Why Are You Fearful?

²⁶ But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8

Why are you fearful? What a great question! Most Christians will admit to being fearful about something, but why are we fearful?

Matthew 8 contains a well-known story. Jesus and His disciples got on a boat to sail across the sea. Jesus took a nap and a great storm arose. The disciples panicked and woke Jesus. Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith. He rebuked the tempest and then there was a great calm.

Why were the disciples fearful? The answer may seem obvious to us; they were in a small boat and a big storm arose. The prospect of capsizing in a tumultuous sea didn’t appeal to them. Drowning seemed likely. To Jesus, though, their fear was the result of a lack of faith.  Who was in control, God or the wind and waves?  

In His Word, God promises to care for us and our wellbeing. Do you fear for your life? God’s Word states that nothing dies apart from His will -- not even a sparrow. God cares more about you than a bird. The days of your life aren’t left to chance, but are protected by the sovereign will of your loving Father (see Matthew 10:29-31).  

Are you fearful about not having enough money to pay the bills, or that you may miss out on some blessing in life? Romans 8 says “³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” If it’s good and you need it, God says you will have it. God loves you so much He gave His Son to the cross for you. If He went to that great length for you why would He hold any good thing back from you? Whether food, shelter, a spouse, children, wisdom, etc., why would God send His Son to die for you but ignore your needs? God is good and you can trust Him.

The next time you look at the tempest around you and begin to fear, have faith. Have faith that God has your very life in His hands and nothing can happen to you apart from the will of God. Have faith God cares about you so much that He gave His only Son to the cross for you, and won’t hold back any good thing from you. When your faith is in God, even in the midst of the tempest a “great calm” will come over your life. 

“Christianity 101”

¹⁶ And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Mark 1

Jesus does not just save us from something; He calls us to something. Believers often describe their relationship with Jesus simply as, “He saved me.”  That’s true and we praise God for His saving work on the cross! But the fact that Jesus saved us is just the beginning of our testimony not the end. 

The call of Jesus is “Follow Me.”  That is what Jesus asks you to do as a believer. The reason Jesus’ followers were called disciples is because they followed Him, learned from Him and put His teaching into practice. That is “Christianity 101.”

I’m not sure what your version of  “Christianity 101” is, but if it doesn’t have “Follow Me” right smack in the center of it, I challenge you to throw it out and replace it with the “Follow Me” version. After all it’s the one found in the Bible.

Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. You don’t need your doctorate in theology to understand it and do it. You simply read the Bible daily, listen to what Jesus says and put His teachings in practice in your life. If He says to do it you do it, if He says not to do it you don’t do it.

Following Jesus will change your life. In deciding to be a follower of Jesus you’ll begin to know the Lord in a way you’ve never known Him before. Walking in His footsteps will bring you closer to Him. Your life will have a new sense of direction in following Him.

Finally, don’t wait until you get yourself “cleaned up” or get all your questions answered, Jesus calls you to follow--drop everything and follow. Notice how Simon and Andrew  responded to Jesus:  “They immediately left their nets and followed Him”.  Your turn!

You Can Learn a lot from a Skeptic

²⁴ Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” ²⁶ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” ²⁸ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29

We are approaching the time of year we set apart to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is so much to learn from the Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Christ. Even from someone we might consider an unlikely source, Doubting Thomas.

Of course, Thomas is the skeptic because Thomas doubted Jesus’s resurrection until he saw it for himself. However, upon seeing Jesus, Thomas’s confession was right on. When Thomas laid eyes on the risen Christ, his reaction was to say “My Lord and my God!” affirming not only His lordship, but the deity of Jesus. 

There are people who may doubt the deity of Christ, as well as cults that outright deny it. What do these people believe about Jesus? They usually will say that He was a good teacher, a prophet, or an angel.  The problem here is that Jesus did not correct Thomas when he called Him “God”. Good people, prophets, and angels in the Bible do not accept worship as God.  In Acts 10:26, Cornelius falls down at Peter’s feet and Peter immediately corrects him saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” However, the Gospels record time after time as people fell down at Jesus’s feet and worshiped Him.  In Revelation 22, John fell down at the feet of an angel; the angel’s reply was “⁹ See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”  We are told in Romans 1 that judgment comes to men for worshiping the creature rather than Creator, and God says in Isaiah 42:8 “ My glory I will not give to another”. Because these Biblical truths, good people, prophets, and angels would never receive worship and allow themselves to be referred to as “my God”.

When Thomas saw Jesus and said “My Lord and My God”, Jesus did not correct him.  Jesus affirmed the truth by saying “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Believe in Jesus as your Lord and your God and be blessed! 

You’ve got a High Calling

¹⁸ And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. ¹⁹ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” ²⁰ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.  Mark 5

In this passage the Lord had just set a demon-possessed man free.  Jesus had compassion on him and changed his life forever. The man responds the way many of us would; he wants to leave his home to follow the One who set him free. This is certainly noble but Jesus has other plans for the man.  Jesus wants him to stay home and share the good news of what Jesus had done for him with his friends and family. Being a true disciple, the man is obedient to what Jesus has called him to do.  

You may not be called to vocational ministry (being a pastor or a fulltime missionary for example) but you have a calling on your life.  It is the very same calling as the man in this passage.  “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”  This is God’s plan for church growth. More people are saved by this method than by mass crusades. Chances are you were introduced to Christ by one or two people sharing with you what the Lord had done for them.

Your life is your mission field. Whether you’re a mother, father, son, daughter, friend, co-worker or employer, your mission field is in your home, at your workplace and where you socialize. God has sovereignly placed you there and wants you to tend to that field.

This is a high calling. It may not be flying off to the Congo to save souls, but the souls in your own backyard are of equal value to your Heavenly Father. One thing that Americans have in common with the people of the Congo is that when either dies apart from Christ they perish. Our job is to snatch them from the fire by telling them the Good News of Jesus Christ!  

The man in Mark 5 wanted to go with Jesus so much that he begged Him. When Jesus denied him and told him to stay home, the man could have sulked and not done anything.  However the man was faithful to follow His Lord’s instruction, and the people of his region heard the Gospel.  Our job is to be faithful and bring the good news to those in our lives.  Time to ask ourselves, “Am I being faithful to my calling?”  

One of the Worst Questions Ever!

³⁵ On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”^[d] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Storms happen; they just do. If anyone told you before you met Jesus that once you became a Christian it would be smooth sailing from then on, they misled you. Not only did the twelve disciples go through storms, but Jesus led them into them.

You probably sympathize with the disciples. Matter of fact, their words may read like a page right out of your journal. “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Okay we know storms happen and that they rage, but why is Jesus asleep at the front of the boat when we’re freaking out and getting sea sick?

When you think about it “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” may be the worst question we can ask Jesus.  Something we have that the twelve didn’t at this point in scripture is knowledge of the cross. Our whole relationship with Jesus is based upon knowing He cared so much that we were perishing that He endured the suffering of the cross. For us to ask Jesus “Do you care?” is terrible.

At this point you may reason, “I know He has saved my soul from death and Hell but does He care that my finances are dwindling, my health is deteriorating, or my marriage is failing?” The answer is yes. “³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  (Romans 8:32) God cared so much that He gave His Son to the cross for us, why wouldn’t He care about what we’re going through?

Maybe one of the reasons He allows us to go through storms time and time again is to deepen our knowledge of how much He does care. As many storms as I have flailed my way through, I realize in hindsight that the one constant in the storm was the Lord’s care for me. I lived to write about it.

Yes the Lord does care. Next time you go through the storm, and you will, take the question of whether He cares off of the table. Matter of fact do what the Bible says--cast all your care on Him because He does care. (1 Peter 5:7) For the disciples it wasn’t long before Jesus rebuked the storm and “there was a great calm.” The storm is raging now. Trust Jesus--a great calm is coming! 

Got That Sinking Feeling?

²⁹ So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw that the wind was boisterous,^[b] he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Matthew 14

This is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. Children don’t get far in Sunday School without knowing this passage. There’s a good reason – it’s compelling and inspiring.  Let’s revisit this staple of the Gospels and glean from its great truths!

Being a follower of Christ does not insulate us from storms. Indeed there will be storms. It’s faith that gets us through those storms. Important to note  is that the object of our faith, Jesus, saves us, not faith itself.  Some people talk about their faith as if they muster it up and it gives them an abstract quality that can conquer anything.  Biblical faith is absolute belief and trust in our Shepherd. The person with faith in God “must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)  In other words, “I am going through a raging storm and am calling out to the God of the universe to see me through, and believe He will reward me for trusting Him.”

Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and put them on the storm.  This is something we all do and do often. When we are in the storm we obsess ourselves with the storm. We look at it, study it, and tell our friends about how great and fierce it is ad nauseam.  Is it any wonder we begin to sink?

It’s not wrong to acknowledge the storm, that is reality. However, we’re to keep our eyes riveted on Jesus. Be obsessed with Him, His power, His greatness, His faithfulness, His love and His promises.  Tell your friends, “Yes I am in a storm but my Lord is Master of the universe!”

Whatever storm you are going through, God’s Word has a promise of deliverance for you. Search God’s Word and see what He says about what you are going through and how He has offered to deliver you. When the waves rise and crash focus on the truth of God’s Word, it won’t be long before you realize you are back in calm weather.

"Young Born-Again Evangelicals" Listen Up

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  John 10:27

The other day I heard a statement that disturbed me. The statement was that 2 of 3 “young born-again evangelicals” do not believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. The statement disturbs me on multiple levels.

First, I’m making the assumption that if you identify yourself as a “born-again evangelical” not only do you believe in Jesus, but you believe Jesus.  In John 14:6 Jesus clearly and unambiguously stated that He was the only way to heaven.

Second, if you are claiming to be “born-again” you must believe what Jesus taught about being “born-again”. In John 3:5-7, Jesus said for someone to go to heaven they must be “born-again.”  He did not mean this as a figure of speech.  When you are “born-again” it means you have placed your trust in Christ. Upon trusting Christ the Holy Spirit enters your heart and you become a new creation in Christ (Ezek. 36:24–27). There’s no other way to be “born-again” except through Christ. Other religions do not claim this process of regeneration; they just offer a way to try to work off your sins.

Finally, if there were other ways why did God subject His one and only Son to the brutality of the cross? Why did Jesus subject Himself to the agony of the cross if there was another way? It was on the cross that the blood of Jesus paid for your sins.

Jesus said that His sheep will listen to His voice. I would encourage you to listen to your Shepherd.  “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18) These are Jesus’s words and He did not call people to believe in “a name” or “a way,” but to believe in “His name” as” the way”.

In our culture today with our modern way of thinking, it feels intolerant and unloving to say that Jesus is the only way to heaven. However, Jesus clearly stated that He was the only way to heaven.  Although Jesus’ claims are exclusive to Himself, His call is not. He calls out to come and believe in Him and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  If you believe what your Master says, the most loving thing you can do is point people to Him and Him alone!   

You Can’t Out Give God

²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife [Hannah], and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

²¹ Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. 

1 Samuel 2:20, 21 (ESV)

Hannah was childless. Not only did Hannah know the anguish of wanting a child and not having one,  she was also belittled because of it by her rival Peninnah. Hannah cried out to the Lord and asked Him to grant her a son. If the Lord would give her a son, Hannah promised that she would give him to full-time service of the Lord. The Lord heard Hannah’s plea, and He gave her a son whose name would be Samuel.  The name Samuel means “heard by God”.  Hannah kept her promise to God and as soon as Samuel was weaned she took him to the House of the Lord. 

Imagine praying for and waiting to be able to have a child, having that child, and then sending them off to grow up somewhere outside your home.  I wonder if Hannah was tempted to hold back her promise and keep Samuel at home with her.  So many people hold back what they should rightly give to God. Whether it is our time, money, lives, etc., we think we just can’t afford to give what God is asking us to give.  Sometimes we feel that it is just unfair that God would even ask us to give. The truth of it is that everything we have is the Lord’s to begin with (Psalm 24:1).

The good news is that you can’t out give God! Hannah was faithful and gave her son to the service of the Lord, and God blessed her abundantly. Hannah, the woman who at first could not conceive at all, after her faithfulness with her only child, was blessed by the Lord with five additional children. 

No matter how much we think we have sacrificed to give to God, the reality is that our sacrifice is miniscule compared to the abundance that God gives us. The Bible tells us that “he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. “ (2 Corinthians 9:6) No matter how faithful we are God is always more faithful.

We hold back our time, service, and money because we reason that we just cannot afford it. Hannah, who once was childless, ultimately had six children. Imagine if she had never promised Samuel to the Lord. Imagine if she was not faithful in following through on her promise. The lesson here is not to try to cut a deal with the Lord, but to be faithful in giving to God that which He has already asked:  our time, talent and treasure. When we give, it often seems like a sacrifice at first; however, God is always faithful and gives back in abundance.  

How to Have a Prosperous 2014

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners,  nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ² but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. ³ He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1

At the start of a new year we often look back and look forward.  What was the previous year like? Are we glad it’s over? Or do we know that we’ll look back at the year as one of the best of our life? At the same time we look forward to the next year.  We look with anticipation at the hope of a new year.  

People make many resolutions at the beginning of a year.  However, most resolutions are not lived out but forgotten within a couple of weeks.  This happens for various reasons: Sometimes we don’t have the willpower to hold to our resolutions or we may have never really been committed to them in the first place. Other times we don’t see the merit in our resolution; “Why did I want to do this in the first place?”  

There is a resolution we can make that is guaranteed to be worth our time and dedication -- an endeavor that is certain to bless our lives. What is it?  The resolution is to live out the precepts found in Psalm 1.  If we do this, God’s Word promises that whatever we do will prosper.

How do you live out the precepts in this Psalm?   First, Psalm 1 tells us what we should not be doing. The person living out these precepts “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” To simplify this let’s just  say that we are not to follow the wisdom of the world. The world is full of godless wisdom and counsel.  The Bible tells us to stay away from it.

At this point you might be asking “How do I know what is worldly wisdom?”  The answer is to do what Psalm 1 tells us to do -- be in God’s Word night and day. We are told to be in God’s Word night and day and to meditate on it. To meditate on it simply means to ponder its meaning, asking “What does it mean and how do I live it out?”  When we do this not only do we begin to acquaint ourselves with the counsel of God, but we are also able to discern the truth of God from the lies of the world.

When we abide in God’s Word night and day, follow His counsel, and avoid walking in the counsel of the ungodly, we will prosper in all we do. This is not the Prosperity Gospel and this does not mean that if we just read the Bible twice a day all our selfish wishes will come true. The person who abides in God’s Word follows His Word and thus is directed by the Lord’s agenda. When our mind is renewed by His Word and we follow His counsel, we walk in a manner that the Lord can and will bless.