The Anticipation of Christmas

The days leading up to Christmas are pure torture for me.  The presents I have bought for my children are still in the shipping boxes that they came in (I do pretty much all my shopping online) sitting there ready to be wrapped and put under the tree.  My children usually each get one special present from us, and we think long and hard about what special gifts to get our children.  The problem is I hate waiting to give it to them.

In fact, I’m so bad that I’m tempted constantly to tell my children what I bought them.  It’s actually a joke with my kids because I will keep talking about their presents and how much they are going to like them.  And then I make up some silly toy (like a Dora bike for Ethan) that they know I didn’t really buy them, and we laugh about it. 

On Christmas Eve, I will painstakingly wrap and arrange the presents so that when my children come down the stairs on Christmas morning, they will see a plethora of presents where there used to be emptiness.

It occurred to me the other day that I bet God had this same excitement as He planned to give His best present to the world.  For hundreds of years, He gave us hints in His holy Word (the book of Matthew gives many of these OT prophecies for us).  You can almost imagine that He is just waiting to let it all out.  Not only that, but we see Him meticulously preparing the world for the arrival of this gift: heavenly messengers, John the Baptist’s birth, and a special star to lead the wise men.   Everything crescendos with the angelic announcement to the shepherds.  It’s like God could finally hold back no longer and shouts out, “Come and see what I’m giving you!!” 

And what a gift—a Savior like no other. 

But the crazy thing is there’s more because the anticipation of a great gift is still ongoing. 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Rev 21:1-7

In case you are imagining a future where we have wings and float around clouds playing harps, we have this text that informs us that God will create a new Earth.  An Earth without pain, loneliness, crying, suffering, or death.  Everything that is wonderful in this world is only a prelude to the perfection of our new Earth.  Just like the Old Covenant of Law was a shadow to the New Covenant offered in Christ (Hebrews 10:1), this Earth is only a shadow of what we will experience when everything will be redeemed.

In C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle, after the Narnians have experienced the end of their world, they walk through a door into a world that was like the war-torn Narnia, but somehow more. 

“It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling.  He stamped his right hoof on the ground and neighed, and then cried: ‘I have come home at last!  This is my real country!  I belong here.  This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.  The reason why we loved Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.  Bree-hee-hee!  Come further up, come further in!” (213)

You see, the true Christmas, the real Christmas is still ahead.  We are still waiting, but we are waiting in hope with joyful anticipation.  And, one day, when all tears have been wiped away and all wrongs made right, we will have the biggest celebration we can imagine.  Don’t forget this precious gift that is being offered to you.  It is worth the wait!

Why I'm Not Afraid of ISIS

Recently, as I scrolled through social media, I saw a post where ISIS has revealed a list of cities they will target.  The person who posted this was shocked by the seemingly remote and insignificant cites that were mentioned on this city.  I don’t know if this list is true—it could be ISIS propaganda or even a sick joke.  However, I want to boldly say that I am not afraid of ISIS. 

Why am I choosing to not be afraid? 

It’s not because I think I am strong enough to fight them off.  I’m not. 

It’s not because I’m in denial about the real tragedies of life and don’t think this could possibly touch me.  Tragedy is no respecter of persons.

It’s not because I’m so confident God will stop them from getting me or my family.  He’s made no such promise. 

I am not afraid because I have hope in what comes after this life. 

All this life can truly promise is a cycle of suffering and redemption.  As privileged Americans, we sometimes think that we can live in perpetual safety and happiness.  That’s not the true nature of this fallen world.  We can insulate ourselves, but this insulation is not real protection.  The only true protection is a confidence in a redemption so big, we can only see a corner of it. 

My hopes are wrapped up in the following statements:

1)     We are more than bodies.  If you subscribe to the secular worldview that says that you are only a physical creature then, yes, you should be afraid. This is all you’ve got, apparently. If, however, you are a believer in the God of the Bible, we have promises that ensure that this is only the beginning.  In terms of my beloved punctuation, death is a comma, not a period.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:40 (NIV)

2)     True justice is on its way.  I think we have a great justice system here in America.  Having served on a jury, I was impressed by how each juror took seriously the implications of our judgment.  We were overwhelmed by the responsibility we had in removing the freedom of the defendant.  Even still, we all knew there was a weakness. We didn’t have all the information.  We could only make a judgment based on the information presented to us.  It is not so with God.  All men will stand before Him, and He will judge with true justice because He has all the information, even the intents of the heart.  This gives me confidence because that means that, while we should never stop looking for justice here on Earth, no one is getting away with anything in the long run (including myself).  This hope in true justice reminds me that all evil will be punished.  The evil that ISIS is doing now will be dealt with.

“There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.” James 4:12a (NIV)

3)     We have the word of hope.  Ours is truly the only message worth dying for.  We, as Christians, follow a long legacy of people willing to die for their enemies—to give rather than take.  We have something precious to give this world. 

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 20:24 (NIV)

I say all this to remind my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, to not be afraid, but to be ready.  Be ready to share the Gospel, to live out the hope that you have, to stare evil in the face and offer it Christ.  In this way, we will demonstrate that we are true disciples.  

A Flourishing Faith

There are plenty of doomsday messages out there to make a believing person feel nervous: world-wide Christian persecution, a continued secularization of our society and its consequences, the drama of an unfolding presidential election.  How can we ensure the continued growth of the church when it seems under attack?

The early church knew the cost of following Christ—most often it was their lives.  Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, poured their blood out on sandy floors of the arena.  For four hundred years, the Christian believer was attacked, condemned, and murdered.  Yet the faith flourished. 

That is, until Constantine.  This Roman emperor supposedly has a vision where he sees a Cross and hears the words “in this sign you will conquer.”  It all pretty much goes downhill after this.  Christianity is finally recognized and now endorsed, and the died-for faith of generations now becomes a political tool.  After the Roman Empire falls, the word of God is kept from the lay people, trapped in the language of Latin (that the people no longer speak).  With no personal copy of Scripture with which they can test and check what they are being told, the people are left in ignorance and the church becomes a bastion of corruption and tradition based on man’s ideas instead of God’s.  For a thousand years (during which time the Crusades take place), man is estranged from God.  Yes, this time is considered a religious time period, but it is a religion of separation and distance, instead of relationship and personal accountability. 

The Reformation begins, not with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses of Contention in 1517, but almost 150 years earlier with John Wycliffe’s translation of the Bible into English.  Why is this so powerful?  For the first time in a thousand years, the idea that common man could read the Bible in his own vernacular is introduced.  For this, he is called the Morningstar of the Reformation.  His final vision doesn’t really become reality until Tyndale’s translation in 1525-26, but Wycliffe’s hope was the spark that started the fire that swept all of Europe. It is impossible to communicate the huge effect that this had on the people.  No longer were they dependent on others to tell them the truths of the Bible.  Now they could it read for themselves.  In fact, a historian remarked how elderly people learned to read just so they could read the Bible.  Groups of people pooled their money together in order to purchase a Bible and their lives were changed.  

Throughout the centuries informed Christians have fought against injustice and argued for the intrinsic value of man.  Looking to Scripture as their guide, they realized that all people are precious in God’s sight.  Their Bible study affected the way they saw every aspect of life, as it should. 

In many ways, we operate like the people who didn’t have access to God’s Word.  We rely upon pastors and teachers to expound to us what the Bible teaches without doing the hard work ourselves.  Now, more than ever, the people of God need to be a Biblically literate people.  With so many issues that need to be approached in a thoughtful way, we have a responsibility to study God’s Word to understand His perspective.

On our plate right now:  how to handle the Islamic threat, same-sex marriage, transgenderism, the effects of moral relativism, gun control, the balance of freedom, and many, many things.  How can we possibly know the way to handle these things and to ensure that the Christian faith flourishes instead of flounders?  We cannot rely on the teachings of others to navigate these tumultuous seas because, no matter how much you trust someone, no one person has all the answers. 

So what is the answer? 

1)     Don’t let emotions be your guide.  No matter how much a certain idea may “feel” right, do not trust it unless there is Scriptural backing.  If you look back over your life and think of decisions you’ve made based on emotion, chances are those weren’t your best decisions. 

2)     Know your Bible.  Don’t just reference a few token verses.  You need to see the whole teaching on a topic instead of just one narrow vision.   It’s dangerous to build a theology off of one or two verses.  You have to interpret verses in the light of the other Bible passages to have a more comprehensive perspective. 

3)     Be willing to be corrected. Being open to discussion with the idea that you might have something to learn is key.  If someone can use Scripture and a good hermeneutic to demonstrate where you might be lacking, be willing to change.  The truth is none of us have perfect theology.  We are all in the process of learning and adjusting our worldviews to line up with Scripture. 

We, as Americans, are so richly blessed with a plethora of Bible study tools and resources to aid us.  Please, let us use them!  We cannot be a voice of reason and truth in this world without a solid understanding of God’s total truth.  Before you make a decision on how to handle Islamic terror, read God’s Word to understand how He would have us react keeping in mind both His mercy and His righteous judgment.  Before we speak to a homosexual or transgender with words of condemnation or approbation, let us search God’s Word for His whole counsel. 

And as we consider these important issues, let us always approach every topic and every person with respect, remembering the overwhelming value God has placed on every person (even the ones who reject Him).  Let us be characterized as those who understand the Bible and speak the truth in a way that demonstrates love.  It is in this context, and no other, that our faith will flourish.

“…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”1 Peter 3:15

Thirsting for More

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where where is no water.  So I have looked for You in in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory."  Psalm 63:1-2
   This verse introduces a common experience for mankind.  We all feel this desire or longing for something more.  In the darkness of the night, our soul cries out for a reality that can quench the deepest longings of our heart.  We long to be known.  To have purpose.  Many in light of that the insatiable desire have turned to God to meet that need.  As the psalmist, we have gone to His sanctuary to see His power and His glory. C.S. Lewis describes his own longing in his autobiography Surprised by Joy.
   “The first is itself the memory of a memory. As I stood beside a flowering currant bush on a summer day there suddenly arose in me without warning, and as if from a depth not of years but of centuries, the memory of that earlier morning at the Old House when my brother had brought his toy garden into the nursery. It is difficult to find words strong enough for the sensation which came over me; Milton's 'enormous bliss' of Eden (giving the full, ancient meaning to 'enormous') comes somewhere near it. It was a sensation, of course, of desire; but desire for what?...Before I knew what I desired, the desire itself was gone, the whole glimpse... withdrawn, the world turned commonplace again, or only stirred by a longing for the longing that had just ceased... In a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else... The quality common to the three experiences... is that of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again... I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and Pleasure often is.” 
  He saw in those moments a hint of something far greater than just instant gratification.  It was a whiff of a heavenly scent.  A desire for something bigger and grander than himself.  It was what the Bible calls the hope of eternity set in each person's heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  I think many of us can relate to those moments in life--perhaps it was a beautiful scene in nature that took your breath away, a book that was written with almost perfect clarity and brilliant expression, or a moment with a loved one that warmed you.  Those moments are brief, but always memorable.
   I believe these moments help prepare us for truth.  They lift up the eyes that are firmly fixed on earthly soil and help us look up to the heavens in wonder.  Where before we were distracted with the daily details of living, those divine moments make us stop and think of what's really important.
   Unfortunately, for many, that is the end of the experience.  That one moment gets our attention, but, because of its brevity, it cannot sustain it.  Soon enough, we are immersed in the basics of everyday life again.  We remember that wonderful, intense moment, but it soon becomes a fond memory and nothing else. 
   That's because that moment was an invitation--the beginning and not the end.  The goal isn't to recreate that moment, but to find the why behind the moment.  For those who make that connection, that moment doesn't need to end.  It can be the entrance to a whole new life.  
   Many of us don't know how to go from the desire to the fulfillment of that desire. That's something that isn't easily explained.  Many much wiser than I am have written books upon books on the subject.  I do think, however, that it can be very simple.  Ask. 
   If you want more of God--ask Him.  Matthew 7: 8 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." The promise is offered repeatedly throughout scripture for those who will demonstrate the persistence to keep on asking.  In Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage, he states, " Prayer is the appointed means for obtaining what we need. Pray; pray often; make a business of prayer, and be serious and earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks alms. Ask, as a traveller asks the way. Seek, as for a thing of value that we have lost; or as the merchantman that seeks goodly pearls. Knock, as he that desires to enter into the house knocks at the door."
Don't be satisfied with the momentary glimpses.  Keep asking for more of Him that you might truly live!
   But after asking there yet remains another step--believe He will answer you.  Hebrews 11:6 states, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  This is where the important step of faith comes in (please note that the faith step is more to do with God's character than His existence).  We must believe that He wants to and can answer our prayer.  When we believe this, we realize that the weight of action has actually moved from us to Him.  We wait in hopeful anticipation.  He does everything else.
   So if we ask Him to reveal Himself to us, and we believe He will reveal Himself, we also need to open our eyes to see when He does reveal Himself.   In many books I've read, including Eldridge's Sacred Romance, it is believed that God is revealing Himself daily.  In fact He is actively romancing us--through things of beauty, through meaningful connections, through dappled rays of light.  He romances us with love.  Are we watching?  Are we responding? We don't have to wait for those big, life-changing moments to experience His presence.  We can walk every day with eyes open to see Him actively at work around us.

Lord, you know how easily we are distracted by the world around us.  There's always something to do, and when we are finally done we fall exhausted on our beds.  And then we wonder "Is this all there is?"  I pray Lord that we will first yearn for something more.  Awaken in us a desire to desire--and not just petty, small desires for immediate fulfillment.  Put in us a hope for eternity,a desire for the true reality of the world, and don't let us be satisfied with anything less.  And then we ask, God, that you would show us Your Heart.  Let us fall in love with you.  Let us wait with breathless anticipation to see how You will show up today.  We cannot do this on our own.  We need you, and we believe you want us know You.  Give us eyes to see and hears to hear You!
Amen

Law vs Freedom

   Recently I’ve been watching a TV show that grapples with the issue of law and liberty in an interesting way.  The show is called The 100 and follows a community of humans living in space after a nuclear battle has made the Earth uninhabitable.  They have made it the 100 of the 200 years needed to make the earth habitable again; however, the place they are living (called the ark) is failing, and they only have a matter of months.  So they send 100 of their under -18 convicts (crimes committed by those over 18 are punishable immediately by death) to Earth to see if they can live there when the ark fails. 

   These 100 teenagers are sent to earth and a thought-provoking contrast of government is played out.  On the ark, the law is rigid and harsh.  People hate the law and the leadership, though they mostly submit because they understand the law’s purpose is to protect the human race.  On earth, the teenagers, finding themselves with no communication with the ark, decide they want a society where they can do whatever they want (which they chant at various times).  However, they find that this kind of anarchy is unsustainable.  When a murder is committed, the teens demand “justice” but a justice that isn’t backed up with evidence.  After a tumultuous and intense series of events (and the death and banishment of two characters), the two main leaders of the group basically say they need to have laws.  There have to be consequences for actions.  They feel inept at being the ones to administer law and justice, but they see it is necessary. 

   We’ve seen this same scenario played out in real history as well.  What ends up coming to the head is the basic question:  what defines law?  Or better yet:  who defines law?  Just as they concluded in the TV show, life cannot work without law and without consequences.  But the idea of arbitrary rules given by just anyone is naturally repugnant to us.  Who really has the authority to determine what is right or wrong? 

   For many, the only solution can be the rule by majority.  Let’s have a democratic vote on it.  What is dangerous about this was discussed in my last blog and even highlighted in the TV show when the mob demanded their vigilante justice—what if what the group wants is wrong?  There must be something bigger and greater than the group to decide morality, or we will forever be in the grips of every passing emotion or idea.

   However, we learn on the show that even this isn’t enough; they do have a codified law on the ark, but its enforcement is fierce and tyrannical even.  On the ship, there seems to be no freedom.  On Earth, there seems to be too much. 

   If the law isn’t the complete answer, what is?

   This is demonstrated in the TV show in a unique way.  The fact that the ark is dying is being withheld from the community for fear of the people rioting.  However, one character finally reveals the truth to them and calls on the people to use this as an opportunity to bring out the best in humanity.  Furthermore, the character who reveals the message also explains that oxygen is running out.  For them to buy time to save all the inhabitants on the ark, about three hundred people need to die.  Leadership had planned to do this deceptively, and had picked out a group of people to die in their sleep.

   Obviously, leadership expected the people to respond to this news with anger and rioting.  What happens is surprising.  A delegate from the people steps forth.  He turns in his tags and says he volunteers to be one of the three hundred to die so that his daughter might live.  He walks out, and another person comes in and does the same.  And so on until there are even more than three hundred needed. 

   The leadership is flabbergasted.  They never expected this overwhelming response of self-sacrifice.  They are humbled and ashamed even.  We see in this one act something that transcends the rigid law they were enforcing.  Love.  Sacrifice. 

   It is in this intersection of law and love that true morality is fleshed out.  It’s not just about meeting the requirements of a relentless code of law.  It’s about giving of ourselves.  It’s about loving others. 

   It’s about living out in plain view the balance of God’s own perfect nature. 

   True freedom then becomes not the ability to do “whatever the hell we want” (as broadcasted by the rebellious teens).  It isn’t escape from the law as demonstrated on the ship.   

   Freedom instead becomes the ability and right to choose to do the right thing.  The moral thing.  And so we learn that morality isn’t the restriction that many fear it is.  It is the freedom to become better people.  It is the freedom to learn what love really means. 

   Although we live in a culture that simultaneously believes that we need more laws and less moral constraints, we can look to Scripture to understand the true nature of things.   “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  (Galatians 5:13) 

The Irrationality of the Mob

   In a famous scene from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Antony has stirred the crowd up to a frenzy against the conspirators who assassinated Caesar.  In their rampage, the crowd (or mob at this point) comes across Cinna the Poet who unfortunately shares the name of one of the conspirators.  Read the following scene:

     Third Citizen Your name, sir, truly.  
     CINNA THE POET Truly, my name is Cinna.   
     First Citizen Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator.  
     CINNA THE POET I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 29  
     Fourth Citizen Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses.
     CINNA THE POET I am not Cinna the conspirator.  
     Fourth Citizen It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his  
                         name out of his heart, and turn him going. 34  
     Third Citizen Tear him, tear him! Come, brands ho! fire-brands:  
                         to Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all: some to Decius'
                         house, and some to Casca's; some to Ligarius': away, go!  (lines 26-37)

   The chilling lines from the fourth citizen captures the evil of the mob mentality.  When they realize that Cinna is not in fact Cinna the conspirator, the citizen calmly says, "It is no matter, his name is Cinna."  In this scene, truth is irrelevant, only the satisfaction of the emotionalism of the mob.  They want revenge, and anyone will do.  We see a similar scene played out in the pages of Scripture as Paul shared the Gospel.

   

 “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.  But the Jews[a] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.”  Acts 17: 1-5 ESV [bold and italics mine]

However, things are different when they get to Berea.
 

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.” Acts 17:10-14 ESV

   What happened in Berea that was so extraordinary?  We see two distinct ways of identifying truth. Many Jews when they heard Paul’s message responded in predictable ways particularly those in Thessalonica:

1. They got offended
2. They sought to shut him up at all costs
3. They often involved large groups of people (many who didn’t even know what the real issue was) to create a big scene

   The Berean Jews responded in a completely different way.  Let’s look to the text to see how they were described.  First, they were described as nobler than those in Thessalonica (those who set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of an innocent).  Why?

1. They received the word with eagerness
2. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so
3. They believed based on the evidence presented them

   Their response demonstrates a high view of truth, of Scripture.  Instead of responding emotionally and subsequently working everyone up to a frenzy, they went to the Scripture “to see if these things were so.”  They didn’t react prematurely, but they allowed God’s Word to speak to them, even though this truth would have changed the very fabric of Jewish life.  The truth is they valued God’s Word over their own comfort, their own traditions.

    Do we see anything similar in our own lives?  Our country right now is like the first set of Jews.  We see or hear something that offends us, and instead of seeking out the truth of the matter, we react emotionally.  Christians, apparently, aren’t any better.  Because of this, I believe that one of the greatest dangers to our faith isn’t a different worldview such as secularism; the real danger is emotionalism coupled with biblical illiteracy. 

   God wants us to think things through.  When we encounter a situation as serious as the refugee crisis, we cannot just react emotionally.  We must search the Scriptures (and more than just one) to find an answer.  When someone says or does something that offends us as believers, we cannot react in the mob mentality.  We must search for the truth of the matter.  We must see through the lens of Scripture how God wants us to respond to a situation. 

   Our emotions are not a trustworthy guide.  Instead, “…test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).  The rule is that we must first test it then hold fast.  My prayer for us is that of Paul’s:

“Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight—so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Anointed One, the day of His judgment, let them stand pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that ripens through Jesus the Anointed.  Phil 1: 9-11 ESV [bold and italics mine]

Be Courageous

   I’m not going to lie.  Every time I turn on the news and I hear about what is going on in the world, I get scared.  Paris attacks.  A pastor’s wife murdered in Indiana.  Planes diverted.  School shootings.  Missing children.  The refugee crisis.  The list could go on.  And, not only that, we see the war of ideologies.  We see the Christian faith marginalized, attacked, and refuted while other worldviews are encouraged without being analyzed or verified.

   In fact, there are Christians who have said, “I give up.  This world is too much.  I’m just going to get away.”  They may go “off the grid” and begin prepping, or, less isolationist, they might just turn off the news, avoid non-believers, and live in a simple world with little to no interaction with the rest of mankind.

   I can understand.  It seems pointless, hopeless even.  And perhaps there is a point when we just hunker down and wait for Jesus’s return.  But I can’t imagine that time is here yet. Why?  Because it isn’t that bad yet. 

   You might think I’m ridiculous to say that, but I’d like us to look at Scripture as our litmus test.

   

   Moses, on his own, faced the leader of the most powerful on Earth at this time who had enslaved a people who rejected him.

   Joshua, on his own, had to lead an untrained people in to the land of promise filling the shoes of Moses (who wouldn’t be intimidated by that???).

   Daniel, on his own, spoke truth to a pagan nation that had exiled him and his people refusing to bow down to their idols.

   Esther, on her own, faced an entire nation bent on destroying all of her people by defying a system that hated women. 

   John the Baptist, on his own, challenged a majority of religious hypocrites.

12 disciples stood firm on their eyewitness accounts in front of an unbelieving world that killed them.

   Paul was sent out to a pagan world that had no knowledge or understanding of Jesus or the Old Testament that prophesied Him and planted churches.

And these people changed the world. 

   Yes, they suffered.  They hurt.  They were afraid.  Some even died in the pursuit.  But they boldly went forward.  Why?  Because they knew they weren’t alone.  They weren’t really being asked to do all these things on their own strength. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 [bold mine]

   Our confidence is not in any ability that we might have in ourselves.  Our confidence comes solely from our reliance on Him.  We will have trouble.  It’s going to be hard.  But we are not alone.  And we can have confidence that God is still working in this world, no matter how chaotic it might seem.

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”  Psalm 27:13-14

   All we need are eyes to see and ears to hear where God is moving and then, the big step, we need to join Him.  We don’t have to be afraid of the future because God is with us now, and He will be there too.  And, in God’s perfect timing, I read in today’s Jesus Calling devotional the following encouraging words:

Leave outcomes up to me.  Follow Me wherever I lead, without worrying about how it will all turn out.  Think of your life as an adventure, with Me as your Guide and Companion.  Live in the now, concentrating on staying in step with Me.  When our path leads to a cliff, be willing to climb it with My help….You already know the ultimate destination of your journey:  your entrance of your journey.  So keep your focus on the path just before you, leaving outcomes up to Me.

Being Zealous

   I remember when I first became a Christian I would read the Old Testament and be a little shocked.  It was so violent.  There are stories of those punished with their lives for disobeying the law such as Achin who was stoned to death in the Valley of Achor (Joshua 7: 24 and 26) for stealing some of the plunder and hiding it.   

   Many Christians look to these stories as a model for how we should handle sinful behavior.  However, this is only partially true.  The Old Testament is indeed an example for us and a concrete story from which we learn.  The problem is we are learning the wrong story.  We are not looking at a picture of how the church should interact with one another and with unbelievers in regards to behavior.  We are instead seeing an external reaction to the horror of sin.  The reason the Jews acted physically to sin is because they were demonstrating the absolute purity of God to a world who had no clue what purity was.  Because God’s holiness was displayed to the world in the visible image of the tabernacle and temple and the nation of Israel, they guarded this with intense zeal. 

   For us, the situation has changed—what was previously exhibited externally in the form of a nation and temple, we now demonstrate internally.  In other words, we don’t (or shouldn’t) have an outside temple or location or even country to represent God. Why? Because we are the temple.  We, individually and corporately as the body of Christ, are now charged with the responsibility of making visible the invisible image of the Father.

   What does this look like now?  We as the protectors of God’s image still passionately seek out and punish sin.   Yet the sin we are looking to punish is not outside of us—it is not in our world, and really not even in our church (though there is certainly times for discipline)—our main focus MUST be our own sin.  Because we are now the temple of God, because He resides in us personally, because we are His and the world is looking, we have to seek out in our own selves those ideas and actions that contradict Scripture with the same ruthlessness that the Jewish people exhibited towards sin in the camp. 

   Jesus has set the example for us because He is the first to be the image of the invisible (Colossians 1:15-18).  He is our model always.  He also outlines clearly the importance of this pursuit in the Sermon of the Mount.  Consistently in the gospel, Jesus sets forth the common understanding of a law, and then raises the bar.  You have heard it said that adultery is sin….I tell you that even looking at a woman with lust is sin (Matthew 5:27, paraphrase mine).  He even goes on to say that if you right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Matthew 5:29, paraphrase mine)!

    Why so strict?  Because what is at stake is everyone.  The whole world.  Every precious soul.  Because if the world looks at you as the image of God and you are hateful, exclusive, and angry then they will reject the God you are displaying.  Because if you are sneaky, deceptive and a liar then they will reject the God you are displaying.  Because if you are selfish, manipulative, and self-serving then they will reject the God you are displaying. 

   No pressure, folks.

   Before you feel scared about the pressure that is on us, remember what God has done.  He has put His very self in you.  The Holy Spirit resides in you leading you (John 16:13), teaching you (John 14:26), and empowering you (Romans 8:11).  You cannot do this alone, but you must do it.  I must do it.  The stakes are too high. 

   That’s why we need Him.  We need Him every hour.  Seriously, we need Him every second.  Let us live every moment in dependence on Him because the whole world depends upon it.  

The Pain of Beauty

“It's so beautiful that it hurts me,' said Anne softly. 'Perfect things like that always did hurt me — I remember I called it "the queer ache" when I was a child. What is the reason that pain like this seems inseparable from perfection? Is it the pain of finality — when we realize that there can be nothing beyond but retrogression?'

'Perhaps,' said Owen dreamily, 'it is the prisoned infinite in us calling out to its kindred infinite as expressed in that visible perfection.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

   I’ll never forget reading the above quote in Montgomery’s book Anne’s House of Dreams, fifth in the Anne of Green Gables series.  The two characters are contemplating a beautiful sunset when Anne remarks that looking at really beautiful things hurt.  I remember this so clearly because I never knew anyone else had felt that way.  I thought it was some weird emotion in me that finds exquisite beauty painful.  Owen, the other character, expresses in words an idea that I had never before contemplated.  Perhaps our longing for beauty, for perfection, is in reality our own longing for God.  The part inside of us that was made for eternity yearns to meet with that visual expression of God’s perfection. 

   When I thought about that, it made sense then why we are all so drawn to beautiful things, to beautiful people.  The rightness, the sense of things fitting together speaks of God’s own wholeness.  And our so obvious brokenness cannot help but draw us towards that which is not broken. 

In our world, we can see the fruit of that longing.  We see it in amazing creations—impressive buildings, complicated works of art, sleek graphic designs, and, of course, in the pages of magazines.  The standard for beauty is high—so high, it’s impossible.  It’s not surprising that we would take one of God’s attributes and turn it into an idol. 

   Believers have responded to the allure of beauty in different ways.  The typical stereotype of conservative Christians portrays them rejecting beauty altogether.  We may envision the long-haired, dress-clad ladies with no makeup and garner the idea that unattractiveness is holy.  In our fear of beauty and its power over mankind, we have discouraged a focus on the external.  Young Christians chant the mantra, “It’s what’s on the inside that matters.” 

   Unfortunately, we cannot divorce the external from the internal.  Despite what gnostics tried to teach, the physical is not disdained by God.  A look at creation and its extravagant beauty shows us that the Earth still retains its splendor even while displaying the scars of fallenness. 

   What does this mean to believers?  It means we have to develop a healthy balance.  The desire for beauty will always be with us, and it makes no sense to pretend it doesn’t.  It does not need to be condemned, and it does not need to be given free license.  Instead, like all gifts from God, it needs to be tempered with love. 

   In our search for perfection either in our physical selves, our homes, or our work, we have to understand what the end result could be.  Anything too perfect creates a response in us that is hard to control.  We are moved to worship.  Time and time again, we’ve seen what happens when we encounter truly lovely things:  whatever it is becomes unreachable, a distance is created, an altar erected.  Either we will worship the God who created this, or we will worship the created.  On this side of heaven, perfection should only be a sign, but it is often a stumbling block.  We cannot ignore beauty or try to diminish it in order to hinder its worship effect—we can only gird it with humility. 

We can remind ourselves that beauty isn’t the end.  All the symmetry and balance of beauty (which is what it really is, isn’t it?) isn’t in itself valuable.  It is only valuable as much as it points to the One who is perfect in every way.  This mindset keeps us from becoming prideful. 

   This means that when we strive for a beautiful home with everything in its place, we realize the purpose isn’t to make others think we are amazing decorators, but to create a space of beauty where people can relax and hopefully connect with God.

   This means that when we ladies get ready in the morning and apply our makeup, the goal isn’t to communicate “Look at me!  I’m amazing!”  or even “Don’t look at me!  I’m hideous!”  We clothe ourselves in beauty to the best of our ability knowing that we are presenting an entire package. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Do not let your adornment be merely [italics mine] outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”  There isn’t a problem with making ourselves attractive, but we need to add to that a beauty of character that connects the internal with the external.

   There will always be a tension in the Christian world between the internal and external.  Between beauty and idolatry.  Between creation and the Creator.  While we are here on Earth, our responsibility as God-followers is to help bridge that gap as we rightly connect internal and external, beauty and humility, and the worship of the Creator instead of the creation.  

Whose House Is It?

Over the years, we've had lots of people come stay with us at our house for various reasons.  For the most part, these experiences have been enjoyable and rewarding.  There have been a few, however, that were downright difficult--sometimes because of their actions and sometimes because of ours.  Tracy and I know most emphatically that we are not perfect, and I can imagine there have been many times where living with us might have been difficult.  These times have helped me to see my own innate selfishness and controlling behavior.  I haven't enjoyed this, but I see how important it is for God to bring these things in to the light.  Therefore, I take responsibility for at least a portion of some of the challenges we've had with different "tenants."  However, there have been some times when the difficulty did not lay within my own sphere of responsibility, but it arose out of the choices of the person staying here.  

In our house, we have determined certain rules that must be followed.  We don't allow food upstairs, etc.  These rules are in place for various reasons which sometimes we explain and sometimes we don't.  You see, this house is ours and, because of that, we determine what happens in it (within reason, of course).  Recently, I told some of my students about an experience where one of the people who lived with us repeatedly broke our house rules and even lied to us about it.  Finally, it reached a point where they could no longer live with us.  This was a difficult decision, but it ultimately came down to the point that this person would not respect our authority in our own home.

When I told my students the specifics of the story, they were outraged with me at the lack of respect.  Of course, my husband and I could could make rules about what happens in our home and expect our guests to follow them.  But then I brought up the bigger question--whose house do we live in?  Ultimately, we live in God's house.  This is His world and He created it.  He has the right and authority to decide the rules.  He also has the right and authority to bring judgment when those rules are broken.  

The breakdown of the word authority reminds us what is truly at stake here.  The suffix -ity means "quality of conforming to."  Author literally means originator or creator.  Put together authority means conforming to the author/originator/creator.  Because He is the Creator, the Originator of all Life, and the Author of this story, He has all authority to lay down the rules.  This is a common understanding.  

Jesus told a parable illustrating this very point:

The Parable of the Tenants

"'Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.  When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[a] to the tenants to get his fruit.  And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.  Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’  But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’  And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”  They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.'"

Matthew 21:33-41English Standard Version (ESV)

His audience could easily see how this story should end.  The owner had all right to return and be angry.  I'm reminded of a similar theme in the epic, The Odyssey.  While the great hero Odysseus struggles to return home from the Trojan war, suitors have camped out at his house pressuring his wife to remarry even though she is not interested.  Things escalate as they drain the resources of his home and plot to murder his only son.  Finally, at the end, Odysseus returns in disguise.  He sees what what is happening at home, is abused by the suitors, and then finally he reveals his true identity and kicks some butt.  As we read, we cheer Odysseus on, ready for the suitors to receive the punishment for their evil behavior.

However, we must ask ourselves if we have more in common with the wicked tenants or suitors than we would like to admit.  God has made it clear in His Word what His standards and expectations are.  Do we respect His authority to make these demands?  Or do we try to explain away those expectations that are most uncomfortable to us?

Recently, I've been reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life.  He was a German theologian who spoke against Hitler during the Nazi regime.  Eventually, he was a part of the group who attempted to assassinate Hitler and was executed as a result (the movie Valkyrie was based on this though they do not mention his name).  To the Christian community, he is well-known for his powerful book called The Cost of Discipleship (if you have not read it, you are missing out!).  He was only in his twenties when Hitler came into power, and from the beginning he was wary of this new leader.  It wasn't long after that the Nazi movement began to target the church: 

"Popular culture has ignored the persecution of German Christians during the Nazi period, leaving many to assume that National Socialism was enthusiastically embraced by all German churches.  The real story is more complex.  Some religious leaders clung to the hope that, by extending a hand in friendship, their churches would be spared.  Others felt that short-term survival was more important than protest.  

Some attempted to merge Nazi philosophy with Christian teaching.  This last group was known as the German Christian Movement.


The German Christian Movement was founded in 1932.  Nominally Protestant, it endorsed 'positive Christianity.'  Positive Christianity insisted that all Jewish influences should be removed from the Christian faith.  It discarded the Old Testament and portrayed Jesus as a tragic, Aryan figure." ("Deafening Silence").

One of the first moves of this German Christian movement and Nazi government was the Aryan paragraph which forbid any person of Jewish descent to serve in the church (or in any government post).  While Bonhoeffer was ready to speak out against this, many in the church weren't willing to cause trouble over a seemingly small infraction.  They could not or would not see where this would lead.  On this side of history, we know the cost of this compromise.  The good news was that the Confessing church (led by courageous men ) emerged as a voice declaring the authority of God's Word and the German Christian movement failed--the Nazi movement revealed itself as decidedly anti-Christian and the veil was lifted.  

Almost a hundred years later, the church is again under pressure to bow before the authority of man instead of God.  Presently, we see this in the matter of sexual orientation.  Our culture is demanding that the church accept the homosexual lifestyle even though the Bible is clear that this is not a part of God's original plan for humankind.  You don't have to look far in the news to read of churches and church organizations who are changing their policies to accept all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.   They are praised as true examples of God's love while conservatives are condemned as being homophobic and judgmental.  While it may seem a small issue, the effect of choosing man's authority over God's authority will be far reaching. 

We must look to the past to understand the future.  Time and time again it is recorded in biblical and extra-biblical texts the ongoing battle between God's rule and man's rule.  We should not be surprised that it is now our turn to stand firm.  Ben Carson recently spoke saying that this present generation must be courageous, and he is right.  We can be encouraged by the faith and bravery of the many, many who have gone before us who boldly proclaimed "We must obey God not man!" (Acts 5:29).

Choose This Day!

Lately the news has been a bit depressing.  I make a point to read about what is going on in the world because to me it's like pressing my finger on the pulse of our world.  It helps me to understand what people are thinking, what are the battles being faced so that I know how to pray more effectively and, sometimes, to write a blog.  I haven't written on this site for a while.  This summer has been pretty busy, but mostly I've found that I've started to write something, but then felt it just wasn't right.  It wasn't the right timing  or it wasn't the right message.  Something was off.

Then this morning, as I started to get ready for church, I read through some blogs and some news posts and things came to a head for me.  Mainly what I saw in the news are stories about fallen cops, a transgender boy who is arguing to use the same locker room as the girls, the anger of many over the Iranian nuclear deal, horrific descriptions of abortions, the after effects of the Ashley Madison scandal, and the devastating situation for the Syrian refugees (the image of the drowned child on the beach will haunt me forever).  Mainly what I noticed were the comments.  The typical Facebook arguments over these issues reach far and wide.  Behind these comments are intense emotions, and it seems that all this discussion doesn't resolve but embitters and divides.

Why?

The reason we can't agree on Facebook, or in real, daily life, comes down to a basic idea.  We are coming from completely different worldviews.  But even simpler than this is that fundamentally we don't agree on who or what gets to define things.  Therefore, sometimes (though not always) these virtual arguments are useless because we aren't starting from the same perspective.  We are arguing the peripherals while the foundational aspects of our discussion are never touched.  

It's basically this question:  Who or what as the authority to define reality (and by this define what's right or wrong)?

Many people on Facebook would argue that what's right or wrong depends on what you feel.  Follow your heart.

To those who are transgender, they might say: Go with what you feel.  No one can tell you different.

To those who hate cops, they might say:  Your feelings are justified.  Feel free to act out on them.

To those who want to have an affair or express your sexuality in a different way, they might say: Have fun! There's no point in restraining yourself.

However, Christians have a completely different starting point.  We start by saying that God alone has the right to define reality.  He who created us has the right to say what purpose we serve and what determines right from wrong.  As Christians, we go to the Bible to help us create a framework by which we interpret the events, the feelings, the actions of this world and ourselves.  

To those who are transgender, we might say: I understand you are confused.  This must be so challenging and difficult. You were created for a reason, and you have a purpose.  If you want to know what that is, let me introduce you to my Savior.

To those who hate cops, we might say: I am sorry for your suffering, but hatred is never the answer.  There is a true judge who will bring to light all that has happened, but He will also judge our actions.  If you know that your own heart could not stand under the scrutiny of perfect judgment, let me introduce you to my Savior.

To those who want to have an affair or express your sexuality in a different way, we might say:  Giving in to whatever your body demands will not bring freedom, but slavery.  Addiction to anything, including sex, will destroy you.  God created sex for His creation.  He meant it as a gift.  A means by which we connect lovingly to another human being.  In its proper context, it brings life, not death.  If you feel you cannot control this and that it is bigger than your ability to resist it, let me introduce you to my Savior.  

Christians--our message should be different from the rest of the world.  Is your message different?  Because when we get to the heart of the matter, if you are speaking the same message as the world, then that's the one you serve.

As Joshua said to the people of Israel so many years ago, "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”Joshua 24:14-15

We need to make a decision to serve either God or the ways of this world.  And we need to make sure that we make a point to not argue the points but to get to the heart of the matter.  

It's Complicated

We live in a country and time period that offers a lot of choices.  When I lived briefly in China, I would sometimes dream of grocery aisles filled with twenty varieties of peanut butter and jelly.  I would wake up sweating because I had forgotten what it was like to have that many choices.  

Having so many choices isn't necessarily a bad thing; however, if we aren't clear what we are all about, these choices can unnecessarily complicate our lives.  What we all need is a simple break down of what are the most important areas of our lives. What are our purposes and goals?
When we understand our mission, it becomes easier to make our choices because we want the consequences of our choices to line up with our vision for our lives.
The early church nailed this mindset. They knew they had one purpose---Christ made this clear before his ascension in Acts 1:8. Their job was primarily to share the Gospel and make disciples. This single-mindedness inspired many to give specifically and to reach out to those around them. This single-mindedness also strengthened them when the winds of persecution blew up on them. They didn't give up their faith, they didn't grow quiet because they knew that what they were doing was important.

So what is important to you?  What do you focus on as your primary goal in life? What about your children? What goals do you have for them?

Do our goals line up with Scripture? Are we focusing our time, energy, and money on things that really matter?

Psalm 86:11 "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite [give me singleness of heart] my heart to fear Your name."

Lord, help us to focus on what is essential, so that we might be about Your business.  You know our hearts and how easily they are led astray.  Unite our hearts, give us a singleness of heart, to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.  Burden and inspire our hearts with what burdens and inspires Your heart.  Remove those distracting things from our lives that only serve to complicate and confuse.

Amen