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(Isaiah 55:8)
This is probably one of the easiest passages of Scripture to prove true. I'll show you how: Look at your watch and count the seconds until you have another thought that God wouldn't have. You shouldn't have to wait too long. Now moving beyond our thoughts, let's look at our ways. Have you ever done anything differently than God would have done it? If not, then you were born in Nazareth of Galilee 2,000 years ago.
This is no great revelation. Most of us are constantly aware that God is immeasurably superior to us in thought and deed. That's why He's God (and you're not), if you need a reason. While this verse from the prophet Isaiah is certainly true and applicable on this level, it isn't intended as a put-down of Man, but an explanation of how God does business.
Imagine, if you will, having absolute power and absolutely no limits. Your word creates. Your word destroys. You are not bound by time or space; you see the end and the beginning at once. You see every man's heart and know every secret. You have legions of angels awaiting orders, each one endured with enough power to exalt or topple nations and change the course of history. You cannot fail.
Well, you can't imagine, so stop trying. Your imagination itself is too limited to get even an inkling of God's Godness. And that's what I think this verse is really about.
For example, remember the last prayer that God answered for you? Did He do it the way you would have done it? Or did He put just a bit of spin on it and leave you thanking Him and shaking your head at the same time? See, this is the realization that we need to come to: God knows what He's doing. Simple, yes, but often something we have a tough time coming to grips with. We pray, He answers, in His way and His time.
This is not to say that as believers we don't have authority. We do. We have specific areas in which we are to boldly, in Jesus' name, deal with negative circumstances. But if you've been a Christian for longer than five minutes you know that God is still full of surprises. His response to his Son's name is infinite in its variety. How He answers your prayer most likely will be totally different from how He responds to the person sitting next to you. But here's the important thing: He will answer.
Our problem is that we just don't see how He can do it. We look at the situation, the need, the clock and ourselves and think, "There's just no way." It's impossible! (For more on this wrong-headed notion, see this message).
Well, God never promised to show us how He was going to do things. He just promised to do them and this is where that much-maligned force "faith" must be applied. We must believe He's working even when we see no evidence of it (at all). He's not going to say, "Uh-oh! Someone's watching! I better look busy!" We don't need to cover for Him when it appears He's inactive. He doesn't need our help in this area. He needs our faith.
So these days I try to see the Big Picture. Every person I meet, every opportunity I encounter has meaning. God is busy. Every obstacle, delay or dead end has significance. Nothing is coincidental. God is busy. He's moving bridges into position in my life that couldn't be erected one second earlier or later. He's been as far as I'll ever go and knows exactly how to get me there in one piece. He's miles ahead of me, clearing a trail that I haven't even stumbled upon yet. God is busy. Things didn't happen to me that I have no knowledge of at all. Things that happened twenty years ago suddenly have relevance. God is busy. No, He doesn't think like me and He sure doesn't act like me. I guess we can all be thankful for that.
(Luke 1:38)
Gabriel left heaven on a mission from God, arriving at Nazareth in Galilee. He made his way to the house of Mary, a young girl engaged to marry one Joseph, a carpenter. When she opened the door , Gabriel told her to be happy, that she was blessed and God was delighted with her.
As you can imagine, the girl was not only surprised at this information, but more than a little scared. For one, she had never seen an angel and the things he was saying made no sense. But Gabriel calmed her down and explained, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
Mary was in shock. It was too much. This couldn't be right. Besides, she explained, she had never had sex with anybody. She couldn't be having a baby. But Gabriel explained to her that the the child she was to bear would be God's child, miraculously conceived. In fact, he continued, Mary's cousin Elizabeth, a woman long considered incapable of having children, was at this moment six months pregnant, "For," he explained, " with God nothing will be impossible."
Mary looked at he angel. Somehow she was able to believe this incredible story. Then Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And Gabriel went home.
Next week we will celebrate the fulfillment of the news Gabriel brought to Mary, and to the world. But for now, let's look at the faith of this young girl. She was told to believe something completely impossible. Not only impossible, but dangerous, for to be pregnant and unmarried in that day was punishable by death. Still she said, "I am here for you to use any way you see fit. Let it happen just as you say."
None of us are going to face the same situation Mary encountered. There will be no more virgin births. Yet as the new year approaches, you may have been implanted with a thought, a goal, a dream or a vision that seems impossible to your natural mind. It makes no sense to you and goes against everything you've ever known, but it won't go away. You may feel that there is something you've been instructed to do that is awkward or may jeopardize your comfort. Don't be embarrassed. Don't be afraid. Do what Mary did. Trust God completely. If the vision has been planted by Him, it will be born. Everything worked out just fine for Mary. You're no different.
We know that what the angel told Mary came to pass exactly as he said it would. But I believe things could have been very different. What if she hadn't believed the angel? What if she had just shut the door on him and run the other way? Or if she had just refused to cooperate with the plan and simply said "no way"? I'm sure we would still have Christmas, still have Jesus, but Mary would probably be a name we hadn't heard before.
(I Corinthians 1:20)
The following is an email I received from my Dad this week. He thought it might be useful to me. I think it might be useful to you, too, as it very clearly demonstrates something I have been trying to express for some time:
Well, I had this kinky dog when I was a small boy. He was half collie and half German shepherd--big and impressive looking--except that his tail stood straight up and curled over his back like a question mark.
Anyway, when I came home from school in the afternoon he would come grinning and tailwagging and wiggling across the yard, as if he had been waiting all day for me. After a suitable greeting he would abruptly turn and begin retracing my route through the woods and back toward the school. (This was in the days when dogs could run free.)
People who hung around the school building later than I did would report back to me that my dog would go straight to the rack where I parked my bike, sniff all around, and then head for home.
What's the point? Just that many believers as well as unbelievers act just like my dog. They seem compelled to retrace the steps of Jesus with historical, anthropological, chemical and physical analyses in order to, in their minds, verify or debunk the scriptures. It's the academic mindset that insists on evaluating everything according to controlled laboratory tests, together with references to the learned papers of their colleagues. It's the same presumptuousness exhibited by the scribe in Mark 12:32--"Well said, teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but he..."
I really got a kick out of this, but then he ended his letter to me by reminding me that when I was about six years old I said, "Why can't grownups just appreciate what Jesus did without trying to figure out how He did it?" Good question (though I don't remember asking it).
This is the same feeling I get when I watch the TV specials investigating the Shroud of Turin, that alleged burial wrap of Christ. I watch the scientists do their Carbon 14 dating, argue the possibilities of fakery and demonstrate methods that would duplicate the supposed evidence. They discuss pollen and spores and weaving techniques. Some are so determined to prove that this interesting piece of cloth is the genuine article that no amount of scientific denial of their evidence can daunt them. The cloth dates too recently to be authentic. No problem: the part tested must have been added later, etc., etc. Yet others approach the problem so convinced that nothing supernatural is represented here that if they were in the presence of a genuine miracle the smothering arrogance of their own erudition and their self-induced scientific blindness would prevent them from ever seeing it.
The point that neither side in this debate ever seems to grasp is that the entire issue is one of faith. They will never prove or disprove scientifically whether Jesus rose bodily from the dead. And that's the way it should be. Actually, I seriously doubt that Jesus would have left such a blatant proof behind, knowing its potential for becoming misused (as it indeed is in Turin) as an object of worship.
The reality of Christ's resurrection, the existence of God, and all the miraculous elements of our faith are to be proven in our daily lives, not the laboratory. We experience the supernatural. We don't measure it. It can't be analyzed, put under a microscope or separated in a centrifuge. It is. It always has been. It always will be, proof or no proof.
(Hebrews 4:16)
Week of
Conspiracy theories aside for the moment, let's agree for the sake of this analogy that the most powerful man on the planet is the President of the United States. He can make peace and he can make war. Countries and peoples all over the planet look to him for guidance and support. He represents freedom and possibility to millions who know neither. The global economy reacts to his most subtle actions. He holds in his hand the power to literally blow the world to smithereens. His words can change the course of history. His actions can decide it.
Now imagine that you are sitting at home pondering your future. Life hasn't been going so well. The job, the career you thought was eternal has proven to be discouragingly finite. You don't know what to do next or even where to start. The people you had always counted on to be there for you have proven to be less than friends, with no time to spare for your little problems. They have their own. Your family, at least those who care, can do nothing to help you. The future, if there is one, appears hopeless, dark and frightening. There's nowhere to turn and nobody to turn to.
Dragging yourself off the sofa you figure you might as well go out and get the mail; your last unemployment check should hopefully be there. Walking back to the house, you sort through the bills, the ads and the junk mail. Great. There's the check. The last one. Hey, what's this?
In your hand is a long, pale blue envelope, personally addressed to you. On its upper left corner is the Seal of the President of the United States. Staring at it you can conceive of only one possibility: bad news, the last thing you need more of.
Returning to the warm spot on the sofa, you figure you may as well get it over with and open the letter. You can't believe what you are seeing. Instead of an impersonal government document of impending doom you find a hand written letter. In the salutation is your first name, as if written by an old friend. The letter is short and to the point, but warm and friendly in its tone. The writer states that he is aware of the troubles you have been having and just wants to let you know that he is there for you if he can be of any service for anything, anytime. He closes with his home phone number and asks you to please call, that he will be waiting to hear from you. He signs it, "Your friend always" and adds, without formality, his first name.
Holding the letter, you sit there staring blankly into space. The President of the United States just wrote you --you, a nobody --and volunteered to literally do anything he could, with all the power of government behind him, to help you out of this desperate situation. He wants to be your friend. He wants you to call him. Absolutely amazing.
You wad the letter up and throw it in the trash.
Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
(Jeremiah 33:3)
Do you realize what an amazing promise this is? Look at it again. We call to God, He answers. That would really be more than enough. But He doesn't stop there. He wants to show us great and mighty things that we don't know. That could be rather helpful.
Which is exactly the point.
Take a look at the Hebrew word for "mighty" in this verse, batsar. It actually means "inaccessible" or "isloated". In other words, what only God knows. This is what He wants to give us and our cost for this priceless information is to simply call on Him. To ask (Matthew 7:7).
Of course you have to first of all believe that God's Word can be trusted and that He doesn't make these promises casually. You have to believe that if you ask Him for insight into a certain situation, He will answer you (James 1:5).
Personally, I am surprised that so many people have a problem with this. When I see endless commercials for these so-called "psychic" lines, I become convinced that people are desperate to believe something, anything! They're starving for answers. They'll trust their future to a total stranger. They'll go to palm readers, tarot readers, and astrologers instead of Him who made their hands, planned their future and hung the stars.
Sadly, I think the main reason for this lack of belief in God actually doing anything for them rests uncomfortably on the shoulders of the Church. For years many denominations have purged the Supernatural from their doctrine, as well as the daily lives of their followers, leaving them with a God that just sort of "is". They teach God as unknowable, mysterious, borderline schizophrenic and most of all, very angry. They end up feeling like the Scarecrow approaching the Great and Mighty Oz to ask for a brain. So they turn to a cheap (and very dangerous) counterfeit, the occult.
This has got to a major disappointment to the Father. Here's the most powerful, loving, generous, omniscient Person that ever was or will be offering His help for free and people call up some guy who gets paid by the hour. Sad, very sad. Dumb, very dumb.
So the next time you face any situation that you just don't know the
answer to, before you call anyone else, call God. He will answer and show you great
and mighty things that you don't know. And one other thing I've learned from experience,
He really enjoys blowing your mind when He does it. .
(Colossians 3:15)
I really enjoy it when I am reading a passage from scripture that I've read hundreds of times and see something new. It convinces me over and over that the Bible is a work I can study for the rest of my life and never completely discover. That is the case with today's verse from Colossians.
Most of us are familiar with this verse. It is short and frequently quoted. But like all seemingly innocuous lines from scripture it conceals some very profound concepts in it's starkly simplistic language, hiding them in plain sight. Let's look at three of them. Here is the verse again:
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body; and be thankful.
The first word that should get us thinking is that word let. It means to allow or permit. This is incredibly important for it states very clearly that God's peace can indeed rule our very being, but it comes about because we allow it to. We decide whether or not we will rest in God or whether anxiety, fear and doubt will be in charge. It's our choice alone. God's peace, while available to everyone, is forced on no one. Further, in the context of Paul's letter, this peace goes beyond inner, personal peace and includes interpersonal peace. This is the peace that allows us to get along with those who make us crazy.
The next word that we should consider is called. We were called to this peace. The Greek word for this, kaleo, implies called forth or bidden to come. We were chosen to be subjects of God, ruled by His peace. If an earthly monarchy could promise this we'd all give up democracy in a heartbeat. Further, we weren't chosen alone. We are part of something greater than ourselves, a body of believers all yearning for this peace. Yet one of the wonders, even dichotomies, of Christianity that sets it apart from the many man made religions and philosophies is that the individual never disappears. No part of the body is more important than you. None of the King's subjects is more loved and none have greater access to Him than you possess right now. You are not an interchangeable part, but a specially created person, in spite of your flaws and limitations, that cannot be replaced. You matter.
The third word that we should take note of is be. Again, something is required of us, not foisted on us. As it was our job to allow, to let the peace of God rule our hearts, it is also our responsibility to be thankful. Paul in fact does not merely suggest this; he commands it. Admittedly, this is not always easy, but it will always bring you into the presence of God, which, by the way, is where the peace we were called to, is.
We could all do a lot worse than to live by this verse. When peace rules one's heart, personally and in one's dealings with others, there is a noticeable lack of conflict. Worry disappears. When one realizes he is called, created and here for a purpose, life ceases to be pointless. When one is thankful, God responds with even more things to be thankful for. Not a bad plan anyway you look at it.
(Romans 12:14)
No one ever said being a Christian was going to be easy, but sometimes it seems that no one ever warned us just how difficult it can truly be. Our verse for today demonstrates that admirably.
Probably the toughest thing to do is to deal with being wronged. None of us like it, and we have a natural defensiveness that kicks in when we're stepped on. We retaliate. We fight back. Yet over and over Scripture commands us not to react in this manner. No matter how spiritual you think you are, this is tough. No, you may not say anything, but inside you are rehearsing the revenge you would really enjoy taking, over and over again.
There is a very good reason for not doing this, and it is not so much spiritual as, well, practical: It does no good. In fact, if it's going to harm anyone, it will be you.
So is the answer to be a doormat, to just be stepped on all the time and take it? No. And theoretically there is nothing wrong with taking legal remedies to correct an injustice. But the best way for a Christian to deal with these issues is in the manner Paul prescribes here in Romans. After our initial verse, he goes on: Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay", says the Lord.
What this tells us very clearly is that God is in control, and it is His place to exact vengeance. More than that, He's looking out for us and doesn't take kindly to the abuse of His people. Someone messing with one of His kids is in for a really rough time, if not right here and now, definitely in the immediate future. But there is something more. When we take the distribution of justice upon ourselves (I am speaking in the personal sense, not as in enforcing laws), we are saying that God is unable, or at least unwilling, to defend us. The least understanding among us can see that this is a serious lapse of faith, and when faith goes, so does God's prerogative to act. This reduces the role of God from that of Avenger to bystander. None of us have to think to long about which position we'd rather have Him in in our lives.
Paul continues this instruction, now quoting from Proverbs 25: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Now this is interesting. It seems that the more gracious we are to the people trying their best to destroy us, the worse it gets for them. Cool.
There are reasons why this works. One is the fact that God just enjoys coming up with totally weird stuff that flies in the face of conventional thinking and makes it work. The other is that the act of blessing somebody has an immediate reciprocal effect (even shooting a gun at someone leaves powder residue on your hands). The more you bless, the more you are blessed. And if you are blessed, how can you lose? I also believe that when we are in the blessing mode we are more like our Father than at any other time. Our kinship becomes obvious.
Like so many principles of Christianity, this one also comes down to one major issue: Trust in God. It is simply a matter of trusting Him to deal with situations more suited to Him than to us. The great thing is that He actually enjoys this and welcomes and delights in our placing our trust in Him. It's why He created us in the first place, a worthwhile thing to remember.
So the next time (and there will be one) you are treated badly, no matter to what degree, let God handle it. Try blessing instead of cursing and see if it not only works, but doesn't also makes you feel a whole lot better. Try it now. These verses weren't just written to make the Bible thicker. They are there for us to learn from and act on, difficult as this can be sometimes. But it's worth it. Seeing God take care of business as only He can is not a thing to be missed. It's really amazing what He can do if we just get out of His way.
(Matthew 16:17)
Our verse for today has been the inspiration for many sermons. But there is an aspect to this statement by Jesus that may not have occurred to you before. It has to do with leadership.
As Jesus and His disciples hiked into the region of Galilee known as Caeserea Philippi, He caught them off guard with what seems to be a very simple question, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
Immediately, and without much thought, the disciples, relieved to have known the answer (for once), chimed in, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
I want you to notice two things about the question Jesus poses to His followers. First, He asks who other people, not the disciples themselves, think He is. Secondly, He tells them in this question exactly who He is: the Son of Man. Hello, this is not His nickname! It is Jesus favorite way of defining Himself, His Messiahship, and His redemptive mission to humanity, and it derives from one of Daniel's Messianic visions, prophesying His coming and ministry (Daniel 7:13-14). The disciples' answer should have been, "We don't care who people think You are. We know You are the Son of Man, the Messiah." But it wasn't. I can imagine that Jesus was just a little bit disappointed.
But, undaunted, He presses on, inquiring, "But who do you say that I am?"
Instantly Peter responds, alone, as apparently the others were still thinking about it, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This quick (and correct) response really pleased Jesus, as is evident in His incredibly enthusiastic and generous response, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say also to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Peter's response to Jesus' lavish and ebullient approval of his answer is not recorded, but I'll bet it started with the Hebrew equivalent of "Whoa!" Also not transposed for our benefit is the other disciples' reaction to Jesus' excitement at Peter getting it right, but it must have included, "Why didn't I say that!"
See, Peter demonstrated a leadership trait that none of the others had yet acquired: the ability to hear God. The other disciples were still listening to the crowd. This is why Jesus handed Peter the keys, so to speak. He could be trusted to listen, not to his own head, not to the opinions of others, but to God.
It's also important to recognize that Peter didn't ask to be a leader; probably never even thought about it. He was not a learned man, but a rough, hard-working, hard-headed fisherman. Though it's true he had many qualities that would make him a candidate for leadership, he had just as many that would disqualify him, by human standards anyway. Yet he became the point man for the greatest revolution the world has ever seen, presided over the birth of Pentecost, wrote inspired words still studied by scholars worldwide, and became so powerful in the kingdom that his passing shadow healed people where they sat. How? Why? By doing something every one of us can do. He listened. But beware. When people start listening to God, He has a way of turning them into leaders, like it or not.
(Proverbs 21:1)
Though the next election is still more than a year away, the attention of the country is daily beginning to focus on politics, almost, it seems at times, to the exclusion of other more pressing issues. Even now candidates, and potential candidates, are crisscrossing the country, raising money, giving speeches, and testing their support base, hoping to be voted into a position of power and authority. As the races for various positions become solidified and the rhetoric heats up, we will once again find ourselves, even the disinterested and apolitical among us, discussing the candidates and their ideas, or lack thereof, with a passion we rarely allow ourselves to exhibit publicly. Best friends will stop talking to each other, families will be divided and innocent coffee breaks with fellow workers will turn ugly.
The television coverage of this phenomenon will be non-stop. Republicans will blast their Democratic opponents, the Democrats will demonize the Republicans, and each side will seek to destroy their fellow party members who dare to compete for the same post (this familial wound will miraculously heal come election time). The Reform candidates will of course be firing in all directions as they crouch behind their dead horses, arrows whizzing over their heads.
This will not be a purely secular event. Christian television and radio will join the war, our Gospel Celebrities conscripting their audience for The Cause. You will be not so subtlely instructed as to who to vote for. Even here it will get nasty as reputations are challenged, morals questioned and complex issues reduced to dogma, biblical mandates for Christian conduct being temporarily suspended. The Christian vote is huge (though not the guaranteed bloc some see it as), therefore smart candidates will trot out the few scriptures they know, others will memorize what they can, and all will find themselves in church on Sunday mornings. White hopefuls will even go to Black churches and prove, yet again, that the Lord didn't hand out rhythm in equal proportions.
You may be asking yourself if this somewhat pessimistic rant has a point. It does and it's this: Your future is not determined by who's in office. The truth is, your life, your health, your prosperity, your happiness and most importantly the location in which you will spend eternity is not going to be determined by which political apparatus is in momentary control. It is solely dependent on your relationship with Christ. He rules.
God isn't worried about who wins our elections. He didn't fall off His throne when Clinton won and He wouldn't have called a special day off in Heaven had Dole won. He is in charge. He can control any government He chooses to control, as today's verse succinctly points out. He can turn it wherever He wishes, as He has demonstrated time and again. He's made some of the worst rulers turn completely around. This is not to say we shouldn't be responsible citizens and vote, voice our opinions and even fight for worthy causes. We should. This is not just a right, but in my mind a duty. Yet we can go too far. We can fall into the trap of believing that the solution to all our country's problems is simply a matter of voting the right person in or out, passing laws and getting other people to do what we think they should do. It isn't.
This country will only be healed from the inside, one person at a time. If that's too slow a process for you, blame Jesus: it was His idea. We cannot place our hope in men, nor do we want to see Christianity in this country become simply another muscle-bound political party, Christian in name only, as it is in many countries throughout the world (Yugoslavia, Ireland and Lebanon for example). Our number one mission on this earth is to save souls, not effect political or social change, as disappointing as that may be to some. We want the troubled, the hurting, drawn to us, not repelled. People already have enough barriers that keep them from Christ.
So I hope that as the political season approaches you will meet it with faith, a sense of responsibility and a healthy dose of skepticism. I hope you won't be drawn into the bickering, the name-calling and all the rest of the fury that comes with democracy as we know it. Life will go on. God will remain unfazed. You will be secure, and your family, if you cast the only vote that ever really mattered and said "yes" to Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
(James 1:2-3)
If you read this weekly message regularly, you have probably noticed that I possess an uncanny ability to find metaphors and symbolism in the mundane to underscore and support the verse chosen for our text. Sometimes I even find symbolism where none exists. In life, this is usually considered a handicap, a mental condition best tended to by professionals. In ministry, however, it is seen as a positive boon. Today's message is a good example of this kind of non-linear thought.
Recently the Senate rejected the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, to the delight of some and the disappointment of others. You will hear more about it over the coming months as it is reduced to a campaign hot-button issue, and can sort it all out yourselves, but the basic premise is this: one side feels that we must continue various weapons trials and test our arsenal regularly to guarantee its readiness and effectiveness while the other side believes our weapons will function if needed, if not entirely, at least enough to more than do the job.
I don't have a clue as to who's right on this issue. But if we were talking about faith instead of nuclear warheads, I'd have to agree with the first position. Which is exactly the point James, Jesus' half-brother, makes. He believes trials, while not particularly fun, are necessary, and should be met with a joyful attitude. Joyful, because he knows it's part of the maturing process and that it is ultimately helpful. He accepts constant testing because it produces "patience", which is in this case really translates as endurance, strength, and perseverance. And if you don't ever have your faith tested, how do you know it's going to work when you need it?
Faith has to be used on a regular basis to maintain its effectiveness. You cannot wait until you are desperately ill to start believing that God is the Healer. You don't want to wait until you're homeless to start believing God is your Provider. That's why He gives us little challenges along the way to practice on. He doesn't hit us with more than we can handle (but He makes it pretty darn close sometimes). Good. It makes us stronger. The next time a similar or even more challenging situation arises we can meet it with faith that has been tested and proved effective.
We can't be as optimistic as the Test Ban Treaty advocates when it comes to our faith. We need to know it's working. We don't want to face a crisis and find out that our faith, which hasn't been tested in years, is at about 80% effectiveness. We want our greatest weapon to be 100% effective, hit every target it's aimed at and completely annihilate the problem.
While Congress had the opportunity to vote on whether there will be testing or not, we don't. Count on it, if you are a Christian, there will be a test. But don't let that make you nervous; don't start worrying whether you'll be able to handle it. You've already been given all the answers. They're in the Book.
(I Corinthians 2:16)
For the past couple of weeks, the TV news shows have really been hammering that great modern philosopher and well-known thinker, Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura, for his candid remarks about the mental capabilities of those who believe in and honor the reality of God. This is remarkable, since the media have always delighted in portraying people of faith as weak-minded individuals purely as a matter of course. The vehemence with which they have attacked this Real American Hero seems somewhat hypocritical and unfair. After all, this ex-Navy Seal made his name as a professional wrestler, which gives him some very special insight. His career has been built on the premise that people are stupid enough to believe anything is real. He's seen their need for heroes, and even steroid-bloated lummoxes in pink tights and feather boas can fill this void. He further demonstrated the truth of this by daring to run for the highest office in his state, and actually winning. People are dumb.
That is one reason I find it easy to excuse the Governor's remarks. Here's another: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (I Corinthians 2:14). See, our faith is going to appear to be weak-mindedness to those who do not know God. After all, we believe some pretty impossible things, if you look at them with natural eyes. We believe in realms that are invisible. We pray to a God we've never seen, in the name of Someone who left this earth 2,000 years ago. We plan to live forever in a place called Heaven. We don't know the address. When we're in need we believe we will receive help from this unseen God. We let Him guide our lives. We trust Him.
But there is a reason why we're able to do this without feeling stupid: For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). We have the mind of Christ. No weakness there. We are able to judge the spiritual, to see it, discern it, by the same Spirit that was in Jesus. This wisdom does not reside in the natural, unregenerate man. We know something they don't know.
If you are a Christian, many people are going to see you as a weak-minded fool. They will see your faith as a crutch, not a foundation. Get used to it. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:18). And again: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (I Corinthians 1:27).
We are not weak-minded. We are Christ-minded. The faith some see as weakness is a strength they cannot comprehend. This is the strength that allowed the writer of today's verses, Paul, to endure stonings, imprisonments, shipwreck, beatings, snakebite and eventually death without fear or wavering. The toughest Navy Seal has never gone through what Paul experienced. And Paul is only one of thousands upon thousands who have had the strength of mind and will, through the power of their faith, to face hardship, torture and death as valiantly as the most elite of our Special Forces could ever hope to.
The Governor's comments don't bother me. I pity him. And yet, while I wouldn't want to find myself in the ring with him, I'd be happy to go mind on mind anytime.
Week of 10/3/99 (Reprinted from 10/13/96)
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
Notice: Kona is in Dallas, Texas this week. His mother went to be with the Lord last Wednesday 9/29/99. He has asked to me reprint an article in his absence. He did not tell me which one to use and the Lord pointed me to choose the following. This reprint is dedicated to his mother, Beverly, a remarkable woman whose consistent and total trust in the Lord is an inspiration to us all. While we all miss her presence here on Earth, Heaven is still celebrating her journey Home.
Chee
If you conducted a poll of Christians and asked them where they believed they would spend eternity, the vast majority, without any hesitation, would say Heaven. Most of us, myself included, spend very little time worrying about this or trying to figure it out. We trust God in this matter and accept His salvation as reality. When I really think about this, I find it amazing.
We trust the Father with our very souls. We have no problem believing that we will live forever in His presence enjoying the unimaginable beauty and wonders that are His realm. We trust Him to spare us from neverending death and torment in the eternal separation from Him that awaits the sinner. But when it comes to something really important, like which job to take, we don't trust God as far as we could throw Madeline Murray O'Hare.
Oh, I know we say we do. I say it all the time. Then I realize I'm trying to figure everything out. I'm going through a series of intellectual tumbling routines, factoring every positive, every negative, until the final outcome is no longer in doubt. And why shouldn't I? I'm intelligent. I've been around. I can see right through people. And after all, I know what's good for me!
It's usually about this time that God shows me just how much I don't know. He isn't bound to my logic. His intelligence dwarfs mine to the point of nothingness. He's been around forever. He can cause people we think we know to suddenly surprise us. And not only does He really know what's best for me, He wants me to have it.
This is why it's so important not to lean (support oneself) on our own understanding. We simply don't have the resources. God knows exactly what He's doing. He's already been to where we're going.
This becomes incredibly obvious to me when I look back at the circuitous road that's gotten me here. Nothing has ever happened as I planned it. I could never have imagined that some situations that seemed so awful could in the end produce so much good in my life. I can look back now and see what God did, but it still amazes me how He did it. If I imagined a thousand ways for Him to operate, He would pick number 1001.
But it's not enough to just trust God, although that's a really good start. We must acknowledge Him in all our ways. This basically means to maintain constant, intimate contact with Him through prayer and fellowship. As a result of this communion He will direct (make pleasing, straight, good) our paths. As I have noted, my own path has at times seemed to meander quite a bit. Some of this has undoubtedly been due to disobedience on my part, or not maintaining that intimacy with the Lord, but some of those twists and turns were necessary. Relationships were established. Lessons were learned. Faith was exercised and strengthened. God made even the mistakes fit into His plan.
Trust is a conscious act. It is something we will ourselves to do. It's a choice, just like using our faith. And like faith, it grows with use. Everytime we trust God to direct us and we see it work, we are encouraged to repeat the process. And even when we don't really see where we're going, we can trust God to get us there.
One of the definitions of the word "trust" given in my dictionary is quite revealing. It applies to the term as used in Law: A legal title to property held by one party for the benefit of another. God has established just such a trust for us. We have, through Christ, legal right to what He holds for us. Our futures.
.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Exodus 32:4)
Last week's article attempted to deal with our attitudes towards money. We saw in Scripture that there is nothing inherently wrong with having money, even great wealth. It should be regarded as a blessing and treated as such. Even (hold on to your hymnals) enjoyed. Yet we also saw that wealth can be a snare, and Paul's concern, his warning, seemed to be directed primarily at the ministry. If the ministry becomes overly concerned with making a buck, trouble will surely follow. Yet none of the laity is immune to this temptation, either.
Today's verse shows ministry, Aaron's in particular, taking the worship of money to its logical conclusion. The exasperated Moses couldn't believe what he was seeing when he came back down from the mountain. Jesus encountered the same sort of thing when He cleansed the temple of the money changers and dove sellers (Actually, cleansed is a euphemism. What he did was whip a bunch of guys and kick over their tables). The temple had become a place where you came not to get saved, not to worship, but to get fleeced. The priests were corrupted by the pursuit of wealth, even to the point of being willing to murder their own Messiah to preserve their power.
Now do not misunderstand me. I believe in the 10% tithe as a starting point. I believe in contributing to missions and causes that are worthy. Churches need money, they're not funded by the State, thank God. I believe in sowing and reaping. I've seen the results. But things have gotten out of hand in some churches. Scripture is manipulated (another euphemism) by some TV ministries. God cannot be bought, and it should never be implied that He can. Giving is not going to guarantee an instantaneous miracle. It doesn't always produce the much touted Hundred Fold Return, at least not always in money (there are better things sometimes). Giving is to be from the heart, without ulterior motives. We are not supposed to give just so we can get more and more. But be sure of this, God sees our giving and honors it, and He knows why we are giving. Are we giving out of love, out of thankfulness and respect for His Word, or just to get what some travelling dove merchant told us God owes us?
One of my favorite musicians, Steve Taylor, put this subject into song on an album called Squint. You should go buy it. I like Steve because he's as irreverent (read nonreligious) as I am, plus he rocks. The lyrics, while not as much fun without the hysterically melodramatic music, still manage to make some very serious points in a profoundly silly way, which is exactly what I live for. The song is Cash Cow (A Rock Opera in Three Small Acts) and it goes as follows:
Move... move in closer... move in closer to the... move in closer to the middle of the frame.
It was a morning just like any other morning... in the Sinai Desert... 1200 BC. It glistened, it glowed, it rose from the gold of the children of Israel (and most of the adults). The Cash Cow! The golden Cash Cow had a body like the great cows of ancient Egypt, and a face like the face of Robert Tilton (without the horns), and through the centuries it has roamed the earth like a ravenous bovine seeking whom it may lick. Cash Cow. From the valley of the shadow of the outlet mall to the customized petwear boutique, from the trailer of the fry chef to the palace of the sheik, the Cash Cow lurks.
Who loves you baby? Who gives you good credit? Who says you'll regret it?
"I was young and I needed the money. I had money and I needed more money. I was filthy rich... all I wanted was love, and a little more money."
Woe to you, proud mortal! Secure in your modest digs. You think you're immune? You who couldn't finger said cow in a police line-up with the three little pigs? Cash Cow, master of disguises! Who's gonna change shape at will? Who's the eye in the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill? Who loves power lunching from Spago to Sizzler? Guess who's coming to dinner?
Who loves you baby? Who gives you good credit? Who says you'll regret it?
One yank on that udder will land your butter in a sling. First one's free. Cow junkies take heed. Cash Cow, coming to get ya! Why? Because you think this is stupid, don't you? The Cash Cow will not be mocked! The Cash Cow's planning a coup! The Cash Cow chews cud bigger than you! Woe, woe, woe to you who blow off this warning. Perhaps you've already been licked. I too was hypnotized by those big cow eyes the last time I uttered those three little words, "I deserve better!"
The first time I heard this song, after I had stopped laughing, I asked myself a very serious question. Just what was it I really deserved from God? I could only think of one thing: Death. But miraculously He commuted my sentence. He gave me a new, better life. I look at everything else I have as a big whopping bonus. I never say, "I deserve better" anymore. I actually deserve much less. Less than less. When I give now, it's out of thankfulness for what I have, not for what I'm hoping to get back. I won't milk that cow.
The Israelites gave up their gold earrings to build the Cash Cow, because they thought they deserved better than that stubborn old man Moses who was leading them to the Promised Land. God wasn't coming through for them in a timely enough fashion. It was their downfall. Jesus saw this same attitude a millenium later. It continues today with the Gospel As Infomercial. The Cash Cow lurks. The Gospel as an Investment Strategy. Lick. Give Your Way to Wealth. Moo. You're hypnotized. The only way to kill the Cash Cow is to give because you haven't got what you really deserve. That thought alone should make you a cheerful giver. And you know how God feels about them.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(I Timothy 6:7)
Most of us would agree that there are few certainties in this life. Today's verse though states a very basic one that few would argue with: No matter what you amass here on earth, on earth it will stay.
The last people to most notably misunderstand this in a big way were the ancient Egyptians, who spent more time and effort preparing for an afterlife than anything else. Their tombs contained the wealth, the day to day needs, and even quite frequently, servants to maintain that lifestyle to which they were accustomed in their new life in the next world. They even carried money to bribe the guardians of the underworld. While this has been a positive boon to the world of archaeology and a source of delight to all of us who enjoy viewing these fabulous treasures, it hasn't done the intended departed a whole lot of good. Obviously their loot stayed here and they didn't. Unless they come back and have a fondness for museums it won't provide them much comfort.
This is why Paul tries, in his first letter to Timothy, to show us the proper attitude towards not just wealth, but all worldly possessions (Actually, I don't have any first-hand experience with wealth myself, but I believe I can effectively pass along to those of you who do some Biblical guidelines to keep a balanced life). In the verse just prior to our quote for the day he makes a very clear statement: Now godliness with contentment is great gain (I Timothy 6:6). Basically he's saying that if you have a real relationship with God (which is how godliness should translate here), you have all you need. Be happy. But you should also note that this does not preclude having material things or even vast wealth. Whatever we have, godliness is the most important asset.
Paul further admonishes in verse 8: And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. Does this mean anything more than food and clothing is obscene? Does this mean that wanting more than the clothes on your back and a cheeseburger makes you ungodly? No, what he is saying is that if you have God, you already have more than just the basic necessities. Don't worry.
In the next verse Paul pens what is probably the most misquoted and misunderstood statements he ever wrote: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (I Timothy 6:10). Clearly, Paul is warning us against chasing wealth. He is concerned especially for those in the ministry getting caught up in turning the Gospel into a money making scheme, a sort of heavenly MLM scam, sacrificing their integrity just to get rich. Leaders do this not only by cheating their flock (many recent high-profile examples come to mind, their names I'll leave to your own good memory to recall), but also by saying only what they think the congregation wants to hear, not needs to hear. Empty pews aren't good for the bottom line. This is called selling out. Worse, in my mind, however, are the ones that virtually sell healing, prosperity, etc., by warping Scripture to their own purposes, but that's just my opinion.
But it isn't only the ministry that falls into this trap. Solid Christians in all walks of life give into this temptation, making sleazy business deals, putting their careers before their families and becoming rabidly concerned about image (model of car, size of house, size of church building, estimated worth of fellow members, etc.). Paul says this behavior, this attitude about money, will cause us to pierce ourselves through with many sorrows (injure ourselves in a somewhat masochistic way). I can tell you this is true. Virtually everyone I've ever known who has made wealth and its accumulation the number one priority in their life have caused themselves pain. And I'm not just talking about rich folks, either. Our prisons are full of poor and middle-class people who wanted money more than anything else and didn't care what they had to do to get it.
One would get the idea from reading this that wealth is a bad, or at least dangerous, thing. I don't think so. If you have a job, it is probably because someone is wealthy enough to employ you. But wealth does carry with it responsibility. Paul clears this up for us in verse 17: Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Paul doesn't command the rich to give their money to the poor (or to him) so they can be poor also. He doesn't imply they are less godly because they have. He simply warns them against thinking their riches can do for them what God can. He acknowledges that all things, riches included, are from God and are to be enjoyed. He continues: Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may hold on to eternal life. Wise advice to any tax bracket.
Of course the greatest sorrow that will pierce the lover of money is the ultimate truth that he can't, alas, take it with him. The Donald Trumps of this world will enter eternity without the thousand dollar suits, Italian shoes, the limos and the limitless line of credit. Just like King Tut their wealth will be divided here, fought over, sold and put on display. The importance of who they know will be reduced to One Person. There will be no deals. They will have nothing to bargain with. But then again, neither will the rest of us.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Acts 3:4)
In the last article we looked at Peter's short walk on the water, as he alone among the disciples had the courage, faith or maybe just sheer chutzpah to leave the boat mid-storm to join his Lord on the surface of the raging sea. It was, as I said, a short walk because Peter, suddenly aware of his still turbulent surroundings, took his focus off his goal (Jesus) and began to concentrate on the problem.
Some people might be tempted to find fault with the big fisherman for letting his doubts get the best of him. I won't. I know of no person who has ever managed to do what he did. He walked on water, be it only for a few tentative steps. Myself? I have never so much as stood up on it, let alone walk. Heck, I'm not even a particularly good swimmer. I won't pick on him for lack of faith. This event, however, had a powerful impact on Peter and his ministry.
Not long after the Ascension and the resultant Pentecost baptism, Peter and John were on their way to their daily fellowship with the growing church, which at this time was not outlawed and still met in the temple with the Jews. As they negotiated their way through the busy Jerusalem street, choked with the usual mid-afternoon activity, they approached the temple gate. Lying on the ground next to the entrance was a lame beggar, a regular for years at this spot. We don't know his name, but he at least had the business savvy to hit people up for spare change on their way in to the temple. Peter and John seemed to be likely enough prospects, so as they were about to go inside, he spoke up, and asked them for a handout. It worked! They stopped and fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us what was in the mind of the lame beggar at this point of the story: He thought he was going to get a little pocket change. Peter had change of a different kind in mind. Luke does not say so, but I believe at this point Peter's short walk on the water came rushing back to his mind. I think Peter remembered how he had faltered by succumbing to the terror of his surroundings. Here they were on a bustling city street, on the very steps of the temple, surrounded by distractions of every kind. He was looking at a grown man, lame from birth, a well-known character at the temple gate. He did not want the guy thinking about his disability, the impossibility of what was about to happen, the priests, the crowds or how many quarters he had in his jar. Peter knew from first-hand experience the need for focus. He wanted the man's undivided attention.
Then looking into the expectant face of the beggar, Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And just as Jesus had done for him as he began to sink in the water that not so distant day, Peter reached his hand down and lifted the man up.
His immediate healing surprised everybody (except Peter and John, of course), the formerly lame beggar not the least, as he began hopping all over the place praising God. The crowd was amazed. They had known this man for years and here he was walking and leaping like a little kid. He was so thrilled he didn't want to let go of Peter and John. He even forgot they had stiffed him.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Matthew 14:30)
Jesus had just that afternoon miraculously catered a sit-down dinner for 5,000 guests and was tired. On top of that, His friend John had been beheaded the day before. He needed some time alone, without distractions, to recharge, so He put His disciples in a boat and told them to sail to the other side where He would rendezvous with them later.
Midway on their journey, about 4 o'clock in the morning, the disciples encountered rough water and high winds. The storm grew and their small boat, tossed from one wave to the next, no longer responded to the helmsman. The situation looked grim.
As the storm raged the desperate men bailed water and fought with the rigging, trying everything their years of seafaring had taught them to keep the boat from sinking and their lives from coming to an abrupt and wet end. Yet as bad as this was, things took an even more horrifying turn. As they peered through the waves crashing over the bow they saw what appeared to be an eerie figure approaching. Gripping the rocking gunwales with frozen fingers the men cried out in raw terror. From the heart of the tempest there appeared what could only be a ghost, walking towards them on the very sea itself, wreathed in blowing spray, coming ever menacingly closer with each flash of lightening. There was no escape. The men covered their eyes and cowered down in the flooded boat.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
Peter lifted his head and squinting through the chaos of wind and water screamed, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Which is exactly what Jesus did. "Come", He said.
Peter scrambled out of the pitching boat and as his feet touched the water he began to walk towards his beckoning Friend. Nearer and nearer he came, the water under his feet like firm sand. Jesus was just a few feet away now. He could almost touch Him.
But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat the wind ceased (Matthew 14:30-32).
Now here are a few points to consider from today's Scripture: 1) Always do what Jesus tells you to do without fear. He's not going to send you across the sea just so He can drown you in it. 2) Don't be surprised when He shows up. Anywhere. 3) Peter got away with a big "if". You might not be as fortunate. 4) Keep your focus on Jesus, not your problems. 5) Doubt bad, faith good. 6) Eleven out of twelve Christians won't even get out of the boat. 7) Peter was only beginning to sink. He wasn't treading water yet. 8) Jesus is always within arm's reach.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Hebrews 11:6)
A couple weeks back I wrote two consecutive articles on the need for us to expect from God. I went so far as to say that it is a virtual slap in the face to God to expect nothing from Him. This well-known verse from Hebrews says it nicer, but should put to rest any doubts as to my interpretation of this issue.
This verse makes it very plain that using faith, not just having it, or mentally assenting to the notion of its possibilities, is the criterion for pleasing God. Considering that so much of what we do must be disappointing (but not unexpected) to Him, we should jump at the opportunity to make Him smile a bit. If you read the rest of chapter 11, you will see many examples of people not very different from you and me who have had this effect on our Father. You will also note that all the examples given required action on the part of the individual, Noah building a boat, Abraham leaving his hometown, etc. These heroes of faith are heroes because they acted on their faith. They saw faith as something to be wielded, not sat on like some kind of big, comfy, overstuffed couch.
But there's more to it than just stepping out and doing something in faith that pleases God. As we see in the second part of the verse, it pleases Him for us to expect. We are to believe that He not only exists, but that He desires to reward our efforts to use the faith He's given us. Again, all the examples listed in this chapter deal with people not only acting on their faith, but being rewarded for their boldness.
However, if these things are true, it would not be incorrect to assert that lack of faith is extremely displeasing to God, that the failure to act on this gift He's placed within us is not simply ungracious, but insulting. Further, to expect no reward for applied faith is the biggest insult of all because it suggests that God is not only inept, indifferent to our needs or powerless to do anything about them, but that He is also a big, fat liar.
See, Noah built the Ark. That was an act of faith. There was no rain when he built it. He was miles inland from any body of water. His neighbors thought he was totally insane. It took years to complete. But what if the whole time he was working on it he was thinking to himself, "I don't see any rain. And if it does come, we'll probably all drown anyway. This tub will never float. Heck, I'm too old for this." That would pretty much negate his whole act of faith, wouldn't it? That's what too many of us do. Unfortunately, we don't even know we're doing it most of the time.
It's not enough to just do things because our faith demands them. We must expect the reward that comes from using faith. Our actions are not meaningless rituals, or at least they shouldn't be. There is an end to be achieved. There is a purpose for acting. There is a reward to be gained.
Of course the greatest, most stupendous reward awaits us. Heaven is something that just about every Christian, regardless of affiliation or denomination, agrees on: They're going. They will live in this wonderful place forever because of their faith. Because the Bible says they will. Great. But in the meantime, maybe we should try to expect some rewards here on earth. The Bible clearly tells us to do that, too. And to be honest, if you can believe you're going to live forever in a place you've never seen with a God you've never met after going through a process you've never experienced, what can't you believe?
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Acts 17:26)
Recently we had another terrible incident of racial violence wherein a man was so consumed by hatred of others different from himself (he believed) that he was willing to risk life in prison or even execution to make his deadly statement. Sadly, I do not find this surprising. In fact, by not naming the incident here I am convinced that this article will remain timely for some years to come.
I am never surprised by hate. Even stupidity rarely causes me to react. It's everywhere. I'm used to it. What does amaze me, however, is how these hate groups, especially the ones that profess to be "Christian", convince their benighted followers that their doctrines are scriptural.
Of course the main reason this occurs is that most people are completely ignorant of what the Bible actually says. If you've read this weekly thing of mine with any regularity you know I harp on this problem constantly. Know the Bible or you'll get taken, one way or another. But these folks take their astounding misunderstanding to almost magical heights of idiocy.
Simply put, there is no Biblical justification for racism. Throughout the Word, Old Testament and New, anyone who came to God was accepted. Jesus rubs the Jews' noses in this fact in recounting some of those outside "The Chosen" who God took special interest in (Luke 4:25-27). Scripture is full of stories like this, the example of Rahab being highly notable for her not only being saved from destruction but actually being grafted into the lineage of Christ.
Of course one need look no further than Genesis to realize the unity of the race we call human. Our Lord tells us, through writers enabled by His Holy Spirit, that He created all of us from one couple (You will find no mention of Eve's tryst with Satan that according to some of these numbskulls produced the Jewish race). Again, post-Flood, we all had to get here via the Noah family.
Today's verse also makes an indisputable case for the fact that we are all brothers under our various skins. Paul states that God created us from one blood, and in fact, every race on this planet contains the same blood types. If you need a transfusion, a Bushman, a German, or an Eskimo will save your life if the type matches. There is no difference in blood.
God brought this concept home to our friend Peter in a big way also, and, as the big guy states earlier in Acts, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation (read race). But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28). He further forbids racism, saying, "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (Acts 10:34-35). So who then are we to not accept someone based on something as meaningless as pigmentation? In reality, there are only two divisions of people: the saved and the unsaved. And God created both (Malachi 2:10).
Honestly, I don't know how these hatemongers get around these verses, let alone the basic tenets of our faith set forth by Christ Himself. It must take an incredibly strong will to believe so adamantly in an idea so obviously, so glaringly wrong. Yet they do. And their numbers are growing. We should be concerned. We should counteract their ridiculous lies every chance we get. There may be no more important social issue for Christians to rally to than this. They're using our name. They stole our symbol of hope, power and love, the Cross. We should be angry.
It must infuriate the White Supremacists and their ilk to read the Book of Acts. For instance, how can they handle the fact that God took Philip, by the instruction of an angel no less, all the way out to Gaza to preach Christ to an Ethiopian eunuch, as black as the cover of my Bible, just so he could carry the Gospel back to his country full of black people? Maybe they delete this passage. Maybe they delete a lot of passages. They must have a very skinny Bible.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Acts 27:25)
Today's verse comes from one of the most remarkable accounts recorded in the New Testament. Unlike many of the overtly miraculous and supernatural events we are familiar with, this one is notable for showing the power of one man's quiet, confident faith, and what that faith can accomplish.
As the 27th chapter of Acts begins, Paul, in Jerusalem with other prisoners, boards a Roman ship headed for Italy. Luke, along for the voyage, records these events of what will be Paul's last (earthly) journey.
From the outset, the voyage appears to be ill-conceived and foolish, as the season for sailing these treacherous coasts is rapidly approaching its end. Yet after many days of unfavorable weather the ship makes the lee coast of Crete and weathers in a place called Fair Havens, outside the city of Lasea. It is here Paul speaks up for the first time and warns his captors of their approaching fate, saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo, but also our lives."
However, the centurion, Julius, eager to get his prisoners and cargo to Rome, and siding with his helmsman and the ship's owner, decides to ignore Paul's warning and make for a safer harbor further down Crete's rocky coast and winter there.
Lulled by gentle winds and fine weather they weigh anchor and head out to sea, but before long it seems as if Paul might have been right after all, as the Euroclydon, a nasty and infamous headwind native to those waters, drives the now unpilotable ship into the very heart of a raging tempest. Cables are used to undergird the ship to keep her from breaking up. Anything unnecessary is heaved overboard to lighten the load. On the third day even the ship's tackle is put over the side. Still the ship is driven helplessly by the storm. Day and night blend into one long, nightmarish rollercoaster ride as stars and sun are blotted out and the ship is tossed from wave to wave for days on end until all hope is abandoned.
Meanwhile Paul, who has been quietly observing a fast, chooses this moment to come on deck and address the crew. Standing in the middle of this chaotic scene, with the storm threatening to swallow the helpless craft any moment, he basically says, "I told you so" (an unlucky personality trait that probably contributed to Paul's present incarceration), but after getting this jab in he continues, telling the panicked mariners that no one will die, but that the ship will be lost. He explains that this information was given to him by an angel, who told him, "Do not be afraid Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all who sail with you." It is here Paul utters today's verse and continues with the revelation that the ship must run aground on some island.
Now under normal circumstances, Paul's Roman captors would hardly be likely to listen to what they would consider to be the delusional rantings of a madman. Yeah right, an angel told him. But after fourteen days of sheer terror anything made sense. And upon taking soundings, it seemed as if land might be near. Emboldened, some of the crew tried to sneak off in a skiff, but Paul told Julius that, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." The skiff was cut loose without further argument. Paul then admonishes the men to eat (look who's in charge now), which they hadn't done for fourteen days (probably couldn't keep anything down), and in their presence he broke bread and gave thanks to God. Then they threw all the remaining food off the ship to lighten her even more. And in case you were thinking this was just a handful of guys lost on a Barefoot Windjammer Cruise, there were 276 people on board this ship.
Daylight came, real daylight, and as Paul had prophesied, the ship ran aground. Her bow stuck fast in the sandy Maltese shore. As the stern was being torn apart by the breakers, 276 men scrambled for the sides. The soldiers, fearing a mass escape by the prisoners, drew their swords intending to kill them immediately before they all got away. But Julius stopped them. He wanted Paul alive. He knew that this crazy little guy had just saved the lives of himself and everybody else on the ship. He called out for all hands, and prisoners, too, to get to shore however they could. This they did, some swimming, some clinging to wreckage, but they all made it.
On Malta they were fed and warmed and given wonderfully hospitable treatment. Paul continued to amaze his now attentive audience by shaking off the bite of a deadly snake and healing a local bigwig. He probably could have stayed there on Malta, lazily writing his memoirs and enjoying a comfortable (and well-deserved) old age. Yet he continued on to Rome, once again in his familiar chains, to tell people the truth they didn't want to hear. He was beheaded shortly thereafter.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Psalm 31:24)
Every day in this world we see the result of lives lived without hope. This hopelessness has become the currency of our modern culture, almost to the point of defining it. We find it in music, film and theater. It propels the events that take over the headlines and fill our TV screens. It comprises the central theme in popular literature. It is reflected in the faces of young and old alike, and in their attitudes towards government, relationships, education and most importantly, the future.
Pundits will debate the reasons for this phenomenon, so-called experts will offer solutions and myriad religions and cults will claim to have the fix, but the answer will be the same as it ever was: Hope rests in God. Place it anywhere else and it's not hope.
As I was writing this article I was reminded of a song by Bob Carlisle from his album titled The Hope of a Man. The song is "When a Grown Man Cries" and the words go like this:
If the hope of a man rests within Your arms,
not in what he's done, but within his heart
If the storms should come and the earth should quake
Let him stand on Your love and find his hiding place.
If my hope were in myself, I would have given up years ago. If my past accomplishments were all I had to fuel my future, I would be totally hopeless. But my hope doesn't rest in me or what I've done. I am not counting on the government to make everything better. I don't look to relationships or even my marriage to give me hope. I don't count on my education, science, the stock market or any other man-made device to be the guarantor of a bright future because all these things can go extremely not according to plan. I place all my hope in a very big and loving God.
This is not a hope founded on wishful thinking. This is a hope founded on God's proven record of getting things done and taking care of business. It's founded on a knowledge of His Word and it's infallibility, as well as first-hand experience of seeing Him in action. It's a hope based on what He's done, not what I've done, and that's the difference.
We are all going to experience periods or at least pangs of hopelessness. Even David in giving us our verse for today admitted only two verses earlier, For I said in my haste, "I am cut off before Your eyes". He got over it though, rebounding back to a man filled with hope, though still surrounded by danger and trouble, which he eventually overcame. I can only say this: If you are a Christian operating without hope that you have absolutely no idea Who God is. Yes, that's fairly blunt, but if you had even the tiniest inkling of God's awesome ability to change the grimmest situation instantaneously you would never, ever, be hopeless.
If you feel your hope waning, the muscles of your faith getting flabby and slack, then it's time to do some serious weight lifting. It's never too late. Begin by hoisting that big, heavy Book you've been neglecting onto your lap and start reading. The Psalms are a great place to start. They're filled with hopeless situations being overcome with hope. Talk to God. And listen. Expect. It's the same thing as hope. As my Bible states in the notes, The correct way to hope and wait for the Lord is to steadfastly expect His mercy, His salvation, and His rescue, and while waiting, not to take matters into one's own hands. That's advice I am happy to take. I've always been more proficient at getting myself into trouble than out of it anyway. It's comforting to realize that God has already taken that into account. In fact, it gives me hope.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Romans 10:3)
Pretty tough words from old Paul. Probably why he got stoned, beaten up and thrown in jail on a fairly regular basis. Probably why he was eventually beheaded. You see, these sharp words were not directed against the Corinthian gentiles, the Roman working class or the notoriously foolish Galatians, not even the infamously untruthful, evil, lazy, gluttonous Cretans, but to his own people, the Jews.
This verse comes from a lengthy segment of the letter to the Romans ( I recommend you read all of chapters 9, 10 and 11 sometime) in which Paul laments Israel's rejection of Christ, her need for the Gospel and her ultimate salvation through Him. He minces no words. He does not offer this denouncement out of arrogance or haughtiness, but out of a deep sense of pain and loss for the people to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came (Romans 9:4-5).
Paul felt this was a deeply troubling situation. How times have changed.
Never in my life have I heard one preacher, in a church or on television, even hint that Israel might not be right with God. There is a reluctance, bordering on paranoia, to suggest that the Jews, without Christ, are lost. Instead, Israel is revered as some sort of Valhalla, existing beyond the reach of Scripture, an island free from criticism, a sacred cow that does what it wants when it wants and where it wants. Everything that takes place within her tiny borders must be interpreted as God's will or the fulfillment of prophecy. Apparently she can do no wrong. Yet a quick tour through the Old Testament should convince even the most unenlightened apologist this is simply not the case now nor has it ever been. Israel has a rich and long history of ignoring God's instruction, something we can all sadly identify with, yet they seemed to accomplish this many times in profoundly imaginative ways, incurring wrath of literally Biblical proportions.
I have always found this reluctance to speak to the Jews need for Christ as one of the greatest mysteries (and most abject and embarrassing failures) of the modern church. We have no problem finding fault with virtually every other religion on the planet, of telling drunks and drug addicts that without Christ they're doomed. Screaming through bullhorns at women entering abortion clinics is doing God's work, but suggesting Jews don't have a lock on eternity through their ethnicity is abhorrent and distasteful. Our ministers, teachers and TV evangelists regularly jet to the Holy Land to hobnob with Israeli rabbis, leaders of trusting multitudes, leaders who are not just proud of their rejection of their Messiah, they're smug about it. They gladly accept our Bible tours, and of course the influx of capital this brings, as long as there is no preaching. I would love to hear Paul's reaction to this kind of deal.
Meanwhile, in Israel, valiant Israeli Christians fight for the very souls of their people, people who have come to see their Jewishness itself as synonymous with salvation. One such person is a young man I met once named Keith Intrater. He runs a ministry directed at Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Jews, a tough crowd to sell if ever there was one. I remember him imploring our congregation not to send money to Israel. He claimed it was frequently used to crush people like him and his work. His life was difficult enough. His place had recently been firebombed. By Jews.
But here's what we do. We have television shows like Isaiah 58, wherein Christians are urged to send money to bring Russian Jews to Israel. If we wanted to do something really good for them, we would have a show called Isaiah 53 wherein we introduce them, many of them for the first time, to their long-rejected Savior. Just getting a free plane ride to Tel Aviv isn't a guarantee of salvation.
It's interesting to note that all the preachers of the New Testament, starting of course with Jesus Himself, made the Jews the original focus of their ministries. They felt it was only right that they get the first opportunity to receive this wonderful new covenant. Only after they had been rejected again and again did they began to preach to the Gentiles. They never equated Judaism with Christianity. They never saw it as an either/or choice. They saw it as life or death. They never said, "This applies to you unless you're a Hebrew." And they were all Jews themselves.
Hopefully, someday the church will realize that Jesus is mandatory for all peoples' salvation. There is no hope without Him. There is no other name by which man can be saved. The Jews and Israel are not immune to this truth. A painful history spanning the past 2 thousand years should prove this to anyone paying attention. The church's whorish devotion to the mythic ideal of the State of Israel will not save one single soul. In fact, it only reinforces the deadly belief that Christ is unnecessary, an option. It says Easter and Passover are the same holiday, just celebrated differently. But the truth is that the Jews need Christ as much as their (also forgotten and unevangelized) Arab neighbors do. The question is, who has the courage to tell them? No one I've seen yet.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
(Proverbs 22:6)
This week I would like to share a story sent to me recently by a friend and regular reader. It's not that I'm too lazy to write this week or at a loss for ideas. I just really enjoyed this. I am transcribing it exactly as sent. Thanks, Tom.
During the course of World War II, many people gained fame in one way or another. One man was Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. One time his entire squadron was assigned to fly a particular mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. Because of this, he would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to leave formation and return.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he could see a squadron of Japanese Zeroes heading toward the fleet to attack. And with all the fighter planes gone, the fleet was almost defenseless. His was the only opportunity to distract and divert them. Single-handedly, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes and attacked them. The American fighter planes were rigged with cameras, so that as they flew and fought, pictures were taken so pilots could learn more about the terrain, enemy maneuvers, etc. Butch dove at them and shot until all his ammunition was gone, then he would dive and try to clip off a wing or tail or anything that would make the enemy planes unfit to fly. He did anything he could to keep them from reaching the American ships. Finally, the Japanese squadron took off in another direction, and Butch O'Hare and his fighter, both badly shot up, limped back to the carrier.He told his story, but not until the film from the camera on his plane was developed, did they realize the extent he really went to, to protect his fleet. He was recognized as a hero and given one of the nations highest military honors. And as you may know, the O'Hare Airport was also named after him.
Prior to this time in Chicago, there was a man named Easy Eddie. He was working for a man you've all heard about, Al Capone. Al Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic, but he was notorious for the murders he'd committed and the illegal things he'd done. Easy Eddie was Al Capone's lawyer and he was very good. In fact, because of his skill, he was able to keep Al Capone out of jail.To show his appreciation, Al Capone paid him very well. He not only earned big money, he would get extra things, like a residence that filled an entire Chicago city block. The house was fenced, and he had live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. Easy Eddie had a son. He loved his son and gave him all the best things while he was growing up: clothes, cars, and a good education. And because he loved his son he tried to teach him right from wrong. But one thing he couldn't give his son was a good name, and a good example. Easy Eddie decided that this was much more important than all the riches he had given him. So, he went to the authorities in order to rectify the wrong he had done. In order to tell the truth, it meant he must testify against Al Capone, and he knew that Al Capone would do his best to have him killed. But he wanted most of all to try to be an example and to do the best he could to give back to his son, a good name. So he testified. Within the year, he was shot and killed on a lonely street in Chicago.
These sound like two unrelated stories, but Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.
We spend a lot of time these days bemoaning the condition of our children. We look for solutions to as well as reasons for their problems. They face tough times in a very tough world. Experts with impressive credentials fill the airwaves with advice that runs the gamut from insightful to absurd. But today's verse from Proverbs is the best advice a parent could ever follow because it's not just psychobabble. It's truth. Not man's truth, but God's. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. But the best, and most lasting, training isn't the result of constant preaching. It's not the fruit of a world-class education. It isn't beaten in. Ever. The best training has been, and always will be, a good example.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
Aloha dear readers,
I am on (forced) vacation this week and will return next Sunday with a new Rise & Shine. Meanwhile, here's an article from July 14, 1996. Enjoy. By the way, the miraculous outcome of this story remains true to this day, in fact, even better.
Aloha nui loa,
Kona
............................................................
Before I tell you this remarkable story, just what is your soul? Many people assume that soul is the same as spirit. It's not. I've heard it explained this way: you are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. Your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. For instance when a person is "born again" their spirit is reborn. That is the part that is created anew. You still weigh the same. Your hair color hasn't changed. And very likely you still have the same mind, will and emotions, although these can be greatly affected.
David says, "He restores my soul." Notice that the word 'restores' is plural. He means that daily the Lord restores his mind, his will and his emotions. The Lord can take the anxious mind and bring it peace. He can strengthen your will to do what is right. And He can help you bring your emotions under control so they don't control you. I don't know about you, but I need this every day, (okay, sometimes I need it twice a day) even though I have a reborn spirit.
The knowledge that this is God's will for us, to have our souls restored, should be very encouraging to you if you suffer from any mental or emotional disorders. Which brings me to this story.
We have a very good friend who for years fought serious depression. Her childhood had been dominated by an abusive alcoholic father. She was deeply scarred by this but dealt with it as best she could. However, she kept sinking deeper and deeper into a world of total darkness. She surrounded herself with images of death and blatant evil. Her friends all wore black. She hated anything that had to do with God, especially Christians. Her marriage began to suffer and she slipped further down.
Then her father died. All her unresolved anger at him and even her love for him had to go unspoken. She became so ill she had to be hospitalized. She was suicidal. Her husband was at a loss to help her, though he tried to stand by her. The doctors tried numerous combinations of drugs, once almost killing her, to combat what had become severe clinical depression. When she finally got out of the hospital, she was basically a zombie. She was on so much medication that she had to quit working. Her marriage was over.
What she didn't know, however, was that a lot of people were praying for her. Her ex-husband had become a Christian. We prayed for God to send Christians into her life and that she would be totally healed. We didn't doubt God's will. We knew this was not what He had planned for her life. He restores souls.
A couple months went by and we stood on God's Word for her healing and believed that Lord of the Harvest would send laborers across her path. (Sorry, that's kind of Christianese for 'people to lead her to Jesus'). One day my phone rang. I didn't recognize the voice at first. It was my friend. She said something really strange had happened. It seems that everywhere she went she was surrounded by Spirit filled Christians. She couldn't get away from them. They were everywhere. And what's more, they were kind to her. They listened to her. She knew these people cared about her.
Finally one of them brought her to their church. During a regular service, she received total healing of her illness. (Thank God she went to a church that still believes in such things).
That was a couple years ago. She has never needed any more drugs. Her mind is totally restored. Her sense of humor is back. She smiles and laughs. A lot. She was always very beautiful, but now she positively glows. God didn't just give her a new spirit, He restored her soul.
Please realize that this is not an isolated instance of someone receiving a "lucky" healing. I could give you many more stories like these, all true and from my own experience. What God did for my friend, He will do for you. He is the Restorer. Ask Him to do it. Pray this psalm, just like David did and believe that it is God's will is for your mind, will and emotions to be restored.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
(Luke 6:37)
Here is yet another of those famous scriptures, spoken by Jesus, and widely quoted (and misunderstood) by the believing and unbelieving alike. More often than not it is applied in defense of behavior that has come under fire from the religious, conservative, or popular side of an argument. But what does it really mean?
First of all, we have a right, indeed a responsibility, to judge. Without this there would be no morality at all. We would have no law. The Bible is full of information that gives us the basis, and the wisdom, to do this. We are instructed to judge right from wrong, truth from lies, good from evil. There is even a book called Judges in the Old Testament. Where we go over the line is in our judgement of other people. It is here we step into God's shoes. They don't fit us.
What we have here is a clear warning against fault-finding and self-righteousness. Jesus is very pointedly telling us to examine our own character, to look at and correct our own faults before launching a crusade to make everyone else over in our image, in other words, perfect. Even more, He's telling us that if something someone else does bothers us, take a look inside and find out why. What is it in us that makes us feel the need to judge and condemn? Are we perhaps seeing a bit we don't like about ourselves in others ? Just a thought.
Judging and condemning are the sole property of God. The third item, forgiveness, is within our realm, but the power to withhold that forgiveness is not. Again, that is something only God Himself has the right to do. This is where it gets a bit tricky. All of us, if we're honest, will admit to this being one of the most difficult aspects of Christianity. That doesn't matter. We have to forgive. Period. You want forgiveness? You better forgive.
As soon as Jesus makes this point He makes another statement that is also widely quoted: "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Do you realize He has not changed topics?
Yes, I know we always hear this verse when the bucket is being passed around and it (the Law of Sowing And Reaping) is applicable in that situation as well, but Jesus isn't talking about tithing or missions or feeding the poor right now. He's still talking about judgement, condemnation, and forgiveness. He's in the middle of a point He hasn't yet finished.
This verse can be good news or extremely bad news, depending on what you're giving out. Give plenty of judgement and condemnation and get a heaping helping back. Be stingy with your forgiveness and get a meager portion in return. On the other hand, be tight-fisted with your condemnation and judgement and you won't see much coming your way. Be free-handed with your forgiveness and you will get a boatload back. This is one thing none of us can ever have too much of.
A good test of our grasp of this truth (and our actual practice of it) would be to turn on the TV and see how long we can go before we are having our bosoms filled with a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over return of judgement and condemnation spilling off the LazyBoy onto the floor like so much popcorn. Try CNN for a real test, or maybe Jerry Springer. If you make it for an hour without judging or condemning the people you see give yourself an A. If you fail, try it again, this time testing your forgiveness quotient. Start with yourself. You'll have plenty of opportunities for a big return.
.HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
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