HAVE YOU GROWN THIS YEAR?

You may find it in the bedroom.  Perhaps on the wall in the “utility room” (that was the name for the room where our washer and dryer and industrial sink could be found).  Maybe even in the garage. 

If there are small kids, they may step up to it every week, or monthly.  When grandparents come over, the kids may take their hands and lead them to it.  “See how much I’ve grown, Papa?”

In countless homes there are yardsticks, or perhaps nicely painted markings on the wall alongside the door jam.   And next to the inch and foot designations, there are additional marks, perhaps with a name and a date next to them.  “Jill – March 2013” and then “Jill – November 2013” and then again “Jill – April 2014.”

Kids quite naturally love to see how much they’ve grown.  Most want to grow up too fast, perhaps, but wanting to progress and become an adult – both physically and personally – is natural, normal, and healthy.

Life without goals and progress is stagnant and, if you will, lifeless.

HAVE I GROWN?

I woke the other morning after a trek across the country with this question in my head.    Chronologically, I’ve lived over 6 decades.  Physically, unless I decide to eat too much too often, I will not be growing any more.   But life without goals and progress is, well, you know…

My confession is that it took me awhile to size up the more important growth measurement in my life.  I don’t have a tape on the wall that I can stand next to (for some, crafting a list of “resolutions” becomes their next year’s “stick”) that will give me a read.  So I had to think.  “Have I grown?  If so, in what ways?”

TO THE MEASURE OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST

Now there’s a yardstick!  But in fact it is our Father’s measuring tool for us (Romans 8:28-29, Ephesians 4:11-16, Colossians 1:29).  Simply put, How much more like the Lord Jesus Christ have I become this year? 

But how do you measure this?

Some might quickly reference “the fruit of the Spirit” as a helpful set of measurements.  “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).  Still, besides simply saying, “Yeah, I think I got better in those things,” the list begs a closer analysis, which can be helped by turning the list into 9 questions.  For example:

·      How have I expressed more genuine, self-less love this year to others?  To whom?  When?

·      In tense or stressful situations, have I more consistently been peaceful because of my dependence on the Spirit of God?

·      Has my typical harsh responses to people I disapprove of yielded to more gentle responses?

Time spent reflecting on questions like these can accomplish two things (at least).  One, it can open up a conversation in your heart with the Holy Spirit about how much like Christ you are (or are not) in simple, identifiable areas.  And second, it can help set a “measuring stick” up on the wall of your thinking for future reference.  Jotting down questions like that, and referring to them each quarter, could be a major way the Holy Spirit grows you and me in the future.

If you’re truly brave (or open to God’s Spirit), you may even invite trusted friends, or your spouse, to join in the conversation.  Sure it may sting a bit, but the humility that it can produce in your heart is the soil from which new life can grow.

ASK GOD FOR THE QUESTIONS ON YOUR MEASURING STICK

Even though our Father has the same outcome for all of us (i.e., to be like the Lord Jesus in character and obedience), the questions for each of us might differ a bit.  That’s the exciting part – the questions for you are up to your Father, His Spirit, and you. 

My encouragement – take some time with your Father and craft a spiritual measuring stick for 2015.

For the team I coach (Christ Community Church), we are landing on 6 questions.  I’ll cite them as an example.  Perhaps they will get you started on your own:

1.    Did God make my day?  (i.e., Where does God show up on my daily calendar of to dos and events)

2.    Is the Holy Spirit flowing through me? (i.e., Do I express the Spirit of God’s flow through my living)

3.    Who shares my tough stuff? (i.e., to whom and how often am I accountable spiritually, personally)

4.    With whom am I fishing? (i.e., building shaping relationships)

5.    How worn in my welcome mat? (i.e., inviting others into relationship, and toward God)

6.    How are my spiritual investments doing? (i.e., am I helping another disciple grow)

Don’t get mired in a stagnant life.  Get growing…

The Greatest - and Most Important - Story in Human History

The Christmas season is full of stories.

Some of them are fun.  Others are silly, forgettable.  Still others are sobering.

The best stories are about reconciliation.  People coming back together after days, months, years of regrettable and destructive fighting.  The famous Christmas truce days of WWI in Europe (1914) rank as one of the best.  This year those brief days of "peace on earth" are a century old, and rightly remembered.  Men in the killing fields emerged from opposing bunkers dug into mud and stench to stand with their enemies for moments of encouragement, blessing, sharing pictures of family, spirits...and a respite from the slaughter.

The truths of the birth of Christ, or what we popularly call "Christmas,"  produce such peace and giving.  Pare away the tinsel, overspending, and hectic preparations, and Christmas is actually about God giving His Son.  More specifically, God the Son coming into the world through the agency and power of God the Holy Spirit in order to do the reconciling work and plan of God the Father. 

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5).

An unholy mankind has, through the centuries of history ,been at war with himself and with the Holy God who created him.  Adam ran from God and hid when sin crippled his heart, his marriage, and his world.  God had to come seeking, looking, calling.  Unholiness produces everything we hate in ourselves and in this world.  Yet by ourselves, without God's seeking and intervening help, we are virtually powerless to extract the moral cancer from our bones.

Christmas is about a God who sent His Son into the sinful, stench-filled bunkers of humanity, to bring us out.  He chose to die so that those who simply believe do not need die themselves.  When Christ died, and rose again, the intractable war between an unholy man and a holy God could be over.  Men could be forgiven, and reconciled to the God who created them.

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5).

At our Christmas eve services at Christ Community Church, we offered a simple copy of the New Testament Scriptures to all of our visitors, with a Christmas day devotional tucked inside.  A devotional which simply leads through God giving of His Son in love, and the possibility of reconciliation and the gift of life eternal.

Two Chinese students came and each took a Bible.  One simply said, "I've never had a Bible," and then asked her host, "Why do you read this?"

What a wonderful question.

We read this -- and invite you to do the same -- to clearly and fully understand the greatest story that ever happened in Human History.  That God became a man.   For a reason.  God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.  Calling us out of our deeply dug bunkers, up and out of sin, to be forgiven and called into peace with God.

The only Christmas story that really matters.

HOW PEOPLE GET TO HEAVEN

Surveys consistently find that most Americans believe that there is a "heaven" to which people go after dying.  We are less sure about "hell."

[Recently, Pope Francis assured us that even our pets will land in heaven.  Chapter and verse, please?]

Our cultural optimism is likely the root of our bullish view on the eternal future.  We simply like believing in a God who will give us a pass into "a better place" if we tried our best on this side of the river.

Unfortunately what we like to believe may not be, quite frankly, the truth.  But what truth about heaven is available?  Whom should we believe about this all important topic?  Most human beings sense intuitively (and rightly, I might add) that our 70-90 years on the planet is not the end of the story.  So if there is a "next" the following questions naturally arise

• what is "next"?
• is what's "next" the same for everybody?
• if not, then can anyone have confidence that "next" is "heaven"?

RELIGIONS HAVE ALL KINDS OF ANSWERS

One day, I was talking with a Jewish friend.  We were riding a bus together and somehow got on the topic of eternity and heaven.  He shocked me with his perspective.  "Judaism insists that everyone gets there - to heaven - eventually."   "Really?" I asked, "even Adolf Hitler?"

He paused just a second, and then said with a tone of some certainty, "Yes, even Adolf Hitler.  God is forgiving."  My friend, however, did not explain the basis for God's forgiveness, just that he was sure God was.

Depending with whom you speak, one can gather many views of "heaven" and "how to get there."  Hindus believe that following the right path will lead to being finally released from desire (produced by the physical world) so as to be ushered into nirvana.  However, if you imbibe too much pleasure, you will likely have to work off your sin in the next, reincarnated life.  Getting caught in that  downward cycle provides very little realistic hope.   

Muslims believe that by believing in Allah and being obedient to the Koran, heaven can be gained through faithful effort.  Almost every religion has some pathway that you have to follow, and perhaps you can get to a better place, but only if you really, really, really try hard enough.

Even many "Christian" sects make "getting to heaven" the reward of enough good works and self-effort.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is an example of such a "be good enough" approach.

CLARITY IN THE CLAIMS OF JESUS

Jesus of Nazareth made a remarkable statement.  He said,

In my Father's house are many dwelling places
If it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you
If I go and prepare a place for you
I will come again, and receive you to myself
That were I am, you may be also

And then added,

I am the way, the truth, and the life
No one comes to the Father
Except through me.
John 14:1-6

Christian truth, as recorded in the Scriptures of the Bible, present a much simpler picture.

First, Jesus taught there were both a "heaven" and a "hell."  People, after they complete this life on earth, go either to one or the other.

Second, Jesus taught there was a way to arrive in "heaven."  It was "through Him."  He is the way, the truth, and the life about getting to the place where the Father is.

Third, getting to heaven through Jesus requires faith - that is, a decision to trust that when God's Son died on a cross of crucifixion, He was in his death God's provision to satisfy the penalty for each man's sin.  "For by grace you are saved by faith, and this is not from yourself.  It is a gift from God" (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Anyone who will BELIEVE in Jesus death for sin and resurrection from the grave -- anyone who will BELIEVE (or trust) in this - can be saved.  The way to heaven through Jesus is opened to that person.

Fourth, as someone believes in Jesus in this way, Paul describes it as God "shining the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ" into the heart of that person.  The visual imagery is intentional.  Just as God called LIGHT into the darkness during the early moments of Creation, so God shines the LIGHT of the knowledge of Christ into a believers heart.

It's a miraculous moment...and a person knows that heaven is ahead.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Frankly if you're reading this, you may believe in all kinds of ideas about heaven.  You may not want to believe there is a hell.  You can draw your ideas from a thousand different sources, and have a scrap bag of jumbled ideas.

But is that what you want when it comes to your eternity?  Would you not rather have, about something SO important, the truth?

Listen to someone who came from heaven (and became a man), and who went back to heaven (after his death and resurrection).  Why not listen to God the Son, Jesus the Christ?  Why not trade in your scrap bag of ideas for "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," who can bring you to a place He's preparing for you...

...if you will believe.

TRUST and OBEY...NO OTHER WAY...HAPPY IN JESUS

I grew up going to church at least 3 times a week.  Sometimes 4.

Sunday morning.
Sunday night.
And once mid-week.

Some weeks, throw in a Saturday morning.

Sunday night worship services were given to singing the hymns of the Protestant faith.  Even today, I can sing many of the hymns' verses without cracking open the hymnal.

One we sang often was "Trust and Obey."

When we walk with the Lord
In the Light of His Word
What a Glory He sheds on our way.
When we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
and for all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey.

When I was young, having to sing that song over and over again, it came to sound trite in my mouth and to my ears.  Familiarity can breed contempt.

But frankly, it shouldn't.  The hymn speaks of the essence of truly walking with God through the years He gives us.

TRUST

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  For He who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who pursue Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

Faith is trust.  It is not a leap in the dark or a choice against reason.  It is a confidence that the chair you sit in will hold you up, and so you let your weight fall into the chair.  It is a confidence that when you put your money in a local bank's saving account, that it will be there tomorrow, and so you make a deposit.

Faith is a confidence that behind the creation there is a Creator powerful enough to bring all this about, and so you use your capability to develop a relationship to in fact develop one with that Creator -- The God who has made his existence clear and revealed He wants a wonderful relationship with Him every moment of every day.

Trust motivates you to pursue that God  When you do, you find that He rewards the hunt.

AND OBEY

"If you love me," Jesus observed, "you will do what I command" (John 14:15).  "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23).

What an amazing promise!!  There is a special intimacy afforded to those who trust Jesus without question and obey his directions without hesitation.  Such a person truly loves the Lord Jesus, and if Jesus' word is accurate here, He and His Father love to be close to that kind of person.

When we do His good will, He abides with us still...

A SIMPLE "HAPPY" BOTTOM LINE

How would someone describe your walk with God?   Would someone say, "Elizabeth really trusts and obeys her Lord!"   "Shane without shame believes the Scripture, and puts into practice what God has shown him!"

Here's how the 4th and 5th verses of that hymn go -- enjoy!

But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay
For the favor He shows
And the love He bestows
Are for those who will trust and obey

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet
Or we'll walk by His side in the way
What He says we will do
Where He sends we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey.

HEARING GOD'S VOICE WHEN READING HIS WORD

What's the difference between, on the one hand, simply reading the Bible, and on the other hearing God's voice WHEN you are reading the Bible?

That kind of question came my way recently on a Sunday morning.  How do I know it is God's voice I am hearing when I am reading the Word?

To be sure, there are a lot of voices speaking into our lives each day.  Estimates are that we encounter over 2,000 messages (ads, etc.) per day.  Some are shorter and perhaps more forgettable, others are more impressionable, perhaps longer.  Certainly they linger and crowd into our intention to sit quietly with the Word and simply listen to God.  Add to that our own thoughts which spring up from all of the life situations we face, problems we are trying to solve, pressures that are mounting.

How in the world can God's voice come through?  

First, remember that God is perfectly capable of both getting our attention and speaking clearly.  Time after time in the pages of Scripture, God spoke directly to men, women, even children.  God is God, right!?  If anyone can clear cut his way through the clutter, He can.

Second, reaffirm that God's voice can be heard in and through God's written Word, the recognized "Scriptures" which came through men by the Holy Spirit.  From the "Thus says the Lord..." of the prophets to Paul's description how the Apostles by the Spirit "impart (the things freely given to us by God) in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) -- the promise of God is that we can hear from Him in these timeless, inspired pages.

Third, realize that God's voice is best heard through a rightly-interpreted portion of His Word.  What do I mean?  I mean that each portion of Scripture has an historical context (when it was written, in what circumstances, and to whom), a purpose behind it (why it was written), and a precise originally intended meaning (what do the words actually mean and say).  It's important to understand these background facts when reading any portion of the Bible.  

For example, Genesis was written by Moses somewhere around 1440 BC while the nation of Israel was coming out of slavery and looking to head into the promised land.  It was written to give God's people "roots," an understanding of both how the world was purposely created by God, and how Israel came to be His chosen people, and why they had spent the last 4 centuries in slavery.

The purpose and background of Genesis is different from the purpose and background of Jonah, or the New Testament book of Galatians.  Good interpretation is NOT rocket science, but it does require "digging a bit" and finding out some of the factors surrounding the original writing and meaning.  There are good background resources available on-line to anyone who will invest a bit of time.   Actually, it's quite fun to discover these things and then to read the passages.  They come alive!!!

Fourth, be assured that all of the Scripture can become the sounding board of God's voice to you.  "All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.  This is so the man or woman of God can be equipped, thoroughly prepared to do every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

So how does this happen?  After you've decided to set aside some time for the Lord, here are some simple steps:

A)   Pick a "book" to read (I'd suggest a book like the Gospel of John or the letter to the Ephesians).

B)   In prayer, thank the Holy Spirit for giving you this book, and ask Him to guide you and speak to you as you read it.

C)  Read it through in one sitting - yes...take the time to do this.  Have pen and paper handy and as you are reading, simply jot down the questions that come to your mind.  Things you don't understand.  Words you'd like a definition of.

D)  Go to GOOGLE and do a search like "background for EPHESIANS"  - you'll get a number of choices of websites that will give you the WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, and WHERE stuff behind the book.

E)  Go back and read several times a shorter portion of the book - say like Ephesians 1:1-14.  Usually a Bible will divide the book in to paragraphs or sections.  Take the book a section and a time.

F)  Continue to ask God what He wants to say to you in this passage.  Answer the questions, jot down your thoughts and answers to: What is this saying?  What is it describing?  Is there a promise from God here?  Is there sin to identify and avoid?  Is there a command to obey?  Is there some teaching about how to walk with Jesus more closely? 

G)  ALWAYS...jot down on paper what you are "hearing" as you read and observe and answer the questions. 

My guess is that after 30 minutes or so (and those minutes WILL fly by), you are going to come up from the text and say, "Hmmm...I think I just heard from God!"

No doubt you have...and now the challenge is, "Will I believe what He says?"  (and) "Will I do what He asks?"

Key Ideas that Shape a Life

When I was a boy, my hulking, Swedish grandfather Carl came to live with us.  Grandma Amelia had died, and Grandpa Carl was unable to live on his own.  So, for a time, Grandpa took the small spare bedroom at the end of the hallway on the right.  

Grandpa Carl had given me my first taste of coffee, which he liked with cream and at least 4 lumps of sugar.  Grandpa Carl had put me in his lap and let me steer the car when we went to the new carwash in south Racine, Wisconsin.  Grandpa Carl insisted that at 6:00 PM on Saturday nights, the Lawrence Welk show be on the family TV.

And one day, Grandpa Carl gave me a key idea that has always shaped my walk with God.

I walked in his bedroom one day when he was reading his Bible.  When he looked up, I could tell he’d been shedding tears.  He was reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 in the King James Bible, and with his magnifying glass, he showed me the verses.  I recall him reading them out loud while I listened.  And then, looking up again, he said, “Ah Davy…’dat ‘vill be a great day.”

The momentary expectation of Jesus’ return, and that when it happens, it will be a great day, has never left me.  It is one of the key ideas deeply rooted in my heart by my Grandpa.

What are the key ideas that are rooted in your heart, that act as a beacon, a guide, that keep echoing in your heart and shape your walk with Jesus?

Here are a number of key ideas that came from the bunch I preach to each Sunday:

• Jesus' command to "Follow Me!"
• Trust!
• I owe Him so much
• Hope and Promise
• Focus on things of Eternal Value
• Jesus has the words to eternal life (John 6:68)
• His faithfulness
• God's love and grace
• To know God's love and to show God's love
• His love never fails
• "I have one that you may have life and have it abundantly" John 10:10
• He lived among us - perfect - and Jesus' forgiving those humiliating and killing him
• Prayer, prayer, and more prayer
• Eternity for those who do not know Him is eternal separation
• I'm free
• Grace
• Love
• The Lord is My Shepherd
• friendship
• My whole reason for being is because of Him; All I have belongs to Him
• His great love and unfathomable lovingkindness
• Be available to God
• Faith
• Compassion
• In this world we will have trouble; He has overcome the world (John 6:33)
• God is love.  He who does not love does not know God
• Memorize Scripture and Pray Scripture
• Jesus gave His life for Me
• Nothing I have can earn His love and grace
• Advance the Gospel and His Kingdom into the Nations
• Serve Others
• The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12)
• God is always good
• Jesus alone has the words of Life
• Even when failed by others, He will never fail
• Be in the Bible - regularly
• There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2)
• Jesus loved me first, so I love Him.
• Jesus' love is not dependent on my attempts to please Him.  The Cross alone.
• The hunger to glorify myself is my greatest enemy; that I may know Jesus as friend and Lord is my greatest hope.
• What is seen is temporary, unseen eternal
• I cannot do life on my own; I must be filled with His Spirit
• Christ's heart of welcome -- full of grace and truth -- stirs me
• Walk with Jesus fearlessly; God works good from pain.
• Blessings from relying on Him are unbelievable

What key idea guides your walk with Jesus?

Thanks to the congregation of the Christ Community Church (Ames, Iowa) for these great ideas.  Righteous!

The Passing of Earl Tice

My friend Earl Tice passed away yesterday.  He lived 79 tough years.

By his own account, he both loved and regretted his life.

He loved his family--his wife, his children, his grandchildren, his relatives (most of them!).  He loved racing around dirt tracks, mostly throughout Iowa, but also around the nation.  He loved working with his hands and building things.  He loved figuring out things and coming up with ways of doing them better.  He loved eating at the Grove Cafe (though he' never admit it), and at places like the Grove wherever he could find them.  He loved alcohol for too many years.  He also loved finally putting it aside and keeping it out of his life.  He loved a good laugh.  He loved men who had well-worn boots and oil-stained shirts and crusty, ripped out baseball caps.  He loved the Lord Jesus and His grace, and came to love the Scriptures.

He regretted a bunch of things he did do, or neglected to do - too numerous to mention here -- and frankly, no need to, because though Earl's heart was often remorseful, it was also comforted that Jesus really did love him and had covered the whole lot by his all-sufficient death for sin.

I loved being Earl's friend.  I loved helping him when his precious wife Lois was dying and heading for heaven at Mayo Clinic.  I've loved getting to know his family.  I loved his laugh.  I loved his gnarly hands.  I loved when he gave me "the gears" for not getting him coffee Sunday morning.   I loved how he courageously faced the cancer that had flooded his failing frame, and I love how he loved Jesus.

I loved being his pastor.

I will love seeing Earl someday next to the Savior, and with Lois his wonderful lifelong friend.

I also love the thought that perhaps, just perhaps, Jesus was waving the checkered flag as he roared across his heavenly finish line.

UNPACKING "SALVATION"

Several years ago, an excited father called me up late one night.

"My son just got SAVED!" he blurted through the phone, with unquenchable excitement.

His boy had gone to the EFCA's summer youth conference, CHALLENGE, and on one of the nights, responding to the speaker, entrusted his life by faith to Christ.

He got "saved."  So, what does the Bible mean when it uses that word?  What happened to that boy?

SALVATION - "to rescue from danger"

It's not complicated.  The Greek term we translate "save" means "to rescue (or be rescued) from danger."  Pull someone who can't swim from the deep end of the pool, and you have "saved" that person.  Turning it around, such a someone "experienced salvation."   It's a word that can be applied to countless situations in life where someone is delivered from what threatened to harm or destroy.

SALVATION - "to be rescued from the death penalty of sin"

The books of Scripture recognized by Christians as revelation from God speak of all men and every person having a condemning sin problem before God.  Adam and Eve set the ball rolling in the wrong direction.  God is holy; men are unholy.  God is just; men are justly guilty of sinning against the character and moral laws of God.  And, our sin deceives a penalty.  Not just a slap on the wrist or a frown on the brow of our Creator, but much more severe.  "The soul that sinneth shall die."

The good news is that not only is God just, but He is also love, which moved him to provide a way of "salvation" or rescue for any one who will believe it and receive it.  God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, God-who-became-man lived a sinless life and yet died as if He were the worst of sinners.  "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God, in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

All that is required is faith, a simple and sincere trusting that Jesus died for my sin.  "For by grace you are saved through faith..." Ephesians 2:8-9.  Anyone can simply, sincerely believe this good news and be rescued from the eternal death penalty of his/her sin.

My friend's boy experienced this salvation...but, there's more.

SALVATION - "to be rescued from a living ruined by sinning"

There is another rescue that every person and all men need.  To be released from the eternal death penalty of sin is good.  But another deliverance can occur right now, and every day, and it impacts the quality of the living we do each moment.

In Romans 6, Paul teaches those who have been rescued from the eternal penalty of sin that they can also live a life rescued from the dominance or monopoly of sin.  "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" he asks.  "Sin shall no longer domineer you," he writes.  "Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God."

Older theologians used to call this a "salvation" from the power of sin, the power of sin right now.  In Christ, sin's monopoly has been broken in our inner man.  It no longer is in charge of what we've become (new!) in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).  This means that the one who was used to lying all the time can now become used to speaking the truth.  The one who was captured by pornography can now be delighting in purity.  The man who lost his temper can now have the Spirit of God's presence and power to keep his temper and express the patient fruit of the Spirit.

Most people saved "from the penalty of sin" will start growing in their salvation "from the power of sin."  In this, their character and personality will increasingly become like Jesus himself.

I am hopeful that today, by friend's son is being "saved" from sin's power.

SALVATION - to be rescued from the "future presence" of sin

Finally, there is one more aspect of "being saved" that is yet to come.  We understand from Revelations 21-22 that the "new heaven and new earth" will no longer have the very presence of sin (or it's author, Satan).  Sin and all it's horrific consequences will not be present in the eternal home God is making for those who have been "saved from the penalty of sin" and grew in being "saved from the power of sin."

John said it, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:1-3).

If you've read this through, take a final moment and review what the Bible means by "salvation."

Rescued...from it's eternal death penalty...from it's present domineering power...and someday from it's very presence.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

LIFE IS A CHALLENGING RACE

"I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith."  (2 Timothy 4:7)

Final words from Paul to his (spiritual) son Timothy.  Soon, Nero would have Paul's head.  Paul knew it was coming.

He frames his end differently.

Like that of a warrior who has fought well in a good cause against relentless and difficult enemies.

Like that of a runner who has been on a long-distance course, and often thought about dropping off the route, quitting...but didn't.

Like that of a pilgrim who may have wondered many a time whether clinging to hope would ever be worth it...and it was.

An embattled warrior.  A determined runner.  An expectant pilgrim.

LIFE IS CHALLENGING

Recently, a bright and gifted young man on a football team suddenly left the team just after the season began.   Why?  It was so sudden, unexpected.  An over-eager local sports reporter couldn't help but overreach in a front-sports-page article on the "systemic" problems with the football program.   Nice guess, but wrong.

The truth was that the player was struggling with anxiety disorder, and returned to the team within 2 weeks.  This disorder can paralyze even the best and brightest, leaving someone weary and disoriented.

It's not uncommon in our society.  Oddly, though we live in (arguably) the greatest country in the world, we often can become the most stressed and unhappy people on the planet.

Bottom line - life gets rough for just about everyone.

LIFE IS A TOUGH FIGHT, A LONG RACE, A HOPE-DIMMING JOURNEY

In the midst of our anxieties--the challenges we face, the foes we have to fight, the length of the run, the weariness of the journey--the Holy Spirit's call, and provided enablement to us, is to lift our heads.  We can finish well.

You can fight a good fight.
You can finish a long race without quitting.
You can complete a journey in which the path is often not clear by holding fast to your faith in Christ.

And here is the reward - "Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord -- the righteous judge -- will award to me on that Day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).

"Righteousness" here - captured in the reward of a crown -- is about fighting a good fight, finishing the race, keeping the faith.  It's the right way to live life, and it's living life rightly.  The crown will be a recognition that you fought well, didn't quit, kept believing.

May I encourage you - in whatever may be "eating your lunch" these days - by the Spirit keep fighting well, keep running well keep believing well.  Your Lord has pioneered the path ahead.  He finished, and He can help you each day get one more leg closer to that glorious finish line.

READINESS - in every season

"Be ready, in season, out of season."

Perhaps one of our (spiritual) enemy's most subtle strategies is to convince us that there are times to be spiritually in tune, and there are other times when it is just fine to be out of tune.  Ready one time, not ready the next. 

What I don't hear is THAT from Paul, the Apostle.

His viewpoint was that the door of opportunity could be narrowing.  In fact, it would narrow.  "The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:3).

Presently, it's open.  Men will listen to Biblical truth, although the rest of what Paul predicted does appear to be happening.  "Men with gather around them a great number of teaching who say what their itching hears want to hear." 

Quite a pic.  People having the itch of their ears rubbed and relieved by what they want to hear, rather than with the truth.

READINESS

With each day, I realize that each one is filled with opportunity to minister the truth and grace of God.  "Look for Jesus in your day," Paul Miller urges in A PRAYING LIFE.  Indeed.

Recently on a road trip with the ISU Cyclones, I dragged my sorry frame out of bed early and against the aching cries of my lower back I went to the Fitness Center of the Marriott.  I hoped walking down there that it would be empty, so my obvious lack of fitness would not be exposed to the general public.

My self-absorbed wish was not granted.  Two ISU coaches were there, one a graduate assistant working out the running machine more vigorously than I dared, and a second our running backs coach, who looked like he's lived in Gold's Gym the last 25 years. 

Still, I worked out my more modest routine.  And while doing my last set of pushups, I was prompted to approach Coach Ayeni (former running back and safety for Northwestern).  It led to some sweet conversation, and prayer for his work with our great kids.  His handshake did not crush my feeble right hand bones...but it was firm!

PRAY FOR IT...LOOK FOR IT

Our own days are shorter than we know.  The doors are still open to bring the interest of Christ and the love of Christ to someone new, someone you've not met before, someone who (as I've found over and over again) will welcome your kind initiative and even a prayer for their day. 

Pray for it.  Look for it.  Be filled with the Spirit.  Let the Spirit flow through you (John 7:37-39).

WHEN SOMEONE ASKS ABOUT HEAVEN

"My dad is asking about HEAVEN.  What should I say to him?"

Wow.  What a wonderful opportunity.  Here's what I'd suggest.

First, do a bit of research yourself.  The Bible has much to say about "heaven," which is a more general term which needs some clarifying.  So you need to dig a little.  Here are some digging spots.

  * HEAVEN - the word "heaven" is variously used in the bible.  It can refer to our earth's atmosphere, or also to the region of the starry hosts (universe).  It can also refer to the place where a manifestation of God's presence can be found (cf. Isaiah 6 "God's throneroom" or 2 Corinthians 12, a "third heaven").  So often, the "context" (i.e., surrounding verses) will indicate which heaven is in view.

  * A PLACE -  typically, people mean by heaven a "place to live where God is and that is perfect".  Jesus spoke to his disciples about "going to prepare a place for them in His Father's house" (John 14:1-3), and after His preparation, he would "come back to them and receive them unto himself."

  * WHEN I DIE and WHEN I AM RESURRECTED - Paul spoke of a reality or place where Christ is where those who are "in Christ" go when their bodies cease functioning.  "To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).  Considering his own pending death, Paul wrote he preferred "to depart and be with Christ, which is very much better" (Phil 1:23).  So, for those who have trusted in Christ's death and resurrection for them, they may have confidence that eternal life has been given to them (John 3:16), and that their death is an upgrade into he presence of Christ, or heaven (if you will).   And, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-16 teaches us that our bodies will be resurrected at the end of time, rejoined to our spirit/soul, and like the resurrection body of  the Lord himself (1 John 3:1-3, cf. 1 Corinthians 15:35-57).

  * OUR ETERNAL HOME - finally, the Bible speaks of a permanent eternal home for God's redeemed people, a "new heaven and new earth" at the center of which is a marvelous city, a "new Jerusalem," described in Revelation 21-22.  Entry into this comes after a kingdom era on the earth (Revelation 20:1-6), and the final judgment of the unsaved (Revelation 20:11-15).  The reality of hell is described there, and it is for those are without salvation in Christ.  The description in Revelation 21-22 is quite compelling, and speaks of our eternal "heaven," our future home.

Second, ask him some more questions.  What does he want to know about heaven?  What source does he trust for answers (the Bible, the movies, talk shows)?   My desire in further inquiry would be to understand what he is feeling (if he is willing to share it), why he is interested, and what he'd like to know.  Ultimately, the best source for any answers would be the Scriptures.

Third, help him understand the way to heaven.  Focus on Biblical passages like John 3:16, John 5:24, John 14:1-6, and 1 John 5:11-12.  Simple faith in Christ, which opens the door to heaven, can be expressed in this wonderful prayer.  Use it with him, if he is willing:

Father in Heaven
Today I choose to place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone.
I believe He died in my place to pay the penalty my sin deserves.
I believe You raised Him from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By faith I receive the gift of His righteousness in the place of my sin.
Thank you.
Help me to grow in Christ.
Amen.

Then...show him again 1 John 5:11-12!   He's ready for heaven.

HEARING GOD'S VOICE

"How do I know when God is speaking to me?"

I love these kinds of questions.  They are so important

GOT EARS?

Often when Jesus taught, he would begin what he would say, or end it, with an interesting statement.  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

I take it from that kind of goad that Jesus indicates that God is speaking to us all the time.  The real issue is if we are tuned in, or not.  Often we are not.  We expect God to come at us like the rest of today's information - in 10 or 15 or 30 or 60 second advertisements, or in sound bites from giggling millennials on early morning television programs.  We read more tweets, Facebook postings, or entertainment magazines than we do Scripture.

Got ears?  Then listen to Jesus.  So how do you do that?

GOT SCRIPTURE?

"All Scripture is God-breathed, and is therefore profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.  So that the person of God will be thoroughly equipped, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Paul's explanation to Timothy about the helpfulness of Scripture cannot be overlooked if we want to hear regularly from God.  Simply put, God speaks to us personally through Scripture.  When we read it - with understanding (i.e., taking note of its context and contents), God's Spirit will speak to us about what to believe (teaching), what needs to be stopped in my life (reproof), what needs to be lived instead (correction), and how to get strong in living rightly (training in righteousness).  With this approach, take some time to read EPHESIANS for a moment.  I guarantee you that God will teach you, reprove you, correct you, and give you some training in excellent living.   He will speak.

The challenge is - will you agree with what He says, and will you obey His promptings?

GOT THE SPIRIT?

Christians are reminded , pretty regularly, that they are the host-home of a living Person, the Holy Spirit of God.  He takes Scripture and speaks to us through it.  He also speaks in applying Scripture to the opportunities of our daily lives.  For example, when Scripture says, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), I find the Spirit prompting me all the time to pray.

When a Cyclone player goes down with a leg injury, I sense God's Spirit saying "pray!!!"  When I'm in a conversation with someone new, and does not know Christ, I sense God's Spirit saying, "pray for his heart to open up to Christ."  When I'm walking and memorizing Scripture, I sense God's Spirit saying, "Here's what this means for you."

Ask the Holy Spirit to talk to you.  He will.  You'll start thinking things from Him you never would have said to yourself.

GOT GODLY FRIENDS?

Proverbs 11:14 says, "in an abundance of counselors, there is safety."  Frequently, God speaks through godly, trusted friends who themselves are full of Scripture, the Spirit, and living-for-Christ experience.   Seek some mentors of this ilk!  Unpack with them, and listen.  Jesus uses "his Body" as it speaks the truth in love to one another, to bring us to maturity (cf. Ephesians 4:12-16).

Often, godly friends will help you hear what God is saying to you about very specific situations.  Many of our decisions are not "right vs. wrong" ones, but rather "wise vs. unwise" calls.  Wisdom is fully available from God (James 1:3-5), and often in the mouths of our walking-with-Jesus friends.

MAKE LISTENING A PRAYER REQUEST

Simply put, reflect often on Scripture, lean into the Holy Spirit, spend time with godly friends - I think you'll find God coming in loud and clear...if you've "got ears."

HOW TO VIEW THE MIDDLE EAST

"What should my response be to what's going on in the Middle East?" someone asked recently.  "And what should our response be as 'a Christian nation'?"

The inquiry as to what might be a personal "response" to events in the Middle East could use some sharpening.  A response to whom?  To friends who ask in a coffee shop conversation?  To your Congressional representative?  To the international student from Jordan who wants to know 'where you stand'?

I have "a response" if you will.  I think people, starting with me, and everyone else needs a Biblical world view.

WHAT IS A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW?

A biblical worldview is seeing the world and what goes on in it through the lens provided us by God's Spirit in the Bible,  both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  But even that "lens" needs a clarification.  It is to look at reality believing that God has revealed in Scripture (1) who He is, (2) what He is up to in the universe He created and the affairs of humanity whom He loves.

Can something helpful from a Biblical approach be summarized as speaking to "the Middle East"?  Perhaps.  Here is my attempt.

People in every country -- be those countries located in the Middle East or anywhere else on the planet --  are called to believe that God wants to, and will, bless all peoples through Abraham's "seed," that is, the Person of The Lord Jesus Christ.  History's most important person came through the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, and David.  Israel is God's chosen nation, and He has always intended to bless the world through His people.

Jesus Christ The Lord, the Messiah, is, as Isaiah declared, the Prince of Peace and humanity's Wonderful Counselor (cf. Isaiah 9).  Thus, there will never be peace in the hearts of individuals nor in the relationships between nations, until hearts and knees and thrones and kingdoms are bent before Him, and submitted to His righteous rule.  Sin and selfishness are what stirs people to bad, self-serving relations, and also nations to conquest and war.  Only Christ can effectively put sin and death  and all its relentless collateral damage aside.  Only then comes "shalom," the unique peace of God to a restless, sinful humanity.

WHAT TO SUPPORT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Usually, questions like those at the beginning of this blog are also wondering about what we - those with a Biblical worldview - should politically and personally support in the Middle East.  Should we be "on the side of" Israel?  the Palestinians?  The citizenry and governments of surrounding nations like Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, etc.?

I believe that the world one day will be blessed as Israel is in right relationship with Her Messiah, that His kingdom and "David's throne" will be reestablished in the region of Jerusalem and Palestine. That He will reign righteously over the nations, and they will be glad for His equitable rule and the blessings of the Kingdom era.

The truth is that Israel today is over 70% secular.  It is not oriented to God's Messiah.  She needs to be.  But so do the surrounding nations.  "There is salvation in none other," said Peter.  "There is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST be delivered (or saved)"  (Acts 4:12).

Support the spread of the Gospel in the Middle East.  Support governments in the Middle East who will allow open and free gospel-sharing about the Person of Christ.  Pray for conditions in all nations where the good news about what can be found when trusting in Jesus Christ can be understood and embraced (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-8).

"Thy Kingdom Come" - Controversial?

Are we in God's promised Kingdom today?
Rejecting their Messiah, ethnic/national Israel have no future in God's plans, right?
Isn't today's believing Church the "true Israel"?
Isn't Jesus reigning today on his father David's throne?
Is teaching something other than "yes" to these questions "controversial"?

"Lord, is at this time you are going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?"  (Acts 1:6)  After 40 days of becoming convinced that their crucified Master, Israel's Messiah, was in fact raised bodily from the dead,  and His teaching about 'the kingdom of God,' it is pretty clear that His disciple/apostles believed -- from what Jesus had said -- that Israel had a future, in a kingdom.

Jesus' reply appears to affirm their expectation.  What he doesn't say is "No, you've got it wrong.  There is no future kingdom to be restored for Israel.  The kingdom is the Church you will be launching when the Spirit comes upon you."

What he says is, "You are not to know the times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority."   Hmmm.

IS THERE A FUTURE EARTHLY KINGDOM FOR ISRAEL AND THE WORLD

I was asked -- after recently teaching from Scripture that a future kingdom for Israel is still in God's plan -- if I were teaching a view that was controversial and out-of-sync with what most Christians today believe.    Here's what I think to be true.

(1)  Most Christians don't have a clue about "what's next" or the possibility of a "future earthly kingdom."  Frankly, most pastors don't either.  The Scripture is not carefully studied about these matters, and it is rarely preached about.

(2) If by "most Christans" we mean the total count in the world today - estimated at just over 2 billion (or  about 30% of the world's population), and 1.2 billion are Roman Catholic, 270 million are Orthodox, 74 million are Lutheran...and on it goes -- you might argue that "most Christians" believe that we are in the promised Kingdom today because the "church is the kingdom."  That is to say, you have a Roman Catholic view on what God's word says about the coming Kingdom.

(3)  When Jesus came the first time, he fulfilled God's Old Testament promises regarding the Person and Coming of the Messiah literally, not figuratively.  He was physically, literally born to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David's lineage.  His conception was in a virgin who had not known a man.  He was literally born in Bethlehem. He literally carried away the physical diseases of Israel in his healing ministry.  He literally rode into Jerusalem on a colt, and the nation watched it (the Zechariah prophesy was not to be figuratively understood that he was simply a humble person...though, of couse, he was).  He literally was disfigured beyond recognition.  He was literally placed in a rich man's tomb (again, it wasn't that he was merely honored by rich or notable people...though he was that too).

Literal promises were fulfilled to Israel in a real-time, real life Messiah.

So what gives us -- who interpret the Old Testament promises regarding a Kingdom era for Israel -- the permission to interpret "figuratively" those promises, and see them (so-called) fulfilled (rather loosely speaking) in today's Church?   Personally, I don't have that permission.  Do you?  Does the Roman Church?  Or the Orthodox Church?  Do the Lutherans have that permisson?  Or perhaps the Presbyterians?

(4)  Finally, while many Christians either don't have a clue about what is coming next or have simply adopted (what may be called) a "majority view" (hmmm, how often is the majority right anyway?), there are millions of Christians who have studied the Scriptures and think otherwise.

What I am teaching is what may be called the "pre-millennial" view of what's next.  Namely, that Jesus will return bodily, and will restore the Kingdom to Israel when His Father's plan calls for it in the timeline of human history, and that the glorious things still spoken of by the Old Testament prophets (cf. Acts 3:17-21) will yet happen.

"Father in Heaven, Let your name be regarded as Holy, Let Your Kingdom come, Let your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven..."