Annual Christmas Post: The Mystery of Christmas (Advent 2019)

Hey y'all:

I started this blog several years ago, and every year I have posted a piece I wrote around Christmas 2003. It kind of sums up for me what is the "Mystery of Christmas" as I meditate on the Incarnation and its implications for humanity (and perhaps for God as well!). The very idea of God becoming "one of us among us" (Immanuel) still fascinates and overwhelms me. God, the creator of all things, humbled himself, became of no reputation, and entered his own creation so as to renew and to redeem and to rescue us (and, ultimately, to do these things for all of creation as well). God, the Creator of all things, became flesh so that he might accomplish the plan to make his grace and glory known in humans and in all of creation. The God who never knew death would die for us. The God who never knew sin would become sin for us. He would break the power of sin, condemn sin in his own flesh, and provide for all of us the rescue we need to become the people God always intended us to be.  What an amazing love! Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! As you celebrate the advent of our King Jesus the Messiah, I hope you enjoy this rerun. Feel free to make comments if you'd like.

A little over 2000 years ago, a tiny child was born in some pretty bleak conditions. Oh, he wasn’t the only one born in less than optimal conditions. In fact, in some ways, he was one of the lucky ones. He and his mother actually survived childbirth and thrived. Still, this story is unique and amazing on several levels.

First, the life of this child would literally change the way time is reckoned in the world. His life and abilities would have such an impact on generations of others that a brand new movement would be created, one that would radically change the very face of the earth (sometimes for good, sometimes not so much). His name would become recognized among the names of the greatest of humans, yet he never forgot his own humble beginnings or lost a sense of who he was.

The second thing about this child is tied to the first in that this baby, this helpless lad full of spittle and mush, was born as the very Son of God. When Mary held his little head to her breast, he drank human milk. Yet, he was (and is) the God of the universe. Can you picture this simply ridiculous yet somehow poetic scene? God, who calls the stars by name, pressed to the human breast for sustenance. Humble yet awesome, is how some folks would no doubt recall this child.

A little over 2000 years ago, God proposed that the only remedy for the human condition of sin would be if he humbled himself, stepped out of eternity and into human flesh, and suckled at Mary’s breast in preparation for the greatest, most impressive conversion of all. God, in Mary’s arms, toddling around Joseph’s home, learning to talk, learning to walk, tasting food, and touching things with human hands! As the Psalmist says in Psalm 139, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, we cannot contain it!”

God knew that the only way to redeem us was if he did it himself. Haven’t you ever had that thought? You know, the one where you say, “If I want something done right, I’ll just have to do it myself?” Imagine God having that thought about bringing us to proper relationship with him. Imagine again that the only way he knew he could do that is if he came to earth as a baby. Think of it—-how vulnerable the almighty God was at that moment, how paradoxical that the God of all creation had to learn to walk! And why did he put himself in this situation? Out of his divine sense of justice and righteousness and mercy, out of his inexpressible love for humanity he acted in this manner.

God humbled himself.  In a sense, he took on our insanity so that we may be sane. He became flesh so that we might walk in his Spirit. He became sin that we might be righteous. He became poor so that we might be rich. He who had the reputation of Creator became a humble servant with no reputation. He became a toddling, dribbling, helpless babe so that we could become mature humans in the image of the almighty Son of God. What wondrous love! What humility and service! How then can anything he asks of us be too difficult?

Lord, during this Christmas season, remind us of your sacrifice and love so that we might be a light shining in darkness to others. Teach us to live a life of humble service like your Son did on our behalf so many years ago. As we celebrate the babe in the manger, may the glory he revealed in his life shine through us towards others that they may know God. May the grace of God and the peace of Christ rule in our families and our lives.

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!  May you know the blessings of the God who humbled himself and served! 

Some thoughts on community and truth

We speak of truth and lovely things, but transparency and honesty can sometimes be messy. It is fine, though, God doesn't mind messy.

If Jesus is truth, then why are we so quick to lie to each other as Christians? Are we really that concerned with how we "look" to others?

Too often I compare myself to others whose situation is no better--without Christ, they are also nothing. Jesus is the Model to imitate.

Church should be community, and community is sometimes messy. Unity only comes when we humble ourselves and serve others.

Unity is not uniformity. My brother/sister may look quite different, but our unity is based on what Jesus has done and the example he set.

Come to grips then with this truth--you are not God, but you need God. The only way God fills your need is by Jesus, his Incarnate Word.

If you find a substitute to fill your void, you will always have "less-than-God." This idol will always fail. It cannot do anything less.

God became one of us to reach us. He served humbly, what more can he ask of us? To love one another calls for humble service. It is enough.

Thanks for reading!

Undone . . . Pulled Apart . . . A time for rest

The meditation below was written originally several years ago. The sentiment and the experience are still the same, but the circumstances have changed a bit.

You see, I am getting closer to celebrating my 60th birthday. I am firmly on the downward side of my quest to live for 100 years. The very thought that I have lived 6 decades has given me pause. For some of my readers 60 seems pretty old, perhaps for others it seems a bit young. All I know is that it has caused me to pause and to reflect on my life.

I am a words of affirmation kind of person, and as such I love to give encouragement to others (and to receive it too!). On the other hand, there are those times where I feel incredibly unnoticed and irrelevant and even melancholy in some ways. Today is one of those days. I noticed my frustration level was a bit higher than usual (not sure why). I feel like my day has started with me already running behind in lots of things. I mean, my day (it is only 10:20!) already seems a bit undone. So, this morning as I contemplated my situation, the post below kind of summed up my mood. I thought I'd repost it for that reason (and maybe it will encourage some of you).

As you stand before God undone today, as you unravel in his presence, cling tightly to the promise that he has given--"I will never leave you nor forsake you." Stand or sit before Jesus and just let your life pause before him for a moment. Join me and come undone. Let's unravel in his presence. I hope you enjoy this little meditation from 2008.

Today as I drove to work, I couldn't help a bit of melancholy.

The weather was cool, traffic was light, the music was breezy, the mountains were august, the sun brilliant, . . .

and I was melancholy.

As I drove I began to think of Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah for some reason. Each of these individuals had an amazing encounter with God. Abraham (while still "Abram") encountered the God of covenants. During a dream at night terrors seized Abram as he saw the torch of God move between the divided carcasses of the animal sacrifices. Abram was undone.

Moses encountered God first as an enigma. Moses saw a bush that was on fire and yet not burning. He went closer, he heard God, he took off his shoes. He was undone, his life would never be the same.

Isaiah lost a friend and a hero. When King Uzziah died, Isaiah wept and went into deep mourning. During his depression, Isaiah had a vision. Angels flew about, the holiness and awesomeness of God shook the foundation and pillars of the Temple.

God spoke, Isaiah trembled.

When Isaiah dared to speak in this holy company, the words out of his mouth were "Woe is me, I am undone!"

As I understand it, the Hebrew here has the meaning of being unzipped from the belly to the neck so that your insides spill out.

Okay, maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but it was not a happy thought for Isaiah. He felt unraveled in the presence of God.

That kind of describes my melancholy today . . . I feel unraveled. Like a ball of yarn that has lost its consistency, I am loose and dangly.

Like a sweater pulled apart thread-by-thread, I am undone.

I look at the majesty around me, the beauty and holiness and awe-fulness of it all, and I find myself undone.

It is not a bad feeling necessarily, but it is a bit unnerving.

I feel unraveled.

Like a joke with no punch line, or a sitcom with no laugh track, or a book with no thesis or direction, or a story with no meaning . . .

I feel undone.

How do I explain what is happening in my heart when words seem hard to find?

Life is good, things seem to be fine, but I feel . . . well, what?

I think that this is a normal human emotion, and it is one I've encountered before. I'm not depressed; in fact, I'm not really sad at all! I'm actually smiling as I type these words!

I sit here in the midst of an august band of people, activities, and stuff, and I feel a bit unraveled.

Maybe I'm just relaxing . . . loosening things a bit in preparation for the next battle or the next activity or the next thing.

Maybe it is a "Selah," a sort of pause of spirit that causes me to reflect a bit.

It is a good thing, I think, to be unraveled before God and his wonderful creation.

So, like Paul, I will relish in my unraveling, in my undoing, in my weakness . . . for when I am weak, God is strong. When I am undone, God still does. When I am unraveled, Jesus holds all things together.

I smile, I sigh. I listen to U2 and Larry Norman and Bob Dylan.

I will go find some Jonny Lang or Switchfoot. I will relish in the tones, in the thoughts, in the music. I will unravel before God and just be. I will let myself be undone so that he can renew me.

What a wonderful life!

Thanks for reading!

Bringing Down Walls Ephesians 2:11-22

The notes below are from a sermon I preached on Ephesians 2:11-22. Some of them are incomplete, but I hope that they are a blessing nonetheless. I preached this about 8 months ago. 

Intro—Walls take all kinds of forms. They can be tall, they can be short, they can be wide, they can be narrow, they can even span miles. Just think of some famous walls: Berlin Wall (built in the 60s, came down later 1989-90), Great Wall of China (parts are over 2000 years old, 13,000 miles long), Wall of separation between church and state, border wall, the Wall of the Jewish Temple, etc.

What is the purpose of a wall? It could be many things: Protection, enclosure, imprisonment, keeping others out, etc. Robert Frost—“Mending Wall”—“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” “Good fences make good neighors.”

One purpose for a wall is separation—a completion of a barrier keeping two groups apart. Our passage today deals with walls, and even though part of the focus is on a spiritual kind of wall, physical walls play a role. Look at Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:11-22.

When the walls come down, God’s temple can go up.

Point 1 Walls Cause Division: The Wall of Hostility (2:11-16)

Paul starts by distinguishing between Jews and Gentiles. It was an age old prejudice. The people of God vs. the others. God’s chosen vs. the excluded. Clean vs. unclean. There is no secret that in Paul’s day Jews and gentiles didn’t get along. Note how Paul describes the Gentiles here (2:11-12): uncircumcised, outside of Messiah (and the messianic promises), excluded from Israel, strangers/aliens to the covenants and promises (i.e., outside of Jewish world), and without hope and without God in the world. This is at least how some of the Jewish people understood gentiles. 

Look at the Temple: Holy of Holies, Holy Place, Court of the Jews, and Court of the Gentiles (where Jesus chases out the moneychangers). On the wall between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the Jews was a sign warning anyone who was not a Jew that they could die (perhaps by God’s hand) if they entered the court unworthily. These walls created division, they separated people, perhaps they even caused prejudice.

What walls separate us today? Walls of race, economics/income, politics, personal issues. Sometimes we build walls in an effort to “protect” ourselves, but we often end up in isolation. Sometimes we build walls by our selfish endeavors, we have a kingdom to protect so we build walls to keep the undesirable or competitor out.

How do we build those walls? We build them by excluding anyone we consider the “other”, the “gentile”, the “unclean”. Disagreement on protocol, disagreement on decisions, even the willingness and desire to focus on the past (how we used to do it) instead of listening to God about our future.

Walls separate—walls that may be a result of some form of hostility.

We disagree, so we build walls. We don’t want to mix with “those kind of people”, so we build walls. We think we know better than others, so we build walls. Soon we find ourselves walled in like a monastery. We are no longer in community, but we find ourselves isolated. Walls can isolate, and that isolation can cause division and hostility.

Don Harbuck once said that all these walls are really just one wall. “The wall is everywhere. All of us know about it. No age or age group has gone unshaped by its pernicious power. Its menacing power moves the length and breadth of human existence. What wall is it? Paul calls it the dividing wall of hostility. It is the wall that separates and fragments and isolates. It is the wall that keeps people apart. It makes them suspicious and distrustful of each other. It kills fellowship and breeds prejudice and spreads gossip and sets loose the dogs of war. It takes many forms but it always remains the same wall wherever we encounter it.”

Remember, when the walls come down, God’s Temple can go up.

My favorite words in this passage are in verse 13: “But now in Messiah Jesus”—here we have God’s great wrecking ball by which he brings down the walls of hostility that divide us.  Those who are far away—the people who did not know God, who were not part of God’s people, the unclean. Those who are near—those who think of themselves as “clean” or “in”.

In verses 14-16, Paul reminds us that God uses the blood of Jesus to bring together both groups of people. Think of the sacrificial system of Israel—without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Consider the separation the wall of sin creates. The sacrificial system provided a temporary patch to deal with the separation of sin. Jesus’ “once for all” sacrifice deals with it permanently. The wall of hostility has come down because of Jesus’ death. But it wasn’t just the demolition of a wall that was God’s goal, he also intended to take two disparate and even warring groups and make one new person out of them. When the walls come down, God’s temple can go up!

Note the corporate nature of this event. God isn’t simply saving individual souls to make them “clean,” God is reconciling groups to make ONE NEW PERSON out of them all. As Paul will go on in chapters 3 and 4 to discuss, the goal here is the building up of the body of Christ. The body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the people of God is indeed composed of individuals, but it is supposed to be a company of “peace”. The body of Christ is a corporate thing, not an isolated individual thing. To bring about peace (i.e. "shalom") requires at least two people, it requires a community.

Shalom—a sense of wholeness—humans cannot have that in isolation, but only in community! Jesus becomes the means by which the walls come down, the person whose sacrifice produces reconciliation, and the one who brings peace. It is non-negotiable, there is no other way.  The reconciliation of verse 16 is brought about by the death of hostility. The walls MUST come down or God’s temple will not go up. God will not build on YOUR personal favorite foundation. He will only build on the foundation of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus' death on the cross is the means by which hostility is defeated, the walls are torn down, and God’s temple is built. You cannot have it any other way.

Tozer says: "God never negotiates with men. Jesus Christ's death on the Cross put an end to any kind of negotiations. It is now Christ or nothing. It is God's Word or its entirety or nothing."  

What walls do we need to tear down (or better, where does Jesus need to come and tear down our walls by his sacrificial life and death)? Where do we need hostility to cease? Where do we need to repent and turn to the wrecking ball and architect of God (remember, Jesus’ earthly adopted father Joseph was a builder, and Jesus’ heavenly Father is a Creator)?

Jesus brings the walls down, but he is also the cornerstone on which the new Temple is built. When walls come down, God’s Temple can go up!

Point 2 God’s Foundation brings Unity: The Temple of God (2:17-22)

Two “peoples” of God: One made up of human ancestry (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) the other created by the Holy Spirit. Both came into existence by God’s grace and promises. Circumcision of flesh vs circumcision of heart. One is a physical wall/demarcation, the other is spiritual. It is a matter of the heart.

There are two Temples in our passage: One made with human hands, one made by God; one that was stable, immovable, and had walls to separate people, one that is dynamic, active, and without walls—both commanded by God and by his promises. The Temple God desires is NOT a building or a specific group, it is a living, breathing, “going” entity/congregation that does not sit idle or look to the past. Look at Isaiah 66—where will God dwell? 

Paul tells us that God will dwell in a people who are built up on Jesus and without walls. You’ve heard of “Doctors without borders”, think of this as “God’s people without walls” or “The church without boundaries” or something similar.

2:17-18: Jesus proclaims shalom to ALL—those who are in and those who are not. There is no privileged position, since ALL need to hear the good news of Shalom from Jesus. Paul returns to “we” language in verse 18 and reminds us that WE ALL have access to God’s reconciliation, to God himself, as a result of what Jesus has accomplished. We can’t be the people we are called to be unless we come to the wall wrecker and temple builder—Jesus the Messiah. Outside of him there is no peace, no people, and no reconciliation. Paul reminds us that Jesus is the ONLY way to be a part of God’s temple. He tears down our walls and then builds us up. When the walls come down, God’s temple can go up!

2:19-20: When Jesus tears down our walls of hostility, he brings us into a family. We are not saved as lone ranger Christians to “go it” on our own. We are born into a community of people who allow Jesus to destroy their walls while relying on him to also build them up! Through Jesus, and him alone, we become God’s household built on God’s foundation and cornerstone. We cannot get there without help. Our walls hinder us, and we need Jesus to make us a “new creation”.

2:21-22: God’s Temple—built on Jesus, built for Jesus, full of God’s Spirit. You cannot claim to have God’s Spirit if you also build a wall between yourself and others.

Galatians 3:28: There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

When the walls come down, God’s Temple can go up.

God will not build his church with our walls, with our selfish plans, with our prejudices, with our hostilities. He will build it on selfless sacrifice. He will build it by tearing down walls of hostility and building on the death and resurrection of Jesus. If we do not have the right foundation, we will find our work failing.

When the walls come down, God’s temple can go up.

Conclusion:

So, how do we respond?

First—what walls of hostility do you have between you and God? Have you come to know his grace and mercy through Jesus? Are you angry at God for not doing things the way you want him to? Are you living in a past tense view of ministry and longing for the old ways when God has called you to move forward? His people, his body, his temple is not stationary, it is on the move! Ask Jesus to deal with your walls today. Repent of building your own temple and ask God to show you how to move forward. Call on him, he will respond.

Second—what walls of hostility do we have with others? We need to tear those down. We need to humble ourselves and serve others EVEN if they do NOT deserve it (as Jesus did in Phil 2). 

Third—a church cannot move forward if it is content to sit still and build its own little kingdoms and walls. Jesus said to seek God’s kingdom first, not our own isolated realms. What do we need to leave behind today to move forward with Jesus. What grudges are we holding, what walls are we building, where do we need to repent.

Finally—where do you need God’s Shalom? Where is reconciliation and a sense of well-being needed in your life today? Come to the wall wrecker and temple builder and let him deal with it. Ask him to destroy what is keeping you from reconciliation, and ask him to establish what will lead to Shalom.

Thank your for reading! 

Biblical Illiteracy: Clean Slate with Mark Tinsley

About a month ago I was privileged to be a part of a podcast on the Clean Slate show hosted by Mark Tinsley. We discussed the issues of biblical illiteracy in American churches and society and how to combat the problem. The podcast is about 40 minutes long, and the link is below. I would be honored to hear your comments. Thank you!

Clean Slate: Biblical Illiteracy

Feeling Worthless and the Power of Affirmation

"I just feel worthless," he said quietly.

It wasn't the way he said it that attracted my attention, but it was his demeanor. This was a person who was in some sense utterly defeated. Everything about him echoed his words. Worthless. Useless. Empty.

I wasn't sure at first how to respond. Sitting before me was a shell, an empty person who felt as though he had absolutely nothing to offer.

I tried to help. "You're not worthless, just look at all you've accomplished."

The words sounded hollow, almost accusatory. His eyes flashed, but it wasn't "life" coming in. It was genuine anger. I had misunderstood him.

"No, you don't get it. I have nothing to offer. I am worthless. I am done."

The words hung in the air like heavy fog, demanding an answer. I honestly didn't know what to say.

If you knew this man, you'd be surprised at his self-evaluation. He earned several degrees (some from prestigious universities and with well known professors). He taught thousands of people, and he mentored many who would ultimately follow in his academic footsteps. He had traveled to a variety of places. He married well and his children were healthy, intelligent, and well behaved. He had rebounded from a moral failure and rebuilt his life and reputation. He was respected by his peers. He "had it all" in a country where such an existence was supposed to be the "American dream".

I wanted to remind him of these things, but he sat there glaring. His red eyes and sad look reminded me of an old derelict building left standing too long that now leaned and threatened to fall over. The supports were gone, the shell was hollow, there was nothing left. How do you rebuild on such a foundation?

The person sitting before me was an encourager. Many times I saw him take last place so that others would be acknowledged and even honored. He prayed that his students would accomplish more than he, and they did! Oh my, how well his students had done! The man went out of his way to make sure others were served, to make sure that others had affirmation, that others were encouraged. He was a Barnabas, and people would flock to him to receive his ministry of encouragement.

Yet here he sat, downcast, done, empty . . . How do you encourage the empathetic man of encouragement who has run dry? Who is worthy of the task?

And then I had an idea. I looked into his eyes and his sad face, and I said, "You know, sometimes I wish I had your life."

He gave me an incredulous look, but I continued. "I can't count how many times I wished I could treat others as well as you treat them." Then I said, "I love you, and I can't imagine what this world would be like without someone like you."

The eyes that were wet with tears showed a few signs of life. A wry grin appeared on his face. Life was returning, and for a moment the derelict building began to look a bit like a stately home once again.

He didn't need a history lesson. He didn't need me to recount his glorious deeds. He simply need to be affirmed. He needed appreciation.

I didn't write this story to get you to feel sorry for this man (okay, maybe just a little), but I wrote this to be a reminder to us all. We need to be appreciated, we need to be affirmed. We all cry out to be loved.

You see, this person's story could be your story, it could be my story. Life has a way of draining us, and sometimes we aren't sure how to refill the well. Feelings of worthlessness can pile up, and we begin to compare ourselves to others (often unrealistically). "I'm not good enough. I don't have the stuff. I'm not needed."

Yet the truth is probably bigger than we realize, and a little affirmation can go a long way.

Take a moment today. Give some affirmation to someone who has encouraged you. Let people know that you appreciate them, and that you are thankful for their contribution to your life. Who knows, it could restore life . . . maybe even yours.

Thank you for reading!

Annual Father's Day Post

With today being Fathers' Day, I couldn't think of any better way to honor my Dad than to repost something I wrote some years ago.  You see, my Dad passed away in 2004, just before I had the privilege of coming to work for Liberty University.  My Dad's dream was that I would get to go to Liberty, but you would not believe how excited he was to know that I would be teaching there!

My Dad was quite a man, and almost everyone who ever met him loved him.  He could tell some of the funniest stories, but most of all he kept us connected to the history of his family.  To be honest, I miss him, and I would love an opportunity just to hear his stories all over again. Some of you never knew him, and I am genuinely sorry. He enriched the lives of so many with his infectious smile and easy generosity. I feel so much poorer without him, but I know he is with the Lord he loves so much. I love you, Dad.

I first wrote this in 2005, but it speaks volumes about my memories of my dad, Bobbie Eugene Percer, Sr. My dad was a hero to me in many ways, and I am terribly sorry that I never told him that to his face. At his funeral in 2004, literally hundreds of people stood in line for hours to tell us of the way my dad had blessed them. I heard stories of dad witnessing to people and leading them to the Lord, stories of dad giving money or clothes or time or work in order to help someone else find a better path in life, stories of my dad going out of his way to help others, etc. It humbled me. I had no idea how "big" a man my father was, how much of a blessing he was to many people. My dad left some mighty big shoes, and I hope I can be half the man he was. With that in mind, here is the first thing I wrote about my dad way back in 2005.

With Father's day coming up this weekend, I wanted to share some thoughts about my Father. You see, my father passed away in August 2004, and for many reasons thoughts of him have been central in my mind recently. I’m afraid I’m losing him.

Let me explain.

My dad wasn’t very active the last few years of life. Due to his own lack of proper care for his physical body and a host of problems with illness, the primary memory my children have of their grandfather is dad sitting in a big lounger watching TV and occasionally waking up long enough to tease them.

My children did not get to know my dad. Oh, my dad was never the most active guy in the world (I think I know where my own lack of activity comes from!), but he didn’t sit around a lot as I remember it. Dad coached baseball, football, basketball, if it had “ball” in the title, he learned it, played it, and probably coached it. My dad cared about folks that no one else wanted. He loved kids, especially his own. I once saw my dad kick a field goal from the 45 yard line (that’s a 55 yard kick, if you didn’t know!). I was in high school then, so dad was probably in his mid-40s. He could kick the ball further than the place kicker on our team.

I remember looking for dad’s vehicle to pull up at the football practice field. I don’t know if he knew that I saw him, but I looked for him to show up so I could perform for him. Dad didn’t get real excited about sports (that was mom’s job!), but you could tell when he was enjoying something. He had this infectious grin and mischievous smile that would literally light up his face. I heard that for almost 10 years after my younger brother graduated high school, dad would make his way to the practice field and sit in his car and watch the players go through their paces. For me, his watching was a comforting presence that reminded me that he was there if I needed him. Oh, I’ll admit that I didn’t “need” him as much as he would like, but it made me feel real good to know dad was there.

I miss him.

Sometimes in my work here, I think that dad is sitting in heaven, in his heavenly lounger, watching his boy perform. Oh, I’m not blindsiding running backs and quarterbacks any more, but I can’t help but think that dad is silently cheering for me. He sits there, intently studying me as I pace a classroom or teach a class or grade a paper. When I make a particularly brilliant play, he smiles that smile. Even when I don’t do so well, dad looks approvingly on his boy. I can see him, sitting there, a big glass of sweet tea on the table, a smile in his eyes, and joy in his heart. I want to make him proud, and I think he knows that.

My last words to my dad face-to-face were spoken around Easter of 2004. I don’t remember everything we discussed, but I remember putting my arm around his shoulders and looking into that face. His eyes were a bit dimmed by old age and sickness. But somewhere in those eyes I saw the place kicker kicking a field goal from the 45 yard line. I remember saying this to him, “Dad, I love you. I’ll see you later.” At his funeral in August 2004, the pastor asked me to pray at the grave site (actually, my mother asked me to do it). As I walked away from dad’s coffin, I touched the lid and said, “I love you, dad, see you later.”

I miss him, but thank God I will see him later. If your father is alive, call him up. Tell him you appreciate him and love him. Memories are great, but I’d love to have my dad here to hug again. He’s much better off, but I need his smile. Dad, I love you. See you later!

Thanks for reading!

Today's Topic--Freedom!

1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (NASU)

“Be not anxious! Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of all anxiety. If our hearts are set on them, our reward is an anxiety whose burden is intolerable. Anxiety creates its own treasures and they in turn beget further care. When we seek for security in possessions we are trying to drive out care with care and the net result is the precise opposite of our anticipations. The fetters which bind us to our possessions prove to be cares themselves.” From The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Phil 3:19-21
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (NASU)

What does it mean to be free? That isn't really a rhetorical question.

In America we talk of "Freedom" as if it is a birthright or an entitlement. We all want our "rights" protected so that we can pursue whatever petty little thing it is that makes us feel better.

Is this freedom?

I mean, look around us--we are tied to our cares and our anxieties, we are chained to our possessions. We run around anxiously trying to protect the very things that often hold us in the very chains of bondage.

Why do we do that?

Why do we think that a new job, spouse, haircut, car, movie, boat, home, location, etc. will free us into the blissful realm of happiness?

I don't know that I can answer that, but I know a remedy.

HUMILITY

It doesn't come cheap, and it isn't easy to maintain, but humility will help us break free from bondage.

Look at the Bonhoeffer quote above, then read the passage from Philippians underneath it.

Paul tells us that our citizenship is in another country besides this earthly domain. We don't belong here. Since we don't belong, why do we waste our time buying into the stuff of this place? Why do we bind ourselves to the stuff of earth?

Those who are Christ followers have a home that is not this mundane, temporary place. We have a home that is not fully realized yet, but it is one in which we can live to some degree right now. We don't have to wait for Independence Day or Christ's return, we can live abundantly now.

Okay, enough preaching. Here's the deal. We were meant to be free with heavenly freedom. We were not meant to be chained up here. Jesus didn't live, die, and get out of the grave just so I could have the latest laptop or so that my kids could enjoy the newest video games.

Jesus lived so that he could grant us true freedom.

Tonio K sings a song that I think is appropriate here. The song is entitled "You will go Free." Enjoy!

you've been a prisoner
been a prisoner all your life
held captive in an alien world
where they hold your need for love to your throat like a knife
and they make you jump
and they make you do tricks
they take what started off as such an innocent heart
and they break it and break it and break it
until it almost can't be found

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know how long it's gonna take
i don't know how hard it will be
but i know
you will go free

you can call it the devil
call it the big lie
call it a fallen world
what ever it is it ruins almost everything we try
it's the sins of the fathers
it's the choices we make
it's people screaming without making a sound
from prison cells in paradise
where we're chained to our mistakes

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know how much it's gonna cost you
probably everything
but i know
you will go free

you can't see your jailer
you can't see the bars
you can't turn your head round fast enough
but it's everywhere you are
it's all around you
and everywhere you walk this prison yard surrounds you

but in the midst of all this darkness
in the middle of this night
i see truth cut through this curtain like a laser
like a pure and holy light
and i know i can't touch you now
and i don't want to speak too soon
but when we get sprung
from out of our cages baby
god knows what we might do

well i don't know when
and it don't know how
i don't know if you'll be leaving alone
or if you'll be leaving with me
but i know
you will go free

Be free.

Live humbly.

Do justice.

Thanks for reading!

Purpose or Pride? Some musings . . .

A few years ago I heard a sermon, but before the sermon the visiting preacher spent a good 10 or 15 minutes "selling" his book that was related to the topic of his sermon. As I listened to the preacher, I began to ask myself questions about the purpose of preaching and the church itself. I wrote the following notes in response to this moment of musing, and I thought I'd share them here. To be clear, I have not organized these. I simply wrote down some thoughts in a "stream of consciousness" style. I hope they are helpful.

Is our purpose the pronouncement of our accomplishments, or is it living for God's glory and fame? How does a Christian leader today straddle the fences of profound prophetic preaching and personal promotion? Should such a straddling exist? Whose kingdom really matters to us? 

I've been told that if you want to know what is important to a leader, listen to his conversation. He talks most about what matters most to him. Take a look at the book of Acts. What did the leaders of the early church talk about most? What seemed to be in the center of their attention?  

Here is some context on Acts: The leaders of the church experienced some persecution for preaching Jesus. The Sanhedrin (the Jewish Council) wanted to kill them (not for publishing or promoting a new book) for talking about and living for Jesus! The persecution that the church faced led to some phenomenal growth (both in numbers and in spirit).  

Do we want revival? Then we need to quit asking for more of God and start giving more of ourselves to him. Revival requires the quickening of the dead. In other words, something that is dead becomes alive. So, what is dead in us? Why don't we bring that to God, sacrifice it, give it to Jesus to resurrect. He alone can do it! What do we have that needs to be fanned back to life? Why not let the "Resurrection and the Life" do his work? 

The great need of the day is hearts fully devoted to God and his stuff. In Philippians 3, Paul lists a very impressive resume. Nonetheless he notes that it is less than "nothing" compared to Christ. He calls is a pile of manure, a bunch of crap. His publications, his promotions, his titles, his accomplishments, his highest points in life are counted as stuff to be flushed away! Think of it--our highest moments of achievement are just manure when compared to Jesus.  

What makes Jesus the Messiah so great? Go back to Philippians 2. Even though he was God, he humbled himself. He lowered himself, he became small to reach all, he emptied himself to fill others up, he became a servant even though he was really a king!  

Do we want revival? What has to be emptied? Where do we need to learn humility? Where do we need to learn to serve instead of striving to be "large and in charge"? If we want revival, we must first learn to humble ourselves and to serve others. Revival will not come via books, sermons, small groups, or tithes. Revival starts with humility. 

The story of Acts is the story of the church continuing the work of Jesus the Messiah to "destroy" the works of the devil. Jesus is out to bring an end to the work of our adversary the devil. Satan does not "counter-punch" as much as he flails blindly like a wounded beast who know his time is limited. He is undone, the cross has effectively destroyed his work. His flailing may in some sense have a strategy to it, but they are still the actions of a desperate and losing entity. He knows he can't win, so he tries to lie his way into stopping the work of God.  

Who do we want to be more like? That is the question. We can strut and bluff and pretend to be great, but then we are like the Great Pretender Satan. Or we can learn to walk humbly, to serve others, to lay down our lives in obedience to God, and in that way we can find ourselves more like Jesus. Do we want revival? Self-promotion won't get us there. Jesus understood that, the leaders of the early church understood it . . . will we? 

Thanks for reading!

The Results of the Incarnation

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil—flesh, sin, the grave, death.

In the incarnation, Jesus met flesh, and flesh lost (it will be transformed by resurrection).

In the wilderness temptation, Jesus met sin, and sin lost (the Tempter was met and overcome).

In the cross, Jesus met death, and death lost (death is waiting its ultimate destruction).

In the resurrection, Jesus destroyed the grip, fear, pain, and power of death (the power of death is sin, and sin has lost).

If Jesus met it, it has been overcome. God will put all things under his feet.

Victory is found in Jesus and in Jesus alone. No other foundation will suffice, and no other person can truly save us.

In Honor of the "Third Wheels" in Life

This post is for all those who so often feel like "third wheels" in life.

Sometimes you feel like you don't fit, or maybe like you are in a show without a recurring role, or you keep finding yourself in awkward moments, or maybe you think you're unnoticed or even unnecessary . . . take this to heart . . . no matter how small your part seems to you, it may loom pretty large for someone else. What seems like "small things" in your mind may yield big dividends in the life of another. 

God told his people to be careful not to despise the small things. God himself came as a helpless infant. Small investments can result in big dividends, and the "small thing" you do in the life of another person may have a bigger harvest than you realize. I understand, you want a bigger role, but what you may not see is how big your "small role" is to someone else. 

Give it your all, act faithfully towards God and others. Obedience to God is success, and ultimately that is what matters. He who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much. God sees, God knows, and the rest of us are thankful for your part in this adventure of faith. Blessings!

Thanks for reading! 

Hope for a Reluctant Prayer Warrior: How to Pray with Confidence, 1 John 5:13-17

Hope for a Reluctant Prayer Warrior—How to Pray with Confidence, 1 John 5:13-17; Luke 11:1-13

Intro—My issues with prayer—Let me start with a confession: I have never been what you might call a prayer warrior. In fact, my batting average at getting positive answers from God is not very high. Truth be told, I know I could do more in prayer. No doubt we all share a similar view. We are pretty sure that we don’t pray enough. Maybe when we do pray we aren’t real sure that we know what we are doing or that God will hear us. We lack confidence. Perhaps we don’t try to pray because we don’t think it will work. How can we develop confidence in prayer? Before answering that question, let’s define “prayer”.

Definition of Prayer: For many Christians prayer is a venture, an experiment. There is nothing very certain about it. We often pray because we do not know what else to do. Who of us has not at one time or another said, "Well, things have gotten so bad there's nothing else to do but pray," as though that were the final and last resort. (Ray Stedman)

Andrew Murray says, “Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part.” Prayer is a conversation with God. For it to be a proper conversation, both sides will talk and both sides will listen. For many Christians, it is the listening that creates the problem. We do not pay enough attention to God, but we often delight in telling him what we think he should do.

Pastor E. Stanley Jones: "If I throw out a boat hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God." Proper prayer involves lining up with God, not trying to convince God to line up with us.  So, prayer is a dialogue, it is a conversation in which we talk to and listen to God. Prayer is based on a relationship, and prayer is fueled by relationships.

Prayer reveals relationship, Relationship Fuels Prayer

How then, can we pray with Confidence? John’s letter tells us three things that will enable us to pray with confidence: 1) Start with Assurance (our relationship with God through Jesus), 2) continue with Boldness (our acceptance by God allows us to come before him with freedom), and 3) finish with restoration and life (our dialogues with God should result in life and restoration for us and for others). Let’s unpack this a bit.

1 John 5:13—John ends his letter by letting his readers know his purpose. In the Gospel of John 20:30-31, John says that he wrote so that people may believe in Jesus the Messiah/the Son of God (i.e., the Incarnation) and that by believing receive eternal life in his name. In the letter, John’s purpose is to assure those who have put faith in the Incarnation.  His purpose is to give them confidence in their salvation.  Verse 13 states this purpose clearly.

Point 1—v. 13 Start with Assurance (our relationship with God through Jesus) John begins this section with a statement of assurance. He says that faith in the name of Jesus leads to confidence in salvation. He speaks of knowing our relationship to God. John uses some form of the word “know” in his short letter over 40 times. At least 8 of those uses are found in chapter 5. John seems to be saying that our confidence begins with our salvation and our salvation is something we can know. Throughout his book, John has given us indications of how we know we belong to God.

Assurance of salvation is based primarily on what Christ has done for us. We have confidence because God has provided salvation. God manifested his love for us in Christ, and that love is our assurance. Confident prayer begins with assurance in salvation/eternal life. Has your life been transformed by the salvation that only comes through a knowledge of Jesus? If so, then you have assurance that the God who saved is the God who will hear. Our Father hears us.

Prayer reveals relationship, relationship fuels prayer

If we are in Christ, if we are God’s children, if we have salvation through the life and death of Jesus, then we may have confidence in prayer. Our relationship with God through Jesus the Messiah provides access to the Father to make our request known. Because of salvation, we can be confident that our prayers may continue with boldness.

Point 2—vv. 14-15 Continue with Boldness (our acceptance by God allows us to come before him with freedom) Ray Stedman: “There is a great and ringing note of certainty there. Prayer is not an experiment, prayer is a certainty with John, a sure thing. He knows it works, and he knows how it works. That confidence is expressed by the word he chooses, boldness.”

1 John 5:1 reminds us that faith in Christ has resulted in our becoming children of God. This means that we have a family and a familiar relationship with God. As a child has special privileges with his or her parent, so we have the privilege of confidence as children of God. “Confidence”—this word means in some sense “freedom of speech” (cf. 1 John 2:28; 4:17 both regarding judgment). John is saying that because of our relationship with God as children, we can come into his presence to make our requests with boldness—we have confidence and freedom to speak directly to our Father.

Ray Stedman says that God delights in bold praying and in bold people—our prayer to God should be confident, bold, and certain because he loves us.

This confidence arises from two principles given in these verses:  the certainty of being heard (a promise) and the certainty of receiving (a qualification). The promise:  When we pray, God hears us and responds. We ask confidently (Hebrews 4:16). We come into his presence (the words “in him” in verse 14 could be rendered “before him”).  We come confidently into our Father’s presence to speak freely with him. We must ask him to respond. We have an audience, so we must talk to our Father and we must listen for and anticipate his response. Notice that several times in these two verses he talks about prayer in the context of asking and receiving. That’s the simplest and probably the best definition of prayer.

Prayer isn’t a magic lamp or a secret code by which we obtain all our wishes, but rather as Ray Stedman says, “Prayer is a means of obtaining the will of God, and is limited always by the will and purpose of God.”

That brings us to the Qualification—we must ask according to God’s will (cf. Matthew 6:10; John 14:13). John is not saying that we can get God to do whatever we want by adding the magic words “in Jesus’ name”. Prayer is not asking God to move towards us, but for God to move us towards him. Pastor E. Stanley Jones: "If I throw out a boat hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God." Remember, James 4:3 reminds us that we can pray and ask improperly. In fact, James acknowledges that we often fail to receive answers to our prayers because we ask for selfish reasons.

John says that if we know we have eternal life through our relationship with God by faith in Christ, then we can be confident that our Father God will hear us when we pray. If God hears us, it then follows that like a good Father he will respond to us. But John goes a step further—not only does God hear us, but “we know that we have obtained the request made of him”. This sounds like we can be assured of a favorable response.

So, does God answer all your prayers with “Yes”? Yeah, me neither!

The problem goes back to that little phrase:  “according to his will”. This means we must line up with God—like Jesus in Gethsemane, we must make sure our hearts cry out “Not my will, God, but yours”—our focus must be on the best interests of God and his kingdom and not our selfish desires. We must not harbor un-confessed or habitual sin (Psalm 66:13). We must trust God for the answer (Matthew 21:22)—he will respond, but not always in the way we desire or expect! We must be sure to seek what God wants, for in doing so we will pray for what he longs to accomplish—we can only do this by spending time with God in his Word and in prayer. (Ray Stedman regarding the Sears catalog—“We could order anything we had the money to pay for, but it would have been utterly futile to have sent in an order for something that was not in the catalog. There was plenty we could order, but it was useless to ask for something they did not have. And so it is with prayer.”)

Prayer reveals relationship, relationship fuels prayer. Confident prayer keeps a relationship with God fresh. This kind of prayer may also have amazing results. A prayer life that is confident in one’s relationship with God and comes into God’s presence with boldness can result in restoration and life.

Point 3—vv. 16-17 Finish with Restoration and Life (our dialogues with God should result in life and restoration for us and for others) John now gives application to his lesson on praying according to God’s will by giving an example to his readers. Praying isn’t just about us, praying is for our brothers and sisters. We should pray confidently for each other. We should pray for restoration and life. Again, John gives a promise and a qualification here.

The promise—if we pray for a brother or sister who is not committing a sin unto death, then God will give them life. The qualification—the promise does not apply to the one committing a sin unto death.

A quick disclaimer: We tend to get tangled up in a discussion of what a “sin unto death” may be, but John assumes his readers know this already.  The point John seems to make here is that praying according to the will of God means that we should pray for each other, that we should pray for restoration and life for those committing sin. We have a responsibility to each other. Part of loving God is loving God’s children and praying for them. John doesn’t say, “If you see your brother or sister sinning, quickly get on the phone and talk to others about it!”  He doesn’t say, “Let the pastor know so that he can deal with it!”  No! John says, “Pray for your brothers and sisters and God will give them life.” We are brothers and sisters, not competitors. All sin is serious. You can’t be indifferent to sin if you love others.

If our prayers are for children of God who sin, then in what sense do they need “life”?  John says our prayers will result in life from God for those who commit sins not unto death. To answer that question is to continue on to the qualification—What is the sin unto death?

There are typically three responses to what the “sin unto death” may be: 1) Some specific sin that causes the person to die physically (cf. Moses, Achan, Uzzah, Ananias and Sapphira, the folks in 1 Corinthians 11); 2) The unpardonable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or rejecting Jesus; 3) The sin of the false teachers who denied the Incarnation and lived immoral and unloving lives.

It seems likely that the background for John’s comments here is to be found in 1 John 3:11-18 and the contrast between the children of God and the children of the devil. 1 John 3:14—”We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers.  He who does not love abides in death.” The sin unto death, at least in part, seems to be a persistent and intentional disobedience of Jesus’ command to love one another.  It is denying the love of Jesus and following the unloving example of the false teachers. 1 John 3:23—disregarding this command leads to death.

Regardless of the view one takes on this issue, John expects his readers to pray for one another especially when they fall into sin. So, when should we not pray? That is difficult to say, isn’t it?

Apparently there is a time in which prayer is no longer useful—note that John does not command us not to pray, but he seems to suggest that when a person reaches the point of “sin unto death” prayer will not help. We should respond, then, by continuing to pray unless we get some indication from the Spirit to cease praying. If all wrongdoing is sin, then praying for restoration of our brothers and sisters is the best starting point.

Prayer reveals relationships (with others) and relationships fuel prayer—how we relate to others can cause us to pray rightly or wrongly or it can cause us to pray with confidence as we show God’s love for others. Confident prayer results in restoration and life for those who sin. We cannot ignore the sin of others. We should pray for God to work in their lives.

Conclusion

How do we respond to this difficult passage? There seems to me to be only one response, we must become a people of prayer, and not just any prayer, but a confident prayer that comes from an assurance of our relationship with our Father through his Son, Jesus Christ. As E. M. Bounds says, “"What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but people whom the Holy Ghost can use – people of prayer, people mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through people. He does not come on machinery, but on people. He does not anoint plans, but people, people of prayer."

How does this look in everyday life?

Luke 1:1-13 could be a starting point—start with God, be specific with needs, pray for reconciliation and forgiveness, be persistent (Ask, Seek, Knock), and trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God. 

In other words:

First, we must be diligent in keeping our relationship with God current.  That requires time with God, with his Word, and with his people.

Second, we must pray.  We need to carve out time to meet with God in prayer.  This week set aside at least 10 minutes a day where you simply get with God to pray for others. 

Finally, we must avoid sin.  We need to live accountable lives with each other so that we can honor God.  Remember, everything we do reflects on the character of God.  Our lives are the best (or worst) witness for the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  How are we doing?

So, our batting average may be low. We may not see as many miracles or positively answered prayers as we’d like, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still pray with confidence. Following John’s lead, we know that Confident prayer begins with salvation, continues with a confident relationship, and results in restoration and life. Act on God’s promises and watch God work. He is responsible for completing it, we are responsible for joining him in it.

Remember, as Charles Spurgeon reminds us: "If they will not hear you speak, they cannot prevent your praying. Do they jest at your exhortations? They cannot disturb you at your prayers. Are they far away so that you cannot reach them? Your prayers can reach them. Have they declared that they will never listen to you again, nor see your face? Never mind, God has a voice which they must hear. Speak to Him, and He will make them feel. Though they now treat you despitefully, rendering evil for your good, follow them with your prayers. Never let them perish for lack of your supplications." (Metropolitan Pulpit, vol. 18, 263-264)