Rise and Shine On-Line Magazine
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The purpose of this ministry is to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to encourage you to see God as the loving Father He is. This weekly on-line magazine will present messages of hope, faith, love, healing and blessing, based on the belief that the Word of God is 100% true and applicable to all our lives. Please leave condemnation, politics and religious tradition in cyberspace. My God is good all the time.

Back Issues:

| 6/30/02 | 6/23/02 | 6/16/02 | 6/08/02 | 6/02/02 | 5/26/02 | 5/19/02 | 5/12/02 | 5/5/02 | 4/28/02 | 4/21/02 | 4/14/02 | 4/7/02 | 3/31/02 | 3/24/02 | 3/17/02 |  3/10/02 |  3/3/02 | 2/24/02 |  2/17/02 |  2/10/02 |  2/03/02 |  1/27/02 | 1/20/02  |  1/13/02  | 1/6/02  | Dec-Nov 2001 | Oct 28-June 17, 2001 | Creation Science Series ( June 10-Apr 22, '01) | Apr 15, '01 - Jan 2001 |  Dec/Nov 2000 | Oct-May 2000 |  Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr 2000 | Dec-Jul '99 Issues  |  June-Apr '99 Issues  | Jan/Feb/Mar '99 Issues  | Dec/Nov'98 Issues | Oct/Sept/Aug '98 Issues |  May/June/July '98 Issues | March/April '98 Issues | Jan/Feb '98 Issues | Nov/Dec '97 Issues | Sept/Oct '97 Issues | July/Aug '97 Issues | May/June '97 Issues | March/April '97 Issues | Jan/Feb '97 Issues | Dec '96 Issues | Nov/Oct '96 Issues | Sept/Aug '96 Issues | July/June '96 Issues | This Week's Issue |

Week of 6/30/02

I am taking a much needed vacation, this being the 7th anniversary of this website. Until the time I return to weekly writing, I will recycle past articles. The following message is from 7/7/96.

Week of 6/23/02

I am taking a much needed vacation, this being the 7th anniversary of this website. Until the time I return to weekly writing, I will recycle past articles. The following message is from 6/23/96, the first article I ever wrote for Rise & Shine.

Week of 6/16/02

I am taking a much needed vacation, this being the 7th anniversary of this website. Until the time I return to weekly writing, I will recycle past articles. The following message is from 6/29/97.

Week of 6/8/02

Week of 6/2/02

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Ever since man first looked up at the sky and reasoned that there must be someone up there, someone bigger and more powerful than himself, people have been desperately trying to please whatever god they believed in. This desire to please has obviously taken some extreme forms, probably the most infamous being millions of human sacrifices performed worldwide. And while these acts were committed to please a god, they were also designed to prevent the wrath of that god as well, something always in the minds of our ancestors.

As we see in the Old Testament, men sought to please our God, and avoid His legendary wrath, with sacrifices, something He ordained of course, but this sacrifice now took the form of animals and food crops. In addition to placating God with sheep, goats, grain and drink, there were also the many rules that eventually grew out of the Ten Commandments. Following these dictates as well would supposedly make a man pleasing to God and hopefully turn away His wrath at the same time. If this were done correctly, good things, like abundance, health, wealth, lots of kids, victory in war, etc., would follow.

When Christ came, He changed everything, and became the final living sacrifice. Now to avoid God's wrath it was a simple matter of accepting Jesus as Lord. The Law was reduced to love God, love your neighbor, and the hundreds of rules and regulations the Jews struggled under became unnecessary and pointless.

Week of 5/26/02

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 

As this is Memorial weekend, when we remember those soldiers who fought and died for our freedom, I thought this story would be appropriate. It concerns a soldier who may have done more for our freedom than any other. Those of us familiar with the miraculous ministry of Jesus know this story well. It takes place in Capernaum when His fame is gaining momentum, as well as the not so secret plot to kill Him. It concerns the Roman centurion who seeks out Christ on behalf of a servant who has fallen ill. Our familiarity with this account aside, there are some very remarkable points to this story, considered one of the great examples of pure faith in action, that might not be so obvious.

You remember what happened. The centurion approached Jesus and informed Him that his servant was "lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." Jesus responds without further discussion, saying, "I will come and heal him." This quick, curt and positive answer from Christ is very interesting, in that He is talking to a Gentile, and even a hated enemy of His people (though in Luke's account this centurion is respected by some of the elders as he built a synagogue for them). Interesting.

Yet this positive response from Christ elicits one of the greatest statements of faith ever uttered, so astounding for its perfection and comprehension that Jesus Himself is amazed (no small feat). The centurion's statement: Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it (Matthew 8:8-9).

Week of 5/19/02

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

There is this theory that resurfaces from time to time in both theological and secular circles that Jesus wasn't really who He said He was or that He never really claimed to be the Son of God. It is also doubted whether He actually claimed to be the only means to salvation. Today's verse, maybe the most well known in the New Testament, deals with those heresies.

Our tendency is to see this verse as simply a beautiful reaffirmation of God's boundless love, which of course it is; few single sentences in Scripture more accurately portray God's unfathomable generosity and mercy towards us. But there is another side to this verse that we should acknowledge.

This verse we know so well, which appears on banners in NFL end zones and the backs of T-shirts, was not spoken to Jesus' devoted disciples. Right now, see if you can remember to whom exactly it was spoken. If you said Nicodemus, you are correct. Nicodemus, as you may recall, was the Pharisee who came to Jesus in the dead of night (he had a reputation to uphold) to find out a little more about this unusual man who was doing so many astounding things. It is interesting to me that Jesus revealed more to this skeptical religious leader at this time than He did to His own disciples. 

This famous verse is only a small part of the information imparted to Nicodemus. It is also here that we first encounter the term born again, as Jesus tells the Pharisee, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Now just in case Nicodemus, or some confused theologian centuries later should find this ambiguous, Jesus repeats the same warning (yes, warning), this time making it even more precise, saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Week of 5/12/02

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? 

700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah wrote today's verse, decocting the 613 precepts the rabbis had inflated the law into down to three simple commands. Jesus would later reduce it even further to just two: love God, love your neighbor. But the point is the same.

Micah leads into this revelation by beginning Chapter 6 with God challenging Israel to defend herself against the charge that she has backslid again. God lists a few of the wonderful things He has done for His people and Micah replies as the voice of Israel, "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

The answer is no. God has already shown us what He desires: justice, mercy and humility, the point being that all the sacrifice in the world means nothing if one is not obedient in these three ways. Later, Jesus would Himself make this same point, quoting from Hosea, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." This concept of being right with God, as well as one's neighbor, before approaching the altar, so to speak, is thematic throughout Scripture.

This begs the question, then, what is the point of the sacrificial system God established in the first place if He seems to see it as inadequate? Why have people sacrifice animals, oil, grain, etc., if all He really wants from them is their respect and kindness towards their neighbors? Well, sin must still be atoned for and there was no other way at the time to do this. But it would not avail a person to simply kill a goat while cheating his neighbor and disrespecting God. And it is because of the inherent inadequacies of the sacrificial system that God made the ultimate sacrifice for us once and for all in His Son Jesus.

Week of 5/5/02

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." 

It seems to me that the way to understand what Christianity is about, and of course what is expected of us as Christians, is to understand what Christ Himself is about. This can be accomplished most accurately by reading His own words and studying His own deeds.

Jesus was a straightforward speaker. He said what He meant, and although at times when preaching to the masses He used parables to bring home His points, even these were not too difficult to understand for a person willing to give them some thought. Yet it seems that even the unambiguous statements He made are subject to our interpretation, and often as not, our confusion, today's verse being a notable one.

When Jesus told us we should be "perfect", just like God, He certainly was not implying we could ever be His equal (a ridiculous notion). But to see what He was talking about we must back up to verse 38 of the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Here we find Jesus involved in a lengthy teaching, most all of which was in stark contrast to the Pharisaic teaching with which the people were familiar. Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away (Matthew 5:38-42).

What was Jesus saying here? Was He speaking in parables? Or was He describing what He would actually do and what He expects of His followers? One thing you should realize about the "eye for an eye" thing is that this rule was not created to allow or encourage our revenge, but to protect a lawbreaker or offender from excessive retaliation. In other words, if you caused the loss of someone's eye, they couldn't take both your eyes. But Jesus speaks as if even this were something He was relegating to the past ("You have heard that it was said"). His new law requires us to avoid revenge and to respond to personal attacks with good, or love, as some people might call it. Does this mean that society can have no laws and that lawbreakers cannot be punished? No. But it means that when we are personally attacked, we are to respond not with vengeance, but with love. This is what Christ would do. This is what the Father does. We are to emulate this, striving to be like him, or "perfect".

Week of 4/28/02

David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 

David is one of my favorite people of the Bible. He was heroic, creative, wise, unpretentious, wild and fatally flawed. Today we look at an event in David's life brought about by that flawed nature that brought tragedy to him, but in so doing, brought us wisdom and insight into grief and how to deal with it. 

It all began one Spring day in Jerusalem when David had the misfortune of stumbling across a very beautiful woman taking a bath on the roof of her house. Her name was Bathsheba (God's irony, not mine). You probably know the story. David had her husband Uriah sent to the front of the most heated battle, ridding himself of the obstacle that stood in the way of attaining the woman he coveted.

After Uriah's death, David, taking full advantage of his kingship, had Bathsheba brought to his house, married her and was promptly rewarded with a son. Unfortunately for David, God was not pleased. David had basically killed an innocent, righteous man, a loyal man, so he could steal his wife. Speaking through the prophet, Nathan, God informs David that he has not only committed a great sin, but has caused the enemies of God to blaspheme Him. Because of this, David's new son will die. David is utterly crushed.

Almost as soon as the dire words left Nathan's mouth, the child was stricken with a terrible illness. Full of remorse and shame, David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and lay all night on the ground (II Samuel 12:16). This went on for days, with the elders doing everything they could to get the weeping, praying David up off the floor and get some food into him, but he would not listen. Add to David's other traits a heart more than capable of breaking. 

Week of 4/21/02

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" 

This week we complete our look at the four Gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection and last instructions to His disciples. John's account is fairly lengthy, and like the others, highlights different events. John also injects several sources of controversy and mystery. Thanks a lot, John.

In John's account, Mary Magdalene is also the first to witness the empty tomb. Concerned that Jesus' body has been stolen or moved, she goes to Peter and John, the narrator of this Gospel, and expresses her concern. Both men go to the tomb and see that it is indeed empty, and that the burial clothes are without their owner, the head scarf being folded neatly by itself. John then states that, "he saw and believed." Believed what? That Jesus had risen from the dead? No, because the next verse states, For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead (John 20:9). He believed that Jesus body had been stolen. Yes, the disciples spent the better part of three years in a complete fog.

Mary returns to the empty tomb, not sure what to do, weeping in her misery and confusion. Looking in the tomb, she sees two angels calmly sitting where Jesus' corpse had been lying. They ask her why she is crying and she responds that she cannot find Jesus' body. Suddenly she turns and sees Jesus, but again, He is not recognized. This is somewhat of a mystery in all four accounts. Why did they not recognize Jesus immediately? Is it because He was physically changed, or because He had placed some veil over their sight? Maybe we get a small clue here. Mary does not recognize Jesus, but she does not assume Him to be otherworldly either. She thinks He is the gardener! Did she recognize the angels as angels? I think so. But she assumes Jesus is an ordinary, even lowly, human and suspects He has taken the body of her Lord somewhere and hidden it. Jesus' appearance must have been normal enough for her to make this assumption. This leads me to believe that Mary and the disciples were unable to recognize Him because He chose to make it that way. Of course I can't prove that, and you are entitled to your opinion. You'll of course be wrong, but you're still entitled to it.

Whatever the case, this fantasy of body-snatching evaporates instantly when Jesus says her name. She recognizes her Teacher instantly. Jesus makes an interesting statement at this point that is recorded nowhere else. He says, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " Did Jesus say this because He was not solid? Does it imply, as some idiots allege, a physical relationship with Mary Magdalene? No and certainly not! He could obviously be touched, because shortly later, He instructs Thomas to do just that. And the idea that Mary and Jesus had some relationship other than Master and disciple has no more Biblical foundation than the notion that Mary had been a prostitute. Very likely, Mary Magdalene was many years Jesus senior, and not a nubile, sexy young woman, Hollywood representations and religious mythology aside. What Jesus' warning means seems to imply a change in the way the disciples would now relate to Him, at least that's what my Bible's notes claim. Personally, none of the answers satisfy me. 

Week of 4/14/02

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." 

This week we continue with the third account of Christ's resurrection, last moments with His disciples and His final words to them. This version of the event from Dr. Luke emphasizes very different features of this miraculous occurrence, focusing on the supernatural.

Again, as in the other two gospel versions we have looked at, the women are the first to discover that Christ has indeed risen from the dead. They are on their way to the tomb with burial spices they had prepared the night before and are astounded on reaching it to find the stone has been rolled away. Going into the tomb they are surprised to find it empty and while pondering this puzzle, they are confronted by two men in shining robes. One of the angels asks them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and reminds them of Jesus' prophecy that He would be killed and rise on the third day. As in the other accounts, the women rush with this news to the eleven remaining disciples, and again, are not believed. Luke, however, reports that Peter ran from the house to the tomb, where he saw the burial wrappings lying mysteriously empty and leaves in a state of head-shaking wonderment.

Meanwhile, two of Jesus' other followers are walking down the Emmaus Road discussing the events of the past few days and trying to make some sense out of it all. Suddenly Jesus Himself is walking with them, but they do not recognize Him because He has veiled their ability to see Him for who He is...yet. He asks them what they are talking about, and they are surprised that He has not heard of the events of the past few days and assume He must be a stranger to the area. Then Jesus begins to explain why Christ had to die and gives them a quick Old Testament tour concerning the prophecies that foretold these events of His life. So thrilled are they to be finally beginning to understand the death of Jesus, that they beg this knowledgeable stranger to stay for dinner and continue His enlightening story. Jesus agrees and as He sits at the table and breaks the bread, He removes their blinders and they instantly recognize Him. Unfortunately, before they have a chance to react, He disappears. Cleary, something has changed with Jesus and Luke, a logician by nature and profession, is fascinated by it. The flabbergasted pair speed to Jerusalem to report their meeting with the risen Lord to the eleven.

Jesus chooses this dramatic moment to reappear in their midst, and it scares them silly. They assume He is a ghost. But He reassures them and says, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." Still not convinced, He asks for some food and eats a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb as they watch with their mouths open. Is Jesus patient, or what?

Week of 4/7/02

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. " 

For last week's Easter message we looked at the Gospel of Mark and Jesus' last instructions to His disciples. Since these vary in the four accounts, I thought it might be interesting to examine the other three over the next few weeks, starting today with Matthew.

First of all, let me say that I am not implying that because the four accounts differ there is some inconsistency in the reporting or that we have any conflict here. We don't. Jesus does not contradict Himself in any of His statements, nor do the writers themselves. What we have here is simply four Spirit-inspired writers emphasizing different elements of the same event and relating different conversations. The thrust of what they all say is identical but there are some interesting additions in all four accounts.

As in Mark's Gospel, Mary Magdalene is at the empty tomb, but is also accompanied by "the other Mary". After being instructed by the angel to give this good news to the disciples, they set off as fast as they can go, only to encounter the risen Jesus Himself. He too commands them to take news of His resurrection to the disciples and instructs them to meet in Galilee, where He will join them.

Matthew adds an interesting side note here. Apparently the guards who had been ordered to watch the tomb, at the wish of the chief priests and Pharisees who had lobbied for Jesus' execution, also ran to tell their friends what they had witnessed. Relating this wondrous event to the chief priests, the elders called a huddle and decided to bribe the terrified soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." Matthew then reports that the guards took the money and did as they were told to do. He adds, "And this saying is commonly reported among the Jews to this day."

Week of 3/31/02

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. 

There are many Easter messages that could be written for this Resurrection Sunday. All four gospels deal with the death and resurrection of Christ. They all also relate the various messages Jesus gave to His disciples before ascending back into heaven.

We need to be cognizant of the fact that this event, the Resurrection, was not the end of Jesus' work, nor was it achieved just so we could have a Christian holiday with a lot of pomp and ceremony. And as amazing, and obviously earth-shaking, as this great happening was, it was not simply a show of God's power or a proof of Christ's deity, but an act that was specifically performed for us, to save us, to guarantee our future resurrections, and to empower us. This becomes apparent when one reads what Christ chose to say in His last moments on earth. Today, let's focus on His final words and instructions in Mark's gospel.

Even at the end of His earthly life, Jesus had yet to convince all His disciples that events were going according to plan. They did not totally understand why He had to die. They didn't really believe He would rise in three days. This must have been frustrating for Him, and more than a little sad. Still, He knew He would eventually get through to them.

But it wasn't immediate. The first person He spoke with upon rising from the dead was Mary Magdalene. She ran to His distraught disciples and told them the incredible news, that He was alive. They didn't believe her. Later He appeared to two more disciples on the Emmaus Road who also went and informed the rest of the disciples that Christ had indeed risen. They didn't believe them either. So Jesus took the matter into His own hands. Showing up while the disciples were eating dinner and commiserating, He scolded them sternly for their unbelief and for doubting the eyewitnesses He had sent to them personally. But this was not His point in coming to them. He had a job for them to do, a job that became possible because of His resurrection. Here is what He said:

Week of 3/24/02

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. 

There are quite a few of you reading this article right now that are in a waiting mode. You may have been in this state for some time. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will always be waiting for something. This is true whether you are a Christian believer or an atheist. The difference is that a Christian waits in faith and an atheist just waits.

Actually, it is not a big stretch to define that word faith as the ability to wait patiently for God. Even the word wait could use a definition in this instance. In our verse for today from Lamentations (I know, not an optimistic sounding book), the word wait is the Hebrew word qavah, meaning to wait for, to look for, expect or hope. In other words, the word wait here does not imply just sitting there twiddling your thumbs nor does it refer to pacing the floor frantically on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It means waiting hopefully, expectantly and with assurance that God has heard you, knows your needs and is capable of and willing to, even desirous to act. That sounds remarkably like faith to me.

Now the Christian should be able to do this. At least the Christian should be more able to do this than the non-Christian. We have some obvious advantages. Still, it is not always easy and almost never what a sane person would call fun. But there real benefits to mastering this concept. As our verse for today promises, The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. In other words, the Lord will bless those who are filled with hopeful expectation that He will bring good things to pass for them. The next verse adds to this idea with, It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Why is it good? Because it shows God the one thing He loves to respond to (some would even say the only thing He responds to): faith in Him.

Look at it this way. You're hungry. So you go to a really fine restaurant. As it happens to be a popular spot, you have to wait for a table to open up. But this doesn't dismay you. You expected the place to be busy on a Friday night. You don't assume that you will never get a table and run shrieking out the door. You wait. A while later, you are seated at a table. The bus boy brings some water. Do you start screaming that they must be out of food? No, this is part of the routine. A few moments later, your waiter brings you a menu. This isn't food! It's paper! But you control yourself. You study it for several minutes and decide on a Caesar salad and a nice filet, medium rare. The waiter takes your order and disappears. Do you start worrying that the waiter is never coming back with your steak and that you'll never get to eat? Do you run after him to the kitchen to make sure he really is getting the chef to prepare your food? No, this is all normal. A few minutes later the waiter returns, but not with your steak. All he has is your Caesar salad. Do you start crying, convinced that you will never see that medium rare filet? No, you say, "Yes, I'd like some ground pepper on that." Meanwhile, this very astute waiter is keeping an eye on your progress with the Caesar. As you munch the last crouton, he miraculously arrives with your medium rare filet. Are you surprised? Shocked? No, you expected it. This is exactly what you were hoping for. And it was worth the wait.

Now this is not to imply that God is some sort of glorified head waiter and that prayer is just like ordering off a menu at Spago's. What I'm saying is that we are required to wait for things we want every single day, and we do so without losing it (at least most of us). If you are waiting for God to respond to some need, some prayer or some situation, don't assume that because you haven't seen an answer yet that one is not forthcoming. Be patient. It's coming.

Remember this, too: God is smarter than you. He knows what's best for you. I know that's difficult for some of us to grasp, but it's the truth. He is able to discern when a need is pressing and when immediate action is required. You can probably recall a time or two when He acted before you even had a chance to ask for His assistance. I can personally think of a couple times when He saved my life. He didn't wait until I was dead and then step in and resurrect me. He acted quickly, preventing tragedy I didn't even see coming. So I feel like I can trust Him, even if I have to wait for results. But I don't just wait. I wait with hope. I expect something.

So the next time you go to a restaurant and are waiting for your meal, or sitting in the doctor's office waiting for the doctor, or sitting at the service station waiting for your car or sitting in traffic waiting to get home, notice what you are thinking. Yes, you are probably irritated. No one enjoys waiting. But you're not thinking that you will never eat, that the doctor will never see you, that your car will never be fixed or that you will never get home. You know better. Extend God this same courtesy.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 3/17/02

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Around the year 61, Paul wrote what was basically a thank you note to the church at Philippi acknowledging their financial support of his ministry. Of course you know Paul, and it should come as no surprise that he managed to turn this simple letter into one of the great books of the New Testament.

Today's verse is one of the most quoted of all Paul's statements, for one because it is so short that we can remember it, and also because it carries such power that simply repeating it gives us strength and helps us to believe that victory is surely just ahead. While it is not my intention to deny that this verse can be used in this fashion, I want to explore what Paul was actually saying. Let's put it back in context.

The church at Philippi had been supportive of Paul's work when all the other churches he had established, due to their own lack or even thoughtlessness, had given him none of the monetary aid he needed to travel and preach the Gospel. Paul felt that if he could count on anyone, it was certainly the Philippians. But suddenly this funding had ceased. Paul was broke, and being a terrific businessman, sent his helper Epaphroditus for a short visit to the church, presumably to show them that the same was now recovered from a terrible sickness (Philippians 2:25-30), but also to get the Philippians to cough up some bucks. Paul was a lot of things, but he was no fool.  

Well, the visit by Epaphroditus paid off and Paul got the necessary funds to continue preaching and also continue eating. He writes: But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:10-13).

There is a word in our famous verse, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, that can be seen two different ways. It is that little word do. Yes, I can do all things through the strength, the anointing and the power of faith that comes through a relationship with Christ. Yes, I can conquer. Yes, I can achieve. Yes, I can change. Yes, I can prosper. Yes, I can be healed. There is nothing wrong with looking at this verse in this light, because it is backed up throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. We know that we can have victory through our faith in the Lord, a faith which can indeed overcome the world (I John 5:4). 

But look at it this way also. That word do can also mean endure, which I believe is the way Paul was actually using it here, I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me. He was saying he could endure plenty and lack, an empty stomach or a full one. He had learned to be content in a good or lousy situation. That is an important lesson, because guess what? We are all going to have ups and downs. If your faith dries up when things go sour for a while, you need to remember what Paul is trying to teach us here. It is that miserable concept, that horrible state of being we all dread, that most awful facet of Christianity that, were we God, we would eliminate at once: patience.

Notice this. Paul is not saying he is thrilled to pieces when the situation he finds himself in is less than ideal. He says he is content. There is a major difference between being content and turning cartwheels down the street. He also does not imply that when one finds oneself in trouble that one should just take it and do nothing. There is  nothing wrong in doing everything possible to remedy the situation. Paul went so far as to send Epaphroditus to get money from the Philippians so he wouldn't be broke. He didn't wait for the Lord to rain money on him. But in the meantime, he wasn't going to whine about it and falsely assume he had been deserted by God. He knew Christ was more than sufficient for all his needs.

Week of 3/10/02

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 

Today's verse, while technically an instruction to Israel to forget the trials and struggles of the past, can certainly apply to our own lives as well. It is also the beginning of a warning, or a wonderful promise, depending on your point of view. 

It is a fact that though we all hope to see things get better in our lives, few of us are particularly crazy about the process, due to the annoying element it involves: change. Sure, we all claim we want change. We welcome it. We get on our knees and pray for it. But when it comes it can scare the bejeebers out of us. This is because, like we have seen many times, God doesn't always accomplish this change the way we think He should, no, make that the way we know, He should.  

I said that this verse from the prophet Isaiah led into a warning, or a promise, depending on one's mindset. Here's that next verse in question: Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isaiah 43:19). 

Now to some folks, the possibility of something new "springing forth" is not a comfortable thought. I often find myself in that group. I like things the way they are, for the most part. And though there are several areas of my life that could benefit from improvement, I would (almost) rather they stayed the way they are than go through the (often unpleasant) process of changing them. But I really don't like surprises and here God is saying that He is not only going to do something new, but He's not going to ease us into this new thing. He's going to spring it on us. Surprise! 

Though I said I'm fairly set in my ways (my wife would say I'm seriously understating this facet of my character), I have begun to get used to the fact that God works this way. I can't say I've come to enjoy this little quirk of His, but I attempt to roll with it. Therefore, any time something extreme happens, I figure He's about to do something new. I am rarely wrong. In fact, I cannot recall as I write this any major change that occurred in my life, from losing a job to having invitingly open doors slammed in my face, that has not brought about a new thing that was a huge improvement. Looking back, I can see the strange chain of events and how they led to where I'm at, but at the time I had no clue. And that's okay, as long as you have faith.

The good thing is that God is not just doing something new, however, but something new and better. He isn't into change for change's sake, like one of those people who is constantly rearranging all the furniture in their house, but brings change to take us somewhere we need to go, to make a connection that needs to be made or to elevate our walk with Him. And this new thing will also force us to use our faith and to rely on Him, because we will usually be in unfamiliar waters wondering how this could possibly be to our advantage and why oh why this is happening to us at all.

But that's the point. God is doing these new things, bringing these changes for our own good. It may be His way of changing our career, moving us across the country, introducing us to new people or simply bringing prosperity and that too often elusive state, happiness. We can't read His mind or even really understand His plans. But remember that He states through Isaiah that He will, "even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen." He promises to get us through this change, to make a way where none exists, and to bring sustenance where none can be found. He'll get us where He wants us to go. Count on it.

Week of 3/3/02

Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 

Most of us are familiar with the moving account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Less can recount Jesus raising the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. Fewer of us remember Luke's short blurb about Jesus raising the widow's son, but this a remarkable event. 

Jesus and His disciples had just entered the little city of Nain, pursued by a large crowd that had followed Him from Capernaum, where only the day before He had healed the centurion's servant. This experience was one of Jesus' most satisfying, the centurion's faith an impressive and encouraging sign that people were finally getting it. Most likely He was still smiling from this brief encounter with a truly faith-filled Gentile. 

As He approached the city gates, He was met by a typically noisy Middle Eastern funeral procession (just like too many we see today). A casket is hoisted high on the shoulders of several men, surrounded by a throng of crying and wailing mourners. Jesus immediately focused on the deceased's remaining family, a widow, obvious by her attire of full mourning. The dead man is her only son, all she had left. 

Again, as we saw last week, and as is seen in the other resurrection accounts, Jesus was filled with emotion when confronting this common, but overwhelming human grief. Lazarus was His friend, but this is a stranger, and yet Jesus was still very moved. Here is a little widow, crying at the loss of her only son. Ignoring the procession heading to the cemetery, He came up to her and gently told her, "Do not weep." It would not be long before His own mother would need this comforting herself. I'm sure this was never far from his thoughts.

Working His way through the now growing and surging crowd, comprised of the meeting of the mourners and all those who had followed Him from Capernaum, He approached the casket bearers. Without a word, He brought everything to a halt. A hand on the coffin, and the pallbearers were stuck in their tracks. This was far enough. Speaking directly to the dead man, Jesus said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."

Sitting up immediately in his coffin, the once dead young man began to speak. We don't know what he said. Unfortunately, it is not recorded. We can only imagine. But it is definitely a good thing that Jesus had previously frozen the pallbearers or they would have probably dropped the guy, coffin and all, on the ground. Of course everybody was dumbfounded by this impossible feat, and though it apparently didn't occur to the awestruck crowds that their long-awaited Messiah was standing in their very midst, they glorified God and news of this latest miracle spread through Judea and all the surrounding countryside instantly, or as instantly as they could spread anything back then. 

Here's what I want you to notice about this short and rarely recounted story. Some of you may have already seen it. First, Jesus cares about everybody. He understands our grief. He has experienced it firsthand. He is sympathetic, filled with compassion, and if He has these feelings for us, so does His Father. They are alike. Jesus didn't just perform these amazing miracles to pump up His ministry and prove He is the Christ. He was motivated by love. He still is. There wasn't even an element of faith involved in this event, except His, of course. No one was asked to believe anything. He just did what He wanted to do, restore an only son to a heartbroken widow.

Week of 2/24/02

When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 

Today's verse from the Gospel of John is one most of us are familiar with. It occurs at what is called The Last Supper and of course refers to Judas Iscariot's imminent betrayal of Christ at Gethsemane. But there may be a couple important points you have never noticed about this particular event.

First of all, notice the humanity of Jesus. He's very upset. He is having a final meal with the men that have been by His side for three years, men He cares about and who have been through a lot with Him. He has taught them everything, revealed to them secrets and mysteries, shown them miracles and wonders in His plan to hand over His earthly ministry to them. This is not a remote, unfeeling ascetic, unable to feel what they are feeling, but a person with very human emotions, even fears. What makes it even more amazing is that this betrayal is something He has not only expected, but predicted, as is seen earlier in John: Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve (John 6:70-71).

So even though Jesus was fully aware, even from the very moment He picked him to be one of the twelve disciples, that Judas would betray Him into the hands of those who would try and eventually execute Him, He was still hurt by it. Also amazing is that knowing all this, Jesus would appoint Judas to a position of authority and responsibility, making him the group's treasurer. For three years Judas held all the finances for Jesus' ministry in his dishonest hands.

In fact, Judas was so respected in the group that when Christ announced that one of them would soon betray Him to His death, they all wondered who He could be talking about, even questioning themselves! Even when Jesus told Peter that it would be the one He gave the piece of bread to, and the disciples saw Him hand the bread to Judas, they still didn't understand. Even when he left the table, after Jesus said, "What you do, do quickly," they assumed Judas was simply going to buy more provisions or make a donation to the poor since he had all the money. Judas was not an obvious traitor to the other eleven. We should keep that fact in the back of our minds.

But to me there's something even more amazing than Christ's attitude toward Judas, and that is His attitude toward Peter. Jesus says that one of them would betray Him. And yet just a few moments after Judas has left the room Jesus is compelled to answer Peter's bravado with, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times (John 13:38). Peter would also betray Him, yet Christ sees some distinction here. It is also quite possible that Jesus' troubled emotional state was due not so much to the long-expected betrayal of Judas, but the more personal betrayal of Peter that would soon come. I think even Jesus was capable of having His feelings hurt, Son of God notwithstanding, by the desertion of someone He considered a friend.

Still, why is Peter not considered a betrayer like Judas? He had bragged that he would die before he let any harm come to Jesus. And yet hours later Peter would not even acknowledge that he knew this friend who had healed his mother-in-law, fed the multitudes with a sack lunch, and even rescued him as he was drowning! When Jesus needed him most, Peter ran (in fact they all did, even John, the author of this gospel). Why is this not equal to Judas' desertion? Only one reason comes to mind, and that is that Jesus knew both their hearts. 

This should be an encouraging thought to all of us. Jesus knew that Peter was weak and wasn't at the point where he could walk it the way he could talk it -- yet. He knew Peter really loved Him, and really wanted to be as strong as he thought he was. He also knew what Peter would eventually become, and that he, too, would be crucified. He knew Peter, in short, was human and forgave him for this. This same forgiveness still extends to us.

This would not be Peter's last mistake. He had a run in with Paul not long after for again backing down in a critical situation. He probably made many more mistakes that the Holy Spirit thought better of recording for posterity. But he also launched the church and bridged the gap between God and the Gentiles, making the Gospel available to the whole world, always aware that he was risking his life to do so. Like Jesus said, only one would betray Him. The others just made mistakes. There's forgiveness for that.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 2/17/02

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

400 years before Christ's "Triumphal Entry" into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey colt (Matthew 21:1-11), Zechariah penned these prophetic words. Whether he or anyone else at the time understood their significance is highly questionable. Surely it must have another meaning. The Jews were looking for a conquering hero, not a donkey rider. They were waiting for someone who would slaughter all their enemies for them and restore them to power and supremacy in the region. They expected Him to be a combination of David and Solomon, a great and fearless leader of vast, invincible armies as well as the embodiment of all the wealth and splendor unseen since the opulent, even gaudy reign of David's son. After all, it was from David's line He would come and on David's throne He would sit. Boy were they disappointed.

What they got was Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter's son, riding a borrowed donkey into the city to the shouts and screams of a bunch of ignorant peasants. Not only had He no armies, He wasn't even armed Himself and wore only the simple garment of a common rabbi. He wasn't even particularly good-looking.

But it got worse. As soon as He dismounted He went into the temple and started kicking over the money changers tables, whipping the dove sellers and generally making it impossible to do a decent days business. So much for improving the economy. Then He casually healed a whole gaggle of penniless blind and lame beggars, people who couldn't even pay their temple taxes, making the priests look inept and foolish in their own synagogue and in front of paying customers to boot. And all the while the stupid, unread, unwashed peasant kids are still hollering, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" 

Bad enough if you were a Pharisee or a Sadducee, but the peasants were pretty delighted. For about a week. Then their guy disappointed even those who had been cheering Him by getting Himself crucified like a common thief. Guess he wasn't the conquering hero after all. Life returned to normal, normal being miserable.

Of course what none of these people realized at the time was that He actually was The Conquering Hero, because three days later He conquered forever death and hell, defeated Satan on his own ground, made a spectacle of him in front of his cowering, defeated armies, and returned with the keys of hell and death in His nail-pierced hands. His kingdom had been established and would never fail. His armies, armed and ready for His final command, are invincible and more glorious, more vast, more deadly than any that have ever been. The splendor of His heavenly kingdom makes the worldly wealth and elegance of Solomon seem tawdry and cheap, a pathetic copy of our own now and future inheritance as sons of God.

With our perfect 20/20 hindsight, it's pretty easy to find fault with all these folks' disappointment, selfishness and misunderstanding of the way their Messiah would come and of the kingdom He would establish. But we're not really so different. Our own expectations are often just as confused, self-serving and ill-founded.  

Just like those who expected Christ to sweep into Jerusalem with shining armies marching behind Him in lock-step, we too are frequently disappointed Jesus doesn't conform to all our plans and ideas of how He should make His entrance into our lives. We want Him to defeat all our enemies, solve all our problems and place us on top, where we are absolutely positive we belong. We forget that He gave us the means of doing this already. We want it to be easy, painless and quick. And like the peasants that were discouraged when their Man died a criminal's death, we frequently become disappointed with Christ's methods. There has to be an easier way.

Most often, however, we just miss it. We are looking for God to work in our lives and because we are expecting Him to do it our way, we simply don't see His hand working, ordering people and events, changing courses, opening and shutting doors and doing even more than we hoped for. We get discouraged. We give up. We were expecting so much, and all we got was a carpenter's son on a donkey.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 2/10/02

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Last week we looked at Job 25:4, where Bildad posed the question, "How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of woman?" Today's verse from Matthew deals with the same issue, though we are not accustomed to thinking of this well known passage in that light.

This verse begins an encounter in Jesus' ministry we usually call The Story of The Rich Young Ruler and is most often used to illustrate the captivity wealth and too many possessions can bring. But there is more to this story than that obvious flaw in the young man's character. Lets look at the entire passage:

Now behold, one came and said to him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22).

From here Jesus segues into the comparison between the odds of a rich man entering heaven and the unlikelihood of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Naturally we assume this whole conversation has been about the dangers of being fettered by wealth. But do you see the opening flaw in the young man's question? It is: What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?

As we saw last week, and many times before, eternal life, salvation, is not something that can be earned by good works or deeds. It is a gift. Right from the beginning the guy is on the wrong track. Jesus gently attempts to nudge the young man in the right direction, by telling him to do something that is humanly impossible: keep the commandments. I use the word "impossible" based on Jesus' definition of keeping them. We know that Jesus did not take the commandments lightly, but He also didn't take them as literally as the religious leaders of His day. He considered it murder to be angry with a person, adultery to look at a woman in lust. By His subjective interpretation, none of us could ever keep the commandments perfectly. In fact, if we could, Jesus would not have been sitting there at all, knowing all the while He would eventually be tortured and killed for all those lost and confused people. Had the young man at this point simply responded, "Good Teacher, it is not possible for a man to keep the commandments perfectly!" we would have an entirely different story. But he didn't.

Undaunted, or still hopelessly clueless, the young man somewhat self-righteously inquires, "Which ones?" as if keeping particular commandments instead of other ones might be the key. Jesus enumerates some for him. I can almost feel the young guy's impatience as he listens to Jesus recital. "Yeah, yeah," he's thinking, "Get on with it." But he unwisely responds that he's been there, done that and asks for the bottom line.

Jesus tells him that if he wants to be "perfect" (again, impossible) to go sell his Beamer, his new entertainment center with surround sound, his catamaran and his rack of Armani suits, start helping poor people, and follow Him. Devastated, the rich young man hangs his head and disappears from the pages of the New Testament into obscurity.

Now from all this we assume that the guy's whole problem was simply money, which is in part true, but the real problem was just plain dishonesty. The young man had not kept all the commandments, as Jesus knew from the beginning. He broke the very first one (you notice Jesus did not recite this one), "You shall have no other gods before Me." His wealth was more important than God, preventing him from truly following Christ, but what it shows is that we simply cannot keep the commandments perfectly. And if by this you think that poor people are better at keeping the commandments than the rich, you are missing the point and incredibly wrong. Poverty is no more conducive to righteousness than wealth (the police in your town can verify this). None of us can attain salvation through our own behavior. It's impossible. That's why Jesus came to this fractured planet. It is also important to remember that many wealthy people supported Christ's ministry (and still do). We do not read of Him chastising Joseph of Arimathea, for example, the rich man who donated his tomb to the Lord, for being wealthy. Why? It was not a problem in his life. And rich people can do tremendous good for the poor. Bill Gates just donated 24 billion (yes, billion) to start a world health fund to aid the poorest among us.

Of course the disciples, and a lot of people who have read this text over the centuries, missed the point of it all. They assumed that getting rid of wealth would bring eternal life. Again, like the young man, this is making the false assumption that one can work one's way to salvation, that little acts of goodism on our part will so impress God that He will suspend the rules. All Jesus was trying to show the rich young ruler was that he could not on his own attain salvation. He was imperfect. He needed Jesus for that. We all do, rich, poor and even Bill Gates.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 2/3/02

How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of woman?

This single verse from one of the oldest Biblical writings, the story of Job's fall and rise, very concisely points out the critical difference between true Christianity and all other religion, even though it predates Christ's birth by at least 1,500 years. Towards the end of this discourse, Bildad, one of Job's less than helpful "friends", asks two profound questions, and these two questions form the basis of Christian theology, a theology unlike any other on earth.

The first question he asks is: How can man be righteous before God? The obvious answer is: He can't. Nothing we can do on our own can make us righteous in God's eyes. Bildad elaborates on this in the next verse: If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in His sight, how much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm? The prophet Isaiah echoes this sentiment when he declares, But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Later still Paul quotes Psalm 14, when he says, There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10) and sums it up by stating conclusively, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). 

The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is clear on this point, that man is in a state of sin and there is only one way out of it. This is where true Christianity diverges from every other religion (actually, I do not consider Christianity a religion as such) on earth and quite a few that began as outgrowths of actual Christianity and have now become cults. All these other religions teach, from Islam to Buddhism, from Hinduism to Mormonism to modern Judaism, that righteousness can be, and should be, attained by works. This can take the form of obeying rules, doctrine and spiritual laws, doing good deeds, removing all fun from one's life, adhering to a dress code or fulfilling obligations laid out in their various texts. Christianity teaches that righteousness is attainable, but only through Christ. His righteousness becomes our righteousness when He becomes our Lord and Savior. We cannot work for this right standing with God. It is a gift. We cannot earn it. It is free. We can never merit this honor by our own actions, by "being good" or by following rules. This makes Christianity unique. I've said more than once on this site that if you think you're going to impress the Creator of the universe, the One who gave His life for all mankind for all time to come, with anything you can do, you've got a somewhat over-inflated view of your own personal charms. The only time I know of that He showed any amazement with anybody was in relation to their faith (use of or lack of), not their works.

Bildad's second question, How can he be pure who is born of a woman?, also places Christianity on a level by itself. All other religions teach that man is basically born good, and that he becomes defiled by his environment. Some teach that sin doesn't exist at all. New age religions especially favor these falsehoods, teaching that everyone already contains "God" inside them, and that by seeking one's inner self, righteousness can be found; indeed we can become gods ourselves. Nothing could be more diametrically opposed to the tenets of Christianity. We know that we are all born with sinful natures (ever been in a roomful of children for 5 minutes?) and that only by being reborn can we attain righteousness. God's Spirit does not reside in us until we allow Him in through confession of Christ as our Lord. He does not come by staring at our navels, chanting, swimming with dolphins or sitting on mountain tops. Again, Jesus Christ is the key. The only key. And you can't work your way to Him, you can only accept Him. He has already accepted all of us. He waits on our choice.

Obviously none of this is politically correct. To say that our way is the only way sounds elitist at best. Yet there's no way around it. Either God's word is absolutely true and we follow it, or it's nonsense and we dispense with it altogether or use it as a doorstop. We can and should be tolerant of other people that disagree with us, but we don't have to view their beliefs as equal to ours. They aren't. I have Jewish friends, Moslem friends, Buddhist friends, even wildly agnostic friends that I love. I treat them as such because God loves them every bit as much as He does me. But I don't consider their beliefs to be true, correct or even healthy. Do they know this? Yes. Do I beat them over the head with it? No.

Now lots of people, by virtue of their ignorance of the word of God (or through outright deceit), will continue to say that all religions are basically the same and that "all paths lead to God." The last person I heard use that one was Madonna during an MTV interview, so you get the idea. Nonetheless, these folks will remind you that, for instance, almost every religion says something to the effect of, "Love your neighbor as yourself." To which I say, "whoop tee doo!" Sure, they all possess some logic, some wisdom, some insight and have overlapping ideas. If they didn't they would have died out millennia ago. Big deal. They all also reject Jesus Christ as Savior of the world and the only Path to salvation, except one. And there's your difference. I'd say it's a major one.

There is one danger to avoid, however, and that is complacency. Just because we can't earn righteousness the same we we would, say, a pay raise, is no reason to be a slacker. Just because good deeds won't take our sin away is no reason to avoid them. The good we do, and the lives we lead, reflect on our Lord. That's why we should always strive to do good, to right wrong, to stand up for the oppressed, to help the poor, to heal the sick, and to be an example for others. Not so we can attain righteousness, but because we are the righteousness of God in Christ.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 1/27/02

"Judge not, that you be not judged."

Here's another verse in our ongoing series of completely misunderstood and misused scriptures. It's a good one, and one we hear all the time, used to justify almost anything. Usually, it is quoted by non-Christians when they are taking us to task for perceived intolerance, but Christians also misuse this one.

As you can tell from the red type, these words are from the mouth of Jesus. First, the let's look at the quote in context: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

The question is, what is Jesus telling us not to do?

One clue is the word judgment in the second verse. It translates as condemnation. This implies not only the act of judging the rightness or wrongness of a thing or person, but passing sentence on it. Another clue is the parable of the speck in the eye. It clearly warns of faultfinding, especially when we have not first attended to our own shortcomings.

Obviously, this commandment from Christ does not forbid trials for criminal behavior or acts. Christ was not advocating anarchy or abandoning the rule of law, though someone who has been given the authority to imprison or even put to death another person would do well to have the utmost respect for his or her position and never abuse it. Failure to do so could result in a harsh judgment on them. Judges and teachers are held to very high standards. It's necessary.

This admonition is not a warning against making moral decisions or judging right from wrong. Certainly we are expected to do this. Every day we are forced to make choices, sometimes tough ones. When we see something wrong, we have the right, even the obligation, to correct it. As citizens, we need to judge what is best for our country and can freely criticize policy, laws, programs, spending and the like. We make a judgment as to who should be our leaders. This can include judging a candidate's character, lifestyle and beliefs. But this is, or should be, very different from condemnation. It is possible to completely disagree with a person's lifestyle, beliefs or politics without demonizing them (and possibly bringing judgment on ourselves).

Clearly, we can judge murder, or stealing, or cheating to be wrong. We believe in absolutes. We have to make these judgments. There are acts and behaviors that are simply wrong according to the Word of God. And if we were to find ourselves impaneled on a jury, we could render a verdict on such deeds. At the same time, we could not judge a person found guilty of a crime as unworthy of either God's love or forgiveness. That would be to forget that we have been forgiven of offenses equally damning. Remember that Christ taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hellfire (Matthew 5:21-22). And, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

So what this verse, "Judge not, that you be not judged" warns against is not about making moral decisions, choosing between right and wrong, or discerning good from evil. Instead, it is a commandment to examine ourselves, to correct our own faults before attempting to correct the faults of others for them, however much we think they need it. It is a caution to avoid setting ourselves up as judges of other people's sins, faults or personal problems. Basically, it says that if you feel the raging need to judge someone, start with yourself.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 1/20/02

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

I thought I had pretty much covered this subject a couple weeks ago with another message from Galatians, but then I received this request from a regular reader (and good friend, Jack) and thought I'd give a bit more of my view on this topic: I'd like to hear a Sunday message directed to those aforementioned "Pagan Holidays". I know believers who do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc. but keep to the Jewish feasts because, they say, they are celebrated at the time of the original feast. They say Christian holidays are resplendent with pagan imagery and coincide with the dates of the pagan worship, not the real Christian event, like Christ's birth. "Christ was not born in December," they avow.

I guess my first response to this kind of thing is generally a big yawn. If people want to get their shorts in a knot because I celebrate my Savior's birth in December and His once-and-for-all atoning death and resurrection in April, it's their problem. And I didn't realize that we had ascertained the exact dates of these events anyway. But the more I think about it, the more insidious this sort of criticism becomes. 

For a long time, the main proponents of this sort of pathetic legalism have been the Jehovah's Witnesses. Not only do they not celebrate Christian holidays, they feel birthday celebrations are also evil. I must admit I never pay much attention to anything they may say as their theology is so outrageously heretical I can't possibly consider them a source of spiritual wisdom. Among other things, they believe the concept of the Trinity is Satanic in origin, that Jesus Christ is a created being, formerly being the archangel Michael, and not God incarnate (in other words, they utterly reject the Deity of Christ), and that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but an impersonal force. There is no hell and they deny that we all live forever, somewhere. They also think that knocking on your door will bring them salvation and base these notions on a bible that has been drastically corrupted by one of their long-dead and discredited leaders to fit his own perverted visions. I could go on.

Now that I've made it a virtual certainty that no JW will ever read this column again, let's move on to these "Christians" who feel the need to follow Jewish feasts and condemn the rest of us for our "blasphemous" celebrations of the birth and resurrection of our Lord. They are called "Judaizers". It is not a compliment, and it's to them Paul is referring to in today's verse from Galatians.

The Judaizers were Christians, but mixed their new-found belief with the fallacious assumption that God's promises were intended for Jews only and that to obtain real salvation certain Old Testament laws must be strictly followed. They believed in faith in Christ, but felt that this alone was inadequate to save a person. Of course this flies in the face of all Paul, or Jesus Himself, preached. Paul taught that we are saved by faith and grace alone, that adhering to the law won't do it.

Today's Judaizers don't scurry around demanding Gentiles be circumcised, but the claim is still the same: we aren't proper Christians. We aren't doing it right. There are rules and regulations and rituals we must follow if we're to see the glory of God, if we're to be truly holy, righteous. The blood of Jesus just won't cut it. We have to revert to Judaism, follow feast days, observe Jewish law. We don't even worship on the right day for crying out loud. Now I make no claims to be a bona fide Bible scholar, but I am tolerably familiar with the inerrant Word of God, having made a habit of actually reading it from time to time. I just can't find any admonitions, urgings or exhortations to revert to Judaism in any New Testament writings, even so far as keeping feast days. Can't remember Jesus saying a thing about it. Blessed are the feast keepers? Maybe I'm just not seeing them. But I do know of a dozen or more verses that warn against this.

Look at this one, for example. Paul is scolding Peter, James and Barnabas for caving in to fear of the Judaizers by refusing to eat with Gentiles in their presence. The fiery little guy even chews tough old Peter out in public over this lapse of faith (yes, faith): But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Galatians 2:14). Hello? These guys were not living like Old Testament Jews! They probably didn't know what day it was half the time, let alone whether it was the Feast of Trumpets or Tabernacles. They were too busy doing their Lord's work (saving the lost, healing the sick, casting out demons, etc.) to sweat the details the Judaizers made a religion out of. They didn't sacrifice goats and sheep and splash their blood all over the altar. They didn't follow dietary laws, do ritual hand washing or search door to door for adulterers to stone in the village square. And they routinely and with great publicity violated a major point of Jewish law by not only eating with, but living with, worshipping with, Gentiles.

So there are those who would fault you and me for what we do, or don't do. Large deal. They feel that's Christ's birth and death should not be celebrated in Winter and Spring (or at all) because this may be the same time former pagan holidays, with which we are totally unconcerned, were celebrated (Is it possible that any Jewish feast days coincide with pagan holidays? Hmm?). But that's just a canard. What they are really saying is that grace alone will not save us. Faith in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is insufficient. We need to follow rules. We need to adhere to laws, observe feast days, worship on Saturday. They probably would like for us all to grow beards, too (the men, anyway). Paul said, "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (Galatians 2:21). Sadly, maybe He did -- for them.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 1/13/02

He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

One of the reasons I became a Christian was because I was just terribly unhappy. I tried everything I could think of to remedy this, but nothing worked. My life was an absolute mess, my relationships going downhill and my health and future in imminent danger. Nothing was going right. One lonely and unforgettable night I met some other young people who opened the door to salvation for me and changed my life. The first thing that attracted me to them, instantly, aside from the fact that they could relate to all I was going through, was their obvious utter, irrepressible happiness. 

I still remember this like it happened five minutes ago. And I can still see the faces of the people who God put there to rescue me. They could hardly stop smiling. They literally glowed with happiness. This was because they had come out of the same misery I was experiencing and knew true joy. They had been down and knew what up was. They were also really excited for me, realizing that my life was changing forever before their eyes.

Today's verse from Proverbs tells us two things that we seem to frequently forget. One, that a person who not only reads the word, but follows it, will find good. Good things will happen. Why? Because that person is following the plan for success laid down by God Himself. This allows His promises to be fulfilled. It was His primary intention in giving us His Word in the first place. It wasn't just to tell us what not to do, but what to do, so our lives would be not only enjoyable, but fruitful. Second, that a person who trusts in the Lord is happy. That word happy can also mean blessed, but if you're blessed, you should be pretty darn happy, right? Pretty basic stuff, I know, but how often do we see this?

And that's what concerns me. I've seen people having root canals that looked happier than many Christians I know. These folks act as if being a Christian was such a joyless burden that who in their right mind would want to be like them? They are dour, frustrated and not much fun to be around. Then I turn on the TV and see leading Christian teachers that often seem more angry than happy, especially those in political circles that supposedly represent me. Is it any wonder that non-Christians aren't beating down the doors of our churches on Sunday morning? They're already miserable. They don't see a solution there. The Christians they know are no happier than them. They've seen happier people sucking lemons. That's a real problem. 

Now I have to admit that I'm not always Jiminy Cricket myself. Sometimes we need to be serious and deal with important issues, but we don't have to lose our happiness in the process. Happiness is something everybody, but everybody, on this planet craves. We need to show them that this is something we, as Christians, possess. Our faith is not about denial, not about suffering, but living life to the fullest. Nonbelievers should look at us and see a people that have good lives, health, prosperity and happiness. They should want what we have. And by prosperity, I don't simply mean money, but the fact that whatever we do, whatever we undertake, it's successful. We're always growing, always moving forward. Happiness is simply a natural byproduct of a life lived in this manner.

Does this mean that when something bad happens or when our lives and plans just aren't going the way we think they should, that we should still be happy? Actually, yes. Paul tells us, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). Again he states, Rejoice always (I Thessalonians 5:16). This from a guy who has been beaten, run out of town, shipwrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake, imprisoned and had the perfect afternoon of being stoned and left for dead. We have so much to be thankful for, so much to be happy about, that no matter what setback we suffer we should still be happy. We know there's a way out for one thing. We know we can count on God to turn evil into good.

Easy to do? No, not always. But putting Christianity, Scripture and our faith aside for a moment, does unhappiness do anybody any good? Is it profitable? Healthful? Does it make others want to associate with you? Believe in you? Do business with you? Be married to you? Do people look at those who are unhappy and say, "Wow! I want to be just like him! He's so miserable!" Not unless they're a taco short of full combination platter.

I guess if there's any bad news in today's message, it would be that your happiness is a choice, like most things in this life. You choose. You can be a happy Christian or a miserable one. You can elect to rejoice, look for the good, celebrate your blessings and your Lord no matter what, or be miserable and down about what hasn't happened yet, what isn't perfect and what isn't going your way. I leave it to you to decide which would be the more enjoyable life.

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

Week of 1/6/02

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

The other day I ran across yet another website touting the necessity of keeping Jewish feast days, abolishing Christmas as a pagan holiday and chastising the majority of Christians for worshipping on Sunday, etc., etc. It makes for very annoying reading because these are the very sort of people who will never listen to reason, or Scripture for that matter, and have determined that everyone preaching the word is in error (and bound for hell) -- except them. Their site is joyless, angry, profoundly legalistic (though they mistakenly call it "righteousness") and has but one element that would induce anyone in their right mind to listen to them -- fear. 

Now if this is your idea of Christianity, go for it. But you better have a good supply of livestock to sacrifice. You're going to need them.

Today's verse from the ex-legalist Paul to the backsliding Galatians deals with this very subject. On first reading, and taken out of context, one might assume the great apostle was talking about becoming re-entangled in a life of sin. But this "yoke of bondage" he is referring to is not sin, but legalism. Now think. Does a "yoke of bondage" sound like a good thing? Something you want to have around your neck? Personally, being a slave has never been a particular aspiration of mine.

In the preceding chapter, Paul explains how we have become heirs and sons and are no longer slaves. Again, he is not speaking of being slaves to sin, but slaves to the law. He is amazed at the Galatians inability to recognize the freedom they have achieved, how they received it, and their bovine determination to revert to their old practices. He equates this return to legalism with a return to idolatry or pagan worship: But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain (Galatians 4:8-11). And of course in the chapter preceding this, he really lays it out for them: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3).

Okay. Anybody still confused about this? Is it not obvious what Paul is preaching? But let me remove any lingering doubt. After admonishing the Galatians to "Stand fast" in today's verse, he continues to show them the complete folly of returning to legalism: Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempted to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:2-6).

Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Debtor? Estranged from Christ? Fallen from grace? For the life of me, I can't imagine how these self-righteous goombahs fail to see the warning here. But Paul is not finished with these "bewitchers" (not a positive Christian term) that would enslave you: This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is (Galatians 5:8-10). Notice that word leaven. It is the same Jesus used to describe the insidious and deadly false doctrines of the legalists of His day: Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6). Not good company to be associated with. Also notice the phrase he who troubles you shall bear his judgment. This is not something I would want to shoot for.

Maybe I have not yet convinced you and you still cling to the lie that you need to keep feast days, observe the Passover and Hanukkah, follow dietary restrictions, sacrifice sheep and goats, go to church on Saturday, in other words, live according to old Testament law. Okay. Fine. Then fulfill the law. All of it (good luck). You do it your way, I'll do it according to Jesus and Paul, who said: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14). That's enough of a challenge for me.

As in Paul's day, there are still a lot of freedom-killers out there who will attempt to divert your joyous walk in Christ with dour legalism. They want you to be in the same miserable bondage that shackles them. Sometimes they sound as if they have compelling reasons. Sometimes Scripture appears to be on their side (you can usually bend a scripture to fit anything, however wrong). It's up to you to discern the false prophets from the real (I John 4:1). Look at what they produce, the fruit of their ministry (Matthew 7:15-20). Look at their followers. You can tell good fruit from bad. You choose: joyous freedom in Christ or the oppressive yoke of bondage. If only the rest of life's decisions were this ridiculously easy.  

The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)

.HAVE FAITH IN GOD!

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