2014 Bringing Anxiety?

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

A new year usually brings hope. However, with America’s gloomy economic climate many people aren’t encouraged by the hope of a new year but are anxious for what it may bring. A recent Gallop Poll shows Americans are worrying in increasing measure about such things as: not being able to pay the rent/mortgage, not being able to maintain their lifestyle, not being able to have enough money for retirement and not being able to pay medical costs.[1] All these things can add up to a mountain of anxiety. 

The question is how do you deal with your anxiety? People have different ways of dealing with anxiety. Some distract themselves and try not think about them. Some people drink to make them disappear, at least temporarily. Others convince themselves that they are strong enough to handle whatever is coming their way. And some people don’t deal with it at all, living in a constant state of apprehension.

The Bible has a prescription for anxiety.  The Bible’s remedy is to cast it on the Lord. The Greek word for “cast” is epirpto which simply means to throw up or place upon. However, there’s a neat picture from the one other time when this word is used in the Bible. In Luke 19 when Jesus is about to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt, Jesus’ followers cast (epirpto) the garments they were wearing on the colt for Jesus. In the same way we are to cast the anxieties we wear on the Lord. These anxieties weigh us down and are too much for us to handle. We are to cast them upon the Lord. They aren’t too much for the Lord to handle; they are nothing to the Lord.

Most people do not doubt that the Lord is powerful enough to handle their anxieties. However, they may doubt that the Lord is mindful of their situation, or that He cares for them and will intervene in their lives. Maybe the most powerful truth of this verse is the revelation that “he cares for you”! You probably already believe that He is powerful enough to handle your situation, so believe the Word of God and trust that He cares for you!

What anxieties are  plaguing you?  Cast them on the Lord! Cast them by giving them to Him in prayer. Cast them and don’t reel them back in. He cares about you and is big enough to handle whatever you’re dealing with. Cast them on Him -- believe that He will handle them and your anxiety will disappear.

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[1] http://www.gallup.com/poll/162239/middle-aged-americans-worried-finances.aspx

The One Who Knows Us the Most Loves Us the Best

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 (ESV)

The Gospel of John opens with several statements about “the Word.”  Who is “the Word?”  If there is any doubt or suspense at this point in John chapter 1, a few verses later John declares “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (vs. 14). The “Word” is Jesus Christ the only Son of God.

These first few verses of John are packed with facts about Jesus.  Jesus is God (vs.1), He is eternal (vs.2).  He has life in Him (vs. 4), and He overcomes darkness (vs. 5). I want to focus on the fact that He is the creator of the universe (vs. 3).   

John says that everything that was made through Jesus and without Jesus nothing was made. This is an absolute statement. In short, if it was created it was made by Jesus.  Jesus made the mountains; He made the earth, the sun and everything we know. The next time astronomers discover a planet that we never knew existed before, Jesus made that too. And, yes, Jesus also made you and me.

One of the most mind blowing things is that our Creator subjected Himself to His creation. In Philippians, the Bible says Jesus “⁷ made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

It is hard to imagine that the God who created humanity not only subjected Himself to humanity, but also to death, and death by capital punishment. Jesus subjected Himself to being mocked, beaten, bore the shame of our sin and an agonizing death on the cross. The Creator subjected Himself to His creation to save it. This is true love.

I have heard it said that the One who knows us the most loves us the best. The Lord created us and He knows us inside and out as Psalm 139 states “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” (vs. 1)  For most of us to be fully known is a scary thing. Yet God who is rich in mercy still loves us fully and seeks a relationship with us. Let this New Year be the year that we determine to draw close to Jesus.

The Spirit of Christmas

At Christmastime we celebrate God sending His Son into the world to save the world. In doing so God met our greatest need, saving us from our sin, by giving His Son to die on the cross. This was the ultimate demonstration of God’s amazing love. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Thus, the spirit of Christmas is God giving of Himself to meet the needs of humanity.

The Christmas season has so much sentiment because most of us enjoy the celebration and tradition that accompanies Christmas.  However, we also acknowledge that there is a struggle between celebrating the true meaning of Christmas and trying to avoid the commercialization of Christmas. How should we handle that tension?  Should we have nothing to do with Christmas Trees or Santa Claus in protest to secularization and commercialization of Christmas?

As Christians who have accepted God’s gracious gift, we should live out this spirit in our relationships with others because we have the hope of salvation. Around two thousand years ago the Church of Jerusalem was going through severe financial hardships. The Apostle Paul instructed another church, the Church of Corinth, to take up a collection for the struggling Church of Jerusalem.  In instructing Corinth to give, Paul used our Lord’s great act of love for us as his basis for the Corinthians to give. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)  Jesus Christ, on that first Christmas morning, left the glory of heaven and humbly subjected Himself to humanity. He did all this just to save us. Knowing this to be true, we should be willing to give and to help others even if it means self-sacrifice.

However you feel about Santa, Rudolph and Frosty, if you believe that God sent His Son into the world to save the world, the most profound way you can celebrate Christmas is by acting on the spirit of Christmas. As Christians there is no better way to celebrate Christmas than by giving of ourselves to meet the needs of others. Personally, the more I live out the spirit of Christmas and give of myself to meet the needs of others, the more I feel the liberty to enjoy some of the traditional sentiment that comes with this time of year.  

The Importance of Thanksgiving

Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,

Romans 1:21

This week is Thanksgiving week. What a great Holiday! We don’t think of Thanksgiving as a religious holiday, like Christmas and Easter, but it is right in line with Scripture. 

According to Scripture it is the normal and right response to give thanks to God. In Romans 1, we see by contrast the importance of being thankful to God for who He is and what He has done for us. The unrighteous in Romans 1were not thankful to God, and their hearts were darkened.

Our culture almost forces us to be ungrateful. Modern advertising is built on making people covet. We always think of what we don’t have or how much more others have than we do. In reality, if you live in America, you have it much better than the rest of the world.

The Bible tells us that we should be thankful to God. Acts 14 states that God“¹⁷ … did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” God is good and He has been good to all. He gives us life and sustains our life. He gives us loved ones with whom we can enjoy that life with.  At the very least we should be thankful to Him for giving and sustaining our lives.

If you have trouble being thankful, do what my wife and I do. Every Thanksgiving we take time during our drive to Tennessee where we each list everything we can think of that we are thankful for. It becomes kind of a competition as we go back and forth trying to outlast one another. People are even doing this on social media. If you take time to thank God for everything you have to be thankful for, you will begin to see just how blessed you are and you will genuinely be thankful on Thanksgiving.    

Is God Finished with Israel?

²⁵ For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, Romans 11  

For some Christians Israel isn’t on the map. Even worse, some Christians believe that Israel has been replaced. They claim that God is done with Israel. This is not what the Bible teaches.

For the past two thousand years “blindness in part has happened to Israel.” They don’t recognize Jesus as their Messiah nor do they turn to Him to wash away their sins.  Conversely, during this time many non-Jewish people have had their eyes opened, and are calling on Jesus as Savior and being saved.

However, as the text states we are not to be “ignorant of this mystery.” One day after all the “Gentiles” that are to be saved get saved, God will move on the Jewish people and “Israel will be saved.”  This was prophesied in Zechariah 12 “¹⁰ And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”  That is, one day their eyes will be opened and they will recognize the Lord “whom they pierced” and they will “mourn.”  They will see Jesus, “the Lamb who was slain” and “mourn” but their mourning will lead to repentance. Their eyes will be opened, and hearts contrite, they’ll turn to Jesus and “so all Israel will be saved.”

So, for the record, God is not finished with Israel. Be not “wise in your own opinion” and think that God has forgotten the people He formed as a nation. We as gentile believers should have a place in our heart for Israel and a desire for the Jewish people to embrace Jesus as their Messiah. 

Observations on Sharing the Gospel from “The Parable of The Sower”

³ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. ⁸ But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matt 13

This parable is a about how the world responds to the Gospel. Later on in Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus explains what the parable means. The seed is the Word of God and the four different types of soils are the conditions of the hearts that the Word falls on once sowed.

The four types of hearts have four different responses, and they are all interesting. The first type of heart is a heart that is as hard as pavement; the Word just kind of bounces off it.  These seem to be the people who just out right reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether they be atheist, agnostics or believe in false gods, they want nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus and make no bones about it.  

The second type of soil/heart, rocky soil with no depth,  may be the most interesting. When they hear the Gospel they receive it with joy! Sounds promising, doesn’t it?  However, Jesus says that there is no depth in them, and when hardships or persecution comes they stumble. This certainly seems like a very promising beginning, but in the end as Jesus says they “withered away.”

The third type of soil/heart is similar to the second. There is no outright rejection of the Word, but ultimately the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (vs. 22)  

Finally the forth soil/heart is the good soil. The Word of God falls on it and, finally, there is fruit! Producing fruit is the main reason seed is planted in the first place. In this parable fruit is changed character and good deeds that is the evidence of salvation.

I would like to leave you with a couple of quick observations from this parable in regards to sharing the Gospel: 

1. The seed/Word of God does not change. It is the one constant in all four cases. Many people and ministries try to change their approach to sharing the Gospel because they perceive that the Word will not be accepted. However, it is not the Gospel that is the variable in this parable. The variable is the condition of the heart. Stick to the Biblical Gospel. 
2. The seed/Word is thrown on all types of soils. We cannot see the condition of someone’s heart. You don’t know beforehand whether the soil is rock hard or good for sowing. Our job is just to spread the seed/Word.  You never know when that unfriendly looking person next to you might turn out to be good soil.  

Jesus Wants You to be Rich!

⁴⁴ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13

Jesus often spoke to the masses in parables. He would use illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the kingdom of heaven is like”.

The parable of the “Hidden Treasure” is one of my favorites because it unlocks so much truth about coming to Christ.  So what does it mean?

As we have said, Jesus used illustrations from everyday life to explain what “the kingdom of heaven is like.”  However, things change and what was common to everyday life 2000 years ago may not be understood easily today.  Regarding this parable, one thing to keep in mind is that when Jesus walked the earth there were no banks to hold your money and valuables.  If foreign armies or raiders came, they would steal your treasure. People buried their money and valuables underground to avoid them being stolen. The Jewish historian Josephus put it this way: “The gold and the silver and the rest of that most precious furniture which the Jews had and which the owners treasured underground was done to withstand the fortunes of war.”^[1] Sometimes the owner of the treasure would be killed by the armies, raiders, or even die by natural causes and the treasure would be lost. No one else knew of it nor where it was.

The man in Jesus’ parable comes upon treasure hidden in a field. To obtain it he joyfully sells all he has to buy the field. Once he owns the field he owns the treasure which is worth much more than all he has now. Today it would be like selling a $200,000 house and $10,000 car to buy a field containing millions of dollars in gold. If you were certain of the gold’s worth and believed  you would own it once you bought the field, you’d gladly and joyfully sell your house and car in order to acquire the treasure.

What does this teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven?  Jesus said “whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke14:33) Jesus demands that we surrender all we have to Him and give up autonomy of our lives and follow Him (i.e. selling all we have).  The natural reaction to Jesus’ call is that the price is too great.  Most will say, “No thank you.” However the people who see Jesus for His infinite great worth and who believe that they will be with Him in His eternal kingdom gladly give all they have for the treasure (Jesus)! In giving up all they have, they will be rich beyond measure!

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^[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press.

Want Proof of God?

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Romans 1

Many people claim they don’t believe in God. You hear them say things like “If only God would reveal Himself to me, then I would believe” or “There is no way to prove that God exists and I need proof.”  The idea being they would believe or even want to believe, if only God would do more to prove His existence to them.

You want proof of God?  Look around. The Bible says that creation is proof enough of God’s existence. For example, we know intuitively when we see an automobile that it had a creator--so too with the world. I understand that scientists have come up with a theory that says in essence “once there was nothing, then there was a bang, then something crawled out of water, and then after millions upon millions of years, there was us.”  However, this isn’t what we see when we observe the world around us.  What we see is created things have a creator.  You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that the computer I’m writing on evolved from nothing. Why would you believe the world came from nothing?

The majesty and glory of creation also points to God. When we see the majesty of the mountains, the beauty of the leaves in fall or the glory of a brilliant starlit night, it points to the Glory of their creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Creation’s witness to us is yes, there is a God. He sent His One and Only Son to save us from our own sin. Just as creation testifies to the existence of God, our lives testify to the law of sin and death. We all sin. No one can say that they have not lied. Sin causes death. However, God sent His Son to deliver us from the law of sin and death. His death on the cross paid for our sin and through His resurrection He overcame the grave. God now commands everyone everywhere to repent (Acts 17:31) and turn to Him in belief. 

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,  for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”  Romans 1

The gospel of Christ is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is there anything more glorious. No One is more beautiful than Jesus. The gospel of Christ is the greatest story ever told and our one hope in this world.   However, many people who believe the gospel shrink back from talking about it.  We may not think we’re ashamed of the gospel, but our actions might tell a different story.

It’s time to reassess our priorities. It’s time to turn back to our First Love. It’s time to not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ!

Here are just a few reasons to remind us why:

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because it is Christ’s. If we love Jesus how can we not love or be faithful to His message?  Our Lord gave everything to save His people from their sins.

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because of its power to lead the lost to salvation. The gospel is the sole hope for a lost and dying world.  God has entrusted us with the cure for what ails humanity. We must not conceal it.

We should not be ashamed of the gospel because those who have faith in it are righteous. When we believe in the gospel, God imputes Christ’s righteousness on us. Our one path to righteousness is through the gospel of Christ.

The truth is that most everything we are passionate about in this world will pass away. Sports teams, political parties, entertainment and so on, will one day cease to exist.  However, the Kingdom of Heaven lasts forever!  Stand for the One who will not pass away.

To Believe in Jesus is to Follow Jesus

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7

This passage is often misunderstood. Here is a common interpretation: When the storms of life hit, as a Christian you’ll withstand the storm but if you aren't  watch out!  It’s not that Jesus does not strengthen you as you walk through the storms of life.  However, applied to the context of the passage, this interpretation is incorrect and doesn't fit.

Notice the “therefore” in the beginning of the passage. The “therefore’ connects this passage with the previous passage.  In the previous passage Jesus said that many will be surprised on Judgment Day. Although they called Him Lord they practiced sin, and in the end Jesus denies ever knowing them.  The “therefore” in this passage is saying “because many will be surprised on Judgment Day and cast away from Me, listen to what I am going to say.”

Jesus is comparing those who do and don’t follow His teaching to those who build houses. The person who follows His teaching is like a person who builds on a firm foundation. The person not following Jesus’s teaching is like a person who builds on a soft pliable foundation. Both houses may look beautiful and may appear to hold up.  But a day will come when the foundation will be revealed. Inevitably the storm comes, and the one on the poor foundation crashes to ruin.

One day the Lord will judge the hearts of men. The ones who followed Jesus will stand. The ones who didn’t follow Jesus will fall, and their fall will be great.

This does not teach salvation by works. Salvation is by grace and comes by believing in Jesus. However, when a person believes and Jesus says “follow Me,” those who truly believe in their hearts will follow Jesus. Those with a superficial belief and relationship with Jesus may call Him “Lord, Lord,” but will not follow Him.

To believe in Jesus is to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus is to live out His teachings. Decide to follow Jesus. 

Don’t Be Surprised on Judgement Day!

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’.” Matthew 7 ESV

This should get your attention! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” On Judgment Day, there are those who will claim a relationship with Jesus, but Jesus will have nothing to do with them.

It is interesting that these people will plead their case with the Lord by claiming to have driven out demons and done many mighty works in Jesus’ name. Jesus doesn’t argue with the validity of the “mighty works” but says that in the end they were “workers of lawlessness [sin].” Performing signs and wonders is not proof of salvation, and Jesus will cast them away on Judgment Day.

What can be worse than believing you’re saved and finding out otherwise on Judgment Day? How do we avoid being one of those people? The Apostle Paul told the church of Corinth to “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Better to test yourself now than be surprised on Judgment Day.

How do we test ourselves? I can think of at least two ways:  First, do you love Jesus? Jesus is not a religion nor is He a means to an end. He is the living, risen, Son of God!  The Bible says we are to love God with all our heart (Luke 10:27).  We are to have affection for Christ. This manifests itself in love for His Word and love for His people. Not having affection for Christ should raise a huge red flag!

Another test follows the context of the passage. Is sin diminishing in your life?  Jesus denied knowing the people in Matthew 7:21-23. The one thing He said about them was that they practiced lawlessness. No believer attains sinless perfection, but there is a turning from sin. Where we once ran toward sin, now we run from it. When we do sin, we hate it.

   

Jesus teaches a significant number of people will be surprised on Judgment Day. They’ll find out they have no real saving relationship with Jesus. The time for self-examination is now. The good news is that if you’re reading this and feeling a sense of conviction about having a real relationship with Jesus, you can turn to Him now and follow Him. As long you are alive, it’s never too late.

Believer Beware!

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”  Matthew 7

There are false prophets among us! Jesus warns us of them. You know if Jesus warns us that they’re here. We don’t like to think of anyone as a false prophet but they’ve been around since the beginning of the church. Many of the New Testament letters were written to combat their false teaching.

To make matters worse, these false prophets want to devour us! Jesus says that “inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Christians are depicted as sheep in the Bible and wolves have only one use for sheep -- dinner.

Don’t expect to see wolves sitting openly in the pews at church next Sunday. False prophets come “in sheep’s clothing.”  They look just like you and me. However, although they disguise themselves as sheep, they can be identified as wolves. 

Jesus tells us that we can know false prophets by their fruits. What is coming forth from them? We often evaluate on the level of someone being nice, handsome, compelling, funny or charismatic. That’s not how God tells us to evaluate.  It’s by what fruit comes from them.

The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). I’ve heard it said that the one thing false prophets can’t do is deny their flesh. Putting to death the deeds of the flesh is something we can do only with the Spirit. False prophets don’t have the Spirit, consequently they can’t deny their flesh.

Somewhere in the false prophet’s ministry you’ll see gratification of the flesh. It could be with money as they love to use God’s people to acquire their own wealth. You may see their flesh manifest itself in an inflated ego (pride).  And, yes, one of the most popular, sexual immorality. They don’t just struggle with a particular sin, but use their ministry to feed their flesh. To acquire the money, pander to their pride and to seduce.

The reality may be that you’re not close enough to the false prophet to know whether they are proud or money hungry. So how do you identify a false prophet from afar?  You identify them from their teaching. Know the Bible. That’s what false prophets do, they twist the Word of God. Spend time getting to know the Word better than the one who wants to devour you.  The more time you spend with the Good Shepherd the more easily you will spot a wolf.

Identifying a false prophet is not one of the top five list of subjects we want to hear; but take Jesus’ warning of ravenous wolves seriously and beware!

So Much for “All Paths Lead to God.”

¹³ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7

One of the most popular religious beliefs today is that all paths lead to God.  Whether Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and so on, pick what works for you, and you’ll find your way to God. This view fits nicely in our pluralistic society. You don’t have to step on toes or ruffle anyone’s feathers, and you’ll never be called a “fundamentalist.”  The problem with this is that it stands in direct opposition to the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus does not teach many paths, He teaches two:  The first leads to life but it is narrow, difficult and only a few travel it. The other path is wide and well-traveled, but unfortunately it leads to destruction. The first path, the one that leads to life, is Jesus (John 10:9). The other, leading to destruction, is the path of all others not coming through Jesus.

Jesus clears up any ambiguity of His claim to be the sole path to heaven with one statement: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).  The single solitary path to heaven is through Jesus.

The reason why? Only one path has a savior. Jesus offers what nobody else can --  payment for sin. Jesus, the perfect sinless Son of God, stood in the place of the guilty sinner and paid the price for the sins of the world. Every other path offers a way to work off sins. There is no way to work off sin. You can’t do five good deeds to pay off one bad deed. How would you even keep track! Thanks be to God that He sent His Son to pay for my sins on the cross!

You have two paths to choose from. Embrace the one path that leads to life – Jesus!  

Godliness Made Simple

 ¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.  Matthew 7:12

Jesus, as only He can, takes something very complex and makes it simple. The Old Testament (referred to here as the “Law and the Prophets”) has 613 laws, or do’s and don’ts. It’s hard to keep just a couple of rules, how do you keep 613?  Well, Jesus tells us how.  We call it “The Golden Rule.”

Jesus says, “Whatever you want people to do to you, do to them.”  Notice this statement is positive, not negative. We often hear it as, “Don’t do to people what you wouldn’t want them to do to you” (negative).  However, Jesus says we’re to take the initiative and, “Do to others what we would have done to us” (positive).  So, if you think it would be nice for someone to offer help when you have the need, offer help to others when you see they need it. If you want others to come to you instead of talking behind your back, do the same for them. If you expect others to make an effort to understand you, make an effort to understand others.

Jesus says doing for others as you would have done to you fulfills all the laws in the Old Testament. For example the Law says, “Thou shall not lie.” In living out the Golden Rule you will naturally tell the truth. Since we all want others to be truthful to us, we’ll be truthful to others. The same with “Thou shall not commit adultery.” You want your spouse to be faithful to you, so be faithful to them.

The Golden Rule goes a step further than being honest because we want others to be honest with us: It leads us to help others with their burdens. reaching out in love; because truth be told, that’s how we want to be treated.

The Golden rule should be our motive to share the Gospel. We who believe the Gospel are eternally grateful to those who cared enough to step out of their comfort zone and share the hope of Jesus with us. Should this not lead us to do the same with others?

Living out the Golden Rule helps us simplify godly living. However simple does not mean easy. Living a godly life and doing to others as we would have them do to us takes commitment, but one well worth the effort.

Prayer Works

⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-15

Just a quick reminder of something you already know, or should know. Prayer works. This passage gives us two reasons to believe in the power of prayer.

The first is that Jesus Himself commands us to ask.  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you.” In this verse, Jesus is commanding that His followers ask. He also promises that when we ask we will receive. Put your faith in this promise.

The second reason to believe in the power of prayer is that God is good. Jesus tells us that if a sinful, fallen, earthly father would give his child bread when they ask for it, how much more will your Father in heaven give to you? God is good and He meets His children’s needs.

So turn back to the simple faith you once had and pray. Pray knowing you’re praying because Jesus told you to. Pray knowing that Jesus said “everyone who asks receives. “ Finally, pray with the expectation that God will answer your prayer because He is the good Father and will meet His children’s needs.  

An Evangelical’s Perspective on Abortion

As far as topics go, abortion is always a lightning rod. Not only do people differ on their opinions,  but people are passionate about their beliefs. People have their reasons for why they are passionate about their stance on abortion. The pro-life movement believes that everyone has the right to life, no matter how old they are. The pro-choice view seems to stem from the belief that a woman has the right to choose what to do with her own body, even if it means ending the baby’s life that is inside her body.

My purpose for this article is not to win an argument, but articulate the Evangelical pro-life perspective on abortion.  As an Evangelical, I believe the Bible is the written Word of God. The Bible is the foundation for my beliefs and morals. 

We see in the Bible that God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”(Jer. 1:5 ESV) I believe this passage is very relevant when it comes to the subject of abortion.

God declares that He formed Jeremiah in the womb. In the womb, God ordains and oversees the creation of a human life. To me, this stands against the argument of “my body, my choice.”

One of the key questions in the abortion debate is “When does life begin?”  God had plans for Jeremiah even before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, even ordaining him to be a prophet before he was born.  It is not up to us to say how long it takes after conception to become an actual person, whether in the first trimester or second. Being that God “knew” Jeremiah before he was formed, we cannot put less value on a baby in the first trimester of development than we do just before it is delivered.

As an Evangelical, I know that the Bible attributes life and its creation to God. Because of my belief in God and that His Word is truth, I believe that abortion is wrong: life itself is a gift from God. I feel blessed that God has given me life, and I believe that we should not deprive innocent unborn babies from the right to life.

A Time to Move On

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7

This is a tough one. What does Jesus mean? Many commentators believe this verse is a continuation of the first five verses where Jesus talks about judgment. Many Bible translations include this verse under the same heading as verses on judging. If you look at the flow of thought in Matthew 7, it seems likely that verse six would be included with the preceding five verses. They deal with judgment, the next five deal with prayer. It’s possible, though not probable that Jesus would introduce a subject for a single verse and move on.

If you connect the preceding verse, verse five, to it, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” you get a sense of where this is going. In other words, “Take care of your own walk first, and then offer Biblical truth to others.” Then followed by “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” In other words, if they do not receive it, and reject truth, move on.”

Jesus is saying “Don’t offer God’s truth to those who just laugh at it.” The problem is, how do you tell who is a dog or pig? At least in the spiritual sense, some people who seem the furthest from the Kingdom of God readily receive the Gospel. On the other hand others who seem as if “they would be good Christians,” reject the truth of God and proclaim their own righteousness.

The answer is found in the individual’s response to God’s truth. If an individual hears the truth and rejects it, or mocks it, you have your answer. If someone is scoffing at, or mocking God’s truth, move on.  This interpretation is in accordance with Matthew 10. Jesus sent His disciples out bearing the Gospel, and told them that if  they are received, great! However, if they were rejected, and thus the Gospel, they were to move on and shake the dust from the town off their feet.  

We must offer people God’s truth. However, if God’s truth is ridiculed we must also realize the only thing happening is that God’s truth is being trampled by dogs. Shake the dust off and move on.