Lessons from Christmas, #1

Not, "Wha'd ya git?" But, what did you learn from Christmas?

A week ago the question on everyone's lips was, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Or, if addressed to a child, "Are you ready for Santa?" Now, the Interrogatory du Jour is, "What did you get for Christmas?" I'm glad for whatever gifts you received, and I felt greatly loved by people's kindness to me, but let me suggest another query,    "What did you learn from Christmas?" Christmas is a powerful statement that we can't make it on our own, down here. Jesus birth was heralded as "Good News." Among Christ's impressive titles and names are Savior, Immanuel--God with us--and Son of God. He took the form of a man, became a servant, and was obedient to death. He was made in all points like us. His entrance was not the fulfillment of a parent's threat, "Don't make me come down there." but rather the warm embrace of a loving father who comes to us when we are in over our head. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:17 NASB). It was "while we were still helpless" that Christ stepped in (Romans 5:6) at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. We didn't send for God.  He came. Now, how will you respond?   It's STTA (Something To Think About).

The Just Shall Live By Faith, #4

The Righteous Person Shall Live By Faith.

“But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38–39, NASB95)   The Scripture is not inhabited by superhumans, but by ordinary folk who walk and talk like the rest of we mere mortals. I'm not denying the miraculous. You find that in scripture, but interwoven with the mind-boggling we find the mundane. The angel who caused Peter's chains to fall off of him, and enabled the Apostle to just walk by the guards, told him to put on his own robe and shoes. Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, but the Disciples had to gather the leftovers. That basic humanness is not only seen on the front side of the Bible, but when you look behind the screen at those to whom the various books are written, you see a motley crew, much like us. One of the similarities is the people wanted something that they could touch and see, and carry in their pocket. The tendency comes out in our first-cousin Thomas--good oldDoubting Thomas. It's a family trait, isn't it? “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Let's not be too hard on him. The other Apostles had seen the marks. Later Jesus pronounced a blessing on those who believe without seeing. This is a tension that comes through very clearly in the book of Hebrews. The writer of the book, again and again, makes known the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, yet it is clear that the people to whom he is writing were tempted to go back to the old ways, just as their ancestors had turned back to idolatry when they "threw [their gold] into the fire, and out came this calf" (Exodus 32:24). What is the way of life of the Christian? What do we hold on to? What do we look at? For the third time the New Testament quotes from the Prophet Habakkuk. "The just shall live by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4) The writer of Hebrews goes on to tell us a bit about faith.     “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NASB95)   I tend to think of faith as an act. There was a point in time when Ibelieved. Faith, though, needs to be a way of life. As I walk in faith, God gives assurance and conviction, but believe, I must. It's a bit like getting out of bed, some days it is harder than others, but it's worth the effort.   It's STTA (Something To Think About).

The Just Shall Live By Faith, #3

The Righteous Person Shall Live By Faith.

“Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”  (Galatians 3:11) How does one lay hold of this righteousness of God, the only kind of goodness that will enable us to stand before God's holy standard? It is not a task to accomplish or a prize to earn, rather it is a gift to receive. The Apostle Paul confronted the works gospel that was being promoted by the heretics who were seeking to lead the Christians of Galatia astray, this way.   “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:6–8, NASB95) The New Testament makes clear that the Gospel is a message of Good News. Yet there is a natural tendency for we people to make it a challenge to work hard. Make no mistake, there is much work to be done, but the labor is  labor of love. It is the Christians response to God's gift of grace, not the means by which salvation is earned.   It's STTA (Something To Think About), and to rejoice in..

The Good News Reconciles

The Good News of Jesus Brings Folk Together.

There are some things that once they are said, are hard to get over. In my role as pastor, I've been to court rooms on several occasions. I've often been to jail. I'm always struck with the power and finality of words given from the "bench." When the judge says, "I sentence you . . ." she/he speaks as the representative of civilization. "You have done something that we cannot allow in our community. I'm doing what I'm doing because your actions have harmed others. We cannot allow such things to go on without consequences--severe consequences." Usually, unless there is a need for some other hearing, the judge and the person sentenced never meet again. In fact, we provide judges with protection because we know that if the two do meet it could be ugly.  Let me ask you, "Does this picture look ugly?" Wallace, a retired US military technician, is an incredibly kind man who is a member of the same small-group as Kathy and me. The group is a ministry of our church and meets at the home of some friends. Susan is another member of the small-group. She is a judge. Wallace taught the lesson in our last two small group meetings. We are going throughBecoming a Contagious Christian, and Wallace took two weeks to teach the lesson on "telling my story." As part of the presentation, he told his story. You wouldn't believe how often people who know Wallace say, "He must have the gift of helps." He constantly goes out of his way to reach out to others with acts of kindness. He regularly brings ice cream treats to our meetings. He says it's because he can get a good deal on them at the military commissary, but we all know that's not the only reason. One would never know, by seeing Wallace today, that his past includes time in jail. As he told his story the other night, he told us a bit about that part of his life. Then, looking at Susan, he said you were the judge who sentenced me to that time in jail. His statement was without the least hint of bitterness or anger. Rather, he went on to speak of how during that time in jail he met others who discipled him and helped him to move forward in his walk with the Lord. Susan replied, "When I first met you at church I thought I remembered your name." Until that moment in small-group, though, she had never put it all together. So here was a man sentenced to serve time for a crime of which he had been convicted, teaching a lesson about the Good News that changes people's hearts and lives, and he was teaching it to the judge who had sentenced him to spend time in jail. What an illustration of the power of the Good News of salvation in Christ. It not only enables us to be right with God--"The wages (consequences) of sin is death (separation from God), but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)--but beyond that, this same Good News brings people together. Even people who would otherwise be enemies become brothers and sisters in Christ. We live in a world that is divided by nationality, politics, class, skin color, race, and more. God's plan is not only to save us as atomized individuals, but in the person of "Christ Jesus . . . to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus2:13–14, emphasis added).  Not many people--former prisoners, judges, black, white, brown, rich, poor, etc. but one people united under the flag of the new life we have in Christ and marching forth to do good deeds in His name. The ice cream at small-group was good, but hearing the story about Susan and Wallace was worth well more than the price of admission. It's STTA (Something To Think About).  Here is a brief video that presents this life-changing message that brought Susan and Wallace into God's Family.

Even a Tycoon of News Cannot Prevent News of His Death

The real FAIR & BALANCED:

Roger Ailes has been one of the most powerful forces in media for the past several decades. The motto of the news empire that he oversaw is "Fair and Balanced." Ailes died this morning. Clearly there is room for argument, especially with revelations that surfaced at the end of Ailes's life, as to whether his career modeled that motto. I'll leave that discussion to others more "pundit-y" than I. I am confident, though, that Ailes entered a realm where fairness is beyond dispute, and balance is Divine. Hebrews 9:27 declares, "[I]t is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." The early chapters of Romans give us a great deal of information about the standard of the judgment God administers:  God's judgment is rightly directed. It is against "all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." We should not take false comfort in that, however, since Romans goes on to say that all have "sinned and fall short" (3:23). Impartiality is often held up as the standard of human justice. With Godit is clearly achieved. In Romans 3:9-20, words like "all," "none," and "no one;" and pronouns like "they" predominate. Chapter 2 and the first part of chapter 3 make clear that no group gets a pass. Jew and Gentile, religious and secular, educated and unlearned, all stand on level ground before God's tribunal. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable defense in a human court. God, though, bases His judgment on what we know (Romans 2:12-16). It is as if the Lord will play the surveillance recording in our heart. As verse 19 says, "every mouth will be stopped." We'll know that there is nothing we can say. Most important to us, while God's judgment is sure, His grace and mercy are without limit. After establishing that all are guilty, the Apostle Paul goes on to show that just as all are guilty before the Lord, salvation is made available to all through faith in Christ (here).  I have conducted many funerals over a lifetime of ministry. I always did so knowing that I was not privy to the eternal destiny of the one being memorialized. When commenting on the afterlife of someone I have never met, like Ailes, that is even more-so. I do know that the God of the Universe will do what is right. Roger Ailes sought to inform, teach, and persuade us for decades. His death, like the end of every life, is a lesson we should heed. It's . . . STTA (Something To Think About).  Here is a different presentation of the Good News in Christ. You can find several ways to explore the Message of Grace here.

So Much Grace, It's Not Fair

GRACE:

The last time we were together we talked about a social engineering project in China, that some have compared to  Orwell's 1984 or Huxley's Brave New World.  In case you forgot your high school literature, neither of those dystopian novels presented a very pleasant scene. Here is the question that concerns us: What if there were a system that would reward each of us with exactly what deserved? Really, it's not a matter of if; the fact is there is such a system and it presents a far more alarming scene than any fictional account.  We tend to think in terms of more-or-less.  God is perfect; His standards are likewise perfect.  These words from our Lord's earthly brother are one example of what the Bible has to say on the subject:  "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10).  The question is not, "Am I better--or less bad--than others around me?" but, "Do I measure up to God's standard?" The answer is, "NO!" “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  (Romans 3:23)   We don't need justice.  We need grace.  Grace of such a quality that when we examine it we'll be tempted to say, "That's not fair!"  Take the case of the Apostle Paul.  He was a legalistic leader of a warped brand of Judaism.  He felt driven to, and totally righteous about, persecuting followers of Christ.  He was involved in the stoning of Stephen, and proceeded to wreak havoc in the church.  See here, and here.  Yet this former one man wrecking crew, came to be a recipient of God's grace.  He, himself, was amazed at the scope of this grace.  Paul called himself the "foremost of sinners."  Yet he saw God's grace as sufficient to deal with any quantity of sin.       "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,           so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 Yes, God is righteous, but, without any compromise to either, He is also gracious.  That is why the Apostle Paul puts both concepts in one brief statement.   "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. . . ." (Romans 6:23) We are right to respect God's justice.  That should not be the end, however.  A knowledge of God's absolutely holy standard ought to drive us to God's grace.  What John Newton called God's "amazing grace." That great grace is captured in a verse that is likely the best known passage of scripture in all the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16, KJV) I encourage you to find out more here.   A good place to start is to scroll down to the "The Good News About Jesus."   It's STTA.

The Racket of a Fallen World

This world is not a peaceful place.

People who come to my little community here in the Alleghany Highlands often comment about how quiet it is.  Others who visit here complain about how quiet it is. A couple of weeks ago, about an hour away, a guy claiming that God told him to do it, and by some reports yelling "Allahu Akbar," stabbed two people.  Just the other day a young man from right here in my town, suited up in body armor, got his guns and went to the Dam that creates one of the prettiest lakes in the world.  He had heard from God as well.  He was calling the faithful to join him in protecting the dam.  "ISIS was going to blow it up." My little place on God's earth might not be as loud as your place, and the racket this fallen world makes might not rise to the level that its groans become audible as frequently, but"the whole creation" is involved. We can't hide from sin and its consequences.  But, we can be victorious over it.  After speaking with great eloquence about just how broken this world is, the Apostle Paul kicks his rhetoric into over-drive.   “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31–39, NASB95) It's STTA. The question is, "Are you in Christ?"  Find out more at this site.  It's a message we all need.

Don't try to bargain with death.

Something to Think About DEATH:

I can't say that I'm a Bluegrass fan.  I enjoy some of it.  I have some friends who play and I particularly appreciate hearing them.  Especially in the Appalachian region where I live there is no disputing the impact of Mountain Music.  Ralph Stanley was one of the pioneers of the genre.  He died today, June 23, 2016 If you look up the word "haunting," you are apt to find a reference to Ralph Stanley's song "Oh Death."   Oh death, oh death    Won't you spare me over til another year Well what is this that I can't see With ice cold hands taking hold of me Well I am death none can excel I'll open the door to heaven or hell Whoa death someone would pray Could you wait to call me til another day The children pray the preacher preached Time and mercy is out of your reach I'll fix your feet til you can't walk I'll lock your jaw til you can't talk I'll close your eyes so you can't see This very hour come and go with me In death I come to take the soul Leave the body and leave it cold To drop the flesh off of the frame The earth and worms both have a claim    Oh death, oh death    Won't you spare me over til another year My mother came to my bed Place a cold towel upon my head My head is warm my feet are cold Death is a movin upon my soul Oh death how you're treatin me You close my eyes so I can't see Well you're hurtin my body you make me cold You run my life right out of my soul Oh death please consider my age Please don't take me at this stage My wealth is all at your command If you'll remove your icy hands Oh the young the rich or poor All alike to me you know No wealth no land no silver or gold Nothin satisfies me but your soul    Oh death, oh death    Won't you spare me over til another year    Won't you spare me over til another year    Won't you spare me over til another year Death can't be reasoned with.  It's not authorized to make bargains. We simply know that "each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27, NLT). Pleading with death makes for powerful, plaintive music, but it is useless.  If you look at Stanley's words he knew this.  Rather than plead with death, trust the Lord of life. It’s STTA.   Read here to find out how to prepare for life and death.

Water

Something To Think About Water:

This evening I did something that I’ve never done before.  I stood in line to get water.  I can remember, visiting some of my old relatives when I was a child, where we had to draw water from the well.  There have been a few times, either when I was working on the plumbing or when there was a brief interruption to our utility service, when nothing came out when I turned the spigot.  But this is a different matter.  The El Nino weather pattern has brought drought conditions to Micronesia that combined with the increase in tourism to the tiny nation of Palau has created a real shortage.  Our water goes on and off by a schedule passed down from the government.  We are fortunate, some of our friends have basically no water.  Their water come “on,” but by the time the limited pressure brings water to their faucet it is already turned off.  Most people in this region either filter their water, or buy it.  That’s why I was lined up tonight, at one of the only places you can go to get your jug refilled. It has already caused me to think differently about H2O.  From taken for granted to precious in one leap. Water was—still is—precious in Israel, the land of the Bible.  Perhaps that is why the Bible often uses water as a picture for the blessings that God gives.  In just a quick count I spotted something like fifteen times in the book of Psalms that water is symbol of blessing.  Here is one example. “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” (Psalm 63:1–4, NASB95) In the New Testament the image continues.  Jesus gives this marvelous invitation. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”  (John 7:38, NASB95) Standing in line with my empty jugs, I was thinking about that.  I hope you have plenty of water.  I encourage you to join me in praying for the islands of Micronesia.  Most of all, I encourage you to consider the offer of an endless supply of living water from our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s STTA. Find information about Living Water here.

CHRIST'S DEATH GIVES LIFE

Something To Think About Jesus' Death:

A week ago we remembered the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.  All around the world people remember the death of people, especially people we love.  There are cemeteries all over the world.  It is common for churches in Europe and North America to be surrounded by graves.  The Pyramids one of the wonders of the world and the Taj Mahal are among the many edifices and monuments erected “In memory of.”  I’m not a particularly sentimental guy, but I have several objects that I keep because they remind me of someone who was important to me in life. Remembering the death of the Lord is different, though.  Surely His life was inspirational and exemplary, but the Bible says that something remarkable was accomplished by His death. Romans 5:8 & 1 Thessalonians 5:10 says “Christ died for us.” Hebrews 2:14-15says that the death of Christ “render[ed] powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [and made] . . . free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”  In heaven the Lord is worshipped because He “purchased for God with [His] blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). It is a bigger topic than this daily-thought format can handle, but the fact is that Jesus death accomplished something, it changed and changes lives, and will lead to the renewal of all creation.  Read more about it here and here. The short version is Christ’s death brings life. It’s STTA. Find information about how Christ's death can change your life here.

Whosoever!

Something To Think About The Great Opportunity:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that  [whosoever]  believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) I put the old King James word, "whosoever," in the Bible quotation above.  The word has a bit of a lawyer-ly sound to it, doesn't it?  The word is found 183 times in the King James Translation.  The more recent translations often take the "so" out and simply translate the word "whoever."  I can hear someone looking disinterested, about now, and saying, "Whatever." Whosoever or whoever is not deserving of a verbal shrug.  The word expresses a marvelous and precious truth.  Actually the Greek word in John 3:16 is a different one than the one translated whoever in some other verses.  The particular word used here is translated every, oreveryone in other places.  I saw a couple of translations that attempted to capture that nuance.  The New Revised Standard Version is one:  "so that everyone who believes in him. . . ." In the the realm of Theology there are those who tend to emphasize God's control, Calvinists, and those who place greater emphasis on man's responsibility to do the right thing, Arminians.  Churches and families have split over the differences between the two.  My intention is to give you something to think about, not reason to fight, so let me see if I can put this in terms that both sides can agree on.  To be extra safe, I'll quote from the ultimate authority, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  ". . . the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out"  (John 6:47)  We'll leave the question as to why some believe and others do not for another time.  (Just reading the verse in its entiretywill help answer that.)  What is clear is that anyone who is inclined to believe--who feels the draw of the Holy Spirit in their heart toward faith in Jesus, the Savior of the world, can believe and the person who believes "will not perish but have eternal life." At the end of most every STTA you find a link to a page that has a whole bunch of material to let you know more about the application of the Good News to your heart and life.  Today is no exception.  Whosoever is interested will something worthwhile there.    It's Something to Think About. Merry Christmas. Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.  It's available to whosoever.

God so loved . . .

Something To Think About God's Love:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) You probably memorized the verse from the King James or another translation that begins something like, "For God so loved the world."  That's a good translation, but I'm afraid it is open to our going the wrong way with it.  If we aren't careful we import emotions into the verse that are more appropriately associated with a young man in love, than with the God of the universe.  "I just couldn't help myself."  or, "I know I really shouldn't, but I love her so much that I bought her the necklace/bracelet/ring/new car anyhow.  We look at those words "so loved," and we are apt to think of God looking at a group of beings that He finds so adorable that He just can't help Himself.  He just has to find a way to make their salvation possible, even if it costs Him the life of His Son.   Yes, God does love the world.  John 3:16 speaks of the people who make up the world.  Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, people of every ethnicity, language, nationality, and condition are loved by our great God, but it is not because of any loveliness on our part.  In fact the Bible makes clear that we are really quite unlovely in God's sight.  The Apostle Paul gives a devastating summary of what we look like to God in Romans 3.  It's not pretty.   Nor does God ever argue with Himself.  I can't speak with authority about you--though I have my suspicions--but I debate myself all the time.  I guess that guarantees that I always lose.  Am I going to get up or punch snooze?  Take a shower or just put on more deodorant?  Be quite or give that person a piece of my mind?  Can I get by without shaving?  Another piece of cake?  Ride the exercise bike?  Often the better (I hope) part of me argues the lesser contingent in my head into submission; I do the right thing, but I'm whining, or worse, the whole time.  God has no such internal conflicts.  What He does He does with His entire being.  There never was a time that what He wills to do was not His plan and there never will be a time when He will regret what He does.  God loves not because He finds the one on whom He bestows His love to be worthy of His love; He loves because He islove.  Our worthiness or unworthiness is not the issue.  The truth is we are unworthy.  It was "while we were yet sinners," and, while we were still weak" that God, "show[ed] His love for us," and "Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:6-8) That word "so" in John 3 16 answers a question:  What was the extent of God's love?" or, "What is the demonstration of His love?"  Here is the answer, "that He gave His only begotten Son." Rejoice with me in this greatest of all Christmas gifts, and stay tuned.  There is more to come.  It's Something to Think About.. Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.