Christianity - So What?

I've been thinking a lot lately about Christianity and what it means to follow Christ.  I've been trying to come to grips with the many faces of the "church" especially in the West. It really hit me when I received an email from one of my closest brothers in the faith.  He has been diligently pursuing his degree in theology hoping to pastor a church but recently became convicted about what he saw around him.  The words that came to his heart were, "So what?"  So what if he showed up every Sunday and preached a message and then the people went about their lives like they always have.  So what?  What's the point?


He wasn't questioning the point of Christ's death and resurrection or the power of the gift of salvation through Jesus but was questioning the day to day, month to month, function of the church.  It just seemed that there was a blah, blah, ineffective, routine to it that wasn't pleasing to God. We talked about it this week and I agreed that the Lord put this on his heart not because preaching the Word is futile but because if we aren't careful it can become futile through us.  The church and the Word preached through it can be the power of God unto salvation or it can be a powerless social club that is merely a gathering place for people putting in their obligatory religious time. It can also become a place were the truth is blurred or blatantly contorted. 


Here is what struck me about the phrase. "So what?"  


I have encountered many people including a number of Christian pastors who say that all paths lead to God and that Christ is one of many ways to God.  I have heard comments like, "Jesus is the way for me but others have their way and those who claim Jesus is the only way have put God in a box."  If following Jesus is optional then I have to yell from the mountain tops, "SO WHAT?!!"  Why follow Jesus?  Why not just live life to the fullest, pursue financial wealth, meditate twice a day to decrease stress, be a nice guy, and pay my taxes on time?  Why in the world would I want to follow Jesus?  At least not the Jesus of the Bible.  The Jesus of the Bible said some crazy things about following him.


I think I've figured it out.  If we pick all the really pleasant, easy, and uplifting things Jesus said and did and form a religion around them we can sell it as a really nice way to live.  We can blend nicely with the world, with Zen, and with all the world's religions.  The answer to the question, "So what?" to them becomes: "Because it feels good and is a really good way to live."  But what about the real Jesus?  What about these scripture verses:

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9)

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him." (Philippians 1:29)

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:35)

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)

If Jesus was right, following him might not make my earthly life better but drastically worse.  If Jesus was telling the truth then following him might lead to persecution, imprisonment, and even death.  History seems to show that he was right.  Christians have been fed to lions, used as fuel for Roman Tiki torches, burned at the stake, flogged, beheaded, crucified, and stoned.  So why in the world should anyone follow Jesus if we can be happy, safe, comfortable, and content without him?  If Jesus was fibbing when he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me." then the answer becomes, "It's ridiculous.  No way!  It's a difficult road that need not be traveled. Time to take a detour to easy street."

But if he was telling the truth and the only possibility for peace with God and eternal life is through him the answer then becomes, "Because it's a matter of life and death."  Why preach with passion, truth, boldness, love, and conviction?   Because God has given us the privilege of participating in his plan to save people from the penalty of sin.  

Paul said it this way in Romans 1:16 

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

The point I'm trying to make is this:  The reason we preach, the reason we suffer for the name of Jesus, and the reason we lose our lives to live is because Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved.  It is through Him we receive the crown of life.  When we see the urgency of it and the stakes involved, we won't be satisfied with just going through the motions.  We won't be tempted to reshape Jesus into a more palatable holy man who walks hand in hand with Mohammad, Krishna, the Dalai Lama, and Buddha. We will preach because we love and we will love because God first loved us.

Peace,

David

Are you Poor? Who are the Poor?

Good morning insert your name! I really want you to know that I am writing to you because God, who is sovereign (absolutely in control of all things), knows you and it's not by accident that you are joining me here today.  Welcome insert your name.

Yesterday I spent an hour or so with Ivor in a coffee shop (drinking an Americana for the first time) discussing this ministry and also spending some time in prayer.  I'm sure there were some people looking over saying to themselves, "What in the world are those two dudes doing?"  Praying in public can be a bit uncomfortable but I realize that we come to God when and where we are but that's a topic for another post.  We were talking about the I-61 Project and what we are to be doing.  We began to look at the Scripture that inspired the name of the ministry: Isaiah 61.  We began to read the verses slowly and pick them apart carefully.  I want to share with you one part of the scripture and show you what the Lord revealed to us.  Here is the verse.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor."  Isaiah 61:1

Firstly we understand that there is no greater purpose in any ministry than to preach the Good News.  (i.e..  Jesus came to die on our behalf so that, by faith, we can be made right in the sight of God and live forever with him).  Just a quick interlude here.  I think that God does have a sense of humor.  Don't misunderstand me.  I know he is all powerful and can breathe out stars with the word of his mouth but there are times when he makes me smirk.  Do you have a typo that you make almost every time you type a certain word or phrase?  Nearly every time I type the words "Good News" it comes out, "God News".  I always think, "Yes Lord, you are right in saying the the Good News is God News."  It makes me smile.  But I digress.

When Ivor and I looked at this first half of the first verse of Isaiah 61 we had a question. Who are the poor?  Who are these people that God sent Jesus (and subsequently his disciples) to share the gospel with?  Was it the people who lived in poverty?  For sure.  Was it the people who were poor in spirit?  For sure.  So we looked into the Word to see to whom Jesus shared the Good News and also looked to see who Jesus described as "poor". 

The Bible mentions the word "poor"178 times and most often uses the word to describe the physically or financially poor and it certainly directs us to reach out and relieve their suffering but it also describes a person whose spirit is impoverished and whose soul is famished.  Isaiah wrote these words from God in chapter 41:

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst.   But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them."

Are you hungry?  Thirsty, maybe?  Is there a part of you that has sought pleasure, happiness, joy but no matter what you do it seems to pass through your fingers.  Every time you think you have a firm hold on it it vanishes like a mirage on a hot summer road.  Are you rich in your finances but your heart seems poor and lacking?  Maybe you are rich and you say,"Nope.  I'm rich and I'm just fine.  No hunger here.  I have all I need."

Jesus, in revealing himself to John, spoke these words to the church at Laodicea (and subsequently all of us):

"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked . . . " Revelation 3:17

Jesus reminds us that no matter what our IRA or savings accounts look like we may indeed be poor.  Pick up the latest "People" magazine (just once because it has little value except to reveal the truth of the words of Revelation).  Look at the lives of the "rich". Tiger Woods, Lindsey Lohan, et. al.  In God's eyes, "poor" is a thing that lies well beneath the skin, the clothes, the roof of our homes, and the covers of our financial portfolios.  

I was rich once.  I had a big bank account, a big career, and a big ego.  Under it all I was starving.  In the family album I looked like a man with a full plate, a full belly, and a healthy smile.  The portrait of my spirit (if it were painted on canvas) would have shown me sitting in the dirt with a rounded belly of starvation, holding an empty bowl, with a tongue failing to wet my cracked lips.  I was poor.

Here is the good news.  When we are touched by God and begin to see our spiritual portraits we have an opportunity to do what the poor did in Isaiah 41, "search for water".  It's when we begin to understand our need for God, our spiritual poverty, that we seek him.  The Bible says that when we seek him we will find him.  It says that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  It's like a man lost in the wilderness who is seeking a way out and at the same time there is a rescue party seeking him.  

With that said, I want to conclude today but sharing with you the rest of the words of Jesus to John in Revelation 3:

"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So, be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me . . . "

Last week we talked about wedding clothes.  Jesus reminds us here again that he is the one who provides the covering for our shame.  He reminds us that his gold is the only true wealth.  He reminds us that it comes through fire, through trials, and through discipline.  He reminds us that we need to repent.  He reminds us that he loves us.  And, finally he tells us that is it up to us to open the door.  He won't barge in but if you are hearing his voice today (and I pray you are) then open the door.  He will feed your soul.  I promise.  

If you are blessed by this Blog I want to ask a favor.  Would you pass the link to your email list or share a link on your Facebook page or on Twitter.  I know there are some who are "poor" in spirit among your family and friends who might need some good news.  Thanks!

Peace insert your name,

David

Jesus says, "Come" and then he says, "Go"

Do you remember the movie Stripes with Bill Murray, John Candy, and Harold Ramis?  I know its not a Christian movie for sure but there is a scene and a concept that I'd like to use as a powerful visual to segue to what I feel God led me to today. The characters that these men played were initially longhaired, undisciplined, and unmotivated.  They were going nowhere fast in life and needed help. There was a poster that was famous at the time.  It was Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you saying "I want you." It was a message to young men who needed some direction, some skills, and some discipline to "Come!"

So here is the scene:  There is a long line of recruits in bell bottom jeans with long hair and unshaved faces smiling, laughing, and joking as they waited their turn to enter a building to be processed and get their uniforms.  They had listened to the recruiting mantra and followed the prompt to "Come" and they did just that but the Army wasn't going to leave them they way they came.  The scene unfolds with the men having their heads shaved and then they emerge from the building humbled and painted with sad puppy dog faces.  But the Army called them not to keep them in the barracks but to train them, grow them, discipline them and then send them "out".  In other words they first said "Come" and then said, "Go".

Here is the segue: God says, "Come" then he says "Go"

The Bible says that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, to seek and to save that which was lost.  When he did come, his message was clear but he also reminded us of our need for God's help as well.  Jesus said, "Come to me all you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." He said, "Let the little children come to me.” and "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."  His offer to the people was for them to "Come".  He reminded us of our weakness and our innate tendency not to come and told us that we needed the Father to first draw us to him.  Jesus was saddened by those who were drawn to him, grabbed hold of religion but not to him and in the end had not come.  "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

We come to Jesus like Bill Murray and John Candy did (broken, weak, undisciplined, and unfit.)  We didn't get shaved up, cleaned up, and in tiptop shape first but we came as we were. It was the Holy Spirit who came in and started us in boot camp.  The message to the world is to "Come!"  Business men, athletes, tall people, skinny people, heavy people, black people, white people, Asians, Scandinavians, and Africans.  Prostitutes, tax collectors, porn addicts, crack addicts, straight, gay, millionaires, and the homeless. Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, and Communists.  Jesus knew that sinners came in all shapes and sizes and then ALL need to be reconciled (made in right standing) to God.  Did Jesus come to justify sin? NO! But he came to free us from it.  Isaiah said in chapter 61 (the impetus for this ministry) that he came to preach good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, free the captives, and to release prisoners from the darkness. AMAZING!  So if you are human and in need of freedom and life then COME!  

So what happens after we come and receive life through Jesus Christ?  God by the power of his Holy Spirit begins to clean us up and get us into shape (spiritually). We are made into the likeness of his Son.  This is a slow process that the Bible calls "sanctification" but just means to be made holy like God is holy.  The Bible really shows this both as something that has happened and is happening.  But here is where God has shown me that he brings us in the door and then sends us out again.  The Word tells us that Jesus "sent them (the Apostles) out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits."  It says he "sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."  In Matthew 28, Jesus said, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

So here is the thought for the day:  If you have been nudged by God to seek him or have felt emptiness in the meaningless pursuit of life without God then COME. Jesus tells us that those who come will in no way be cast out. Remember though, when you come God will not let you hold unto your sin no matter how much you cling to it, rationalize it, or justify it.  His desire is to see you whole. And, if you have already come and are born again into the family of God you should not just sit comfortably in your grace and life but need to GO OUT and lead others to Christ.  You can do it with the gifts you've been given.  For some it may mean caring for the homeless in the name if Christ.  For others it may mean raising your children with the love and knowledge of Christ.  For some it may mean flying to Cambodia to bring Bibles to those in dark and dangerous house churches.  The Army brought the men in one door and sent them out another. They came in as a ragtag group of hippies and walked out as a "mean lean fighting machine"

Grace and Peace,

David

The Gospel - Don't be Afraid to Use Words~

Kayla and Ben spent hours pouring over topographical maps and GPS coordinates for their upcoming trip down the mighty, white waters of the Mongodongo River. One thing was for sure, when they came to the fork in the river marked by the massive boulder (called the Rock) they would take the branch that went off to the right. They had seen pictures of the terrible rapids and the eventual two hundred foot waterfall that would swallow them up if they took the left branch. Someone who who knew the river well and who had seen many people meet their demise at the hand of the deadly Left Branch of the Mongodongo told them to go right at the Rock. He sat down with them and explained in detail how to navigate the tricky waters near the fork in the river and even gave them a special journal he had been given that gave both instruction and encouragement from those who had already successfully made it to the great city at the river's end.

Kayla and Ben enjoyed the first part of the trip even though there were a few scary rapids and dangerous downed trees along the way. They pulled their raft onto a small island that was about a quarter mile upstream from the fork in the river and noticed a large group of rafters laughing and having a great time. There were about twenty rafts in the group and nearly eighty people of all ages. Kayla noticed that some of the people didn't have water bottles and seemed thirsty while others had blisters on their hands from rowing. Some seemed cold because they had come down the river without proper clothes. Kayla asked Ben to gather the extra water bottles they had brought and pass them out while she would use their first aide kit to bandage up the blisters. She had packed a few extra jackets for the trip and knew it would be the Christian thing to give them away even though they were expensive Patagonia Jackets from Cabelas. Bummer!

They were showing the people the love of Christ and it was clear to them that it would show by their actions. As Ben handed out water bottles he noticed a big sign that was in the lead raft. It read: "Left Branch River Outfitters". Ben began to chat with the river guide who told him that he was leading the group down the Left Branch today and that it was supposed to be a great time. Ben knew that his maps told a different story but who was he to impose his ideas on them? Besides they were having such a good time and he didn't want to scare them. After talking it over with Kayla, it was decided that their actions of love and service would probably be enough to convince the group to follow them down the Right Branch. As they all made their way back into the river, Kayla noticed that the other group turned down the Left Branch and as they did , Ben could hear one of the men yell out, "Thanks for the water and the jackets!" At the end of the trip, just before the great city, Kayla and Ben saw floating in the river four water bottles, three torn and deflated rafts, and two Patagonia jackets but not a person was seen again from the doomed Left Branch group.

I've heard it said before that it is often better to share Christ with our deeds than our words. As a matter of fact, St. Francis of Assisi said it this way, "Preach the gospel at all times - if necessary, use words." Now I don't want to contradict a Saint but I do want to share the words of the Apostle Paul and also make a couple points.

In Romans Chapter 10, after Paul shares the words, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." he goes on to make a rather obvious point. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" He goes onto say, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

Look, the Gospel is amazingly good news but ultimately it comes through the sharing of the message. It is impossible to share the Gospel without words. At some point in time, the name of Jesus has to be shared because the Bible tells us that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." I know many people who manifest love and good deeds but do not lead people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact some of the kindest people I know have been followers of New Age, Wiccans, and practitioners of Transcendental Meditation but none of them by their actions led a single soul to call on the name of God's one and only Son. Our lack of using words usually comes out of fear. Fear of losing friends. Fear of not knowing enough? Fear of being labeled a bigot or a radical. It also comes from a true lack of urgency for the fate of those going down the Left Branch.

Here is my last point: It ALL comes down to love! Our sharing of the truth of the Gospel has to come from a heart of love for others. It has to come from caring more about another's eternal life and their restored relationship with God than whether or not someone likes us or likes what we say. If we share out of a heart of self righteousness then we become hypocrites. If we give them the words but fail to touch them in their need (ie. feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the widow, and heal the sick) then the words will never be heard and we will not have loved!

The sharing of the Gospel requires us to pass out the water bottles, the bandages, and the new Patagonia jackets but it also requires us to tell the people about the dangerous Left Branch and the passage of safety at the Rock! We need to use words! Jesus didn't walk around silently healing and feeding. He spoke right up to the point before he ascended to the right hand of the Father, speaking these words, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Peace,

David

There's One Way Past the Veil - Jesus

Before I get to business I want to tell you that this message, this teaching is for you. Although I'm not sitting with you at a coffee shop, on a park bench, or at a youth group event, I am writing to YOU personally. God knows you by name even if, as I write tonight, I don't. So, as you read on, remember this post is written to you. . . I'd be glad to do coffee if you'd like, I'll buy!

I have said before that God is who he is and that not all religions point to the same God. Paul understood this when he entered the Areopagus (Mars Hill) in Athens, Greece nearly two thousand years ago. The Greeks had objects of worship to many gods in the Areopagus but Paul knew that there was only one God and it was (Yahweh) so when he saw an altar with the inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD", he found a starting point to tell the Greeks about God the creator of heaven and earth; a God who had been unknown to them. Today I want to tell you about this same God and share why we here at the I-61 Project are so passionate about YOU knowing him. If you already know him then maybe today you'll be all the more amazed.

WARNING! This may sound a bit like a social studies lesson but stay with me and you'll be blessed (even you recent graduates - you know who I'm talking to)!

When the Israelites were wondering in the desert after leaving captivity in Egypt, they were commanded by God to build a tabernacle where he would dwell with them. The term that was used for this majestic presence of God was his "Shekinah" or his glory. I won't go into the details of the tabernacle but in the inner most part of it was the "Most Holy Place" or the "Holy of Holies". In this small room, which measured about fifteen feet by fifteen feet and fifteen feet tall, was the Ark of the Covenant (a gold covered box that held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's staff, and a gold jar of manna). Don't worry if those mean nothing to you yet.

God's "Shekinah" glory resided in the Holy of Holies and was unapproachable by man. God was and is holy while man was and is sinful. Therefore, man could not come into the Holy of Holies or he would die. To keep this place separated from the people, God instructed them to place a large curtain (the "veil", which literally meant "a separator that divides") at the entrance to the room. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the day of atonement (the day when he would come before God for the sins of the people - today called "Yom Kippur"). The high priest had to do meticulous preparations before he could enter. He had to wash himself, put on special clothes, and burn incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God. The people would tie a rope around him before he went into the Holy of Holies just in case he died. That way they could just pull him out! There was a small problem. This had to be done year after year after year. There was no permanent solution for the sin problem . . . yet!

So, you get the idea that God was absolutely pure and holy and was unapproachable by sinful men. The curtain or veil was the mechanical barrier that illustrated the spiritual barrier that existed between men and God. Now you may have a vision of God as the big guy in the sky or a wise old man with a white beard. Maybe he is just this vague spirit of love but the bible reveals that while he is indeed "love" he is also holy and just. The "just" part is the part that many people and many churches leave out. It's the part that judges sin and the part that demands a sacrifice to pay for sin. It's the reason that man's sin kept him from being in the presence of God. By the way, don't get hung up on the word "sin". It just means "to miss the mark". We've all missed the mark, so you and I are not alone (eg. pride, hate, lust, greed, selfishness, deceit).

So enter Jesus, the only Son of God. Not just a good man. Not just a prophet. Not just a wise teacher or moral leader. Jesus was called the Lamb of God. Why? Because he was the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of man. Only a perfect, unblemished, sinless God-man could pay the penalty (death) for mankind. Not over and over again every year but once and for all.

Here is the amazing part of the story. You have all likely heard the story of the death of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. You may have heard that just before he died he cried out "It is finished". And maybe you heard that "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." But let this sink in. The curtain of the temple of Jerusalem was sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and was four inches thick. It was too tall for man to reach and too thick for man to tear. Friend, God tore the curtain from the top down when Jesus paid the price for your sin (and mine!). It was finished! The Holy of Holies was open and accessible. God was approachable.

No matter what you've done. No matter how far from God you've been. Jesus has made a way for you to come home. You can't come on your own though. God is still holy! You can only come through faith in Jesus. It's his sacrifice that opened the door and you can come by faith in him. I know that in this politically correct world of "all things lead to the same end" this message may not sit well with some but a wise and seasoned preacher once told me that my job was to "just deliver the mail". Well, I have dropped the mail in your box. I hope and pray that you will be blessed by it. I recommend you listen to Ivor's song "Come Home" if you can. You can find it on iTunes or Cd Baby (Ivor Thomas "Nowhere Else to Go").

One quick update: Our first audio podcast is on line at our main site "The I-61 Project". Go check it out when you get a chance.

Peace, David