Every Sunday

In my previous post, I tried to explain why God is not placated by human traditions such as going to church only on Christmas and Easter. Going one step further, God is also unimpressed by the act of going to church every Sunday, or twice weekly, or even going every day. The Bible teaches that there is nothing we can do in our own power to become righteous before God. If that were the end of the story, it would indeed be a sad ending for us all. The good news however, is that in Christ, God has not only made a way for us to fulfill our purpose in life, but has also provided us a way to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

I'm not a theologian by any means, but I am passionate about Christ and God's word. Because of that passion, I've spent a lot of time researching the gospel so I can hopefully present it clearly. The following paragraphs are my attempt at a clear presentation of the Gospel. It is simple in a way, but it is also very deep. I pray that if your life isn't completely devoted to Christ, that you'll stick with it through the end.

The word gospel means good news, and in this case, the good news about Christ. This good story begins with God and His original purpose for our lives. In Isaiah 43:7 we read that God created each of us to bring glory to His name. In Psalm 29 King David writes, "Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." This idea of giving glory to God permeates the scriptures. However, another idea that permeates scripture, is that man, in his own power, can do nothing to bring glory to God.

While the world around us struggles to separate good from bad, scripture is clear on the matter, declaring we are all bad or sinful. You might be thinking of people in your life who seem basically good, especially compared to people like Hitler or Bin Laden. Those are the really bad guys right? The Bible disagrees. Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." "All" pretty much covers it. Have you ever placed any objects above God? Have you ever misused God's name? Have you dishonored your mom or dad? Have you lied? Have you lusted? Have you ever been jealous of the things other people have? The list goes on and on, but for most of us, including myself, this is probably as far as I need to go. God's standard is perfection, and none of us is perfect.

So what does sin get us? Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us, "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear." In Genesis and elsewhere in scripture we read about another consequence of sin. Romans 6:23 gets right to the point when it says, "For the wages of sin is death...". So sin ultimately separates us from God and causes death. This separation is eternal as God cannot allow unpunished sin into his presence. The Bible teaches that the eternal separation is lived out in a real place called Hell. A place of eternal punishment. Once again this would be a very sad ending, but God in His mercy comes to the rescue.

Several hundred years before Christ, the prophets began teaching about God's rescue plan. In Isaiah 53 we read about a savior that would come to pay for our sins. It says that he would be pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities and that the punishment he would endure would bring us peace with God. This chapter also states that after the Savior's death, he would be raised to life again showing his victory over sin and death. In Isaiah 35 it says that this savior would cause the blind to see, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. In chapter 61 Isaiah goes on to say that this savior would preach the good news to the poor. Could Jesus be this savior? John the Baptist, who was in prison during Jesus' ministry, was experiencing some doubt about the savior's identity, so he sent his friends to Jesus to ask him if he was in fact, the long awaited Savior. In Luke 7:21-22 it says, "At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, 'Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" In other words, "I am the Savior and the proof is my fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies". In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and in the following books that make up the New Testament, we read that Jesus fulfilled the remaining prophecies about the Savior. He was pierced and hung on a cross, died for our sins, and was raised to life after 3 days to show His victory over sin and death. So what is our response to this Savior?

The Bible teaches that if we turn from sin, and turn to faith in Christ's death for our sins, that we become righteous before God. The sins that separate us from God and from life are erased, and we are given the free reward of eternal life. Through Christ, we can bring glory to God once again, and fulfill our life's purpose. Here's the story as told by Paul in Romans 3:20-25 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Through this forgiveness we receive eternal life. Romans 6:20-22 "When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

The choice is yours to make. If God has tugged at your heart through any of these scriptures, if you feel convicted of sin in your life and desire a rescuer, Christ is that rescuer. Ask God to accept Christ's sacrifice for your sins and to forgive you, then use the rest of your life to bring glory to God. In the New Testament it was a sign of obedience, that once you received salvation you would get baptized as a symbol of your death to sin and new life in Christ. Baptism doesn't save you, it's just a sign of obedience. So if you have received salvation, why not go to a local Bible believing church and get baptized to show what Christ has done for you. If you are not a believer, I pray you will consider faith in Christ. If you are a believer, I pray this (very long) post has blessed your walk with God. Thanks for sticking with it!

Twice a Year

If you have ever been to church on Easter or Christmas, you know that on those days, parking spots are hard to come by. For the sake of tradition, families who may not have been to church all year come for special Easter and Christmas services. But where does that tradition come from? The idea of only needing to worship God on the days that Christ was born and resurrected is not found in Scripture. In fact, the biblical picture of Christian worship and the Christian life is the antithesis of such an idea.

In Mark 7:6 Jesus quotes an Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah about the idea of human made traditions in the church.

"Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:6)

Jesus is not flattered by their holy traditions, in fact, he calls them hypocrites for practicing such things. So if tradition is not pleasing to God, what is? In Luke 9:23-25, Jesus gives insight into what is pleasing to God. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"

This is a much different picture from the go to church twice a year tradition. The picture of following God in the New Testament is one of abandoning your own life, goals, and even possessions to serve God and those around you. It is a daily walk, not a twice a year celebration.

My motivation for this blog is not to shame those who take part in semi-annual worship, it's to direct people away from the tradition of man and toward the gospel message about Christ. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16)

In my next post I will explain the gospel about Christ and the reason behind my passion for you to know about it.

Slave of All

In the book of Mark in chapter 10 verse 37, James and John ask Jesus a bold question. The disciples ask to be seated at the right and left hand of Jesus in Heaven. This request comes not so they can have an opportunity to know Christ more; they want the power and recognition that comes with sitting next to the king. Jesus explains to them that the places next to Him are not for Him to grant. He then addresses the real issue at stake which is the condition of the hearts of the disciples. Jesus says, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

In that passage Jesus addresses the disciples understanding of what it means to be great in God's kingdom. Those who are great are not the ones who position themselves the best, or those who make the right friends or the right grades. Those who are great in Heaven are those who humble themselves in this life and serve everyone around them.

As we are surrounded by a culture of entitlement, pride, and isolation, I believe we as Christians are forgetting the call of Jesus. Instead of hurrying into our homes after work so the neighbors won't bother us, we need to hurry to reach out and serve those in need. If the Son of God, the one with the greatest right to be served, can humble himself even unto death for us, how much more should we be willing to humble ourselves and serve our neighbors?

"...And whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

The gift of repentance

I am constantly amazed by the grace of God. In today's sermon we heard one more outstanding example of this grace. In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, Christ is addressing the church at Laodicea. This church doesn't have much going for it. In fact he explains to them that they are lost souls clothed in comfortable religion. He describes them as wretched, pitiful, blind, and naked. These folks are the worst of the worst in God's eyes. Christ tells them to repent and trust in Him. Now look what he offers in return for that repentance. "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." The worst of the worst, those who have sinned their entire lives without shame are offered a seat on the throne of heaven. All they had to do was repent and accept Christ's death for those sins they committed. By simply sacrificing their pride, they could gain everything.

God's grace is not for the perfect it is for those who acknowledge their sins and turn to Christ. He wants to invite us onto His throne...let's take him up on that offer.

Tolerance

In Ephesians 4 Paul is discussing how the church can be built up through Christ. He goes on to say in Ephesians 4:14, "Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

These directions were given so that the church would become a grown up, steadfast instrument of God in Christ. They were given so that people would be guided in love to live in the truth of Christ rather than the lies of man.

Recently I've heard a lot from friends, from different news sources and society in general that the church and in particular the Christian church needs to be more tolerant. In other words just take the "in love" part from the verse above. People choose churches based on how tolerant it's attitudes are towards different practices, faiths and world views.

What does tolerance really mean when you put it into the context of the church? It means that the church is taking on the role of God and in fact claiming superiority to God. The church is now deciding what sin it will tolerate instead of leaving the judgement of sin to God. Some churches are even stepping away from claiming Christ as the only way to God. In these churches the goal is comfort, with the greatest downfall being offending people. Sadly, the comfort they seek will last only a short time as God demands payment for sin. Those who are fooled into thinking they can live in their sin and deny Christ will end up in eternal discomfort without a savior by their side to rescue them.

Churches that water down scripture probably think they're doing so out of love. But, if they truly loved their congregations they would care enough to tell them the truth about what God desires for their lives. God's moral will for people's lives is not to put them in a rigid box of rules, it is to make people more useful instruments for His kingdom and to set them free from the slavery of sin. Those aren't empty words either because I have experienced that freedom firsthand.

It's very convenient to remove truth from scripture because it allows the church leaders and it's members to go on without the persecution that comes with standing up for God's will. However we get a very different picture of faith from the early first century church. Paul and many others were willing to die for what they saw with their own eyes and knew to be true. They were willing to die spreading the good news of Christ because they knew he died for their sins. They knew it wasn't their place to decide what truth best suited their needs.

Jesus said he is the truth and the only way to God. He's the son of God, so I say okay. I don't get to decide if that's too harsh or strict or intolerant. He was God's gift to me, my creator's provision for my sin. And if God says, this is it, this is the way I made for you, take it or leave it. I take it. This is the truth that needs to be taught in love to the thousands that pour through church doors every weekend. To hide that truth is to hide the amazing grace, love and peace given to us in the truth of Christ.

Faith Builder - The Suffering Servant

How would you summarize the ministry of Jesus? Starting with the creed of the early church, and the Gospels, many have summarized his life, his works, his death and his resurrection. Just as other prominent figures in history, the story of his life was recorded. But, unlike other prominent figures in history, his story was actually told well before his ministry on earth began.

The prophet Isaiah wrote around 700 B.C. what we now call the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Inside this book, a very complete summary of Jesus' life and purpose exist. Starting with verse 4 of Isaiah 53 speaking of God's suffering servant:

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own ways; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

It goes on to say, "He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? Fore he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth."

"Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

This passage was written 700 years before Jesus walked the earth. When compared with Jesus' ministry in the Gospels, it's unmistakable who this passage refers to. Some have argued these verses were simply added after Jesus' life, which actually gives further testimony that the passage clearly refers to Jesus. This argument died about a half century ago with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among these scrolls was found an entire copy of the book of Isaiah. The latest date carbon dating offers for this scroll is 120 B.C., well before the time of Jesus.

These days the ministry of Jesus draws many critics. Some would say he was a good teacher, a nice guy, someone who cared for the poor, but not the Messiah. Some would equate him with Gandhi or Mother Theresa, but not the savior of their soul. This passage should give pause to any who hold those views. It encompasses his trials, his death, and his resurrection with astonishing detail. This prophecy revealed to Isaiah by God, summarized not only the events, but also the purpose of Jesus' life, 700 years beforehand. The last line reads,"For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors".

Compare these words to the words written shortly after his death and resurrection by those who knew Jesus. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living" 1 Cor 1:15. That passage was written within 5 years of Jesus' death.

Those who knew Jesus, who witnessed his death and resurrection were not saying Jesus was a nice guy or a good teacher. They understood him to be the son of God given as an offering for their sins; a fulfillment of prophecy from ancient times.

So here we are 2000 year later making new claims and new judgements. That's like people living 2000 years after your death saying your family, best friends, co-workers etc. didn't really know you or what you did or what you stood for, and then further claiming that they knew who you really were. Highly unlikely.

The most likely scenario, and what I know to be true, is that Jesus was exactly who he said he was and still is. He is the son of God who died for your sins and mine. Whoever believes in him will have their sins erased and will have the amazing honor of spending eternity in heaven. As stated in the Gospels, God sent Jesus not to condemn but to save.

(If you have any questions please leave a comment!)

Election Day

I have to admit I've been worried over the past few weeks about this election. Worried about the implications for our country and our children. Worried about the chips being chopped away from our freedoms by both parties. But as a Christian, I am reminded by God's word who is in ultimate control of our future. The political parties of this world have control over a limited domain, but scripture tells us God's domain encompasses all things.

Colassians 2:6-10 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Chirst, who is the head over every power and authority."

Every power and authority. That just about covers it. So, if you're a Christian today, don't get lost in the philosophies and worries of the world. Find strength in your faith and be thankful for the promises God has given you in Christ. Our country will last for a short time, but God's kingdom endures forever.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57.