Opposition and Proposition

Friends,

In a report on wnd.com by Michael Carl from September 17th, 2012, two U.S.-based religious freedom groups say that anti-Christian persecution is on the rise in America.  The joint report by Texas-based Liberty Institute and Washington-based Family Research Council says government agencies around the U.S. are trying to push Christian expression out the door.  “It is dramatic,” says Liberty Institute Founder Kelly Shackleford, of the recent hike in reported incidents of persecution.  “There are children being prohibited from writing Merry Christmas to the soldiers, senior citizens being banned from praying over their meals in the Senior Center, the VA banning the mention of God in military funerals, numerous attempts to have veterans memorials torn down if they have any religious symbols such as a cross, and I could go on and on,” Shackleford said.  Christian civil rights organization senior counsel David French says many of the new cases come from colleges.  “Our knowledge of incidents is only as good as the reporting,” French says.  “However, it’s clear that – particularly on college and university campuses – we have seen a significant rise in attempts to silence Christian organizations by the misapplication of nondiscrimination laws.”  French adds that many public facilities are also covering over Christianity.  “One of the most strident examples: the misuse of the Establishment Clause to attempt to ban any mention of God from historical markers, monuments or even museum exhibits,” French says.  “This represents an effort to whitewash God from American history and change our national identity.”  And this has not all occurred since 2008…“the seeds for these attacks were dropped in Supreme Court opinions in the ’40s, and it really began to take off in the 1960s.  The thing that is shocking now, and different, is that the attacks have dramatically picked up speed,” Shackleford says. “There can be as many as 100 new attacks per month.   While Liberty Institute has the highest win rate of any group in the country (at over 99 percent), we just can’t currently cover all these with our current resources.”  This is the world that we live in today, a pluralistic world of religion, and much of it is no longer friendly toward Christianity.  But, jumping to end of the “story”, we can put on our rose-colored glasses, for in this section, Jesus provides this important message -- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NIV)

There are two important themes that run together in this section of John (15:18-27) – the opposition of the world against Christianity and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to and through God’s people.  Jesus has been talking about love, but now He discusses hatred.  The contrast between the way Christians are to treat one another and the way the world reacts to Christians could not be more evident.  Jesus has already mentioned that persecution will come…back in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:10-12), and in His commissioning message (Matthew 10:16-23).  Throughout John is it evident that as Jesus ministers for three years, the religious establishment not only opposes Jesus, but seeks to kill Him…there is a tide of open resentment, hatred and then open opposition against Him.  We must clarify what “the world” is, because it is really a three-fold concept -- it can mean the created world, (John 1:10), the world of humanity, (John 3:16) or society apart from God and opposed to God.  Sometimes, we call this this third aspect “the world system”.  This is what I have typically called it in order to differentiate.  From a Christian perspective, it involves all of the people, plans, organizations, activities, philosophies, values that belong to a society without God.  Some of these matters are cultural…but all have their origins in the heart and mind of sinful man and promote what sinful man wants to enjoy and accomplish, and so are corrupt.  What may seem right to the flesh is so wrong to the Spirit and to the spirit.  Christians must not love the world system (1 John 2:15-17) or be conformed to the world (Romans 12:1-2).  Jesus tells His disciples that their situation in the world will be serious and even dangerous.  If worldly people hated Jesus, they will also hate those who are identified with Him. (15:20)

When we trusted in Christ, we moved (or at least we were supposed to move) into a new spiritual position…we are now “in Christ” and “out of the world (system).”  We do live in the world physically, but are not to be of it spiritually.  This does not mean that “we are so heavenly-minded that we are not any earthly good,” but it means that we consider the things of this world from a different point of view.  The world system functions on the basis of conformity, and as long as a person follows the fads and fashions and accepts the values of the world, he or she will “get along.”  But, the Christian refuses to conform to the world. The believer is a “new creation” and no longer wants to live “the old life.”  It is apparent that we must live in a world of persecution and opposition, but how do we do it? What is the secret to success?  It is through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Jesus sends God’s personal power, the Holy Spirit, to indwell His people (Acts 2:38-39).  If we did not have the Holy Spirit within, we would not be able to serve the Lord in this present evil world.  We are to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), “worship in the Spirit” (Philippians 3:3, and “witness in the Spirit” (Acts 1:8). Believers can stand and withstand in the midst of the world’s hatred because of the special ministries of the Holy Spirit.  We will pursue this in the next section of John’s message.

Steve Goodier shares this -- when Henry Ward Beecher was a young boy in school, he learned a lesson in self-confidence, which he never forgot. He was called upon to recite in front of the class. He had hardly begun when the teacher interrupted with an emphatic, "No!" He started over and again the teacher thundered, "No!" Humiliated, Henry sat down.  The next boy rose to recite and had just begun when the teacher shouted, "No!" This student, however, kept on with the recitation until he completed it. As he sat down, the teacher responded, "Very good!"  Henry was irritated. "I recited just as he did," he complained to the teacher.  But the instructor replied, "It is not enough to know your lesson, you must be sure. When you allowed me to stop you, it meant that you were uncertain. If the entire world says, 'No!' it is your business to say, 'Yes!' and prove it."  The world says, "No!" in a thousand ways:  "No! You can't do that."  "No! You are wrong."  "No! You are too old."  "No! You are too young."  "No! You are too weak."  "No! It will never work."  "No! You don't have the education."  "No! You don't have the background."  "No! You don't have the money."  "No! It can't be done."  And each "No!" you hear has the potential to erode your confidence bit by bit until you quit altogether. Though the world says, "No!" to you today, will you determine to say, "Yes!" and prove it?

The world says “no” to the way we want to live for God…but the Holy Spirit empowers us to say “yes” to God and “no” to the world system.  Many believers want to have their cake and eat it too, as it relates to the fundamental spiritual battle that we face, but as Word of God reveals – if you willingly live compromised with the world system, then you are not Jesus’ friend…and furthermore, you quench the Holy Spirit’s power in your life.  I have seen the warning signs in people's eyes and heard it in their speech on numerous occasions (unfortunately).  The evil one is always looking to cause individuals to stumble by sowing seeds of discontentment, discouragement and distraction.  We must guard our hearts and minds, keeping sensitive to the heart and the will of the Lord by doing some regular self-examination, telling ourselves the truth with honest self-talk, standing firm in our commitment to spiritual disciplines and in our relationship with Him and our spiritual family.  We have a choice to make…and sometimes it occurs even on a daily basis…will we trust in the power of God through His Spirit in order that we will live like Jesus, or will we compromise our witness?  Be salt and light.

Blessings, Don

A Show and Tell That Makes a Difference

Friends,

Religious pluralism…an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society…is a new experience for us, but it does put us in touch with the world that surrounded the biblical authors.  This is challenging for many people today, because most adults were raised in a time where the predominant religion in this country was Christianity.  Yet, our world looks more and more like the world of our religious ancestors.  In Mesopotamia, there were thousands of gods and goddesses, many of which were known to the Israelites – and indeed, sometimes they were known all too well.  Nothing, therefore, could be more remarkable than to hear the contention…even from those within the church in general…that the existence of religious pluralism today makes belief in the uniqueness of Christianity improbable.  Had this been the necessary consequence of encountering a multitude of other religions, Moses, Isaiah, Peter and Paul would have given up biblical faith long before it became fashionable to do so.

The real question that must be considered is still, “Who is God?”  The plurality of “religious” opinions does nothing to change the importance of this question…or the answer.  In fact, concerning this, 400 years before Christ, Greek philosopher Plato wrote, “To find out the Father and Maker of all this universe is a hard task, and when we have found Him, to speak of Him to all men is impossible."  Oh how wrong was the great philosopher.  Jesus says just the opposite.  We can know the Father…and we can know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.  We still have a responsibility to believe and speak the truth concerning our beliefs in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.   Jesus is approaching the end of His life and ministry and He is still trying to answer some fundamental questions for His followers. 

Jesus’ words to the disciples in this passage (John 14:7-11) are really prompted by Thomas’ question in vs. 5, “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?  As Jesus has just shared, He is going away and they cannot come with Him. He attempts to comfort them by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them and that he will return to take them back with Him.  Still, after three years, one would think that the disciples would have a pretty clear understanding of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Apparently, this is not the case.  Philip has a question, and Jesus tries to help Him understand the truth about the Father.  He says, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."  Jesus answers, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (14:8-9)  The concept “know,” as described by Philip is a “deeper” understand…and a knowing that only comes through “experience.”  There is a lot of irony here.  Some might ask -- what qualifies Jesus to tell us what God the Father is like? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, meaning that he is in fact God (John 1:1ff).  Jesus is God incarnate.  The word “Incarnation” simply means, “God taking on flesh”. This is what 1:14 describes… the Word, Jesus becoming flesh and living with man as a man.  Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:15-20, etc. go on to further establish that Jesus is God. These verses describe Jesus as the “image of the invisible God” (vs. 15). When we see Jesus, we see God.  They also describe Jesus as having “all of God’s fullness dwelling in Him” (vs. 19). Jesus was completely human, but He was also completely God.

Jesus shows them.  First, He displays what God is like through the life He lives (vv.7-9).  You can tell a lot about the influences on a person’s life by looking at the way they live.  When we look at a person and their behavior, mannerisms, and just the way they do things, we are not just seeing them, but we are seeing that persons parents, teachers and mentors as well.  What Jesus is saying in verses 7-9, is that when you see Him, you see God…you see the Father. The life Jesus lives directly mirrors that of His Father, God.  Also, Jesus lives a life of total purpose…Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus lives His life for two purposes -- He lives to be a servant and He lives to be a Savior.  Jesus’ life of purpose reveals to us the heart of God. God has a servant heart. He delights in helping others and serving others.  God also has a heart for people. He loves us. He is a compassionate, merciful God, who is full of grace. God has his sights set on saving you from yourself and your sins. Through Jesus’ life, we see the heart of God.  Jesus says in vs. 10 that, “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”  The point that Jesus is making to Philip and the disciples is that if you want to see the Father, look at me and listen to me, because I am speaking the very words of the Father.  After Jesus had finished giving the Sermon on the Mount, the people responded this way in Matthew 7. Matthew 7:28-29, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”  Jesus’ words and teachings reveal the authority and power of God. It becomes very clear to the people that God’s ways are definitely higher than theirs.  If we read through the gospels…Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…that tell the life story of Jesus, we notice that in Jesus’ teachings and parables we are given a description of who God is and what He is like.  We see God as our Father, who loves us deeply but is willing to let us make our own decisions and choices even if they are contrary to His will.  We see God as our Shepherd, who cares for us and knows each of us intimately, who provides for us, protects us and leads us in the right direction.  Jesus shows us what God is like through the life He lives and the words that He speaks, but also through the miracles He performs (v.11).  Jesus tells the disciples and Philip in v.11 to at least believe that Jesus is in the Father and that the Father is in him based “on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”  Jesus did not perform miracles to draw attention to Himself, but to focus attention on God.  Jesus entire purpose was to glorify His Father in heaven…and this is precisely what He does.

A young boy approached his father reading the newspaper on the porch, "Dad, why does the wind blow?" "I don’t know, son." "Dad, where do the clouds come from?" "I’m not sure, son." "Dad, what makes a rainbow?" "No idea, son." The young boy leans against the porch railing and says: "Dad, do you mind me asking you all these questions?" Dad looks around the newspaper and says: "Not at all, son. How else are you going to learn?" Hmmm.  This may the case sometimes with us earthly fathers…but, thankfully, this is not the case when it comes to knowing our heavenly Father.  We can know Him...and we can know His Son, Jesus Christ.

Blessings, Don