Few would die for the truth, almost none for a lie.

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If you can't say something nice about someone, pray for them.

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Allow me to be utterly offensive: This is the state of the average American church. I should know. I grew up in it. Oh, sure, we had a cross on the steeple and a big sign out front advertising our denomination, but in all honesty it should have read: Church of the Unknown God. Yes, we did all the things you do at church. We sang hymns, paid our tithes, prayed, listened to sermons and had carwashes. The result was we had very clean cars. But we didn't have a clue as to who God really was or what he wanted to do in our lives. Yes, we loved Him, or were trying to, but we were worshiping Him without knowing Him.

To be fair, it wasn't all bad. The hymns, for instance, many written by men of great faith, moved me at times. Our pastor, a good man, was trying his best to fulfill his calling. I did receive some basic training in Christianity that probably kept me out of trouble at times. But I was never told to expect anything in return for my tithe. I had no idea how to pray with faith or to expect results. I don't remember a single sermon. I never saw the miraculous occur. I was given a wealth of misinformation which has taken me years to overcome. But the worst thing was I never realized I could actually know God.

That is, of course, the whole point of us being here. He created us to have fellowship with Him. And you can't do that if you don't know Him. Fortunately, this is easily accomplished.

First of all, get the silly idea out of your head that God is unknowable. He didn't give you the Bible so He could remain a mystery. It's full of His will, His plans and His promises for you. Read it yourself, for yourself. Talk with God daily, as you would anyone else you really want to get to know. After all, He's your Father. Listen to faith-filled teachers that offer encouragement, not condemnation. Find others who know Him. They're easy to spot. They're the one's who are happy. Then hang around with them. This is called going to church. Just make sure it's a church where they really know God and want you to know Him, too.

Here's a few guidelines for finding that kind of church: 1. They believe the whole Bible. 2. The Holy Spirit is welcome at their services. (If He doesn't go there, why should you?) 3. They express God's love to you and accept you as you are. 4. You see lives changed (for the better). 5. They believe in healing. (You may need it someday.) 6. They're excited about knowing Jesus Christ, not burdened by it.

Avoid churches that: 1. Say things like, "You never know what God is going to do." or "God gave you that cancer to teach you something." 2. Equate poverty with holiness. 3. Equate holiness with hair style. 4. Believe miracles went out with robes and sandals. 4. Think faith is another word for wacko. 5. Never laugh. 6. Everybody is dying.

Spend quality time with your Father everyday, not just once a week. Let Him show you who He is. You know, if we spent as much time getting to know our wives or husbands as we do God, the divorce rate in this country would be really high.

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Best leave even righteous anger to Him.

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A footnote to the account of Daniel in the Lions' Den. Shortly after Daniel's rescue, the king issued another command (which should be taken to heart by those who persecute God's people): he had Daniel's accusers, as well as their wives and children, thrown into the lion pit. They didn't fare nearly as well as Daniel. His next decree was that all subjects in his kingdom must revere the living God of Daniel. Or else. And Daniel continued to prosper, partly because Darius really liked him, but mostly because Daniel really loved God.

One early morning, when I was pestering God about this subject for the umpteenth time, He took me out to my patio. There was a planter of moss roses there that I had just potted. All the buds were closed tight and He asked me if I thought they would open. Sure, I said. Then He asked me to watch them open. So I sat there and sat there. Nothing happened. So I went inside. Less than one hour later I looked out the window and all the flowers were open. Dozens of them. I then realized that while I was staring at the buds, waiting for them to open, they were actually opening, just too slowly for my eyes to see. The Lord then informed me that He works pretty much the same way. He's always moving, acting, positioning the pieces of our lives, making something happen. We just can't always see Him doing it.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

(Acts 8:3)

Over the years I've received many requests from readers to pray for relatives or friends that do not know the Lord. Naturally, having experienced the miracle of salvation, they are desirous for those closest to them to find the same peace and freedom they know. But often they have a difficult time imagining this actually happening; their unsaved loved one is so adamantly anti-Christian that it just doesn't seem possible that they could ever be saved. Or they are so apathetic, messed up or deceived that it seems only a miracle could change them. A really big miracle.

It's funny that we should think that way. We're supposed to believe in really big miracles. And certainly what God did for us He is more than willing to do for someone else, especially someone we love.

Today's verse describes one of my favorite people, the apostle Paul, before he had his famous Road to Damascus conversion, which, by the way, would qualify as a Really Big Miracle. The verse details his actions when he was known as Saul of Tarsus and follows his witnessing and encouragement of the stoning of the martyr, Stephen. Saul wanted Stephen to die. He was in the process of making the persecution of the church his life's work. He was really good at it.

Do not think from this short verse that Saul's desire was only to imprison people for speaking the name of Jesus. He wanted them dead. Prison was simply a holding area. From there, like Stephen, they would be dragged before the council and the high priest, be falsely accused of blasphemy by paid liars, and summarily executed, gender or age not being a mitigating factor. The name of Jesus was to be eradicated from the entire region and His cult of devotees wiped out.

Despite this persecution, the church grew, miracles continued in even greater numbers and Saul's workload increased dramatically. One can envision a small group of people in their home praying and singing, only to find themselves seconds later being dragged into the street by Saul and his henchmen, while next door someone is being raised from the dead. This was the climate of Jerusalem at that time.

This was not enough for Saul, however. His hatred for Christians and the name of Jesus was so deep, so manic, that according to Luke, "Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1). That's right, Saul wasn't content to kill only those in his own country, he wanted to travel to Syria to find more victims. He would have traveled the whole globe if possible to stamp out this dangerous, new cult and prevent the name of Jesus ever being heard again.

Of course we know what happened next. While on the way to Damascus, he bumped into the Man who started the whole thing, who explained to the terrified Saul that it was not the church he was persecuting, but Jesus Himself. Blind (and humbled beyond our comprehension), Saul was led away by his astonished and frightened cohorts to the very city he had intended to assail.

While Saul sat in his darkness for three days, fasting and praying, God spoke to a Damascene named Ananais, telling him to go to Saul and lay hands on him to restore his sight. Ananais wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Saul's evil reputation and the mayhem and murder he had instigated in Jerusalem had preceded him, plus, he countered, "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name" (Acts 9:14). But Jesus told Ananais that Saul was chosen to spread the Gospel throughout the world and suffer for the very Name he had sought to erase. Ananais did as instructed and Saul was healed. To the disciples amazement, he immediately went to the synagogue and began to preach Christ with even greater fervor than he had demonstrated while trying to destroy His church. "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and who has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" (Acts 9:21), they all wondered.

We know where Saul went with all this, how he became Paul, one of the leaders of the greatest revolution in all human history. We read his epistles and through his writings gain an insight into Christ that is beyond comparison. We read of his suffering, his own persecution for spreading the Faith he sought to annihilate; his imprisonments, escapes, stonings, beatings and trials. We see him carry healing, strength and encouragement to every little, besieged pocket of Christianity. We hear him describe his old religious life and give thanks for his new faith-filled one. Until his last day on earth, when he is finally beheaded, he never stops preaching Christ and never once regrets the new path he took that began by stepping on the dusty road to Damascus.

Some of you wonder how, if and when God will bring those you care about to Him and into the family of Christ. You know it will take a miracle. A really big miracle. Remember Saul. Few could have been less likely candidates for apostleship, and yet the very qualities he possessed, his tenacity, dedication and boldness made him perfect for the role God had written for him. Sometimes those people who fight the hardest against Christ end up being His strongest, most eloquent and effective spokesmen. There are a lot of roads that lead to Damascus. They may be on one right now.

For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It must now be said of Jacob and of Israel, "Oh, what God has done!'

(Numbers 23:23)

Americans are superstitious people. Even religious Americans. We inherit most of these beliefs from the various cultures we grew out of, but as we have become distanced from our roots, we have not outgrown all these primitive throwbacks to our ancestors. Being overly concerned about things like the number 13, breaking mirrors, spilling salt, etc., seem like harmless and rather quaint little fears but the origins of all these superstitions lie in the darkness of the occult practices of another time. I might add that superstition does not go hand in hand with faith.

Similarly, many Americans believe in this thing called 'luck'. There is good luck, bad luck, dumb luck, Irish luck, Lady luck. We speak of the luck of the draw, wish people good luck and try our luck. We have lucky 7s, lucky stars, beginner's luck, lucky breaks and hope to be lucky in love. There are supposed magnets for good luck and bad. But here's something to consider: the word 'luck' does not appear in the Bible. Nowhere. People were either blessed or cursed and luck had nothing to do with their pasts or futures. The very concept of luck is in itself occult.

Even those of us who don't follow any occult practices, have no obvious superstitions and don't place our hopes on luck are nonetheless affected by the occult. It surrounds us everywhere we go. The media is full of it, from bestsellers like Steven King to TV shows like the X Files to movies like The Sixth Sense and hundreds of others you can immediately recall.

Now I must confess that I enjoy some scary movies, spooky tales and the X Files is one of my favorite shows. But I know what is real life and what is fiction. There are some things I simply avoid because they don't do me any good and of course I would never dabble in anything even remotely occult. But more importantly, I know these forces cannot harm me.

That's what today's verse is all about. In a nutshell, Balaam, a sorcerer, was hired to curse the Israelites. Even though he kept trying, it just wouldn't work and his curses came out blessings. This is because Israel was under God's protection, something no occult power has any effect on.

We are reminded of this in Paul's letter to the church in Rome, where he reminds us, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God is ready to take anything sent against us, including curses, and turn them to our good. We have no reason to fear the puny power of occult practitioners. They have to get through the Lord before they can get to us. This they can never do, regardless of what Hollywood portrays. There is no power greater than Christ.

There is another pronouncement of Balaam's worth remembering. Through him, God said, "Blessed is he who blesses you and cursed is he who curses you" (Numbers 24:9b). Many people mistakenly assume this applies solely to the nation of Israel, but it applies to all of us who are children of the Most High God. We are the spiritual Israel and our covenant is not only better, it's stronger. Remember that. You are protected from curses. Those cursing you put themselves in tremendous peril when they do so. And those that bless you will prosper.

Despite our modern accomplishments and advancements, we are really not so far removed from our forefathers of long ago who shivered around the fire as they tried to keep the darkness at bay. We still tend to fear the dark and what may exist in its furthest recesses. We know there is evil. We know it hates us. But we should remember when this ancient fear assails us that we are completely safe, that we have been delivered from the powers of darkness, who not only can never comprehend, but remain in eternal terror of the Light that is in us.

"But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?"

(John 7:26)

Good question, isn't it? It was uttered 2,000 years ago by some unnamed man listening to Jesus speak during a feast in the temple at Jerusalem. Did the rulers realize that this man they were constantly seeking to murder was their long promised and awaited Messiah, the Savior of the world?

When the seventh chapter of John's gospel begins, we see Jesus in the Galilee talking to His brothers. Both He and they knew of the plots to kill Him, and for this reason Jesus avoided Judea. But the Feast of Tabernacles was starting and His brothers, none of who believed in Him at this time (see last week's message about James), were taunting Him about His hiding out in Galilee. "If you're who you say you are, go prove it", was what they basically said to Him. But Jesus told them to go ahead to the feast without Him, the time to reveal Himself had not yet come.

Now Jesus does an odd thing here, for which I have no explanation. He waits until his brothers leave for Jerusalem, and goes to the feast incognito. When He arrives He hears Himself being discussed in hushed tones throughout the celebration. Everyone wonders where He is and why He did not attend the feast. Opinions of Him vary drastically: some think He's a good man, some a liar. But whatever they think, He has become a bonafide celebrity.

About midway through the feast, Jesus has apparently had enough of this and goes to the temple to teach. Immediately He is recognized but the thing that (supposedly) irritates the Jews (in this instance "Jews" means the religious leaders), is the fact that this unschooled rube from a podunk town knows more about the Scripture than they do. Now think about it. These guys have seen water turn to wine, they've heard John the Baptist acknowledge Jesus as sent from God, they've heard Jesus prophesy and seen Him heal miraculously; He has walked on the water (which must have got around town by this time) and fed the 5,000 with a sack lunch; and they've heard Him preach before. Now they're surprised at His inherent command (no pun intended) of Scripture? Hmm.

Of course Jesus has no trouble dealing with His well-robed and exalted hecklers. It's like watching Buckley debating a class of first graders. No matter what He says to them (most of which soars over their little pointed heads) they can rarely do better than accusing Him of being demon possessed, a possibility that just doesn't register with the regular folks standing around listening to this lopsided argument. They've seen too much good come out of Him, and as unschooled as they are, they realize that just doesn't make any sense. Good does not come from evil. Finally, someone shouts out, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?"

It is at this time that the simple yet damning question is asked, "Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?" The answer: You bet! They knew all along. How could they not?

Yet they didn't stop Him as we all know. It says at the close of the chapter that many of the people, despite the efforts of the religious leaders, believed in Him. "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?", asks yet another unidentified but forever glorified soul. An unlearned person, surely, but not unwise.

When I look around today at those who would deny Christ to others, who would do their best to prevent people from knowing salvation, its peace, healing, provision and safety, I ask myself much the same question this guy asked millennia ago, "Do they know this is truly the Christ?" Most of the time, though they would never admit it, I think they, just like their predecessors, certainly do.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

(James 5:16b)

There are several men named James in the New Testament. Today's quote came from perhaps the most remarkable, for he knew Jesus all his life. He was His brother (half-brother if you want to be technical). James was also not a follower of his brother's earthly ministry and did not believe Him to be the Messiah when He was here. I find this pretty easy to understand. Who could comprehend their own brother being the Son of God? Yet later, after Jesus' death and resurrection, an appearance of the risen Christ (I Corinthians 15:7) convinced him to believe. Shortly thereafter he became the head of the fledgling church in Jerusalem and in that time period wrote this short but incredible epistle. He was stoned to death in 62 AD.

The point of this short bio on James is to demonstrate that he knew whereof he spoke. He knew what it was like to be a believer and an unbeliever. He knew Jesus intimately, and on a level few others had experienced. His conversion was powerful, life changing and the few words we have of his, born of this experience, are some of the most powerful, concise and unambiguous in the New Testament.

James, like all the fathers of this new church, believed in prayer. More than that, they lived by it. Often they had little else they could depend on, not being a very popular bunch. Prayer was not something they took lightly, did mechanically, or ran to as a last resort. It was the power of God, an act of worship and love, and the beginning of all they did.

In the fifth chapter of his letter, verses 13 through 18, James gives a short but clear lesson on prayer. He is not writing of ritual or imparting some symbolic fluff, but giving important instructions as to how to survive. While he speaks in a very matter-of-fact manner, to him, and those he was writing to, this was life or death. For example, when he talks about a sick person calling for the elders of the church to pray for his healing, he is not speaking figuratively. James expects this to be done, and expects the outcome to be healing. There are no other choices. There are no hospitals, medical treatment at the time was certainly not reliable and these guys weren't too popular anyway. Their survival, their health, depended on their faith every day. As does ours.

James closes this short passage with today's verse. He states that an energetic, faithfilled prayer is not an exercise in religiosity, a thing to do ritualistically, but an act that brings real results. He goes on to relate the story of Elijah (I Kings 17:1, 18:1) stopping and then bringing the rain by his prayers. The readers he had addressed this to would have been familiar with this story, but not the point James was making. He said, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours", meaning, Elijah was no different than you or me. He had human weaknesses and God-given strengths. He had feelings of doubt, sadness and inferiority. He was, since he was human, perfectly capable of sin. Yet his prayers were heard. James used this to assure his readers, and us because certainly God was looking ahead, that our prayers can be just as effective. Answered prayer, and the faith to believe in such things, is not, nor was it intended to be, limited to prophets and apostles. It is for all of us. We can all pray and expect visible, tangible, real answers from a real God who's really paying attention.

Of course you may be saying to yourself, "It says here the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man, and I'm not sure I fit in that category." Well, by ourselves that is true of all of us. But with Jesus, we are the righteousness of God in Him (II Corinthians 5:21). And with all due respect, even Elijah couldn't make that claim.`The only difference is that Elijah believed he could pray and be heard and sometimes we don't. But it's not too late to change and start believing. James proved that, too.

(Nahum 1:15a)

Today's verse will reveal a number of ideas and truths that may not have occurred to you. Besides its obvious messianic connotations, this verse from the prophet Nahum reveals how much one understands about his or her rights and benefits as a Christian and a child of God.

Though it sometimes appears otherwise, the entrance of God, His word or His representatives into our lives is intended to be a good thing. It only seems painful at times because we are so far out of His will that He has to nudge us, sometimes not too gently, back into line. God's approach to us has always been reward and punishment. Tremendous rewards await those who follow His plan, honor and love Him. Tremendous misery awaits those who don't. It's pretty simple. Too simple for some.

The thing we have to grasp is that God would much rather reward than punish. He likes to be generous, it's His nature. Here in this verse from Nahum, whose name means "Comforter", we see God approaching us yet again with His hands outstretched, bringing good news for us. He is not coming at us with a sword and retribution, an angry God bent on our destruction, but a loving Father determined to deliver us from the evil besetting us.

And what is the good tidings, the good news His messenger brings? That peace is available to us, it's ours. What is not being said here is that all war on the planet has ceased. It is not even saying that all personal troubles have come to an end. This is a more profound peace.

The word for peace here is one that most of us are familiar with, shalom, and though it can mean absence of war and cessation of conflict, it contains much more than that in its six letters. Shalom implies a completeness, a wholeness and a fullness as of one who is entirely satisfied. It also refers to safety and wellbeing, one's personal welfare being under God's protection. It also means soundness and health, freedom from pain and disease. Shalom also describes prosperity, the assurance of provision. Tranquility, harmony and freedom from discord are also wrapped in the power of this word to show that this peace can (and should) extend beyond ourselves to our families, friends and enemies (yes, enemies). This should be our message. Peace. Real peace.

At this point, some of you wonderfully astute readers may have noticed the amazing similarities between the word shalom and soteria, the New Testament word for salvation. The various meanings are almost identical: peace, health, deliverance, prosperity, safety. It is no coincidence. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He's also our Salvation. Isaiah 53:5 foretells that "the chastisement for our shalom was upon Him". He paid for our peace. He paid for our salvation. At the same time. They are very nearly the same thing. Which makes me wonder, is it possible to have one without the other?

(John 1:1)

There sure have been a lot of television shows about Jesus lately; movies, animated specials, historical documentaries and lately a number of on-air debates as to who this Jesus really was.

Usually I don't watch these theological tug-of-wars because they are apt to be thoroughly frustrating. This is normally due to the fact that the media giant hosting the event feels compelled to be fair, so they invite such obviously uninformed "experts" that it becomes a pathetic exercise in misinformation, guessing and outright ignorance. I saw one that had an ACLU representative (who has now become a pastor of God knows what), a rabbi (there's an expert on Jesus!), and a few denominational types. Invariably if they have a charismatic they are sure to get some extremely southern Southerner who sounds as if he might have survived the 6th grade and can't wait to get back to the holler to dance with his rattlers.

The irritating thing about all this is that there is really only one source of information on Jesus. It's called The Bible. What we think is rather irrelevant. The Bible tells us very unambiguously just who this Jesus was -- and is. We can argue about it all day but there is no other authority to base an opinion on. It's the Bible or nothing.

Which is why I chose today's verse from John. One would really have to work hard to not understand it. It explains Jesus clearly and concisely. Of course we must agree first off that John is not insane or a liar and that The Word means Jesus Christ. And if your Bible says "a Word" and not "the Word", you should go out and by an uncorrupted Bible, leave the cult you're in immediately, and stop knocking on my door trying to get me to read your magazine, especially when I'm in the shower. If you can't get past that none of this article will mean anything. In the beginning was the Word... This tells us that Jesus Christ, the Son, existed from the beginning of time. He was always there, he did not come into existence in Bethlehem, though He was incarnated as Jesus the Son of Man. And the Word was with God... Interesting. This makes a differentiation between the Word and God. They are distinct. And the Word was God.... Even more interesting. Apparently they are distinct individuals and yet one.

John us even more about Jesus  in the next two verses: He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. One would have to be pretty dense or in a state of incredible denial to miss the point of this. Sure, John makes it sound almost like a riddle, but the meaning is clear: Jesus was responsible for the entire creation process. Small wonder John borrows from the opening words of Genesis to tell us about Christ. He is the genesis of all things.

I'm sure there will be more debates, more searches for the historical, the factual, the real Jesus. Revered and well-schooled pundits will continue to articulate their views for us simple folk and explain Him as a myth, an analogy, a Hebrew guy trying to overthrow Rome or a sad case of someone with a big-time God complex. Various offshoots of Christianity will continue to deny His Lordship and His deity. Religious cuisinarts will continue to call Him a teacher, a good man and a prophet, right up there with Buddha and Mohammed. But hopefully we will know better.

I think Peter explained who Jesus is pretty well. When asked by our Lord, "Who do you say that I am?" The big guy responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God", which, of course, was the correct answer. Not bad for an uneducated fisherman. Amazing how all these experts with prestigious doctorates just can't get this one right.

And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

(I Samuel 13:13)

Like most of the verses we explore on a weekly basis in these writings, this one also holds some truths that are not readily apparent. But first, a little background as to what prompted Samuel's denunciation of Saul.

Saul had been king in Israel for two short but tumultuous years. A state of extreme unpleasantness between the Hebrews and the Philistines was ongoing. Jonathan, Sauls's son, decided to take some men and attack the Philistine garrison at Geba, an act that only further exacerbated the already tense situation and induced their sworn enemies to muster a large force of charioteers, cavalry and foot soldiers, according to Samuel as numerous as the sand on the shore, and march on Israel.

The Israelites looked out on this enormous army assembled against them and began to immediately employ the better part of valor: they ran for their lives, hiding in any hole, cave or bush that seemed Philistine free.

None of this was lost on Saul. He wasn't the brightest guy the ancient world had ever known, but he was smart enough to realize something must be done before his entire force rabbited. The problem was, however, that everyone had been awaiting the arrival of Samuel (priests used to be a big help in times like these), and Sam was late, seven days and counting. So Saul did something incredibly stupid (not for the last time), and commanded that the sacrifices be brought to him in Samuel's absence. Of course you can probably guess that as soon as the smoke from the burnt offerings had risen into the sky, Samuel popped up. Saul offered some feeble excuses for usurping the role of priest but to no avail. Samuel responded with our verse for today. Further, he explains to the much chagrined Saul that his kingdom was finished and God would replace him with "a man after His own heart", the at this time unheard of little red-headed kid David.

It's not necessary for us to understand what it was exactly that Saul did wrong, why he couldn't offer sacrifices to God in Samuel's absence. The important thing was that he knew better. And it wasn't just his self-appointment to priest that was the problem. It was his profound lack of faith in God to be sovereign, their Defender, their Banner and their Shield. Thus Saul's ouster.

But there's one other point I would like for you to notice. Samuel tells Saul, "For the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever." Saul, not God, determined his future by his own actions. God did not set Saul up for a fall. He was willing to have Saul, if he had obeyed Him, become the most successful king the world had ever known. It was one of several options. Had Saul simply followed the few guidelines he had been issued, David might have spent the rest of his life as a singing shepherd.

We should remember this fact every time we try to blame our situation on predestination. Saul changed his future from king to lunatic to eventual suicide. David, too, by his actions, changed his, from lowly shepherd to the king that sired the lineage of Christ. We are not, none of us, on a railroad track, locked in an unalterable course headed for an unchangeable end.

David got it right. And even when he made terrible mistakes, he was humble enough to admit his failure and to ask for forgiveness. Saul just made excuses. That's the difference. We still remember David's words. We quote them. They strengthen us, encourage and uplift us, even in the direst need. For the life of me, I can't remember a thing Saul ever said.

The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?

(Jeremiah 8:9)

I suppose I should be more tolerant. Maybe I'm just getting older and that's a consequence of that inevitability. I don't know. But I find myself becoming less thrilled everyday with the nonsense that passes for wisdom in the secular world. And I find that I am more and more alarmed at how easily this so-called wisdom is accepted, respected and celebrated.

Today's verse is taken from a lengthy passage in Jeremiah dealing with false teaching. Seems the priests of Judah had (for the umpteen millionth time) abandoned the word of the Lord and were operating on their own judgment, basically telling the people not what they needed to hear, but what they thought would make them happy (and themselves fatter and richer). Jeremiah goes into specific detail as to the results of this behavior, none of which is particularly pleasant, unless one has a wife he would prefer to be rid of (Therefore I will give their wives to others, v.10).

The point of all this being, if you reject the word of the Lord, you have no wisdom. This is precisely what these priests (and the people) did. They either ignored or killed the prophets sent by God (like Jeremiah and a few dozen others) to save, guide and prosper them. The problem was further compounded by the fact that they had also rejected His written word, preferring their own ideas, or at least completely misunderstood it and misinterpreted it, and had healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace (v.11). In other words, they told the people lies (lies they wanted to hear) and all the comfort they gave was purely superficial and worthless.

Today, instead of priests, we are inundated with experts. Seems there is a specialized professional for absolutely everything. We have relationship experts, health experts, fitness experts, diet experts, behavioral experts, fashion experts, legal experts, financial experts, religious experts. We have pros that tell us what books are worth reading, what movies worth seeing, what candidate worth voting for. We have all the news we receive interpreted for us by experts in journalism, who in turn are political experts, Mideast experts, military experts, science experts and social experts. Then there are experts who poll some group that never includes me to give an expert opinion on what we all think. Almost every decision we reach is based on what someone else has determined to be true. The question is, what standards do we hold these experts to, what criteria must they meet for us to assume they actually have wisdom? Is it a Harvard degree, a string of abbreviations behind their name? Fame? The fact they are on TV? In print? On the radio? Personal charisma? Glasses? A white collar? A yarmulke? A robe?

Personally, I think today's verse is a good yardstick. While I can glean tidbits of good advice on weightlifting or determine what the best 4x4 on the market is without questioning my source's beliefs and spiritual foundation, there are other matters more weighty in which this must be a factor.

Think of it this way. If you are going to rely on someone for their expert opinion, their wisdom, especially in areas that could effect you, your family, or our fragile world in a large and permanent way, ask yourself this one question first: Were they wise enough to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior? If the answer to this is "no", how far do want to trust them with your life? If they couldn't get this right, what else are they so suicidally wrong about? And if they missed this opportunity of a lifetime, just how wise can they possibly be?

(Psalm 105:19)

Joseph had a dream (Genesis 37:5). That was the fun part. What followed was a long, unpleasant period of testing (that character building stuff) to prepare him for the responsibility ahead of him. Why God chooses to do things this way I do not know. I mean, why not give the guy some character, then the dream? I don't like it. Unfortunately, God isn't likely to change His MO anytime soon, so we'd best get used to it.

See, Joseph had a tendency to act like a jerk. I don't know what the Hebrew word for that would be, but I do know the equivalent in Yiddish. His eleven brothers hated him ("Dad always liked you best"). Joseph, of course, didn't help matters any by flouncing around in his "coat of many colors" while his brothers came in every day smelling like sweat and sheep. On top of that, Joseph was something of a tattletale (Gen:37:2). You can imagine the scene around the dinner table: "Hey, dad, guess what Dan, Asher, Naphtali and Gad did today?"

But Joseph didn't stop there. He thought this might be a good time to tell them about the wonderful dream he had. "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed all your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf" (Gen. 37:7). This didn't improve his relationship with his brothers. So he gave it another try. "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me" (Gen. 37:9). "Oh, so now the whole family is going to bow down to you, huh?", said his father, Isaac. His brothers, who by now had figured out who the eleven stars were, glanced at each other and ate their lentil soup in silence. They had heard enough.

We all know what happened next, how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt, eventually rising to a position of authority second only to Pharoah. The word (dream) that God had given him was real. But Joseph had to grow into that dream. He became known for his wisdom. Yes, the same guy that didn't know when to keep his mouth shut became a model of restraint and wise judgment. Through his counsel famine was averted and thousands of lives saved, including those of his family. The dreamer became an interpreter of dreams.

Joseph did one thing right, even from the beginning. He believed the word God had given him. It was his word. He never doubted it. He held on to it for years before it finally came to pass. The word of the Lord tested him, and the dream came true. His father and brothers did eventually bow down to him, but it was a different Joseph they bowed down to. Gone was the spoiled tattletale in the imitation of royal attire. Before them stood the "lord of all Egypt", weeping with joy, and he said, "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life" (Gen. 45:5). It took Joseph some time, but he finally got it. The dream wasn't intended to give glory to him, but to God.

Right now there is a dream, a word, planted in you. It may be deeply buried. You may have carried it from childhood. Don't give up on it! It was given to you for a reason. Your friends and family may not understand it, or even like it, so talk to God about it instead. He's the One who put it there in the first place. He alone can bring it to pass.

This is another of those verses that gets somewhat lost in all the more familiar and oft-quoted lines from one of my personal faves, the prophet Isaiah, but it holds in its simple and straightforward wording a vital message for us all. Let's take a good look at it.

Like most of what God has to say to us, this message holds a promise. And like most of those promises, there are conditions. Thankfully He doesn't make them too tough for us and if we can't do our part we're probably not trying very hard. Here we see in the first two lines the requirements He sets forth: Incline our ears, come to Me and hear. Not too gruesome.We should be able to do that. Bear in mind, however, that though two of these commands sound like they are one and the same, there are some subtle differences. Simply put, to incline you ear means to pay attention. To hear, in this instance means more than to capture sound with your auditory organ and transmit through a system of nerves that sensory message to the brain; it means to understand. When He tells us to come to Him, He reveals something a lot of folks still haven't figured out: God is approachable and knowable. He's not hiding. He's not remote. He wants us to know Him. He longs for it, yearns for it, believe it or not. That's the whole point of this big, black book.

So when the Lord through Isaiah tells us, Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live, He is saying, "Pay attention to what I am saying to you. Get to know Me. Understand My word and you will have eternal life." Pretty good so far. But there's more, and it even gets better.

In the next line the Lord promises (remember that this is God making the promise, not you, so we can be assured He will keep it) to make an everlasting covenant (an agreement, a contract, an unbreakable oath) with us, if we do what He has laid out before: pay attention, get to know Him, and understand His word. And what is this covenant? The sure mercies of David.

You may at this point be thinking "large deal", but run the story of David through your mind for a while. Think of the situations David found himself in and how God protected, sheltered, delivered him throughout every ordeal. You want to take on Goliath by yourself? How about Saul and all his army? Then think of the ways the Lord guided David through decisions that would drive any of us over the edge. Remember, this was a shepherd that suddenly found himself king, with responsibilities he had never dreamt of facing. His judgement affected hundreds of thousands of people. Wouldn't you want God to give you the benefit of His wisdom in that area?

Finally, we need to keep another fact about our friend Dave in mind when we read this verse. He was not always perfect. I know, you don't have to worry about that, but some of us do. See, David really blew it sometimes, doing things like sending Uriah to his death so he could steal his wife. You know, that sort of thing. Periodically, the guy just went nuts. But God never let him down. He never abandoned him. He forgave him, over and over again. And that is what the mercies of David are all about: protection, deliverance, guidance and forgiveness. None of us can get too much of any of these gifts.

One more thing. God calls these the sure mercies of David. That word means certain. It means you can count on it, just like David did, whether he deserved it or not. Not a bad deal for just paying attention, making friends with God, and letting His word work in your life. The thing I don't understand is why so many people still turn it down.

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

Why not add the mercies of David to death and taxes?

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Yes, again I'm on the topic of worry. But in a larger sense, we're really talking about faith in God. To be blunt, worry, or in this case "anxiety," shows that either you don't know what the Word says or you don't believe it. Personally, I believe that a majority of Christians don't know any better. They have been taught that God works in a sort of random way, helping some people and forsaking others. Sometimes healing, sometimes killing. They look at the people who teach the Faith message as extremists and wackos. They see Christians who literally stake their lives on the Word of God as people not in touch with the "real" world. They are in fact correct in this. We are in touch with the supernatural world. We don't deny reality, we just believe in a higher one. That is the whole point of being a Christian. We aren't supposed to react to situations the same way the rest of the world does. Any need that arises, great or small, should instantly put our faith into action, just like the crew of a battleship going to their battle stations. Every piece of Scripture, every promise of God that you have put in your heart, adds another crewman ready for battle. And these are battle-tested soldiers with enough firepower behind them to annihilate anything the Enemy sends against you.

That' why settling the the issue of worry once and for all is so important. We are bombarded with it all day long. We must make a conscious effort to resist it and Philippians 4:6 shows us how: prayer and supplication. Notice that Paul makes a distinction between prayer and supplication. I believe that prayer in this case is very simply talking with our Father God, whereas supplication is something more. "Supplication is more than petitioning, but suggests an intensity of earnestness in extended prayer --- not to gain merit by many words, but to fully transfer the burden of one's soul into God's hands" (Spirit Filled Life Bible).

Notice also the words nothing and everything in this verse. I'm not a Greek scholar, but I can assure you that the word nothing means nothing and the word everything means everything. When we are told to be anxious for nothing that does not mean except those things you want to be anxious about. That includes changes that you want to see in your life, freedom from bad habits, financial security, health, safety of your children or whatever else keeps you up at night. Everything tells us that there is not one need, care, worry or anxiety that we cannot give to God.

Furthermore, we are instructed to pray with thanksgiving. I believe there is a tri-fold message here. First of all, we should always approach our Father with a thankful attitude (Psalm 95:2). Secondly, we should give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That's in everything, not for everything. For example, when I have pain or sickness attack me, I don't thank God for the illness, I thank Him that His Word says I'm healed. I thank Him for the opportunity to see Him move on my behalf. Finally, I believe that thanksgiving in this context also implies that we know we have been heard and answered. Jesus said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22). Notice that the Lord didn't follow this with, "Just kidding!" This is not some "weird" Charismatic doctrine. Kenneth Hagin didn't have it added to the Bible. It's printed in red ink and is the basis for prayer that works. In fact, the Lord could have said, "Whatever you ask for, if you don't believe you've got it, you won't get it."

It's important to realize that when we refuse to be anxious we are not just ignoring reality or going into some zombie-like trance in which nothing matters. We have real challenges and real concerns. But we are believing whole-heartedly that God is working on the situation, even if it's not immediately apparent. And what is the result of transferring these burdens to the extremely large and capable hands of the Father? Verse 7 of Philippians 4 tells us: and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Complete peace, welling up from deep inside, peace that the world can't begin to comprehend, with Jesus Christ Himself taking up the position of sentry to protect your heart and mind from enemy attack. And nothing gets by Jesus.

So whatever worries, fears or burdens of any kind are weighing you down today, give them to your Father. It won't inconvenience Him. In return for your problems, He'll give you solutions. In return for your worries, He'll give you peace. Good deal, huh?

If it keeps you up, give it up.

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Week of 6/18/00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

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.

(Proverbs 29:25)

I have written about various tragedies that have taken place in the past years and how we must rise above the temptation to fear. I have quoted from Psalm 91 and have suggested that not only was fear unnecessary to a Christian but should be regarded as sin. While admitting that the world is an increasingly dangerous place, I expressed my belief that God is able (and desirous) to protect me from whatever or whoever would harm me.

As I sat down to write this week's message, I felt that there was much more to say on this subject. The Bible is full of hundreds of references to fear. But this verse from Proverbs 29 sort of jumped out at me. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (NKJV). The more I studied this verse, the more I saw in it. I also saw how much I had missed.

I began to think about the word snare. A snare isn't an obvious danger. It's something you aren't aware of until you put your foot in it. Then it's too late. But what does that have to do with the fear of man? Looking in my Spirit Filled Life Bible's cross-reference I saw some interesting verses: Genesis 12:12 and 20:2.

Genesis 12 tells of Abraham's trip to Egypt to avoid the severe famine that was in the land. The only problem was his beautiful wife, Sarah. As Abraham put it, "Therefore it will happen when the Egyptians see you, that thay will say,'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live" (Gen.12:12). So he convinces Sarah to pose as his sister.Sure enough, Pharaoh takes a real liking to Sarah and brings her to his house. Abraham doesn't do too bad either since Pharaoh is showering him with all sorts of great gifts because of his "sister". God's not thrilled with this, however, and promptly sends a series of plagues on Pharaoh and his house. Apparently the Lord lets Pharaoh in on what is happening because he goes to Abraham and says (basically), "Are you crazy?! Why didn't you tell me she was your wife! I almost married her! Take her and get out of here!"

Not to pick on Abraham, the father of our faith, but you would think this would have made an impact on him. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife,"She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah (Gen.20:2). Yes, he did it again. Fortunately, everything works out once more for Abraham. God warns Abimelech to keep his hands off Sarah and Abimelech sends Abraham on his way with a few more goodies. But it might not have worked out this way. Abraham's fear of man had caused him to put his foot in the same snare twice. Neither Pharaoh nor Abimelech were the kind of men you would want to fool with. However, Abraham had been trusting in God, except for these lapses, so he was saved. Also Isaac was about to be conceived and God needed Abraham alive. It's good to know that God's soveriegn plan is more powerful than our ability to mess it up.

Most of us don't find ourselves in the kind of situation Abraham faced very often, but we are nonetheless susceptible to the fear of man. We face it when we are afraid to stand up for what we believe. We fear rejection if we speak out. We are afraid we'll lose friends if we don't go along with everything the world endorses. I even went through some fear when I began to write this weekly magazine. What if people wrote me nasty email? What if my pastor didn't think I was doing a good job? What if I couldn't come up with a message every week? And who was I to think I could write a minisrty page anyway? Etc.

There's much more to the fear of man than just fear of bodily harm. When we give in to fear we are likely to put our foot in the snare just like Abraham did. But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. That "whoever" means me and you and anyone else who puts their trust in God. It's kinda nice to know that even Abraham messed up a few times and God didn't renege on His promise. We all have an Isaac to produce. God will fulfill His plan for our lives and we can help by replacing fear with faith and knowing we are safe.

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

If fear is a land mine, faith is a mine sweeper.

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The Bottom Line
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I think one thing that has contributed to our inability to see this is the tradition of putting the title "Saint" before their names. It serves to separate us from them. Surely they didn't refer to themselves in this way. They taught equality in Christ. They were humble men excited (and somewhat astonished) that God would use them at all. Certainly neither of them had a past that they were proud of. And they continued to make mistakes. One example of this caused Paul to get in Peter's face in Galations 2:11.

Don't get me wrong. These were mighty men of God. But they didn't lead sinless lives, even during their great ministries. Look at the verse above from Romans 7. You'd think Paul was talking about me or you. But he wasn't. He was admitting that there was a constant battle taking place between his old sinful nature and the new man created by Christ.

This is not to suggest that Paul lived a life of habitual, unrepentant sin. He couldn't have done the things he did if that were so. And I am certainly not implying that we have a license to do so either. God wants us to live holy lives. But I can assure you that all these men we look up to found plenty of opportunity to ask God's forgiveness. I know this because only one man, Jesus, lived a sinless life. Period.

We must remember this when we see men of God stumble. That is not the time to kick them in the ribs. If they are truly repentant God will continue to use them. He certainly used Peter after his mistakes. And we need to remember this when we make mistakes because we are definitely going to make some. God knows this and He chose to work through us anyway.

As for the "evil" Paul claims to practice against his will, we have no record of it. Why? Because as Paul goes on to state in Romans 8, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. God forgot it. It was blotted out forever as if it never happened.

We must get hold of this. We must realize that it is our old sinful nature that commits the wrong, not the new nature created by Christ.

If you're feeling guilty and down on yourself for failing to be the "perfect" Christian, take this short trip to peace with Paul. Start at Romans 7:19 and read until you get to the end of Romans 8. Watch his (and your) confidence and faith go through the roof. By the end of Romans 8, you will feel like a new person. which, by the way, is exactly what you are.

If God only hired perfect people, none of us would have a job.

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Week of 5/21/00

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.

There is something lodged in this seemingly innocuous greeting from Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth that is so important that, whatever else we become blase about, we should always keep foremost in our minds. To some, this may prove to be a very small revelation and little comfort, but it is far more weighty than it first appears to be.

Most of us have a tendency to see ourselves as quite insignificant in this kingdom of God we are citizens of. We look at great men and women of Scripture, their deeds, their sacrifices, the miracles they were part of, their perfectly expressed ideas, and their lasting fame, and suddenly we are irrelevant. We will never have the impact on the world like the writer of today's verse had. Nor will we reach the heights of our modern heroes of faith, the great evangelists, the healers, the exalted crusaders. We, in God's long-planned and perfectly executed scheme of things, are unlikely to be remembered for our small contributions to the Faith. God cannot be too pleased with us.

That is a depressing thought for some of us. But fortunately, it is also untrue. In reality, God's reality, not the one we create, the only measure of our lives that counts for anything is the one that God Himself applies, and this is what He reveals about us in today's verse: we are saints. All of us. All who call on the name of Jesus. We are equals.

I said this may be small comfort to some, but think about it. As gaudy as Paul's life and ministry were, his prayers carried no more weight with the Father than yours do at this moment. Peter's access to God was no more direct or privileged than the 24 hour line you are plugged into now. John could not love more unconditionally, Stephen could not see God more clearly and James could not be more assured of answered prayer than you.

So what's the point? These people who we admire, whose lives we look at in awe, who did things we can't imagine doing, had nothing we don't have. Paul had no special powers. Peter was not chosen for any gifts he possessed. Stephen had no special aptitude for visions, or a proclivity towards martyrdom. James didn't even believe that his half-brother was the Christ while He was on earth. These were just men, ordinary, flawed and subject to the same doubts, failings and anxieties that we know all too well.

The thing you need to remember, whether you are face to face with overwhelming trouble or giving thanks for something that just went right, is that you are no less in the kingdom of God than anyone else. You are not a saint of some lower rank or denomination. You do not have to wait in line or get someone to put in a good word for you. You are as important to God as Paul or Peter. You have the same Father, the same Savior and the same Spirit.

It is only Man, in his futile attempts at religion, that sets one believer above another, that makes faith a contest, a competition. It is only Man that could take an inclusive word like saint and make it exclusive. It is only Man who assigns titles, who creates an unnecessary (an unbiblical) gulf between saint and saint. It is only Man who assumes that sainthood is something that can be bestowed or awarded like an Oscar for Best Actor. It is only Man who capitalizes the word saint to diminish the rest of us, to separate us and keep us where we belong, kneeling in our pews, ignorant and unaware that we, insignificant as we seem, hold that same power that turned the world upside down 2,000 years ago.

The good news is you don't have to wait for sainthood. Even better, you don't have to die and wait a couple hundred years for a bunch of old men to confer this honor upon you. You're one right now. If you are a Christian, you are as much a saint as you'll ever be. The trick from here on out is to remember it. And live it.

There's only two kinds of people: saints and ain'ts.

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Week of 5/14/00

And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?

(Isaiah 8:19)

There are few things so alarming to me as the growing fashion and acceptance of the occult in America. Sure, we have other problems that seem more pressing, but this one carries a penalty so eternally weighty it should not be ignored.

It is almost impossible to turn on the TV without seeing some commercial for a psychic network. While most of these are obvious scams, there are those who really do have a link with the spirit world. The question is which world are they linked with: the world of the Holy Spirit or the satanic world?

I have never wondered whether the supernatural really exists or if our lives can be impacted by it. This conviction comes from first-hand experience. I have personally seen both sides, good and evil. A long time ago I came to the realization that they are not always immediately distinguishable. Only by having the Holy Spirit resident in you can you see through the lie and the disguise. It is a good thing to remember that the devil is capable of appearing as an angel of light. How many people do you know who are wise enough to see him for who he is?

As we can see in today's verse (and I could give you several others), the Word of God is very clear about our involvement with those who claim to speak with spirits. It is dangerous and always turns out badly. What we should do is commanded in the very next verse, To the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. God wants us to come to Him exclusively for answers. He wants our faith to rest solely in Him. When we turn to someone else, we deny Him. It's as simple as that.

Last Sunday the USA Weekend magazine, that little piece of fluff that comes with the newspaper, featured an interview with a man named James Van Praagh. He claims to speak with the dead and has become quite famous for it, appearing on virtually every talk and interview show. His new book, guaranteed to be a Number One Best Seller, Healing Grief: Reclaiming Life After Any Loss, is intended to show those who have lost a loved one "what the spirit world can teach us about the grieving process." Let's examine some things he says in this interview and see how they relate to Scripture.

When asked by writer Jennifer Mendelsohn why the public is so interested in ghosts and other spiritual phenomena, he replied that there is a growth in the occurrences of contact with these things. "Now it's OK to believe in these things." He's right, sort of. Both divine and demonic forces are becoming more evident. He does not say though what he means by believing in these "things".

Asked how he felt when told that he had given people peace and joy, but that it had nothing to do with speaking to spirits of the dead, he replied, "Some people don't have faith. If they cannot rationalize something, it can't exist. Their lives are very limited." A sentiment I have expressed countless times in these articles. Of course I was talking about faith in the power of God and His Word, not a man who says of himself, "Great spiritual leaders will always be challenged by mediocre minds." There's humility for you. Maybe he has plans for a church?

Can he contact pets? But of course. "Pets come through all the time." Actually, I would love to see my departed pets in heaven. Who wouldn't?

Can anyone, with proper training, do what he does? "Every single person, if they choose to and discipline themselves, can become aware of spirit. Can they do what I do? Not necessarily. But it isn't just me." Notice please that he says "spirit", not The Spirit. Yet what he says is true. You can condition yourself and place yourself in a position to be influenced by either side of the spirit world. Following occult practices will certainly open you up to spirits, a highly dangerous situation to be in. Or you can have the Holy Spirit, God's own Spirit, working daily in your life.

Is he preparing for life as a spirit, like Houdini? "Every single day -- by the way I behave, the way I treat people. I have nothing to fear in death. If we do the best we can do, we have nothing to worry about." Beep beep beep. My anti-scripture alarm just went off. If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

And this is something you will find true about virtually every single one of these people who claim to be in touch with "the other side". Christ is irrelevant. His life, death and resurrection totally meaningless. There is no hell, only peace after this life. Everyone is happy. Everything is beautiful. In other words, the Bible is not true and you don't need a Savior. You just need to be nice. You will never hear them describe a scene like Jesus recounts in Luke 16:20-25.

We will see a lot more people like Van Praagh. Oprah will promote them and make sure their books reach millions. Will she promote people who, in visions of their own, claim to have looked into the gaping jaws of hell and had their lives changed forever by the startling reality of Jesus Christ, his undying love for us all, and the sobering truth of His Word?

Of course people like Van Praagh are comforting. It's all so easy. They make us feel like everything is going to be all right. They tell us exactly what we want to hear. Next to convincing mankind of his nonexistence, that's always been the devil's best trick.

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

Talk to God. He'll tell you what you need to hear.

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Week of 5/7/00

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me"

(John 10:37)

During one of the many attempts by the religious leaders in Jerusalem to stone Jesus for blasphemy (an irony to top all ironies), He asked them a simple question and for the moment stayed their hands, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" Yes, the Lord was also skilled in the fine art of sarcasm.

The Jews responded that they weren't going to murder Him for His good works, but for His claim of being God. Again they had more than met their match as Jesus countered with His overwhelming knowledge of Scripture, and continuing said, "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

It is this that sets Jesus apart from all others who teach love, have bright things to say, and present viable philosophical arguments: the works. Many would disagree, but I feel that had Jesus been mute, never taught a word or gave a single sermon, His actions would have been enough to accomplish His purpose. I would still be writing this article. You would still be reading it. It is those works, the healings, the miracles, the sacrifice, that reveal His true identity. Anyone can preach a good message. Even me.

Of course the Lord had some wonderful things to say and said them in a way that had never been heard before. His words contain the power of God and by no means do I intend to diminish them. But His works, the things He actually did while here on earth, are the reason people were drawn to Him, the reason they followed Him. Half the time they didn't have a clue as to what He was even talking about.

This is not a bad way to approach Jesus even today. Maybe our relationship with Him is too cerebral. Maybe we get too caught up in scripture and don't allow ourselves that sense of wonder His first disciples experienced. Our relationship is all too often just based on words, philosophy and doctrine, do's and don'ts, instead of real interaction.

Jesus does things. He was not and is not idle. His ministry is one of action, not ideas. He did not come to teach. He came to change.

Recently we spoke of what makes a real Christian church. This might be the best test of all, the one Jesus applied to Himself. And why not? Isn't the church His body? Weren't we commanded to continue what He had begun?

As you think about this, be very clear in your mind as to what Jesus considered His good works. He was not talking about soup kitchens. He never opened one. He wasn't talking about His efforts at social and political change. He didn't make these things priorities. He was describing the miraculous, events that can only take place when the power of God is being manifested. These other things, though good, are doable by people who don't even believe in God. They do not prove anything.

If I never remembered a word Jesus said but kept in my heart the things He did, and believed these marvelous events really did occur, I would be happy. Fortunately, I do have the benefit of His spoken wisdom, I do feel the power of His words. But there are times when I prefer to just envision Him working: touching a blind man's eyes, healing a woman sick for years in an instant, raising a dead friend, or providing dinner for a party of 5,000. It brings me closer to Him than any sermon ever has.

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

There's more than just a letter's difference between words and works.

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