The day is nearly here – you know, the day that the retail outlets started touting in displays back in October; the day that generates more revenue, stress, and debt than any other day – Christmas is here! Oh, how I long for that long-lost child’s excitement and magic of Christmas; instead I hold hardships of planning, preparing, and purchasing.
Christmas is amazing, though. Aside from the primary purpose of the day (i.e. celebrating the birth of Jesus), this one day crosses into secular territory, encompasses believers and non-believers together in mutual traditions and rituals, and gives the masses a day or two off of work. This day has brought mythology to life, even propelling it above the reason for the celebration. Furthermore, this day tends to make people remember how fortunate they are, lends to generous offerings to less fortunate, and makes for great parties.
Is this what it should be? Should Christmas be this blending of pagan rituals with faith-based traditions, inter-twined with a modern incarnation of shopping frenzy? Although I pose that question, I cannot answer it. I assume that the answer is really whatever you want it be.
As for me, Christmas is a time of family get-togethers, eating too much food, and cleaning up shredded paper. Unfortunately my Christmas is more secular than it is a time of remembrance, celebration, and thanksgiving for God’s grace through Christ Jesus. This year I hope to change this a little; I hope that we openly discuss why we are together, what it is we are celebrating, and the importance of the baby in the manager.
Josh
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
2010-12-05 -- First Christmas
Let’s set a scene here:
Time: Between 6 and 4 BC; Location: Bethlehem; Cast: A young couple among many others; Setting: Village preparing for the census.
In these days, Caesar Augustus declared that the entire world should be registered. Joseph, the husband of the young couple, was of the house and lineage of David and therefore had to travel to Bethlehem to be registered with his wife, Mary. At this time, Mary happened to be well into gravidity with, as the world would find out later, the most influential and significant person the world has ever known – the Incarnate, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus (Yeshua) the Christ.
Upon arrival in Bethlehem, the young couple sought room and board. However, room and board was not easy to come by; the village was abuzz with commerce like it had most likely never seen before. As a result, the local Holiday Inn was full up. Despite the young woman’s extreme prego condition, nobody really paid attention to them, nor did anyone offer to give up their accommodations. Honesty, nobody probably even gave it a thought; there was much to do – much food to prepare, chores to be done, preparation for the registering of the people, etc.
Little to anyone’s imagination, the greatest gift to the world was set to arrive during all the hustle and bustle. With no available rooms, the young couple happened to find shelter in a storage facility for animals (possibly either a stable or a cave). In this animal sanctuary, God’s grace took its first earthly breath – a baby was born, and He was called Immanuel.
At this moment, the young woman is holding her son: a gift from God given for all people. Her son is her Lord. A teenage girl is holding God’s plan in swaddling rags. Oh, how the emotions run. Does she understand the significance of her son? Not completely. How could she?
Do you understand the significance of her son? Matthew 1:21 sums it up nicely as an angel of the Lord is speaking to Joseph: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Do you believe? Do you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? If you have not already done so, will you at least consider asking Him into your life? Take time this advent season to remember the reason for the season and receive the greatest gift of all.
Josh
Time: Between 6 and 4 BC; Location: Bethlehem; Cast: A young couple among many others; Setting: Village preparing for the census.
In these days, Caesar Augustus declared that the entire world should be registered. Joseph, the husband of the young couple, was of the house and lineage of David and therefore had to travel to Bethlehem to be registered with his wife, Mary. At this time, Mary happened to be well into gravidity with, as the world would find out later, the most influential and significant person the world has ever known – the Incarnate, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus (Yeshua) the Christ.
Upon arrival in Bethlehem, the young couple sought room and board. However, room and board was not easy to come by; the village was abuzz with commerce like it had most likely never seen before. As a result, the local Holiday Inn was full up. Despite the young woman’s extreme prego condition, nobody really paid attention to them, nor did anyone offer to give up their accommodations. Honesty, nobody probably even gave it a thought; there was much to do – much food to prepare, chores to be done, preparation for the registering of the people, etc.
Little to anyone’s imagination, the greatest gift to the world was set to arrive during all the hustle and bustle. With no available rooms, the young couple happened to find shelter in a storage facility for animals (possibly either a stable or a cave). In this animal sanctuary, God’s grace took its first earthly breath – a baby was born, and He was called Immanuel.
At this moment, the young woman is holding her son: a gift from God given for all people. Her son is her Lord. A teenage girl is holding God’s plan in swaddling rags. Oh, how the emotions run. Does she understand the significance of her son? Not completely. How could she?
Do you understand the significance of her son? Matthew 1:21 sums it up nicely as an angel of the Lord is speaking to Joseph: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Do you believe? Do you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior? If you have not already done so, will you at least consider asking Him into your life? Take time this advent season to remember the reason for the season and receive the greatest gift of all.
Josh
Sunday, November 7, 2010
2010-11-07 Why Four Gospels
Have you ever thought about why there are four gospels? Referring to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, “each of them deals with the same period of history, each sets forth the teaching and miracles of the Savior, each describes His death and resurrection” (Pink, 2007). Even though each of the four contain many similarities, each book is also unique, “and it is in noting their variations that we are brought to see their true meaning and scope and to appreciate their perfections” (Pink, 2007).
I have always found it interesting that there are so many gaps in time in the biographies of Christ; even when putting the information from all four together, the picture remains far from a complete life biography of our Lord. For instance, after the Gospels reveal the infancy of Christ, Luke briefly describes a situation in Jesus’ childhood at age twelve, and then nothing more is mentioned until Christ is thirty. Furthermore, it is interesting to think of all the other messages and miracles of Christ that were not recorded, even after age thirty. John, in the gospel that bears his name, states in chapter 21 verse 25, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (ESV). Is this not a fascinating thought?!
But why four books? As little as is covered, according to John, why was there not just one account of Christ’s earthly life and His Messianic ministry? I believe the answer to these questions can be found by looking at the other books of the Bible. As Christians, most of us believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And with this, I refer again to author Arthur Pink:
“Because one or two was not sufficient to give a perfect presentation of the varied glories of our blessed Lord. Just as no one of the Old Testament typical personages (such as Isaac or Joseph, Moses or David) give an exhaustive foreshadowment of our Lord, so, no one of the four Gospels presents a complete portrayal of Christ’s manifold excellencies. Just as no one or two of the five great offerings appointed by God for Israel (see Lev. 1–6) could, by itself, represent the many-sided sacrifice of Christ, so no one, or two, of the Gospels could, by itself, display fully the varied relationships which the Lord Jesus sustained when He was here upon earth. In a word, the four Gospels set Christ before us as filling four distinct offices.”
To illustrate this, think of it this way: if I were tasked to report to you in detail the Statue of Liberty, I wouldn’t simply take a picture from one vantage point and give you only one piece of information about it, say the history. No, rather I would take pictures from multiple angles, reference sources to obtain information about its history, symbolism, location, etc. In order for me to present to you a reliable, complete, and trustworthy report, I must supply to you material from multiple sources, otherwise it would be deemed unreliable. I believe the same holds true for the Gospels.
In Matthew, Christ is presented as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, and everything in his narrative centers around this truth. This explains why the first Gospel opens with a setting forth of Christ’s royal genealogy, and why in the second chapter mention is made of the journey of the wise men from the East, who came to Jerusalem inquiring “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”, and why in chapters five to seven we have what is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” but which, in reality, is the Manifesto of the King, containing an enunciation of the Laws of His Kingdom (Pink, 2007).
In Mark, Christ is depicted as the Servant of Jehovah, as the One who through equal with God made Himself of no reputation and “took upon Him the form of a servant.” Everything in this second Gospel contributes to this central theme, and everything foreign to it is rigidly excluded. This explains why there is no genealogy recorded in Mark, why Christ is introduced at the beginning of His public ministry (nothing whatever being told us here of His earlier life), and why there are more miracles (deeds of service) detailed here than in any of the other Gospels (Pink, 2007).
In Luke, Christ is set forth as the Son of Man, as connected with but contrasted from the sons of men, and everything in the narrative serves to bring this out. This explains why the third Gospel traces His genealogy back to Adam, the first man, (instead of to Abraham only, as in Matthew), why as the perfect Man He is seen here so frequently in prayer, and why the angels are seen ministering to Him, instead of commanded by Him as they are in Matthew (Pink, 2007)..
In John, Christ is revealed as the Son of God, and everything in this fourth Gospel is made to illustrate and demonstrate this Divine relationship. This explains why in the opening verse we are carried back to a point before time began, and we are shown Christ as the Word “in the beginning,” with God, and Himself expressly declared to be God; why we get here so many of His Divine titles, as “The only begotten of the Father,” the “Lamb of God,” the “Light of the world” etc.; why we are told here that prayer should be made in His Name, and why the Holy Spirit is here said to be sent from the Son as well as from the Father (Pink, 2007).
Although this is only the tip of the iceberg on this topic, I hope it gives you some insight into why there are four gospels of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to also research this topic, while comparing and contrasting the gospels.
Josh
I have always found it interesting that there are so many gaps in time in the biographies of Christ; even when putting the information from all four together, the picture remains far from a complete life biography of our Lord. For instance, after the Gospels reveal the infancy of Christ, Luke briefly describes a situation in Jesus’ childhood at age twelve, and then nothing more is mentioned until Christ is thirty. Furthermore, it is interesting to think of all the other messages and miracles of Christ that were not recorded, even after age thirty. John, in the gospel that bears his name, states in chapter 21 verse 25, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (ESV). Is this not a fascinating thought?!
But why four books? As little as is covered, according to John, why was there not just one account of Christ’s earthly life and His Messianic ministry? I believe the answer to these questions can be found by looking at the other books of the Bible. As Christians, most of us believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And with this, I refer again to author Arthur Pink:
“Because one or two was not sufficient to give a perfect presentation of the varied glories of our blessed Lord. Just as no one of the Old Testament typical personages (such as Isaac or Joseph, Moses or David) give an exhaustive foreshadowment of our Lord, so, no one of the four Gospels presents a complete portrayal of Christ’s manifold excellencies. Just as no one or two of the five great offerings appointed by God for Israel (see Lev. 1–6) could, by itself, represent the many-sided sacrifice of Christ, so no one, or two, of the Gospels could, by itself, display fully the varied relationships which the Lord Jesus sustained when He was here upon earth. In a word, the four Gospels set Christ before us as filling four distinct offices.”
To illustrate this, think of it this way: if I were tasked to report to you in detail the Statue of Liberty, I wouldn’t simply take a picture from one vantage point and give you only one piece of information about it, say the history. No, rather I would take pictures from multiple angles, reference sources to obtain information about its history, symbolism, location, etc. In order for me to present to you a reliable, complete, and trustworthy report, I must supply to you material from multiple sources, otherwise it would be deemed unreliable. I believe the same holds true for the Gospels.
In Matthew, Christ is presented as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, and everything in his narrative centers around this truth. This explains why the first Gospel opens with a setting forth of Christ’s royal genealogy, and why in the second chapter mention is made of the journey of the wise men from the East, who came to Jerusalem inquiring “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”, and why in chapters five to seven we have what is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” but which, in reality, is the Manifesto of the King, containing an enunciation of the Laws of His Kingdom (Pink, 2007).
In Mark, Christ is depicted as the Servant of Jehovah, as the One who through equal with God made Himself of no reputation and “took upon Him the form of a servant.” Everything in this second Gospel contributes to this central theme, and everything foreign to it is rigidly excluded. This explains why there is no genealogy recorded in Mark, why Christ is introduced at the beginning of His public ministry (nothing whatever being told us here of His earlier life), and why there are more miracles (deeds of service) detailed here than in any of the other Gospels (Pink, 2007).
In Luke, Christ is set forth as the Son of Man, as connected with but contrasted from the sons of men, and everything in the narrative serves to bring this out. This explains why the third Gospel traces His genealogy back to Adam, the first man, (instead of to Abraham only, as in Matthew), why as the perfect Man He is seen here so frequently in prayer, and why the angels are seen ministering to Him, instead of commanded by Him as they are in Matthew (Pink, 2007)..
In John, Christ is revealed as the Son of God, and everything in this fourth Gospel is made to illustrate and demonstrate this Divine relationship. This explains why in the opening verse we are carried back to a point before time began, and we are shown Christ as the Word “in the beginning,” with God, and Himself expressly declared to be God; why we get here so many of His Divine titles, as “The only begotten of the Father,” the “Lamb of God,” the “Light of the world” etc.; why we are told here that prayer should be made in His Name, and why the Holy Spirit is here said to be sent from the Son as well as from the Father (Pink, 2007).
Although this is only the tip of the iceberg on this topic, I hope it gives you some insight into why there are four gospels of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to also research this topic, while comparing and contrasting the gospels.
Josh
Sunday, October 24, 2010
2010-10-24 Halloween Thoughts
Halloween is upon us. This is a unique holiday, in my opinion. Think about it – kids dress up and go to various houses to get candy; people set out to scare and be scared; strange games are played, i.e. bobbing for apples; and fiction and death is celebrated. As a Christian, how should we view Halloween, and furthermore, should we participate?
In my research, I came across an article by Elliott Watson on CBN.com, “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” The article is found below, followed by my personal comments:
The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.
But what about today? Perhaps we can still learn from history. In the fourth century, Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences. Since that time many Christians have decided to allow their children to dress in more “innocent” costumes of pumpkins, princesses, Superman or as a cowboy. Part of this is due to the simple reality that in today’s Western culture it is nearly impossible to “avoid” Halloween.
Just before reaching a conclusion on the subject, I was struck with the thought that I ought to further my search and find out what Wicca, the official religion of witchcraft, has to say about Halloween. Perhaps they viewed the day as a simple fun and innocent neighborhood activity?
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.
So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries.
My suggestion? Christians should be teaching their children (age appropriately) that:
•there is a spiritual world filled with goodness from God and evil from Satan (Eph. 2:1-10);
•life with Christ has power over darkness (I John 4:4); and
•those who celebrate Halloween either are unaware of its roots, or are intentionally promoting a world where evil is lauded and viewed as an ultimate power.
To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.
As for my personal feelings about Halloween, I can recall one thing about the holiday from my youth – it was fun. Even when I dressed as Dracula, it was still fun, and I never once burned anyone at the stake. My word of advice is simply this: Let the kids enjoy the holiday, but make sure they enjoy it safely. Furthermore, before or after the Halloween festivities, use this as an opportunity for teaching about God and Christ’s power over darkness.
Josh
In my research, I came across an article by Elliott Watson on CBN.com, “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” The article is found below, followed by my personal comments:
The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.
But what about today? Perhaps we can still learn from history. In the fourth century, Christians attempted to co-opt the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences. Since that time many Christians have decided to allow their children to dress in more “innocent” costumes of pumpkins, princesses, Superman or as a cowboy. Part of this is due to the simple reality that in today’s Western culture it is nearly impossible to “avoid” Halloween.
Just before reaching a conclusion on the subject, I was struck with the thought that I ought to further my search and find out what Wicca, the official religion of witchcraft, has to say about Halloween. Perhaps they viewed the day as a simple fun and innocent neighborhood activity?
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.
So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries.
My suggestion? Christians should be teaching their children (age appropriately) that:
•there is a spiritual world filled with goodness from God and evil from Satan (Eph. 2:1-10);
•life with Christ has power over darkness (I John 4:4); and
•those who celebrate Halloween either are unaware of its roots, or are intentionally promoting a world where evil is lauded and viewed as an ultimate power.
To counter the evil influence of Halloween, we need to join together and celebrate the reality of the heroic efforts of Christian saints over the evil in their day. Many leaders in the past -- and present -- have fulfilled the mandate of destroying the works of the devil through their sacrificial commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.
Too, rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.
As for my personal feelings about Halloween, I can recall one thing about the holiday from my youth – it was fun. Even when I dressed as Dracula, it was still fun, and I never once burned anyone at the stake. My word of advice is simply this: Let the kids enjoy the holiday, but make sure they enjoy it safely. Furthermore, before or after the Halloween festivities, use this as an opportunity for teaching about God and Christ’s power over darkness.
Josh
Sunday, September 19, 2010
2010-09-19 -- Reaching the Un-Churched
Commentary by Clark
The current state of the society, in regards to spiritual fitness, is in dismal shape. Like Ray had mentioned in his sermon this past Sunday, there are generations of people who are out of the church and only a small percentages of Americans actually attend church compared to the numbers that attended years ago. As a country, one that was founded upon Christian faith, we are following suit with many European nations as we experience an increase in agnostics and atheists.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul writes about wrath of God upon the Jews and Gentiles for their wickedness. Paul explains how the sinful desires of men overcame the obedience of God, even though they understood knew God's commands. Verse 21 states, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Then in verse 28, Paul wrote, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."
Is this not what is happening in our society today? Because we have strayed from His teachings, our hearts have been hardened and we have become one with sin -- both in embracing it and exploiting it. However, we as the Bride of Christ can make a difference, but we must find a way to reach the un-churched.
In the ninth chapter of Corinthians, verses 19-23, Paul writes,
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Following Paul's example, we should do the same for our community. We must reach them, but we have to reach them on their terms. Now I'm saying that we become like the foolish, dark-hearted sinners, but rather we offer to them an experience to meet God and begin a relationship with God in a manner that is not so foreign to them.
This is not a new idea for church. This is not a new idea for evangelism. The way, in my opinion, to reach this lost society is to use tried and true techniques of the past. The techniques I am referring to revolve around the word contemporary. Encarta defines contemporary as "modern person or thing: somebody or something in existence at the present time." For instance, our worship services on Sunday were contemporary at one time, and for some in the congregation it may still feel contemporary. But for the average un-churched person below the age of fifty, I'd venture to say that this particular style feels out of touch.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should change our Sunday worship services. On the contrary, I am proposing that we investigate the possibility of adding a worship service; one that follows the time-proven aspects of church growth: modernizing. I envision a mid-week praise and worship service featuring instruments of various types, audio/visual experiences, communion, and a message brought to the congregation via a speaker, whether it be a pastor, a lay member, elder, deacon, or a spirit-filled youth member.
It is my belief that many young families and college age people would be more likely to attend a church service during the week so that they maintain an open weekend. As society becomes busier and more involved with various activities, I believe many un-churched people are unwilling to give up one of their weekend mornings to attend something that feels foreign to them. If put together and promoted properly, I believe that a mid-week service at FCC-Shawnee could be a very successful form of evangelism and worship.
I propose that we follow the example of Paul and the churches before us and investigate into this option. And as always, I'd love to hear feedback from you on this idea.
Josh
The current state of the society, in regards to spiritual fitness, is in dismal shape. Like Ray had mentioned in his sermon this past Sunday, there are generations of people who are out of the church and only a small percentages of Americans actually attend church compared to the numbers that attended years ago. As a country, one that was founded upon Christian faith, we are following suit with many European nations as we experience an increase in agnostics and atheists.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul writes about wrath of God upon the Jews and Gentiles for their wickedness. Paul explains how the sinful desires of men overcame the obedience of God, even though they understood knew God's commands. Verse 21 states, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Then in verse 28, Paul wrote, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."
Is this not what is happening in our society today? Because we have strayed from His teachings, our hearts have been hardened and we have become one with sin -- both in embracing it and exploiting it. However, we as the Bride of Christ can make a difference, but we must find a way to reach the un-churched.
In the ninth chapter of Corinthians, verses 19-23, Paul writes,
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Following Paul's example, we should do the same for our community. We must reach them, but we have to reach them on their terms. Now I'm saying that we become like the foolish, dark-hearted sinners, but rather we offer to them an experience to meet God and begin a relationship with God in a manner that is not so foreign to them.
This is not a new idea for church. This is not a new idea for evangelism. The way, in my opinion, to reach this lost society is to use tried and true techniques of the past. The techniques I am referring to revolve around the word contemporary. Encarta defines contemporary as "modern person or thing: somebody or something in existence at the present time." For instance, our worship services on Sunday were contemporary at one time, and for some in the congregation it may still feel contemporary. But for the average un-churched person below the age of fifty, I'd venture to say that this particular style feels out of touch.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should change our Sunday worship services. On the contrary, I am proposing that we investigate the possibility of adding a worship service; one that follows the time-proven aspects of church growth: modernizing. I envision a mid-week praise and worship service featuring instruments of various types, audio/visual experiences, communion, and a message brought to the congregation via a speaker, whether it be a pastor, a lay member, elder, deacon, or a spirit-filled youth member.
It is my belief that many young families and college age people would be more likely to attend a church service during the week so that they maintain an open weekend. As society becomes busier and more involved with various activities, I believe many un-churched people are unwilling to give up one of their weekend mornings to attend something that feels foreign to them. If put together and promoted properly, I believe that a mid-week service at FCC-Shawnee could be a very successful form of evangelism and worship.
I propose that we follow the example of Paul and the churches before us and investigate into this option. And as always, I'd love to hear feedback from you on this idea.
Josh
Sunday, August 29, 2010
2010-08-29 -- Be Bold
First, please allow me to thank the church, spiritual life committee, and Pastor Ray for allowing me to preach this last Sunday. The kind words, handshakes, and hugs that many of you shared with me after services were very much appreciated. FCC-Shawnee has had a great influence on my life throughout the past 12 years. Without God and this church in my life, I simply do not know where I’d be. You have all given so much and I personally thank each of you for that.
“I had tried to drive certain long brass-headed nails into a wall but had never succeeded except in turning up their points, and rendering them useless. When a tradesman came who understood his work, I noticed that he filed off all the points of the nails, the very points on whose sharpness I had relied, and when he had quite blunted them, he drove them in as far as he pleased. With some consciences our fine points in preaching are worse than useless. Our keen distinctions and nice discriminations are thrown away on many; they need to be encountered with sheer force and blunt honesty. The truth must be hammered into them by main strength, and we know from whom to seek the needed power” (The Quotable Spurgeon Copyright 1990 by Harold Shaw Publishers).
Oh, how true the aforementioned analogy is! Far too often we are too politically correct and afraid of hurting feelings or stepping on toes when we should really be blunt and to the point. The image of Christ that I have in mind is not of a limp-wristed, feminine, soft spoken male that many artists have portrayed over the centuries; no, the image I have in mind is of a brute, real man’s man, who was both physically and mentally strong. I picture the incarnate as a man who didn’t shy away from confrontation or honest-to-goodness bluntness.
Many times in Christian teaching we try to use the subtle approach of sharpen brass nails – a feel good way of teaching the good news – when maybe we should be more like the tradesman and use a blunt straight-forward approach, just as Christ did. For instance, Christ didn’t shy away from confronting the Pharisee’s about their heresies, nor should we shy away from teaching His straight-forward message. However, I do feel like I need to add a disclaimer here: Don’t use this as an excuse to seek out confrontations! Choose your battles wisely, my brothers and sisters, but when the time calls, be ready to go to bat with the sword of the spirit.
Another caution though: watch out for man’s rules on God’s words. Many Christians and denominations have suffered from using the blunt approach of teaching inerrancies of God’s holy word. Don’t let your own personal afflictions get in the way of God’s truth. This can be difficult, especially as a member in the Disciples of Christ church, where we are all called to seek and understand the scriptures according to our own understanding through the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Ultimately what I am stressing here is simple: speak truthfully, honestly, earnestly, and openly about Christ as the Savior of the world. Don’t back down from the world when the world wants to teach differently. Be strong in your faith.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:29-31
Josh
“I had tried to drive certain long brass-headed nails into a wall but had never succeeded except in turning up their points, and rendering them useless. When a tradesman came who understood his work, I noticed that he filed off all the points of the nails, the very points on whose sharpness I had relied, and when he had quite blunted them, he drove them in as far as he pleased. With some consciences our fine points in preaching are worse than useless. Our keen distinctions and nice discriminations are thrown away on many; they need to be encountered with sheer force and blunt honesty. The truth must be hammered into them by main strength, and we know from whom to seek the needed power” (The Quotable Spurgeon Copyright 1990 by Harold Shaw Publishers).
Oh, how true the aforementioned analogy is! Far too often we are too politically correct and afraid of hurting feelings or stepping on toes when we should really be blunt and to the point. The image of Christ that I have in mind is not of a limp-wristed, feminine, soft spoken male that many artists have portrayed over the centuries; no, the image I have in mind is of a brute, real man’s man, who was both physically and mentally strong. I picture the incarnate as a man who didn’t shy away from confrontation or honest-to-goodness bluntness.
Many times in Christian teaching we try to use the subtle approach of sharpen brass nails – a feel good way of teaching the good news – when maybe we should be more like the tradesman and use a blunt straight-forward approach, just as Christ did. For instance, Christ didn’t shy away from confronting the Pharisee’s about their heresies, nor should we shy away from teaching His straight-forward message. However, I do feel like I need to add a disclaimer here: Don’t use this as an excuse to seek out confrontations! Choose your battles wisely, my brothers and sisters, but when the time calls, be ready to go to bat with the sword of the spirit.
Another caution though: watch out for man’s rules on God’s words. Many Christians and denominations have suffered from using the blunt approach of teaching inerrancies of God’s holy word. Don’t let your own personal afflictions get in the way of God’s truth. This can be difficult, especially as a member in the Disciples of Christ church, where we are all called to seek and understand the scriptures according to our own understanding through the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Ultimately what I am stressing here is simple: speak truthfully, honestly, earnestly, and openly about Christ as the Savior of the world. Don’t back down from the world when the world wants to teach differently. Be strong in your faith.
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:29-31
Josh
20100829 -- Influence Sermon
Today’s verse comes the gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, beginning with verse five and concluding with verse twelve.
In this passage Christ is warning his disciples about the influence of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
In life, we are all subject to influence – some good, some bad, but always present. The world often becomes a point of strong influence for many of us; which leads many of us to do as our sinful heart’s desire. As Christians, we are instructed by Christ to live according the scripture, to follow His example, and teach others about the Good News.
Please read with me now the words of Christ as he instructs the disciples:
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
May God bless this, the reading of His word, and give us all an open heart to hear the message of Christ, our Lord. May the word of God convict our hearts so that we may become people of good influence.
In the account from Matthew’s gospel that we just read, we find the disciples on the boat worried about bread. I imagine their stomachs were growling and they were probably blaming one another forgetting to bring bread with them. As they continued in their grumblings, Jesus warns the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Though Christ’s warning was meant in a spiritual fashion, the disciples were still thinking about physical bread. They didn’t understand the context of what Jesus was saying about yeast. Who knows, maybe they were planning to purchase bread on the other side of the sea, and they thought Jesus was cautioning them not to buy unclean bread which Jews could not eat.
According to Mark’s account of this situation, found in Chapter 8 verse 14, we are informed that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them but they did have one loaf on the boat. With this in mind, Christ’s chastising of them seems very fitting. If they had remembered how Jesus had multiplied bread on two occasions, they certainly would not have worried. Their “little faith” kept them from understanding His teaching and depending on His power to meet their needs.
It must have grieved Jesus that His handpicked helpers were so spiritually obtuse. The fact that He had multiplied bread on two occasions and fed over 10,000 people had apparently made little impression on them! Why worry and argue over one loaf of bread when you have Jesus in the boat with you? Their minds were dull, their hearts were hard (see Mark 6:52), their eyes were blind, and their ears were deaf (see Mark 4:11-12).
Just like the disciples, we too have a tendency to forget God’s blessings (Ps. 103:1-2). He meets our needs, but then when the next problem arises, we complain or become frightened. As long as we are with Him, we can be sure He will care for us. It would do us all good to pause occasionally and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.
But that teaching is just a side note on the actual lesson of this message. The main lesson here deals with yeast, not with bread or being taken cared for. In the Bible, yeast, or leaven, is consistently a symbol of evil. Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all yeast from their dwellings (Ex. 12:18-20), and yeast was not allowed with the offerings (Ex. 23:18; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; 6:17). Evil, like yeast, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole (Gal. 5:9).
But what is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrine and false teachings can do to God’s children? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals as well as corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
Christ’s warning to the disciples was directly against the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous because they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they interpreted the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, practicality and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit (Ac. 23:8). The Sadducees attempted to sway people to their own position by using clever arguments that made a mockery of the Scriptures.
This warning was made because if this false teaching got into the hearts and minds of the disciples, it would infect them and pollute the truth Jesus had given them to proclaim about Himself and His kingdom. Christ didn’t say “beware!” very often, but when He did, it was of upmost importance.
While Christ’s warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was most likely primarily concerning doctrine, I like to also think about it as a warning to all of us about yeast as influences. Jesus was teaching that just as only a small amount of yeast was needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the evil teachings and hypocrisy of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society. Jesus used yeast as an example of how a small amount of evil could affect a large group of people. The wrong teachings of the Pharisees were leading the entire nation astray. Jesus warned his disciples to constantly be on guard against the contaminating evil of the religious leaders (see also 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:9).
Jesus instructed the disciples to be on guard. What does it take to be on guard, in terms of faith?
• A strong and sure center. We must keep Jesus at the center of our Christian faith.
• A developing sense of “what makes sense.” That comes through a lifelong process of learning the Bible, understanding the life of the church, and being open to the Holy Spirit.
• A core of Christian friends. A single sentry does not protect a castle. Find friends who will keep you growing. Relate yourself with people and a church where Jesus is the center, the Bible is seriously studied, and people are “on the move.”
We must be on guard at all times.
However, I believe that somewhere over the past recent history, people have generally let their guard down. As a society, we have become self-righteous hypocrites, mostly looking out for ourselves at whatever cost. We have been overcome by the yeast of worldliness through the media, Hollywood, politics, and money. The media has infiltrated our minds with all these grand ideas of money, sex, and self-serving attitudes. Furthermore, I imagine that on a daily basis, a vast portion of society knows more about the characters in their shows and the people in Hollywood than they do their own friends and families.
Looking at current politics, we can see that yeast of worldliness has spread throughout our elected leaders. They are generally more concerned about get elected for their own self-righteousness than they are for serving the people who elected them. Regardless if they’re democrats, republicans, or independents, nearly all of them are guilty of looking out for their own interests over the ideals and directions of the majority of Americans.
Money has been called the “root of all evil.” Thinking about, I don’t think this is fair statement. Money is simply an object incapable of being either good or evil; however, when the yeast has infected the holder of money, it becomes a great force. Money attracts people. Wealthy people often have the greatest influence on a society. Now I’m not saying wealth is a bad thing, no, not at all, just stating that if the yeast of worldliness spreads through the wealthy, that is a problem.
Many times the poor and less fortunate are looked down upon because their social status. That is the yeast of worldliness at work. Thinking that we must have the best and newest everything and placing these desires before God and love for one another is the yeast of worldliness.
The yeast of worldliness is what I am considering style. Christ is substance. As Christians, we must be steadfast in placing substance over style.
Jesus' earthly messianic ministry was mainly healing the sick and preaching the kingdom of God, and as time permitted he trained his disciples, mostly through common life together. He did not train his disciples by giving special lectures in a gorgeous lecture hall. It was discipleship training through his common life together with his disciples. In short, his discipleship training was through his influence itself.
The substance of Christ, His influence, is what instructed the disciples. Because of this influence, the disciples were sent out to make disciples of nations; they founded the Christian churches. They taught what they knew, and that wasn’t a message formed for their own benefit! No, nearly all the disciples died horrible deaths because they were influencing others with the substance of Christ.
Had the disciples been contaminated by the yeast of the Pharisees, we would not be gathered in this house of worship today. Had the disciples fallen to worldly desires and self-righteousness, we wouldn’t be in the Lord’s house today. Think about how different your life would be if the yeast Pharisees and Sadducees had won over the hearts and minds of the disciples. Let us remember the teaching of Christ, so that we as society do not become the Pharisees of today.
Let prepare to go to the Lord in prayer. All eyes closed and heads bowed.
With your eyes closed and heads bowed, recall the message from this morning. Think about how you are influencing others. Search in yourself to gain an understanding to whether you are seeking style, the yeast of the world, or are truly seeking the substance of Christ?
Let us pray.
In this passage Christ is warning his disciples about the influence of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
In life, we are all subject to influence – some good, some bad, but always present. The world often becomes a point of strong influence for many of us; which leads many of us to do as our sinful heart’s desire. As Christians, we are instructed by Christ to live according the scripture, to follow His example, and teach others about the Good News.
Please read with me now the words of Christ as he instructs the disciples:
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
May God bless this, the reading of His word, and give us all an open heart to hear the message of Christ, our Lord. May the word of God convict our hearts so that we may become people of good influence.
In the account from Matthew’s gospel that we just read, we find the disciples on the boat worried about bread. I imagine their stomachs were growling and they were probably blaming one another forgetting to bring bread with them. As they continued in their grumblings, Jesus warns the disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Though Christ’s warning was meant in a spiritual fashion, the disciples were still thinking about physical bread. They didn’t understand the context of what Jesus was saying about yeast. Who knows, maybe they were planning to purchase bread on the other side of the sea, and they thought Jesus was cautioning them not to buy unclean bread which Jews could not eat.
According to Mark’s account of this situation, found in Chapter 8 verse 14, we are informed that the disciples had forgotten to bring bread with them but they did have one loaf on the boat. With this in mind, Christ’s chastising of them seems very fitting. If they had remembered how Jesus had multiplied bread on two occasions, they certainly would not have worried. Their “little faith” kept them from understanding His teaching and depending on His power to meet their needs.
It must have grieved Jesus that His handpicked helpers were so spiritually obtuse. The fact that He had multiplied bread on two occasions and fed over 10,000 people had apparently made little impression on them! Why worry and argue over one loaf of bread when you have Jesus in the boat with you? Their minds were dull, their hearts were hard (see Mark 6:52), their eyes were blind, and their ears were deaf (see Mark 4:11-12).
Just like the disciples, we too have a tendency to forget God’s blessings (Ps. 103:1-2). He meets our needs, but then when the next problem arises, we complain or become frightened. As long as we are with Him, we can be sure He will care for us. It would do us all good to pause occasionally and remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness.
But that teaching is just a side note on the actual lesson of this message. The main lesson here deals with yeast, not with bread or being taken cared for. In the Bible, yeast, or leaven, is consistently a symbol of evil. Each Passover season, the Jews had to remove all yeast from their dwellings (Ex. 12:18-20), and yeast was not allowed with the offerings (Ex. 23:18; 34:25; Lev. 2:11; 6:17). Evil, like yeast, is small and hidden, but it spreads and soon infects the whole (Gal. 5:9).
But what is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrine and false teachings can do to God’s children? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals as well as corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
Christ’s warning to the disciples was directly against the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous because they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they interpreted the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, practicality and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit (Ac. 23:8). The Sadducees attempted to sway people to their own position by using clever arguments that made a mockery of the Scriptures.
This warning was made because if this false teaching got into the hearts and minds of the disciples, it would infect them and pollute the truth Jesus had given them to proclaim about Himself and His kingdom. Christ didn’t say “beware!” very often, but when He did, it was of upmost importance.
While Christ’s warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was most likely primarily concerning doctrine, I like to also think about it as a warning to all of us about yeast as influences. Jesus was teaching that just as only a small amount of yeast was needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the evil teachings and hypocrisy of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society. Jesus used yeast as an example of how a small amount of evil could affect a large group of people. The wrong teachings of the Pharisees were leading the entire nation astray. Jesus warned his disciples to constantly be on guard against the contaminating evil of the religious leaders (see also 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 5:9).
Jesus instructed the disciples to be on guard. What does it take to be on guard, in terms of faith?
• A strong and sure center. We must keep Jesus at the center of our Christian faith.
• A developing sense of “what makes sense.” That comes through a lifelong process of learning the Bible, understanding the life of the church, and being open to the Holy Spirit.
• A core of Christian friends. A single sentry does not protect a castle. Find friends who will keep you growing. Relate yourself with people and a church where Jesus is the center, the Bible is seriously studied, and people are “on the move.”
We must be on guard at all times.
However, I believe that somewhere over the past recent history, people have generally let their guard down. As a society, we have become self-righteous hypocrites, mostly looking out for ourselves at whatever cost. We have been overcome by the yeast of worldliness through the media, Hollywood, politics, and money. The media has infiltrated our minds with all these grand ideas of money, sex, and self-serving attitudes. Furthermore, I imagine that on a daily basis, a vast portion of society knows more about the characters in their shows and the people in Hollywood than they do their own friends and families.
Looking at current politics, we can see that yeast of worldliness has spread throughout our elected leaders. They are generally more concerned about get elected for their own self-righteousness than they are for serving the people who elected them. Regardless if they’re democrats, republicans, or independents, nearly all of them are guilty of looking out for their own interests over the ideals and directions of the majority of Americans.
Money has been called the “root of all evil.” Thinking about, I don’t think this is fair statement. Money is simply an object incapable of being either good or evil; however, when the yeast has infected the holder of money, it becomes a great force. Money attracts people. Wealthy people often have the greatest influence on a society. Now I’m not saying wealth is a bad thing, no, not at all, just stating that if the yeast of worldliness spreads through the wealthy, that is a problem.
Many times the poor and less fortunate are looked down upon because their social status. That is the yeast of worldliness at work. Thinking that we must have the best and newest everything and placing these desires before God and love for one another is the yeast of worldliness.
The yeast of worldliness is what I am considering style. Christ is substance. As Christians, we must be steadfast in placing substance over style.
Jesus' earthly messianic ministry was mainly healing the sick and preaching the kingdom of God, and as time permitted he trained his disciples, mostly through common life together. He did not train his disciples by giving special lectures in a gorgeous lecture hall. It was discipleship training through his common life together with his disciples. In short, his discipleship training was through his influence itself.
The substance of Christ, His influence, is what instructed the disciples. Because of this influence, the disciples were sent out to make disciples of nations; they founded the Christian churches. They taught what they knew, and that wasn’t a message formed for their own benefit! No, nearly all the disciples died horrible deaths because they were influencing others with the substance of Christ.
Had the disciples been contaminated by the yeast of the Pharisees, we would not be gathered in this house of worship today. Had the disciples fallen to worldly desires and self-righteousness, we wouldn’t be in the Lord’s house today. Think about how different your life would be if the yeast Pharisees and Sadducees had won over the hearts and minds of the disciples. Let us remember the teaching of Christ, so that we as society do not become the Pharisees of today.
Let prepare to go to the Lord in prayer. All eyes closed and heads bowed.
With your eyes closed and heads bowed, recall the message from this morning. Think about how you are influencing others. Search in yourself to gain an understanding to whether you are seeking style, the yeast of the world, or are truly seeking the substance of Christ?
Let us pray.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
2010-08-22 -- Influence
Influence is ever-present in our daily lives; sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always present. For instance, the media, colleagues, school mates, pastors, bosses, spouses, parents, and kids are all sources of influence. For some, outside influence directly dictates a person’s actions, e.g. politicians. As Christians, we should all be aware of the external influences in our lives and respond appropriately to each.
In Matthew 5:5-12, Christ warns the disciples to, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” In this warning Christ was not referring to the physical yeast that is used in dough to make leaven bread as the disciples first thought He was, rather He was speaking about the influence that the Pharisees and Sadducees had on the community.
Christ made this warning because the Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous for the reason that they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they were used to interpret the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Furthermore, Christ warned the disciples about the Sadducees since their doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, pragmatism and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit.
But why did Christ reference the yeast? What is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrines can do to a person, a church, or a community? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals and especially in corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
I believe this same analogy works well for the influences that we often face in our daily lives. If we do not continuously fight off the negative, anti-God influences, like the yeast taking over the bread, we a doomed to be taken over by the influence; we must continually be on our guard.
The aforementioned scripture and topic will be the subject of this week’s sermon. I am much honored to have the opportunity to bring the message to both services. Furthermore, I am thankful and honored to have a good friend and mentor, Sherrie Randall, assisting me in fulfilling the pastoral roles in worship this coming week.
Josh
In Matthew 5:5-12, Christ warns the disciples to, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” In this warning Christ was not referring to the physical yeast that is used in dough to make leaven bread as the disciples first thought He was, rather He was speaking about the influence that the Pharisees and Sadducees had on the community.
Christ made this warning because the Pharisees’ doctrine was dangerous for the reason that they founded their authority upon oral law or human traditions and as a result were legalistic, self-righteous and formalistic. The Pharisees believed that in addition to the written law there was also an authoritative oral law passed down through history by various leaders, prophets and rabbis. While they formally accepted the authority of the Old Testament, their traditions in practice were more important than the Bible because they were used to interpret the Scriptures. As a result they held to a number of heresies.
Furthermore, Christ warned the disciples about the Sadducees since their doctrine was also dangerous because of their willingness to subject the Bible to finite reason, pragmatism and skepticism. While the Pharisees added to God’s word, the Sadducees detracted from it. They were the modernists of their day. The Sadducees did not place the Old Testament historical and prophetic books on the same level with the five books of Moses. They did not believe in the resurrection of the body, in the existence of angelic beings, or even that man had a soul or spirit.
But why did Christ reference the yeast? What is it about yeast that makes it the appropriate word to describe what false doctrines can do to a person, a church, or a community? Yeast does two things that make it the perfect choice to describe how false teaching operates. First, yeast works insidiously. Its influence on the lump of dough is subtle. It works quietly as it penetrates the whole loaf. Second, yeast’s nature is to grow and spread. Once it is introduced into the lump of dough, if left alone, it will change the character of the whole lump. These aspects of yeast as descriptions of how false doctrine operates are true in individuals and especially in corporate bodies such as individual churches or denominations.
I believe this same analogy works well for the influences that we often face in our daily lives. If we do not continuously fight off the negative, anti-God influences, like the yeast taking over the bread, we a doomed to be taken over by the influence; we must continually be on our guard.
The aforementioned scripture and topic will be the subject of this week’s sermon. I am much honored to have the opportunity to bring the message to both services. Furthermore, I am thankful and honored to have a good friend and mentor, Sherrie Randall, assisting me in fulfilling the pastoral roles in worship this coming week.
Josh
Sunday, August 1, 2010
2010-08-01 -- Acceptance
Acceptance can be hard. What the object of acceptance is remains solely to the individual; but depending on the circumstances, the action of accepting may be difficult, but it can be very rewarding. For instance, I know many people, including myself, that struggle with accepting lifestyles or viewpoints of others that do not correlate with our own. Now I’m not saying that we need to just accept everything that everybody does, rather I am stating that we should accept everyone for who they are and who they can be.
A struggle for me throughout most of my life, for example, has been accepting others’ lifestyles, more specifically, the wealthy and the poor. Being middle class my entire life, I relate well with those whom live as I have. I have often had a hard time accepting the wealthy and their life of luxuries, nice houses, and fancy cars for the people that they are without the money being a factor. Additionally, I have found it difficult to accept the poor and their lack of worldly possessions as the people that that they are without their circumstances coming into play.
But over that past couple of years I have been working on this issue of acceptance and judgment. “Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.” With this quote, I remind myself that I do not know all, and there is more to the story than the cover of the book I am seeing. Regardless of others’ worldly position, I try to accept that person for who they are, not what they have. For all I know, even though their life isn’t equal to mine, maybe they are comfortable and content. We all have our own struggles, worries, and faults – some of which we can change and some of which we accept – but as for others, who are we to judge? Shouldn’t we just accept them and love them for who they are, just as God has accepts and loves us?
You are not accepted by God because you deserve to be, or because you have worked hard for him; but because Jesus died for you (Colin Urquhart, 1940– ).
Josh
Sunday, June 27, 2010
2010-06-28 - Independence
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress declared the 13 American colonies free and independent from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is the only major national document of the United States that actually mentions the name of God. He is called “Nature’s God,” “The Creator,” and “The Supreme Judge of the World.” The fathers of our American freedom recognized that God’s hand was at work in the affairs of the new nation. But far more important than the political liberty that we enjoy is the spiritual liberty we have in Christ. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
When we obey His Word, we grow in spiritual knowledge; and as we grow in spiritual knowledge, we grow in freedom from sin. Life leads to learning, and learning leads to liberty.
The worst bondage is the kind that the prisoner himself does not recognize. He thinks he is free, yet he is really a slave. The Pharisees and other religious leaders thought that they were free, but they were actually enslaved in terrible spiritual bondage to sin and Satan. They would not face the truth, and yet it was the truth alone that could set them free. (Referenced from “BE ALIVE—JOHN 1-12” by Warren W. Wiersbe)
On this Fourth of July, when we celebrate our independence from Britain as a nation, my hope is that we all also celebrate in the freedom we share in that is given through God’s grace – Christ Jesus, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Because of His sacrifice nearly 2000 years ago, we are free from the bondage of sin! Amen!
Josh
Sunday, June 20, 2010
2010-06-20 -- Sharing the Faith
It seems that many of us are hesitant to share the Good News with others, for various reasons. We, all who proclaim Christ as our Savior, recognize the need to, and know that we should, share our faith with others, but because of fear of being pushy or disliked, or whatever the reason may be, we are slow to share our faith.
What if somebody would have never shared the faith with you? What if you did not know God? Do you believe that your life would be as rewarding? Do you think you’d know the fate of your soul after you perish from this life? As a Christian, what do you believe is the fate for those who do not know Christ? What do you believe your fate is?
According to Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of Life Church, “Research shows that while almost three out of four people believe in heaven, less than half believe in hell.” Nearly everybody wants to believe that they’ll be in a “better place” after they die; yet many of those same people do not understand, or have not heard, the message of Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we are doomed for hell. Without the grace of God, we are destined to eternity without love, without relationship, without peace and joy.
But through Christ, we have a spot reserved with the Creator of the heavens and earth. With Christ, we are given love, relationship, healing, peace, joy, forgiveness, and many other positives. Knowing this, shouldn’t we feel a little more urgency to share the gospel? We can make a difference, but it requires action. Inaction will neither benefit us nor others, while a true desire, followed with action, to reach the multitudes proclaiming the Word will make a difference.
Time, while it is a worldly standard, is of upmost importance. Nobody’s tomorrow is promised. Don’t hesitate; there is an eternal life at stake.
Josh
Sunday, June 6, 2010
2010-06-06 Worry
Why do we worry? Why is it that sometimes we cannot help to worry, sometimes to the point of even making us sick? What is worry anyway? Dictionary.com defines it as, “to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.”
Worry is fear-thought, not fore-thought. It is cured by prayer-thought.
We have all, at one time or another, spent time worrying, fretting over the “what-if’s” of life. But all worry really is, is a lack of faith. The opposite of faith is worry. If you have worry, give it to God. If you still worry, you didn’t succeed at giving it to the Almighty.
All too often we hold worry to ourselves; which ultimately says that our problems are too big for God to handle, so we keep them ourselves. I’m here to tell that no matter how big the problem is, give it to God. He will take it. Give God a chance to handle things and He will.
However, this is not a free ticket to do nothing. You must first put full efforts to doing everything you can to prevent worry. Act upon all fore-thought thoroughly and after that, give it God. After we have done all we can do, give the rest to God. He can handle it, I promise.
Josh
Monday, May 31, 2010
2010-05-31 Listening for God
One guy worried about his wife to a friend. He sighed, "My wife is talking to herself a lot these days." The friend was hardly concerned. He said, "My wife has been talking to herself for years, but she doesn't know it. She thinks I'm listening" (Positive Living, Sept./Oct. 1995, p. 39).
Listening, it’s something most of us do everyday, but are you really listening or just hearing things? What about listening to God? Are you certain He is not talking to you because there isn’t a burning bush and a booming voice from the Heavens? Are you really listening?
I was informed of a question that a youth asked a parent awhile back; the question was, “Can you hear God? I’m listening for Him, but I have never heard Him.” The answer to that is a tough one. Listening for God is not the same way we listen to a teacher, a parent, or a pastor; rather it is a much more intimate listening that varies from person to person. In my thoughts, I believe God speaks to each one of us in different ways and through various communication channels. I mean, this is the God who knows the number of hairs on our head, I think He will communicate with us as He sees fit for our personalities, atmospheres, and spiritual development.
So my call to action for you is to open up your whole self to listening, not just your ears, for God. “He who spoke, still speaks”, I just hope He isn’t talking to Himself.
Josh
Sunday, May 16, 2010
I Have an Idea
I’ve got an idea…
I recently had a thought a couple of weeks back that stemmed from an experience. I was driving down HWY 18, near I-40, and I came across a woman standing at the corner with a sign that read, “Anything helps.” Sitting on the ground next to her was a small dog and a bag. Right or wrong, the skeptic in me always assumes that people like this are scammers, and therefore I do not typically give handouts to them. However, this time was different; I noticed that I had a sealed bottle of water in my truck sitting right there in the cup holder. It was a hot day, and I figured, “what the heck, I’ll give her this water.” I motioned for her to come over and handed her the water. She replied very gratefully, “Thank you, this really helps me a lot.” It wasn’t much, and for all I know, she may have had a case of water waiting for her at home, or maybe she didn’t home at all. Who knows; but this experience sparked a thought for a witnessing ministry.
You have probably all seen the bottles of water that have logos of sports teams or the state fair on them. I’m sure there is a company out there that specializes in this; so my thought is, why not have some bottled water made up with scripture on it and hand it out to those in need? I wouldn’t want to put First Christian Church on it, for fear of more people coming for handouts, but put something meaningful on it; something that might just change somebody’s life. Sometimes it is the little thing that matter, and bottled water is a little thing, but the message it could carry could be the saving grace for someone else.
Just a thought.
Josh – joshualclark@shawneedisciples.org
I recently had a thought a couple of weeks back that stemmed from an experience. I was driving down HWY 18, near I-40, and I came across a woman standing at the corner with a sign that read, “Anything helps.” Sitting on the ground next to her was a small dog and a bag. Right or wrong, the skeptic in me always assumes that people like this are scammers, and therefore I do not typically give handouts to them. However, this time was different; I noticed that I had a sealed bottle of water in my truck sitting right there in the cup holder. It was a hot day, and I figured, “what the heck, I’ll give her this water.” I motioned for her to come over and handed her the water. She replied very gratefully, “Thank you, this really helps me a lot.” It wasn’t much, and for all I know, she may have had a case of water waiting for her at home, or maybe she didn’t home at all. Who knows; but this experience sparked a thought for a witnessing ministry.
You have probably all seen the bottles of water that have logos of sports teams or the state fair on them. I’m sure there is a company out there that specializes in this; so my thought is, why not have some bottled water made up with scripture on it and hand it out to those in need? I wouldn’t want to put First Christian Church on it, for fear of more people coming for handouts, but put something meaningful on it; something that might just change somebody’s life. Sometimes it is the little thing that matter, and bottled water is a little thing, but the message it could carry could be the saving grace for someone else.
Just a thought.
Josh – joshualclark@shawneedisciples.org
2010-05-16 Indifference
I have witnessed a change in our church over the last several months, and I like it. Our church has been growing, repairing and updating our building, and functioning smoothly. I believe we are overcoming indifference that has divided our church for many years and finally allowing the Holy Spirit to come in and fill the place. I believe this is attributed to multiple factors – leadership, humbleness, and participation. For instance, we are preparing to officially install Ray as the pastor, we have Janet fulfilling critical roles as the associate pastor, new directions with committee chairpersons that sound very promising, planning sessions, along with providing opportunities to those who are willing to serve. We have made great leaps and bounds, and for those, I am proud to be both staff and member at FCC-Shawnee.
Nonetheless, we cannot allow our church to become complacent. We must continue moving forward. We need to continue to strive to become the “Good Samaritan” church. We, as a church body, have so much to offer to those in the community, especially non-believers and/or non-church goers. I believe it is time for us to start focusing more on visitors of our church and getting people to visit us.
I would now like to share the following with you:
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association researched why people did not return to a specific restaurant. They discovered 1 percent did not return because they died, 3 percent moved, 5 percent formed other relationships, 9 percent preferred a competitor, 14 percent didn't like the product, and 68 percent did not return to that particular restaurant because they felt there was an attitude of neglect and indifference. People respond to churches in similar fashion. If they feel neglected or sense indifference, they will stop attending. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, said, "The enemy is not love nor hate, but indifference." (Preacher Talk, Brian Harbor, Vol. 3 Tape 1, 1995; Progress, Dec. 1992, p. 43)
What about at our church? Are we broadcasting an attitude of neglect? We may not be able to accommodate every indifference, but we can definitely overcome neglect. But how do we do this? Whose committee does greeting and welcoming guests fall under anyway… oh, wait, this isn’t a committee responsibility, it is a congregation responsibility. With that, I am making a call to action statement here: please take a moment each Sunday to look for visitors, before service, during service, after service, and let them know they are welcome here and invite them to come back. Who knows, it might change somebody’s life, maybe even yours.
Josh
Nonetheless, we cannot allow our church to become complacent. We must continue moving forward. We need to continue to strive to become the “Good Samaritan” church. We, as a church body, have so much to offer to those in the community, especially non-believers and/or non-church goers. I believe it is time for us to start focusing more on visitors of our church and getting people to visit us.
I would now like to share the following with you:
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association researched why people did not return to a specific restaurant. They discovered 1 percent did not return because they died, 3 percent moved, 5 percent formed other relationships, 9 percent preferred a competitor, 14 percent didn't like the product, and 68 percent did not return to that particular restaurant because they felt there was an attitude of neglect and indifference. People respond to churches in similar fashion. If they feel neglected or sense indifference, they will stop attending. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, said, "The enemy is not love nor hate, but indifference." (Preacher Talk, Brian Harbor, Vol. 3 Tape 1, 1995; Progress, Dec. 1992, p. 43)
What about at our church? Are we broadcasting an attitude of neglect? We may not be able to accommodate every indifference, but we can definitely overcome neglect. But how do we do this? Whose committee does greeting and welcoming guests fall under anyway… oh, wait, this isn’t a committee responsibility, it is a congregation responsibility. With that, I am making a call to action statement here: please take a moment each Sunday to look for visitors, before service, during service, after service, and let them know they are welcome here and invite them to come back. Who knows, it might change somebody’s life, maybe even yours.
Josh
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
2010-05-12 Before it is too late
The following is a sermon I wrote for youth Sunday. This message will be delivered by two youth members.
Chris:
There was a farmer who had three sons: Jim, John, and Sam. No one in the family ever attended church or had time for God. The pastor and the others in the church tried for years to interest the family in the things of God to no avail. Then one day Sam was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Sam, but the outlook for Sam’s recovery was very dim indeed. So the pastor was called and appraised of the situation. The pastor arrived, and began to pray as follows:
“O wise and righteous Father, we thank Thee that in Thine wisdom thou didst send this rattlesnake to bite Sam. He has never been inside the church and it is doubtful that he has, in all this time, ever prayed or even acknowledged Thine existence. Now we trust that this experience will be a valuable lesson to him and will lead to his genuine repentance.
“And now, O Father, wilt thou send another rattlesnake to bite Jim, and another to bite John, and another really big one to bite the old man. For years we have done everything we know to get them to turn to Thee, but all in vain. It seems, therefore, that what all our combined efforts could not do, this rattlesnake has done. We thus conclude that the only thing that will do this family any real good is rattlesnakes; so, Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. Amen.”
Rebecca:
Isn’t it amazing that sometimes it takes something extraordinary to bring people to God? Kind of like an atheist soldier in a fox hole – an extraordinary circumstance where God is found. Plato said, “There are few people so stubborn in their atheism who when danger is pressing in will not acknowledge the divine power.”
However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes even the extraordinary cannot change a person. Take for instance the scripture that Autumn just read – first, the people did not believe even though they had witnessed the extraordinary events of Christ’s numerous miracles. And many of them rejected Jesus as the Messiah, which led to the hardening of their hearts.
In spite of all the clear evidence that was presented to them, the nation would not believe. The “arm of the Lord” had been revealed to them in great power, yet they closed their eyes to the truth. They had heard the message and seen the miracles, and yet would not believe. When a person starts to resist the light, something begins to change within him; and he comes to the place where he cannot believe. There is “judicial blindness” that God permits to come over the eyes of people who do not take the truth seriously. It is a serious thing to treat God’s truth lightly, for a person could well miss his opportunity to be saved. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near”.
Jesus had performed enough miraculous signs to cause people to believe in him. The greatest of all signs—raising Lazarus from the dead—should have been enough to elicit faith from all those who saw it and even heard about it. Yet the Jewish people still refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. This unbelief had been predicted by Isaiah. In the opening of his chapter on the suffering Savior, Isaiah asked, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” It took revelation from God to know that Jesus was the arm of the Lord -- the one through whom God demonstrated his mighty power. But the Jews lacked this understanding. Why? Because it was prophesied, claimed John, who again quoted Isaiah: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” This quotation appears quite often in the New Testament because it provides a prophetic explanation for why the Jews did not perceive Jesus’ message nor receive him as their Messiah . And because they would not believe, they eventually could not believe. As a result, the Jews remained unenlightened and hardened. They had not seen what Isaiah had seen, for Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” Isaiah had seen the Lord of glory, who is none other than Jesus himself—Jesus is God, yet he is also a distinct part of the mysterious Trinity, and he is also Jesus the Son.
For those whose hearts are hardened, even the most compelling reasons for faith become obstacles. John soberly reminds us that many of those who believe in Jesus still allow the pressures and fears of people to hinder their faith. Hidden faith may avoid a confrontation with others, but it seldom pleases God.
The movie Faith Like Potatoes tells the incredible true story of a farmer, Angus Buchan, who leaves his farm and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into a life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. Angus soon gives his life to God and starts the journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest.
Please watch the following clip:
In the clip, you seen Angus telling his friend about the decision he made about giving his life over to Jesus. He explained that he felt that God had just taken him by the throat and shook him. Angus, fortunately, was able to recognize the call from God and accepted it. It is obvious from the reaction of his friend, this was shocking news. Angus knew this decision would come as a surprise to his friends, especially recognizing it when he replied to the minister’s instruction of telling the first three friends he sees and responds with, “they’ll think I’m a nutter”.
Fortunately Angus did not love the praise of men more than the praise of God, and he told his friends about his decision to accept Jesus, regardless of what they would think. Angus avoided the possibility of his heart being hardened by simply acknowledging that Christ is Lord and Savior and accepted Jesus into his life.
Chris:
The story of Christ’s coverage for sins has been told so often to some of us that the message just doesn’t seem to get through. We are jaded. Somehow we need to find ways to get the message through in vital and fresh and arresting ways.
There is a wonderful story about a young family moving into a new house. The move had been scheduled weeks in advance, but when the day approached the husband announced that an important meeting had been called at the office, and he would be unable to help. Consequently, the wife had to handle the move by herself. After the moving van had pulled away, the wife found herself standing in the living room of the new house surrounded by boxes to be unpacked, appliances to be hooked up, a screaming baby, and a five-year-old who decided to throw one of his metal toys through the picture window. Fortunately, the child wasn’t hurt, but the jagged glass was scattered everywhere and a brisk wind was blowing through the opening. The wife was now so upset that she simply had to tell her husband what was happening. When she called him on the telephone, a secretary informed her that he was tied up in the meeting and could not be disturbed. The secretary asked, “Would you like to leave a message?” This didn’t help her at all because from past experience the wife knew that he could be extremely lax about returning telephone calls home. So she figured out a way to get to him. She replied, “Just tell him the insurance will cover it. Call home for details.”
The moment he got the message, he called home.
Maybe we need to learn from this some ways to arrest people with the message of God’s coverage for sin. Maybe we need to rephrase the headlines of our faith for each generation in ways that will seize their minds and demand their attention!
Rebecca:
We, as Christians, must demand the attention of the people and let them know about Jesus. We must inform them of the need to accept Jesus while the opportunity is still present, before their hearts become hardened and removed of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, according to John’s gospel we read earlier, states, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.”
Jesus came to save you, save me, and to save the world. Our duty is to proclaim the word. Have you been like Angus in the movie clip and told at least three friends? Like the woman leaving a message with her husband, have you demanded the attention of those that are lost? We must act before it is too late.
Many hearts are hardening this day and everyday; is yours? Have you made a confession of faith? Have you made the decision to trust Christ, believe in Him, and uphold faith to God? If not, we would like to invite you to do that this day by coming forward during our hymn of invitation.
Chris:
There was a farmer who had three sons: Jim, John, and Sam. No one in the family ever attended church or had time for God. The pastor and the others in the church tried for years to interest the family in the things of God to no avail. Then one day Sam was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Sam, but the outlook for Sam’s recovery was very dim indeed. So the pastor was called and appraised of the situation. The pastor arrived, and began to pray as follows:
“O wise and righteous Father, we thank Thee that in Thine wisdom thou didst send this rattlesnake to bite Sam. He has never been inside the church and it is doubtful that he has, in all this time, ever prayed or even acknowledged Thine existence. Now we trust that this experience will be a valuable lesson to him and will lead to his genuine repentance.
“And now, O Father, wilt thou send another rattlesnake to bite Jim, and another to bite John, and another really big one to bite the old man. For years we have done everything we know to get them to turn to Thee, but all in vain. It seems, therefore, that what all our combined efforts could not do, this rattlesnake has done. We thus conclude that the only thing that will do this family any real good is rattlesnakes; so, Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes. Amen.”
Rebecca:
Isn’t it amazing that sometimes it takes something extraordinary to bring people to God? Kind of like an atheist soldier in a fox hole – an extraordinary circumstance where God is found. Plato said, “There are few people so stubborn in their atheism who when danger is pressing in will not acknowledge the divine power.”
However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes even the extraordinary cannot change a person. Take for instance the scripture that Autumn just read – first, the people did not believe even though they had witnessed the extraordinary events of Christ’s numerous miracles. And many of them rejected Jesus as the Messiah, which led to the hardening of their hearts.
In spite of all the clear evidence that was presented to them, the nation would not believe. The “arm of the Lord” had been revealed to them in great power, yet they closed their eyes to the truth. They had heard the message and seen the miracles, and yet would not believe. When a person starts to resist the light, something begins to change within him; and he comes to the place where he cannot believe. There is “judicial blindness” that God permits to come over the eyes of people who do not take the truth seriously. It is a serious thing to treat God’s truth lightly, for a person could well miss his opportunity to be saved. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near”.
Jesus had performed enough miraculous signs to cause people to believe in him. The greatest of all signs—raising Lazarus from the dead—should have been enough to elicit faith from all those who saw it and even heard about it. Yet the Jewish people still refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. This unbelief had been predicted by Isaiah. In the opening of his chapter on the suffering Savior, Isaiah asked, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” It took revelation from God to know that Jesus was the arm of the Lord -- the one through whom God demonstrated his mighty power. But the Jews lacked this understanding. Why? Because it was prophesied, claimed John, who again quoted Isaiah: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” This quotation appears quite often in the New Testament because it provides a prophetic explanation for why the Jews did not perceive Jesus’ message nor receive him as their Messiah . And because they would not believe, they eventually could not believe. As a result, the Jews remained unenlightened and hardened. They had not seen what Isaiah had seen, for Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” Isaiah had seen the Lord of glory, who is none other than Jesus himself—Jesus is God, yet he is also a distinct part of the mysterious Trinity, and he is also Jesus the Son.
For those whose hearts are hardened, even the most compelling reasons for faith become obstacles. John soberly reminds us that many of those who believe in Jesus still allow the pressures and fears of people to hinder their faith. Hidden faith may avoid a confrontation with others, but it seldom pleases God.
The movie Faith Like Potatoes tells the incredible true story of a farmer, Angus Buchan, who leaves his farm and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into a life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. Angus soon gives his life to God and starts the journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest.
Please watch the following clip:
In the clip, you seen Angus telling his friend about the decision he made about giving his life over to Jesus. He explained that he felt that God had just taken him by the throat and shook him. Angus, fortunately, was able to recognize the call from God and accepted it. It is obvious from the reaction of his friend, this was shocking news. Angus knew this decision would come as a surprise to his friends, especially recognizing it when he replied to the minister’s instruction of telling the first three friends he sees and responds with, “they’ll think I’m a nutter”.
Fortunately Angus did not love the praise of men more than the praise of God, and he told his friends about his decision to accept Jesus, regardless of what they would think. Angus avoided the possibility of his heart being hardened by simply acknowledging that Christ is Lord and Savior and accepted Jesus into his life.
Chris:
The story of Christ’s coverage for sins has been told so often to some of us that the message just doesn’t seem to get through. We are jaded. Somehow we need to find ways to get the message through in vital and fresh and arresting ways.
There is a wonderful story about a young family moving into a new house. The move had been scheduled weeks in advance, but when the day approached the husband announced that an important meeting had been called at the office, and he would be unable to help. Consequently, the wife had to handle the move by herself. After the moving van had pulled away, the wife found herself standing in the living room of the new house surrounded by boxes to be unpacked, appliances to be hooked up, a screaming baby, and a five-year-old who decided to throw one of his metal toys through the picture window. Fortunately, the child wasn’t hurt, but the jagged glass was scattered everywhere and a brisk wind was blowing through the opening. The wife was now so upset that she simply had to tell her husband what was happening. When she called him on the telephone, a secretary informed her that he was tied up in the meeting and could not be disturbed. The secretary asked, “Would you like to leave a message?” This didn’t help her at all because from past experience the wife knew that he could be extremely lax about returning telephone calls home. So she figured out a way to get to him. She replied, “Just tell him the insurance will cover it. Call home for details.”
The moment he got the message, he called home.
Maybe we need to learn from this some ways to arrest people with the message of God’s coverage for sin. Maybe we need to rephrase the headlines of our faith for each generation in ways that will seize their minds and demand their attention!
Rebecca:
We, as Christians, must demand the attention of the people and let them know about Jesus. We must inform them of the need to accept Jesus while the opportunity is still present, before their hearts become hardened and removed of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, according to John’s gospel we read earlier, states, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.”
Jesus came to save you, save me, and to save the world. Our duty is to proclaim the word. Have you been like Angus in the movie clip and told at least three friends? Like the woman leaving a message with her husband, have you demanded the attention of those that are lost? We must act before it is too late.
Many hearts are hardening this day and everyday; is yours? Have you made a confession of faith? Have you made the decision to trust Christ, believe in Him, and uphold faith to God? If not, we would like to invite you to do that this day by coming forward during our hymn of invitation.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Good thing
Since it has been awhile since my last post, I can at least say, "it's a good thing nobody is reading this!" lol.
I will have more posts up soon.
Josh
I will have more posts up soon.
Josh
Sunday, April 25, 2010
2010-04-25 Faith Walk/ Priorities
I struggle in life staying focused. My mind has a tendency to run wild. When I find something to be interesting, I seek it out, and then, typically, get bored with it – much like a kid playing with new toys on Christmas morning. And as my mind wonders, worries, and questions things of this world, I often feel a drift in my spiritual walk. Although I never drift completely out of faith, I do often find myself is a state that I do not want to be: farther from God. Fortunately though, at the point of realization, I am provided the opportunity to renew my faith and recommit myself to God.
I understand that my faith is a life long commitment, and one that I am very proud of, that is also going to be a continuous battle. I know that temptations and questions will try to pull me from God, but I also know that this will provide for more growth and commitments to God. As the world places demands on me, my hope and prayer is that I place more emphasis on my faith, for I know, in my heart, that is the only true way to be successful.
I counted all my dollars while God counted crosses;
I counted gains while he counted losses;
I counted my worth by the things gained in store,
But He sized me up by the scars that I bore.
I coveted honors and sought for degrees;
He wept as He counted the hours on my knees.
I never knew till one day by a grave
How vain are the things that we spend life to save.
I did not know till a friend went above
That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.
Josh
Sunday, April 18, 2010
2008-04-18 Committing to God
This past Sunday morning during Sunday School, I asked the youth, “Why are you choosing to follow Christ? Why are you seeking God’s will? Would it not be easier to just live like you want, as carefree and reckless as you like?” In response, I received many blank stares. At that moment, I thought to myself, “oh no, what have I done,” fearing that I may have just sparked an interest in them of a life away from the Lord. Fortunately though, one of them answered, “I choose to have eternal life without pain and suffering.” This, then, created a chain reaction of answers amongst many of the youth.
Even though there are many answers, the question of “why be a Christian” still remains for many people. As Christians, are we not supposed to shed a light on the benefits of living a life as Christ has instructed? But how do we effectively convey such a message? I imagine this question has been thought about since the time of the disciples setting up the first churches in the days after Jesus’ resurrection; however, I do believe we can effectively shed light on this topic if we seek council and guidance from the Father through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, giving entirely over to God is a whole other difficulty. But why? Why should we, as creations with free will, give ourselves over to a divine source when we have the option of doing our own thing instead? I believe the answer to that question must come from within the person that is making that choice, but there has to be a certain amount of faith, alongside an understanding of love and grace, involved in making such a decision.
From “Illustrations Unlimited” – Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ? For many, the reason they give is that they don’t really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration, of giving herself wholly to God. She said, “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, for fear He will send me out to China as a missionary.” The evangelist said, “If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, and you would let you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food, and care?” A new light came into the girl’s eyes. She said, “Oh, now I see, I see. I can trust God!” Two years later she again met the evangelist and recalled to him the incident. She told of how she had finally abandoned herself to God—and then her face lit up with a smile and said, “And do you know where God is going to let me serve Him?” And there was now a twinkle in her eye— In China!”
Are you holding back from turning your life over to God? Why? I challenge you this week to think about your “faith walk” and commit or recommit your life to God.
Josh
2008-04-11 Gifts and Freewill
It’s official; I am beginning a new career this week. I have accepted a job offer from Piper Valve in OKC to work in design engineering and drafting. For those of you who do not know, I have been employed at ExxonMobil Chemical for nearly seven years, most of my adult life! Therefore, this is a big change for me.
This offer is a quite an opportunity, one that I am very thankful for. I completed all my requirements to earn my bachelor’s degree from SGU this past February, an accomplishment I am proud of; however I cannot take all the credit for the many good fortunes that have been placed in my path. I thank Kasey for her support during these past years and for putting up with me; I give thanks also to both my family and church family for the support each has provided as well; but above all I give thanks to God who has provided for me in countless ways.
In my personal situation, there have been various paths to travel leading to various opportunities, and I attribute this to God’s gift of free will – for God loves me so much, unconditionally, that he allows for me to make my own decisions and as a result of those decisions, he opens avenues. Even when I have made poor choices, I know that God has orchestrated goodness to come.
The point I am trying to make is this: through God’s love for us, he has given us freewill, and without this freewill what would life be? I have had many conversations with people in regards to this topic over the years, especially during trying times in life. The question of why God has allowed bad things to happen has often been brought up to me. My response is simple: freewill. I typically follow that up with a story of my own for illustration purposes. I often reference my education/work journey. Because of the decisions I made, I placed myself into situations that have been very trying, for instance passing on several scholarships after high school in favor of working. I understand now that while I have moaned and groaned about not having an education and not being able to get the job I want, it was my decision and solely a reaction to the actions and choices I made. It’s not God’s fault, or anyone else’s, it is mine. However, even with my foolish mistakes, God has provided opportunities for me. He has allowed me to experience many things that I otherwise would not have been able to experience; continuing with my example: traveling across the US in my early twenties; learning to balance work, school, and family; meet and learn about the “real world” work environments, etc.
My testimony is this: God will provide, but he will not dictate. I believe that no matter the choice we make, God looks at our situation and says, “I can work with this.” It is not God that makes these bad things happen, rather it is the flesh. The flesh is of the world and therefore doesn’t always know or want what God wants for us, but through God’s love, he allows us to carry on with our own path, yet he never leaves us.
What about you and your choices? Are you blaming God for something? Are you holding a grudge with the Almighty for a turn of events that ended unfavorably? If so, I hope and pray that you remove these hurt feelings towards God and open your eyes to opportunities he has laid before you. God will provide for you if you allow him to, but he will not dictate your every move. You have been blessed through God’s love with freewill, how are you using it?
Josh
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
New Job
So a new page in my life begins tomorrow. I must say I am excited, while a bit nervous, about the opportunity. I look forward to new challenges and problems, and the resulting solutions from each. My prayer is that God gives the strength to endure the obstacles and my hope is that I take advantage of every situation to learn something new.
Josh
Josh
Sunday, April 11, 2010
What's Going on Here
Alright, here's the thing, I write on a weekly basis for my church where I serve as the director of youth ministries. I have my own section where I give out my own thoughts. I have began this blog as a way to capture some of these commentaries in another fashion. Feel free to comment on any of them. All blogs will be titled first by the date (YYYY-MM-DD) in which it was written followed by a subject it talks about.
Josh
Josh
2010-03-28 Opportunities
Opportunities are amazing things. We experience opportunities in our daily lives, regardless if we recognize it or not. For instance, as soon as the alarm clock sounds in the morning, you are presented with the opportunity to rise and give thanks for the day that the Lord hath made, or you can lie there pounding the snooze button until you are late for work (yes, I’m guilty of that). Opportunities go hand-in-hand with choices – often a choice you have made lends itself to an opportunity or a choice that someone else has made provides for an opportunity.
To use an analogy, opportunities are much like a computer network. In order to connect to the network, a port must open. This port may seem to lead to only one place, for instance a server, but from there countless other ports become available. The destination is only reached when the ports align properly, i.e. when the address is available and working. However, sometimes the destination is blocked, and when this arises a choice must be made – go elsewhere or wait for the destination to become available. Neither option is wrong or right for every situation, but this block is typically not the final destination.
Life is much the same way. We make the choice of what “servers” we connect to. This determines what other options and opportunities become available from there. As Christians, we connect to God through the Christ “server”. Through this port, many opportunity avenues are available. However, on this network there is a hacker – temptation. Satan is working to hack into our lives and cause “service interruptions” with the Christ “server”. Fortunately, there is a Satan-blocker out there and it’s found in the words of the world’s best selling book, the Bible, and through prayer.
Is your Satan-blocker up to par? Are the choices you make leading to opportunities for growth or is Satan blocking your final destination? You have the choice, and the opportunity is there through the grace of God.
Josh
2010-02-21 Grace
Grace. We hear the term in church often; most of us know a definition for it and understand the context of the word, but do you ever stop and really think about God’s grace? Grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Nothing we do can earn salvation, nor do we deserve it, but through God’s grace it is freely given; all we must do is understand and accept that it is only through God’s mercy, through the blood of Christ, that we can be saved. We cannot save ourselves. Without God’s grace, we are destined to suffer apart from our creator, but through the selfless sacrifice of Christ, we are saved.
Ephesians 1:3-8 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Through God’s grace, we are forgiven; what a joy this is! However, God has also granted us free will through His love for us. Anything less than free will would put a stipulation on God’s love, which is not possible because God’s love is endless and unconditional. Therefore it is up to us to receive His grace. Have you accepted the greatest gift – the gift of boundless love and forgiveness, the opportunity to spend eternity with Christ in paradise? If not, will you ask Christ to come into your life and forgive you of your sins? Give thanks to God for His grace and boundless love.
Josh
2010-02-07 Structure of Ministry
Many of may have noticed that over the past couple of years I have transformed the structure of the youth program, but you may wonder why. I feel that the time is right that I explain my mission and goals as being the interim director of youth ministry.
I am sure that many of you have thought, “What exactly does Josh do anyway? He has all these other people doing his job.” Looking at my role without being involved in the process, I can understand how thoughts may arise about what exactly I am doing since so many others are doing so many things. Hopefully I can answer some of these questions in this writing.
As Ray mentioned this past Sunday, we are all called to ministry. I want this thought to remain in your thoughts as you read this commentary.
In my ministry to the youth, I provide the direction for the group on the macro level, as well as leading and assisting various programs on the micro level. I orchestrate the scheduling and long-term planning. Fortunately, I am also blessed with great group of youth sponsors that carry out many of the details of the macro plan I lay out. For instance, Kasey has the movie nights and assists with the cooking lessons; Russ leads Sunday School every other week and assists with the trips; Caapi sponsors both the cooking lessons and the trips; Jason leads Sunday School at least once a month; and Sherry and Caapi work together in leading the Son Beamers.
With these sponsors, again, I can see how many may question what it is that I do. Am I present for all these events? No. Should I be? No, I don’t believe so. Not that I’m trying to pawn my work off someone else, I actually believes it strengthen the ministry. The ministry of the youth at our church is not, and should not, be contingent upon my presence. The focus of the ministry must be on spiritual growth of the youth.
Many of us have seen what happens when a minister, youth or senior pastor, leaves a church – the ministry of the church suffers. There is often a big impact to attendance and spiritual growth. This happens, in my opinion, due to members becoming too reliant upon one person for their spiritual growth, which can be very dangerous to those members. With this in mind, I have tried very hard to orchestrate a structure that removes this threat and promotes spiritual growth.
We are all blessed with various different skills. None of us have the exact same skill set. This thought has also been a driver in the structuring and direction I have sought out in this facet of ministry. For instance, as many of you know, I am not strong in providing emotional support and sympathy, but two of my youth sponsors are very strong in those areas. I do, however, exhibit other skills that I can effectively use to reach the youth with, as do all the youth sponsors (and each of you!).
Let me pause here to write in a side note to make sure one other topic is clear. I have no intentions of quitting the position that the church has hired me to do. I do plan to remain the interim youth director until the time in which a senior pastor is called and confirmed, and go from there. If the church congregation, senior pastor, and I decide that I should continue in this role, I will. I enjoy my position at FCC and believe we have done great things over the past couple of years.
With that said, please allow me now to explain the ongoing mission for the ministry of our youth. The programs that have been implemented are strategic in nature, encompassing a balance of fellowship, outreach, discipleship, and ministry centered around worship. It is in my belief that it takes a balance of the items in order to provide growth, both numerically and spiritually. It is also my belief that it requires many leaders to provide adequate opportunities for this growth. One person cannot do it all and be effective. Again, I am so thankful for the sponsors that aid in this ministry.
I often feel guilty about always asking for money so our youth can do this or that, but nonetheless I still make the request. I do so because any guilt associated with asking for more is wiped away by the understanding of what these funds do in our ministry. We are more than a group that just goes and has fun. We are a group that is outreaching, evangelizing and fellowshipping through our Go Somewhere/Do Something trips and Movie Nights. We are ministering and practicing discipleship through Sunday School and our SNY nights. We are fellowshipping, teaching, and discipling through our cooking ministry events. And through all of these activities, and the others that are not listed, we are joining together to worship, learn about, and build a relationship with God.
As I mentioned earlier in this commentary, we are all called to ministry. How are you ministering? Do you feel a call to aid in the ministry of our youth? If so, please contact me. We’d love to plug you in.
Josh
2010-01-24 Hell
How many of you remember the billboard off of I-40 just east of Harrison that read, “Will you go to HELL or the Heaven after you die?” The sign was yellow with bold back letters with the word “Hell” much larger than the rest of the text. It seemed like a controversial sign, at the time anyway. I imagine many took offense to it. And honestly, many people should be slightly offended by it; that is if they do not know how to answer the question. I believe that was the purpose of the sign – make people think as a result of being offended. It was just offensive enough to catch people’s eyes.
Even though I know the answer to that question, I am still offended when somebody tells me to “Go to Hell.” Honestly, I believe that if the person really comprehended what they are directing a person to do, I do not believe they would make that statement. I personally wish for no one to go to Hell; cannot think of a single person in this world that I would impose that upon. Sure, thinking about it, I can come up with some names that might fit criteria for believing they deserve it, but who am I to judge? “Let he without sin cast the first stone”, and that surely isn’t me!
My point is: Hell is eternal damnation. According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, damnation is: Condemnation to everlasting punishment; doom; everlasting punishment. I cannot emphasize the “everlasting punishment” part enough. From what I gather from various studies, the punishment in Hell is far beyond human understanding – pain and suffering so great that a human body would be devoured in seconds, if not sooner; torture, darkness, cries, screams, and no communication. No relationship, or knowledge, of God. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 states, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power…” “Shut out from the presence of the Lord.” That is just scary.
Josh
2010-01-10 Being Stale
This past Sunday evening, I was going through my office looking for some bowls for the chili and came across some hamburger buns from October (I guess I forgot about them being in there, lol!). To my surprise, they were not moldy in the least, however they were more than a bit stale. Then, later in the evening when I sat down to think about what I wanted to write for my commentary, I ran across a statement saying, “The Bread of Life never becomes stale.” I instantly then thought about the bread in my office in comparison to this statement. How true it is! The bread of this world is only short lived, but the Bread of Life is everlasting.
For instance, Ray mentioned in his last sermon about how he has noticed an uprising in the amount of sports players that are proclaiming their Christian faith through various messages, i.e. Florida University’s Senior QB Tim Tebow and his under-eye tape with scripture on it and the growing amount of players joining in pre and post game prayers. This is what the Living Bread is about! It is about accepting Christ and allowing for God to nourish us through the Holy Spirit. If the Living Bread was more like worldly bread, this uprising, as Ray mentioned, in public Christian faith proclamation would not be happening.
Furthermore, the world bread versus the Living Bread analogy can be used for each of us. What bread are you dependent upon? Which bread are you more like? What about our church family as a whole? Are we alive in Christ or are we stale like hamburger buns from October? Or are we beyond stale, and starting to become moldy?
My hope and prayer is that we fight away the staleness and mold that poisons us. I know the Living Bread is still alive today; let’s try to keep this Bread out of the bread box and in the open for all to see and share.
Josh
2009-12-27 New Year
The year is closed, the record made,
The last deed done, the last word said,
The memory alone remains
Of all its joys, its griefs, its gains,
And now with purpose full and clear,
We turn to meet another year.
Robert Browning (1812–1889)
So begins another year. At this time, we often reflect upon what we did and didn’t do over the past 12 months, while building plans for the coming year. But why is it that we focus so much upon making resolutions at this time of the year, only to often forget or fail to do them? I know I’m not the only one that has failed resolutions – for instance, for the last three New Year’s I’ve been making a resolution to treat myself to going skydiving, but I’m yet to do it. It’s not like this is a far-fetched ambition, it’s just that I continue to not uphold my resolution. Reflecting upon this, what does this say about me? Is it that I am not committal? No, I don’t think that is it. Is it that maybe my new year’s resolution just doesn’t align with my priorities? This is probably more correct.
With that said, I challenge you to think about your resolutions. What is it that you resolve to do over the next 12 months, and how does this align with the priorities in your life? What about your spiritual life? What resolution will you make for God? Furthermore, what other resolutions can you make throughout the upcoming year? Why just wait for January to reflect upon your actions, inactions, dreams and desires?
In my thoughts, I reflect upon how silly some of my resolutions have been. Why is it that I place something out in the future to do? Why don’t I do it now? Besides, only the present exists. The past is gone, and the future is out of reach; we only have now. Shouldn’t my resolutions be for now, maybe for tomorrow, but beyond that it’s out of reach; maybe I should resolve to complete steps that will enable the completion of goal. Maybe that is the whole problem with New Year’s resolutions – the resolution is more of a goal when it should perhaps be the first step to the goal, followed by the second step being the next resolution, etc. Just something to ponder on.
May God bless you and yours in the days, weeks, months, and years to come,
Josh
2010-04-04 Easter
The Lord has risen! The tomb is empty! He who spoke still speaks; he who came still comes; he who lived still lives!
It is hard to imagine exactly what the disciples felt and thought after hearing news that the Lord had risen and is alive. I believe it would have been very easy to be like Thomas and doubt the news, especially after witnessing the excruciating torture and death that Jesus endured. Unlike Thomas, though, who was able to have his doubt cast aside by witnessing the risen Lord, we have to take it on a step of faith.
However, this isn’t blind faith. Studying both the scriptures and history, we can build a firm foundation for our faith. For example, we read that Mary Magdalene ran to the disciples with the news that she has seen the Lord. I take this to be the honest truth, but why? Answer: she is a woman. During this time, if the story would have been made up by the disciples to promote their religious agenda, there is hardly any chance that they would have used a woman to carry such a message. As many of you know, women were not equals, and seldom ever educated. If the story were false about the risen Lord, I am positive the story tellers would have placed a man as the news breaker.
Furthermore, over the years many have tried to claim that the disciples must have taken the body out of the tomb to enhance their agenda. I say that this is not possible. The disciples, I believe, did not understand exactly what Christ meant when he said that he will rise again, so why would they take the body? Besides that, how would they have got the body out with the guards around? Bribe the guards? Possible, but it would have taken a lot because the guards would have had to accept that in exchange for putting their life on the line; I’m not sure the disciples would have had enough money.
One last example – many have stated that the risen Lord was either just a vision or some kind of ghost, but again I disagree. When Christ appeared to the disciples, he allowed Thomas to touch the wounds – you can’t touch a vision! The scriptures tell of Christ eating with the disciples after the resurrection – ghosts can’t eat!
I could go on and on, but the message is clear, Jesus of Nazareth is Lord; he is the King of Kings, and the Savior for Jews and Gentiles alike. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. My faith is built on Christ as the Son of God. Everything else is just supporting details.
“If we are faithless, we are Christless and graceless, hopeless and joyless. Thomas was ashamed of his unbelief, and cried out, My Lord and my God. He spoke with affection, as one that took hold of Christ with all his might; “My Lord and my God.” Sound and sincere believers, though slow and weak, shall be graciously accepted of the Lord Jesus. It is the duty of those who read and hear the gospel, to believe, to embrace the doctrine of Christ, and that record concerning him” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible).
Josh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
