This is the Gospel

Friends,

The Old Testament Scriptures attest to Jesus’ coming life and death (Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12).  These elements are seen in many places in the New Testament, perhaps no more concisely that in 1 Corinthians 15:1ff.  Paul lays out the truth of the gospel in four points:  Point number one – Jesus came, lived and died for our sins.  He was able to do this because He was the perfect man – God become man in the flesh.  Paul reminds the Corinthians that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah, King) who came to atone for and forgive their sins forever, and that He is not simply some martyr who willingly laid down His life.  Point number two -- Jesus’ burial shows the finality of His death, which leads to the empty tomb.  There is no way that Jesus would have been buried while He was still alive, so the fact that He was buried eliminates all of the skeptics’ arguments…and has stood the test of time for 2000 years.   Point number three -- the central aspect of the gospel is…the Resurrection.  This is where all people are able to claim new life.  If Jesus was raised, which we who are in Christ believe, then all of those who have been baptized, converted to Him, likewise, will be raised from the dead (Romans 6:4-5).  This is an issue for some of the Corinthians, because they deny the Resurrection of Jesus, claiming that they have been already reigning with Christ.  I do not have any idea as to how they would come up with such a concept, but it clearly is not the gospel.  In effect, what they were claiming is that “they were not really Christians,” because the Resurrection is critical to what Christians believe.  Point number four – Jesus’ appearances to others following His resurrection bear witness to His resurrection.  This was (and is) a great testimony to the world.  Everything that Jesus did and stood for was in order that people might believe in Him and have eternal life. 

It is important to understand that Paul often felt unworthy of the gospel because of his life before he was in the Lord -- he persecuted the church.  Paul makes the all-important, profound statement that he was able to have life…only by the grace of God.  The gospel is good and sufficient even for the vilest of people, and Paul considered himself in this category.  And like Paul, we were all dead in our sins, because we were ignorant of the gospel. Yet, like Paul, we are also saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).  After Paul was converted to Christ, the importance of his life was in what he did – he preached the truth of the gospel to which he was called.  It was Paul who first revealed to the Corinthian believers the gospel of Christ.  God Himself told them through Paul that it is in the gospel itself that they are saved.  The Corinthians must persevere in the gospel in order to have that promise of eternal life…because questioning circumstances, other matters, is one thing, but questioning the resurrection is another (much more serious concern).  It seems as if many people today life like many the Corinthians...only half-way committed to the cause of Christ.  Tony Campolo in the Seven Deadly Sins (p.21.) shares this -- “Joy in Christ requires a commitment to working at the Christian lifestyle. Salvation comes as a gif, but the joy of salvation demands disciplined action. Most Christians I know have just enough of the Gospel to make them miserable, but not enough to make them joyful. They know enough about the biblical message to keep them from doing the things which the world tempts them to do; but they do not have enough of a commitment to God to do those things through which they might experience the fullness of his joy.”  Like Paul, we who believe in Christ are made alive so that we may have life and have abundantly!  We can have this life, if we are faithful to the Lord (John 10:10).

There was a business owner who had employed many Christians in his company, even though he himself was not a genuine believer in the Lord. He watched them like a hawk. "You know, I was naturally drawn to God by observing Christian workers who were conscientious and kind and thorough and aggressive on the job," he said. "But I’ll tell you what really impressed me. One day a guy who I knew to be a fresh convert asked if he could see me after work. I agreed to meet with him, but later in the day I started to worry that this young religious zealot might be coming to try to convert me, too.  I was surprised when he came in my office with his head hanging low and said to me, ’Sir, I’ll only take a few minutes, but I’m here to ask your forgiveness. Over the years I’ve worked for you I’ve done what a lot of other employees do, like borrowing a few company products here and there. And I’ve taken some extra supplies; I’ve abused telephone privileges; and I’ve cheated the time clock now and then.  But I became a Christian a few months ago and it’s real - not the smoke and mirror stuff. In gratitude for what Christ has done for me and in obedience to Him, I want to make amends to you and the company for the wrongs I’ve done. So could we figure out a way to do that? If you have to fire me for what I’ve done, I’ll understand. I deserve it. Or, if you want to dock my pay, dock it whatever figure you think is appropriate. If you want to give me some extra work to do on my own time, that would be okay, too, I just want to make things right with God and between us.’"  Well they worked things out, and the business owner said that this conversation made a deeper spiritual impact on him than anything else ever had. It was the single most impressive demonstration of true Christianity he had ever witnessed.  What was it that made this new believer so contagious? Was it a clever new gospel presentation? Was it a well-rehearsed testimony? Obviously not. It was merely a genuine and humble admission of wrongdoing along with a willingness to make it right. It was consistent Christianity.

We need to live with the attitude in Christ, Jesus…just as Paul shares with the Philippian Christians (Philippians 2:5-8).  There are many matters in the Word of God that are important, but we must always keep things in perspective.  As one person said, “it is one thing to know the doctrine…it is a whole other matter to know the doctrine maker.”  We who are in Christ remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on a regular basis…it should never be far from us.  In fact, we do this as a church, weekly, as we partake of the Lord’s Supper together.  We need the blood of Jesus in our lives, which comes through baptism and living faithfully. In the book, "Speechless," Christian singer, Steven Curtis Chapman, and his minister, Scotty Smith, say this: “In the Gospel we discover we are far worse off than we thought and far more loved than we ever dreamed."  Yet, we could never be so bad, so vile that the Lord cannot rescue us through the gospel.  Satan tries to get us to belive that we are hopeless...that we do not have a prayer...but it is not true -- it is a lie.  If Paul could be rescued...all people can be saved.  Jesus tells the believers at Smyrna – “Be faithful until death and I will give you a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10).  Now, these are words to life by…forever!  As Paul encouraged the Corinthians, we must also continue in the gospel...continue to live the Good News that has been proclaimed to us in order that we may have eternal life.  We remember the elements of the gospel…that He lived, died, was buried, was raised again to eternal life, and appeared to many witnesses.  And we look forward to His promised return to take us all home to be with Him forever!

Blessings, Don

Venus Transit...A Closer View.

Friends,

Last week's transit of Venus across the sun was spectacular in so many respects.  There have been images captured of it.  I had the opportunity to view it through my telescope on a sunscreen, and it was a treat.  Here is a closer view from the Hinode spacecraft.  Enjoy!

Blessings, Don

The Scholar and the Carpenter

Friends,

There is an interesting story from “Stories for The Gathering” by William White that goes something like this…a scholar was traveling on his way to give an important lecture when the rain began to fall in torrents. When the rain stopped, the river quickly rose above the bridge and the scholar was unable to cross.  He hired a carpenter who owned a rowboat to take him to the other side. As the carpenter prepared the boat the scholar asked, “Living this far from civilization, do you have access to a quality newspaper?”  “I seldom read a newspaper at all,” replied the carpenter, “What news I get comes from the radio and TV.” “My dear man,” the scholar replied, “anyone who doesn’t read a daily newspaper is missing out on life.”  As they boarded the boat, the scholar asked yet another question, “Well, you must have a library nearby where you can check out good books, don’t you?”  The carpenter took the oars into his massive hands and began to row, “I haven’t read a book in years,” he replied.  “My dear man,” the scholar retorted, “anyone who does not read is missing out on life.”

There was a long pause in the conversation as they crossed the raging water until the scholar asked one last question, “What about plays or symphonies, dramas or good music? Are you able to attend or enjoy any of these?”  “As I’ve been trying to tell you,” the carpenter said with some irritation, “I wouldn’t mind going to plays and symphonies, but they are terribly expensive, and my carpentry business keeps me busy as I try to meet the needs of others…and to be honest, even though you might not agree…I do feel very much alive.”  Just then the boat hit a stump and capsized sending both men into the raging water. The carpenter shouted to the scholar, “Sir, can you swim?”  “No!” came the fear-filled shout of the scholar.  “Well, then…” as he grabbed an oar and pushed it in front of the scholar, “here, have my creation and learn how to truly live.” And with that, the carpenter pulled the scholar back to safety.

Blessings, Don

Recent Eclipse...Outside of the Box

Friends,

Many of you may have seen some beautiful photos of the eclipse last week...just before sunset on the skyline.  Here is a view of the moon's shadow (top center) cast upon the earth as viewed from a satellite.  I thought it was an interesting perspective...

Blessings, Don

Spiritual Recidivism

Friends,

Behind Bars...In Chains...and Okay With It.  When seeing this statement, one might immediately think of Paul and Silas in prison in Acts 16, but this is not the case. Paul and Silas were truly at peace in their prison experience, because they knew the Lord was in control. Paul was familiar with being in bonds or chains…and endured it willingly for the sake of the cause of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have often wondered what it would have been like to be the guard who was chained to Paul…don’t you think he had a story or two to tell? :-)

Actually, I am writing for another reason. It is no secret...prison inmates have a difficult time staying out of prison after they have been released. Estimates vary...but one, accepted by many, says three out of four commit another crime or break parole and end up behind bars again. This is called “recidivism.” Why do released prisoners do this? Many of these men and women know how to get back into prison…what they don’t know is how to stay out. It is not a mystery as to why they keep going back in — often multiple times. It may to do with drugs, or with the rush of pulling off a robbery...but it truly is complicated by the fact that many have inadequate coping skills when it comes to living life "on the outside." In many cases, this is what these individuals have grown accustomed to…there is a significant comfort associated with it. Prison has become their life and they do not want to know anything different. Such individuals need to understand that they can actually be in a better place once they leave prison behind. Yet, this isn’t going to happen automatically -- there needs to be counseling, training, and conditioning.

The irony is that there are significant spiritual parallels. I was in prison for many years, spiritually. It wasn’t a prison with bars, but it was one that held my heart – it was a bondage to religious forms and traditions. I would try to escape it, only to find myself stuck back in the same situation. The primary motivation was fear – fear of being wrong…fear of offending someone or something…fear of the unknown. I thank the Lord for His grand and genuine deliverance not only from sin, but from this fear. He has replaced the fear with faith, hope and love…and I am ever grateful for this. Such fear leads to legalism, and legalism just perpetuates fear…and much of it is due to poor interpretation and to poor traditions in many places. If there is one thing that my particular fellowship of believers has struggled with, it is being regulated to death. In many places, there are so many rules, that those imposing them have, as Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day, “made void the Word of God” (Matthew 15:6) as far as its effectiveness in the life of a believer.

I wish I was making this up…but, I have known many Christians who have yearned for freedom from such negative attitudes and practices, and some of these individuals have even sniffed the fresh winds of spiritual freedom, only to be intimidated by certain ones...motivated by fear…to come back into the “spiritual prison.” Like those who go back to literal prison, many believers who yearn for freedom to be loose from the chains of whatever is holding them captive, simply cannot get away from what is comfortable…what it is that they know -- it is "spiritual recidivism." It is a hard and challenging matter to truly step out and be challenged by faith’s call to freedom. Satan confuses people's minds and convinces them do everything in their power to stay confined...to remain "in control."  Satan does not want spiritually vibrant Christians going about taking the message of Christ to those whom he already has, so he just convinces folks...to sit comfortably in the boat -- don’t rock it…to stay off the mountain – don’t climb it…to be content with the answers – don’t question it. As long as we are complacent in our comfort zone, as it relates to our presuppositions, faulty beliefs, traditions and the like, we are not going to grow, but be held captive…captive in a prison not made with bars, but a spiritual one of our own choosing. I hope and pray that more and more believers will come to understand what it is to be set free in Christ to truly experience freedom to be responsible to hold to God’s principles…not out of sense of duty or ought...but from the love that God grows in each one of us.

Blessings, Don

Walking with the Spirit (Considering Galatians), Pt. 3

Friends,

As I shared at the end of the last message, the letter to the Galatians could have been concluded at the end of chapter two, such is the grand climax there.  Yet, Paul is not done...in fact, he is really just getting started in his message to them.  Paul begins this chapter in a shocking way, continuing with some strong words, (as we have seen earlier) -- "You foolish Galatians.  Who has bewitched you?"  Why does Paul say this at this point?  It is because there is so much at stake, and Paul realizes just how important it is that he not only make his case, but that he win it, for the sake of the Galatian Christians.  He has to garner their attention.  He must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, convince the Galatians of the false nature of the Judaizers' teaching.  He must also convince them of the true spiritual nature of the Christian walk. 

He begins his introduction concerning what should be the genuine spiritual reality for the Galatian Christians...as well as for all Christians.  It has to do with the Holy Spirit sent to them when they believed and were converted to Christ.  The reality is that it is the Holy Spirit who helps them to understand spiritual life and living...it is not the law, and it is not their own human reasoning or understanding, either.  In fact, as we will see in the next chapter, the law hinders, squelches believers' understanding of the Spirit...and the leadership of the Spirit Himself.  This runs contrary to the message that the Judaizers have been giving to the Galatians.  They have been proclaiming that true spirituality comes from understanding Christ and the law, but this is not the case, as Paul has already shared.  The regulations that the Judaizers are enforcing are hindering their spiritual walk and the Galatians' walk, as well.  Once again, it is how the Spirit helps to develop our relationship with the Son and the fruit that is born in our lives as the result that is going to make the genuine spiritual difference in our lives (which we will discuss further in chapter five).  Believers are made alive according to what the Spirit is doing in their lives, which is a prominent theme seen in the letter to the Romans, the Corinthian correspondence, and in other places, as well.

The irony that Paul is making "a legal argument" in order to prove the critical importance of spiritual freedom in Christ is not lost on me :-)...and I am certain that it was not lost on him either.  But it is important...and he appeals to Abraham in order to make his case.  Paul stresses that Abraham was justified by his faith, and not law.  Why is this?  It is because Abraham was living according to faith in God before the law even existed.  Paul says that the Gentiles are justified by faith, just as Abraham was justified by faith.  It is a message that never changed...justification was never intended to be through the law, all it could do was be a teacher and a revealer of who people truly were -- sinful people in need of forgiving God (v.19).  The law did not replace the covenant that God made with Abraham...the covenant of promise through Isaac, that all mankind would ultimately be saved through Abraham's Seed.   It pointed toward the Seed, Jesus Christ.  Indeed, justification has been, and is according to faith, and this thought is captured in v.14, "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."  As if this was not enough information to win the argument, Paul goes to their own Scriptures to pull the trump card for his argument.  He appeals to their own law in order to show that justification is by faith and not the law.  Paul quotes from Deuteronomy, Leviticus, as well as Habakkuk in order to make his case.  (Once again, it is important to understand that Paul knew the law better than most, if not all, of these Judaizers. Some of them probably had even sat at Paul's feet to learn about the law at one time.  He likely knew the subject that he was discussing better than anyone, which would have been impressive in its own way). 

Paul concludes his argument by saying that if the law was able to bring life, then justification could have come by means of it.  But, instead, he says that that the law made men prisoners -- there could be no spiritual justification.  And it is no different today.  Christians cannot be justified by keeping law, regulations any more than the Galatian believers.  Our justification is in the same Seed, Jesus Christ, as it was for the early believers.  In fact, holding on to traditions, regulations too tightly makes believers into prisoners just the same as it did them.  The Judaizers were putting the Galatians into a "spiritual prison," and there are church leaders, teachers today that do the very same thing.  Spiritual freedom is a powerful principle...and it is frightening to those who have tasted it, but have not grasped it.  It leads to what I call "spiritual recidivism."  Often when a prisoner leaves prison, he will commit a crime that lands him right back in prison.  This is his comfort zone, or his "law" if you will.  When believers begin to experience...to get a whiff of..."spiritual freedom in Christ," Satan attackes with a mighty, negative spiritual version of "the fear factor," which causes said believers to retreat.  This makes it very difficult for genuine spiritual seekers to get any real understanding in relationship to spiritual freedom.  In fact, many of these people go to other places, that is churches, in order to find it.   It doesn't help that there is usually a tremendous peer pressure that comes from people who are like-minded in their "recidivism," that is if they have ever tasted freedom in the first place. The fear factor is very strong, as anyone who might "think or do something outside of the accepted uniformity standard" is reprimanded for such thinking or behavior.  In short, they are brought right back into prison.  As Paul says, someone has to break the cycle...the model must be broken and thrown away.  We must be able to taste of freedom, or our spiritual growth will be stunted, if it even is able to exist at all.  The Spirit of God sets us free, but we must be willing to trust by faith to live according to His guidance in order to break out of the prison of self-righteousness, regulation.

Blessings, Don

Living and Ministering from Victory

Friends,

Much of 2 Corinthians unfolds like a drama, because much of what Paul was dealing with in his ministry was quite dramatic.  In 2:12-17, Titus is sent to Corinth with a “severe letter” from Paul.  Paul is in Ephesus (Acts 19:22b) after a brief, painful visit to Corinth -- these are not happy times.  Paul then leaves Ephesus for Troas...in all likelihood because of the Demetrius riot (Acts 19:23-20:1).  He already has been planning to leave Ephesus because he wants to meet Titus in Troas.  There are supposed to be great opportunities for ministry in Troas…"open doors" from the Lord, as it says.  In the big picture, the evangelistic work should proceed for some months in Troas.  Paul figures that he will be joined by Titus before long, but as the months pass with no news from Titus (he couldn’t get to his e-mail or Facebook, apparently :-), Paul has no peace.  He may have open doors, but no peace in his heart to walk through them.  Because of his concern for Titus and the difficulties involved, Paul is under great stress, particularly because of his inability to move the gospel forward there.  Paul trusts in the Lord in all that he is doing, so he decides to go to Macedonia where he hopes to meet Titus.  Yet, once again, Paul is forced to change his plans.  Even though he leaves unfinished work, he has faith that he is keeping integrity in doing the right thing (see Romans 8:28).  He is finally able to have a happy reunion with Titus in Macedonia.  Paul also receives encouraging news from Corinth, which brings him relief (7:5-16).

The good news is that the Corinthians respond favorably (at first) to his “severe letter.”  Paul sees it as a vindication of his apostleship as grace is working...literally "triumphing"...in the hearts of the Corinthian believers.  He shares a “triumph” metaphor (v.14)…which would not be unlike Jesus’ triumphal entry or a parade of Roman soldiers with the emperor after victory in battle.  Roman priests would carry burning incense to pay tribute to the victorious army.  The incense would affect people differently.  To the soldiers…it represented life and victory, but to the conquered enemy…it meant defeat and death.  Continuing with the image of incense, Paul pictures Christian ministry.  He sees believers as giving forth the fragrance of Christ in their lives…or as one of my professors shared one time, “We are to be smelly Christians.”  Well, you get the point.  Christian life and ministry affects people in different ways...for some it is a blessing, while for others it is a curse.  In this, the way that we live and work...our aroma...may very well mean life or death to those who need Christ.  Paul, the apostles…all Christians…benefit in Christ’s victory (Romans 8:37).  We are able to live and work from victory, rather than to victory...and this perspective is significant in our struggle to live the abundant life for Jesus. 

Paul concludes his message here to the Corinthians by saying that his motive is sincere and his heart is pure in his preaching and teaching.  He feels it is necessary to defend his apostleship, because he is continually being put on the defensive by false believers.  There are Jewish Christians who are burdening him, as well as innocent believers, with the need to keep regulations and traditions that hinder a relationship with Jesus.  He is willing to tell the Corinthians (and others...including us) of the unhindered life-giving remedy for sin, and they must do the same.  They can no longer take things for granted, but be purposeful in their pursuit of spiritual living.  As Jesus would say, we need to keep our “saltiness.”  We need to be a positive influence on those around us.  Our living for Christ propels our spiritual opportunity for growth, so we must be purposeful in how we live…our priorities must be in the right place.

Steve Smith shares this -- There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground.  It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root.  After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none.  After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress. Four more weeks came and gone.  The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow.  Many years later, the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree.  So many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now.  But, spiritual training requires hard work and patience...as anything worthwhile does.  I had a conversation with a young person this week.  She was frustrated because God was not giving her what she wanted.  I do understand that feeling, and I am certain that you do as well.  We tend to want things in our time and according to our way...we allow our self, struggles, and sin to get in the way of our growth.  In our impatience, we do not understand that what God has in mind for us is something so much better.  As we grow older we better understand this, but even still, we are not perfect.  We have times where self and impatience want to run us down the wrong road. We need to cultivate a spirit of persistence, patience and endurance as we grow through life.  Paul probably knew this better than anyone…and he had to exercise it, as at perhaps no other time, than when he is dealing with the Corinthian believers.

We need to be purposeful in our living.  It seems like it is easy to get distracted by stress, struggles, and busyness from things that really matter.  It is probably not because we are being purposefully negligent…but, the evil one has ways of "lulling us to sleep", spiritually, even when we think we may be “doing just fine.”  We need to draw strength from the Lord and from each other through studying together, praying together, and fellowshipping together.  It is what helps the body to prosper and grow.  We need to continue “to be salty,” and “to be smelly”…in the right, spiritual manner, of course :-).  Continue to glorify God in your life through recognizing godly principles and practices…claiming, living and speaking victory in the name of the Lord!

Blessings, Don

(*Note...will return to the Galatians series later in the week).

A Fascinating Little Graphic

Friends,

Even though oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface, they are quite shallow in comprarison to the radius of the earth.  The image below (with credit to Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Howard Perlman, USGS) shows what would happen if all of the water on the surface of the Earth, relative to it's depth, was rolled up into a ball.  It would be able to fit easily in relationship to the area of the U.S...amazing. 

Blessings, Don

An Excerpt Concerning Spiritual Freedom (That Is So True)

Friends,

I read an article recently by preacher, author, public speaker and friend, Al Maxey that is a very good summary of why people struggle to exit places where they have been bound spiritually.  I can especially appreciate his final two sentences, as I have experienced the same.

Blessings, Don

Here is the message from "Unchained, but Conflicted" --

"A significant aspect of the ministry of any spiritual leader who is involved in proclaiming freedom in Christ is helping those liberated from the bonds of legalism to learn to feel free. Until the reality of their position penetrates their psyche, their inner man may continue for a time to experience the fears and frustrations associated with their former state. Over the decades of my ministry (which is approaching the four decade mark), I have received countless letters, emails, phone calls and visits from people who, although physically removed from the sectarians who had shackled them spiritually, continued to experience emotional discomfort and even despair. While free in fact, they nevertheless didn't yet feel free. It's like the POW who, after returning to his homeland and family, may still find himself looking continually over his shoulder, reacting negatively to certain sounds or smells, and experiencing random moments of terror. Removing one from a source of tyranny is only half the journey to freedom; removing the sense of tyranny from the one liberated is the other half. In my ministry I actually spend more time on the latter than the former."