"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."We know this one thing, if a man owned a house and a contractor offered to restore it, free of charge, he’d be a fool to deny his offer.2 Corinthians 5:17
Why then do so many men reject the offer of God to restore their spiritual homes? We are indeed a people without spiritual vision.
Showing posts with label 2 Corinthians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Corinthians. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2008
NEW CREATION: Our spiritual contractor!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
REBIRTH: Unexpected beauty and purpose for lives which were previously barbaric!
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."In the late '90s, Finland’s hottest rock group was Apocalyptica; their fans don’t use drugs or mosh, instead they sit quietly and listen attentively.2 Corinthians 5:17
Apocalyptica is composed of four young cellists, who study at Sibelius Academy, Finland’s top classical training ground. Their music? Metallica, Faith No More and other heavy-metal musicians.
Jim Heintz, writing for the Associated Press, says,“Apocalyptica achieves something that surprises adults: it finds dignity and intelligence in music usually dismissed as the theme songs of glue-sniffing morons. … The warm, woody tones of a cello can change a riff that that sounds shrill and ugly on an electric guitar into something yearning and lovely.”Heintz goes on to say,“The result is to bring an unexpected formality and deliberation to songs that in their original versions were barbaric yawps. In Apocalyptica’s hands, heavy metal leaves the torture chamber and becomes chamber music.”In the hands of God, the unrighteous and ungodly become dignified, “yearning and lovely”.
The world looks upon what once belonged to it and finds “an unexpected formality and deliberation” where once, “in their original versions,” stood “barbaric” noise.
In God’s hands, sinful man “leaves the torture chamber and becomes” free indeed.
[The Washington Times; July 12-18, 1999; 2]
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
FAITH: Who Committed the First Folly?
- for we walk by faith, not by sight -The Sleepwalkers is a history of astronomy by Arthur Koestler. In it the author calls the period when astronomy and theology became separate disciplines a watershed event. The cause of the cleavage was the adoption of non-circular (elliptical) orbits for planets to explain their motion around the sun. This went against traditional religious dogma of the day.2 Corinthians 5:7
The circle was believed to be the perfect figure, and God, having made the planets, could not have made them move in a path other than a perfect one.
Nonetheless, the ellipse prevailed. This, contends Koestler, had a profound impact on the cultural; namely that logic prevailed over blind ideology. Thus the scientific age was birthed.
Today, physics and religion remain in distinct chambers – one practical, the other spiritual — as in the separation of body and soul; thus it is of interest to look at the Celts, a people whose innermost intuition, unlike ours, was that astronomy and theology were intimately associated.
Jean-Marc Perelmuter, writing for Fox News Online, says it has only been recently that Celtic art and legends have been put on par with their warring accomplishments. He says, “Stonehenge, a mysterious but deliberate arrangement of rocks dating back 1000 to 3000 B.C. is a testimony of the Celts' ability to harmonize what we call science and religion into one monolith.”
[Eye On The Sky by Dr. Jean-Marc Perelmuter “Celtic Astronomy “ 7.00 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) November 17, 1999 © 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc. d/b/a Fox News Online.]
Not all that has occurred in the battle between people of faith and people of science can be neatly excised as an example of theological folly as were the orbits of planets. But it’s good for those of us who place our faith and fates in the hands of God to remember facts have a place in the order of God’s universe … we should do our homework before we take a stand on traditions.
Yet, it’s likewise good to remember foolishness is not the private domain of the faithful, science has its follies as well … two monumental examples have yet to be revealed: 1) the selfish slaughter of the innocent because science blindly insists it’s just fetal tissue and 2) the siren song of modern man, the theory of natural selection.
After all, Paul said it for all of us long ago, … we walk by faith, not by sight.
GOSPEL: Freedom Awards!
"Just as it is written, 'HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!'"The news report read: “The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) presented its 1999 International Press Freedom Awards last night to four journalists — from Columbia, Kosovo and Pakistan — at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.”Romans 10:15b
The report told of the heroic exploits of four journalists who kept on reporting the news in spite of beatings, imprisonments, and death threats. A fifth reporter would have been recognized expect he’s in a Cuban jail for proclaiming the truth.
Founded in 1981, CPJ focuses attention on free press abuses all over the world. The awards are to honor newsmen and women who’ve put themselves in harm’s way to deliver the news and to preserve freedom of the press worldwide.
[“CPJ Holds Its Ninth Annual Awards in NYC,” by Tracey Middlekauff; November 24, 1999; © 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc., d/b/a Fox News Online.]
Two thousand years ago, and again and again since, men and women have put themselves on the line to bring the Good News of a great joy to mankind. They too have been beaten, imprisoned, and threatened; in fact for many it has cost them their lives.
I think of Paul in his report to the Corinthians [2 Corinthians 6:4-5]. I recall the accounts preserved for believers in the “Hall of Faith” [Hebrews 11:32-38]. My mind reflects on the lives of the Apostles; men who where reportedly skinned alive, torn asunder, crucified upside down, and decapitated … all after torture and great hardship. Fox’s Book of Martyrs annoys my mind for those who’ve served and suffered and been slain.
But most of all I think on the Son of God who, for the love of God, came bearing Good News … only to be trodden upon, beaten, and crucified for telling the truth: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23]; you must be born again [John 3:3]; and no one comes to the Father but through Me [John 14:6b]. It is a gift of God [Ephesians 2:8].
DISCERNMENT: Know thyself!
"Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?"Our church was blessed with a godly pianist; Avery Dacus was his name. He was one of our seniors, but you’d never know it.Matthew 16:3b
Avery played almost everything from memory. We would name a hymn, he'd start playing as the second or third word left our lips. If he didn’t recognize it by name he'd say, “Gimme the number”; he'd say, “Oh!” and pow his fingers would start playing.
We even heard hymns from our denomination’s out-of-print hymnals. He'd say, “Do you know this one?”
He complained a lot, though. Not about having to play, but humbly, about his finger-work; “They’re not what they used to be, I can’t get them to do what I want them to do!” We are all dumb founded; his piano playing is some of the best southern gospel, ragtime, honky-tonk sounding church music we’ve heard. He just looked at us and said with tears in his eyes, “Well, it’s not!”
Why did Avery insist his finger-work wasn’t up to par, when the rest of us thought it was great? Because he knew his fingers and we didn’t. Years of playing and practicing with those hands let him know what they were capable of; he knew his own hands.
We should all be like Avery when it comes to our own hearts and minds. We should know them so well from years of use that we can tell in a moment if things aren’t right.
God gave us a mind to reason with, to "take every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5). He gave us a heart which, with use, will be soft and supple, a heart which can discern spiritual things. And a spirit with which the heart and the mind can communicate with one another.
Oh, a heart that is used often and discriminately, in combination with a mind that is righteous and just, creates such a powerful conscience in man, once he has the whole armor of God on, and the Spirit gives assent, he is invincible.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
REBIRTH: The Spectrum of the Son!
"you must be born again"Our kids were watching some old Outer Limits reruns on TV; the episode concerned a shift in the radiation spectrum of the Sun, as a result of elevated gamma rays mankind was in danger of annihilation. Man, however, was unaware of the shift or their doom.John 3:7
"if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature"2 Corinthians 5:17
Observing this from another galaxy, some friendly aliens developed an antidote. The aliens sent an ambassador to warn earth and offer the antidote. But the human race faced a dilemma: the antidote caused a metamorphosis of all who submitted. In order to be saved, one had to be changed into a new creature.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
EMOTIONS: Control central!
FOCUS OF THE WORLD! [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]
Emotion is defined as “a state of pending or present excitement, characterized by strong feelings, often with a tendency toward a definite kind of behavior,” e.g., anger, affection, depression, devotion, allegiance, love, etc.
When we see the American flag, it elicits a certain kind of emotion for Americans, something else for foreigner; when we see a fireman, policeman, or soldier, it results in a specific emotion; Easter scenes do the same for Christians; a child’s wedding or a loved one’s passing bring out a plethora of strong feeling; and certain hymns or choruses do the same. These are life and character building emotions.
Yet in this violent, deviant, self-obsessed world, with its collective focus three feet off the ground, we’re confronted with a glut of destructive emotions. The whole of our society seems to need "tenting," to exterminate the pests operating in the framework of our national and spiritual houses.
Reading what Paul said to the Corinthian church in his second letter, we rightly conclude the church, as a whole, has failed to take much thinking captive. He said:
Where the church's emotions ought to be running high with righteous indignation (abortion, homosexuality, pornography, deviance), we instead suffer rebellious indigestion.
Emotion is defined as “a state of pending or present excitement, characterized by strong feelings, often with a tendency toward a definite kind of behavior,” e.g., anger, affection, depression, devotion, allegiance, love, etc.
When we see the American flag, it elicits a certain kind of emotion for Americans, something else for foreigner; when we see a fireman, policeman, or soldier, it results in a specific emotion; Easter scenes do the same for Christians; a child’s wedding or a loved one’s passing bring out a plethora of strong feeling; and certain hymns or choruses do the same. These are life and character building emotions.
Yet in this violent, deviant, self-obsessed world, with its collective focus three feet off the ground, we’re confronted with a glut of destructive emotions. The whole of our society seems to need "tenting," to exterminate the pests operating in the framework of our national and spiritual houses.
Reading what Paul said to the Corinthian church in his second letter, we rightly conclude the church, as a whole, has failed to take much thinking captive. He said:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.Fortresses are going up faster than churches; graves are flooding with the rotting carcasses of the lost, faster than the saving of souls; and the rate of growth of biblical ignorance is only exceeded by the combined annual rate of the printing of Bibles.
Where the church's emotions ought to be running high with righteous indignation (abortion, homosexuality, pornography, deviance), we instead suffer rebellious indigestion.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
LIGHT - Let the be no darkness at all!
BETTER TO BE BLIND! [John 8:12; Illumination, Jesus, Life] (Added 3 June 2006)CONSUMED BY HIS POWER! [2 Corinthians 4:4; gospel, power (God's)]Imagine no red rose, no blue sky, rolling but grey hills, and a several shades of grey Monarch Butterfly. Without light, there is no color. Color is just bands of light reflected off an object; which bands are reflected depends on the nature of the object. Without light, things would be very plain … AND VERY DARK.
So too without Christ … imagine no hope, no love, no future, and no present purpose for living.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Without the light of Christ, there would be no spiritual blessings, no sustaining grace, and no “daily bread” worth eating. Just as it is impossible to receive mail without a delivery address, it is impossible to receive a true blessing outside the person and authority of Christ but it is the individuals nature that brings His ultimate blessing.
COME INTO THE LIGHT! [1 Peter 1:19; Revelation, Sin, Truth]One of our church janitors was in my office the other day and told me a fascinating but sad story.
A hardworking man finally had time to go to a night baseball game with his family. They were doing the usual things: eating hot-dogs and peanuts, drinking cokes, and complaining about the prices.
His wife, a registered nurse and mother of his three kids, said something and he turned in such a way that the park lights were directly in his eyes. She gasped and took his face in her hands to have a closer look. Her suspicion was correct, his eyes were jaundiced, a sign of several serious diseases. Within a few weeks her childhood sweetheart and the father of her three children was dead.
Man must come into the light of God to see the ravaging affects of his sins. He is little more than the walking dead without the cleansing power of the blood of the Lamb. The Light reveals the truth for all to see. Many will come into the light too late. [1 Corinthians 4:5]LAVA LAMP BELIEVERS! [1 John 1:6,7; apostasy, believers, nominalism, testimony, witness]My associate pastor, Dan, used to work for Orkin (the pesty people); he was pulpit supply for me this morning and I was blessed to hear an illustration he used on the whole armor of God [Epesian 6:10-17].
Orkin evidently had special Maglites with custom commercial grade batteries in them ... make that battery. Instead of four D-cells it had a single, long battery. I gather They're like those used by law enforcement. At any rate he said it was a blessing when he was crawling around in attics and under houses; it would light up the area from one end to the other.
He used this tool to illustrate the power of the Light of God, Jesus our Lord. When an ordinary flashlight was shined directly into the beam of light coming from his Maglite the beam from the common flashlight was consumed by the power of the more powerful light.
So too the power of Satan, when it is exposed to the Light of God.Lava Lamps have made a comeback in recent years (2002). Many of today’s versions are more creative than when they were first introduced some forty years ago.
All lava lamps have one thing in common, none of them are adequate as a source of light. They're called a lamp, but they're not a lamp.
The age of their introduction was an age of darkness and half-light. People in that day didn’t want a lot of light. You might say they wanted just enough of the real thing so they could call the facsimile by name of the real thing.
Unfortunately, many Christians aren’t much better than lava lamps; they don’t really want the whole Light of God, just enough so they can go by the name of the Genuine Light yet remain in the shadows.
TURNING TOWARD THE LIGHT! [Ephesians 5:7-10; other topics - Holiness, Righteousness] (Added 3 June 2006)Our adopted daughter, Naomi, was admiring one of her mom’s houseplants. Her older sister, Jennifer, asked her if she noticed how the plant leaned toward the light coming through the front window. She said, “Yeah!” He sister then told her, “If you turn the plant around halfway, the plant will lean back toward the light inside of a week.” Naomi said, “Wow!”Likewise genuine Christians; separate them from the Light, or turn them away from the Light, and inside a short period of time they will have leaned back toward Him.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
WORLDVIEW - From where you're standing you can't see what I see!
WHAT’S BEHIND DOOR NUMBER ONE? [2 Corinthians 6:13-18; Culture, Others, Outreach, Perspective, Separation]A couple drove several miles down a country road, not saying a word. An earlier conversation had resulted in an argument; now, neither party would concede their position.
As they passed a pig farm with several mules in a nearby pen, the husband asked sarcastically, “Relatives of yours?”
“Yep,” the wife quickly replied, “In-laws!”This illustrates how two people, viewing the same scene, can see two entirely different things.How we look at things (our prejudices, presuppositions; our knowledge or ignorance) determines our position on issues and our attitudes toward others.If two people walked into a room from opposite doorways and found a man holding out a ball, between thumb and forefinger, and where asked what they saw, both parties would say, “A ball!”However, if asked to describe the ball one might say, “It’s a white ball.” While the other might say, “It’s a black ball.” If prodded for more details, one might say, “It’s a hard, white, cue ball,” while the other might say, “It’s a soft, black bouncy ball.” How can this be? There’s only one ball, yet they both describe it differently.The fact is the ball is half-black and half-white … both people are correct from their point-of-view (i.e., they approached the object through different doorways). Additionally, each person’s data retrieval system did a search for information on balls: one white ball, the other black balls … they each answered based on their knowl-edge (aka: prejudice).Life is like that. If we approach a subject (e.g., politics or religion) with a presuppositional belief in abso-lute truth, existence of a sovereign God and His creative power (something out of nothing), our view may be decidedly different from that of our neighbor. Why? Because he approaches the same subject through the presup-positional lens of a belief in relativism, the ascendancy of man, and the ‘big-bang” theory; each of these is covered with his life experiences like icing on a cake.Take any subject and you will find those with whom you interact holding view-points varying from your own.Now, instead of a man holding the ball in the middle of the room, assume it hangs by a string from the ceiling. Instead of a rectangular room, assume a circular room. Instead of just two doors, assume an indetermin-able number of doors around the inside circumference.Finally, assume the other person is free to enter any door in the room; you, however, always enter through the same door (assuming your beliefs are fairly stable). Now, take notice of the following phenomena:
Every institution known to man, especially the church, would benefit from this insight.
Divergent world-views certainly do separate people, but Christians must not fear engagement with the enemy. The “whole armor of God” protects us; and besides, God’s “grace is sufficient” for every contingency. And, as Paul told Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” [2 Timothy 1:7]
You would be right if you said, “This sounds good but it sounds too much like psychology. Who’s to say one view is better than the other? Isn’t this too much like relativism?” Yes, it is, if all we have is the stage and the two actors; only the stronger of the two has any hope of prevailing.
However, someone hung the ball on the string (The String-hanger/God). This someone knows whose view is the right one; if you’re a true believer, so do you!
For those who practice the doctrine of absolute separation this insight holds no value; but for those who grasp the meaning of the Parable of the Good Neighbor (aka: Samaritan) [Luke 10:25-37] and Paul’s words in about “others” [Philippians 2:3-7] much can be done to woe people to “The Door.” [John 10:1-18]
Friday, January 28, 2005
EVANGELISM - As the Father sent Him, so He sends you!
ALMOST PERSUADED! [Various; other topics - Outreach, Persistence, Soul-winning]Every trip we make to one of our national parks someone in our family tries to feed a squirrel or chipmunk. In every instance the animal doesn’t trust us or any one else. Even though we leave a peanut for the animal again and again, it won’t trust us … again and again! The ingrate is never quite persuaded.Inside, people are like these animals: wild, small, nervous, paranoid, filled with fears. But the writer of the song, “Almost Persuaded,” didn’t write it because he believed people were hopelessly lost. Rather, he wrote it because he knew it might be the next spiritual peanut which would persuade another sinner to receive what Jesus has offered … freedom from all their fears and life everlasting.
BEING SOMEBODY! [Proverbs 11:30; other topics - Soul-winning]Lily Tomlin is supposed to have said, “I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.”
We all need goals, and the more specific the goal the easier it is to accomplish; and the easier it is to know when you’ve achieved it. To many people set vague goals and end up being what they do not want to be.Christians are supposed to be Christ-like … to demonstrate the characteristics of our Lord. More specifically, we are to desire his communicable attributes (loving, goodness, kindness; gentleness, patience, truthfulness, justice, wisdom, etc.) … those characteristics which make Him who He is.Unfortunately, soul-winning is like Bible reading: Barna reports 75% of Americans believe it’s important to read the Bible daily, yet only 13% actually read it daily.FROM SAVING EYES TO SAVING SOULS! [Matthew 28:19, 20; other topics - Fruit Bearing, Sowing and Reaping, Witness]
Bob Reccord, president & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, relates a story of an ophthalmologist Howard Hendricks thought was the greatest witness for Jesus Christ in Dallas, Texas.
It seems the good Dr. came under conviction when some students asked if he had ever led anyone to the Lord. Even though he had been active in his evangelical church for twelve years, he had not led anyone to the throne of grace personally. At the students encouragement he joined a training program and learned to share his faith; he became a fervent witness for the Good News.
Years later, when Hendricks visited a remote part of India, he used the story of this ophthalmologist turned evangelist to illustrate a point. He did not however use the Dr.’s name.
Later, an Indian doctor approached Hendricks and said, “You were talking about _______ ” (giving the doctor’s name). “How did you know?” Hendricks asked. “I went to medical school in Dallas, I went to see him about my eyes. He led me to Christ and discipled me.” The native doctor replied.
Today this Indian doctor is the only licensed neurosurgeon in his part of India. He has tremendous influence for Jesus as a result of an American eye doctor who overcame his indifference concerning witnessing.
When you truly comprehend the love of the One who gave His life while you were yet a sinner, you are compelled to tell someone about Him. Lovers introduce their loved ones to others.
[Adapted from: “Beware of rabbit-hole Christianity,” On Mission; Vol. 2, No. 3, July-August 1999, 7]
HARVESTING CHURCHES! [Mat. 28:19-20; other topics - Soul-winning]
Jesus said, “Follow after Me, and I’ll cause you to be fishers of men.” [Mark 1:17; my translation] Jesus intends for us to be fishers of men; He intends for us to be actively fishing; He intends us to bring in the catch!
In an article in NEXT magazine, Geo. Hunter III catalogues what he found as common denominators in harvesting churches: [Current Thoughts & Trends; January 97, p.17; #11753]1.) Harvesting churches are rooted in God’s Word - through sound preaching, teaching, and small group studies!
2.) They target the lost and unchurched; and care about them!
3.) They are pro-active and expectant in prayer!
4.) They are committed to the Great Commission!
5.) They share a rich vision of what individuals can become in Christ (i.e., fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ)!
6.) They learn the language and culture of the unchurched!
7.) They minister to the “life concerns” of the lost and the unchurched (e.g., health, parenting, relationships, etc.)!
8.) Their message is relevant across generational lines!
9.) They emphasize lay ministry according to giftedness!
10.) They recognize “shepherds do not make new sheep; sheep make new sheep”!
11.) They’re not content with their ranks swelling with nominal Christians!Harvesting churches recognize it’s “always” harvest time for those who follow Jesus; they are willing to get in the field and pick the fruit. Key for these churches is the realization, by their people, that understanding of one’s faith grows as one regularly explains it to others!
HELP ME, I'VE FALLEN! [Matthew 25:40; other topics - Witnessing]
You’re walking down the street at night following a late business meeting; in fact it’s after midnight. You’re on your way to a public parking lot and pass several rather dingy bars. Near a dimly lit intersection, just a few feet out in the street, between two parked cars, you see the figure of a man crumpled up on the pavement. It’s a bum, a drunk; a man too blighted to know he’s fallen, too sloshed to get up even if he did.
There’s no traffic on the street but you hear the sound of vehicles on those nearby. It’ll only be a matter of time before a delivery truck or a cab speeds down the road. They won’t see the guy until they hit him. The man isn’t asking you to get involved; there’s no, “Help! I’ve fallen and can’t get up.” In fact, at the moment the boozer could care less. But, if the poor soul knew what was about to happen to him, don’t you think he would plead for help? What should you do?
Most, if not all, true-believers would go to his aid; they would take the time to lend assistance.
Mankind is lost and dead in his trespasses; he’s too sin-filled to know what has happened to him, too carnal to care. There he is, lying in the path of destruction, in need of assistance.
Lost people aren’t going to ask you to get involved; in truth, based on experience, I’d say most of them want you to leave them alone. But, if those poor souls were to know what was about to happen to them, don’t you think they would cry out to be pulled out of the way of God’s coming judgment? At least to be shown how they could be saved from it?
Witnessing is not like breathing, it’s like eating. The former is done absent-mindedly, out of necessity; the later is a deliberate act, requiring a certain amount of preparation and a conscious desire to act.
MULTIPLICATION GARDENS! [Luke 8:8; other topics - Church Growth, Fruit Bearing]
In a friend’s garden is what my friend calls “multiplying” onions. I love onions more than my wife wishes, but these I especially love.
Where most onions have just the bulb in the ground, these have them on the stem ends as well; each onion has three or four onion bulbs on each mature stem. It is a very peculiar plant.
Then again, so are the children of God; each is to be planted in the good soil; each is to bear fruit … a hundred times. We are to be multiplying Christians.NO "PLAN B"! [Psalm 68:20; other topics – Lost, Salvation, Sovereignty or Will (of God)]
Mall managers all over the world are concerned about teens using their centers as hangouts. In some malls, hundreds of teens are present at the same time for no other reason than that "There’s nothing to do." How do you keep them from congregating in annoying packs?
The Warrawong Westfield mall in Wollongong (yes, there is really a place by this name south of Sydney, Australia ) arrived at this original solution: they play Bing Crosby music, loudly, over the mall’s public address system. And it works (or at least we’re told it works).
Being good business people they have a Plan B in the event Plan A doesn’t work: lighting that amplifies facial blemishes will be installed.
Fortunately, God doesn’t need or want a Plan B. His Plan A has always been certain of success; it has always been to seek and to save that which was lost [Luke 19:10]. When all has been said and done, there will be no one in Hell who can wag his finger at Heaven and proclaim, "There’s been a mistake; I don’t belong here!"
NOTHING CAN RESTRAIN! [Matthew 28:18-20; Soul-winning; Witnessing]A Haitian mute preaches the gospel in his small village. "There is something quite amazing about this young man," a church planter in the village told Christian Aid Mission. "Even though he cannot hear or speak, he is sharing the gospel with the people around him."
The young man uses pantomime in acting out the story of Jesus Christ. By refusing to let his handicap stand in the way, he is provoking others to be more evangelistic.What can we say? We know what God will say to this young man, right after his tongue is restored, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
TELL THE WATCHMEN – IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER! [Ezekiel 3:16-21; other topics - Overcoming, Perseverance, Watchmen]
It’s a strange feeling, being a Christian: when is our work finished? A painter knows a house is finished when all the areas needing painting are painted. An author knows his book is done when it goes to publication. A coach knows the game is finished when the final whistle blows. A driver knows the race is over when the checkered flag is waved. A general knows the battle is over when the enemy surrenders. An audience knows the concerto has reached its end when the orchestra stops playing and the conductor turns to take a bow. A heart surgeon knows his treatment is over when his patient sends him a photo of himself surfing the Pipeline in Hawaii.
Until then they keep painting, writing, exhorting, driving, fighting, enjoying, and treating.
Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Well, when is it over? Not until the Lord says it’s over. Until then, we just keep on watching and warning.
Those of us who serve as watchmen often feel no one hears our warning cry. We see the sheep in the pew but know most of them are not hearing the warnings. They come to hear a “good talk” or be entertained or be inspired or be seen … but there is nothing in what we say that is “talk,” and we certainly don’t entertain … and only the Lord inspires and we are seen, just as we are! [Hebrews 4:12, 13]
Until it’s over we must keep on keeping on … there are enemies in the camp, there are enemies outside the camp, still we must keep on warning.
TO SEEK AND SAVE! [2 Corinthians 3:3; Other topics - Good News, Salvation, Witness]
An Internet company named Napster has been in the news a lot this year. They offer a program which allows its clients to obtain free music on the Internet. Like many webbed-based businesses their success has been phenomenal. Most record companies and rock bands don’t share their enthusiasm, however. Many organizations are taking to the courts for legal and financial protection.
Why is that? It’s because Napster enables you to locate your favorite songs on other computers, download, catalog, and share them with friends. The format (MP3) allows users to store near-CD-quality re-cordings, copyrighted or not.
The issue of copyright is confusing is not clear on the Internet. Artists should have control over their work; after all, it's the way they make their living. The related issues are far from resolved.
In the same sense, salvation is also available for download, at any time – the connection is always open – without copyright restrictions. God offers eternal life through Jesus Christ free to anyone who believes. You can't buy sal-vation anyway; God’s only Son paid the price.
Jesus is seeking lost human "hard drives" for saving. God has opted to use Christians to share the Good News, sort of like browsers (the interface software between a computer and the Internet).
If you have a personal relationship with God through Christ, chances are someone downloaded the Good News to you for free. Why not do the same for someone else today? You won't get into any legal trouble, His message was designed to be shared!
Source/Attribution: Love for Jesus Org., Hesperia, CA, 24 February 2001
Friday, January 07, 2005
Traditions (Church)
How It All Began! [2 Corinthians 5:18-6:10; other topics - Apathy; Apostasy; Power (in the Church)]
It all began in a cage containing five apes. In the cage a banana was hung on a string, stairs were placed under the banana. Before long, an ape went over to the stairs and started to climb. As soon as he touched the stairs, someone outside the cage sprayed all the apes with ice water.
In a few minutes, another ape began to make his way up the stairs toward the banana, again all the apes were sprayed with ice water. As the day wore on, several more attempted to reach the banana; each time the result was the same: the other [more experienced] apes physically stopped him.
At this time, one of the original apes was removed and replaced by a new one. The new ape roamed around for a minute; then he spied the banana. Immediately, he made his way to the stairs. To his horror, all the other apes attacked him. After another attempt and attack, he realized if he tried to climb the stairs, he’d be assaulted again.
Soon another of the original apes was removed; like the other, he was replaced by a new ape. This newcomer saw the banana and the stairs right away; he wasted no time going for the prize. But, lo, he was attacked savagely. Interestingly, the previous newcomer took part in the punishment of this upstart, doing it with enthusiasm.
Still a third member of the original group was replaced by a new one. The new ape made a turn toward the stairs but was attacked before getting there. Strangely, two of the four apes that beat him had no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they were participating in the beating of each newcomer.
After replacing the fourth and final apes, all of those who had been sprayed with ice water were gone. None of the current occupants of the cage ever again approached the stairs they only looked longingly at the banana.
Why not? Because that’s the way it had always been around there and that’s how their group traditions were formed.
Paul told us we should fight the good fight, but he intended that our fight be against the enemies of the cross. Little did he know how many wolves would infiltrate the church, or what effect it would have on the children of God.
God hung a banana over the work of every church;. He knew it would not be easy to reach, what with the opposition guaranteed to come, but He desires we persist in spite of hardships and headaches, ice water, and beatings. Many churches earnestly recruit new apes ... but, more often than not, the minute he turns toward the prize that’s before him, he’s beaten back by his fellow apes.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
SALVATION - This is really Good News!
LIFE-LINE! [Psalm 132:7-9; Ark, faith, lifeline, redemption]
The storm had been chasing the destroyer all over the South Pacific and finally caught it. Now it was knocking the huge vessel around like a “ducky” in a child’s bathtub. Frank McDonald, one of our faithful deacons, was serving his country onboard this ship during the Korean War.
Frank, in one section of the ship, needed to return to his quarters following his duty shift; only one thing prevented this from being easy … the storm. In order to get to where he was going, he was forced to go out on deck for a short distance to get to an aft hatch. Knowing he was about to get soaked, he rushed out with his head down … suddenly the ship lurched, his feet flew out from under him … wham, his back hit the hard slopping surface and he shot feet first out over the side of the ship, nothing but air to support him. For some reason, which Frank can’t explain, he held his hands in the air, fingers cupped, thumbs down … as if planned by the ship’s designer, both hands caught and grasped the ship’s lower lifeline, saving him from the sea’s unappeasable gullet.God’s Son, Jesus, is designed to be His vessel (an ark) of salvation for those who believe. He is included in God’s plan of salvation as our lifeline; unseen as we slide down the slippery slope of life, at an ever increasing rate. Rescue from eternal damnation awaits those who, by faith, would but reach up and grasp the line that is offered.LOST AND FOUND [Jeremiah 5:25; Carnality, heaven, sin]
Norman Johnston committed a series of appalling crimes, and then murdered his own teen-aged relatives to cover the trail. His young relatives were members of his burglary gang ... they simply knew too much. Johnston, 48, has spent the last 20 years of his life in Huntington state prison in Pennsylvania. He thought he couldn’t cope with imprisonment any longer, so he constructed a dummy for his bunk, cut out his cell window, and escaped. But he quickly discovered he couldn’t cope with freedom either.
He stole car after car because he couldn’t operate electronic gas pumps. He stole mobile phones but couldn’t use those either. Most of his liberty was spent roaming around the Pennsylvania countryside, scared and bewildered. He was captured in a housing development which had been built on land he knew as open farmland during his youth.
Johnston was returned to prison; he was lost, he was found, he was returned but not to his father’s house.
However, with the Lord, who came "to seek and to save the lost," when you are found, you are returned to a right relationship with your Father in heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself goes to prepare a place for you.
PACKED FOR PRESERVATION! [2 Peter 2:4-10a; Apostasy, Redemption]
According to a story in The Guardian (London), Calin Florea of Scarisoara Romania dismantled his German-made Lanz tractor and packed it in cardboard coated with tar; he did this to escape the confiscating claws of communist collectivization in 1955. By 1990, however, land reforms had made it possible for Florea to farm the land he once owned, so he dug it up, reassembled it, and started all over. Had Florea not protected his possession carefully the elements would have destroyed it when he once came to redeem it.
God commanded Jeremiah the prophet to obtain and bury a waistband near the river Euphrates; taking no precautions to protect it. Later, God commanded him to retrieve the waistband from its burial place. When Jeremiah did so, he discovered that the waistband had rotted and was worthless. [Jeremiah 13:1-8]
God then said to Jeremiah,"Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband, which is totally worthless. For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah to cling to Me … that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they did not listen."Observation suggests the “western” church could easily serve as a substitute for Israel in this passage … without disturbing the water. The same observation reveals that many contemporary believers have hidden their lamps under peck-measures. [Cf. Matthew 5:15-16]Jeremiah 13:9-11
One day, these autumn trees without fruit, much like the five hapless virgins of Matthew 25 [1-13], will return to search out their lamp only to find it without oil or wick … and so worthless.
God is unchanging [immutable] and His judgments are for all ages and all peoples. Therefore, no man shall escape His wrath. God will reach down near the River of Life and retrieve that which He hid in our hearts long ago. Should He find it rotted and worthless the end shall be according to the means [2 Corinthians 11:15-16].
God has given us a prized possession and it is up to us to protect it for they day when it is to be revealed … it must be packed in the precious blood of Jesus. (Added 18 May 2006)
PULL PIN NOW! [John 3:3, 5; deliverance]The fire extinguisher outside my office says, “Pull pin.” This simple admonition is to remind potential users that the pin must be pulled before the extinguisher can be used to put out a fire.
Likewise, a parachute will have an admonition on its pack, “Pull pin to open.” If the parachutist wants to save his life (after a period of free fall), he must pull the pin before it is too late.In John 3:3 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, you must be born again.” This is Jesus saying, “If you want to be saved, pull pin first.”
If one wants to avoid the fires of hell, he must pull the pin on this life in order for the next to begin; if he wants to avoid the second death, he must open the Savior’s chute this side of the first death before it is too late.
RELIGIOUS MUSCLE RELAXANT! [2 Corinthians 5:17; life, regeneration, sanctification, walk]
My friend Marsha Wagner’s husband, Andy, snored something awful, until he had a heart attack. To help him sleep, his doctor prescribed a muscle relaxant; a side effect of the drug was his snoring stopped.
Prior to this, her husband’s nightly sonata let Marsha know he was at least okay; but know, since he’s sleeping better, she has to poke him to see if he is still alive.
I’ve seen far too many people whose lives exhibited some irritating carnal behavior, walk the aisle, pray the sinner’s pray, get baptized and claim the name of Jesus who now must be poked to see if they are still alive. Though the irritating behavior is gone, the life is not present.
Christianity is being used by too many people as a religious muscle relaxant for the flesh but manifests no Spirit-filled, animated, Pentecostal life. God doesn’t relax our muscles to make us stop sinning, He makes a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
THE SIGNATURE IS WHAT MATTERS! [Ephesians 1:7-8; Redemption]
At an annual town reunion, one of the town’s original organizers saw a disheveled man sitting alone on a park bench, a brown paper bag in his hand. The founder thought he knew him, so he approached. “Ben?” He asked gently. “Is that you?” The man looked up through swollen and bloodshot eyes. “Huh?” He responded.Shocked at the man’s condition he considered leaving but something made him stop. “Ben? Ben Johnson? That is you, isn’t it?”“Oh, he-llll-llooow.” The man breathed, between a yawn and a belch. “Yea, Sam. It’s me. Your old buddy Benjamin.”After discovering his friend’s sad history … two tours in Nam, in and out of Veteran’s Hospitals, several divorces, and alcoholism … Sam felt compassion for his old friend and asked if there was anything he could do to help. His friend said there was but he didn’t deserve it; he could help him raise the money to get into a veterans rehab program out of state so he could get his life back together. Instead, Sam wrote him a check for the entire sum. But since it was Sunday, the bank was closed and he’d have to wait until Monday to cash the check.On Wednesday, Sam was driving out of town to return home, when he saw his friend, Ben, sitting on the same park bench, looking just as pathetic. Angry, he pulled into the park and stopped next to the bench. Accusingly, he said, “What happened, Ben? Did you cash it and spend it on booze?”Quickly and soberly, Ben pulled the check from his army jacket and held it high. “No! No!” He exclaimed. “I got it I just ain’t cashed it.” Frustrated Sam asked why. Ben’s head dropped and his eyes began to tear up. “Sam, I went to that bank Monday and sat outside all day until they closed. I never went in because I knew they’d take one look at me and know I got no right to have a check this big.”Now Sam’s eyes began to tear up. “Oh, Ben.” He said. “It’s not what you look like or what you smell like that makes that check good. It’s the signature on the check and whether or not its writer has enough in his account to cover the draft.”In the same way, on judgment day, everyone will come before the Judge of judges and He will look to see whose name is written on our hearts and whether or not He has the resources to cover the draft. [Author unknown]
TODAY IS THE DAY! [2 Corinthians 6:2; Choices, evangelism, light-dark, redemption]
California is known for its earthquakes and in 1994 one hit the Northridge area of Southern California.
One of the Los Angeles Police Department’s most highly regarded motorcycle officers was in bed, miles away, when he felt the shake. He instinctively knew it was a big one and as a professional knew he’d be needed. Without waiting for a call, he dress and rushed to get his LAPD cycle and head for his station.
What the officer did not know was that Highway 14 leading into Los Angeles had suffered major damage, several overpasses were down. At about 5:15 AM, in the dark, with only his single headlight to guide him, this dedicated police officer and father of three sailed of the truncated end of a freeway overpass to his death forty feet below.
Mankind is driving in the dark, seeking a way to make sense of his life, looking for meaning, with only a puny little light to guide him. He doesn’t know it but the bridge is out ahead. An abyss lies at the bottom. He may not reach it today, or tomorrow, but he will reach it and then it will be too late … unless he is clinging to the Light of the World.
TWO SETS OF PLANS! [2 Peter 2:4-10a; Apostasy, Redemption]
Not far from the Kremlin wall stands the Moskva Hotel, as gargantuan in scale as Stalin’s state power used to be. After 50 years Muscovites have grown accustomed to it, but a visitor can’t help but notice the bizarre asymmetry of its façade.
An invisible vertical line seems to divide the structure in two, with one architectural style on the left, another on the right.
As one story goes, the architect worked up two designs, and Stalin, not realizing they were different, signed off on both. Nobody had the temerity to explain this mistake to the “Father of Peoples” – so the hotel was built using both designs. [Anatoly Sobchak, For a New Russia, (Free Press)]
God has prepared us to be redeemed by two designs ... one by the Law, through works, and the other by Grace, through His Son, but God knows the difference and is not confused about which is which. (Added 18 May 2006)
UNCOVERED AND USED ANEW! [Romans 3:21-26; Grace, regeneration]
Supposedly, it was laid down in the deep rich soil of rural Clay County, Georgia, around 1828; sometime between then and about 1930 it was forgotten and has reclined unused till discovered in May of 2002.
No one knows for certain when the open-air baptistry of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church (Fort Gaines, Ga.) was last used; in fact, it took weeks to locate anyone who even remembered the concrete pool. Only a few people could recall the church ever having a place to baptize. But one member (who said he was "practically born and raised in this church"), remembers playing in the baptistry with his friends in 1932.The baptistry was discovered when volunteers gathered to clear land for parking in the woods across from the church. A deacon operating a backhoe hit something that attracted his attention; the heavy equipment strained but couldn’t move whatever it was. Two additional deacons were called to bring hand tools to help clear the decades old accumulation of pine mulch covering the 9’ by 5’, 600-gallon structure. The accidental archaeologists didn’t know they had uncovered a century-old baptistry, they initially thought it might be a grave or a septic tank.No one was as surprised about the find as were members of Mt. Gilead. The bottom-line, however, is that it was found and is now in use once again. Once the baptismal was found to be functional, the congregation restored the tradition of holding baptisms in it. [Adapted from an October 16, 2002, Baptist Press story by Joe Westbury]Once we were lost, but now we are found; once we were hidden by decay, but now we are clean; once we were not useful, but now we are on mission and in service.
Praise God I’m found and useful again! To God be the glory, the honor, and the power forever, without end.
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