hebrews - Exploring the Object and Depth of Our Faith!

2011-06-30T06:43:00.002-04:00

I spent some time this morning reading the first seven chapters of the book of Hebrews to get a general idea of what the author was saying and will finish it up later. I will be diving in to this book passage by passage over the next several months and my plan is to blog my thoughts. Hebrews is a fascinating book written to a Jewish audience to assure them that Jesus is the Son of God and that God desires true belief that results in obedience. As these truths are uncovered, I am fully expecting God to reveal Himself in a richer manner to me.

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."
Hebrews 3:12

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."
Hebrews 4:14

God is challenging my belief and yours through this book... Do we really believe God? Do we really believe that Jesus is the Son of God and author of salvation? Or are we quick to get caught up in sin's deceitfulness causing our hearts to turn away from the living God? As we journey through Hebrews together... and that is my desire that you would journey with me... I pray that God would challenge the depths of our faith with the purpose of shoring it up. The journey will begin tomorrow!

Can't Stop Thinking!

2011-06-23T05:41:00.002-04:00

So it's 4:45am on a Thursday in Tennessee and I am wide awake. I have been awake for the last several hours struggling to fall back asleep because of the thoughts racing through my head. I have been thinking about the church... what is its intended purpose? As I contemplate that question, here are some thoughts of mine that I will spit out based on years in ministry and hopefully the Scriptures. If you know me at all, you know that it is important to me that what I believe about what God designed comes from His revelation... The Bible. So I am going to type out my thoughts and we can evaluate together whether they are from the Scriptures or just simply my thoughts.

1. The church is organic in nature! What do I mean by that? What I mean is that the church is the people of God working together for the purposes of God. It is living, breathing, and has the power to forcibly advance the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12, Acts 8:1-4). It is not a building or an organization. I think we run the risk of turning something that was intended to be organic into simply an organization. I believe we move in that direction because there is organizational structures within the church that are biblical. So while it is true that that there is organization, we must be careful not to function primarily as an organization. This is why one of my core values is that people are more important than programs. When programs become more important in function than people, then what was intended to be organic, has just become an organization. We must guard from God's church slipping into that dangerous pit.

2. The church is the hope of the world! It is the embodiment of Christ! We are His heart, we are His feet, we are His hands, we are His voice to a world that so desperately needs to know the truth that will set them free. When Jesus came to earth, he said,

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already..." John 3:17-18

This world has both feet in a place of condemnation, and the church is God's tool to carry the Gospel (God's rescue plan) to the ends of the earth.

3. The church is designed for the believer! I will just come right out and say it... I struggle with the idea of a seeker sensitive church! When I look in the Scriptures, I see the church as a body of believers who gather together to be equipped, encouraged, and empowered to GO OUT to a world that is dying! When we gather together for the purpose of evangelism, we miss out on the heart of the church. Now don't get me wrong, I am all about evangelism, as a matter of fact, I am passionate about the Gospel, but we need to be clear about the purpose of the church. I am going to disagree with Saddleback's five purposes of the church for a minute... actually I would like to tweak them if you would allow. I see that the church's purposes always serve the mission of the church, not the other way around. I believe Christ set up His church for the purposes of corporate worship, corporate prayer, biblical community, and teaching God's word (Acts 2:42-47). All of this, when experienced, leads to the church (its people) toward fulling the great commission which is to make disciples as they go through life. Weak disciples breed weak disciple-makers. We cannot fall into the trap of using the church as a platform for evangelism at the detriment of the church's real purposes. I understand the intend and love the heart behind the seeker service model, but I disagree with its approach.

Well maybe that's enough thoughts for now...

The Centrality of the Gospel!

2011-06-01T06:30:00.002-04:00

The Gospel! What is it? And what difference does it make? Certainly you can look at the lives of the early disciples and see the centrality of the Gospel. It affected what they did with their time and it affected their character as well. They were driven by it!

"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

There is hope for the hopeless based on the merits of Christ alone! He has made His righteousness available for the unrighteous to be clothed with!

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Cor. 5:21

It's in the Gospel that we find hope! It's because of Christ and His work on the cross that we stand right before the Father! The Gospel means everything! Are we driven by it? It should affect all of who we are...

"Bear with one another and forgive any grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Col. 3:13

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Eph. 5:1-2

How much does the Gospel drive you toward missional action? Does the Gospel have an impact on your character? These are all questions I am asking myself and I am desperately longing to the Gospel to grip my heart more and more! Let us allow the Gospel to grip us at the core of our being and allow it to drive us to become more like Christ and to make Him known!

The Finite Cannot Comprehend the Infinite!

2011-05-30T06:17:00.004-04:00

What does it mean that God is holy? The four living creatures in Revelation 4 continue to say day and night

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

Rev. 4:8

He is holy! He is set apart... not like us! And yet we have have a tendency to think we know better than Him. We question His justice and wrath and cannot reason a God that allows bad things to happen to "good" people. If we don't understand something revealed about God in the Scriptures we want to explain it away because it doesn't fit our sense of what God ought to be... thus we "change" God to fit our mold.

"Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

Isa. 40:13-14

Do you see how silly it is for a finite being who is limited in understanding to subject and question the actions and character of an infinite being? The finite cannot comprehend the infinite, so we need to let God be God! I am posting a video of Francis Chan talking about his book coming out in July called "Erasing Hell". In this clip, he echos my thinking, and his view of God as revealed in the Word is so high! Watch it and ask yourself these questions... Do I, as a finite being, subject God's actions to my own reasoning? Do I allow God to be God or do I create my own God who fits my understanding?

Day 6 in the Philippines 2011

2011-05-05T21:35:00.003-04:00

Last day for basketball camp... It all began after some bacon and eggs. We left the guest house to travel to the church. The morning time was pretty slow for Bobby and I, but that was a much needed break. During the morning I wandered around the church just observing and making conversation with others. I dropped in on the drama ministry led by George and Marian Pastore, and it was such a blessing. George was so engaged with the 25 plus students who were there, and the performance was beautiful. I can't wait to see it when they are done. I also got to hear and see the vision that Pastor Jek has for youth ministry. We went up to the roof and looked out over the city. It was beautiful! It looked so calm and organized from the fourth floor, but that is not the feeling while in the midst of it. Perspective matters!

We visited the work site when we dropped George off. They were building a house that would sit several feet off the ground because of water issues. They had been living in a house that would have a foot or two of water in it. When we got there, we found out that Pastor Mike was having some back issues and he left to go rest at the guesthouse. He is still struggling a bit, but is up and around and connecting with our friends.

After lunch at the SM (Shoe Mart... a mall in Mandaue), we headed to the new property to play our coaches game. I am so glad that we only had four on four and played half court. I have definitely burnt some calories while here!

The first session started at 3pm. It was tournament day, so we divided up the teams and played full court basketball. Part of the joy of camp for me is connecting with the kids from the neighboring barangay. I gave out cars and took pictures. The picture above is of some of the kids from that village and I. I also got a lesson in Cebuano...

Ma-ta = Eyes

A-long = Nose

Dong-gun = Ears

Mijas = Socks

Bot-bot = Mouth

Ulo = head

Sa-be-toes = Shoes

Borol - Shorts

I doubt if I spelled those right, but we will see. I learned a few more as well, but I won't make you suffer through my list. After each session of camp, we had a BBQ dinner and award certificates to hand out to the students. It was a fantastic time! 11 students made decisions to follow Jesus, so I am excited about the opportunity that MCBC has to follow up while we are gone.

Bobby and I got home at 9:30PM, showered, and went to bed. I was very tired!

Tori continued to hang out with the Glee Camp girls. She has a talent show today. It will be fun to watch her!

Oh yeah... I also have been told that Pastor Jek is more handsome than Pacquiao, their beloved boxing hero... by Pastor Jek himself! (hehehehe)

Take Yourself Out of the Picture!

2011-05-04T17:22:00.003-04:00

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Philippians 1:15-18

You know that Christ is the center of your life when you can take yourself completely out of the picture! Here we have the Apostle Paul in prison and apparently there are "preachers" who are jealous of the attention that Paul has gotten and consider him to be a threat to their own sense of importance. I love the way that Paul addresses this issue. His response shows that it is all about Jesus! The gospel is so important to Paul, he can look past motives that are negatively directed toward him and say... "What does it matter?" But motives do matter! What does he mean? Paul is not addressing another's relationship with God, but rather his own relationship with God. He is choosing to place himself in the hands of God rather than men. He looks at the bigger picture, and takes himself out of it. So what is the bigger picture? Christ is being preached! He doesn't concern himself with the motives of the messenger, just so the message is being preached. I can hear Paul speaking now... "Call me what you want! Judge me if you may! But praise God your preaching the Gospel!" That is a mark of a man whose life is bound up in Christ!

Let us not get caught up in making ourselves the big picture! Let us see Jesus, the Author and Protector of our faith!

Day 5 in the Philippines 2011

2011-05-04T16:33:00.002-04:00

Today was a bit different then the other days in the morning. After breakfast, we left for the church to drop off people and then several of us headed to a place that looked like a glass dump yard. There we saw Filipinos separating glass and crushing it into small pieces to fill up bags. The bags are the size of a burlap sac. A hard days work will produce about 20 bags, and they get 3 pesos per bag. Let me translate this... They work hard all day to make what is equivalent to $1.50 PER DAY (not per bag). They were working in flip flops (sandals if your Filipino) and I could not see any cuts on their feet. I am sure that I would have cuts!

After we visited the glass place, we went to visit a Barangay called Paradise where Jenny's sponsored child lives and where Margie (the Rodger's and Monaco's special friend) calls home. It is anything but a paradise, but as you drive into this Baranguy, the children are laughing and playing! It is a joy to watch. We were definitely a highlight! The children love getting their picture taken! As we were at Margie's home, which is a home made of bamboo and wood hovering over the water, I saw some children swimming. The water was filled with trash and had a gray milky look to it, but that is the water that many of them wash up with. The trip to Margie's home required us to walk on planks across the water. Some of the planks didn't look too strong, so it was an adventure getting my 250 pound frame across. I survived! Haha!

When we got back to the church, Bobby and I played cards with Jeremy, Nigel, and Jek. We had a lot of fun playing King, Queen, Peasant, Scum (adding in Knight so the fifth player could play). They picked up on the strategy of the game very quickly.

At camp, we worked on team drill, had devotions, and played 5 on 5 games. It was an exciting day of camp because the students love to play! In between the first and second session, the coaches played for about 45 minutes... full court! I was dying!!! But had so much fun. I need to convince myself that my body is not made to do that anymore... naaa! Well, I got a lot of pictures and video of the day but I have to hunt down a cord to upload them to my computer. So hopefully I will show pictures soon.

Tori gave her testimony in the girls camp, and I heard she did an excellent job! I was so happy to see her eyes light up when they were told that they were making tie-dye shirts! She had tons of fun today with the girls. I haven't talked to her since, because she was asleep when I got in last night from camp. I look forward to connecting with her this morning.

Well, I got to bed about 9:15pm last night and it felt good to sleep for 7 hours! Ready to go today... I am excited to see what the Lord has in store!

Day 4 in the Philippines 2011

2011-05-03T17:51:00.002-04:00

First of all, I want to shout, "Praise the Lord!" We had at least 5 young men make a decision to follow Jesus Christ at Basketball camp! I had asked everyone to pray for the coaches who were sharing the Gospel, and God used them in powerful ways. There were some in the first camp who were not sure, but were challenged to think about it. We will follow up with them today. I haven't talked to all the coaches after the second camp, so there may have been more decisions.

After the usual breakfast routine, we headed to the church. The morning was freed up for me to spend some time shadowing Tori helping with the Precious Jewels Camp. This is a camp for the mentally challenged students that many of our people at FBC sponsor. It was great watching her interact! I loved watching them play with her hair! They just loved on her! Tori had the opportunity to share her testimony through an interpretor, and did a fantastic job! I am so proud of her... it took courage and she shined!

About 11am I had to leave the church with Bobby, Pastor Nigel, and Pastor Jeremy. We went to the mall to pick up something to eat and then do some shopping for basketball camp. We had a rim break and the portable goals needed nets, so we took care of them. We got to the new property about 2pm to fix everything before the 3pm camp started.

The first session was great! We worked on proper layups and shooting fundamentals, had devotions, and then had our skills competition.

After the first session, the coaches played! We played 5 on 5, half court. They asked me if I wanted to play full court... I was laughing! I told them that if I played full court today, it could possibly be my last day! haha! While we were playing, it started to rain. We played in the rain and it felt really nice... until a few hours later when we were still soaked to the bone.

The second session was altered a bit because of the rain. We only worked on the fundamentals of shooting with the students, had devotions, and played knock out! You could not dribble on the court because of the puddles. Over all, the camp went really well. Would you believe that yesterday the rim on the opposite hoop broke at the exact same time the rim broke the previous day... right before the second session. No! It is not because I was dunking... I know you were thinking it! haha!

After the second camp, we took the coaches out to eat to their choice. We went to a Filipino restaurant in the Iella Mall. It was great food and great conversations. Their is not a mall in America that is as nice as this mall! It is absolutely gorgeous! It reminds you about how wide the gap in the poverty line is! Most people in the Philippines live in squatter homes (very poor conditions) and then you have a mall like this... yet the mall is flooded with people. Bobby and I got back to the guest house about 10:30pm... a long but fantastic day! Praise God!

I will try to blog my quiet time latter, but I have run out of time.

Day 3 in the Philippines 2011

2011-05-02T16:47:00.002-04:00

Great day! At breakfast we were able to connect with the Wilkinson family for a short time, and then Bobby, George, Marian, Tori, and I headed off to the church. Tori, George and Marian had to be there at 8am for Drama Camp and Bobby and I had to be there at 9am for a meeting with the Basketball coaches. The rest of the team went on a tour of the BTC with their fearless host... Steve Wilkinson. I am sad that I missed that, though I have seen BTC before. I always enjoy connecting with the Wilkinsons and I know that I will not have much of an opportunity to connect since they are leaving this week to head back to the states. During our coaches meeting, I walked them through the devotional materials since everything is done in small groups, just to make sure everyone was comfortable and felt prepared. After our coaches meeting, Bobby and I connected with Mike and Dan to head over to a construction site with Pastor Hermie and Lito. We thought we were going to tear down an existing home and begin construction, but the house was already torn down and construction had begun. We worked until lunch helping build the framing for the home. After a great lunch with all the guys from the construction site at Jollie-Bees, Bobby and I went back to the church to grap the materials we needed for basketball camp. We got to the new property about 2pm and played around with the kids that were there. Camp started at 3pm with the 12 to 14 year old students. We had about 25 participants for that camp, which was a great number to work with. Bobby taught the drills session, devotions were held in small groups, and I functioned as a facilitator of the overall schedule. It was a blessing to have Bobby there helping out... he adds so much to the camp experience. We organized 3 on 3 games for the students to finish out the days camp. When the first camp was over, we had an hour until the next camp began so we played 3 pick up games with the coaches who were there. Not sure that was a great idea, but it was so much fun... I can tell I am in an aging body! haha! The second camp started at 6pm for students who were 15 and older. We did the same format. Bobby and I finally got home at 8:45pm and the shower I took was grand! It was funny to look in the mirror when I got home and make a very obvious observation... I got sun! I should have worn my sunscreen! When am I ever gonna listen to Trish! haha! All and all it was a fantastic day! Today is another big day. Be praying for the coaches as they share the gospel with the students! I am praying for a harvest of receptive hearts! I am excited about what God is going to do!

I haven't talked to anyone but George and Tori since I came home last night. The men's crew put on the roof of the house and then dug and poured footers for the foundation. That sentence may have sounded weird to you, but part of the unique way that Filipinos build squatter homes is to build the framing first and then the foundation. They do this to get out of the sun as quick as possible and it works. I will try to get pictures.

Devotion:

"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

Philippians 1:14

We all know the power of modeling faith before those who know you! Paul is a great example of a man who modeled courageous faith in the midst of tough circumstances and it produced in others a courage and lack of fear as they spoke God's Word to the people. I can imagine that they thought, "If he can do it, then we can as well!" I am sure that they saw Paul's joy in the midst of suffering and his incredible commitment to his God given purpose. That had to have had a profound impact on how they responded. Paul was a model of courage and fearlessness! He was not a model of complaining or blaming God for his circumstances! There are two things that I desire to be a part of my life through my time with the Lord this morning... 1. A courage and lack of fear that Paul modeled 2. I would be a source of encouragement to others that moves them toward that same courage and fearlessness!

How about you? Lets be a people who hold out the Word of Truth with courage and no fear!

Day 2 in the Philippines

2011-05-01T17:32:00.003-04:00

Day 2 in the Philippines...

What a joy it is to spend time in corporate worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We arrived at the church early and walked around connecting with people while Pastor Mike preached in the 2nd Service (Cebuano speaking service). The team passed out the gift bags to the sponsored children during the beginning of the third service (English speaking service). I was in the service the whole time and was blessed by the worship team... a group of fantastic young men and women who are extremely talented and equally committed to serving Christ through their talent! In a room about 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep, I felt like I was at a Hillsong church. They were that good. Tori said to me afterwards, "Dad, that guy leading worship should be on a cd." It was a blessing! We had a potluck dinner after the service and talked to the church members there. After dinner, with the exception of Pastor Mike and myself, the team left to go to Laupo-Laupo (probably spelled that wrong), an island right next to Mandaue City to visit the site where Magellan was defeated. I went to the new property where they had the fourth service for the people in the village next to it. This happens every week! The dedication and time put into a Sunday is unbelievable. They do it because they care for people and want to advance the Gospel. Great stuff! After the service at the new property, Pastor Nigel and I headed back to the church for YJAM. I had the honor of teaching the Scriptures to about 120 young people (teenagers) and it was such a blessing. All in all, there were 5 services that served different people groups, and that doesn't count the children's ministry, Compassion activities, and the Special Children activities. There dedication and commitment is humbling!

The days are hot but our God is sustaining us and giving us what we need to not just make it through, but to thrive! I praise God for all he has done!

I was reading the book of Philippians this morning (only seems appropriate), and I was challenged by how much Paul was focused on Christ and how he saw his life as a blueprint for Jesus.

"Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ."

Philippians 1:12-13

Paul could look at his life and saw the hand of God purposing what we would consider negative circumstances into something used to advance the Gospel. He chose to be present and use his circumstances for the purposes of Christ! He is in chains for Christ and that is clearly seen by the people surrounding him. Even later on in Philippians, he communicates that while he is living, his life is about Christ, and if he dies, great, because he will be with Christ! I am challenged by his focus and desire my life to reflect that same passionate focus!

Day 1 in the Philippines 2011

2011-04-29T21:27:00.004-04:00

Well, my daughter and I with a group of 12 other great people have arrived in the Philippines to connect with our sister church for the purpose of mutual encouragement in the faith. I love this trip so much because of the people. These are my brothers and sisters in Christ... the bond we share through the Spirit of God is dear to my heart. I often ask myself the question, "What do I really have to offer that makes a difference for the Kingdom that I may impart to my family here?" I don't know if I have a good answer for that, but I am committed to giving myself! I am asking the Lord to give my listening ears and a sensitivity to His leading. I have been blogging about living from the inside out for quite awhile and this trip is no different. My prayer is that would approach this trip from the core of who I am, and not fall into the trap of just "doing" the trip. My desire is to lead and to learn from that intimate place with my God, where He is speaking and I am not too distracted to hear.

Lord, may the relationships that are cultivated be honoring to you, and may my spirit be in tune with Your Spirit as I lead, listen, and learn! Your Glory!!!

Has the Fear of God Seized You?

2011-04-26T07:33:00.002-04:00

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to
your name? For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 15:4

Last night I was sleeping and woke up with a question that was bothering me. I don't know the details of what my dream was about, but I could not escape the question... Do we not fear God anymore? In the Old Testament, as God was leading Israel into the promise land, the surrounding nations would hear of the great things that the God of Israel had done and it terrified them. Fear kept them paralyzed! When God gave man just a glimpse of His might they responded in fear! Think about the early church. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit before the whole church and God struck him dead and great fear seized the people. We are told in Philippians 2 to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." Do we fear God anymore? Maybe it's that we have lost perspective about who God really is. Let me try and give some perspective.

Look at Revelation 15:4... There is a rhetorical question being asked about the fear of God. "Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to Your Name?" And then we find the reason... "For You alone are holy." He alone is absolutely pure and set apart in righteousness! HE IS GOD!!! That should mean something! So often we sit in judgment on God and question His righteousness because it doesn't fit our sense of justice, yet He alone has a perfect sense of what is just! HE IS GOD! Not like us... We are mere men who often put ourselves in the place of the Sovereign Lord and live for our own glory! HE IS GOD! Yet we relegate Him to a story figure or fairy tale... or at least live that way many times.

Here are some reasons that we should live in the fear of the Lord...
1. Already said, but He is Holy!
2. He will judge sin because He is Holy!
3. He is passionate about His Glory!
4. He is the creator of Hell as a place of everlasting punishment and separation from God for all the condemned!
5. HE IS GOD... and will pour out His wrath!

So this blog post is a call to the Church! Let the fear of God seize us!

Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 5:11

Lets place God in His proper place... at the highest place... in the place of Glory... for HE ALONE IS GOD!

Secret Sin - Hebrews 4:12-13

2011-04-12T07:16:00.002-04:00

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account"

Hebrews 4:12-13

Have you ever thought about the implications of a "secrete sin"... what you might carry out when no one is looking that you would not dare do in the eyes of the public? I know that most of you, if not all, struggle with this at times. We say to ourselves, "What will it hurt? No one will ever know about it!" But what are we really saying? What is the bigger issue?

So often our thinking reveals our fear of man more than our fear of God. We consider our public image over our relationship with God! Is He not present in that dark place that you believe is hidden from everyone? Paul says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." Boy is that a sobering reality! As a matter of fact Paul continues and says that "everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him whom we must give an account." We must give an account to God! This includes our thoughts and motives. Paul says before all this that "the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and morrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." NOTHING is hidden from God. Whether the secret sin is lust, envy, pride, hate, or self-centered motives, you cannot hide these from God! They will be laid bare!

The underlying issue of secret sin is our belief! Do we really believe that God exists? Do we really believe that He is omnipresent (present everywhere) and omniscience (knows all things)? Do we really believe that life is all about Him? Or do we believe that our indulgences and worldly sense of worth are more important? What do we believe? It all starts here... what you believe about God! When you begin to embrace the truth about our God and let it sink into the core of who you are, then you begin to say no to the "secret sins" because you realize that they aren't so secret and that they don't please our gracious all-powerful God!

Quit Talking About It! - 1 Cor. 4:20

2011-04-11T06:33:00.003-04:00

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

1 Cor. 4:20

There is a holy discontent that I have about my purpose in life. There is an internal drive that I can't explain that moves me to a sense of urgency about the Gospel! I am constantly thinking about how little time I have to faithfully make known the Savior whom I love and first loved me. It's a frustration to me when I find myself managing my way through life, instead of risking all to fulfill my purpose. I want to be honest... it is not only my purpose! When Jesus saves us, we are given The Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to be about Kingdom business! He did not save us to be stagnant!

I love the outdoors, and have spent a good deal of time hiking with all the equipment I need to survive a prolonged experience in the woods. I know this doesn't shock you, but you need water to live, and generally you look to filter water at a source that is moving. Why? Stagnant water is a breeding ground for all kinds of diseases. Often times I lead trips to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario and we don't even take a filter, but we are careful where we get our water... Stagnant water is just unsafe! Often times I find that when my purpose to "go and make disciples" is stagnant, it becomes a breeding ground for temptation, distraction, and Kingdom laziness! The Kingdom of God becomes about talk!

I love Paul's words in 1 Cor. 4... "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power!" God is about about the advancement of his Kingdom...

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12

I so desire to be on mission! I want to join God in the advancement of His Kingdom, after all, that is what he has called me to do... and that is what He has called you to do as well! So lets stop talking about the Kingdom and join God in advancing it! He will show up in power!

NO EXCUSES!!! Eph. 5:8-10

2011-04-08T10:53:00.002-04:00

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord."
Eph. 5:8-10

Taking responsibility for our condition is a very difficult thing to do. I love how Paul states our condition in these verses and our responsibility. He doesn't tell us that we were in darkness, but rather we were darkness. It wasn't that we were in a place of darkness, but rather we made the place dark. We were the source of darkness because of our sinful condition. So often I think we try to soften the reality of our depravity, when the truth is... we were the source of darkness. We were utterly the opposite of goodness, righteousness, and truth when we compare ourselves with God's idea of those things. We often look around and see good people and so this statement rubs us the wrong way. Certainly Ghandi was a good guy when you compare him to others in the world, as well as Mother Teresa, and Billy Graham, but goodness is not defined by normal human behavior, but by the holiness of God. He is good, He is righteous, and He is truthful... and we are a far cry from that!

Understanding what we were is huge when we discover that our new identity is its opposite. We are LIGHT in the Lord! Again, that is our condition! We are seen as the opposite of darkness! We are seen by God as good and righteous!!! Not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done!

That being said, we are to live like our new identity! We are to live as children of light! We are to model goodness, righteousness, and truth! These are the fruits of LIGHT! The inward change brings about outward fruit!

This is a process! Notice how Paul says... "find out what pleases the Lord." I love that statement because it infers a few things. One is that we haven't arrived yet! We don't live as LIGHT all the time and there is certainly room to grow. Secondly, we have a responsibility to seek out what is good, what is righteous, and what is true! God doesn't just hand us these things in a basket, rather He handed us those things in a book... His revelation of Himself (The Bible)! Now we have a responsibility to seek out what is pleasing to God.

So if you are a child of light because of the work of Jesus, then live like it! Remember it's a process and take responsibility for that process! We have no excuses!!!

Leaning Into Christ Not My Own Understanding

2011-04-05T10:14:00.002-04:00

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Have you ever been in a place of utter confusion? You really don't have the answers your seeking, yet you so desperately want them. You just can't put two and two together and it frustrates you to no end! Can you identify?

I am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 this morning as Trish and I wade through very muddy waters. It is a common verse... one that I have known for many years and most likely you have known as well. Yet the wisdom and simplicity of its words help me to center on what is real. I am to trust in the Lord! He is in control... nothing that has been done is outside His knowledge nor ability to change. I am not to lean on my own understanding! It doesn't matter if I can't figure things out... It doesn't matter if I have answers to all my questions, for I am not to lean on my own understanding anyway.

What I am to do is acknowledge Him! In all the circumstances of life, I am to acknowledge that God is a part of it. He knows... He cares... He allows... He works for the good of those who love Him.

So often I find myself doing the very oposite. I find myself leaning on my own understanding and not leaning into Christ! I find myself trying to understand it all and growing frustrated at the confusion. Here's the deal... I DON'T NEED TO KNOW! I just need to trust!

You know I wish there was a button to push that would allow my heart and mind to function at the same pace. I know what I need to do, so now I am trying to convince my heart to do it. I need Him! I want Him!

Lord, help me to not get caught up in the noise of my own understanding. Help me to trust You will all of my heart, not just with my mind! Help me to acknowledge Your sovereign hand and Your perfect wisdom throughout this journey. You have promised to make my paths straight... help me to believe!

God Is Calling Us to Something Greater! - Eph. 5:3

2011-04-04T10:56:00.004-04:00

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."

Eph. 5:3

I think it's hard many times for believers, who live in a world that is so pervasive when it comes to sexual temptation and among a culture that really doesn't see a problem with it, to not feel alone in how they think. Paul tells us to not even give a hint of sexual immorality... not even a hint. Often times the subject will come up... How far is too far in my relationship? That can be a difficult question to answer because if your even asking the question, you have probably gone too far. We want to draw lines and say that if we don't actual have sex before marriage then we are ok, but that is not how God operates. Jesus said that if we even look at a woman lustfully that we have committed adultery in our hearts.

Now I am not going to say that believers never struggle with lustful thoughts, because that would be ridiculous, especially given the fact that we have a sinful nature. However, it would be appropriate to say the that it doesn't fit our calling to be holy! If a believer struggles with lust, at the very least he knows that it is improper or doesn't fit his calling. The reality is that many believers struggle with this.

But God is calling us to something greater! He is calling us to be Holy... set apart to Himself. Just because it is a struggle, doesn't mean it is proper! I love this about God! He calls us to something greater! He wants our lives to be something greater that the mess of this world!

So how about it! Are you up for the challenge to live in such a way that reflects your calling to holiness! Are you so passionate about being separated unto God that you are willing to not even give a hint of sexual immorality? Let's reach for a higher calling, but I have to warn you... you may find yourself feeling alone in the process, unless we reach together! What do you say?

O To Be Like Him! - Eph. 5:1-2

2011-03-31T09:16:00.003-04:00

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Eph. 5:1-2

I remember working as a camp counselor years ago and during staff training we were given the low down of what was termed as "Hero Worship". Hero worship was a term that described how some of the kids would respond to you as you loved them and showed them worth and value. They would think the world of you and want to be like you. Those of us with kids can identify with that as well. My son, Caleb, wants to be like me... He thinks of me as a hero and desires to be like me. It actually is humbling, because I don't want him to be like me, I want him to be like Christ. It's a challenge for me to be like Christ as well!

Paul challenges us to be imitators of God! God has shown us worth (we are His children) and value (we are dearly loved), so that our natural response is to want to be like Him. I will be so bold as to say that until you recognize your worth and value as a dearly loved child of God, you will not have that inward drive to want to imitate God. Oh, to be like Him! That is my desire, though I find myself falling short more often then I care to admit, but I am still in the game! I still pursue what I desire because He is my goal!

As I am pursuing Him, I cannot ignore the fact that imitating God is centered around love! I am to live a life of love... a life of sacrificial love! A love that cost me something! A love that hurts at times! That is how God loved me, and I am to imitate that! It's a good thing that love is a choice.

God, I am simply asking that You would strengthen my heart to love in such a sacrificial manner that I would be willing to endure hurt if it means others are loved well. My flesh wants to get in the way, so help me resist the allure of self-focused choices. I just want to love others the way You loved me!

The Door Has Been Shut! - Acts 16:6-10

2011-03-30T06:49:00.002-04:00

"6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

Acts 16:6-10

There is ambivalence in my heart this morning. I have two very different and opposite emotions in my heart. I had found out yesterday that I was not going to be asked to candidate for a position at the church that I love, meaning that my time at First Baptist will end in a couple of months. On one hand I am saddened because it means leaving the people we (my family) have grown to love, but on the other hand I am excited about what lies ahead for us.

This morning I would just like to share my heart about the way God leads sometimes. I am reminded, through the account in Acts 16, of how God led Paul to the exact spot he needed to be through the avenue of closed doors. Paul was on his second missionary journey and had just finished visiting the churches from his first journey. He delivered the deliberation results of the council in Jerusalem to the people and was off on a new adventure.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.

The Lord closed the door on Paul from preaching the Word in the province of Asia. That had to drive him crazy. I can imagine that Paul was searching for clarity! He just wanted to serve God and doors just began closing on him.

When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

Another door shut! Wow! Can you imagine what Paul and his companions may have been feeling? "Are we doing the right thing?" I can hear them calling out to God in their confusion... "Lord where is it that you want us?"

So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

They came to the end of the land to the port city of Troas. "Is this it? We just journeyed hundreds of miles and haven't really done anything yet!" I am sure that confusion was mounting and perhaps frustration as well. Everywhere they turned was a closed door and that led them to Troas of all places! Why?

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

God finally birthed clarity to Paul and his companions, but why the silence and why Troas? I cannot speak to the silence, only that God often tests our faith when he is silent, but I can speak to Troas. Troas is a port city and the quickest way to Macedonia. God was leading Paul through closed doors to the exact spot that he needed to be in.

If I were to describe what is happening in my heart and life, that would be it. I know that God has given me a passion for the Great Commission... to go and make disciples! But where and how I am do to that is unclear. God has kept me from serving Him in that capacity at First Baptist, but the future is still unclear. I believe God is leading me through closed doors and calling me just to trust Him during these days.

So what does all this mean for me and my family? Only that we are being called out of our comfort zone and into a place of trust... and that is a good thing!

What about you? How is God leading you? Where is God leading you? Are you in a place of comfort or a place of trust?

Lord, help us to trust You in Your silence, knowing that You work for the GOOD of those who love You!

Responding to the Inward Leadership of the Holy Spirit! - Eph. 4:30

2011-03-29T06:48:00.007-04:00

"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Eph. 4:22-32

Earlier in the book of Ephesians we find that a people's hearts is darkened by their ignorance of God which ultimately comes from the hardening of the heart.

"They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts."

Eph. 4:18

A hard heart is a heart that listens to self over God. A hard heart will pursue its own desires despite the inward call of the Holy Spirit to something honorable. At the core of a hard heart is "me", and at the core of a soft heart is Christ! This is the essence of a believer's life... The "I" part of me "has been crucified with Christ" and the "I" part of me "no longer lives, but Christ lives in me." Therefore I no longer live for "me" but for Christ... "who loved me and gave Himself for me.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Gal. 2:20

I say all that to capture where the Holy Spirit is trying to lead you. He is leading you to a place where Christ is greater in your lives and the "you" part of you is less. Grieving the Holy Spirit is getting in the way of that process. The Holy Spirit wants to lead you into something or out of something and you resist. One of the great things about the Spirit of God is that He was given to us to guide us and lead us into truth, but so often His leadership is ignored and we do our own thing.

What would it be like if we would covet to be obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How would our lives be different if we were quick to respond to Him as He leads us? So often we lean on the crutch of "well, after all I am human," and I agree that we are not perfect people, however, that excuse is a cop-out. God has told us in His Word that He has given us everything we need to for life and godliness. He also has told us that if we live by the Spirit we have the ability to not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. While it is true that perfection is not probable, moving toward perfection is the reality to which we are called, and we can do this because we have the Holy Spirit! We need Him!

So how do we live in such a way as to not grieve the Holy Spirit? First of all, understand that this is a process, so if you fall... get back up! Second, we have to realign our thinking about ourselves to match truth. We need to constantly remind ourselves that living for "me" does not fit our new identity... we were called to live for Jesus! It starts in our thinking, and then we have to ask God for the courage to face our sinful desires and say "NO! THAT IS NOT WHO I AM!" Finally, we need to have sensitive ears as the Holy Spirit leads us from within the core of our being... and be obedient.

So don't grieve the Holy Spirit, but rather embrace His leadership as He leads you to become like Jesus!

Does God Send Jesus to Rescue Us from Himself?

2011-03-25T07:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I watched Rob Bell's video that introduces his book "Love Wins", and I have to be honest, I was a little unsettled. I don't want to fully weigh in about the book until I read it, but there was a question Rob asks in the video that lit a fire underneath me. I thought about not posting the video, because I don't want to "help spread the word" about his book, but since I am blogging about something he said then I feel compelled for you to hear it from the horses mouth.

There are many questions that flood to my mind about what Rob says in this video, but I will focus on one that I can't ignore. He says that the what has been taught about the Gospel is that, at its core, God will send people to hell unless they believe in Jesus. His question becomes... does God have to send Jesus to rescue people from Himself? What kind of God is that?

Here is my contention with his line of reasoning. It goes back to the premise... Does God send you to hell! I know that many people would answer that question and say, "yes He does," but I believe that would not be accurate. The point of God sending Jesus to rescue us is that we already stand condemned to experience hell (separation from God for all eternity) because we are sinful beings... sinful by nature and sinful by choice. Man sent himself to hell because of Adam's sin. God is holy and just and must deal rightly with sin!

"8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power"

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

So does God rescue us from Himself? Not at all!!! He rescues us from our rightful condemnation! Consider these three verses:

"16 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.'"

John 3:16-18

I am not sure what you believe about the Gospel or what you have been taught about the Gospel, But this I know... God doesn't send people to hell anymore than the judge sends a convicted murderer to prison. That murder made a choice and is suffering the consequences of that choice. Likewise, we are rightfully sentenced to suffer the consequences of our sin nature. But God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus to take on our punishment and satisfy His demand for justice so that we can be rescued... and all this at His expense!!! WHAT KIND OF GOD IS THAT? I would say a God of love!

I will be picking up his book somewhere and reading it and will see where he is coming from, but for now, I feel as if the Gospel is under attack by one of the most influential pastors in America. This cannot be ignored!

Feel free to comment!

What or Who Defines What Filthy Language Is? - Eph. 4:29

2011-03-24T06:23:00.009-04:00

Eph. 4:22-32

I watched a video on a friend's blog yesterday entitled "How Far Is Too Far??? Pastor says 'F-You' in his sermon." It got my attention so I watched the video, and it wasn't what I expected... actually it was kind of funny. The pastor made the premise that the new F-word ought to be "forgive." And proceeded to talk about how believers ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet, and certainly ought to be quick to forgive one another. Then he had people turn to their neighbor and say "F-you". Then animatedly described many situations where the F-word (forgive) was appropriate. It was not what I was expecting when saw the video. I will embed the video at the bottom of the post. This video triggered a question that so many people have when it comes to language... What is "unwholesome talk" or "filthy language" as Paul describes in Col. 3:8?

What words are appropriate and what words are not when it comes to representing the inward change brought about by the Holy Spirit? I think if you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers. I want to put a disclaimer on this post... I will be using some words that are not a part of my vocab to make a point so as to be clear. There are certain words that people have grown up just not saying because they have been conditioned to believe they are vulgar. For instance, many believers are offended by the phrase "pissed off", while other believers readily use the word "asshole". Is one filthy language and the other not? What or who defines it? Let me offer some suggestions, and I will leave room for the Holy Spirit to interact with you on a personal basis about this issue.

Language is unwholesome if it...
1. Tears people apart!
2. Glorifies sinful behavior!
3. Is crude or vulgar as defined by your context or culture!

Think of a triangle with these three sides... If you go outside the triangle at any point then you have stepped into the arena of "unwholesome language".

So what does this mean? Well two of them are easy to discern. It is easy to recognize it if your language tears people apart or glorifies sinful behavior. The third one requires discernment. It all depends on the context that you are in. There is a context that the word "damn" is just an ordinary word and not considered "filthy", yet there are other contexts where that word would bring a gasp. It's a matter of sensitivity and conscience. Do you smell what I'm cooking? Do you understand where I am going with this? There is such a gray area when it comes to the third category, that it demands you being sensitive to your context and obedient to your conscience as the Holy Spirit is interacting with you.

On the flip side, when you hear someone else "swear" and it falls into the realm of the third category, show some grace because their conscience may not be affected at all.

We have freedom in Christ, but Paul tells us to use our freedom to serve one another in Love (Gal. 5:13)! Paul says in 1 Cor. 8:9, "9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

Consider your language because language matters... what is your language like?

Don't Rob Your Boss! - Eph. 4:28

2011-03-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

Eph. 4:22-32

"I deserve that!" It is a mentality that permeates our culture and sets the trajectory of the next generation. Getting something for little or no effort is what folks strive for because of this mentality. Years ago I was taking some young people on a missions trip and we stopped at a service area along the PA Turnpike for a pit stop. When we got back on the road I saw that one young man was passing out gumballs to all the other students. I asked him why he bought that many gumballs and he told me he didn't. He explained to me, as if he just struck gold, that while he put his quarter in for a gumball, the machine just kept turning and giving him gumballs. So what did he do? He kept turning it until he emptied the entire machine. All the students were were like, "Sweet (this was before Napoleon Dynamite)." I asked all of them if they thought what he did was wrong, and the tenor of the van demonstrated that it wasn't. I asked, "how is that not stealing?" The answered, "well, he did technically pay for them." He received something at someone else's expense... that is stealing! At the core of this issue... and any other type of thievery is self! The Scriptures tell us that as a result of a changed heart, we should be people who work hard to receive... we should "do something useful with our hands," as opposed to "stealing."

There are many types of ways to be a thief, and they are not all so obvious! The obvious way is to take something that doesn't belong to you. Have you ever had something stolen from you? I have many times! A couple of years ago, my brand new set of Taylor Made golf clubs and bag were snatched right out of my garage by someone during the early evening hours when it was still light outside. I left the garage door open as I was doing some yard work, and pooff they were gone. NO FUN! Someone got away with something at my expense!

There are other ways as well... Take for instance our job! It is so easy to become lazy and goof off... there is work to be done but we are just "taking it easy." Though we are being paid to do a job, we are wasting time. Lets admit it... most of us are guilty of this at times. There are days that I go into work and I think to myself, "I don't feel like working today!" What pushes me to work? It's the thought that I am being paid to do my job! It's not my money, it is coming out of another's pocket! If I don't do my job because I chose to be lazy, then I am stealing from my employer. This goes for "milking" a job as well. As believers, we should be the hardest working people because we understand that "robbing" our employer is dishonoring to God and does not reflect the inward change of the heart.

Here are a few other ways to steal:

1. Cheating on your taxes
2. Pocketing money that you know doesn't belong to you
3. Cheating the Welfare System or any government system for that matter
4. Realizing the cashier forgot to ring something up and knowingly walk out with something that you did not buy
5. Downloading music for free at the expense of the artist

You could add to the list. The point is stealing has no place in the life of a believer because it does not match the inward change of the heart.

Notice that Paul tells us to work hard with our hands so that we can give to others. A believer's view of what he has and what he makes is "others centered!" It's not about what we get, but about what we can share... the very opposite of stealing!

We all have a tendency to "steal", so my challenge to us is to "steal no longer", but work hard so that you can give to others.

I Am Sooooo Mad! - Eph. 4:26-27

2011-03-22T06:48:00.003-04:00

Eph. 4:22-32

I was talking to my son the other day in his room about how he responded to his mother, and he tried his best to explain a physical and emotional reaction that he had. He said, "dad, I just felt so mad! I felt like I was dizzy!" I don't know about you, but I remember that type of feeling. There are times that we get so mad that we literally feel out of control (dizzy like). We don't think straight, and we have a tendency to say things we don't mean.

Anger is such a huge issue! James tells us that "man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." But anger is only a response to a deeper issue. When our lives are fragile, any little thing can set us off! When our identity in Christ is suffering, we tend to easily respond in anger. Think about it... What enables us to show grace? The fact that we understand that we have been shown grace! It comes from deep within! So if our sense of identity is suffering, then it doesn't take much to set us off, which perpetuates our deeper problem and allows the devil to have a foothold in our heart.

When you don't deal with your anger and allow it to fester, you give way to bitterness. Bitterness distorts our view of reality! Bitterness is a response to an unforgiving heart. It goes back to identity. We lose a part of ourselves when we get bitter! Paul tells us to forgive as the Lord forgave you! This is why the devil has a foothold... he is destroying you through an unforgiving heart.

So how do you deal with an unforgiving heart? I wish it was as easy as taking an antibiotic when you have an infection, but it requires time and a relentless pursuit of what is true about YOU! It requires you to "re-center" and grasp your identity in Christ. Without this re-centering, an unforgiving heart is difficult deal with... and the longer you live in bitterness, the harder it becomes.

Paul tells us to deal with our anger right away! Don't let the sun go down! Don't let it go another day! He knows that anger quickly turns into an unforgiving heart and our sense of self (identity) deteriorates.

Just for fun... Paul tells us in our anger to not sin... indicating that it is possible to get angry and not sin. What do you think that looks like? I would love the feedback!

Authenticity - An Answer to a Disillusioned Culture!

2011-03-18T06:58:00.003-04:00

Eph. 4:22-32

Why is the world so disillusioned with Christianity? I don't pretend to have all the answers to that question, but I will venture to say that much has to do with how Christians act. Christians are said to be "new creations"... "renewed in the attitude of their mind", so there is an expectation of different behavior. I am certainly not advocating that Christians are perfect, but they should be in a process of being perfected, and that should produce different behavior. The testimony of a Christian goes a long way in the eyes of others outside the faith. While it is true that many will watch and jump on even the smallest mistakes that we make, it is equally true that there is little difference between how many Christians behave and those outside the faith. The world becomes disillusioned with Christianity because their message does not seem to match the reality of their life!

As I have been going through Ephesians in my quiet times, I have made the claim that believers are to live from the inside out! It starts on the inside... but it does make its way to the outside. Paul says "Therefore (in light of what I just said), each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor." Why is this such a big deal to God? Because God is truth! It is the very fabric of His character and we are to become like Him. Because it is a part of the character of God, we know that God desires us to value truth. This is an issue that many of us agree with but what does it mean practically in our lives?

The obvious is that we should not lie when asked a direct question, but are there other ways that we present ourselves as less than truthful. Here is a list of other ways that may spur on your thinking...

1. Cheating on your taxes...
2. Cheating on a test...
3. Downloading music off the internet for free...
4. Not telling the whole truth with the intent to deceive...
5. Time card at work...
6. Acting one way with one group of people, and acting another with others...

There are several other ways that you could probably come up with, but the point is that we should strive toward being a truthful person! Authenticity starts with truth! If you don't value being a truthful person, it's hard to say that you're authentic. Let's quit the deception and the self-preservation and love truth because God is truth. Again, becoming a truth person comes from an inward desire to be like Christ, not because we think God will be mad at us if we don't.

How can you be a truthful person today?

There Has Got To Be Something Better - Romans 8:18-22

2011-03-17T06:38:00.002-04:00

"18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. 21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

Romans 8:18-22

What has happened over in Japan is a tragic event, one that just breaks your heart. I have seen so many different responses on the internet about this tragedy and it has moved me to blog about what our response should be as Christ-followers. I have seen responses from Christians who immediately project the wrath of God onto the situation, proclaiming that God is somehow punishing the Japanese people for something. I have seen people say with sincerity that they are praying for the people of Japan, while others, outside the faith, mock them... proclaiming that prayers won't help but money will! So what is the proper response of a Christ-follower?

To really get a grasp of this you have to have a solid grasp on the overall picture that the Scriptures paint concerning this world. Gen. 3 speaks of a curse that resulted from original sin, the earth is fallen... "Cursed is the ground"! Death is a direct result of living in a fallen world because of original sin. There is such a thing as death, destruction, decay, and disease because we live in an imperfect world. Did God curse the world? Yes, but as a result of sin. So the reality is that we live in a world that is riddled with cancer, natural disasters, car accidents, heart attacks, murderers, and many more horrible things because we live in a fallen world.

Where is God in all this? Is he causing it or is He allowing the consequences of living in a fallen world to play out? Though I believe God is sovereign, there are things that I believe God does not directly cause but does allow to happen even though He has the power to stop it. For instant, look at Job! God allowed Satan to destroy Job's life! Did God kill Job's family? Did God take Job's health? I don't think so, though I do believe God had the power to stop it. So why didn't he? He used the natural consequences of living in a fallen world to bring Job closer to Him.

So what does this have to do with Japan? It is far too presumptuous to project God's motives for allowing such a tragic event to happen. Why didn't God stop it? Why doesn't God stop your loved one from dying of cancer? Why doesn't God stop a young person from having a heart attack after a basketball game? I believe that God is allowing the natural consequences of living in a fallen world to lead people to grieve that reality. If God intervened all the time, He would make a messed up world not look so messy and we would fall in love with it. As it is, we should long for a world the operates as it was intended... we long for the New-Creation! Romans 8:21, "All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay." All creation groans! It is not satisfied with this messed up world! It anticipates something better! That is the response that we should have when we are faced with the ugly realities of living in a fallen world. We grieve! We groan! We long so something better! And we love the people who are hurting! Let's stop projecting God's intention onto situations! Could God supernaturally use events to inflict His wrath? Yes, but do we know that He is doing that in any given case? No!

So here is a quick guide to how we should respond:
1. Grieve that we live in a fallen world and long for the New Creation.
2. Love the people who are hurting and show them the compassion of Jesus.
3. Pray for those who are directly affected by the tragedy.
4. Ask God how He would want you to help in the situation.

Inside Out Living! - Eph. 4:23-24

2011-03-14T07:44:00.002-04:00

Eph. 4:22-32

Have you ever heard of the term "easy-believism"? Its a term used in theological circles that describe a belief that all a person has to do is accept what Jesus did on the cross for their sin and they will be saved. It sounds really good at face value, but I think that it is not honest with the Scriptures. I believe that the gospel is clear, that when we come to Jesus, we are committing ourselves to the person of Jesus Christ and when we do that, several things happen.

First of all, our sins are forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross. This is the act of redemption... God purchased us with the blood of Jesus.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit makes us a new creation in Christ. Because of this work, God sees us as righteous (positional sanctification) though practically we are not even close; however, one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to move our practice towards our position. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." Galatians even describes characteristics that we should have as believers called "the fruit of the Spirit". Galatians also tells us that "if we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nation." All of this gives evidence toward the work of the Spirit in our lives moving us toward Christ-likeness. I could go on, but that is not my main point. The point is, that when we come to Jesus, we consciously choose to believe in who He is (surrender our lives to Him), and this WILL produce fruit because the Holy Spirit demands it!

The Holy Spirit works inside of the believer to conform him/her to Christ! So, in Eph. 4:22-the rest of the book, Paul is describing the change of behavior that a believer should demonstrate as a result of "being made new in the attitude of our minds."

I will blog about these things in the coming days, but know that God is not interested in changed behavior, He is interested in a changed heart as a result of the Spirit's work that will produce a change in behavior. The behavior is not what God is working on! He is not looking down on us and thinking, "If only those people would act right!" Rather, He is working on the core of who we are... our heart, our soul, our mind, and our will (strength). Maybe that is why He commands us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength... It's about what is on the inside!

Allow God to change you from the inside out. Put yourself in environments that make it easier for you to discern what the Spirit of God is saying to you. Those environments for me are...

1. Quiet time... just me and God! I am consciously asking God to speak to me through His Word!
2. Small Group... Just a small group of people who are committed to growing together!
3. Church... There is something about the body of Christ that helps me move toward Christ-likeness.

Make an effort to find those environments for yourself!

Saturate Yourself with Truth! - Eph. 4:14-16

2011-03-09T07:23:00.002-05:00

"14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Eph. 4:14-16

So often I hear people say that they don't really need to know what the Bible has to say, they just love Jesus. This sounds very appealing to many because of the sharp disagreements that have been used only to divide Christians who squabble about non-essential teachings. But if I can't help but disagree with such thinking when I read this passage. First of all, this passage is a response to the previous passage speaking about attaining unity in the church's faith in Christ and knowledge of Christ. They were to be moving toward maturity in their thinking, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ! In other words, our knowledge of Jesus moves us toward maturity and we keep moving in that direction to know Him fully!

And now we get to the passage for this morning. There are two results of pursuing a knowledge of Christ together as a church...
1. We will have a solid foundation to discern what is truth and what is not!
2. We will be able to speak the truth in love!

I was thinking about this whole speaking the truth in love thing and here is where my mind was taking me. I know that when I am confident about something, I can respond to people while in control, but when I am wishy-washy, I tend to be defensive. If I am confident in the Scriptures it makes it much easier to be in control and speak truth while loving the other person. If I don't have that confidence, I will focus on defending my reasons because frankly I'm still trying to land the plane on an issue myself. So knowing Jesus through His Word is important... I would make the argument that the more you know Jesus, the more your heart expands for Him! That's all the time I have to blog this morning, but think about that! Knowing Jesus through His Word is a MUST! Saturate yourself with truth!

Think Different! - Eph. 4:17-24

2011-03-08T06:48:00.002-05:00

"17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Eph. 4:17-24

I love the word transformation! In Romans 12:2 Paul tells us that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The Greek word translated "transformed" is the word "metamorphoo". It's where we get the word metamorphosis which draws our minds immediately to the transformation process of a butterfly. A radical change takes place inside that cocoon and when the new emerges... it is beautiful. I like to think that the very reason God created the butterfly was to give us a visual aide for what transformation means. Paul tells the believers that they are to be made new in the attitude of their minds. They are to throw off the old-self that just continues to corrupt and put on the new-self. This new self is designed to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Notice how Paul connects everything to a man's thinking! He says that they must no longer live in the futility of their THINKING! And that they are to be made new in the attitude of their MINDS! It starts with how we think! When we begin to realign our thinking toward the truth, we begin to see transformation take place. There is a direct link to thinking and action! I cannot change a habitual behavior without first changing my thinking! Oh, I can choose not to participate in the behavior every once in a while, but I will fall right back into evil behavior if I don't first change my thinking.

Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds! How do we renew our minds. First, we have to understand that our minds are corrupt, and are in need of renewing. For most of us that is not a hard sell! We know how depraved our thinking is sometimes! We know how self-centered our thinking is most of the time! We know we are corrupt, but do we like being corrupt? This is the next step toward transformation... your desire to be like God must out-weigh your desire for evil. Many "Christians" stop right there! They like there sin and will try everything they can to hold on to their sin and justify a relationship with God. This is "old-self" thinking! You have been called to "new-self" thinking, which leads you to become like God! Yes, God desires us to move toward true righteousness and holiness! At the very core of our being He wants us to desire and carry out that which He defines as right, and in this way we become separated unto God (holy)! Our minds are realigned when we saturate them with the Truth of God's Word. If you want to think like God then read and retain what He has said! Jesus prayed that the disciples would be "sanctified (made holy) by the truth. Your Word is Truth." Don't soak in God's Word because you think you have to, but rather soak it in because you desire it to transform your thinking so as to be like God!

So as you go about your day today, think differently... be made new in the attitude of your mind! Allow the Word of God to saturate your mind with TRUTH! Don't try to change your behavior without first changing your thinking, because if you change your thinking, your behavior begins to transform naturally. This is a part of living from the inside out!

"An Inconvenient Faith" - Hebrews 12:2

2011-03-07T06:45:00.002-05:00

"God, bring me clarity." That has been my prayer as of late, and it certainly has been consuming! I have been asking God for clear direction as I wait to see if I am the person God wants at First Baptist Church in the position of Pastor of Spiritual Formation. I have been at FBC for 6 1/2 years as the Pastor of Student Ministries, but have been undergoing a mental shift that started nearly two years ago. God has been clearly moving me in the direction of adult discipleship because I have determined it would have a greater impact on students than what I am currently doing. I don't know if I am going to be at FBC in the role of Pastor of Spiritual Formation. I have applied other places, and I know that the latest I will have been at FBC is late August. I have felt the weight of this over the last several weeks and have had the ugly fears of... "Will I be able to provide for my family!", "Do I have what it takes!", and even entertained the thought of not being qualified for that next step, but these are not true. It is the enemy trying to rob me of my joy and derail my from my pursuit of God. I have asked God... "What is my next step? Is it church planting? Is it FBC? Is it another church seeking someone to bring leadership to adult discipleship? Is it a Senior Pastor somewhere? Is it Seminary? Is it a combination of Seminary and any of the others?" I have been asking for clarity! Well, last night through some dear friends and what God's Spirit was doing in my life, I have found clarity!

God has made it clear to me that I am in the exact place that He wants me... a place of trust! God has me in this place to grow my dependence on Him! He brought to my mind a passage that I have preached many times... Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart."

I have asked God for clarity, and He has been giving it to me this whole time, but I wasn't looking. He desires me to look at Jesus! This is the focus of faith! He is the author and perfecter of my trust in Him, so He desires me to look at Him. What have I been looking at? I have been looking at possible future outcomes! I have been focused on what I am going to do if I am without a job in late August! NO! I need to fix my eyes on Jesus. God has me in this exact place to grow me, so this is the place I want to be! People have been saying to me, this must be hard for you. And yes it is, but not for the reasons most people think... It's hard to TRUST! We have a tendency to figure things out on our own, and pretend that we actually provide for ourselves. Trust is a difficult thing and it's an area of my life that I need to grow in, so what does God do... puts me in a place where my faith is tested and I can grow.

So clarity has come! My gaze is to be on my Savior, and when my gaze is fixed there I will not grow weary and lose heart! It's easy to trust God when all is well (convenient faith), but much harder when you realize that you are not in control (inconvenient faith). God is growing me through this inconvenient faith, and I am thankful!

Is your faith being tested? How are you responding?

"Who Do You Say That I Am?" - Luke 9:18-23

2011-03-04T06:33:00.003-05:00

"18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?' 19 They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.' 20 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'The Christ of God.' 21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.' 23 Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.' "

Luke 9:18-23

The most fundamental question in life has to do with the identity of Jesus. Everyone who is confronted with the Gospel has to wrestle with this question. Jesus asked His disciples a set up question about His identity. He asked, "Who do people say that I am?" Now He didn't ask that question to stroke His ego or because He was insecure, He was setting them up for the real question. I can hear the chatter going on as they were recalling what they had heard people say... "Some say John the Baptist!" "Well, I heard people say Elijah!" "Come to think of it, I heard people say that You are a prophet from long ago." Notice that the true identity of Jesus was not mentioned. People respected Him, but didn't know who He was. Without missing a beat Jesus turned to them and asked, "What about you? Who do you say that I am?" Out comes the real question. You see it matters little who others say that Jesus is, but what about you? Do you know, believe, and embrace the identity of Jesus? I can only imagine that Peter quickly stood up to proclaim, "You are the Christ of God!" What a significant statement! For Peter, he was saying that His friend, Jesus, was the one that all of history has been waiting for. He was God who had come to earth to rescue the Jewish people (though God's plan was a little bigger than that). Then Jesus warned them not to tell this to anyone... It wasn't time!

Jesus then proceeds to tell them that He was going to suffer, be rejected, killed, and then raised to life again. This probably sent them into confusion because this was not what they had been taught the Messiah would do. They saw the Messiah's coming and reign as one event, they missed the whole suffering, dying, and raising to life again part that the prophets spoke about. Then Jesus begins to reorient them to what it will mean to identify with Him.

He says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up His cross and follow me." Let me break it down like this. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ and want to follow Him, it will not be easy! Understand that you are asked to deny yourself... come to a place in your life that you recognize life is not about you! It's not about your dreams! It's not about what satisfies you! It's not about your agenda! It's not about what you get out of it! IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU! You surrender your life to the a divine King! And you take up your cross daily... The cross is a symbol of crucifixion. Now the disciples probably didn't connect all the dots at this point, but taking up your cross is the ultimate identification with Jesus... To follow the King into the clutches of death itself at the hands of men. It breathes a willingness to die for the King and His mission.

These are sobering thoughts! Are you willing to give up ALL (even life) to serve the purposes of your King? The only way anyone would do that is to have answered the fundamental question... "Who do you say that I am?" If you believe and embrace that Jesus is the Christ of God, then your motivation to follow Him comes from hope! If you cast Jesus off as a good story or a great teacher or merely a means to a better life when death grabs a hold of you, then what motivation do you have to stare death itself in the face and say, "IT IS WORTH IT!"

So I ask you... Who do you say that Jesus is?

Why Daddy? - Eph. 4:11-13

2011-03-03T06:41:00.003-05:00

"11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Eph. 4:11-13

One of the most fascinating things about being a kid is that everything is new, which leads to that wonderful and sometimes annoying question... Why? They just want to know why, so they constantly ask the question. Now admit it... it gets a little annoying, especially if your working on something, trying to concentrate and you are bombarded with not just one or two "why" questions but a whole regiment of them. You feel like you're attacked, so you resort to the answer... "just because." We ask the why question often as kids, but we seem to lose interest in that question as adults to some extent. In this passage, Paul is answering two "why" questions and a "how long" question.

First "why" question: Why did Jesus give these functions or gifts to people?

Answer: Some were apostles, some were prophets, some were evangelists, and some were pastors/teachers, so why were they given these gifts. What is the purpose of these gifts? To prepare God's people for works of service! This is the purpose of spiritual gifts... to prepare God's people to go and serve the King! Paul then anticipates the next question.

Second "why" question: Why prepare God's people for works of service?

Answer: It is simple... so that the body of Christ may be built up! Often times in the New Testament the church is called the body of Christ, and I believe it is safe to assume that here as well. God is building His church (His people) into something glorious and we cannot do it on our own. It is a collective effort using the different gifts that were given to God's people by God Himself. It's like a house being built by a developer. He will contract people with a specific expertise to do a specific job. These "experts" know what they are doing and will do it well in half the time others would do it. They have the right tools and the knowledge to use them. God is building His church in much the same way. He has gifted people to carry out specific functions so that His church may be built up.

Third "how long" question: How long will God be building His church?

Answer: Here it is... until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. So lets break this down into a list...

1. Until we all reach unity in the faith! (BELIEF)
2. Until we all reach unity in the knowledge of Jesus! (KNOW THE PERSON OF OUR BELIEF)
3. Until we become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ! (BECOME LIKE THE PERSON OF OUR BELIEF)

So the church will exist and continue to be built until we all reach these three things. If you think this is a daunting task, then you are correct! That's why I love the phrase "may be built up"! It is a goal that we are shooting for, so lets build each other up! What is your gift? How can you contribute to others satisfying those three things? We cannot be jealous of other people's gifting, because these gifts were given to us by God, nor can we be prideful of them because of the same reason. Lets work together as God uses us to build His church!

Deal With It... Don't Just Let It Go! - Eph. 4:1-6

2011-03-02T06:30:00.003-05:00

"1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Eph. 4:1-6

Has anyone rubbed you the wrong way? Let me be more specific... Do you have a wall up in your relationship with another believer? When you look at them, there is a thought that forms in the back of your mind that just isn't right. You hope to avoid this person at all costs, because it just seems to ruin your day. I would venture to guess that we all have those relationships from time to time. To be completely honest, the Lord is convicting me of one such relationship, so this blog is for me... perhaps you might get something out of it as well.

Why is a strained relationship with another believer out of place in my life? Because it doesn't match my calling. Paul tells the believers in Ephesus to be completely humble! Oh yes, it takes humility! To admit I am part of the problem and deal with it is in direct opposition to the pride that shows its ugly head so often. Paul continues to tell me to be gentle! Even when everything in me moves me toward harness (my looks, my attitude, my reactions, etc.), I am to be gentle. And again Paul tells me to be patient. No matter how they respond to me, I need to be patient. I am to bear with this person in love! This is my calling, but man is it hard! I often tell myself to let it go... but I just can't seem to. I believe it's because God wants me to deal with it. You see, God has called me to unity because of His Spirit! It is by that Spirit that unity is kept and preserved. We share the unity of the Spirit... the same Spirit who keeps us and made us new in Christ. We were called to one hope, one Lord, one faith... unity is the result of a right understanding of our calling. So what right do I have to have a strained relationship with them? NONE! It is out of place, and ignoring it doesn't deal with the real issue... unity among believers!

So now there is only one course of action... deal with it! Not ignore it and try to cast it from my mind, because the Spirit of God will bring it up again until I deal with the real issue... unity. I need to go to this person in humility (recognizing I am part of the problem), be gentle and patient, bearing with them in love. I need to recognize that they are not perfect and neither am I! I often talk myself out of this by anticipating their reaction, but I cannot predict nor control their reaction... it serves only as an excuse. So NO MORE EXCUSES... deal with it!

Lord, give me courage to do what is right! Help me to bear with them in love and make every effort to keep the bond of peace! Forgive me for not pursuing unity and trying to ignore the obvious relational wall that has been built.

Ministry Philosophy, Vision, and Values

2011-02-25T11:31:00.002-05:00

Over the past 15 plus years of ministry experience, I have been able to focus in on what I believe the role of the church should be (Philosophy), what I would love to see in the church (Vision), and some core issues that serve as a framework for how I function in ministry (Values). Here they are:

Philosophy:

Disciple-making is the primary role of the church. Disciples are individuals who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and are being transformed from the inside out to become more like Him. Disciples are called to make disciples!

Disciple-making is most effective in the context of community. God designed the church, a local group of Christ followers, to help each other move toward Christ-likeness.

Disciple-making starts with the transforming truth of the Scriptures. God's Word transforms minds and conforms hearts to that of Jesus.

Disciple-making is not just the responsibility of the "professionals", it's the goal of every disciple. Healthy, lasting growth comes through a multiplication process where disciples produce disciples who in turn produce other disciples, and so on.

Older Men have a responsibility to help mature younger men
Older ladies responsible for younger ladies
Parents are called to be the primary faith influencers of their children

Disciple-making's primary goal is to reach lost people for Jesus and bring them to maturity in Christ. New believers are to be nurtured toward maturity in Christ, then equipped, empowered, and released to make other disciples using their God given gift mix.

Vision:

My vision is to see a body of believers who sell out to the commission of Jesus Christ to "go and make disciples" in the home, in the school, in the work place, and moving out into the world.

Values:

People are more important than programs!
Discipleship is caught and taught!
Discipleship is most effective in the context of community!
Healthy discipleship leads to effective evangelism!
God calls people to be human beings not human doings!
Apart from Christ, ministry has no effectiveness!
The home is the primary place where faith should be nurtured!
God transforms us through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit changing us from the inside out!

A Badge of Honor - Eph. 4:1

2011-02-24T06:16:00.002-05:00

"1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

Eph. 4:1

A Badge of Honor:
I love how Paul views his imprisonment as a badge of honor, not as something that went wrong. As he sought to live a life worthy of his calling it landed him in chains... and he is ok with that! I would like to think that I would be ok with that as well because it is a result of following my calling. I love how he sees his purpose for imprisonment as well. He is a prisoner for the Lord, not because of the Lord. The point is that it doesn't matter where it leads, you are to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

What is this calling? It's all the previous chapters in Ephesians!

1. You were chosen in Him to be holy and blameless in His sight!
2. You were predestined to be adopted into God's family!
3. You were redeemed to be for the praise of His glory!
4. You were included in Christ and held securely by the promised Holy Spirit!
5. You were called to know God and the hope to which you were called!
6. You were made alive in Christ!
7. You were seated with Christ in the heavenly realms!
8. You were saved by grace through faith in Christ!
9. You were created in Christ to do good works!
10. You were made one with every believer and share full citizenship as God's people!
11. You were given access to approach God with freedom and confidence!
12. You were made, in your inner being, to be a dwelling place for Christ!
13. You were rooted and established in love!
14. ALL THIS WAS FOR HIS GLORY!

Everything God has done for us was for His glory. He has made us new creations... He has made us His! I am using past tense on purpose. I challenge you to read the first 3 chapters again and see for yourself. Paul is describing what God has done in your life already, not what he is going to do. This is the amazing thing about your calling! If you have come to a place in your life of belief in Christ as your only hope of salvation, repented of your sin, and turned to follow Jesus, then you are already those things listed above! Paul is now challenging you to live your life worthy of that calling. Live your life worthy of an adopted child of God! Live your life worthy of of a dead man who has been made alive! Live your life worthy of one who is already seated positionally with Christ in the heavenly realms! Our motivation for living our life in such a manner is what the Lord has already done in our lives! I have a sneaking suspicion that Paul was ok with being a prisoner because he embraced his calling first!

So let us go and live our lives in such a way that represents our calling!

P.S. - I just noticed how many exclamation marks I use :)

Your Love Is Deep! Eph. 3:14-19

2011-02-23T07:01:00.007-05:00

"14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Eph. 3:14-19

First, to know the full measure of the love of God starts with knowing that you are loved by God! When I read a word like "rooted" I think of security, and the word "established" communicates foundation. To know that you are loved by God is a foundational reality that brings about a security that I cannot explain with words. I know that I am loved!

My kids know that they are loved. My wife and I have been very intentional about showing our love to our kids, whether it was through hugs and kisses, words, or even time spent with them. I have no doubt, if you were to ask them, that they would say that they are loved! I did not have that experience... I did not know my dad until I was about 10 because I was living with my mom many states away. I did not spend much time with my mom because she was away a lot. I struggled with knowing that I was loved until I was 21 years old. Here is a reality that I know for sure... I am loved by God! I am secure in that love... I just know it! If you are going to grasp the hugeness of God's love, than it starts with knowing that you are loved.

Second, I don't think we can grasp the love of God on our own. Paul's prayer is that they would grasp the love of God "together with all the saints." To get a full picture of His love we need other Christ-followers! When I hear testimonies from others it gives me a fresh perspective on the love of God! When I meet with my accountability group, they challenge me to know the love of Christ in a greater way! We need each other!

Third, knowing the hugeness of the love of God is an internal reality that cannot be explained by the intellect. It "surpasses" knowledge! You either get it or you don't! It takes power to "know" this kind of love, and that power only comes from the heavens! The Holy Spirit, who does His work IN us, opens up our lives so that we can know this love. Apart from the work of the Spirit of God, you cannot "know" this love! That's why Paul states says, "being rooted and established in love." You won't "get it" if that has not happened!

So as you go about your day today, ask God to give you power to grasp the hugeness of His love. Try to see his love at work in others, and ask God to send other Christ-followers your way to challenge you toward a deeper perspective of the love of Christ.

Have We, the Church, Masked the Power and Presence of God?

2011-02-21T07:28:00.003-05:00

"11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Eph. 2:11-22

My mind cannot help but filter back to this passage this morning, because God is speaking to me about something I cannot ignore. Do you remember when the Berlin Wall was destroyed? The wall itself represented hostility toward communism and the free world, and it was a huge step to destroy it. Can you imagine if they destroyed it only to build it back up again? All the joy from it being brought down and all the work that went into it would seem a waste! That's how conflict in the church feels. Through the death of Jesus, the dividing wall of hostility was destroyed and Jews and Gentiles were called to be one new man! There was no reason for such division in the church.

Paul goes on to say that there is a new "building" being built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles (the New Covenant). Except this building is not built with wood... rather it is built with people! This "building" serves no ordinary purpose, its purpose is to be the dwelling place of God! What is this "building"? It is the Church! Now while I believe the Scriptures teach that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit... He resides in every believer, I also believe that there is a corporate entity to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit! It is the Church! When the people of God gather together in the name of Jesus, there ought to be power present because we become a corporate temple which God dwells by His Spirit! The Church is different... or at least ought to be!

We have an enemy! I am firmly convinced that the enemy continues to rebuild the walls of hostility within the local church and among other local churches. Don't misread me! I am not saying that doctrine doesn't matter, and that we should get rid of all doctrinal differences among churches, but I do believe that there are some petty differences that keep us from unifying in the name of Jesus to impact this world with the Gospel! I do believe that there are churches who are not preaching the gospel and quite candidly are spiritually dark... they have a form of godliness but are void of any power. BUT for the most part, most churches believe the Gospel at its core, yet local churches squabble against each other to a point that it has become divisive!

The walls of hostility are being built by the enemy! I haven't even talked about the hostility within its own walls! Listen, the Church is called to be better than that! Jesus died to bring unity among His followers. Yes I know... that is not the primary reason for His death, but it is one of the reasons none the less. His death destroyed the walls of hostility! He brought peace or unity among His people! Where is this unity seen?

The power that the Church possesses is that it is the dwelling place of God, but will the Holy Spirit reveal true power among a people so divided? Have we masked the power and presence of the Holy Spirit because of personal preferences or personality conflicts? The Church has been called to rise above the attempts of the enemy to divide, and seek the purposes of God as ONE! Lets not give in to a crafty foe within our local gathering of believers or from without! Ask God for discernment to know when to speak and when to shut up, ask God for the grace to be a person of grace, ask God for the courage to mend relationships that are casualties of conflict, and ask God to give you a spirit of unity among His people.

The Profile of a Man Who Knows His Purpose

2011-02-20T07:01:00.002-05:00

I am continually fascinated by the courage shown by the Apostle Paul. I have been studying Eph. 3 for about a week now and Paul's character is beginning to surface. First of all, we get the indication that he is suffering to some degree, and most likely he is in prison. As he writes to the believers in Ephesus, he tells them not to be discouraged because God has called him to this end and it is ultimately for their good. These reasons also provides answers as to why he continues to willingly suffer! With that being said, he takes the focus off his dilemma and tells them that he is praying for them! He is praying for them to have divine inner strength so that Christ might have dwell in them with complete authority!

What keeps a man going in the midst of suffering? Certainly, the reason for your suffering makes a huge difference. Paul understood his purpose and calling and was willing to sell out for that purpose. He lived out the teachings from Christ that were given to him to share with us! He understood that this life was temporary and was meaningless apart from the purposes of his God, so he willingly served those purposes and found meaning.

What would you rather have? A safe and secure life or a meaningful life? Are you content going through life making it the best for you while ignoring the purpose that God called you to? Or would you rather pursue the purpose for which God called you, knowing that it is not the safest thing for you? I can only answer that question for myself. As much as the easy life or "American Dream" sounds appealing, I have been called to a higher purpose... one that is not "safe"! I either believe this or I don't... it cannot be just words! What are you willing to sell out for? True meaning or safety and security?