Monday, December 31, 2018

scripture’s value


More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:10-11

This section of the nineteenth psalm is all about the extreme value of the Word of God. Scripture is called law, testimonies, precepts, commandments, fear, and rules in Psalm 19:7-11. All these multi-faceted descriptions show us what God’s Word is. But scripture also produces personal impact. It revives the soul. It brings sure conviction. It makes one wise. It brings light to our ways. It is forever enduring and right.

Scripture impacts us personally as we meet our Savior’s love for us in its pages. It becomes our life value worthy of the investment of our time and resources. It is more desirable than the finest gold. It is more flavorable to us than the sweetest dessert. Reading, studying, applying, and living in God’s Word enriches us and brings us sweet joy. The best time of any day is the time I spend unrushed in the rich reading and reflection on the Bible.

There are finally two great personal impacts that come to us from centering our souls in God’s Word. The first is found in the word “warned”. Scripture warns us away from missteps and mistakes our hearts would make without God’s wisdom to guide our thinking and choices. Every regretful choice I have made has come from my own fear or selfishness. I’ve never regretted a scripturally informed decision, even when it was hard and had difficult consequences. Scriptural warning brings solid conviction and hope.

The second impact is called by the psalmist simply “great reward”. I look at what my life could be outside of Christ, the Living Word, and the wisdom of God’s Word, and I shudder.... I know I am most personally satisfied and rewarded in Jesus. I would be miserable without my Savior and His precious Word and Holy Spirit in my life.

Friday, December 28, 2018

a king’s trust


For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
Psalm 21:7

King David journals his own walk with God in this psalm celebrating God’s gifts to him. And David knew that it was God Who gave him the successes in his kingdom. It was God Who blessed him and all of Israel along with him. It was God that deserved the recognition, the grateful thanksgiving, and the praise for all the blessings in David’s reign.

David’s first order of business as king was to trust in the Lord. He attended to worshiping, loving, and obeying God, and that led to the sorts of covenant blessings that kept the nation strong. The points of strength in David’s throne were all found in his relationship with God. And the weaknesses and failures were all the result of his sinful lack of trust and failure to obey.

The governing style that made Israel thrive under David can still find application for life achievement now. The heart that trusts and follows Jesus will find that the grace and steadfast love of God will bring stability and spiritual progress to life. That grace will bring perspective in good times and in bad times. It will brighten all days and bring comfort and resolve in hard times. It will bring success in God’s eyes and carry a soul until it hears at last from Jesus, “well done, good and faithful servant”.

Following Jesus as His disciple is a life marathon and not a series of brief Sunday sprints. It is about trusting God daily over the grind of life. It is feeling, appreciating, and knowing the gracious love of Christ for us over time. It is surrendered and seen over a lifetime. That is what gives us success in the Lord. And in Jesus I will always be blessed to trust!

Thursday, December 27, 2018

my last river

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:1-2

My soul is soothed knowing that at my final destination, I will live in the “city/garden” of God’s own design. And this crystal river of life running along a boulevard of life-giving healing trees shall fill me with its calm. When you look me up in heaven, you will find me by the river. Really. If Jesus lets me stay there as long as I want, I doubt I’ll ever leave. 

It’s no secret that I love rivers and streams. I have since my earliest childhood memory. I must have been about three years of age. One morning in the mid 1960’s, I snuck away from home with a wind up toy boat and made my way with several neighborhood kids to the creek at the end of the cul-de-sac in Newton, Kansas. I remember picking over rocks to find bugs and crawdads, and floating that boat in something more substantial than a white bathtub. Then my mother, worried sick and thoroughly upset with me, found us all, and carried this muddy crying little boy home for a bath and a lecture about possible drowning! To this day I still don’t know why I had to take a bath for playing in the water.

I believe that in eternity, when I get to stand by the river of the water of life, I’ll get to experience that childlike delight all over again (sans lecture and bath). And a cold crystal stream has got to have some nice trout holding water in it, right? It won’t surprise me if I find a four weight trout fly rod in my hand in that river, and wading in, get the best casts to rising trout sipping perfectly tied caddis flies.

Eternity is a beautiful picture. Jesus will return us to the Eden we were made to roam, walking with God along a beautiful river. The Bible ends with that picture. I’m thrilled that it does.


Wednesday, December 26, 2018

King of kings


On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:16

So for the past month, in my Christmas playlist, I’ve shuffled in Handel’s Messiah... one of the true classics of sacred music. I’m thrilled to listen to this masterwork at Advent. And what moves me most is the clear message of scripture in it. That’s all the lyric is... God’s Word, prophesying about Jesus... set beautifully to orchestra and choir. It is powerful.

And of course there is one part of Handel’s Messiah that soars even higher.... the Hallelujah Chorus. And it builds so dramatically so that when it reaches the point where the choir sings “King of Kings (forever and ever) and Lord of Lords (forever and ever) and He shall reign forever and ever,” my heart just soars along in praise... not just because of the music, but because of the wonderful truth it proclaims!

Jesus rules over all. He is King of kings. He is Lord of lords. And He reigns forever, never to be diminished in authority. He reigns above all earthly power. And my only allegiance is to Him, for I will serve Him, love Him, be loved in Jesus and by Jesus forever! That’s what everything is about! And that purpose brings every other thing into focus and makes life make sense. Nothing else should rule my heart under the King of kings. Nothing else directs me when I am under the Lord of lords.

Jesus,
You are my King!
You are my Lord!
I worship You!
Amen

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

...in His name all oppression shall cease...

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound...
Isaiah 61:1

This messianic prophecy was picked up and read by Jesus Himself in His home synagogue in Nazareth where the people of His own home town rejected His ministry (see Luke 4:16-30). My own church read it as part of our final Advent Sunday worship just two days ago. And it echoes a haunting bit of lyric from a Christmas carol that has been twisting and burning inside my brain all season. That line from “O Holy Night” that is so incongruous with experience worldwide: “...and in His name all oppression shall cease...”

How can we continue to sing that line when there is still so much oppression in our world? Another depressing carol lyric echoes this observation: “...for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.” Jesus came to bring peace and there is still so much violence. So much is still so very, very wrong. It is heartbreaking. People suffer. Good people suffer... a lot.

Last night, after attending my own church’s afternoon Christmas Eve celebration, I brought my entire family to attend the service of a large urban church. It was a beautiful thing to stand shoulder to shoulder in a loud and very vocal celebration of Jesus in this urban context. Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, new immigrants, and whites, all were together. Then it happened. By candlelight we sang “O Holy Night”. We got to that gut wrenching line I’ve been struggling with all season... that line about “oppression ceasing” and I looked out at young and old of every race worshipping Jesus and I started to tear up. I saw young urban males who represented the most at risk group for death by gun violence or incarceration, I saw single urban moms with several kids a piece, I saw new Hispanic immigrant families, I saw senior citizens in economic hardship, and all were singing joyfully that Jesus came to end all this mess. 

The gospel story and belief in Jesus brought us all together. And in the hope of the gospel, in the hope of Jesus, oppression ceases. Where and when He rules, there is indeed, peace.

No doubt, many left that service to a more challenging set of life circumstances than I went back home to in my 35 minute commute to the false safety of the suburbs. But Jesus, Prince of Peace, shall bring us all peace. And that is the powerful truth of Christmas... a Savior is born. Oppression shall cease! Amen.


Monday, December 24, 2018

saved from a grim and frightful wrath

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
Revelation 16:17

What is “done” in this passage is a complete judgment upon the “great city Babylon” — a worldwide power that has systematically persecuted the saints. God is pouring down avenging wrath on a people dead set against Him and His people. And it has been a series of tragic catastrophes that have only been received with increasingly hardened hearts, similar to Pharoah’s response to the plagues in Egypt under Moses.

Massive earthquakes shake the globe with the pouring of the seventh bowl. The city of Babylon is split three ways. The urban centers of the world are all in ruin as well as they crumble under the quakes. One big earthquake is a human tragedy. The scope of these quakes makes it a global catastrophe. As survivors struggle through the chaos, hundred pound hailstones (perhaps the result of volcanic activity that caused the earthquakes) fall on what is left. Even these jaded survivors curse God in the smoking dust of fallen civilization. It is a grim description (Revelation 16:17-21).

This is part of the “last act” of God’s drama of human history. And I can’t help but stand it against the time of year, starting this evening as we focus on the redeeming love that occurred with the gift of the birth of Jesus. God will spare those who believe in His saving work in Christ. God sent His Son to take His wrath on the cross so we could know peace with Him! We may have a holy fear to see what awaits those who reject God’s love in Christ, but we are free to love God in Christ’s forgiving love. And that gift is what I celebrate in joy! Amen! 

Friday, December 21, 2018

The seventh angel


...but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 10:7

This is always the part of the Book of Revelation that gives me cold chills. And reading it on a cold winter solstice morning only adds to the dark feeling. This is a picture of a world about to be judged. It is a vision of the moment where the rejection of Christ demonstrated by the martyrdom of Christians will cease by the firm and furious wrath of God.

The seventh angel standing with a foot on the sea and a foot on the land and a hand in the heavens unites all creation in a visible picture of the rule of Christ. There is no more delay. The Day of the Lord, so prominent with the prophets, will be at hand as the seventh angel delivers his message.

Jesus,
Angels sang as You made Your entrance in a peasant’s feeding trough. Angels ministered to You as You began Your ministry. Angels held You close as You agonized in the garden before the cross. Angels announced Your victory over sin and death at Your resurrection. And angels will proclaim Your coming judgment. You are Lord of the angels, glorious in power, Lord of my life and worship.
Amen

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Prayer to the Shepherd Lamb


For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17

O Lamb
Who is the Great Shepherd
Look down from Your throne
upon Your very own
whose prayers You have heard
Our Lamb

O Jesus
See Your flock’s need
for Your leading love
and from Your throne above
with tenderness lead
King Jesus

Sovereign Lord
You are in control
of our joys and pain
may You always reign
so the world may know
You are Lord

Redeemer
We are under Your command
The gospel we will tell
so souls are saved from hell
as we spread good news in our land
Redeeming Savior

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

under the altar, close to God’s heart


When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
Revelation 6:9

Of all the unusual and fearful visions of the Apocalypse, this aspect described in John’s vision of the opening of the fifth seal is both terrifying and remarkably tender. It opens my eyes and warms my heart.

It is terrifying in that the very souls of martyrs in heaven still cry out for God to avenge their murders. It is tender because their souls are under the heavenly altar, as the blood of a precious sacrifice would gather, known by God and close to Him. Each martyred soul is given a white robe, encouraged to rest in God’s presence just a bit longer, and promised a future in which their prayers will be answered once the last martyr has borne witness. (Revelation 6:11)

And their numbers still grow. Every month around the world roughly 255 Christians are killed, with an estimated 215 million Christians worldwide living under high levels of official persecution (source: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/). These souls under God’s altar still cry out as our world still hates Christ and His followers. The blood of martyrs still waters the church as the gospel rolls forward.

God,
Encourage my persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide to hold on just a little longer. May they feel the warmth of Your grace and Your tender love for them, Lord Jesus.
Amen

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

holy, worthy Savior


and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
Revelation 4:8b

The mighty Lord Jesus, our Savior, the Lord of all is worthy of our praise! Always before the throne of God His praises are ringing out now. He will be praised forever and we shall join our voices with that vast worship choir if we have truly believed and trusted Him. All praise here on earth is “choir practice” for that great future. This glorious thought is strengthening as we face the struggles and challenges of life in a broken world.

The broken nature of the world in which we live coupled with the fallen struggles in our own hearts fade when we begin to know the glorious worship of our holy God. Even this morning after a night of less than refreshing sleep, my soul is calmly lifted with the glorious, vivid realization that Jesus is always praised, and I will praise my Savior too!

“Holy, holy, holy”
I will sing it too
Jesus in Your glory
I will worship You
broken, I kneel praising
You for Your holy, healing love
lifted, You are raising
me to brighter visions above

Monday, December 17, 2018

my Alpha, my Omega


“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8

God’s love in Christ is truly a universal constant because the second person of the Godhead has always been, has come to save us, and will always be. He will come again and every eye shall see him, the One they have pierced, and all the tribes on this planet will give account of themselves to Jesus (Revelation 1:7). Jesus is the Almighty Alpha and Omega, who was, and now is, and is yet to come. He is now always for us and will always be with us.

Just as this is a constant fact about the universe in which we live, it is also true of my own individual life. God loved me before I knew Him. He brought me into this world. He sovereignly made the gospel known to me by drawing my parents to Him quite dramatically when I was only seven years old. It’s been almost five decades since then and I remember it still so clearly. Jesus is my Alpha, right there as my life began.

God has shown me His Son all my life, and I am grateful for that life in Christ, though I haven’t nearly honored Him enough yet. Jesus is what I live for now. He is my Lord. 

And Jesus is my Omega. He is what I look forward to forever. I will stand before Him complete and whether I see His return to join Him in the clouds, or if He holds my hand in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall always worship my Lord. This is the certain hope of every Christian.

Friday, December 14, 2018

so that we might live

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
1 John 4:9

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” Here we are just ten days away from when the big celebrations of Christmas 2018 will start. Christmas Eve is a big deal at my house, and usually busier than Christmas Day itself. And I see dozens of people in my own church pouring themselves into Christmas services and productions. This year my family will attend Christmas Eve Services in two different congregations just because that is what our lives are filled with. It will be reflective... and touching... and busy.

But stepping aside from the tinsel and gloss... the parties and food... the production and the pageantry, there is a deep gospel reality that keeps Christmas real for me. It tugs at my heart. It fills me. Christmas is about rejoicing in the fact that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might really know life in Him. I know life... I only have life... I only get what life is about in Jesus. I honestly have nothing else worth living for without Him. 

I have been blessed for years now with Sojourn Music’s simple, reflective “Advent Songs” album in my Christmas playlist. If it were vinyl, I would have worn it out by now. There have been so many loved ones I have lost in the past six or seven years, so much unexpected but important change in my own life, that the constant of Jesus is my mainstay. It isn’t all bad, but even good change is hard. And this song (sorry for the tacky graphics in the YouTube video, but just listen)  brings tears of thankfulness and agreement to my eyes... every time, even now:

Let every creature rise and bring
Their grateful praises to our King
Angels descend with songs again
And earth repeats a loud “Amen”

Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen
I found my life
I found my life in Him
Amen, Amen

Peace like a river from His throne
Will flow to nations yet unknown
His Word a light where all hope is dim
And all tribes unite to cry “Amen”

Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen
I found my life
I found my life in Him
Amen, Amen

And in this Child we’ll find our rest
And all the meek and lowly blessed
An infant tongue could sing the hymn
Of Hallelujah and Amen

Amen, Amen
Amen, Amen
I found my life
I found my life in Him
Amen, Amen

Amen, Amen by Sojourn Music

Thursday, December 13, 2018

walking as Jesus walked

By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:5b-6

John’s simple, direct language calls Christians to a noble, seemingly impossible task: to look like Jesus in the world. If we say we are made alive, if we say we trust and believe in Jesus, if we claim to be His disciple, we must live like Him. We must, as John puts it, walk in the same way He walked. When people wonder how Jesus lived, they should look no further than His followers to get their answer.

I am completely inadequate for this measure. I need the Word of God to instruct me and the transformative leadership of the Holy Spirit of God to lead me to walk as Jesus walked. I want to care for people like Jesus. I want to give myself away like Him. I want to be friend to the lowly. I want to commune with the Father. I want to invest in disciples. I want to weep over Jerusalem’s lost sheep. Yet I’ve go so much change to be made to get and stay like that.

Jesus, You have to live in me, transforming my heart so I might die to my selfish desires and You might live in me. This is the only way I may walk as You walk as I journey with You.
Amen

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

something more sure


And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts...
2 Peter 1:19

The “something more sure” that Peter is commending to us is the Word of God. And what is mind blowing in this statement is what Peter says it is “more sure” than. The preceding context is Peter’s own description of his experience with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, where he heard the very voice of God the Father announce His pleasure in His Son’s work (2 Peter 1:16-18). And the Word of God is greater than even that mountaintop experience.

Peter knew that the written scriptures had a fully trustworthy authority that was greater than experience. Why? Memories fade, but God’s Word is always clear. Experiences may differ based on viewpoints but God’s written prophetic word always speaks with exactly the same voice every time it is read, using the same words, to every person who reads it. And that is why scripture is “more sure”.

When we pay attention to God’s Word it lights our way. God’s truth is a lamp to our darkness that will outshine all other lights we may follow. It will grow as bright as day if we will pay heed to it in our hearts.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

the sanctity of suffering

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:1-2

Suffering is a precious and holy work of God meant to make me more like Jesus. Truthfully, I seldom if ever see it in that light, to my shame. I live in a culture that is uneasy with suffering and seeks to numb all pain. We have numerous appealing temptations to seek to circumvent the noble purposes God may have in suffering. Yet the sufferings of Christ were the best gift to grace our planet. God’s work through the Suffering Servant has saved the world.

Peter calls believers to a proper faith in God that correctly interprets suffering as His means to help us in holiness. He calls us to this attitude in our suffering: a higher view of suffering sees it as a beautiful part of God’s work in us that saves us from missing the sanctity of suffering and calls us into living more like Jesus in the world. It pulls us above the crushing weight of our experience in suffering and saves us from sinking in a sinful response... beyond self, we look to our Saviour Whose suffering saves us and Whom God raised up from the death forever to reign over us! Yet He still is known by His scars. In Christ God loves us. We can endure because Jesus has endured. We will be forever free with Him so that no suffering right now is beyond our ability to trust.

O God,
There is a gracious purpose in all You do in my life. May even my pains fix my thoughts on Your love known in Christ my Redeemer!
Amen

Monday, December 10, 2018

healed forever


He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:24

The cross is the only thing that can heal my wounded soul. Jesus died for me. He bore my sins on the cross that I might be forgiven. And in that death, I must die to sin and now live to righteousness. I am only free to live differently because of what my Savior has done for me. He is my hero... forever. He is my healer... forever. He is my commander... always. He is my worship... my eternal God.

What Jesus willingly suffered for all people in bearing our sins on the cross cannot be overstated. It deals with ALL human suffering. God chose to send His Son into the world to bear the punishment of death for sin so we could be forgiven. He bore that for every little sin of every human... ever. This is immense, eternal love! And Christians will be worshiping Jesus forever because that is the scope of His love for us. His wounds heal us for eternity!

Lord Jesus,
You have healed me forever. Like generations of believers before me, I trust in You. I worship You. I find my peace in You. I never grow tired of my salvation, and I will sing of Your love forever... gladly!
Amen

Friday, December 7, 2018

generous like Jesus


Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16

Do Christians have the reputation in their community of being people who do great good and give to others in a sacrificial way? Are we generous people, or are we known as insulated people who only give to our own causes? The exhortation here at the end of Hebrews is put in the middle of a list of calls to live like Jesus is better to us than all other things. People who know Jesus is better will live in a noticeably committed way. They will have the reputation of Jesus, Who did good, was extremely generous, and sacrificed for others.

It is the Christmas season, a time in which charities appeal for end of the year gifts. They count on this to survive and do their work. As a financial developer for a non-profit myself, I know that typically we will receive our largest gifts and our best season of giving in December. And I am very thankful that this occurs every year. It is brought about by necessary responses to a lot of factors, including taxation and the deductibility of charitable gifts. People who own their own business have to make these moves at the end of the year. I get it.

My point is certainly NOT to complain about it, but instead to check my own heart. I want to be a generous person, not because of tax breaks, but simply because Jesus is always generous. I have a lot of room still to grow in generosity. But my prayer is to be diligent to do good and to sacrificially share the blessings that God gives to me all year long. The goal is to live like Jesus is better than anything... because He is... even better than my money!

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Jesus is better.


But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:11-12

Jesus is better. That is the theme over and over in Hebrews. In this context, He is the better high priest Who secures a better (in fact the best) redemption for our sins. No longer does a priest repeatedly need to offer an endless stream of animal sacrifices entering the holy place. Jesus has done it once for all by His blood... forever. This is definitely better.

“In all my sorrows, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
In all my victories, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
Than any comfort, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
More than all riches, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
Our souls declaring, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
Our song eternal, Jesus is better. Make my heart believe.
Glory, glory, we have no other king but Jesus Lord of all!”
Aaron Ivey & Brett Land
Austin Stone Worship, 2013

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

perfect guarantee


This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
Hebrews 7:22-24

Under the old covenant of the Law, the priests served as the mediating “go between” so that humanity’s sin could be atoned. The priests offered sacrifices that atoned for the sin of God’s covenant people, the Jews, and kept things right between sinnners and a holy God. But the priests themselves were afflicted by sin and its curse, death. So there were many because they died. In this way, it still “felt” like sin had the upper hand.

But not so now because Jesus Who lives forever as the One Who guarantees a better, new covenant now before God, has made it all much better. The covenant isn’t just restricted to one ethnic group, but now extends to all people. His death has forever been the perfect sacrifice. His priesthood is now the better, perfect atonement for all sin. The ability for us to know forgiveness, and to come before a holy God is permanently secured by Jesus and not dependent on daily work of men who are themselves under the same curse of sin. It is all so much better! Because we have Jesus and by faith trust in Him, we have freedom to love and worship God. It is beautiful... forever!

Thank You, Jesus, for being the perfector guarantor of a new freedom in relationship to God. I am forgiven... always. I am free... into eternity. I am forever made new in You! Amen

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

The sweetness of suffering


Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Hebrews 5:8

Suffering had a certain positive effect on Jesus. Suffering then is not just the result of wrong in this world, because Jesus was sinless and did no wrong. Jesus never did anything that brought the consequence of suffering as a deserved correction. But He did learn obedience through what He suffered. And I’m not sure we can fully appreciate the magnitude of exactly what that means for the Son of God to learn obedience through suffering.

I think the easiest way we can begin to see this in Jesus is when the gospels give us the accounts of His desert temptation (see Matthew 4 and Luke 4). There we see Him do battle with the biggest temptations Satan could offer Him. Things so big and glorious in our eyes that we would succumb to them in an instant I’m afraid. And Jesus obeyed the Father through the strength of God’s Word without fail in every temptation. He suffered there in the wilderness as He fasted 40 days in preparation for His ministry. And He obeyed when He found scriptural resolve in refusing the devil’s allurements. We get a sense of the extreme magnitude of the battle Jesus won through obedience when we see that “the angels ministered to Him” at the close of the temptation. This was epic suffering and an epic win.

If Jesus learned to obey God in suffering, especially in temptation, how much more should I look for the positive growth opportunities in my difficulties and hardships? If life was hard for Jesus, should I expect any better as His disciple? Suffering then can be a sweet moment to grow and to change. A lifetime of suffering can lead me closer to the heart of my Lord. Suffering helps (and does not hinder) Christians to be like Jesus.

Monday, December 3, 2018

The greatness of my King


But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
Hebrews 1:8-9

We are about a week late with Christmas decorating, but last night started our family celebrations with the placing of our Christmas tree. Celebrating the gift of Jesus is always a high point of the year. Reading Hebrews now as we begin it is even better. This baby in the manger is the Son Who is superior... Lord of all!

The book of Hebrews shows us that the king born in Bethlehem is forever and always has been God, ruling from an eternal throne with justice, fairness, and all uprightness. Jesus loves righteousness, hates wickedness, and is anointed by God the Father beyond any other power or authority. He is God, anointed by God, to rule over us gladly in perfect peace. What a gift!

Jesus, You are great. You are worthy, always, of my worship and praise. I bow to You, my King, and will live forever under Your rule! Amen

Friday, November 30, 2018

choices


So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22

Every day
I awake
to make
choices.

Choices
regarding
what I do
what I say
how I’ll act
how I’ll be.

In some way
I confess
I reassess
my choices.

Fleeing
selfish passions
in my deeds
with my words
through my actions
I move on.

Help me, Lord
to pursue
just You
in my choices.

I choose to follow Jesus.
I choose to call on the Lord.
I choose a pure heart.
Amen

Thursday, November 29, 2018

providing for family


But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Timothy 5:8

The apostle Paul gave this observation to Timothy in the context of providing careful instructions for how the church can care for the physical needs of indigent widows. In the first century, when a husband died and family property was divided, often the widow was left with little to nothing. The church immediately stepped into this gaping need very early in church history to provide for the poor and the grieving.

But Paul made it clear that the first avenue of assistance was family. The church was to identify and encourage ways that family can help first. Adult children should always honor their parents. This included them being the first line of care for widows. Any family that refused to help a widow among them was denying the Christian faith as Paul taught it. The obligation to help the elderly is very, very Christian. We cannot abandon family to the world as they age and become an “inconvenience” to our selfishness.

This is a ministry that must still engage the 21st century church, as aging Baby Boomers care for elderly parents, and as they age and eventually need care themselves. My wife and I know this. We know scores of our friends in the same situation. Honoring the aged is one of the best things we must do as we advance the gospel in our generation.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

the noble task


The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 1:3

For thirty years now I have devoted myself to aspiring to this “noble task” of serving the church as an elder/overseer/pastor. And Paul’s words ring so true. I thought I knew what I was getting into that Sunday in 1988 when the little Baptist congregation I served convened an ordination council. I had my doctrinal statement written and a philosophy of ministry paper to be examined by worthy men I respected for their wisdom, experience, and integrity.

Yet the one thing that has most marked my days of ministry in this noble task was really never brought up in ordination. That day to day backbone of ministry has been the care ministry of bearing burdens with people I have learned to love. Three decades of ministry later, I’ve cared a lot, cried a lot, shared joys and heartaches, been profoundly disappointed when sin will not be forsaken, glimpsed eternity among the saints and fallen hard into the arms of Jesus with many of the people I’ve been called to serve. Pastors pray and counsel and love and give lots of time away. It is a joy and it is hard work. I think it is the greatest of privileges and I have come to deeply appreciate what I do.

On any given Sunday I look at a church made of individuals and families... many of whom I have shared personal struggles and great private victories with as their pastor and friend. I see not faces, but circumstances. I know things perhaps no one else may know but God Himself. I feel the heart of the Great Shepherd for His Flock, even though I myself sometimes selfishly wish to not have to know what I know or do what I do. I double down in those moments on letting Jesus lead me so I can lead them. It brings such a feeling... I can’t really adequately describe it. It is very much a noble task.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

great mercy to me

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16

Paul was grateful for the mercy he found in the forgiving love of Jesus because when he called himself “the foremost”, what he meant was that he was at the top of the line of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:15). Paul was forgiven of much. Before his conversion, he worked against the gospel. He so hated Jesus that he captured and killed Christians (see Acts 7:58; 8:1; 9:1-2).

Paul was a great sinner who was forgiven of much. He knew the tender mercy of Jesus. He loved Jesus Christ for being patient enough to save even him. He was grateful that God used him though he had once tried to destroy Christ’s work. God now worked in Paul through Christ to bring others to eternal life and to build His Church.

Every sinner, including me especially, receives mercy so that Christ might show His patience and love so that others may have eternal life. I may have responded to the gospel as a child, but even then, I received great mercy. I know this because now, nearly half a century later, I am aware how Jesus saves great sinners like me because the struggle is very real. 

Thank You, Jesus, for Your mercy and perfect patience with a sinner like me. You have shown me great mercy and always will. May I know it so that others might know You.
Amen

Monday, November 26, 2018

Scripture’s necessity


As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

Understanding, following, and obeying scripture are essential and necessary to the life of a follower of Jesus. We can never really live like Jesus if we live lives devoid of scripture’s teaching, input, and direct application. Paul told these Thessalonian believers to warn and to discipline any who would not regard and follow the teaching of his letter to them. That’s because the instruction of scripture gives the Christian the only trusted direction and input from God. God’s Spirit leads His children by means of God’s Word.

I just finished a two week “spiritual experiment” based on something I read on my sabbatical, deciding (poorly) to take the popular advice that I kept reading from many to “hear from God” in my circumstances. I really tried to figure out what was happening and chose to read scripture academically, but deliberately chose NOT to see it inform my life. In the end, I doubt that I heard from anything other than my own thoughts and personally, it was a WASTE OF TWO WEEKS! 

Only in the Bible do I hear the loud, clear, authoritative, and trustworthy voice of God. I will stick with the daily discipline of reading scripture, looking for application to my life, and trusting God’s voice is loud and clear in its pages. That is the best benefit to my spiritual life.

Friday, November 9, 2018

Reconciliation: ministry and message


All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

The gospel spells out for believers what their life focus must be. Paul reflects upon it in this passage with the clear commitment to the ministry and the message of reconciliation. God is reconciling people to Himself through Christ’s work on the cross. Faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior restores people and makes peace with God.

I love this passage. For me it is my favorite description and summary of Christian ministry. I build my ministry manifesto upon it. Almost twenty two years ago, as a candidate for associate pastor at Mill Creek Community Church, I preached my first sermon to the church, describing a gospel vision of ministry. I was committed to seeing the church faithful to gospel proclamation so that God could transform lives then. I have been blessed beyond my ability to even describe as God has done so. And this is still my unchanged commitment.

Lord,
May the ministry and the message of reconciliation still refine my thinking and define my service to You. I can do nothing else with this life... quite literally. Every daily task of churchmanship that You give to me, I will lay before You so that You may reconcile, through Christ, people to Yourself.
Amen

Thursday, November 8, 2018

open statement of the truth


Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Honest ministry has nothing to hide because it only clearly shines the light of God’s truth everywhere to everyone. Those involved in shady, selfish enrichment in the guise of ministry cannot say this. They will not accomplish this. They cannot appeal to conscience nor to evaluation solely by what scripture teaches.

Commitment to God’s truth alone makes ministers of the gospel. The reformers captured this with the passion of “sola scriptura”. Some of them died for that commitment. Before them, in the clear teaching of this passage, the apostle Paul staked his apostolic foundation in the pages of God’s truth... and so should we. The open proclamation of God’s Word, untempered by human cleverness and untwisted by selfish promotion is the goal of all true, Christ-honoring, gospel ministry.

My prayer is that Christ will find me faithful to His Word when I stand before Him (sooner rather than later) to account for my life of pastoral service. I want the open statement of the truth to commend me to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. I shall live for my Lord, serve Christ, and die committed to the gospel alone.

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

when ministry hurts

For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
2 Corinthians 2:4

Ministry can be intensely painful because love can come with tears. That’s what Paul said to the Corinthians. In his first letter he had to correct them. He chided them for sin that they tolerated. He cried over them with a broken heart. And the result of the letter was that the church repented in tears as well. So the pain led to good change. But it still hurt.

In this second letter, Paul can take a more encouraging tone with them. The church knew Paul loved them. He loved them enough to say hard truth to them. He loved them enough to be anguished over them. And that was a special kind of relationship to be cherished. We anguish in love for others when Jesus loves through us.

After three decades of pastoral ministry, I know the joys and the pains of shepherding. I don’t think I’ve ever quite reached the apostolic anguish of Paul, but I’ve grieved over the wrong choices of others. I’ve shared in the repentance journey with many people. I’ve seen God restore what is broken, through tears and I have a grateful heart to have walked the gospel road in this way, privileged to share such an intimate journey with the people God has brought into my life by His grace.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Resurrection is my destiny.


Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52

This passage is more than just consolation at the graveside of a believer, it is the reality awaiting all Christians. Jesus has ensured that death does not win. We may experience pain as our bodies weaken and die, but the mystery (truth now revealed) explained by Paul is that resurrection awaits those who die in Jesus. And His resurrection body will be theirs!

A great day of triumph awaits us all in Christ. His trumpet will sound and He will return. The dead in Christ will be raised imperishable and those alive at His appearing will also be transformed in the blink of an eye. For all Christians resurrection to be with Christ in a body like He now has awaits us.

O Lord,
Resurrection is my destiny! I take my comfort in that truth when Christians die. I believe this living hope for my own mortality. And when You return and right the wrongs of this world forever, a new imperishable body awaits me when You arrive! Thank You for revealing this mystery in hope!
Amen

Monday, November 5, 2018

Immature worship


Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
1 Corinthians 14:20

Paul told the Corinthian church to grow up. There was a lot of unchecked immaturity in the church and it showed in numerous ways. One way it was destructive to the church was in the rampant uncontrolled disorderly abuse of spiritual gifts in their worship gatherings. The use of “tongues speaking” among the Corinthians had gotten so out of hand that the gift no longer functioned as God had designed it. In fact, I think they actually had gone beyond the spiritual gift and created a totally new experience of their own design. There were no interpretations given when people wildly jabbered, just lots of loud, cacophonous expressions that distracted from God’s Word.

The apostle Paul instructed them to return prophecy (the gift that helped the church hear from God as His Word was proclaimed to them) to the central focus of their worship. The childish abuse of the other gifts needed to be ended. Maturity demanded centering their gatherings around hearing from God and His Word. 

Sadly, such abuse of worship forms can still be found when our thinking today is not mature. I’m not even referring to charismatic misdirection. There are many non-charismatic churches that miss the point and fall into immaturity if they aren’t careful. I think focusing solely on music is immature, or bragging about the use of technology, and certainly the rampant focus on Christian celebrity or political positioning is aweful. All these abuses becoming the focus of worship is extreme spiritual childishness. Mature worship in the life of the church is bible saturated, Christ focused, gospel centered, Spirit empowered, and God glorifying!


Thursday, November 1, 2018

self-inflicted defeat


To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
1 Corinthians 6:7-8

The believers in Corinth had huge issues with allowing immorality to go unchecked in their fellowship. This showed itself in an incestrous relationship the church practically bragged about, and in a selfish, litigatious spirit within the congregation. One the one hand they ignored scandalous sin and on the other they viciously fought one another in court over petty personal disagreements and selfish concerns. The result was the church was wounded by her own hand.

Paul wants to put a stop to this self-inflicted madness and misery. He tells the Corinthians first in chapter five to remove the nonrepentant adulterers from their midst. Then he instructed them to resolve their own conflicts with gospel mediation instead of relying on secular legal weaponry. Peacemaking would save them from public embarrassment and restore relationships rather than defraud and destroy the reputation of the church.

Christ gave His church all we need to deal with big sins and small disagreements. We can utilize the gospel for this. The church can discipline herself in these struggles. The church can mediate between her members when they have issues. The gospel can win even against our own most selfish behaviors. Unity is restored in Jesus!

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

gospel disciple making by imitation


For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 4:15-16

Disciple making begins with and stays focused on the gospel. We never get our eyes off Jesus Christ and His transformative work in us. Even the people God uses to make disciples aren’t the focus. The Corinthian church had gotten their focus wrong and the bragging about which man was their “guide” made divisions within the church taking them away from the gospel and Jesus. Paul reminded them as their “father” in faith to remember the gospel of Jesus that he brought them.

Once the focus is back on Jesus, we can have a proper view of being disciple makers and the people God uses to grow us. Mature disciples focused upon Jesus can legitimately ask those they are discipling to imitate them with confidence. That’s what Paul is doing here. The Corinthians could imitate the apostle as he was sure to imitate Christ. He pointed to Jesus. They could confidently follow where he led.

To make disciples means I must always seriously follow Jesus. I should have the kind of faith that people see Jesus living through me. And I should urge people to follow the change Jesus brings in me. But I must start with my own soul as I call others to follow with me, believe and apply the gospel together, and love Jesus with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength!

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

guiltless / faithful


...who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:8-9

Paul wrote the less of First Corinthians to address a multitude of problems in a church where many sins were being tolerated. Yet he starts his letter with a prayer of thanksgiving — an encouraging prelude full of gospel hope. In Christ, even the worst confused sinner is not what they appear to be. And there are two reasons why this is. Those reasons are clearly explained for us in these two verses that end a prayer of thanksgiving. Those two reasons also give us hope today.

The first reason the gospel makes up for our confusion in sin is that God sustains us as guiltless. It isn’t about our own efforts to clear ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. We can’t fix our own sins in human power. We can’t keep ourselves forgiven by our personal efforts. God does it all and that is a great encouragement to sinners!

Secondly when we are unfaithful, God remains faithful. He has called us into new life with Him through His Son. And through our Lord Jesus Christ God remains faithful to us even when we slip up. He will not fail us because Christ’s sacrifice is perfect. So in Jesus we are declared guiltless and in Jesus God is faithful to forgive us. What a joy to know He will complete this work in me today!

Monday, October 29, 2018

what Christ accomplished


For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed...
Romans 15:18

I did nothing
to please God.
Jesus did it all.

I did nothing
to save my soul.
Jesus did it all.

I did nothing
good in the kingdom.
Jesus did it for me.

I did nothing
another soul to win...
Jesus called them through me.

I did nothing
holy or righteous.
Jesus lived His life in me.

I did nothing
but accept His mercy.
Jesus saved and used me.

I did nothing...
Jesus did everything...
Let that be how I’m known.

Friday, October 26, 2018

burdened for the lost?


I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Romans 9:1-3

Paul carried with him a certain sorrowful burden borne for the Jews who rejected Jesus. His desire was for Israel to repent and to joyfully find the Messiah in Jesus just as he had. He knew what it meant to be powerlessly unable to keep the law while zealously fending for it. God had mercifully saved him from legalism and rejection of the Messiah and brought him to a glorious love of Jesus through the gospel. This is what Paul wanted his kinsmen Jews to find.

Yet in all the joy in Christ, Paul had a sorrow in His heart for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It did not let up and showed itself in his missionary efforts where he first went to the Jews, always preaching the gospel to them first in the synagogue when he traveled to a new city.

Looking at Paul, I take a quick survey of my own heart for the lost, and I have to say that “unceasing anguish” and “great sorrow” really don’t fill my heart like they did his. And there is no way I really want to be cursed to hell if it would save the lost I should care about. I am quite the selfish evangelist in comparison. I must see those outside of Christ with the love of Christ Who died for them. O God... give me a passion for the gospel that is broken for those who need it so!

Thursday, October 25, 2018

No condemnation!


There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

As bad as I may feel over my struggles with my sin, I must always remember that because of Jesus, my sin is not condemned by the Law’s demands. I am powerless to live by God’s Law, but Jesus perfectly fulfilled that Law and has given me His righteousness so that the Father sees me as perfect... just like He sees His Son. My sins do not mean I am condemned. The righteousness of Christ and the Spirit of life set me free from the sin and death that follow condemnation. My life is about righteousness and eternal life now in His kingdom!

This transformation is only done by Jesus. He accomplished it by His death and resurrection satisfying the Father’s justice. And by faith this is appropriated to all who will believe. Christians are set free to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel and to be holy before the Father dressed in the righteousness of Christ.

No condemnation now I dread
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine
Alive in Him, my living Head
And clothed in righteousness divine
Bold I approach the eternal throne
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

hyper-grace


For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:19-21

Sin is an enormous problem, made even more serious by our inability to keep God’s law because of our naturally inherited sin natures. But where sin seems to only increase, Jesus brings forgiveness through a grace much greater than all our sin. Where sin is everywhere present in humanity, through the work of Jesus, grace is now “super-abundantly” available beyond the immense scope of human depravity.

The word Paul creates to describe this is unique to him... a literal hyperbole of theological importance to convey this thought to the world... God’s grace is way more extensive than our sin. It not only abounds.... it “hyper-abounds” so that no sin is beyond the grace of God in Christ. No sin. Think about it... no sin... no genocide... no murder... no assault... no abuse of another... none of these horrible sins are beyond the forgiveness offered in Christ. To Paul this is shown as most important in the way God’s grace erases the permanence of death as the outcome to sin and instead, through belief in the gospel, hyper-grace gives us eternal life in Jesus! THAT is super-abundant grace!

Lord,
You know my sins are many. In thought, in attitude, in my actions... I am a selfish sinner. I deserve the death that my disobedience brings. But I find super abundant grace beyond my sin struggle by faith in Jesus Who died for me. And in His resurrection, by faith in his atoning work, I have eternal life. Thank You, Lord for hyper-grace!
Amen

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

everyone held accountable


Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
Romans 3:19

God’s word tells us what God expects. It is the standard for righteousness for all of us. It reveals Christ to us. For that reason it is imperative that all the people of the world have access to the scriptures in their own spoken language. That revelation of the law helps to convict of sin with the Holy Spirit’s work so that all people are accountable to God. But make no mistake... this verse written over two thousand years ago even as scripture was still being written reveals that the law already holds the entire world accountable to God. Furthermore, Paul had earlier established in Romans 1:25 that even pagans who have rejected natural revelation in favor of idolatry are deserving of God’s wrath justly. How much more those who have God’s law and cannot keep it?!

The whole world needs to have the gospel. This is why the Great Commission is serious work, involving translation efforts as well as gospel presentation and the establishment of churches. We MUST make disciples of all the nations... and even more so as we work hard to get God’s Word translated into every language that we can. And this generation can see that translation task completed! The whole world is accountable to God for sin. And the whole church is accountable to Jesus for making disciples!

A guilty world stands worthy of judgment from God. Jesus Christ is ready to forgive people through His death and resurrection. But this world needs God’s Word so people may know and believe both the bad news about sin and judgment as well as the good news about Jesus and salvation. And we Christians need to be publishing and preaching it as much as we possibily can to a world that is accountable to God.

Monday, October 22, 2018

My offensive self-righteousness

You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.
Romans 2:23

Try as best I can, I fail at keeping all of God’s law. I can’t do it. I am a sinner who at some point will fail to keep what God says I should. Even the Ten Commandments show the betrayal in my heart once I understand them as Jesus taught them. I have lied. I have cheated to get what I want. I have coveted. I have lusted. I have hated. I am a guilty lawbreaker on all counts.

And just like self-deceived self-righteous people everywhere, I want to think I can cover it all up. That means I am all bluster as I try to tell people to do right by God’s law while I myself often fail to do so. I judge severely the failures of others while all the while minimizing or conspiring to hide my own sins. I may at times boast in the law while dishonoring God in breaking it. I need the hope that only the gospel can bring.

Lord,
My self-righteous law breaking is a sin against You. It shows me how broken I am and what my hearts needs most is redemption and renewal through Jesus. I am powerless to live a righteous life. I need the life of Jesus found only in Your resurrecting work. You died and rose again for my law-breaking heart to be remade. I will let You do this work in me and stop trying to please You under my own power. I am accepted by God through Christ alone!
Amen

Friday, October 19, 2018

carried along


But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him.
Acts 25:25

As the pressures mounted against Paul by his accusers, the apostle made the calculated decision to utilize his ultimate right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. And now Festus and Agrippa are sorting out the details of the formal charges that will travel with Paul to Rome. Paul has gone full circuit in the call of God to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and now the Gentiles will bring the gospel, through Paul, to Rome. He will stand before the emperor himself in defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The man who once sought to destroy Christians will now stand in defense of his own life before Caesar for a faith he now protects.

The way in which these events occurred is a mix of the ordinary stuff of life and the sovereignly arranged work of God. God sovereignly saved Paul for this work. And Paul wound up in Roman rather than Jewish custody because a plot was made known by normal human means causing Rome to intervene, and now the rights of a Roman citizen in the judicial system could be utilized to their fullest potential. This is still the way the gospel advances, floating on a stream of human culture while the purposeful undercurrent of God’s sovereign hand carries it all along exactly where He wills it.

O Lord,
Use me as You will. In my ordinary day, please do Your extraordinary work with my life. Lead me where You will. Give me wisdom so my choices can help me to mature to be more like Your Son so that You may advance Your saving grace where You lead me to do so.
Amen

Thursday, October 18, 2018

honor treated dishonorably


And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul.
Acts 24:1

There is a known conspiracy against Paul, with enough credible evidence that the Roman military took pains to protect him, and yet Paul is the one now on trial while his conspirators get to argue for his release into their hate-filled custody. This is a terrible injustice... a situation over which Paul has little control. His only “crime” is preaching the gospel. But the Jewish authorities from the very top of their religious structure are bent on silencing Paul for good. The high priest himself, along with the Sanhedrin and a hired Roman lawyer to represent them to the governor arrive in Caesarea.

Felix seems to know this is a witch hunt on the part of the Jews, but seems more interested in advancing his own political capital through this if possible, as well as amusing himself with this story. He doesn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about justice. He is a whimsical judge, and Paul can tell this. In fact, Felix settles into eventually holding Paul in legal limbo for two full years. All the while Paul preached to him at any opportunity, refusing to bribe his way of prison (Acts 24:24-26). Felix would eventually be replaced by another political appointment.

Paul was a man of honor being treated dishonorably. It was unfair. Yet he stayed clear with the gospel and kept faith in His Lord. He refused to sink to either the low standards of his accusers or to cheat the system when it was offered to him by the authorities that controlled his fate. He modeled integrity, faith, and faithfulness to the Lord. And even though years went by, God rewarded this integrity and protected him.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

An antagonistic witness


And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
Acts 19:26

These are the words of Demetrius the silversmith addressing a trade guild of idol makers and cultic craftsmen on the impact of gospel proclamation in Ephesus and beyond. This is a man who is not a friend to the gospel. Nevertheless his words collaborate the historic spread of Christian faith as it is detailed in the book of Acts. He is hostile to the gospel yet an accurate witness to its incredible impact. It turned an entire region away from pagan idolatry in a very short span of time.

Demetrius and this guild were quickly losing their means of making a living. His testimony confirms three things about the spread of the gospel in Paul’s ministry: 1) The gospel preaching in Ephesus rapidly spread to the entire region of Asia. The gospel moves outward in concentric ripple growth as lives are transformed and the message spreads exponentially. This is one reason why new mission work should strategically make disciples in influential cities. 2) The persuasive power of the gospel to transform hearts leads people to repentance. It excludes them from false religion as those new believers turn away from sins and idols. This repentance from false worship was what was destroying the cultic businesses and craft trade. 3) The gospel makes exclusive claims. It cannot include false religion. These idolaters knew Christians turned from “gods made with hands” aware these trinkets were not worthy of worship in comparison to Jesus, their Lord and Savior. This exclusivity naturally led to opposition. The gospel’s “one and only” way to salvation will offend what humans worship and what we tend to trust outside of God’s way. 

Even though there will be hostile action against the gospel by those who “lose” when righteousness wins, we should not fear. God is in control. God is building His church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it... in fact, they may inadvertently vouch for its authenticity!

Monday, October 15, 2018

city idols


Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
Acts 17:16-17

Worship motivated Paul to keep pressing forward with gospel proclamation. It wasn’t just the worship of Jesus in his own life that led him to preach the gospel, but also the false worship and the lack of real worship of God he witnessed in the public life of the citizens of Athens. Everywhere the apostle turned, he witnessed a city caught up in idolatry. Athens was a city full of idols. These false gods captivated the hearts of a worshiping citizenry. Everyone was deeply spiritual. But that is not a good thing when people are spiritual in the wrong ways.

Paul’s response in this passage is instructive. His heart was moved by what he saw. His spirit was agitated by the rampant idols worship that he witnessed everywhere he went in the city. Enough was enough. The text says Paul was “provoked”... which conveys agitation and upset of spirit to the point of taking decisive, passionate action. The open idolatry filled Paul with an indignation to make a difference.

And so he set about preaching the gospel. He reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue since they already worshiped God, but did not know Him in Jesus or yet believe the gospel. And Paul took the gospel preaching from there to the public square, giving the truth of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus to anybody who would listen to him in the marketplace. A city full of idolaters needed to know how to worship the one true God. And they needed to turn from their idols to their Creator and Savior through Jesus. Cities filled with idols need Jesus!

Friday, October 12, 2018

a rescue like a dream


When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Acts 12:11

Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church (Acts 12:5). Persecution was ramping up in Judea. Herod was moving against the church. He had already killed James, and when he saw how it gained him favor with the religious leaders of the Jews, he arrested Peter, intending to do the same to him after the Passover. So the timing of this was all too eerily familiar to the disciples. Jesus was crucified the night of Passover, and now just a few years later, Peter was looking at death around the same event.

But even though Peter was chained and sleeping between two soldiers with armed sentries guarding his cell, God would not allow Peter to be martyred at that moment. An angel awakened the apostle, his chains simply fell off and he was led out of prison, out onto the streets past sleeping guards and sentries. It was dreamlike, and it took Peter’s astonished realization that God had freed him quite a bit of time to settle in.

God will protect His people, even as they give lives and suffer for His name. Ultimately Peter’s release kept the church in Jerusalem thriving, praying, and eventually reaching out to the world even under such extreme deadly persecution. What the enemies of the gospel were expecting (the death of Peter and demoralization of the momentum of the church) God kept from happening by His power, so the gospel would advance. This rescue that felt like a dream furthered redemption of countless crowds of people. And I am able to rejoice in my salvation today because God rescues in ways we can never imagine!

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Christians: prejudice ends in the gospel.


And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”
Acts 10:28

In this way the gospel was opened by the Holy Spirit to bring hope to the world. The message of the gospel is for the world, and God used Peter to first preach the gospel to the Gentile world. A Roman fearer of God named Cornelius (and all his household) became the first non-Jew to respond to the gospel by faith. There were no barriers limiting types of people from Christianity. The gospel is good news to all people. Hope in Christ is a world saving message. Everybody ought to hear it. It is available to anyone who believes.

With this cultural wall torn down in Christ through Peter’s first encounter, the church now and has always been a place designed by Jesus to be free of prejudice. We sin if we make it less than this. We cannot hate or fear what Jesus loves, and He died for the sins of the world, loving everyone. So anyone who comes to faith in Christ is our family. The church is comprised of men and women from all nations, all ethnic backgrounds, all languages and cultural practices, forgiven of many sins, all worshiping and following one Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Disciples sin when they make prejudicial distinctions among the people of Christ’s church, including rich and poor, clergy and laity, educated and uneducated, or “native” and “non-native”. We sin if we decide a group of people aren’t quite as worthy of the gospel as we are because of skin color, language, culture, or pre-Christian lifestyle. God does not call any person common or unclean. We shouldn’t either.

Lord Jesus,
Forgive my sinful tendency to fear what is different. Give me gospel eyes for the world You love. Confront my pride. Break down my prejudices. Fill me with Your love and humble me as Your grace transforms me. Surround me with the tapestry of Your grace that is Your people from every tongue, tribe and nation as we ALL our made new in the gospel!
Amen

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

gospel guide


So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Acts 8:30-31

The account of Philip meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch emphasizes the crucial role of scripture in conversations that lead to conversion. To get to the good news of salvation in Jesus, there has to be some element of “the Bible says...” in our conversation. We aren’t just making this news up. The gospel is rooted in ALL of God’s revelation, and getting to it requires some level of understanding scripture. Philip knew thi, which is why this was a great moment when the eunuch invited him to sit beside him as he journeyed back home.

Philip was the guide the Ethiopian needed. And the scripture he was reading was a powerful pointer to the gospel. Philip began right there in Isaiah 53 and got right to the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He guided the man from the prophetic account of Jesus’ suffering for our sins right to the most important point: Jesus has provided the way to be forgiven and find eternal salvation.

The Ethiopian eunuch believed this great news! He stopped the chariot at some water and asked Philip to baptize him on the spot. Philip had been used by the Holy Spirit to guide to the gospel. And that led to belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the Ethiopian eunuch. And this was all shown in his willingness to readily follow Jesus in baptism. A disciple had been made! Guiding to the gospel grows new believers.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

thriving gospel ministry


Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:41-42

The gospel thrives in persecution. We see it here. This was the response of the apostles after arrest, interrogation, threats, and illegal beating by the Sanhedrin, which was the Supreme Court of religious Jewish authority. The apostles were set loose with a warning to stop proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. And the apostles first rejoiced that they were so faithful to their Lord that they suffered for it, considering it a worthy honor, and then they stayed right at the task with the same fervor and seriousness as before, as if nothing had happened. They kept right at public and private gospel preaching and disciple-making.

Nothing changed despite the threat. They did not change their tactics. They did not alter their message, They did not back down. They stayed right at the privileged task of obeying their Lord, proclaiming good news of salvation in Jesus, and teaching disciples to follow Jesus. They made every part of their lives about gospel living and proclamation, and despite opposition, the Church kept maturing, growing, and expanding.

If we simply keep preaching the gospel and teaching disciples, the church will go on. No cultural, political, or religious opposition will stop what God has willed in Jesus. Christians may suffer and die, but the gospel never will.

Monday, October 8, 2018

by faith in His name


And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Acts 3:16

God used the healing of a lame beggar to ignite powerful gospel preaching among the early church in Jerusalem. The theme of Peter’s sermon here in Acts 3 is the importance of faith in Jesus to find salvation. The physical healing of this paralyzed man at the temple pointed to Jesus’ exclusive power to forgive sin and raise to real life all those who repent and turn to Him by faith (see Acts 3:19-22). The power of Jesus to heal this man by faith in His name, pointed to the greater saving power of a risen Savior to turn Israel back to God if they would believe the gospel (Acts 3:25-26) and in turn this would bless all the world through the salvation of sin Jesus provides.

Lord Jesus,
Just as You raised to new life in perfect health a paralyzed beggar in the temple courts, so You have raised my heart to real life in You... though I was dead in sin, Your raised me to life! And I was powerless to save myself. I simply believe the incredible, amazing, gracious good news that You died for sin, and rose again to forgive all sin. I trust that and I am made whole. Sin no longer has me pinned useless to a mat of shame begging for my life to change. Thank You for that great salvation accomplished in me, and as You call me to follow You, I will grow in daily believing by faith in Your name!
Amen

Friday, October 5, 2018

Ten words we should accept


You will be hated by all for my name's sake.
Luke 21:17

These ten words are NOT the effect of the gospel we normally hear talked about among modern Christians. But they are exactly what happens in the world system when Christians live in the light. We will be hated by those whose dark sin is most dear to them. Jesus starts warning His disciples of the inevitability of persecution in verse 12, where for His name’s sake they will be persecuted and delivered up to religious and civil authorities. This isn’t as much a warning as a reminder that this will be an opportunity for them to bear witness to the gospel (Luke 21:13).

But even in that moment, Jesus promises that He will provide in them the right response, so they should not fear its eventual time (Luke 21:14-15). Even family would turn against His disciples as they would be hated by all (Luke 21:16). They could endure and gain eternal life, knowing that by faith in Jesus they will never truly perish (Luke 21:18-19)

Yes, Christianity is hated by many in this world. But the gospel is still a powerful, life-changing message of love... good news to sinners who repent. And though it may be costly and hurtful at times for us to proclaim it, the church MUST bear the message of the cross even under persecution. And Jesus shall reign. One day He will judge all sin, even the sin of persecution, and in eternity, no suffering we undertake in this life will seem to matter in the light of His love. We will delight in His love, His rule, and His worship!