"Jesus Christ Uncompromised" Preaching good news to the poor and setting captives free
Saturday, October 31, 2009
A Little Bit of House Cleaning ~ An I-61 Project Ministry Update
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Prodigal Son ~ Hey What About the Parents?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Born Again? Once is Not Enough
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' (John 3:1-7)
Maybe you've had a baby before or have experienced the birth of a baby. You know it starts with the contractions. They start kind of mild and far apart and then become more intense and closer together. Sometime in there the "water breaks". It's that amniotic sac that surrounds the baby and contains the amniotic fluid (the water). Then, walla! The baby pops out. Maybe not quite that easily but eventually this little human being is born of water. It is a living, breathing, creature. It is a creation of God. A child of God? Well, most would say so but not the Bible. OK, that sounds horrible! Let me explain. The Bible says this about the little bambino. God knit him (or her) together in his mother's womb. It tells us that he loves him and that the kingdom of God for such as these. But it also says that our first birth brings us into creation but not into the family.
John 1:11-13
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Can you see what John is saying? Can you see what Jesus was saying? Our first birth is the product of the physical union of man and woman. It is flesh bringing birth to flesh. We become part of creation, certainly loved by God and desired by him but still separated spiritually from Him. Really? Well........ yes.
I asked a group of teens last week this question, Why did Jesus have to die?" I got some blank stares and eventually someone mentioned dying for our sins. "Cool", I said. "What in the world does that mean?" Someone said, "He was showing us how much he loved us." "Yes, indeed he did, but people die for each other all the time. We have young men dying in the Middle East every day proving their love for us and our country." "What was so special about Jesus?" More blank stares. So we turned back the clocks to ancient Israel and the practice of animal sacrifice for sin. That little, unblemished lamb sacrificed for the sins of the people really made the term "Lamb of God" mean a little more to them. The little lamb wasn't a fluffy little pet but a substitute that paid the penalty for the sins of the people. Little lamb, innocent and pure, dying for the people sinful and lost.
Long story short: Jesus died to make right that which was SO wrong. The righteous (holy and good) dying for the unrighteous (sinful and broken). After Jesus explained to Nicodemus the need to be born again he said these well known words, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Key word: Believes. Faith or a heart's belief (not just a head knowledge) in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection allows us to grab hold of the promise and brings us through the birth process the second time. This birth is one of your spirit by the Spirit of God. We then become children of God. We may be ten or we may be eighty three but either way we become children and the Bible says we are now "heirs to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). The word "heirs" is a legal term. It means that those who are in the family are entitled to the privileges of sons and daughters.
I know this was a bit deep but take heart!! Nicodemus was a very highly educated Jewish leader who said to Jesus in a way, "Uh.... I don't get it. How do I get back into my mamma's uterus?" But I think he got it when he laid Jesus in the tomb and then saw him rise to life on the third day. I think he got it when he trusted Christ. I know he got it when he opened his eyes after his own death and looked into the eyes of his Saviour sitting at the right hand of the Father and heard, "Welcome home my son!" Born again Christians are the only kind of Christians. If you aren't born again you might just be religious or churched. The invitation is open to all who would call on His name to be Born Again.
Peace friends!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Seeing vs. Perceiving and Hearing vs. Understanding ~ Turn and be Healed
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Jesus ~ Who Do You Say He Is?
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-16)
If you are here today (and you are) then I assume that you, at least, have some desire to seek spiritual things. You have some interest in seeing if what I have to say holds water and has some ability to affect your life for the good. That being said, I want to tell you that I have had many very deep discussions with people lately regarding "religion", tolerance, truth, God, and the person Jesus Christ. I have spoken to people who call themselves "Christians", to three very pleasant Jehovah's Witnesses, to a kind and gentle follower of the Bahai faith, and pastors of a mainline Christian denomination and I am confident in this fact: We do not all follow the same Jesus.
Regardless of who you are or where you are in your faith walk, you will have to answer the same question. "Who do you say that he is?" Even if you're an atheist, you have to answer the question. Your answer may be "I don't really care." but everyone will answer. Does it really matter? Well, hmmmm, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes. Why? You might ask. Can't we all just believe what we want and leave it at that? Well, sure, we can. This is America and we have the right to believe what we want, worship who and what we want, or not worship at all. But, I for one don't want to follow, put my faith in, or trust my life to a lie or a fable. Let me give you an analogy that I hope will make this tangible and clear.
There was once a small group of hikers enjoying a beautiful walk through a pristine mountain forest when they became lost. After a few days and nights they were becoming very hungry. But they had noticed, as they wandered, many mushrooms of different shapes, colors, and sizes.
Hiker number one (Christian) pointed out that according to his book of edible forest foods, only one type of mushroom in these woods was fit to eat. All the others would cause death. "It says right here that the Wala Wala mushroom is the only one that will sustain us in our hunger and that, even thought the others look good and some look like the Wala Wala, they ultimately will not satisfy our hunger but will lead to death."
"Bah humbug!" Shouted Hiker number two (Pluralist). "All mushrooms are the same and are good for the body. Stop being so intolerant of mushrooms. Who are you to say one mushroom is better than another? That book of yours is not factual. I read it myself and decided to just see the good in all mushrooms. The other parts of the book, those that were unpleasant, I just blacked 'em out with a Sharpie. Get a grip! I love all mushrooms and if you weren't so narrow minded you would see that they're all beautiful in their own way."
"You're both crazy! All mushrooms are dangerous and should be avoided at all cost. Everyone that I know who got caught up in the whole "mushroom eating" thing went nuts and some even became obsessed with mushrooms. That book is hogwash! I'm not touching any mushrooms or reading that silly book!" Exclaimed Hiker number three (Atheist).
So Pluralist, assuming that all mushrooms were the same, picked five of the most pleasant looking mushrooms, mixed them together into a fine mushroom salad and began to eat.
Christian picked a handful of Wala Walas and roasted them over a small fire then began to eat.
Atheist sat there refusing to eat and time went by.
When the mountain rangers found the group, only one man was alive, Christian.
OK, before you shoot me for being another intolerant religious guy, let's look at this practically. In real life there are mushrooms that are good to eat and others that will kill you. It's truth. Does it matter what you believe about mushrooms? No! Even if you sincerely believe that you can eat a handful of Amanita phalloides mushrooms (also called Death Caps), you will likely die a painful death. What matters is not our ideas or our emotions but the truth. I have been really amazed that intelligent people can believe that all beliefs can be true even if they claim different things. It is nonsensical. We have to at least meet at the place where we agree that all things can't be true. We can be tolerant of each other's beliefs and love each other (by the way, I do you all) but let's be reasonable. God can't both exist and not exist at the same time. God can't be a piece of carved wood and an all powerful spiritual being at the same time. Jesus can't have risen from the dead and not risen. Black can't be white and a square can't be a circle. Truth just is.
Jesus Christ ~ Who do people say that he is?
Some would say he was a fictitious character who never really lived. To them I would say that there is more historical evidence for the life of Jesus Christ than any other person in ancient history. There are more than 24,000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament which have been discovered and many extra-biblical writers spoke of Jesus of Nazareth including Josephus (c. AD 37-101) and Tacitus (c. AD 115).
Some would say that he was just a fine religious leader who taught us how to live a good life. But Jesus didn't leave us that option. He claimed to be coequal with God the Father. He claimed to be the only way to the Father. He stated that he came to die for the sins of man. He rose from the dead. He claimed to be the Only Son of God.
As I have pointed out in my last two posts, the answer to the question, "Who do you say I am?" matters. The Bible (which I believe is reliable and will answer any questions you have about that) tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh. He is God made man who ultimately came to save us not from war, poverty, and division but from our own sin. The Old Testament testified about him but many, including many "Christian" leaders see the Old Testament as a history book written by men with political agendas. But Jesus said these words in John Chapter 5, "If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"
Jesus came to bring life, to bring restoration in our relationship with God the Father, to make us new creations, to give us everlasting life, to take away our guilt and shame, to reveal to us the amazing love of the God who created us. Jesus is not just one of many fine men who told us to hold hands and make world peace. He is the creator and sustainer of all things.
Please, if you have any doubts or questions about who he is and what he means to you, drop us an email or a comment on the Blog. Don't for a minute let anyone convince you that Jesus is any less than this. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Not just for me but for all.
Lastly, if anyone feels compelled to help us in the spreading of the Gospel, there is a "Donate" button on the Blog Home Page. It is tax deductible.
Peace and Joy,
David and the I-61 Project