Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes

Acts 8:1-3

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.  ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

 I used the NASB Translation here because of the clarity of the translation. We all know Paul's past. And yet we all look to Paul as such a great leader, and he is obviously a very important character in the history of fledgling Christianity. Authoring half of the New Testament makes that pretty clear. But what does Paul tell us about ourselves and about Jesus? Well, a lot; but we'll look at just a narrow point.

As I said, we all know Paul's story. He was a persecutor of the church. Struck blind by Jesus on the road dot Damascus, Paul was converted by an attack of conscience and truth. He had been wrong. He had persecuted Jesus. And the full realization was, he had persecuted his Savior, and those who vowed to follow Him. He had killed in the name of his faith, and in doing so cursed the very name of the founder of faith and the source of real love.

We are not told in so many words that Paul himself was a murderer; that he personally, physically, man-handled a person to death. But we can easily make a case that we should work under that assumption. More to the point, even if reasonable doubt still exists, he is most certainly a bona-fied accessory to murder as not only was here at the murder (stoning) of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, but as we can see from the verse above consented, agree to, gave his approval of, Stephen's murder. By today's law, he'd easily be convicted of Accomplice to and Conspiracy to murder. Those are capitol crimes. But, it is also murder in the eyes of God. Jesus Himself said that even if you have hate in your heart that you have already committed murder.

Any sin separates you from God, and its rightful punishment is death. However, most people when confronted with their own sin will respond by saying something like, "yea, I may have stolen, or cheated, but hey, I never killed anyone". In other words, we classify some sins in our own minds by saying some are more forgivable than others. Some specific sins are not as offensive as others. And while there is some biblical support for degrees of sin if you will (a debate for another time), the end result is that it does not matter. If you have transgressed against God, sinned if you will, than without a Savior, you are destined for Hell; eternal separation from God in a place that scripture defines with terrible metaphors and similes.

Bottom line, Paul, author of more than half the New Testament, taught by revelation from Jesus Himself, spreader of daily practical application for how to live our modern Christian life fits into that category of sinner. Yet, look at how he was used. But there is more to the story.

Before Paul could be used, he had to submit. And he had to learn to trust God. Fully.
On the road to Damascus Paul lost his sight. But he lost a lot more. He lost all of his old friends, and probably his family. He lost his political and social power and position. He lost his ability to hide behind his 'religion' and his traditions. He lost his ability to blame things on others. He lost his ability to trust in his own strength. And he was left with the reality that his only reality was total reliance on Jesus.

What I'm left with in pointing out these things is this: Paul was a far from relying on Jesus as anyone on this little blue sphere we call earth prior to his conversion. By submitting to Christ, leaving his fears and traditions behind - he became all those things that we know Paul became; author of New Testament books, corrector and rebuker of Peter, leader of men and Apostles, teacher of shepherds, founder of churches in Asia and the first Christian church in Europe and so much more.

Submitting to Christ, relying on Him fully can cause strange changes in one's life. You might become a whole new person. You might even ending up loving and caring for those people you previously hated. Your social position, worldly 'power' or influence may no longer mean anything to you. You may make your faith the forefront of who you are, not just something you try to make sense of on Sundays. You might even begin talking responsibility for your own actions, and relying on Christ in all things.

Fear builds distance from God. Distancing yourself from God forces self reliability, and if unchecked, self-deification. If Paul can be a murderer of Christians and a persecutor of Christ Himself, and be changed, transformed into a great man of faith, what are you holding God back from doing in your life? You know the old adage: the more you hold on to or keep to yourself, the less God has to work with and the less God can take over and free you from. Giving it all up will bring ch-ch-changes. But they will all be good for you and good for the Kingdom.

Trust.

Persevere

James 1:12
¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

 Weekdays can be very busy. Pastoring is so definitely not a 'Sunday only' job. Typically there is church work of some sort be done at least 7 days a week, and for emergencies you are on call 24/7/365. Praise God, He provides balance, and there is great joy in seeing Him work in the lives of the people around you, great joy indeed. But with time being tight, despite the hectic schedule, I look forward very much to the time I spend with my kids in our bible studies together. I want to share a bit of that with you all today.

For the first time, I gave all three children a homework assignment for this bible study. I wanted each of them to show me something, anything from scripture that they did not know before. Wyatt, my oldest son did exactly that. At 14 Wyatt is a young man. Growing by leaps and bounds, now nearly as tall as me, sharp in intellect and wit, and with his voice now changing as he sounds as if he is turning into Barry White, he is also maturing spiritually as well.

He came to me with this passage out of James 1:12. Then he read it to me. Then he went on to show me that even though as parents we sometimes do not see it, that God is working in his life.

None of us know how much time we have before us on this, the God created earth. As Christians we all have the promise of our future with bridegroom ahead of us. But when will that time come? Sooner for some than others, this is for certain. But in the mean time, not knowing how long we have, each trial or rough spell we go through we must persevere. Seeing and hearing this concept expressed through the experience of a new believer or a young person can be, well, a little odd. As old fogies, our first thoughts (of the flesh of course) are, 'what can you teach ME about perseverance? You're only 14!" But when you look into the eyes of that person as they explain what that means to them, you are drawn back to that simplicity of the gospel, and that love drives it all.

Understanding and waiting with anticipation the blessing for perseverance is something we all must learn. But what that blessing might be, or what we imagine it to be can be far different for a 14 year old than a 45 year old. Even more importantly, understanding that one must persevere the temptation in order to see that blessing can be very motivating. Knowing that we have been approved by God because we have persevered is a boost to our faith that may not ever be topped. Life can be very hard for us. For some it is financial matters. For others it might be health or disease. For still others, it might be not lashing out at that bully in the playground or gym who likes to push our buttons. For the very young in age and young in Christ it might be as simple as making it through the day without forgetting to do your chores. Not matter what we are called to persevere, we must obey God in that. But we must just as equally understand that to do so is to be blessed and approved of by God.

Wyatt did teach me that day. He taught me a lot. He taught me that understanding comes from God, and that it comes in ways that others may not understand, or that others may not see. He also taught me that the love we have for God sometimes needs to be expressed in very personal ways as we mature. And he taught me that I need to be patient with the Lord, and trust Him to know that the work that I want to do, is already being done by Him. That short visit opened my eyes in many ways. God humbles me often as we have a tendency to take too much control of things spiritual that the Holy Spirit must do. God is so working among us. In our families, in our churches, and I believe we will see it all the more as things begin to crumble around us. The meek inherit the earth. All others inherit something else.

Thoroughly Equipped

2 Timothy 3:17
¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 I was blessed, so blessed yesterday to go to the local home improvement store where my two sons both bought their first tool belts. How awesome. It was their decision, and pretty much their idea. I had been looking at a small unit for myself, and they both decided, one before the other, that they too wanted one. AND, they needed some tools to go in them as well! It was like a Tim the Toll Man moment!

I'm not sure what the Lord has in store for either of these boys. The oldest still has motivations that surround aircraft, flying, and weather. The younger has it all mapped out; first the military, then the NFL, and then he wants to work at my place of employment. But as of late, they have both gotten their hands into building and construction, and as with most men, building things with your hands is a very satisfying thing. Scripture encourages us to do just that (I Corinthians 4:12, Ephesians 4:28, I Thessalonians 4:11). But our spiritual lives mimic our physical ones in this way: WE must have the tools for the job before we can accomplish the work, we have to do the best job we can with the tools we have, and finally, as we get more practical hands-on experience, the better the results that can be attained.

It's no accident that Jesus was a carpenter. When we speak of Christian leadership, it seems that we focus so much on the shepherd. There are of course many references to shepherding in the gospels as it refers to leading Christians in the 'flock'. Pastors and teachers are often referred to as shepherds and commanded to guide their 'sheep' (new Christians) in a manner consistent with the character of God, the leading of the Holy Spirit, teaching them the Apostles Doctrine. Pastors today are still referred to ask shepherds, and that leads to all sorts of analogies of pastors as leaders and congregants or church goers as sheep following the lead of their shepherd and appropriately so. But not much is made of analogies to the carpenter.
For a carpenter, there are all sorts of tolls that assist in the work that needs to be done to finish your work. I encouraged both my boys to start with the basic tools; square, tape measure, level, razor cutter etc. Basic tools that allow any man (I say man generically in an all encompassing sense of mankind…) to do the job better are always helpful. Power tools can be even more helpful, even desired. But the best craftsmen do everything by hand, and a premium is given to them for that work in both platitudes and remuneration. But the reality for the carpenter is this: his only real tool needed to do his work are his hands. All other tolls are to compliment his hands, and make the job for hid hands easier.

As Christians, the only tool required is God's Word. Through it, we have all we need to accomplish our work. Yes we have other tools, dictionaries, concordances, lexicons, maps, charts timelines etc. We even have 'power tools' with electronic bible software such as my personal favorite Logos®. But all we need is scripture. All else is there to help our bibles do more for us in an easier way, but all we need is God's Word, alive in scripture, to finish the job; that is to be forgiven, and accept salvation from Jesus Christ.
It is a joy to watch my sons equip themselves with the tools to do the work of a carpenter. It is an honorable profession. But even though carpentry is always in need, and is a time honored profession, I have no idea whether this will become their bread winning income or not. I just have to help them along the way, point them to the things that will help them most, correct them with examples of practical experience so that they do not make the same mistakes that others who came before them did. Ultimately however, their future lies in God's hands, and will be one appropriately judged and or blessed based on the decisions they make themselves. Their spiritual lives are mirror images of that. I can guide them, offer assistance, give them the tools they need to make their lives better, easier, pass on personal experience and joys of success and times of hurt from failure in hopes that they do not do the same. But ultimately, their futures are in the hands of God. Their blessings and judgments will come at His hand and will be justly administered based on the decisions they make in their lives.

As a pastor and a father I shepherd three of my own children and the loving wife that God has so blessed me with, plus the flock that he entrusted into my care. My main responsibility is to ensure that all those under my care are well equipped for the good work of God. Secondarily as a shepherd, I need to provide protection. This can apply to physical protection when it comes into play, but mainly spiritual protection. Doing this makes it doubly important to see that all those whom God has entrusted into my care are fully equipped, and equipped with the uncompromised word of God. In the end however, it all comes down to the choice of the individual. Each one of us must choose daily to carry our cross, or throw it to the ground as if this is somehow going to lighten our burdens. Being thoroughly equipped is a prerequisite. But it is insurance of nothing.

May God bless you with His word today. May we all seek to not just be more fully equipped, but ready in our hearts to obey, and put God's guidance into action.

Little Children…

Matthew 18:3
and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Each day I'm faced with some new moment that shows me that children are not so little any more. We love our kids, and being with them all the time means we do not get to see the jumps in growth the same way that others do. But it is getting to the point where I'm ready to take down all the pictures of our kids when they were littler because it is just reminding me all the more that they are growing up so fast. My oldest son now wears my show size, and has a voice as deep as mine at time. Makes me sad…

Every time I muse on this subject I am almost immediately reminded of all the passage in the New Testament where Jesus refers to the little children. They are so important to Him. He desires them. He wants them to be near Him. Let them come (Matthew 19:14), bring them to me (Luke 18:16), do not forbid them (Mark 10:14), receive them (Mark 9:37), He touches them (Luke 18:15). I realize that in these passages, Jesus is speaking about/to actual infants, small children running and playing, and that can sit on His lap. But the analogy is that they are like so many of us, young and impressionable in their faith. I'll grant you, I'm a bit large to be sitting on most people's laps, but the lap of Jesus is big enough for any of us.

I am most intrigued by the fact that Jesus tells us that we must become like children to enter the Kingdom. If you have been a believer for long, you have reviewed or at least heard this verse taught. We talk about the attitude of a child, the simplicity, the vulnerability and especially the innocence of the child as points to mark in our own lives. If we can just look at faith and our relationship with Jesus on those levels, it sure seems like things would be so much easier to understand, believe and trust. How true this is, and these are certainly points we need to consider and focus on as we study and meditate on this passage. But I see more.
What about progression of growth? What about growing in knowledge to the point we begin to think and understand things in a more mature way? As we all know, not all children are the same. They analyze things and assume things differently. A two year old does not think the same way as a five or eight year old. As we get older, we are expected to handle the same situation in a more mature manner.

I think Jesus real point is the simplicity of it all. I understand how children are oh too often the victims. Adults make things over complicated or over-look our children way too often. The most glaring example of this is the children's table at family dinners. Granted, some of this is simply a matter of space, but how many of us relegate our children to the basement, or another room as soon as dinner is over?

Jesus example is to have the children close, interacting with us, using us as an example, and us always loving them. But to use the analogy of being like children in order to get into heaven, means we must be constantly placing ourselves in the shoes of children as we seek to understand God's will in our lives. It does not mean we have to act like two year olds, far from it. But it does mean that we have to act and react with simplicity and love. We need to react by being available and always wanting to be with the Father. It means we need to examine how we are thinking, and are we analyzing and meditating on scripture in a way that is equal to our maturity, in this case in Christ?

If you have been a believer for some time, it is time to look at what God has you going through in your life with the eyes of a mature believer, but with the heart of a child always wanting to be pleasing to the Father with little or no prerequisite as to how the outcome might make us feel. If we are seasoned believers being over looked, being spiritually sent to the basement or a different room, or relegated to something less than what we all are in Christ, EQUAL (Colossian 3:11)! Apply the simplicity of faith to your daily walk, and as you mature in faith, seek not to complicate that faith, but rather to put that simple faith to work in more and more areas of your walk.

Being 'as a child' does not mean we become "Toys-R-Us"® Christians where we never grow up. What is means is that AS we grow up, we keep the heart of a child, always wishing to be on the lap of the Father.

Humility is the Freedom in Which God’s Glory Flourishes

I Peter 5:6-11

 ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind that taxed my physically and spiritually. Conflict resolution is a part of life, and yes it is part of the church. But to see God work so gloriously in the lives of people who take scripture as their guide, and submit to the authority of Christ in their lives is so totally inspiring, I looked forward to the extra time and effort required to make my rounds with great joy.

That being said, I never take counseling lightly. One simply can't. As an emissary of God's word, a re-teller if you will of the biblical principles that God has outlined in scripture as our life's guidelines, all I can do is my absolute best to maintain the biblical standard that God has set. I have learned that to be effective at this, or for that matter to be effective at anything you would do on behalf of the Lord is what Peter begins with here in this section of scripture today. You must humble yourself.

Few things are more problematic than a mentor or leader giving direction to another when what they are saying comes off as arrogant or condescending. When that happens you may as well be speaking gibberish or in a tongue that no one understands (with no interpretation) because no one is going to hear what you say. Oh, they'll hear you speaking. They'll know that you are talking. But the words that you are sharing and the supposed guidance you are trying to give will be most likely ignored.

One thing I try to constantly reiterate when counseling is that all counseling is about restoration. That has to be the goal; restoration of relationships with others, and even more importantly restoration of our relationship to God. Why is this so? Well, for the obvious reason that we all need to feel that closeness of our Lord and most especially in times of need. But more importantly, that no matter what path we take, or what path the Lord leads, so that HE might get all the glory.

Peter tells us to cast our cares onto Him. To humble ourselves. To be sober and vigilant. All these things are required to have God lead you, and receive the glory for the work that has been done to and through us. How can God be glorified if we take the credit? How can God be glorified is we are bragging about our role in the restoration? How can God get the glory of He has called us to lead in an area and we drop the ball? If we are carrying the weight of all the problems that jump in front of us in the world today, or all the weight of those brothers and sisters that confide in you for help, how is that casting your cares of Him? Will that bring God the glory of we are carrying the burden? No.

As Peter says, when we get into a place like that we are ripe for the picking. If you are old enough to remember Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, there are two things that stand out in my mind about that show. One is Marlin Perkins side kick always having to do the dirty work like jumping out of flying helicopters onto a running moose or something. Ugh. The other thing is that the slow, wounded, hurt animals were the ones that got eaten by the other animals first. If we are not healthy, we are ripe for the roaring lion to pick us off one by one. We have a roaring Lion in Jesus; the Lion of Judah. The enemy can act like a roaring lion, but he can never be one. Seek that protection from the King of the Jungle, the real King of Kings in Jesus. In Him is our only protection.

Pride comes before the fall. Humility is a quality that Jesus can use. Give it to Him, and He will.

 

Open Heart, Eyes to See

Luke 23:34

"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots."


This past Sunday for our Easter service we took a look at the characters that were present at the crucifixion. There were about 18 or so groups or individuals there, and I felt like the Lord wanted me to focus on the crowd, their reaction, and we as individuals and the church corporate relate to that crowd. Chances are, we would have been one of those in the crowd either jeering at Jesus, or just wondering what to do. But personally, I was intrigued by two people at the scene and these are the only two that made professions of faith. The Centurion, and the thief on the cross.

All throughout scripture, there is one theme that comes out a couple of times in the gospels. This is when Jesus looks at the crowds of people and we are told that He has compassion for them. This compassion reigned throughout all of Jesus life. Jesus told us that He would be with us 'even unto the end of the age', and proved His willingness to do just that as He showed compassion on those who nailed Him to the cross, and most especially to the repentant thief.

The Centurion had a lot more to go on. He was there from the trial to the crucifixion. He was able to observe Jesus through the whole process, for a great deal of the time probably just trying to get into Jesus head a little bit. What is this guy thinking not answering the questions? Unaware of how deeply Jesus was delving into the soul of Pilate in his quest for truth. Being a Roman, a passive path towards conquering is not in his vocabulary. The very idea of doing nothing in the face of aggression was completely foreign to his nature. But then again, seeing one lay down His life so that another might live, or so that a Kingdom might be furthered made complete sense to him. That, reinforced with the fact that the skies went dark, and the earth shook violently as Jesus death gave the Centurion faith to believe.

But what did the thief have? What drove the thief, who knew he was guilty of a crime punishable by crucifixion, what did he do or see that caused him, unlike his cohort in crime, to cry out for mercy, and see Jesus for who He was?

The thief had no prior interaction or knowledge of Jesus. All indications seem to show that he and the other thief were already on the cross when Jesus got there. The thief also saw the darkened sky (that we always assume is a thunderstorm), and felt the earthquake. But all this happened after the Jesus committed his spirit unto the Father, and more importantly, after he had made his profession of faith. So what could have convinced this particular thief that Jesus was his salvation? It can only be one thing: The very words of Jesus.

Dying an agonizing death of crucifixion, one is in pain beyond measure just to take another breath, let alone speak full sentences or carry on small conversations. The thief knew this because he was living it (or dying from it whichever way you look at it). But he was able to look over at another human being, going through the same torture as he was and see a loving and forgiving heart. And that was what convinced the thief that this man had already overcome all the evil that was thrown against Him. Not only that, facing the same outcome, he wanted some of that for himself.

They were jeering at Jesus, spitting at Him, had beat Him beyond recognition, cursed Him, blasphemed Him and probably every other vile thing you can think of. And then as He hung there dying, He prayed to the Father, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." The thief is thinking how can any man ask for forgiveness for the people who had done what they had done to Jesus?

In a similar fashion to what the Centurion experienced: His heart was ready. Scripture tells us that the Centurion "looked upon Jesus" or "saw Jesus" or "saw what had happened" (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23), the thief listened to Jesus, and saw Jesus, even nailed to the cross 'walking the walk' of true Christianity. Forgiveness is more powerful than anything you might know, because true forgiveness requires pure unadulterated, uninhibited uncompromising love.

I want to present to you the idea that humble forgiveness in the face of your enemy, even when they are fully wrong, may be the best witness you can ever show of Jesus. On Golgotha it converted two men from lives that could not be father from seeking God then they were when that day began. But the moral to the story is: nothing works unless your heart is prepared to hear, see and act upon God. And that's your choice. Out humility and tenderness in our witnessing is important. Never, never compromise truth for any reason, but always be prepared to show the love of Jesus in humility.

Confusion

I Corinthians 14:33

"For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."


Easter. The very word brings such a variety of thought to our minds and spirit that many of us instantly head off in different directions. Some go right to the cross, and consider the ultimate sacrifice. Some go back to the manger where it all started. Some think as I have today, of the story in between and how our Lord/Lamb spent so much time, took so much care, and gave so much love to those around Him so that they might pass it on to you and me today, here and now. Regardless of where we go in our thoughts and reflections, or where the Holy Spirit might lead, we all at some point get to the place where we are faced with our own sin, and must consider the cross for what it is. The trouble is, that some of us are there at the cross, and do not recognize it, and if we do, are not sure what to do about it.

This Sunday I will be using our time together in the Easter Service to take a look at the people who were present at the cross. I have learned much in my study, but one thing that prevailed among almost all present at the cross was this; confusion.

Confusion causes all sorts of responses in us, physical and emotional to be sure, but also spiritual. While not knowing which turn to make on a trip to the grocery store can cause confusion among us (especially us men) and it does have its consequences, I'm fairly certain those consequences are not eternal. Confusion at the foot of the cross of what scripture makes clear is our only chance at salvation and restoration with God on the other hand, does.

We are warned about the 'winds of doctrine' min Ephesians 4:14, and that we are not to be blown to and from by all the new ones that come along. But the only way to do that is to be in the word. We are also encouraged by Paul to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, noble in our faith and examining the scriptures against the words being taught by some teachers. There are plenty of encouragements like this throughout the New Testament, and examples on the Old. But how diligent are we in applying them practically to our lives?

The 'why' is not where I want to go into today. Instead, I'd rather talk about the consequences. Confusion. Confusion seems to reign supreme in these last days, just as we have been promised. God confused us with a purpose at Babel, but with the church, and things salvational, God is not a God of confusion, but a God of order (I Corinthians 14:40). When it comes to our faith, our active participation is necessary in the defense of our spirit. Jesus prayed for protection for His disciples, and for us. For that matter He prayed for protection for Himself in the garden. In this time of great deception, as we see more and more of our friends walking away from their faith, or from church all together, we need to be there for our brothers and sisters in the church. We need to be encouraging, uplifting, and to know them well enough to see signs of confusion that leads to faithlessness.

Confusion is a tool of the enemy. Do everything you can to prevent it, and when it happens seek God's word and Godly counsel.