Surrender Daily

Book Review: The Shack - Do not be deceived

2009-10-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

2 Peter 2:1-3

Brothers and Sisters, I have been deceived. It was not a heresy or blasphemy that deceived me. God has blessed me with discernment enough to see these for what they are and call them what they are. The deception was that it was OK for me to overlook and dismiss these heresies as insignificant in light of other factors. I am speaking of the very popular book amongst Christians by William P. Young called The Shack. This book contains many wonderful Biblical truths. For example, this book speaks of God’s great love for His children and how He loves each of them in a special and unique way. It speaks of how God deeply desires to have a relationship with His children and will meet them in their time of greatest need. In fact, it places our relationship with God as being infinitely greater in importance to the traditions of religion. It speaks of how God desires to redeem all of mankind, even those who may have committed heinous sin. It also speaks of how fallen and twisted our world has become, how it is our own desire to be independent which has perverted His gifts to us, how this perversion is the source for pain and suffering in the world, and how God in His Sovereignty works that pain and suffering to His good. These are wonderful Biblical truths that every believer needs to know and understand and Young presents these truths through a powerful and moving story which literally made me cry like a little baby. I enjoyed the story tremendously.

Unfortunately, every since I read this book, I have been deeply convicted that my acceptance of this book, despite these truths, also provides tacit approval for the heresies contained within it – and the book contains some serious heresies. It is not so much that God the Father is portrayed as a female African American servant that concerned me. It was clearly explained in the book that this was only done because it was necessary in order for the main character to be able to relate to God. I can somewhat understand that. However, the book denies that God is Just or that God will bring punishment on the wicked. This is a critical truth that all men and women must acknowledge before they can accept the truth that they need Jesus. Although the book acknowledges that the justice of God is the sole reason that Christ came and was punished, it does not acknowledge that our rejection of Christ will bring about that judgment on our own souls. Instead, the book implies that God will not bring about punishment on any man because of what Jesus did on the cross. Indeed, the book goes as far as to say that Jesus makes himself known through all religions and does not necessarily desire us to become “Christian”. These are lies straight from – well – you know… these heresies cannot be overlooked.

Brothers and Sisters, my desire would be that you not read this book. However, if you do, know what you are reading. Do not be deceived.

Do You Need to be Rescued?

2009-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you were in such desperate straights that the only way out is to be rescued by someone greater than yourself? We all face times where we need to be rescued. Fortunately, we have a God who is in the rescue business. The Bible is full of rescue stories. Stories such as the these:

1. God commanded Noah to build an ark so that he and his family could be rescued from the flood
2. God provided a ram as a substitute to rescue Isaac when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice him
3. God rescued Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
4. God rescued Jacob and his children from the famine by placing Joseph in a high ranking position in Egypt
5. God rescued the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt
6. God rescued Israel from the hands of their enemies by sending any number of judges such as Gideon, Deborah, and Samson
7. God rescued Israel from the Giant Goliath by sending a small boy, David, to slay him
8. God rescued Jonah from the belly of the whale and from his own disobedience
9. God rescued Elijah from the hands of Queen Jezebel after he defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel
10. God rescued Israel from the hand of the Persians by putting Queen Esther in a unique place of influence over the king
11. Jesus rescued the disciples from a violent storm by simply saying to the wind and waves “peace, be still”
12. God rescued both Peter and Paul from prison
13. God rescued Paul and his companions from shipwreck

These are stories of physical rescue, which God is always capable of doing, but Jesus came to rescue us from the darkness of this world - spiritual rescue. His salvation is waiting for you. He wants to rescue you.

To hear more, click this link
Rescue Me

Why do Catholics know the names of all the demons?

2009-09-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:4, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (NIV). I got up Friday morning, the fourth day into my own personal battle with the H1N1 virus. If ever there were a time when I was “out of season,” it was then. My cough was extra-croupy. I was having difficulty breathing – so much so that I had to use a rescue inhaler. My voice was essentially non-existent, unless you considered a low, rumbly, grumbly, near unintelligible rasp a voice. I didn’t really want to go back to the doctor’s office, but if this got worse, I might be in real trouble. Plus, it was Friday and my doctor would not be in the office the next day if it did get worse. I managed to speak to my doctor’s office, who suggested that I come back into the office right after lunch. Friday afternoon in a doctor’s office – you can imagine how crowded it was – and I didn’t have an appointment. It was going to be a while.
I sat in the small, but crowded waiting room reading a book while I waited my turn (“Ethics for a Brave New World” by Feinberg and Feingberg – I recommend it to all Christians in this world of compromised ethics and upside down conviction). Sitting immediately adjacent to me was a fairly rough looking woman of middle age, who just a few minutes prior had been both smoking and coughing uncontrollably outside the front door (the waiting room was, of course, smoke free!). Without batting an eye, the woman looked directly at me and asked “Why do Catholics know the names of all the demons?” First of all, why ask me? There were about twelve other people in the room she could have asked. Second of all, why would I possibly know the answer to that? Did I look Catholic? Third of all, I don't think the Catholics claim to know the names of all the demons, just a few of them.
Since I was so “out of season,” I really didn’t want to be disturbed. Plus, I didn’t have a voice. As a result, I simply responded with “That’s really not something very relevant, is it?” and I went back to my book. Surprisingly, my voice was very normal. Very little rasp at all. She, however, was not satisfied with my trite response. “But I really want to know; don’t you want to know?” I wanted to say “Why would I want to know such a ridiculous thing?” Instead, I said “For me, I am satisfied with the grace that God has given me and knowing that it is sufficient for all things. I don’t really need to worry about the names of the demons.” Good answer. Now maybe I can return to my book? Nope, not yet.
It was clear that I was not getting out of this one when the woman responded back with (slightly paraphrased due to poor memory) “You know, there are so many truths to learn in all the religions of the world, I just want to piece them all together and find out the whole truth.” Ok, now it is a full on spiritual battle and an opportunity. Time to put the book down and actively engage.
I quoted her John 14:6 and explained to her how that Christianity was the only true religion because only through Christ can we achieve forgiveness of sins and heaven. I further explained how there was no need even considering the other religions of the world because we can not achieve salvation through them. At this point, I didn’t even think as to whether or not she was categorizing Catholicism as a separate religion or not, but that didn’t really matter. She retorted “But don’t the other religions have a measure of truth to them as well?” I further explained that when Jesus said he was THE TRUTH, he meant that he was the only truth. There is no other truth except the truth about Jesus Christ. Everything that God has chosen to reveal to us, he has revealed through the truth of His Word, the Bible. There it was. I had managed to get the gospel out there to a crowded room of sick people and my voice was holding up very well. My job was done, right? Wrong.
“I just think that God has called me to look into all these other religions too.” Really? Now it is time for the gloves to come off. I wanted to say “I don’t think that it is God calling you to do that, I think it is the devil!” but that would not have been “careful and patient instruction.” Instead, I challenged her a bit more gently: “I think that maybe God is calling you to believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your savior and the only one who can forgive your sins.”
There it is. She could either accept it or reject it, but she couldn’t ignore it. You know, one should never be surprised at how people respond when you are sharing the gospel. “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’ve already done that.” Right – and I am supposed to believe you on that one?
For a few moments there was silence, broken by one last act of desperation on her part. “I’m just looking for some direction.” As amusing as this story is, what is not amusing is the truth of the utter confusion and delusional spell that Satan has cast on the world. People really are desperate for direction, but remain blinded to the truth when it is placed right before them. My compassion for this woman was now growing as I responded “Let me ask you a question, how much time do you spend reading God’s word and praying?” She lied. Well, I can’t honestly say I know that she lied, but do you believe that she spends a “significant amount of [her] time reading the Bible”? Neither did I. So I went on to explain to her that all the direction we need is in the Bible. Because it is the only source of truth, we can find comfort and direction and peace through that truth. Furthermore, when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, he sends the Holy Spirit to come and live in our lives and the Holy Spirit then helps guide and direct our lives if we let him and we listen to him.
Now there was truly silence and there were no more questions. Oddly enough, throughout the discourse, not one single person in the waiting room had been called to the back. When the door finally opened to call back the next patient, guess who it was. As the woman stood up to go to the back, I touched her arm and said these final words – “Go home tonight and read the Bible. First read the Gospel of John; then read Romans. I think you will find the direction you are looking for there.”
Maybe the conversation was for her. Maybe God was speaking to her – but maybe it was for someone else in the room. Someone who couldn’t help but hear what was being said. Either way, it reminded me that sharing the gospel is never really “out of season.”

Covetousness - American Idolatry

2009-08-17T03:42:00.000-07:00

The other day I pulled into a restaurant parking lot. There, parked off by itself was a brand new Dodge Challenger – black with red stripes. All I could do was make a few guttural, primordial grunts. Honestly I sounded a bit like Tim Taylor from the old TV show, Home Improvement. I took a picture with my phone and sent it to my son, who had a very similar reaction. Muscle cars are a visual and auditory pleasure that my sons and I share. We love to look at them. We love to hear the roar of their engines – especially if they have a good exhaust system. We would love to drive them – but we don’t get the chance, so we must look from afar. We have a running joke at home: “Dad could never own a muscle car because he would worship it.” Of course it is not that I would go out into the driveway and bow down and pray to it – “Oh muscle car, help me through this day.” That would be silly.

What is not silly, however, is the extent of our American covetousness. Colossians 3:5 tells us that covetousness is nothing short of idolatry. Maybe we don’t bow down to and pray to our idols, but we worship them nonetheless. To worship something doesn’t mean to bow down and pray to it. To worship something means to ascribe to it worth, but we are to worship only the Lord our God. God alone has true value. God alone is truly worthy. Obviously, everything has some intrinsic worth - at least in human terms - so how do we distinguish between appropriately valuing something for its intrinsic worth and worshipping it.

We worship something when we give it greater worth than it deserves. God is to be first in our life, but we put so many things before God. Our careers, our family, our possessions - they all find places of worship in our lives that are inappropriate.

We also worship something, however, when we covet it. Covetousness is nothing more than greed, and greed is idolatry because it is placing greater worth and greater desire on something than it deserves. As a county, we have become greedy. We hold tightly to our possessions. We work diligently for greater possessions. Enough is never enough. Richer is better. The winner is the one who dies with the most toys. How sad, because none of the things to which we ascribe worth can ever make us happy. Romans 1:25 says that we worship and serve the created rather than the creator. This is so true. We are servants to our debt and our materialism. We won’t admit it to ourselves, but we place greater value – and greater dependence - on our wealth than on our creator. We say that we are being good stewards or that we are simply being wise by preparing for the future. The truth, however, is revealed when our wealth is challenged.

How would you respond to God if he asked you to give up everything you owned? But He wouldn’t do that, you declare! Really? Do we really know what God may ask of us? What if God wanted your house? Would you give it to him? What if God wanted your job? Would you give it to him? What if God wanted your credit rating? Would you give it to him? What if God wanted your 401k? Would you give it to him?

They are just things, right… or are they something more than that? Our goals? Our security? Our safety?

God alone gives us the ability to enjoy things. God alone can provide for our needs. God alone is worthy of our worship. Maybe it is time we tore down our idols

Is the Bible True?

2009-09-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered whether the Bible could really be trusted? After all, is everything in the Bible really true? Are we really supposed to believe that Noah filled the ark with every kind of animal? Are we really supposed to believe that Moses parted the Red Sea or that Elijah was carried up into heaven on a chariot of fire? Was Jonah really swallowed by a giant fish? And what about the miracles that Jesus supposedly performed – did they really happen?

These are actually not new questions. Libraries full of books have been dedicated to the integrity of scripture – on both sides of the argument – so it is not likely that I can give a full and complete explanation in a short article. However, I can hit the high spots…

These questions have been around in some form or other since the beginning of time. In recent history, the “Enlightenment” movement of the 18th and 19th century came to the conclusion that the supernatural aspects of the Bible were all fictional. In fact, Thomas Jefferson created his own version of the New Testament that removed all miracles and supernatural aspects of Jesus’ life – leaving only his moral teachings… but was he right in doing this?

Jefferson only dealt with the fantastic things, but even if such amazing things actually happened, how do we know we have the right scriptures. After all, there are ancient works that are not included in our Bible and the works that are included are different if you are Catholic versus Protestant. Who decided that the collection of scriptures we use are the right set of scriptures?

When you consider all these things, it is no wonder that Satan has convinced so many people that the Bible cannot be trusted. To confuse matters, high profile doubters such as Bart Ehrman make it their goal in life to confuse believers about their faith in the scriptures. They write books containing misleading statistics that question the reliability of the texts we call the inspired word of God.

On the other hand, since the first century AD, the organized church has stood firm on the foundational premise that what we now consider the Bible is the inspired word of God. Every major denomination holds to this principle. For example, the very first words of the first article of the Baptist Faith and Message says

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

Similary, the first chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith, used by the Presbyterian church, says

The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God

The Confession of Faith of the United Methodist churches says

We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation.

The very first of the sixteen Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God states:

The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.

And even though the Roman Catholic church includes books in their Cannon that are excluded by the Protestant churches, the Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges the authority of scripture as well by saying

The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.

Universal acceptance of scripture as truth is fundamental to each of these (and other) denominations. How can all of these communities of faith make such claims about scripture? What is the basis for making what appears to be such an outlandish assertion? Wouldn’t common reason dictate otherwise?
Actually, it is reason itself that proves the authenticity and authority of scripture. Although as Christians we must take by faith that scripture is inspired and trustworthy, it is not a blind faith. Rather, it is a highly intellectual and reasoned faith that we maintain. Such reasoning goes as follows:

First, we must begin with the premise that God exists. This, in itself, is obviously a major philosophical debate and a matter of faith. However, although it is too complicated and distracting to this argument to discuss the philosophical matters of the existence of God, suffice it to say that it takes just as much faith to not believe in God as it does to believe in God. Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion, we will assume the existence of God.

Second, we must examine the nature of that God. Unfortunately, we must do this through the scripture and therefore open ourselves up to criticism regarding use of scripture (which is what we are debating) to prove the authenticity of scripture. However, what we are examining in this instance is not the miracles or accuracy of scripture, but rather the testimony of man regarding the nature of God. Accordingly, we find that God is Holy, perfect, and true. In fact, we find in Dueteronomy 32:4 that he is a God of Truth – a testimony repeated throughout the Old Testament scriptures. Numbers 23:19 says that God does not lie as does Titus 1:2. Hebrews 6:18 actually says that it is impossible for God to lie. 1 John 4 tells us that “God is light” (i.e., completely pure). Therefore, we must conclude that a Holy, truthful, and pure God can be trusted. Is there an element of faith in this assertion? Yes, there is, but we shall come back to this in a moment.

Third, we examine the testimony of the scripture itself regarding the scripture. This, indeed, is the most precarious point because we are using scripture to validate scripture. However, it is important to note what historical, biblical figures have said about scripture before making our rational arguments. Furthermore, we shall see that what the Bible says about itself is important in ascertaining whether or not the Bible itself is true.

1. Jesus himself confirmed the validity of scripture. He studies the scriptures as a child. He read the scriptures in public. He quoted and referenced the scriptures in his teachings.
2. Peter claimed that the scripture was spoken by the Holy Spirit (who is God) – Acts 1:16
3. Paul used scripture to reason with the Jews and uses scripture throughout his writings to prove the gospel
4. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture (in the Greek, literally EVERY scripture) is God breathed or inspired (in the Greek, literally EXHALED BY GOD).
5. James, the brother of Jesus, quoted scripture
6. In 2 Peter 1:21, Peter says that the writers of scripture were carried along by the Holy Spirit as they spoke the word of God
7. Proverbs 30:5 says that every word of God is flawless
8. In the same sense that the prophets spoke the word of God, the gospel was considered by the apostles to be the word of God
9. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 that scripture is not the word of man, but the actual word of God

Now we are able to put these together and make a rational argument regarding the validity of scripture.

Premise 1: If God is Holy, true, and pure, then his word can be trusted.
Premise 2: If God is Holy, true, and pure, then he cannot lie (which is confirmed by the testimony of scripture).
Premise 3: If God can be trusted, then the word of God can be trusted.
Premise 4: Because God’s word can be trusted, if the Bible is the word of God, it can be trusted.
Premise 5: The Bible claims to be the word of God.
Premise 6: If the Bible is the word of God, every word in it must be true because God cannot lie.
Premise 7: If any portion of the Bible is not true, then the Bible cannot be the word of God.
Premise 8: If the Bible is not the word of God, then nothing in the Bible can be trusted because its claims about itself are false.

By logic, therefore, we can state that either (a) the Bible is God’s Holy word, totally complete and totally accurate or (b) the Bible has made false claims about itself and can be trusted for nothing. Notice that it is not necessary to take on faith that the Bible is God’s Word. It is only necessary to take on faith that God exists and that God is Holy, true, and pure. One must then choose – accept all of scripture or reject all of scripture based solely upon its claim that it is the word of God. We choose to accept all of scripture – including the many fantastic things that Jefferson and other “enlightened” people might wish to remove from that scripture.

Unfortunately, this still does not answer the question as to whether we have the right scripture and whether or not that scripture as we have received it through the centuries and translated it is reliable. Regarding the inclusion of the proper ancient texts, there is a clear disagreement between Protestant churches and the Catholic churches – particularly around the inclusion of the apocrypha. However, the Jewish religious leaders at the time of Jesus Christ had a very well established cannon of (what we now call Old Testament) scriptures. These scriptures would be the scriptures that Jesus himself studies, referenced, and taught. The Jewish religious leaders did not include the apocryphal books in that cannon and Jesus did not reference or teach from them. Therefore, the Protestant church does not consider them as part of their cannon.

Regarding the New Testament cannon, which was confirmed (not selected, confirmed) in the latter half of the third century, the criteria for including texts in the New Testament scriptural cannon was based primarily upon four criteria:

(a) Consistency regarding the message of the gospel
(b) Authorship by or closely associated with an apostle (particularly early, first century authorship)
(c) Universal acceptance by the first and second century church
(d) Universal use by the first and second century church (i.e., read during worship)

By definition, therefore, these criteria are not a “selection” of texts, but a confirmation of universally accepted texts.

Regarding its reliability, there are literally hundreds of thousands of surviving original texts from which
scripture has been collected, with many of them dating back as far as the third and fourth centuries. Of these hundreds of thousands of texts, there are admittedly some discrepancies. However, the discrepancies account for less than one percent of the text. Of the less than one percent of the texts that are in discrepancy, there are less than one percent of these that are of significant difference. Most are spelling of words, placement of words within a sentence, use of equivalent words, and grammar differences. Finally, of the less than one percent of the less than one percent of significant discrepancies, none have any theological significance and most modern English translations will make a note of these. Two of the most well known of these are the passage concerning the adulterous woman in John chapter 8 and the end of Mark chapter 16, neither of which are contained in some of the earliest remaining manuscripts but neither of which have a bearing on any significant point of gospel theology.

From this, we can conclude with significant confidence that we have a reliable understanding of the original, God inspired text of scripture. Where there is any doubt to this effect, there is no significant impact on our understanding of the gospel, God’s nature and purpose for our lives, the theological teachings of Christ and his apostles, or his commands to us. As a result, we can conclude, therefore, that the Bible is indeed true. Believe it.

A Psalm from the Heart

2009-07-09T05:44:00.001-07:00

O LORD, how long will you delay in keeping your promises?
How long will your servant continue to suffer?
I am encompassed about on all sides.
I am crushed by pressures I can not bear.
I am enslaved by those who would be my lord when you only are my LORD.

Am I being punished for sins of my past?
You, God, have forgiven me – have mercy and deliver me from my own folly!
Am I being purified by fire so that I may serve you more fully?
Then give me grace beyond measure for I perish in the process!
Am I being rained upon simply because the rain must fall?
Give me strength for I can no longer endure the storm!
Act now, O LORD, for your servant is weak.

Nevertheless, in all things, I will praise you.
You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory.
You control all things and direct their paths.
You make serpents crawl and donkeys speak.
You raise nations and then you raze nations.
You desire only good for your children.
Therefore, even in the storm, I will praise your name above all others.
For your sake and your glory I will suffer.
You are my LORD, You are my GOD.

How to Live a Happy Life

2009-07-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

"Meaningless, Meaningless, Everything is Meaningless"

This is certainly not what you would expect out of God's Holy Word and it certainly isn't what you would expect as an introduction on how to live a happy life! However, this is precisely the message of one of scriptures most relevant books on living a happy life - Ecclesiastes.

If you haven't read Ecclesiastes in a while you should. There is SOOO much packed into it. It is highly under-rated in its practicality. Everyone should read Ecclesiastes at least once a year to help them set their priorities appropriately.

The link to the sermon below provides more detail on How to Live a Happy Life as outlined in this great book of Ecclesiastes.

How to Live a Happy Life
http://www.box.net/shared/79i31dj8hh

Some Days...

2007-12-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice that on some days you just plain need help? You wake up on a Thursday morning and your body is telling you that surely it is Saturday. You know in your heart that God has blessed you beyond your wildest imagination, but in your spirit you just don’t feel it today. Time alone with God seems ineffective. Prayer seems to fall short. Faith is weak. Life is little more than drudgery. Living a holy life is not so much on your mind because you are just struggling to get through the day. On those days, turn to Hebrews 4:15-16.

“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.” (NIV)

Most of us normally read those verses and think about the fact that Jesus was tempted to sin the same as we are tempted to sin and therefore understands our struggle to live a holy life. That is true, but I think it says so much more. On those days when I really just struggle to see my purpose… on those days when I would rather just walk away from whatever good work He has called me to… on those days when I just plain need help… I know in my heart that He is there. The problem is that on “those days” my confidence is very low and I just can’t see Him there. The truth is, faltering faith is a sin, and Jesus understands that sin because he was tempted just as we are – yet did not sin. The Hebrew writer reminds us that Jesus understands our faltering faith and encourages us to be confident in approaching God to ask for help – help in the form of grace and mercy - grace that is sufficient for today and mercy to endure until tomorrow. He is there ready to pour out that grace and mercy on me if only I would ask.

How oxymoronic it is, then, that on “those days” my prayer life falters. I have to admit that I struggle with an effective prayer life anyway and one of my personal spiritual growth goals is to improve the effectiveness of my prayers. Part of that growth, though, is to determine precisely what that means. Since God is sovereign and has ordered all the days of my life, what is accomplished by my asking for anything? How does that comport with James chapter 5, which says

“The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well…the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (NIV)

After all, if we pray for something that is not God’s Will and, in His Sovereignty, he just says “no,” is that really “powerful and effective”? If I pray for something that already is His Will, is that really “powerful and effective”? On the other hand, if God has both a Perfect Will and a Permissive Will, then why would I want anything other than his Perfect Will anyway? Why would I ever want “my imperfect will” to supersede His Perfect Will? Isn’t that just sin? That essentially gets me right back to the same question – what is accomplished by asking for anything? Or more importantly – what do I ask for and how do I ask it?

These are deep theological questions better addressed in a broader context, but one thing I can say with certainty. It is always God’s Will for us to be wholly and completely reconciled to Him. It is always God’s Will for us to be spiritually perfected. On “those days” when it just feels like tomorrow will never come, I can assure you that it is His Will to ask for help. He will answer your prayer for it is His Will for you to have the help – he said so in Hebrews 4:16. Tomorrow always comes.

This is a trustworthy saying

2007-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

No matter when or where you may be there always seems to be one controversy or another brewing within the church. Despite the universal pleas throughout the New Testament calling for unity among the brethren, it seems that Satan finds new and creative ways to keep us divided. In the 1st Century church, it was issues associated with the Jewish law – circumcision, genealogies, unclean foods, and religious celebrations. In the post-apostolic period it was gnosticism. In the medieval church, it was corruption. Then came the reformation... In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was rationalism. In the mid/late 20th century it was eschatology (i.e. end times). Beginning in the 1980s and since, there have been the televangelist scandals. Today, we seem to have a buffet of controversies to choose from: worship style, Calvinism vs. Arminianism, 10 Commandments in public buildings, you name it. Not to say that some of these issues are not important, but has Christianity ever been more divided and balkanized?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about seeking the truth of God’s word, but I often wonder why we make such big deals about certain things – to the point of dividing the Body of Christ. Not long agao, I was having a conversation with a man I barely knew and he called me a “heretic” because I suggested that in God’s sovereignty He chooses to allow us freedom of choice. As you might imagine that threw some pretty icy water on what would have otherwise been a budding new relationship between believers. Now I don’t claim to be a theological expert on the sovereignty of God and its relationship to our will (maybe I will one day, but not today), but I don’t think what I said was heresy…

… or was it?

In Galatians chapter 1, Paul says that anyone who preaches a gospel other than the one he preached should be “eternally condemned.” Yikes! That’s pretty tough. I definitely do not want to fall into that category. At what point, though, do legitimate differences in the interpretation of scripture become differences in the gospel itself? I doubt very many Christians would think that differing opinions regarding the end of the world would constitute differences in the gospel. Similarly, most Christians would think that pluralism (i.e. there are multiple paths into heaven) is a fairly significant compromise of the gospel. However, what about differences with respect to eternal security? What about differences with respect to Glossolalia (speaking in tongues)? Where does the core of the absolute gospel end and interpretive doctrine begin? At what point have we crossed the line from legitimate differences of opinion to heresy?

The other day, I was reading 1 Timothy and came across the phrase “Here is a trustworthy saying” at 1 Timothy 1:15. It caught my eye, but not my attention. Then I saw it again at 1 Timothy 3:1… then again at 1 Timothy 4:9. Now it had my attention. If Paul thought something was trustworthy enough to tell you “this is trustworthy,” then maybe we ought to listen. A quick search showed that Paul was the only author in the Bible to use those words and he only did so 5 times… the 3 above plus 2 Timothy 2:11 and Titus 3:8. Sounds like study time. Of the 5, one of them (1 Tim 3:1) deals with qualifications of a pastor (I need to pay attention to that since I am studying to become one). The other 4, however, reveal something kind of neat.

1 Timothy 1:15 – Christ came into the world to save sinners. (NIV)
1 Timothy 4:9 - we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. (NIV)
2 Timothy 2:11-12 - If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. (NIV)

Do you see it yet? Look at it in Titus…

Titus 3:8 (Titus 3:8 actually refers back to verses 3-7) - At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (NIV)

Now do you see it? Paul is essentially saying this: There are some highly complicated mysteries in scripture, but there is one thing that you can trust in: The gospel is simple. We are sinners. In fact, we are dead in our sins. We have no hope except this: God loves us. In his love, he sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins. By his grace, he can save us if we believe and put our faith in Jesus. When we do, we become alive in him (which means we live in and for him) and ultimately receive eternal life because of him. How much simpler could it be?

Richard Baxter said “Unity in things Necessary, Liberty in things Unnecessary, and Charity in all.” I am so glad that the necessary, trustworthy things are so simple. I just wish we could be more charitable about everything else.

What Rights?

2007-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

When your kids get to be teenagers, they begin spreading their wings. This is healthy. It is expected. It is even desired. A parent’s job is to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We are to make sure they become responsible, Christian adults. Therefore, as hard as it may be to let go of them, their blossoming independence is both important and necessary. The other day, though, my son declared to me that “we had all reached the point where we needed to give each other proper consideration.” My son can be eloquent when he wants to be – or when he wants to avoid appearing as if he is challenging my parental authority. I wasn’t fooled. I knew that what he meant was “I have the right to make my own choices.” You can imagine the discussion that ensued.

It is interesting how we – specifically citizens of the United States – like to rely upon our rights. We believe in our rights. We incorporated many of them into our Constitution and declared them to be “God-given”. My son believed simply through no other reason than he had successfully lived to be (almost) seventeen years of age that he had earned the right for additional freedom of choice. I very quickly responded that he had no rights and no authority except that which I, as his father, had granted him. It may appear as if he has the freedom to make certain choices, but every decision he makes only carries weight if it is backed by my support. If I endorse it, it stands. If I veto it, it falls. I may choose to grant him certain authority to make decisions on his on, but until he becomes a legal adult, I can take that authority away at any point. That may sound harsh, and he took it poorly at first, until I explained it to him more fully.

You see. I have no authority either – except that which is granted to my by my authorities – which are first and foremost God and secondly the United States of America. At any point either God or the United States may take away my authority. Every decision I make only carries weight if it is backed by the support of those in authority over me. Yet even the authority of the United States only carries weight because of the authority of (first and foremost) God and (secondly) the populace. We are all under authority and none of us have any rights except those which are granted to us by grace. Ultimately, all authority belongs to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18), yet even that authority was granted to him by God the Father (Ephesians 1:20-21).

Too often, we want to claim for ourselves authority and rights that have not been granted to us. We want to rebel against those who are in authority over us. 2 Peter 2:9-10 says

“…the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority…”

In Romans 13:1-2, Paul explains that governmental authority is granted by God and we are bound to that authority. Romans 13:2 actually tells us that rebellion against authority is essentially rebellion against God, since he instituted that authority. In fact, it is a fairly uniform theme throughout the New Testament that we are to submit to our authorities. In my study of scripture, the only occasions where I have found such disobedience to be sanctioned were situations where the government officials ordered the apostles to stop preaching the gospel.

So the authority that we have is only ours because someone else (ultimately God) has granted it to us. Unfortunately, even our concept of that very authority is often skewed. We often think of “rights” in the context of human selfishness. What do I deserve? What is coming to me? The only rights we have as Christians, however, are those which are related to our heavenly adoption, namely our eternal inheritance (see Galatians chapter 4) - the right to be called a child of God, the right to receive eternal life, etc.

By contrast. our earthly authority is granted for the benefit of others, not for our own selfish use. Romans 13 explains that governmental authority is granted for the purpose of doing good for the people. Even our personal authority is granted for the purpose of building up others (see 2 Corinthians 13:10). On occasion I tease my kids by telling them that the only reason I had them was because I needed someone to do all my grunt work. Of course that is a joke and I know better. If I tell them to take out the trash because I am teaching them discipline and work ethic, then I am doing good. But if I tell them to take out the trash because I am lazy and don’t want to do it myself, then I am abusing the authority that God has granted to me as their father. Likewise, I should be giving my son certain considerations; not because he deserves it, but because he needs to learn to be a responsible adult.

I guess the thing to remember is this: We have no rights in the human sense, and any authority we may have is only granted to us by the grace of God for the benefit of others. Sort of puts things in proper perspective, doesn’t it?

Family Matters

2008-01-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

The holidays are officially over and everyone is starting to get back into the swing of the New Year. For me at least it was a good holiday season. Hopefully it was for you as well. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year is traditionally the time when people travel about the country getting reacquainted with close friends and family. You get to see those aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and out-laws that perhaps you don’t otherwise get to see throughout the course of the rest of the year. It can be very stressful, but hopefully it is (at least overall) a time of love, joy, and reuniting with loved ones. But for now, it is time to get back to work.

On what may appear to be a completely unrelated subject, but not really if you indulge me a second… I was talking with an acquaintance the other day about how difficult it often can be to understand scripture. We ended up in an interesting conversation about the various different translations of the Bible. Out of the blue, then, my friend said that the biggest single scripture with which they had difficulty understanding was the passage where Jesus said we had to hate our parents. They explained that it wasn’t until they heard in a sermon that what Jesus really meant was that we had to love God so much more than our family that is “seems” like hate in comparison. The scripture in question is Luke 14:26-27, which says

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (NIV)

When studying the gospels, it is often helpful to look for occurrences of the same situation in one or more of the other gospels. In this case, this same situation is recorded a bit differently in Matthew 10:37-39

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Now we can tie it back to the original discussion, because what Jesus was really trying to say is a bit broader than just loving God more than we love our families. Rather, Jesus was saying that under no circumstances should our family or our friends stand in the way of our obedience in surrendering to and following Jesus Christ. It really was a great Thanksgiving and Christmas season. However, think back to all the family and friends you may have visited during this past Holiday season. What if, for the sake of Christ, you had to abandon those relationships?

I am so completely fortunate and blessed that my family is in complete support of the fact that I have decided to give myself to Christian ministry in obedience to Jesus’ call on my life. Not everyone could say the same thing. In fact, there are many places in our world today where merely becoming a Christian can literally (from a worldly perspective) ruin your life. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is an extremely eye-opening book about the persecution of the church, but much of it is historical in nature. Here in 21st Century America, we don’t often think about religious persecution, but it does exist in our world. A simple internet search is all you need to see the truth about what is happening throughout the world today. By contrast, many of us have become so content in our “American Dream” lives that we aren’t even willing to give up simple comforts and be inconvenienced for the sake of Christ… much less lose our family – or worse – our own lives.

As we begin the New Year, let us thank God for the blessings of our families, but let us also be reminded that our true calling is to surrender our all – even those we love - to Christ.

Remember Me, O God, For Good

2008-01-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

God is omniscient, right? He knows everything. As his adopted son and faithful servant, surely he knows who I am, remembers my deeds, and couldn’t possibly forget that I exist. And yet, throughout the Old Testament, saints often pleaded with Almighty God for him to remember them and their deeds. Samson pleaded with God to remember him and his deeds and to grant him one last feat of strength to honor God. David prayed in Psalm 25 that God forget the sins of his youth and remember him “for goodness sake”. The most notable occurrence, though, is probably Nehemiah, who made this odd plea to God on four separate occasions.

Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. (Neh 5:19)

Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services. (Neh 13:14)

For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your loving kindness. (Neh 13:22)

Remember me, O my God, for good. (Neh 13:31)

For whatever reason, Nehemiah was adamant that God remember his actions and deeds, which he had done for God and for His people Israel. Nehemiah was a great leader, but when you read the book of Nehemiah, you will find that he made some difficult decisions and did things that were not always popular. He was charged with a nearly impossible task and faced great opposition to that task. Yet, he remained faithful to his calling until it was complete. It is evident from his actions that he was more concerned that he be found faithful in God’s eyes than to be remembered or acknowledged by man. As such, his intentions and motives were pure.

I often wonder how pure my motives really are. I wonder how often Christians do good deeds solely because we want to be noticed by man. By nature, I would suspect that many of us are somewhat selfish. Recently, I had a realization in my own spiritual life. I realized that I still needed man’s approval regarding the works that I was doing for God. That is not to say that I was only doing them for human recognition, but rather to say that I still sought out human confirmation that my efforts were satisfactory. It’s only natural, right? We want people to be happy with out work. We appreciate and often thrive on the accolades. Such things are not completely wrong. After all, worldly feedback is one means that God uses to confirm that we are on the right track. However, we shouldn’t be actively seeking out that confirmation as a means of making ourselves feel better. When we do that, we have crossed some imaginary line into an area where we are seeking to be man-pleasers rather than God-pleasers. I can’t help but recall the lyrics to an old Petra song I used to listen to when I was a teenager (yes, more CCM theology):

“Don't wanna be a manpleaser - I wanna be a Godpleaser
I just want to have the wisdom to discern the two apart
Don't wanna be a manpleaser - I wanna be a Godpleaser
I just want to do the things that please the Father's heart”

Here’s a test as to whether or not your actions and motivations are pure. Ask yourself this question: How would you feel if no one on earth ever remembered a single thing you ever did for God or, for that matter, for anyone else. Ecclesiastes 9:15 records an instance in which a poor man saved an entire city through his wisdom, and yet no one remembered who he was or how he had done what he did. In the 18th Century, Thomas Grey wrote a poem titled “Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard”. Within it are some familiar words that say:

“Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”

What if that were the calling for our lives? What if our lot in life were to toil in nameless, faceless, monotony? Would we still be willing to follow him in obedience? Thomas Grey’s poem ends by quoting a grave epitaph that reads as follows:

“Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth
A youth to Fortune and Fame unknown.
Fair Science frowned not on his humble birth,
And Melancholy marked him for her own.

Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere,
Heaven did a recompense as largely send.
He gave to Misery all he had, a tear,
He gained from Heaven (‘twas all he wish’d) a friend.

No farther seek his merits to disclose,
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode
(There they alike in trembling hope repose),
The bosom of his Father and his God.”

God sees, and notices, every flower that blossoms. How wonderful it is to know that he also sees, and remembers the deeds that we do in His name. Too often we forget that. Perhaps it was not for God’s sake that Nehemiah asked to be so remembered. Perhaps it was to remind himself for whom he was toiling – to remind him that, despite the hardship, his efforts were not in vain.

Remember me, O God, for the good that I do in your name.

Movie Review: Inherit the Wind (1960)

2008-07-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

These days, with all the seminary studying and reading to do, it is not very often that I would actually watch, much less write a review on a movie that was released in 1960. If I had the time to watch a movie, it would most likely be a newer release. Honestly, if I didn’t have to watch this movie for a History of Christianity class – and then write a review of the movie for that class - I doubt seriously that the film would have ever peaked my entertainment radar.

Nevertheless, I can say that I would recommend the 1960 Stanley Kramer film, Inherit the Wind, as an absolute must see for every Christian. It’s not that I think it is a great movie. It’s not that I think the movie has a great message. In fact, it is precisely what is wrong with the movie that makes it such a must see for Christians today. In my opinion, the movie represents absolutely everything wrong with Hollywood as it relates to their perspective of Christianity. As a Christian, it is important for us to know how we are being perceived. More importantly, it is critical that we – through our actions – do not become what non-Christians perceive us to be. If we truly behave the way this film portrays us, then we deserve every bit of the ridicule it bestows upon us.

Inherit the Wind, is a dramatic reenactment of otherwise actual events surrounding the infamous 1925 Dayton, TN Scopes Trial – otherwise known as the “Monkey Trial” - in which school teacher John T. Scopes was placed on trial for teaching the Darwinian theory of evolution. The movie is based upon a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and significantly changes a majority of the historical facts – including character names and locale - as part of the dramatization. In the movie, John T. Scopes is replaced by the character Bertram T. Cates, portrayed by Dick York. Defense lawyer Clarence Darrow is replaced by Henry Drummond and is portrayed by Spencer Tracy. Prosecutor and statesman William Jennings Bryan is replaced by Matthew Harrison Brady and is portrayed by Fredric March. Finally, journalist H.L. Menken is replaced by E.K. Hornbeck and is portrayed by Gene Kelly. In the film, the trial takes place in the small town of Hillsborough, representing Dayton TN.

From the very first note of Give Me That Old Time Religion during the opening credits, it was intuitively obvious that Stanley Kramer intends for the movie to demonize the religious fanaticism that he believes characterized the motivations of those involved in the original prosecution of John T. Scopes, if not Christianity itself. Throughout the movie, the religious element is portrayed as overly zealous, gluttonous, bigoted, uncompassionate, and small-minded. By contrast, those who supported Bert Cates are portrayed as intelligent, compassionate, and temperate. In a word, Kramer portrays Christians in a manner that appears completely pagan while he portrays most of the non-Christians, particularly Cates and Drummond, in a manner that I would describe as patently Christian.

The movie depicts the townsfolk of Hillsborough as a blood-thirsty mob that would stop at nothing to prevent new ideas from infecting their world view. On several occasions, the lynch-mob townsfolk sang spirituals whose words had been changed to cry out for the death of both Cates and Drummond. At one point, the crowd carried a burning dummy, supposedly indicating its desire to burn the two at the stake. The local pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Brown portrayed by Claude Akins, went so far as to condemn not only Cates and Drummond to hell, but also his own daughter, who happened to be engaged to Cates. On the other side of the contest, journalist E.K. Hornbeck of the Boston Herald is equally determined to destroy the reputation of Hillsborough and expose them to the world for being the bigoted hypocrites he believes them to be. Only Cates, Drummond, and Brady’s wife Sara (portrayed by Florence Eldridge) appear to have any sense of self-containment and control.

The movie’s portrayal of the trial itself is as flamboyant and one-sided as one would expect given the pre-trial anti-religious hype established by director Stanley Kramer. The trial is supposed to be one that puts the “myth” of creation against the “enlightened truth” of evolution. Necessarily, then, Matthew Brady spouts religious intolerance as if it were the religious code of the country, doing all he can to demonize the defense. Henry Drummond, on the other hand, does everything he can to introduce “truth” and “intelligence” into the trial; but every effort is thwarted by the judge (portrayed by Harry Morgan) who, while seemingly not a part of the lynch-mob, still holds their views and inserts them into the judicial process as necessary to ensure that Cates does not receive a fair trial. Not surprisingly, when the trial ends with a jury verdict against Cates but the judge only issues a sentence of a $100 fine, the religious fanatics erupt and the scene quickly degrades into anarchistic mayhem.

The result of Inherit the Wind was to infamize what was otherwise one of the most famous and important trials of modern history. Instead of being a test-case for the separation of Church and Sate, the trial has become a symbol of religious intolerance and irrelevance. Surprisingly, despite the one-sided portrayal and liberal objectives of the movies producers, the issues covered by the Scopes Trial are incredibly important and relevant to current religious and political issues. Whereas the real trial dealt with important issues of Church and State, the movie dealt with the intolerance of religious bigotry. In stark irony, Christians today are faced with exactly the same bigotry against them coming from atheists over the issue of creation vs. evolution that Kramer portrayed as coming from Christians in Inherit the Wind. Turn about, however, is apparently not fair play. Attitudes of agnostic/atheistic “religious intolerance” and policies of separation of Church from State have made it illegal to teach creation in schools. Unfortunately, while Clarence Darrow and the American Civil Liberties Union were more than willing to stand up for the freedom of free-thinking desired by those wishing to teach evolution in schools, their successors in the area of civil liberties actively oppose the religious freedom desired by those who wish to teach creation along with evolution as two, equally held theories of the origins of the species.

It is probably impossible to find this movie unless you buy it, but if you are within my circle of influence… you can borrow mine.

Man of Sorrows

2009-06-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

I just love the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou.” In it, the Soggy Bottom Boys sing a song called “Man of Sorrows.” I can so relate.

Most of us can relate, can we not? Why is it that this life is so full of sorrows? Why must we go through such hardships? Doesn’t our creator love us enough to keep us from these times? Man, that just gets down to the heart of the matter doesn’t it?

Depression is such a rampant problem in our society. Most of us are plagued by it from time to time. I myself struggle with it. Depression is not something new, though. Some of the greatest men in the history of the world suffered with it, including godly men such as Charles Spurgeon, who had depression so bad that often he could not even preach. It just must be a part of our human experience to suffer. Let’s be real with ourselves. Deep down, doesn’t that somehow and sometimes just make you want to question the loving nature of your creator? Think about these situations:

Job obviously suffered:

If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been impetuous. (Job 6:2-3)

David suffered on numerous occasions:

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? (Ps 6:2-3)
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. (Ps 31:9-10)

Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet:

Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. (Jer 4:19)

Daniel was deeply distressed by the visions God gave him:

I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." (Dan 10:16-17)

Paul suffered on numerous occasions, had a thorn in his side, and grieved over his brothers:

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, (Rom 9:1-3)

In fact, all of the apostles were persecuted and according to tradition and church history most died horrific deaths. Different sources provide different accounts, but by all accounts they were almost all martyred.

Jesus himself was called THE man of sorrows:

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3)

Just before his death, which itself was of great tribulation and suffering, Jesus faced great personal anguish and sorrow:

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:43-44)

Well-intended people may give lots of reasons why we face such difficulties. Like Job’s friends, they may suggest it is the result of our sin – and sometimes it may be. They might suggest that it is Satan attacking them – and like Paul’s thorn in the flesh – it may be. They might suggest that it is just the way things are – and wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, would agree that it may be… he said:

Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. (Ecc 3:19)
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. (Ecc 8:14)

The truth is, we spend way too much time worrying about why such things happen and trying to lay blame for them on anything we can think of, including God. We will never be able to figure out why God allows things to happen the way he does. For example, why did Jesus allow John the Baptist to be beheaded in prison, but he sent an angel to rescue Peter from prison? Why did God rescue Paul from prison so many times only to leave him to remain in prison for several years and to ultimately lose his life in Rome? Solomon figured this out when he said

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. (Ecc 9:1)

We are going to go through hard times, but we must remember that God is in control:

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. (Ecc. 7:14)

Even Jesus himself warned us of such:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (Jn 16:33)

As I write this, I am personally going through some of the darkest times of my life. Those around me have no idea exactly how difficult the times I am facing really are. There are so many people depending on me and I fear that I will let them all down. The troubles are greater than any I have ever experienced and the potential consequences are life-altering. I so relate to these words from Paul to the Corinthians

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (1 Cor 4:8-9)

Except that I wonder when I will be crushed. I often feel abandoned. And destruction often seems inevitable. Depression. Yes, I too am a man of sorrow. It is OK to question God. Jesus himself on the cross cried out “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” So I too can ask the question: Why, God? I don’t understand. And yet, in my questioning, I cannot lose faith. It is not for me to understand so much as it is to trust. Trust in the Lord. Have faith. Stand firm. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. When all else fails, I still must say with David…

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Ps 20:16)

The best way to deal with these difficulties is to change the way we think about them. When facing such difficulties, we need to focus on God’s promises rather than on whatever fear has beset us. God is our fortress; he is our strength; he is our salvation.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. (Ps 59:16)

Oddly enough… despite all the troubles I am facing and the fear I experience and the depression I know that I am feeling… I’ve been waking up every morning with praise songs in my head. Was I singing in my sleep? This morning, the “cafeteria lady” caught me whistling… I didn’t even know I was whistling. These are gifts from God, not my own doing.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. (Ps 28:7)
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Is 12:2)
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. (Ps 118:14)

We must always remember that it is God’s strength that carries us. We cannot carry on in our own strengths. If you knew what all I have been facing, you would say “how are you managing it?” I am not. If I had any idea what you were facing, I’m most certain I would be amazed and ask you the same question. Never forget that you are not alone…

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Ps 118:6)

And we must trust that he will answer us before we have reached the point where we can no longer bear it

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. (Ps 118:5)
I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. (Ps 118:13)

But regardless of what happens, whether it is what we want or something that we could never imagine might happen to us, we must remember this:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

This we must believe… We have no idea how immense the plan of God is. He knows far more than we can ever imagine and his omnipotence is such that even evil can be used by him for good. I think we forget that sometimes.

This life is nothing more than a vapor. We may have to suffer, possibly even face death, but our hope is not in this life. Our hope is in eternity. If nothing else, that should drive away whatever fears are besetting us:

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom 8:15-18)

Think about it… would you abandoned your children? Neither will he.

The Nails - Part II

2009-05-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

How many days had Jonathan wandered looking for anyone? Had it been weeks? Months? Years? He certainly had lost count and had no conception of the passage of time. He wasn’t wearing a suit anymore, but had picked up some casual clothes somewhere along the way. He had given up trying to shave so now he had a full beard and his hair was shoulder length. Each day he awoke and spoke the names of those he loved – hoping that somehow by calling their name they would appear. At first, he had limited his chant to his immediate family – his wife and his children. But soon, he had expanded to his parents, his sister and two brothers, and his in-laws. Eventually, he was calling out the names of everyone he knew. It was as much a matter of maintaining his sanity as it was anything else. He wandered from city to city, calling out the names of those he knew and loved, but secretly hoping that he would find anyone at all. It was somewhat of a ritual, now, though because he had long since lost any hope of ever seeing anyone again. He hadn’t admitted it to himself yet, but Jonathan knew in his heart of hearts that he was totally alone in the world.

It was just about the time that Jonathan was ready to make that confession that he heard a sound in the distance. He was leaving the city limits of a small town in the Midwest and in the distance he could faintly but clearly hear the sound of a large, heavy hammer hitting a nail. Jonathan was both scared and excited as he ran toward the sound.

When he was about 150 yards away, Jonathan pulled up short because he finally saw what was causing the noise. From this distance he could see that there were three men there. One was lying down, with his arms spread wide. He was lying on something, but Jonathan could not tell from this distance what it was. Whatever it was, though, the other two men were nailing him down to it! He couldn’t believe his eyes, so he rubbed them to make sure he was not hallucinating. No, it was real. They were nailing his left hand down to whatever it was the man way lying on.

“STOP IT!” he yelled as he ran towards the three. They paid him no notice, but moved from the left hand to the right hand and continued hammering. As Jonathan quickly closed the gap, he yelled again “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!” He did not even slow down as he plowed shoulder first into the man with the large hammer, sending the man sprawling across the ground and the hammer spiraling up into the air. Both the man and the hammer landed about 15 yards away. Jonathan himself tumbled as a result of the blow but quickly pulled himself up so that he could take a run at the second man, who was still holding the large nail to the third man’s wrists.

Suddenly Jonathan realized and wondered at the fact that the man was not fighting to free himself. As he walked up to the two, he stood in shock and awe as he realized what he was seeing. It was a classic crucifixion scene like he had seen played out so many times during Easter passion plays. This scene, however, was not a play and was not fake. The man lying on the cross was naked and was literally being nailed down, but he gave no resistance. His body was bruised, battered, and bloody as if he had been beaten. There was a crown of thorns in his head just like he had seen in the pictures. The man was clearly in agony. Jonathan didn’t recognize him, and he certainly did not look like the paintings of Jesus that he had seen all his life. He looked at the two men, who were dressed as Midwest farmers. The one he had tackled was standing up and retrieving the hammer.

“What is this, what is going on?” Jonathan demanded.

The man holding the hammer simply walked back over to the cross. He did not, however, return to his hammering. Rather, he held the hammer out for Jonathan to take and simply said

“Finish it.”

Jonathan was horrified, but he held his composure, knocked the hammer out of the farmer’s hand, and simply said “No, this is insane.” Suddenly the two men were gone. Only Jonathan remained with the man lying on the wooden cross. The man looked at Jonathan and even though he was battered and disfigured, he could see clearly the love in his eyes.

“Jonathan.” His voice was strained through the pain, but when he said his name, Jonathan knew who he was. It was like a parent calling out a child’s name. But how could this be? How could this really be Jesus? Jonathan’s head swam and he thought he would faint, but when Jesus said his name again he recovered his senses.

“I don’t understand” he said. “What is happening?”

“You must complete the task, Jonathan. It is for you that I do this.”

“No… you can’t… not for me… I’m not worth it!”

“Yes, Jonathan, for you. Even though you are the only person in the whole world, I must die for you.” Tears began streaming down Jonathan’s face. “Now take up the hammer and finish it.”
Slowly, Jonathan reached down and picked up the hammer. He held it over his head and hesitated.

“No” he whispered again, but the loving eyes of Jesus said what his voice did not…

“Yes.”

Jonathan close his eyes and let the hammer fall. With the deafening sound of the hammer hitting the nail, Jonathan’s mind flashed to his childhood. He could see himself bullying little Sally from next door. Laughing as he pushed her down. The tears continued rolling down his face as he raised the hammer again. This time, when the hammer fell, he saw himself as a teenager in Algebra class, cheating on a test. Each and every time the hammer fell, he saw himself again and again in some act of disgrace or evil. Jonathan cringed at things that he had long since forgotten. To the world, Jonathan was a good man… but at the same time he was not a good man. So many hidden sins. So many secrets. So many memories. Arguments with his wife… little acts of indiscretion… compromises of his integrity.

As he moved from Jesus’ hands to his feet, Jonathan said weakly “I did this to you?”
Jesus did not respond.

By the time Jonathan completed nailing his feet, he was weeping uncontrollably. He walked over to the head of the cross and began lifting the cross. Jonathan strained as he raised the human-laden cross and set it into the hole in the ground especially prepared for that purpose. When the cross was fully raised, Jonathan approached Jesus and began kissing his bloodied feet. He was still weeping and as his face became covered with the blood from Jesus’ feet, he simply said “I’m sorry” and he collapsed into a sobbing mess at the foot of the cross, covering his face with his hands in shame and sorrow.

Jonathan had no idea how long he sat there. It may have been minutes or hours or even days, but it wasn’t until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder that he uncovered his face from his hands and looked around. The cross was gone, but Jesus was standing next to him. Jesus reached down and gently lifted him to his feet. He was fully clothed in white linen. He seemed to glow and a gentle, loving smile was on his face.

“Jonathan,” he said, “do you love me?”

Jonathan wasn’t exactly sure why he was asking the question and suddenly he remembered a similar scene from the Bible… the gospel of John if he recalled correctly. The correct response if he was not mistaken was “Lord, you know I love you.” But as he started to say it, Jonathan noticed on the horizon a large crowd of people making their way toward the two. At this distance, he could not make out who they were, but they were definitely headed that way. Jonathan pointed towards the crowd and opened his mouth to ask about them, but he hesitated as Jesus said it again.

“Do you love me, Jonathan?”

The crowd was now growing closer. They were still generally too far away for him to distinguish faces for the most part, but out in front of all of them were four that he could clearly distinguish even at this distance. It was Gena and his three children. He wanted to rush to them, but he wanted to stay with Jesus. He was torn, but for the moment anyway, he stayed.

“Yes, Lord, I love you.”

Once more Jesus asked the question. “Jonathan, do you really love me. Do you love me more than these? Do you love me more than anything else in all the world?”

The question cut to his soul. His time in solace had made Jonathan keenly aware of how much he loved his family. He would do anything for them. He looked up and could clearly make them out now, walking toward him. He could make out others as well. In fact, he knew them all. It was all those whose names he had been calling each day. Everyone in his sphere of influence was now coming his way. He was somewhat taken aback by how many there were, but he quickly realized that over the last days and weeks he had grown to love them all – even in their absence. Yes, he loved them all. But did he love them more than he loved Jesus? He realized now what Jesus had done for him. He never really realized it before. He never really comprehended that it was because of him that Jesus had to die. He was grateful for that. He was even more grateful that death had not contained him. It was true. He did love Jesus and he loved him more than all these. Jonathan turned from the approaching crowd and looked at Jesus.

“Yes, Lord… I love you even more than these.”

Jonathan’s family was only about 100 yards away now. Jesus looked deep into Jonathan’s eyes and replied… “Then feed my sheep.”

Jonathan sat up in bed with a gasp. His face was sweating – or was it tears? He looked over at the alarm clock, which was glowing a dim blue in the darkness of his bedroom. It was 3:30 a.m. His wife was sleeping peacefully at his side. Was it a dream? And yet it seemed so real. Could it have really happened? There was no denying that it at least felt real. He could remember the days and weeks and months of wandering aimlessly and alone, but now he was back in his bed as if nothing had ever happened.

A dream - that is what it was. It was a dream. But it was also real to him and he knew that he would never be the same as a result. He would be a better father and husband. He would be the spiritual leader of their family. He would not be defined by the office, but rather would be defined by the savior. He would stop running from his calling. He would teach his family and his friends the truths of scripture. He would take a stand.

Jonathan raised his hand up to wipe the sweat – or was it tears – from his face. Only then did he realize that he was grasping on to something tightly. So tightly in fact that his hands were white. Slowly, he opened his hand to reveal what was inside – two small miniature masonry nails.

It was a dream… right?

Note: Even if you were the only person on the Earth, Jesus would have still died for you!

The Nails - Part I

2009-05-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Nails
Copyright 2009 Joel Dison

Jonathan stood perplexed on the sidewalk facing his large, suburban home. It’s well-manicured and professionally landscaped yard a testimony to the success Jonathan had experienced over the last few years as a financial advisor. It was not the product of his handiwork, of course, because his long hours at the office gave him precious little time to work in the yard. Rather, his wife, Gena, had long since hired a gardener for that task.
Jonathan was perplexed because he couldn’t remember driving home today. He remembered every detail of his busy day at the office, but then everything seemed to fade out until he found himself here, staring blankly at his house. He stood there limply holding his leather briefcase at his side. His medium-priced suit was wrinkled from his long day and his power tie hung loosely around his neck to reveal that the top button of his shirt had been unbuttoned. How did I get here he thought to himself.
Even as he stood there staring at his house, he somehow knew that the house was empty. He didn’t know why, but he knew there was no one at home. Usually when he came home, the house was busy with the carefree activities of his three children – all under the age of 12. Usually when he came home, his wife was busy cleaning, or cooking, or helping with homework, or something equally as domestic. Today, however, Jonathan was keenly aware that there was no stirring in the house.
Jonathan usually didn’t bother with that stuff. Typically when he came home, he would retire to the shelter of his study to recover from the pressures of the day. He didn’t know that Gena had long since discovered his secret hiding place where he kept a bottle of Wild Turkey. One drink a day. That’s all, just one, but he felt it was necessary to dull the pain. He knew his pastor would probably frown on him for it. In fact, as a deacon in his small Southern Baptist church, he was supposed to refrain from alcohol altogether. One drink a day though didn’t hurt anything, did it? After all, he wasn’t an alcoholic and he never got drunk. One drink, that’s all.
Jonathan was home earlier than normal today. It was normally dark when he came home – even during the long days of summer – but not today. Jonathan turned and shielded his hands as he looked at the sun. It was still two or three hours above the horizon. What time is it he thought as he looked down at his watch. He was even more perplexed as he saw that the face of his watch was blank. It contained no markings and no hands to indicate the time of day. Jonathan then scanned around the quaint suburban street and suddenly realized that none of the houses had any activity. Jonathan dropped his briefcase and slowly walked to the edge of the street. As he scanned the houses up and down the street, he noticed that they all seemed dark and silent. In fact, there was no one in the neighborhood at all. There were no cars passing by on the street. There were no kids playing in the yards. Not even the sprinklers were running. It then hit him that even the neighborhood pets were gone. Harold’s chocolate lab was usually wandering the neighborhood playing with the kids. Bob’s crazy chow was usually barking incessantly at anything and everything from behind his fenced prison. Nothing. Not even a bird… Where are the birds?
Jonathan turned back and looked at his Ford Excursion. He had been meaning to trade that monster in for one of the new hybrid jobs or even something a bit more practical like a small or mid-sized car, but had not gotten around to it yet. He bought it out of pride a few years back when all his buddies were buying the big SUVs. He had to buy the biggest and the baddest there was. Of course he didn’t really need it.
Not sure exactly what was going on, Jonathan decided that he needed to head back to the office to try and figure things out. That was Jonathan, all right… everything could be figured out by going to the office. It is where he typically went whenever he and Gena had a fight. There had been several times he even spent the night there. Today, however, he just needed to clear this fog in his head and find out why the world had suddenly gone empty. He walked over to the SUV and climbed up into the cockpit, but when he inserted the key and turned the ignition, nothing happened. That’s odd, he thought, the battery shouldn’t be dead. But when he then went to the garage and the same thing happened to his wife’s minivan, he knew something was wrong.
More confused than ever, now, Jonathan took to the street, walking right down the middle of it towards what he knew would be activity and civilization. His office was 20 miles away. He wouldn’t be able to walk all the way to his office, but there was a major shopping center about 5 miles away. For lack of anything better, he decided to head in that direction. At first he walked very casually, but then he came to the first major cross street. Looking up and down this major road, he realized that it, too, contained no activity. A dull fear was creeping into his head, so he turned down this road and began a slow, steady jog. By the time he reached state highway 10, full blown panic had set in. Where are all the people? Where are the cars?
By this time Jonathan was running at a full sprint. As he crested a small hill just prior to the local commerce and shopping center, he all but collapsed from over exertion and lack of breath. He stood there with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath as he looked down into the valley below. The shopping center was like a ghost town. No cars. No people. No nothings. There was a cool breeze blowing across the street and Jonathan startled as an empty cardboard box rolled past him coming from nowhere going to nowhere. It was the only movement he had seen since he awoke from his dazed state in front of his house.
Jonathan’s immediate thoughts were that his pastor was finally right… the rapture had come and he had been left behind. But wait a minute…. If the rapture had come, he wouldn’t be the only one left behind. There would be others. Where were the others? No, this wasn’t the rapture, this was something else. Surely he could find someone somewhere who could tell him what was going on.
Hours of wandering found Jonathan in the dark sitting under a tree at one of the town parks. He was tired, scared, confused, and could think of nothing but his family. Why had he ignored them so? Why had he spent so much time at the office? Right now he would give anything if they would just show themselves. Where could they be? Where could anyone be? Jonathan sat there remembering many things about his family. He was distraught, though, that most of those memories came with the realization that he had not been the father and husband that he should have been. How many birthdays had he missed because of a big project at work? How many school plays should he have attended but didn’t. He thought about the blonde receptionist at work that he so playfully flirted with on a daily basis. On more than one occasion, she had made it clear that he could take things to the next level. He never did, but he couldn’t help but admit to himself the fact that on several occasions he gave it very serious consideration. If the opportunity had truly presented itself, he probably would have caved in to the temptation. As he drifted off to sleep, he was softly sobbing to himself. He had never felt so alone – or so ashamed.

Jonathan startled himself awake. Expecting to find himself in his own bed, he quickly realized that he was still lying under the same tree in the park. His suit was now disgracefully wrinkled and dirty as well. Jonathan took off his coat and his tie and dropped them on the ground. He left them there as he walked away, once again in search of anyone.
Realizing that he was hungry, Jonathan walked into a convenience store and grabbed a package of donuts from the shelf and a carton of 2% milk from the refrigerator section. When he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, he realized that there was no one to take his money. Not knowing what else to do, he returned his wallet to his pocket and walked out the door.

Hidden Treasure

2009-04-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a question for your consideration: What good is hidden treasure?

This past Saturday we had our annual Easter Egg Hunt at FBC Springville like so many other churches, communities, and families do every year. Why do we love hunting for Easter Eggs. I can remember all the various hunts that I went to as a kid. I remember the thrill as all the kids took off together into the vast treasure yard. I remember the joy of finding the hidden eggs that the other kids passed by. Of course in those days, the eggs were hard boiled and their coloring came from the fact that someone lovingly took the time to dye them. Your treasure was the fact that you got to eat the egg later. Now the eggs are brightly colored plastic and your treasure is the hopes of the prize that lies within.

The hunt! The find! The joy of the hidden treasure within! That thrill doesn’t really go away. Now we can even hunt virtual Easter Eggs on Facebook, and based on the hundreds of “soandso just found the whatchmacalit egg” notifications I’ve received over the last few weeks, there’s a lot of you out there who still like hunting Easter Eggs.This year, about 40 or so kids took off into the churchyard looking for approximately 800 eggs – each of which was filled with a candy treat, small change, or a special toy prize.

Yes, we all like finding the treasure… and the granddaddy of the Easter Egg treasure is the elusive GOLDEN EGG! This year, we put out 8 golden eggs. 1 for the babies, 2 for the preschoolers, and 5 for the older children. 6 of the golden eggs contained a “golden” dollar coin. 2 of the golden eggs contained a $5 bill! And I personally hid each of these 8 special eggs.Why so many? Doesn’t that devalue the mystique of the elusive golden egg? Maybe… and maybe I am just a pushover… but in all the years that I hunted Easter Eggs, I never ever found the golden egg. I guess I just know how disappointing it is to miss out.

Ironically, when the hunt was over, I decided I needed to make one last sweep around the church. I expected to find a few eggs here and there that the kids missed – but I didn’t… In performing a “general sweep” of the area I didn’t find one single egg – amazing how efficient those diminutive treasure hunters can be! Then I decided to double check the places where I had hidden the golden eggs. I don’t know why I looked because I honestly thought they all had been found. But there it was. One single golden egg with its precious treasure inside – neatly tucked away in its hiding place. And the real irony here is that when I hid that particular golden egg, I thought it was such an obvious hiding place that it would be the first golden egg found!

As I write this note, I am looking at this golden egg and wondering… what good purpose did this egg serve? Did it bring happiness to a child? No. Did it thrill a child? No. 40 kids and 800 eggs and this one remained hidden.

This egg makes me think about the wondrous treasure of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The joy that a little plastic, paint, and spare change bring is nothing compared to the real joy that comes through salvation in Jesus Christ. And yet like the golden Easter Egg, we don’t just hide it, we hide it so well that no one can find it. We have the golden egg, yet we tuck it neatly under a rock or a bush and we watch while the world scambles around looking for all the other brightly colored eggs – none of which have the true treasure. What good will all those other false treasures do them if they never find the truth!

Don’t let the gospel be like the golden egg that was never found. Don’t assume as I did with that one golden egg that those helpless little egg hunters will find it own their own. Proclaim it boldly so that all may find it!

Jesus said let your light shine before all men – don’t hide it under a bush! After all, everyone likes finding the treasure!

Knowing God's Will For Your Life

2009-02-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it be neat to have a WilloMeter? A neat, little device that would tell us what God's will is for any situation in our life? Well Romans 12:2 tells us that we can test and approve God's perfect will for our life at any time... well, almost at any time...

If we want to know God's will for our life, then there are three steps that we must take...
1. Acknowledge the mercy of God
2. Surrender our will to His will
3. Allow God to change our thinking

These three steps are outlined in Romans 12:1-2 and explored further in the sermon available at the link below...

Knowing God's Will
http://www.box.net/shared/sj1r1mchnk

A Return Letter to the Apostle Paul Regarding Romans

2008-12-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Paul,

I want to thank you for your obedience to Almighty God in following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as you composed your letter to the church at Romans. I have read your letter on many occasions and no matter how many times I read it, I find myself amazed not only at your insight into the mysteries of the gospel, but also at how much I have to learn about the same. Each time I read it, my emotions range from shame (at my own sinfulness) to elation (at the redemption I’ve received) to frustration (at my failed Christian walk) to inspiration (toward proper Christian living). Nowhere else in scripture have I found such a triadic formula of monumental spiritual principles as I find in Romans. This triadic formula includes the life-saving Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save my soul combined with the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit to facilitate personal transformation in my life here on earth combined with the life-inspiring practical guidance towards everyday Christian living. Your letter fully describes the Christian walk from salvation through sanctification and for that I am truly grateful – to God be the Glory.

I must say that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. I myself believed on the name of Jesus as a small child and thus placed my trust in him for salvation to eternal life. As a child, however, I did not understand the depth of the mysteries of that gospel. Indeed, I did not learn that until much later - after I read your letter – in fact, not until after I had read your letter many times, because it contains that much depth of truth. When I placed my faith in Jesus Christ, I knew that I was a sinner. I knew that all men had sinned and needed Christ. However, your letter has shown me the truth about just how lost I really was. Your letter has taught me how truly unrighteous I am in my sinfulness, how I have willingly turned away from God, and how the traditions of my parents – to whom I give praise to God for taking me to church nine months before I was even born – provided me no excuses or special treatment. I stand before Almighty God alone, unable to obtain for myself righteousness. I am “guilty” before the Judge of my own sinfulness, but Christ has declared me “not guilty” through the justification that comes from the shedding of his blood.

As a result, your letter has taught me the true meaning of righteousness. It has reminded me that by placing my faith in Jesus, I am dependent solely upon him – through faith – for His righteousness. I have to admit that there was a time, even after placing my faith in Christ, that I was proud of my religious heritage. I had a fundamentalist, immature, condescending view of those who had not placed their faith in Christ. Your letter reminds me that I have nothing to boast of except the cross of Christ. I am no different than any other sinner. I deserve death. I deserve the wrath of God – but Praise be to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that my righteousness comes through him – and not through my own merits!
Your letter has also taught me more about the meaning of faith. Faith is more than just mental assent. In his letter, James reminds us of that fact when he says that even the demons believe in God. I have heard many pundits claim that your view of faith is at odds with James’ view of faith. When I read your letter to the Romans, I do not see that. As such, I must disagree with those pundits. Your letter clearly establishes that the righteousness we receive through our faith in the blood of Jesus Christ obligates us to remain obedient so that we maintain that righteousness. It is not a salvation by works, but it is an obligation to remain holy. If I read your letter accurately, you believe we bear a responsibility to maintain our righteousness through the way in which we lead our lives. I must admit to you, however, that I fail miserably at this task. As you mention in your letter, I too find myself at war with my own intentions. No matter how righteous I try to be, I fail. No matter how much good I try to do, I always find myself doing evil. It is enough to drive me absolutely insane. It is scary to think that I am powerless to maintain the righteousness for I am obligated to maintain. It is enough to fear that perhaps my justification will be revoked.

For this reason, I am grateful that your letter sympathizes with my fears and then shatters them by reminding me of the security I have in Christ. We have nothing to fear for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! Your letter reminds me that I don’t have to try to be righteous on my own – that is living in the flesh. Instead, I live by the Holy Spirit because I have the Holy Spirit living in me. That Holy Spirit has sealed me so that I can never be condemned. That Holy Spirit guides me to a life that is characterized by Holiness. That Holy Spirit is the source of the transforming power of sanctification within my life. It is through the power of the Spirit that I maintain a righteous life. This, too is by faith, not by my own merits.

Paul, if you don’t mind, may I take a short side-bar here? Because we can get so discouraged in our Christian walk, I realize how important it was for you to detail the security we have in Christ. However, the manner in which you did so brought up the issue of predestination. It’s not that I don’t believe in predestination – I cannot read scripture and deny that predestination in some form is taught in scripture. However, I don’t understand why, not just in your letter to the Romans, but also in your letter to the Ephesians and elsewhere, that you present the concepts of predestination and election in a way that has created such a great deal of controversy in our churches. Couldn’t you have been just a bit clearer? What exactly did you mean by predestination and election? The truth is, we can’t seem to agree on this? Some say one thing; others say another thing; and of course each one is adamant that they are right and everyone else is wrong. As a result, some of our churches have split over this issue. God forgive us. Oddly enough, predestination wasn’t even the point in this letter here, was it? Indeed, I can’t see where you ever speak of predestination as “the” point in any of your writings. For example, if I understand your usage of the term here, you just wanted us to know that if God, from eternity past, calls us to salvation, then nothing can take that away from us. I get your point. God is Sovereign. He can do anything he wants. It is completely within his power to create or destroy at his own discretion.

Your point, however, was not predestination, but rather salvation by faith. That has always been God’s Sovereign plan. According to your own words here in this letter to the Romans, his plan was for humans to send other humans to preach the gospel. His plan was that through that preaching people will hear the message of the truth of the gospel – and because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, then salvation is available to the entire world. Your plan was for man to place his faith in Jesus Christ – for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. It looks to me like man has a responsibility here – to call upon the name of the Lord! Nevertheless, we can’t seem to agree on this thing we have called the doctrine of election or the doctrine of predestination. I hope that both you and our Lord Jesus Christ will forgive us for the division that our inability to come to agreement has created.

It is odd that something in your letter would create such division, because you spend a great deal of time in your letter teaching us about the importance of unity in the church. Your letter teaches us to bear with each other – that the weak should bear with the strong. It is shameful that we are so arrogant that we all think we are the strong and they are the weak. Our petty doctrinal differences are of no consequence compared to the need for unity in the church. Your letter is clear about that. It teaches us very practical ways of maintaining that unity. We are to serve one another. We are to use our gifts in service to God. We are to be patient with each other. We are to submit to our authorities.

If I were to be honest, I would have to say that sometimes we spend so much time on the doctrinal truths that you laid out in the first half of the letter that we forget about the practical truths in the second half of the letter. When I read your letter to the Romans properly – the way that God intended – then I can clearly see that we cannot focus on one to the exclusion of the other. We cannot focus on doctrine without also focusing on personal transformation through the Holy Spirit and on practical Christian living by serving our brethren. Likewise, we cannot focus on personal transformation without that transformation being grounded in the truth of doctrine and for the purpose of serving mankind. Finally, we cannot put so much focus on changing the world that we forget why (or rather for whom) we are changing it. It is all about the gospel. The gospel saves me. The gospel changes me. The gospel encourages and helps me serve others so that they too may be saved. All three fit together and are masterfully laid out in this letter to the Romans.

You have produced an amazing work here, Paul. Yes, I realize that it was God through the Holy Spirit, but you were the willing vessel! Thank you for your obedience. Thank you for your example. Thank God for his faithfulness.

Your fellow servant

Joel

Amos: Seek God and Live

2008-09-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

In the 14th Psalm, the psalmist speaks of how no one is righteous before God. However, it also says that God is searching throughout the world, looking for those who are seeking God.

Amos was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel. His name means "burden bearer" and what a burden he had to bear! His message is one of judgment and wrath (Amos chapters 1-2). In his sovereignty, God will bring judgment on the iniquities of the world, but he will also bring judgment on God's own people when they sin against him.

God holds his own people to a different standard than he holds the world (Amos 3:2), and he is measuring his people against that standard (Amos 7:7). What is that standard? It is justice and righteousnessness (Amos 5:24) - but if we cannot obtain righteousness, what are we to do?

Seek God and Live (Amos 5:4,6,14)

In our sinfulness, we can never find God, but praise God that he is out there searching for those who are searching for him. Even more so... thank God that he has provided a means so that after he does find us, our sins can be atoned for... the Blood of Jesus.

To hear more about the message that God gave to Amos, click on the link below to hear this week's sermon

Amos: Seek God and Live
http://www.box.net/shared/d4ax95sesm

The real story of Jonah

2008-08-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

The story of Jonah is one in which most of us would say that we have been intimately familiar since we were children. We know the basic story... the story of how Jonah disobeyed God, ran away on a ship, was caught in a great storm, thrown overboard, and then swallowed by a great fish. This is a great children’s story, but that is not the real story of Jonah. The story of Jonah is really a story about God’s love for the world and his desire to redeem it. John 3:16 says

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.

Believe it or not… John 3:16 is the basis for the real story of Jonah…

To hear more, click on the link below to download this week’s sermon about how God reached out to redeem the most wicked city of the day – Nineveh.

Jonah – For God so Loved the World
http://www.box.net/shared/ebtssti9x9

What is the Day of the Lord?

2008-09-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting things about reading through and studying the Minor Prophets is trying to figure out what message God is trying to send us through these prophets. I've come to realize that the message depends upon who we are... You see, there are three groups of people. The first group, represented in scripture by "the nations", are those who unapologetically reject God. God's message to them is clear - repent or perish. The second group, represented by the prophets and those referred to as "the remnant", are those who wholeheartedly devote themselves to God. God's message to them is one of hope - that God is in control and will bring about those things he has promised. The third group, however, are those who are only playing at being Godly. They are not really devoted to God except by name or claim. They are pretending to be Godly. For the majority, Israel (Both the Northern Kingdom of Samaria and the Southern Kingdom of Judah) represented this group. Unfortunately, this group doesn't really exist. You cannot stay in this group indefinitely. Either you continue to ignore God's pleas to surrender completely to him - as did the Northern Kingdom of Samaria - and are judged by God the same as the nations... or you repent - as the Southern Kingdom of Judah eventually did after going into exile - and are ultimately restored. The point is... this third group of people doesn't exist. You cannot remain a "nominal Christian". You must either totally devote yourself to God and have the blessings and the hopes of God's ultimate peace... or you totally reject God and be judged along with the nations.

The message of Joel is that God will intervene in history in whatever way he deems necessary in order to ensure that this process takes place. Joel calls this sovereign work of God "The Day of Lord". It is not a single event in either history or the future. It is God's plan for all humanity.

The Day of the Lord is Today...

To hear more, listen to this weeks sermon on Joel
The Day of the Lord
http://www.box.net/shared/smypimmhhd

Does Sin Shame You?

2008-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

In the battle of Jezreel, Jehu defeated the most wicked king and queen combination that Israel had ever seen - Ahab and Jezebel. 1 Kings 16:30 says that Ahab did more evil than any other king before him. Jehu defeated Ahab at the battle of Jezreel.

The Valley of Jezreel from bibleplaces.org

The battle of Jezreel was horrific and bloody, but it resulted in the overthow of evil. Like our own battle of Ghettysburg, the battle of Jezreel should have been viewed as a symbol of truth, justice, and liberty. Unfortunately, Jehu and Israel - after making such a great sacrifice to overcome such an evil king - returned to the same type of sinfulness that Ahab was guilty of. As such, the name Jezreel became a symbol of shame and vanity.

When God told Hosea to name his firstborn son Jezreel, he was making a statement about our sinfulness. It is shameful to him. Our sin treats the cross of Christ as if it was meaningless.

The book of Hosea is an object lesson about two things... the way God sees our sinfulness... and the extraordinary measures God has gone to in order to demonstrate his love and forgiveness to us.

To hear more, click on the link below.

God, Our Beloved Husband
http://www.box.net/shared/r9q1r8x0el

What is TRUE repentance?

2008-10-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

The book of Nahum prophesies the total and complete destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the evil and ruthless Assyrians. This prophesy came true in 612BC when the Babylonians razed Nineveh to the ground... These are the same Assyrians to which Jonah was sent a few hundred years prior and who, as a result of Jonah’s preaching, repented of their evil ways. Unfortunately, their repentance was at worst not real and at best not lasting, because they soon turned back to their wickedness and became more evil in the end than they were before Jonah.

God has a message for us in Nahum about our repentance. Make sure it is real. The question is: How do I know my repentance is real?

One of the greatest prayers of repentance in the bible is that of David in Psalm 51. From that prayer, we can see that true repentance must be accompanied by the following:

Acknowledgement – we must acknowledge that we have sinned. Too often we want to justify as actions and refuse to admit they are wrong.
Confession – we must confess our sin before God and man
Humility – we should be humbled by our sinfulness as we approach God with it
Shame – we should be ashamed of our sinfulness when we compare it to a Holy God
Response to do good – true repentance should result in a desire to do good

David demonstrates that his repentance is accompanied by each of these.

Is your repentance real? Have you really turned away from your sinfulness to a Holy God, or are you still on the path to destruction like Nineveh?

If your repentance is real, then the best news is what happens next…

To hear more about repentance, click on the link below to hear this week’s sermon.

Nahum – Are you for real?
http://www.box.net/shared/4b7i424ngj

THERE IS HOPE!

2008-09-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the news lately? Seems like there is more uncertainty around us than there has been in a very long while. The markets are in trouble, the economy is in trouble, and each of us are facing fears and concerns about our own well being. Where are we to turn for hope? The government? The presidential candidates? Our own nest-egg?

Right now, more than ever, we need a message of hope. The book of Micah has that hope.

Sure, Micah is composed of three prophesies of doom. We could read Micah and think about all the things falling apart around us, but that would be the wrong emphasis. Each prophecy of doom in Micah is followed by a promise of hope. We should focus on that hope, not on the doom. God wants to protect us... God wants to forgive us... God wants to restore us... But we have to come to him on His terms.

To hear this message of hope, click on the link below.

Micah: There is Hope
http://www.box.net/shared/931nbidmct