Huge God Ministries

Promise Promotes Practice

2011-11-21T16:17:00.004-05:00

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

I was raised thinking that, even though salvation was a free gift, it was something I had to work to keep. And if I didn't obey Jesus, didn't do things right, then I would lose my salvation and go to hell forever. As a teenager, this led to a very insecure view of my standing before God. I would constantly find myself begging God not to cast me away, but to have mercy on me and forgive me. I promised him all the time that next time I would do better. Next time I would try harder. Next time I would obey, if he would just give me the chance.

I didn't believe in eternal security back then. I was always told that people who believed in eternal security (or once-saved-always-saved) made lazy Christians. They would live however they wanted because they couldn't lose their salvation. I've come since to see that believing eternal security in fact promotes the opposite - because God has saved me and will not let me go, I cannot continue living how I want to. The passage above from 1 John is one of such passages that have helped me see how this works.

Our Position Before God
Verse 1 tells us that, as Christians, we are God's children. This is not so for everyone. Only those who have received Christ, who have trusted in Him alone are called children of God (John 1:12). We are children, adopted by the Spirit, who have the right to call God, "Father" (Romans 8:14-17). God has called me his child; through Jesus Christ, He has made me his son.

God's Promise to His Children
Verse 2 points us to the tremendous promise that God has made to us: we will see and be like Christ. When Christ returns in glory, we will become like him. How? John says that it will happen by our seeing him in his glory, we likewise will be transformed. This same idea is what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 3:18 when he says that as we behold his glory, we are being transformed into the same image.

John tells his readers that we will be like him when we see him. This is God's promise to his children: we will be glorified. We will make it to the end. And though we do not know what that will look like, we can know that it is sure for us as believers. Paul tells us that all those who are justified, and therefore saved, will be glorified (Romans 8:30).

How the Promise Affects the Way I Live
This is a tremendous promise, but it's not something that John says so that I will not change. John means for this promise to impact how I live my life. John says that everyone who hopes in this should be changed by it. Now when the Bible speaks of hope, it's not an uncertain thing, like saying "I hope it doesn't rain today." The Bible speaks of hope as a confident expectation. It's something we bank on.

So, what should I do if I expect to be glorified like Christ at his return? John says that since we know that we will be made like him then, we should purify ourselves like him now. Believing in the surety of my salvation in God's hands should encourage me to continue to break free from the sin that seeks to destroy me and to pursue living a life of love towards all.

How Does This Work?
Today, I was tempted to get angry and yell at someone. But in that moment, I recalled these verses, and reminded of these truths, I turned away from anger and responded rather in a more appropriate way. The Spirit reminded me of the promise and moved me to respond with God-honoring practice.

We must strive to keep God's truth before us. When we firmly hold to his promises to us, we will be better equipped to glorify him with our beings.

Christmas in July?

2011-07-19T20:11:00.003-04:00

I'm not a big fan of Christmas. And the idea of celebrating it in July has always struck me as stupid.

But this week, we have been with the Quechua people in the Andes Mountains of Peru. We have set out to teach over 4 days the Life of Christ. That started yesterday when we shared the birth story of Jesus. I couldn't help but think of the irony later. We are, in essence, celebrating Christmas in July. We are celebrating the Word-become-flesh (John 1:14), who came to live our obedience, die our punishment, and redeem some from every tribe (Revelation 5:9), including the Quechua.

I have taught the adults the past two days, and have covered significant events of Christ's birth and life on earth. Tomorrow, we will be explaining the crucifixion and resurrection and what that means. And my heart aches for these people. I pray that God will give them eyes to see and ears to hear. I pray that I will be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus. I pray that they would believe on Christ and be saved.

I celebrate the "Christmas in July" with a heavy heart and a burden for people to turn to Jesus. Pray with me that God will save these people. That he will take the blinders off so that they can see Christ as glorious (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Pray that they will see, know, and believe the Gospel. Pray that by the Holy Spirit they will come to God. Let's make in this July a Christmas worth celebrating!

Going Back to Peru

2011-06-20T16:43:00.006-04:00

Last year, I went with my church to Hauraz, Peru, for a weeklong trip to work with the Quechua people of the Andes mountains. The Quechua people are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Our mission was to share the Good News of the Good Shepherd with them. God moved me deeply for these people. I felt gut-wrenching sorrow for these people and found myself wanting to scream out "Believe in Christ!" I hated to leave, but I rejoice that God is giving me the opportunity to go back.

We are returning to Peru on July 15-24 of this year. Our team will be doing some VBS activities with children in a village, as well as some teaching with the adults as well. Also, we are going to be helping our host family, the Rockwells, with some repairs and work needed around the Center (where they live and work from). We are also planning a conference for pastors, to help them better learn how to shepherd.

God has been incredibly good in providing this opportunity for me again. I look forward to all he will do in and through our team this year. I hope that you will join us on your knees for this trip. Here's how you can pray for us:

UNITY - There will be 12 people going on this trip, from teenagers to senior saints. There will be planning issues, personality differences, and various other trials that will test our strength. Pray that God would cause us to love one another so that we will demonstrate Christ well to the Quechua people (see John 13:34-35)

SALVATION - The Quechua need to believe in Jesus, and so be saved. Pray that the Quechua will be thirsty and look to Christ for drink (John 7:37). Pray that the Holy Spirit would cause many of them to be born again (John 3:3-8).

PROVISION - The cost of this trip will be about $2100 for each person. This money is coming entirely from donations. Pray that God will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

If God is leading you to give, you can make checks payable to WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. For the memo line, write Peru: Charles R. Higham. Checks can be mailed to 230 Alice Dr., Sumter, SC 29150. No gift is too small to give.

Thank you in advance or your partnership with us as we seek to take the gospel to the Quechua!

God Meant It For Good: Celebrating My Spiritual Birthday

2011-06-18T09:02:00.005-04:00

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

Today, June 18, I turn 15 years old in Christ. And looking back over my life, though it hasn't all been pleasant, God has been in it, working for my good and his glory. So I thought it would be fitting today to share some of God's working in my life. I pray that you would be encouraged by my story and that you would celebrate God's gift of salvation with me on this important day.

Genesis 50:20 is a verse that has taken me years to understand. In fact, I still don't grasp it in all of its fullness. But God has graciously shown me that I am where I am today in spite of the evil done to me because of his good intentions amidst the evil.

You Meant Evil Against Me
This is probably one of the hardest blog posts to write. In fact, I have been struggling with writing it for months. But I feel my story needs to be told for two reasons. First, so that others who may be in the same place may be able to see God's grace in the midst of it. And second, because it's a reminder to me how God has been faithful despite everything that has happened. What I'm writing here is something that few who know me actually know. I will not recount my whole life story, but rather focus on one thing: a great evil done to me.

From the ages of 11-16, I was sexually abused. I will not name my perpetrator here, nor will I give much detail. It took me years to understand that what was happening was indeed abuse. And I didn't tell anyone until several years later.

The time of being abused was very difficult for me. I felt ashamed. Guilty. Like I had done something wrong. I was confused. Devasted. It left me without a sense of who I was, and I came to doubt that God cared for me or could even love me. I became bitter and depressed, lashing out in anger often. When I was 13, I was near suicidal, contemplating whether or not I should continue to try in life. I hated everything. I had reached the end of myself, but had nowhere to turn.

But God Meant It For Good
God had great mercy on me during this time. He set it up so that I would go to church camp the week of June 17-21, 1996. That Tuesday night, June 18, I realized that I needed God's forgiveness and that Christ died so that I could be saved. I also realized that my life was a mess and that Jesus looked better to me than the ways I had been managing. I asked Jesus into my life, and for the first time I realized that God did in fact love me.

There was a dramatic change in my life. I was lashing out less and less in anger. I started doing well in school. While depression remained, I didn't see suicide as an option. Instead, I saw more and more that God was walking with me through the pain and confusion I was dealing with. He was leading me to where he wanted me to be.

The abuse still continued for a few more years, as did the guilt, the shame, and the silence. I am having to learn what forgiveness is and how to go about it. I still struggle with identity and my sense of self. Some of the painful effects remain to this day. But I no longer face it alone. I may not know who I am, but I know whose I am, and that makes all the difference. I am a child of God. And the truth that he speaks over me is more important than the lies of a thousand evils done against me. I am learning to trust my heavenly Father as he leads me into all the good that he planned from the start.

I may be 28 years old, but today, I am 15 in Christ. He saved me, gave me new life, and made me his own child by the blood of his Son Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. Praise God for his good work in me!

Be a Gospel-Spreader, Not a Date-Setter

2011-05-21T10:32:00.004-04:00

I must confess that I used to be obsessed with the "end times." I looked for all the signs and kept "watching the sky," as it were. Heck, God used a message about the end times to bring me to himself. So it doesn't surprise me when I see people trying to figure out and even predict the timing for Jesus' return. I can relate somewhat, because I used to be in the same camp.

As the years have gone by, though, I've become less obsessed with when Jesus will come back and more concerned with the question: "What do I do while I'm waiting?"

The disciples, too, wanted to know when the end would come, even after Christ rose from the dead. Jesus' words to them are a good reminder to us today, especially for those who are crazed with figuring out when Jesus will come back.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Jesus said it's not our business to know or figure out when the end will come. We have a much greater responsibility than figuring out when, or even how, the end will happen. We are to be witnesses for Christ now.

In Christ, I Am

2011-03-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a list of our identity in Christ. It's who we are now. Oh how much do we need to remind ourselves everyday! This list is not exhaustive, but it's a good foundation for understanding our true selves. Any you want to add?

The branch (John 15:5)
Forgiven (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7)
Justified (Rom 3:24)
Redeemed (Rom 3:24; Eph 1:4, 7)
Dead to sin (Rom 6:11)
Alive to God (Rom 6:11)
Not condemned (Rom 8:1)
Set free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2)
Sanctified (1 Cor 1:2)
Made alive (1 Cor 1:22)
A new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
Reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:21-22)
Becoming the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21)
Free (Gal 2:4)
A son of God (John 1:12;Gal 3:26)
One with other believers (Gal 3:28)
A saint (Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2)
Faithful (Eph 1:1, Col 1:2)
Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)
Chosen (Eph 1:4)
An heir (Eph 1:11)
Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
Created for good works (Eph 2:10)
Being built with others into a dwelling place for God (Eph 2:22)
Filled (Col 2:10)

I'm No Superman...Or Am I?

2011-01-29T08:00:00.004-05:00

Last week, I asked my friends and followers if boys ever grew out of the desire to have superpowers. The response was that no, we don't, which made me feel a lot better.

I find myself asking what it would be like to have Spider-man's powers. Or to have Jedi powers (or Sith powers - admit it: you want to shoot lighting out of your fingers and be able to force choke, too!). Or to have Superman's powers. Invulnerability. Heat vision. Super-speed. Flight. Perfect hair. And don't forget X-ray vision...

Sadly, I've never had superpowers, and likely I never will. But since I've never had and never will have superpowers, does that mean that I'm no superman? That I'm just a regular guy, destined to lead a regular life and just do regular things until I join regular people in the ground? NO!!!

We Are Not Powerless
Just because you can't fly or shoot webs or heal yourself from anything doesn't mean you don't have power. Think about Superman for a moment. Where does his power come from? He is fueled and strengthened by the yellow sun. Any other sun will not do.

Likewise, we have power given to us from outside of us: from God's Son. Listen to the apostle Paul as he describes people caught up in all the suffering and trouble that life can present: "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

It doesn't matter what life throws at us: famine, danger, persecution, cancer, death, disease. We are super-conquerors in Jesus. These things may hurt us, but they cannot and will not destroy us. Why? Because Christ has loved us and given himself up for us (Galatians 2:20). God himself has loved us, and there is no power in heaven, on earth, or even in Hell that can break the love he has for his children in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

How do we go on in the darkest and most difficult times in life? Is it by making peace with ourselves? By looking at the 'positive side' of things? By 'getting over it' and just being tough? No. None of these things will provide us with the hope we need to stand in our faith. Only knowing that God our Father and Jesus Christ are totally for us helps us in those times.

So, in the words of a song by Broken Walls: "Rise Up, Mighty Warrior." Your Christ has loved you and made you strong to stand amidst life's greatest trials!

The Challenge of Knowing God's Not Done With You

2011-01-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ~Paul, Philippians 1:6

Isn't it funny how you can know a verse for so long and yet still see something new in it? Last week, I wrote about the comfort of knowing that God's not done yet. This week, I want to issue a challenge from the same verse.

Have you ever had moments in your life, where you think things are going pretty good? Your bills are paid; your relationships all seem to be going well. It seems like all is right with the world. Or at least right enough. You're comfortable. There's nothing pressing on you to move forward, and no great challenge to drive you towards God.

Times like this are harder for us than in moments of crisis when you know that God is your only hope. In difficulty, it's easy to see who our source is, whose help we need. But in the "safe" times, we are tempted to forget about God. We become casual about him and don't really see our deep need for him. So for times like this, Philippians 1:6 is a challenge.

Remember, "GOD'S NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" I need to hear this as much in the good times - if not more - as I do in the hard times. Remember the goal of our salvation is that we be like Christ! And God is committed to making it happen.

So when things in your life are easy and seem to be going good, don't abandon your only hope. Don't let the gentle rocking of comfort lull you to sleep. SEEK GOD! Continue to pray! Continue to read the Word! Continue to go to church. Don't assume you have arrived at where you are supposed to be with God. Notice the timing of God's completed work in you: "AT THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS."

We will not be where God wants us to be until Christ returns. So let him keep working in you and keep pressing on towards becoming more like Christ. Don't settle for "good" when God's desire for you is "great!"

How do you press on in the easy times to maintain your relationship with God? How do you press on towards Christ-likeness even when you think you're doing pretty good?

The Comfort of Knowing God's Not Done with You

2011-01-15T10:22:00.004-05:00

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ ~Paul, Philippians 1:6

Ever have those moments in your life when you feel broken? You see your own sinfulness and you get discouraged. You look at you life circumstances and despair. You feel hopeless and wonder if things will ever change. I have. I still do sometimes.

When I was in college, I struggled with depression and hopelessness. I thought that I would never change. I wondered often if God was there, if he cared about my hurts and troubles. At times, I wondered if I was even saved.

It was no accident that one day in chapel our speaker spoke on Philippians 1:6. His point was simple: "God's not finished with you yet." Since then, that's been one of my favorite verses of Scripture. I think of it often. I've memorized it and, in those times when I am feeling down, will quote it to myself. In essence, I am preaching to myself to not despair, but to have hope in the God who has worked, is working, and will not stop working.

He Began It
A few weeks ago, I posted about how God is committed to our good. In it, I spoke of how God has planned for us to become like Christ. He knows our sin. He knows our inability. And he sent his Son to die for us. He caused us to become Christians.

The work that is happening in us is wholly owing to God, not to ourselves.

He Will Finish It
God does not abandon his work. He didn't stop creating after day 2. He didn't only half-raise Jesus from the dead. He didn't stop giving us his love or his Spirit. And he won't abandon us either. God ALWAYS finishes what he started.

How does God's promise to you give you the strength to keep on going even when you feel like giving up?

A Christmas Prayer

2010-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

May this season to you bring
The love of Christ our King,
Who came to give his life,
For us the perfect sacrifice.
Who came to show us the way
And for our sins to pay,
That we would believe and never die,
But instead have eternal life.

May his love your heart fill
And may you know his perfect will,
That he would be your treasure,
And you find in him your pleasure.
May you each day love him more,
And share that love with the world.
May he guard you by his grace
Until at last you see his face.

May he be the one great reason
For your life, and not just the season.

God's Invincible Commitment to Your Good: Thoughts on Romans 8:28-39

2010-12-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Last week, we looked at how God takes us, spiritually dead and rebellious as we are, and gives us new life and desire for obedience in Christ. To close out these Advent thoughts, I'd like to call your attention to why God saves us so. What's the point of being a Christian? Is it so we won't go to hell and instead be with God in heaven forever? Or does God have a bigger plan in saving us?

The Goal of God's Saving Us

We find the answer in Romans 8:29. There, Paul says that we are "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." Ephesians 1:4 puts it this way: God "chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." God, from before tiem began, set out to save a people and make them like Christ. He wants us to have Christ's attitude as our own (Philippians 2:5) and to love one another (John 13:34-35).

That's the goal of our salvation - to be like Christ. And God is absolutely committed to seeing this happen. Consider Romans 8:29-30: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Notice the progression here:

the foreknown are predestined to Christ-likeness,
the predestined are called,
the called are justified,
the justified are glorified.

The process of salvation begins with God's foreknowing and ends with God glorifying. And, from this passage, we see that nobody is lost along the way. God is irrevocably committed to conforming his own to Christ-likeness. In fact, the rest of the chapter builds on this assurance:

God is on our side, so nothing can stand against us (Rom 8:31)
God gave us the best he had-his own son. Surely he will give us everything else we need (Rom 8:32)
God has declared us righteous, so no one can accuse us (Rom 8:33)
Jesus dies, rose, ascended to heaven, and intercedes for us, so there are none left to condemn (Rom 8:34)
In the face of hard times and even death, we are super-conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:35-37)
Nothing in all of creation can separate us from God's invincible love (Rom 8:38-39)

God wants us to have an unshakable confidence in him, that he will indeed see us through all of the difficulties that we may face in this life. Things may hurt us, but they cannot destroy us. We cannot be cut off from our God who has adopted us as his own children. We can be confident that "that he who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6)

God's Commitment to YOUR Good

All of this assurance stands underneath the promise of Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

If you are a true Christian, this is God's promise to you. If you have, by faith, trusted in Christ alone to be set free from your sin and to be your Lord, God is irrevocably and invincibly committed to bring everything in your life out for good. It may not feel like it in the moments of intense pain and suffering, but God is fulfilling his desire to make you like Christ. And God cannot, does not, and will not fail in his mission.

So keep fighting. Fight sin that remains in your life. Fight the desire to lead a "comfortable" life. Fight the depression on the insanity that threatens to undo you. Fight the influences of the world that want to shut you up and shut you down. Fight, because the invincible God is on your side!

Rescued or Resurrected? Thoughts on God’s Great Salvation

2010-12-11T08:00:00.014-05:00

This is post #2 in this series. To see the first post, click her e.

Last week, we saw from Ephesians 2:1-5 that we are dead in sin and unwanting of rescue. We do not, in our natural state, see any possible need for God or the salvation that he provides. Romans 8:7-8 adds more bleakness to the picture:

Our natural mind (lit. “mind of the flesh”) is hostile to God
It does not submit to God’s lawIt CANNOT submit to God’s law
Natural people CANNOT please God.

Jeremiah 17:9 adds “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Our hearts are beyond sick and diseased. Our minds are hostile to God. We cannot, by anything we do, please him.

But we also saw last week that God, though he has no reason to, loves us and will make us alive with Christ. This week, I want to look at how he does that. God tells us how this happens in the Old Testament, primarily in Ezekiel 36:26-28 and Jeremiah 31:33. These passages are part of what is called the New Covenant. God says that he will:

Remove the heart of stone (Ez 36:26)
Give us a new heart of flesh and a new spirit (Ez 36:26)
Put his Spirit in us (Ez 36:27)
Put his Law in us and write his Law on our hearts (Jer 31:33)
Cause us to walk in his ways and obey his rules (Ez 36:27)
Be our God (Ez 36:28; Jer 31:33)
Make us his people (Ez 36:28; Jer 31:33)

When we were flat-lined, he removed our old, dead heart and gave us a heart of flesh. When we were more interested in our own desires, he put his Spirit in us and wrote his law on our hearts. When we were children of wrath, he made us his own children. When all we wanted to do and could do was disobey, he caused us to become obedient to him. The New Testament refers to this act in several ways:

Jesus calls it being born again (John 3:3, 3:5, 3:7)
Luke tells us that God “opened [Lydia’s] heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14)
Paul says that God “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5)
He also says that God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6)

How Does God Do This?
How is God able to give us a new heart, to make us born again, to be able to walk in his ways? Listen to Jesus’ own words: “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). Jesus, when he died, bought this new covenant for us. With his own life he bought our new hearts. He bought the indwelling of the Spirit. He bought us to belong to God, that we could call him our own. Jesus’ death bought these things for us, God’s people.

So as we look forward to Christmas’ coming, remember that Jesus’ birth is not the main event. That he was born to die is. And, most importantly, he was born to die to purchase our salvation. Not just to make it possible, but to give us what we needed to be saved.

Drowning or Drowned? Thoughts on Our Condition as Sinners

2010-12-04T08:00:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the prolonged absence from the blogosphere. It's been a while I know, but I've had some stuff that's been needing to be dealt with. Nevertheless, I'm back in time for Christmas!

I heard a commercial on a Christian radio station the other day that said we are all “drowning in our sin.” A drowning person is fighting for his life. He is fighting to get out of the waters that are trying to choke him. He is in need of help. He needs a rescuer. It sounds good enough, right? But is it a biblical picture of us in our sin? While it’s true that we need a rescuer, is it true that we are really fighting for our lives to get out of our sin and merely need someone to assist us in our desire to escape?

The Bible paints no such picture of us in our sin. The picture is much more hopeless than that. Consider the following observations from Ephesians 2:1-5:

We were dead in our sins (vs. 1, 5)
We followed the course of this world (v. 2)
We followed “the prince of the power of the air” – namely, Satan (v. 2)
We lived in the passion of our flesh (v. 3)
We were by nature children of wrath (v. 3)

We are not drowning; we are DROWNED. We do not want out of our sin; we WANT it. We’re not trying to escape anything; we FOLLOW SIN deeper. We don’t want a rescue; we need a RESURRECTION. Our condition as sinners is so hopeless that we, left to ourselves, only deserve God’s wrath, and justly that’s all that we should receive.

But in spite of this hopeless condition of our souls, look at what God does:

Instead of giving us his just wrath, he shows mercy (v. 4)
Rather than let us face his righteous anger, he loves us with a great love (v. 4)
Rather than leave us dead in our sin, he makes us alive (v. 5)

The source of all the good things that God does for the sinful man is this: Christ. As we celebrate CHRISTmas, the focus of our holiday should be not on the gifts we receive, the family we see, or the twinkling of lights on trees, houses, etc. Our focus should be on Christ, who is a great Savior. But we will not see how great a Savior he is unless we see how bad off we are without him. If we were merely drowning, there are many who could save. But who can save a dead man? Only Christ. And that is ample reason to celebrate this season.

How do you understand your condition as a sinner, and how does that lead you to see Jesus? How would you explain it to someone who does not believe the gospel?

What Christians in America Must Never Forget

2010-09-11T09:15:00.007-04:00

*Sorry for the couple of weeks of silence. I've been particularly distracted lately with some stuff going on in my life. I hope to bring you more posts on a regular basis again.

It's hard to believe that nine years have passed since that one Tuesday morning. I was wearing blue jeans and a light gray USA T-shirt, and I was walking from my Biblical interpretation class to my math class when a friend said, "Hey, you gotta go check out the TV." It was about 9:20 when I got into the student center and saw the WTC in flames.

The responses that followed were understandable. Fear. Anger. Sadness. The whole experience seemed so surreal at the time I wondered if I was watching the news or some new Hollywood blockbuster.

Nine years later that day is still permanently etched in American minds, as it should be. It was a day to not forget. Many lives were cut short. A lot of senseless destruction happened. But for Christians, it was the start of an opportunity. An opportunity I feel we may have mostly missed.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Look at the picture below and honestly answer what you see.
So what do you see? A murderer? A coward? A terrorist? A Muslim? An enemy of America? An enemy of freedom? The image of God?

Wait...what? The "image of God" in this man who killed thousands? Preposterous isn't it? But he is not a terrorist first. He is first a human being, and human beings were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). And even though we have now sinned, that image still remains (James 3:9). Osama bin Laden is still God's image bearer, along with all terrorists, all Muslims, and all people on the face of the earth.

"But just look at what he did to us!" you might object. "He's senselessly hurt and murdered people! He's a poor representation of God! He's an enemy of our country!"

OK, that's true. He's declared himself an enemy of our country and misrepresented the one true God. So, my question to you, Christian, is how are we to be the image of God before our enemies? Let's look at the words of Jesus, our example of what it means to bear God's image:

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)

We, as Christians, cannot demonize Osama bin Laden, his followers, nor any Muslim person that God has created. Instead, we MUST love them and show them what it truly means to follow the one true God! They will never consider our Christ if all we do is vehemently oppose what they do or burn their holy books. The true Christian responds to his or her enemies with Christ-like love, regardless of the wrong done to them.

So How Shall We Love Muslims?
What does this look like in our lives? How do we show love to Muslims, especially to those who have attacked our country? I'd like to offer the following suggestions:

Remember God's goodness to you.

The best way to learn to love our enemies is to see how God loves his. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Before we met Christ, we were "hostile to God" and completely unable to please him (Romans 8:7-8). Because of our sin, we were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). We were under the just wrath of a holy God (Romans 1:18; John 3:36). If God treated us as his enemies, as we all rightly are before Christ, we would all, at this very moment, be suffering under his wrath in Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

But God did not leave us so. He sent Christ to die our death (Romans 3:21-26) so that we could be called righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). He saved us by grace so that we could live the way that he wants us to live - in doing good for others (Ephesians 2:8-10). So the first step in loving others - especially our enemies - is to see God's love and care for his enemies, and then to seek, by his help, to emulate that before others.

Remember your true citizenship.

A lot of the resentment that we as Americans feel towards our attackers is based on our national identity. So to overcome that, we must remember that our citizenship is not to America primarily. When writing to the patriotic Philippians (who prided themselves in their allegiance to and representation of Rome), Paul reminds them that their "citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). Earlier in the letter, he tells them that they must live as responsible citizens of their real kingdom and the gospel that it represents (1:27).

In light of these verses, I have stopped referring to myself as an American Christian. I am first and foremost a Christian, with all the benefits and responsibilities that come with it. So I have adopted the phrase "Christian who lives in America."

Forgive those who have attacked us.

Unforgiveness and bitterness are paralyzing. We will never move forward in Christ-likeness while holding people's mistakes and wrongs over their heads. One thing I don't think I have heard in churches since 9/11 is that we must forgive those who attacked us. If we are not the kind of people who forgive others - even the worst offenders - then we cannot begin to think of ourselves as forgiven (see Matthew 6:14-15). God's kindness towards us must produce our kindness towards others, or else it has had no effect at all.

Pray for Muslims.

A lot of talk among Christians in America seems to refer to Muslims collectively as the enemy. Personally, I don't agree with this, but even if they are the enemy, how are we to respond? Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us. We need to be praying for Muslims everywhere. We need to ask God to send workers to them so that the harvest of saved souls will be brought in (Matthew 9:36-38). We need to pray that God would open their eyes to the light of the gospel so that they will turn to Jesus and be saved (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). We have to be on our knees and pray for Muslims constantly. We have to seek God's heart for them and pray for him to make it our own.

Remember your calling.

Jesus' final charge to his disciples was to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). How do we do this? By going to where the people are. I don't believe that we will get very far in making disciples unless we are intentional about it. This doesn't mean that you have to go into another country or far off land (though that is necessary!), but rather that you, as Christ did, seek out the lost (see Luke 19:10). Our calling is to be active disciple makers. And so we must set our minds into action mode - a mode where we seek to take every opportunity to reach out with the love of Christ. This brings us to my last point.

Befriend Muslims.

One of the saddest things I've seen with Christians in America is that their view of Islam comes from either Fox News or CNN or the likes. All that they know about Islam is what they've heard from some other source. So let me ask you: Do you have Muslim friends? If not, why not?

We need to actively seek to get to know Muslim people. To listen to them. To understand them. To ask them questions about their faith. To have them over for dinner (but, please, don't serve pork!). We need to seek to be in their lives and to be there for them when they are hurting, broken, or confused. We have to actively engage in their lives, all the while prayerfully seeking for God to grant us the opportunity to share his life-giving message with them.

If you have read this far, thank you for sticking with this post! Don't forget amidst all the prayers offered today to lift up Osama bin Laden and Al-Quaeda. Pray that God would carry the gospel to them too!
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What has God most spoken to you about from this post? What are you going to do about it?

The Best News in the World - Bracelet Edition

2010-08-22T14:44:00.004-04:00

As Christians, we have the best news in the universe. But do we present it as it is meant to be presented?

While we were in Peru, we made a craft with the villagers often referred to as a "Gospel Bracelet." I would then get up and, using the bracelet, explain God's great news for all humanity. This week, I'd like to share with you how I shared the message with them.
YELLOW - GOD
God is our creator, our maker (Acts 17:22-31). As our maker, he has the right to command how we should live. And he expects us all to live according to his way.

Also, our Creator loves us and wants to be a Father to us. He wants us to know him and be with him.

But to be with him and to know him, we must live by the rules that he set forth, which are perfectly summarized by Jesus in this way: "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31).

Basically, God expects us to love him more than anything else in the world, and he expects us to love others and always do what's best for them and serve them.

BLACK - SIN
Sin is not living up to God's standards. Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned." Every person on the planet has not lived by God's standard of life. We have not loved him more than anything, and we have failed to love each other with selfless service.

By not living God's way, we have earned his punishment. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God must cast us "away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" where we "will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This is called Hell, and it is not a pleasant place to be.

Yes, God loves us and wants us to be with him, but he also must punish sin. He is holy and cannot stand sin (see Habakkuk 1:13). He must punish wrongdoing if he is to remain righteous. We cannot fix the wrong we have done. Going to church and doing good things cannot save us from the punishment.

RED - CHRIST
God is the only one who can deal with the problem of our sin. And he sent Jesus Christ as the solution.

Jesus came into the world and lived the way God wanted him to - he did not sin. Because he lived a perfect life, he could die in our place and pay for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). After dying for our sins, he rose back to life (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Because Jesus died for our sins, he is now the bridge to God (1 Peter 3:18). He is the only way that we can get back to God.

WHITE - CLEANSING
John 3:36 tells us that if we believe Christ for salvation, then we will receive eternal life. God will forgive our sins and make us "white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18).

What does it mean to believe? It means to turn away from everything that we have done wrong and everything we have tried to do right and to not trust in that to save us. It means to trust in Jesus and Jesus ONLY for forgiveness and salvation from the penalty of our sins. It means to trust who he is and what he has done as our only hope. It means to receive him as Savior and Lord of our lives.

When we do this, God says that we will "become children of God" (John 1:12). He calls us his children, and he becomes our Father. He will not cast us to Hell for our sins and will instead let us be with him in Heaven after we die.

GREEN - NEW LIFE
Because of what God has done for us, we do not stay the same. We begin to grow and become like he intended us to be. We learn to love God as we should through reading the Bible, through prayer, through obeying his commands, and through worshiping with other believers. We also learn to love others and serve them through good deeds and through telling others about Jesus.

HAVE YOU BELIEVED THIS MESSAGE? WILL YOU? WHY OR WHY NOT? HOW CAN YOU SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW THIS WEEK?

The Greatest Obstacle to Missions

2010-08-17T17:14:00.000-04:00

President's chapels were always one of my favorites at Columbia International University. Our president at the time, Dr. Murray (mentioned in the last post) spoke with passion and conviction, always challenging us to share our faith or be involved with missions or live godly lives.

And that week's title (the same as the title of this blog) sparked much curiosity and discussion as to what he would say. My friends and I would joke that he was going to just say "YOU! YOU are the greatest obstacle to missions! Now GO!" I'm sure if he had, he would have still done it in a fair and biblical way that would have been convicting.

But that's not what he said at all. In fact, he led us to a rather unlikely passage, a passage that until that day I hadn't connected with missions, nor seen as an obstacle to it. He took us to Matthew 9:36-38:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Get Involved In Missions
Prayerlessness is the greatest obstacle to missions. So in this final post I just want to leave you with a simple challenge: Get involved. If you are already involved, great. If not, take the first step to becoming a "world Christian" by starting small: prayer.

Start praying for the nations. Start praying for missionaries. Start praying for God to raise up missionaries to go and work his harvest field. Just start praying. Prayer is a powerful gift of God that unleashes his purposes on the earth.

Disclaimer
Prayer is a dangerous thing. You may find, as I did, that when you begin to pray for peoples who don't have the gospel, God might do something strange. He may call you to go (see Matthew 10, immediately following Jesus' call to prayer).

Resources
I would like to give you a couple of resources that will help you begin your journey of prayer for the nations:
Operation World - an annual prayer guide that walks you through the world, giving stats and prayer requests for every political nation in the world. A good guide available online or in print.
Joshua Project - daily prayer focused for unreached people groups. Great site with great info on the work left undone.
Also, your church may have prayer guides/letters for missionaries they support.

However you do it, just be sure that you pray that the task would be accomplished, that God's glory would be revealed among the nations.

How do you pray for missions? Are there other resources you know of that will help others pray for the nations?

The Best Birthday Ever

2010-08-05T21:17:00.003-04:00

Today was our final day of ministry with the Rockwells among the Quechua of Peru. It has been an intense week physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Along with it being our last day, it was also my birthday.

We went to a national park this morning, where Danial partook of as many climbing activities as possible, including his desire to scale mid-way up the canyon walls (he did not do this though). We had a picnic lunch in a windy, glorious canyon that brought huge refreshing to my soul. I still don't get how anyone can look at something like this and say there's no God. After lunch, we went to our final village of the week.

Everything went normally, except that we had a group of adults that were sitting across from the children who also made gospel bracelets. I explained the meaning of the beads as Larry translated into Quechua. Afterwards, some more dialogue went on, and I stood by and prayed that God would open these people's eyes. One of our drivers, who's a believer, shared his testimony and further challenged these adults to trust in Christ alone. Larry told me after we had prayed that it was a very good thing, and that God was doing great things. As we were sharing the gospel, it seemed that several of the ladies were being pricked to the heart. I don't know yet what the final outcome was, but I could tell that the Holy Spirit was moving on them.

The Quechua people are a people without the hope of the gospel. They are without Christ and cut off from the God who created the world in which they live. As we were driving down the mountain back to the center here, I could hardly keep from crying. My heart breaks as I consider these people - and all of those who don't have Christ. And as my heart breaks for them and my desire to see them saved grows, the only cry of my heart is "Here am I! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8). Please pray for me as God leads me to wherever he would have me spread the glory of his name!

Day 3 with the Quechua

2010-08-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Sorry for last night's silence; the internet wasn't working here.

Yesterday went well - we went to one village in the afternoon and did our VBS program. There were over 20 children there, and we made the gospel bracelets and I explained the gospel to them. Larry and I had some good conversation about the Quechua and what they believe, and I found it interesting that they don't really have a concept of life after death. Coming down the mountain, as we drove by soem of the people, I found my heart breaking for them, for their hopeless situation, and for their need to know Christ, the greatest treasure and hope-giver in the universe.

It sounds like the missions bug may be biting another member of our team...Danial has expressed great interest in coming back and possibly making it longer term. Praise God for his work!

Today will be our last day with the Rockwells, as we take an overnight bus back to Lima. I will hopefully get in a final post before we leave, but if not, I will give a final update on returning to the States.

Please pray for us, that we would be faithful to finish the work that God has for us here. Pray for traveling mercies tonight and that we would all be able to rest. We will be touring Lima a little tomorrow and then taking an overnight flight back to the States. So pray that God would protect us and more importantly that he would give us a chance to lift up his name!

Harvesting Wheat and Planting Seeds of the Gospel

2010-08-03T22:29:00.004-04:00

We helped harvest wheat today. That's something I never thought I'd be doing. We hauled wheat from two fields to a threshing area which seemed like a pretty good hike, given the geography - including wheat on some pretty steep slopes. It was a grand experience to see life in a simpler time. The Quechua are not accustomed to machines that do the work or make it easier. No, everything is done by hand. We all thought of the story of Ruth and how the people then were to leave some behind for strangers. It helps the story to come alive a little more to do firsthand what they were doing back then. Our labors have created in-roads to the village for Larry to be able to follow up on, which no doubt will lead to future opportunities for the gospel.

After that, we went to another village, where we were also granted great success. We played soccer with the locals and then performed our skit about the story of the Prodigal Son to them. Larry gave some explanation for them, as well as reading the Bible story in the Quechua language. We then did our craft, and I was given the opportunity to explain the craft, thus sharing the Gospel. It was an incredible experience to be able to tell the Quechua of a God who created them and tell them how they can be in right relationship with him. More games followed, and as we left the village, Larry told us that they had been invited back to show the villagers a film series on Genesis.

All in all, today was a great day. God is really using our team to enhance the Rockwell's ministry, and he's growing all of us to rely on him more and to be bold with the message of the Gospel.

We have two more days left here, and it's easy to do a couple of things.

One, we can focus on the end in sight and lose sight of the things that God has us here to do. We can easily become distracted by thoughts of sleeping in our own beds or being somewhere that we know the language. In doing so, we will not be so willing to pour ourselves out now while God has us here. So pray that we would not look at coming home and let our own desire for the many comforts we enjoy to distract us from our work.

The other danger, especially after a day that went as well as today, is that we could think we have things down. We can begin to rely on ourselves and our own agenda, and not look to God as the source of the strength that we need to persevere. So pray that we wouldn't get complacent but still look to God to equip us for this good work.

The Best Laid Plans

2010-08-02T23:10:00.003-04:00

I've often said that plans look good on paper. They'll work just as we have foreseen and envisioned them to happen. That is, until you add the human element.

I've learned over the years though that just because plans don't go the way we want them doesn't mean that we have failed. In fact, often God causes us to rely on him instead of our own abilities.

I would say that today was a lesson in reliance. We've planned out how we think the VBS program should go in the Quechua villages. We've divided into teams and each been assigned our roles. We've planned our respective parts so that we can be effective in the ministry that God has us here for.

But today, we did not follow those plans. And it was frustrating at times - at least for me. I've learned to generally go with the flow over the years, and so I was able to cope with the necessary adjustments. But, you see, I had this plan. We were going to come in, engage the kids, share the gospel via translation, and they were supposed to get saved. Whole villages of children were supposed to come to Christ. It was supposed to look a lot like the book of Acts.

God, however, had other plans. One part of his plan was to remind me that, while I am here to help spread the gospel, our ultimate aim is to assist the Rockwells in the ministry that God has for them. And Larry was encouraged by what happened today.

We went to two villages, and we did our craft in each one. The craft was the gospel bracelets with colored beads for each part of the gospel. Gold reminds us of heaven, where God is. Black reminds us of the sin that keeps us from God. Red is Christ's blood shed for us. White is the purity that we have when we believe in Jesus and he takes away our sin. And green reminds us to grow in Christ-likeness. So we were able to share the basics of the gospel message with many children today - and even some of their parents. But more importantly, we've helped Larry and Sandy make connections that they will be able to follow up on and continue to show Christ to.

I am humbled and gladdened by God's change of plans. We have had a very effective day today, in spite of our plans not "working." God's plans are far greater anyway, and he knows better than we what to do.

As we approach tomorrow, I have no idea what to expect. But I will be leaning a little more on God to guide us and equip us to serve the Rockwells as they seek to reach the Quechua of Peru.

Please continue to lift us up. We are daily in need of God's grace to accomplish the good works that HE has for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Two Travel Days and a Day of Rest

2010-08-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

Friday was spent in travel from the States to Lima, Peru. Then, we spent Saturday riding a bus from Lima to Huaraz. We arrived late, tired from the days' travels and hungry. The Rockwells fed us and then sent us to bed.

Today, we attended a Peruvian church, where our team leader Phil spoke on John 13:34-35, charging us to love one another. The Rockwells then treated us to lunch - I had some authentic chicken fajitas.

The weather and the scenery here are fantastic. I hope to post some pictures later.

The afternoon was pretty relaxed. Danial and Phil decided to hike up a mountain, and Taylor and I had the chance to ride up with Larry Rockwell into the village where Larry was hoping to share the gospel with a woman in one of the Quechua villages. We ended up going to someone else's house, where Larry showed a video on creation, read the story of Christ's birth and then read John 3:16-21 from the Quechua New Testament. It was an incredible experience to be a part of, to see firsthand some of Larry's work.

After dinner we met to discuss our team devotional, today's topic focusing on why we are here. It was settled in all our minds that we are here, that the goal of this missions trip and all others, is that God would receive glory from the nations (see Psalm 67:3-5). We then each shared why it was important for us to be on this mission trip. It was a delight to see how God had led the seven of us to come to Huaraz, Peru.

Tomorrow will mark our first day of work. We'll be going up to one of the villages and will have an afternoon VBS. Our craft is making gospel bracelets with colored beads to represent the different parts of the gospel message. We will also be teaching (I'll be covering the Story of the Bible, and Phil will be teaching on Luke 15). we'll also be playing games and performing a skit.

Please pray for us:

that we would be well-rested and healthy. The altitude has affected me and probably to some extent all of us. So far no other health problems have arisen.
that we would be faithful to what God has called us to do. We will be serving people of another culture and will be well outside of our comfort zones. We need to be able to pour ourselves into this work and pour ourselves out to the Quechua people.
that the Lord would bring many to know him. Pray for souls to be saved and lives to be transformed. The gospel is powerful and able to save (Romans 1:16). Pray that by God's Spirit The Quechua will put their trust in Jesus and turn from their idols and spirit-worship to serve the living God (see 1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Thank you for your prayers, and may God use them to bless the Quechua of Peru. Hope to report tomorrow night on how our first day went.

Please Don't Send Me To Africa!

2010-07-24T13:21:00.007-04:00

"I will NEVER be a missionary!"

Or so was my plan. I went to Bible college with the intent on getting a pastoral ministries degree. After that, I would work my way to become the pastor of a church and live a nice, comfortable American life.

People warned me not to tell God what I wouldn't do or he would make me do it. But that's just not true. I spent two years over seas, but not because God made me go. God changed me so that I wanted to go.

When confronted with the prospect of going into missions, many objections come.

"There's so much to do here."

"I'm too established to pack up and move."

"I can't go; I don't know enough."

"It's too dangerous."

And on and on.

While there may be some basis to some of these reasons (namely, work to be done at home), I think people too quickly resort to these reasons not to do missions. I think underneath all of our unwillingness to be involved in missions, there's a common, often unspoken thing: failing to submit to Christ's authority.

Christ's authority is the ground of missions. The Great Commission doesn't begin with "Go and make disciples." It begins when Jesus declares: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18-20). So when we do not participate in the command to "make disciples," in essence we are rebelling against the authority of Christ. We are denying that he has the right to give us commands. We're saying that he can't tell us what to do.

Christ's Authority to Build His Church

I do want to briefly address the objections to the danger/hard work of missions. When we read the Gospels, we see Jesus say, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:18). This is not a possibility. Jesus doesn't say that he might build his Church. No, he says he WILL build his church - no doubt about it. And no persecution, no problems, no disaster, no assault from Hell itself will be able to stop him.

Elsewhere, Jesus says, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:16).

Notice three things:

Jesus has other followers outside of Israel. Who are these "other sheep"? They are the ones that Christ "ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). His other sheep are all of the people who will believe in him and be saved.
Jesus MUST bring them. He will not go on without them. They are his sheep, and he will not be content to let them to be lost.
They WILL listen to him. Sure, there will be some who reject the message. There will be those who hate the Gospel and everything that we stand for. But those that are of Christ's flock will hear the gospel and be saved, even if it doesn't happen immediately.

We need not fear the danger of doing missions. And we shouldn't shy away from the hard work of bringing the gospel to the nations. Why? Because Jesus is in charge and HE WILL NOT FAIL!

So Why Not Go?

When I continually refused to consider going into missions, I was acting arrogantly. Subtly, I was telling the risen King Jesus that he could not tell me what he wanted to have me do. I was refusing to participate in the good works that God had prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Thank God for Dr. George Murray. He spoke in one of my college classes, and his topic was the Lordship of Christ. But he started by analyzing the Great Commission and talking about all the nuances of the Greek and stuff. It was all old news, as I had done some research on it myself. But then he turned back from the Commission and started talking about the Commissioner. He lovingly reminded us that Jesus is the one who has authority over our lives. He pointed out that most people have a life plan that they expect God to sign off on, but that God wants us to sign off on a blank contract, where he can fill in the terms and conditions as he sees fit.

Hopefully, I have challenged you to do the same, to consider Jesus' authority over your life and his right to have you do stuff that is even painful for his name's sake.

Father, give us all hearts that submit to the perfect will of your Son, and may we walk in joyful obedience. Amen.

How does Christ's authority inspire you? How does knowing that his mission will not fail give you the confidence to do hard things, whether serving the poor, sharing your faith, or carrying the gospel to the nations?

The Beauty and Necessity of Missions

2010-07-10T10:40:00.005-04:00

This is post #3 about missions. View my first post and my second post.

Romans 10 contains one of the greatest promises in all of Scripture. Without such a promise, we would all be lost, doomed to a Christless eternity under God's wrath, paying the penalty for our failure to honor and worship God (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Romans 1:18-23). But God was not content to send all of us to hell as we deserve. He gave his own Son to die for our sins so that we could live with him (John 3:16, Romans 3:21-26, Romans 5:8). And he gives us the greatest promise in the world:

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Who is it for? Everyone. No matter where your from, no matter what you've done. If you are a living, breathing human being (and if you are reading this, you are), then this promise is for you.

What's the offer? To be saved. Given eternal life with God rather than eternal punishment as we deserve. To be given new life and set free from the sin that has cut us off from God. To have the God of the universe look at you and, rather than see your imperfection, to call you righteous.

What do you have to do to "cash in"? Call on him. Acknowledge that he is and will be the Lord and Master of your life. That he is your King. Confess Jesus Christ as risen Lord (see Romans 10:9-10).

There is salvation no other way. Only through Jesus do we find salvation and have access to God (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). So by acknowledging Christ as our Lord, we receive salvation. To not call on him, to not make him Lord and King of your heart is to remain condemned.

Calling on Christ as Lord implies belief. Romans 10:14 makes it clear: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?" Belief comes from the heart (Romans 10:9-10) and implies not only mental assent to certain facts, but a commitment to and trust in the one being believed. So to believe in Christ and call on him in a saving way, we must trust him, rely on him, cling to him, and obey him. But he is not a hard Master. In fact he even promises that he is gentle and that his burden is easy and his yoke is light (Matthew 11:29-30).

It's no wonder why we call this message "good news!"

Not Great News

This is not good news to everyone though. "But wait just a minute," you say. "You just said that this promise is for EVERYONE. Therefore it's good news for EVERYONE, right?" Yes. And no.

This good news is for every person on earth. But not every person on earth knows it. So what good is the news if you don't even know about it? Is a miracle cure for cancer good news to the person who hasn't heard of it? Likewise with the gospel. The rest of Romans 10:14 asks, "? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?" You can't trust someone you haven't heard of.

Hearing the Good News

We've seen that it's necessary for people to believe and call upon the Lord to be saved. But how do they hear the message? In fact, as Romans 10:14 closes out: "And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

So here we see the necessity of doing missions. Unless someone goes and takes the gosepl to those who have never heard, they will never believe in Christ. And if they don't believe, they'll never call to him for salvation. There can be no other way for the nations to believe unless people go to them and tell them the good news. Missionaries must go, learn a new language and culture, meet people, preach the gospel, and possibly suffer and die for Christ to take the gospel to the nations.

We are all to be involved in missions in one of two ways: go or send. Goers, as the name implies, go where the gospel is not and take the gospel to people who do not have it. And there are senders - those who pray for and give to and support missionaries. Romans 10:15 makes this relationship clear: "And how are they [goers] to preach unless they are sent [by senders]?"

A Beautiful Calling

Being a missionary is a hard calling. It demands daily dying. It means loss and often suffering on many levels.

Being a missionary is also a necessary calling. Without missionaries, the gospel cannot reach those who do not have it. Without missionaries, the gospel won't spread tot he nations, and the end won't come.

But being a missionary is also (and most importantly) a beautiful calling. Romans 10:15 closes with this exhortation: "As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'" We should all pray to have this beautiful calling and seek possible ways to enter in to it. But if God sees it fit not to call you to go, then rejoice and pray and give as a faithful sender!

What Missions Is All About

2010-06-28T15:03:00.009-04:00

This is Post #2 about missions. See Post #1 here.

Why do we do missions? What is the point of spending years - decades even - laboring to take the gospel to the nations and build a church where there is none?

Missions is not about doing good things for others. It is not about giving peoples things they don't have. It is not about sparing people from hell. It is not about doing what Jesus told us to do. These are all great things, and they are all vital to our missionary efforts. But they are not the end - only a means to an end. So what is missions all about?

It's about worship.

John Piper says it better than anyone I've heard say it (outside of the Bible at least):

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. ~John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad

Missions won't be around forever, but worship will. We see this in the book of Revelation, when missions has ended:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,10 and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" (Revelation 7:9-10)

So when the nations have come, when there some from "all tribes and peoples and langauges" have come, we won't find them doing kind things for others. We don't see them rescuing people from hell. We see them worshiping. This is indeed what we were created to do.

My friend at A Boy and His God summed it up well after he visited Stonehenge:

Mankind was created to worship. What we choose to worship is up to us. Worship like the druids and praise the sun, moon and stars. Worship like the Hindu, a god for every aspect of life. Worship like the entrepreneur and live for money. Worship like the athlete and live for glory. Worship like the atheist, who worships himself.

But we were created to worship our Creator.

Romans 1 tells us that the fundamental sin of the nations (and every person) is the exchange of the "glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (v23). Basically, we are condemned because we worship things other than God. Some people worship a concept of God that is not the true God of the Bible (Romans 1:25). These are all forms of idolatry.

So when we do missions, we are calling people to turn "from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

And when we enter in to true worship of the true God, we find gladness and joy Consider Psalm 67:4-5: "Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equityand guide the nations upon earth.5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;let all the peoples praise you!"

King David sums up the call of missions very well in 1 Chronicles 16:

23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.

The call of missions is a call to worship. It is a call to turn away from worthless idols to the true God and to find delight in him alone. So let's call the nations to eternal gladness in the immortal God!

How do you see worship as the goal of missions? How does worship fuel your desire to do missions? How can you partner with God in bringing the nations to worship him?

What Are You Waiting For?

2010-06-23T17:12:00.014-04:00

Many in the early church were left scratching their heads at why God had yet to establish the kingdom on earth. "Where is the promise of his coming?" some would ask mockingly (2 Peter 3:4). After all, at the time of Peter's writing, over 30 years had passed since Christ ascended to heaven. They couldn't help but wonder, "God, what are you waiting for? Let's get this kingdom thing on!"

Two thousand years later, many do the same thing. We have websites with indexes that help us know when the "signs of the times" are being fulfilled. Occasionally we see street preachers with signs blaring "The End Is Nigh! Repent!" We have songs of people ready to get caught up in the sky with the Lord. And naturally some are asking the same question: "Lord, what are you waiting for?"

Peter's answer then and God's answer to us today: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Peter then goes on to challenge his readers to live "lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God" (2 Peter 3:11-12). He basicall tells them to speed up his coming.

How Do We Hasten His Coming?
Did you know that we do have a direct part in bringing about the end of the world? Peter hints at it by telling us to hasten the day. But Jesus makes it crystal clear when he says: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

This is the work of missions: taking the gospel to the nations. To those who have never heard. To those who are hopeless and without God (Ephesians 2:12). Jesus tells his disciples (and us) "that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations" (Luke 24:47).

The Work of Missions Is Not Done
So if the kingdom's coming on earth hinges on carrying the gospel to the nations, then why hasn't the end come? After all, there are Christians in every country, right? Well, the easy answer is that the work is not done.

The biblical understanding of "nations" is not political and geographical boundaries. In fact, it is better understood as "people groups." Consider also the picture from Revelation 7, where John sees "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" all joined together and praising God (Revelation 7:9-10). Here we see that it is not just political boundaries that God cares about, but tribal and lingual boundaries as well.

The work is far from over. Check out the following statistics from Joshua Project:
# of People Groups: 16,465
# Unreached People Groups: 6,759
% Unreached: 41.1%

What Are YOU Waiting For?
So let me turn the question back on us. We are asking "What are you waiting for, God?" and he responds by saying, "Charles What are YOU waiting for? I desire worship from all the peoples, and yet so many have not yet heard. I desire them to come to repentance, not to perish without me." That's one reason why I am going to Peru this summer.

How can you be involved in taking the gospel to all peoples?

How You Can Help Take the Gospel to Peru

2010-06-19T10:46:00.004-04:00

This week, I just want to let you know about an exciting opportunity coming up for me, and I wanted to let you know how you can help me as I seek to do my part in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

On July 30, I will be departing with a team from my church to Peru for a nine-day mission trip. We will be going to the Andes Mountains, to the city of Huaraz, where we will be assisting Larry Rockwell and his family as they work with the Quechua tribe, a people who have heard very little of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Quechua tribe in 2008 just had the New Testament translated into their language. We will be doing some work with the villagers and will also be serving the Rockwell’s in additional ways they might need us. We will return on August 7.

Without your support (both through prayers and through giving), none of this will be possible.

You can support us by praying for us while we are gone. Some things that our team is asking your prayers for:

Cohesiveness of the team – that we would all be in unity and work together well.
A vision and heart for missions, especially for the people we will be serving.
Transformed hearts the Quechua villages where we will be serving.
Fund raising – that God would provide everything that we need as we plan to go.

Our trip is being funded by donations and by those who are going on the trip. We will be carrying all of the supplies needed for our time there. The estimated cost is around $2000, and I could use your help in raising this amount by July 22.

If you would like to give financial support:

Please send a check payable to "Westminster Presbyterian Church." For the memo line, write "Peru: Charles R. Higham." You can mail the check to:

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 230 Alice Dr., Sumter, SC 29150

If You Want to Follow the Law...Throw Out Your Bacon!

2010-06-08T18:30:00.005-04:00

I got involved with a discussion on-line where someone was criticizing Rick Warren because of his "unbiblical" view of homosexuality. Apparently, not equating homosexuality with rape, incest and pedophilia is unbiblical. Anyway, in response, one man wrote "If our country had just laws they would put to death people who practiced any of the three." He goes on to say that if we don't support such laws, then we don't believe that God's law is just. So I decided to put Deuteronomy 21:18-21 to the test, and (surprisingly) he agreed that the government should put the "bad cases" of rebellious children to death.

So if the OT Law is meant to be the norm for every government, what does that mean? Well, dietary restrictions should be enforced (meaning you're in BIG trouble if you like bacon). Oh and the sacrificial system should be restored, for after all, it is God's law, and it is just. Basically, if you've ever sinned, you're screwed.

Paul tells the Galatians: "I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law" (Galatians 5:3). Paul's point is that, by embracing as ideal and required one element of the law, you must then embrace it all. But the whole message to the Galatians is that in Christ we are free from the law!

So then who are we to impose those same laws as the norm for government? Our founding fathers were right to call for the separation of Church and State. How many millions of people would have to be executed each year because they are unable to keep the Law? And we're supposed to say that they deserve to die? I'm having a huge problem with this line of thinking.

Should our government have just laws? Yes. Should our government have laws that protect the weak and punish the criminal? Yes. But should the death penalty be applied to everything?

When the religious law enforcement of Jesus' time brought him a woman caught in adultery, what did Jesus say should happen to her? They were ready to stone her. But did Jesus give them a green light? Not hardly. "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). Jesus takes us to the heart of the matter: yes sin is horrible and grievous (notice that he didn't say she deserved to live...), but in our fallen and broken state, all of us deserve death and therefore don't have the right to pass such judgment on others.

How long would you survive if the Old Testament Law was in place as the law of the land? How do we balance the need for justice with the need for grace? Should we support the death of anyone?

Resting in the Arms of a Huge God

2010-05-22T15:44:00.003-04:00

I found out today that my bank, due to "suspicious" activity on my account, has turned off (or, as they put it, "placed restrictions") on my Check card. It's a minor problem, but there have been lots of little things over the past three days that have served to really cause me to be frustrated. I've come to determine that if I didn't believe in the hugeness of God, I wouldn't have made it until now.

The words "Huge God" aren't just something clever I came up with for the title of this blog. They were carefully selected. I wanted something to capture the absolute bigness of God. And, yes, "huge" is a feeble attempt to capture his bigness. My understanding of God has grown considerably from when I first believed. Back then, he was a disciplinarian who was ready to cut me off if I did X sin "one more time." He was a kind of cosmic Santa, keeping track of my good deeds and bad deeds. And he was still distant - out there somewhere, not intimately involved in my life.

But as I have grown in my understanding of God and his ways, I've seen the true side of him (or at least as true as I can comprehend right now). He's not a harsh disciplinarian; he is a loving Father who will, when necessary, discipline his children (Hebrews 12:4-11). He's not distant and uninvolved, but very much connected to his creation and to us, his people.

But the greatest thing that I have learned about God over the years is that he is HUGE! When I was a child, I learned (like you may have) the song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." But do you know what I've learned? He doesn't have the whole world in his hands. Consider with me God's description of himself through Isaiah:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?...He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (Isaiah 40:12, 22, NIV)

Here, God says that he spread the heavens (universe) out like a curtain. And do you know how he measures the universe? The span of his hand. It's kind of like saying that "He's Got the Whole Universe in his HAND." Now I realize that this is poetic and the song is poetic and when we get right down to it, God doesn't literally have arms and hands (God is spirit - see John 4:24). But still, God lets us know that he is absolutely huge, and that he is absolutely in control.

God is announcing in this chapter that the nation of Judah is going to be destroyed. In the process, he reminds the people that he is in control, that he is God, unrivaled and unstoppable. And how does he introduce this section? Look at Isaiah 40:1 - "Comfort, comfort my people says your God."

It is a comforting thing to know that God is in control, that even when tragedy happens, he is in charge and that he wants us to rest in him. So whether it's a turned off ATM card or some sort of abuse or suffering, God wants you to know that you are not beyond his reach. Take comfort in the arms of this HUGE GOD!

How has God shown you his might and comfort during difficult times in your life? Where would you be if you didn't think he was in control?

Sometimes You Fly, Sometimes You Run, and Sometimes You Just Take One Step at a Time

2010-05-19T17:52:00.008-04:00

You know what verse I'm talking about already. It's one of the favorite encouragement verses. We engrave it in our Bibles, make posters of it, and I even saw someone with a tattoo...

And while that is all well and good, I just wonder if we've ever stopped to think about the WHOLE verse. Isaiah 40:31 reads "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

The way I saw this verse changed in Bible college after hearing a great chapel message about it. And I hope that you will see it differently too. The man (whose name I have forgotten!!) pointed out that the three parts of this verse could be linked to three events in Israel's history:

"Wings like eagles" - God delivering Israel from the land of Egypt (cf. Exodus 19:4)
"Run and not be weary" - possibly a reference to Elijah outrunning Ahab's horses (1 Kings 18:41-46)
"Walk and not faint" - perhaps a prophecy of the coming exile, where Judah would be taken captive by Babylon (2 Kings 25)

Eagle's Wings - God's Miraculous Intervention
These are miracles. Perhaps healing from physical sickness. Solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems. These aren't everyday things. God intervenes where only God could intervene. Salvation in general is like this - God saves us when we are completely unable to save ourselves.

I recently had one of these "Eagle's Wings Interventions" happen to me. I'm not going to go into detail here, but let's just say God brought healing to an area of my life that had been a problem for 14 years. And it has been amazing. The grace and freedom I have experienced as a result is truly breath-taking. It's like soaring.

These may not happen to everyone, and they may not happen often. But when God delivers, it is exhilarating.

Running But Not Wearying
Sometimes God empowers us to do things we think we could not do. Share the gospel. Love others. Overcome some fear. And they are no less amazing. And they are more common. It works by God's empowering us to accomplish what he would have us do. Look at the book of Acts. Peter's preaching, the Church's boldness, and countless other examples. These were all God working his power through his people to accomplish his purpose.

Walking But Not Fainting
These are common to everyone. The death of a loved one. Terminal illness. Depression. Or just everyday struggles with our own sinfulness. These are the times when we feel abandoned, alone, or just forgotten.

This is probably common to daily life. Everyday problems and disappointments and failures, and we think we might never make it through. In fact, most of life is lived in the strength of "Walking but not fainting." But there is strength there nonetheless. Even when we think we can go one more step, we find the strength to take it anyway.

The Key: Trusting in the Lord
The key to accessing any type of this strength lies in where we have put our trust. If we trust in man or man's ways, then we will not see any of these types of God's intervention. But if our hope is in God, then he will come through. He may not do it in the way that we like, but he will bring us through.

So when you set out to encourage others or even encourage yourself, look for how God might be bringing others or you through. Maybe he'll give you an eagle's wings deliverance, maybe he'll help you take the next step and not fall apart. But look for and hope in him. He will deliver you.

How have you seen God at work in your own life? What have you learned from God's different means of delivering you through the hard times?

Why I Don't Care Anymore...And Neither Should You!

2010-05-04T18:59:00.005-04:00

Our culture is just screwed up. And I used to think that there was something wrong with me.

After I watched Braveheart and The Bourne Identity for the first time, I heard a friend of mine telling his friend on the phone that we was "manning" me up. So, let me get this straight: I was somehow less of a man because I had never gotten around to watching these movies?

Somehow, somewhere, we've been lied to. Society seems to have a very refined definition of a man. John Rambo. William Wallace. James Bond. Jason Bourne. Macho tough guys who save the day and get the girl(s) in the end. In the real world, this means that if you don't do some approved "man" activity, you are somehow less of a man. Did a committee sit down and decide "These are the marks of manhood?"

Seriously, guys who don't play sports or shoot guns or go to NASCAR or football games or whatever - well they're looked down upon. I was one of these guys. I didn't like sports - I somehow got bypassed on the athletic gene. I'm not competitive at all. I'll watch sports, but I'd much rather sit down and have a good conversation at (insert restaurant here). I love to read. I don't mind getting dirty, but I don't like to get dirty.

And I was often ridiculed for it. Imagine what it does to a young boy to hear that he is a "sissy," "wimp," or worse (I've been called every name there is to be called). All I could respond was "there must be something wrong with me." And so the process of self-hatred began. I have struggled for years with a sense of my "lack" of "manhood" - at least by the world's definition.

But recently I have come to understand things differently. God doesn't make only John Rambo or Jason Bourne kind of men. Men who are rough and tough and don't take no crap off nobody. He also made men who are gentle - who can comfort someone who's hurting, who'll take a small child in his arms when everyone else is annoyed by them, who will give himself in service to others. Don't believe me? Look at Jesus. He embodied all of these characteristics: he is after all the Lion (Revelation 5:5 - strong, fierce, wild) and the Lamb (Revelation 5:6 - gentle, kind, weak).

Recently, while painting a stencil pattern on my grandma's patio, I realized something: I felt good doing this. I didn't feel weak or insecure. I felt confident. In fact, I was even enjoying myself. Now I realize that painting stencils isn't a very manly thing in the eyes of our society, but I've now realized that I just don't care. If you want to belittle me for not doing the right "manly" things, then you are clearly the one with the problem.

So I've stopped caring what other "manly" men think of me. And if you're a man that doesn't fit this society's definition, you shouldn't care either. Stop caring what others think of you. You will truly be a man when you embrace the type of man that God created you to be.

What do you think makes a man a man? What's wrong with men being sensitive? Why do you think this way? What can you do to change your perception and treatment of other men who may not fit your view of manhood?

The Danger of Hiding from the Dark

2010-05-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

I have a confession to make. I'm not proud of it, and I certainly don't like having to say it, but here it goes. I'm afraid of the dark. There. I feel better. Even when I was like 13-14 years old, I was still sleeping with a night light on. Why? Because I was afraid that something would come out of the darkness and hurt me. A burglar would break in and steal my stuff. Someone would come in and hurt my family or even me. The pops and creaks that the house made while lying awake at night would terrify me, and I would lay as still as possible, trying to calm my heavy breathing. I would lie still and hope that the threat would not harm me. The darkness was always "out there," and the darkness intended to do me harm or send harmful things my way.

I think a lot of people in church can act this way. They meet for their "holy huddles" week in and week out, and they'll often point to the "evils" of those outside: Hollywood, media, educators, liberal politicians...you name it, we blame it. And so we try and shelter ourselves from all these influences. In a sense, we try to be night lights for each other. We try to ride out the dark night until the day is at hand. But in so doing, we fail.

You see, we are often looking for the darkness outside, but in so doing we neglect the darkness within. When we see evil as an external influence, we will try to shelter ourselves from it, giving it room to grow on the inside. Paul took the opposite approach. In Romans 7:18 he declares: "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh." Later he laments, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:23).

It's easy to stand on the inside and condemn the darkness outside. But it's tough when we see our own inner darkness and come face-to-face with our own spiritual ugliness. We need Christ to shine in our hearts. We need for him to expose the hypocrisy, doubt, fear, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, etc., that hold us back from being a light - not to each other, but to the world.

How can we move forward to be the "light of the world" Jesus called us to be (Matthew 5:14)? What ways have we hidden that light, and how can we "shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15) rather than shut the world out for the sake of our "holy huddles"?

Why We Now Have Socialized Health Care

2010-04-27T18:53:00.009-04:00

Like many Americans, I'm not extremely thrilled about the new health-care bill that was recently passed. But one question keeps ringing in my mind: why do we have such a bill?

It's easy for the Church to put the blame on liberal politicians and other sources like that. But I don't think they are to blame. We, the Church, are to blame.

It's not because we didn't vote "our candidates" in. It's not because Obama is out to ruin our country. It's not because we haven't stood up for the moral high ground that we all tend to do. It's because we failed to do what Jesus has called us to do.

The Greatest Commandment
Jesus summarized the Law with the greatest commandments: 1)Love God, and 2) Love people (see Luke 10:25-37). And one of the ways that we show our love for others is by helping them in their need. This is not the work of the government; it is the work of his Church.

So, when we look at this health care bill and are tempted to despise those who put it in place, I hope we pause to ask ourselves some questions:

Where was I when millions were uninsured?
Where was I when people could not afford the treatment they needed?
Where was I when those who needed help had nowhere to turn?

The government has only stepped in to do what the church has failed to do: to help people in need, no matter the personal cost. The government has set up this health care plan because somewhere along the line, we as Christ's representative, have let down those in need and so let down our God.

Rather than point the finger outwardly, let's take a long hard look at our own hearts and see if we have failed to love people; then let us repent, and seek to help those in need as Christ would have us do.

What do you think? Has the Church failed in helping those in need? What can we do to better obey Christ's command to love others?

Hope in the Midst of Struggle

2010-04-18T14:55:00.003-04:00

Sometimes life is hard. Other times, it's just downright impossible. At times it's livable, but this is mostly during the sleeping hours. We are all faced with different kinds of setbacks, hurts, diseases, temptations...you get the picture. A friend of mine recently wrote a short yet thoughtful post about pain and God's use of it. It's a good reminder to pay attention to our hurts and pains.

Lately, my life has felt absolutely chaotic. My emotions have been out of control, and it seems as if I might just come undone. I don't want to go into detail, but let's just say that EVERYTHING feels like it's changing. And while it is difficult to try and process, I know deep down that it is good. Not because of what I see on the surface, but because I know something about God. We hear the verse all the time, but we come to feel the verse in the midst of life's storms.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Whether pleasure or pain, God is working in it to make us like Christ. That's the confidence I have in the midst of chaos. The following song from Sanctus Real is a beuatiful reminder of this truth. Take a few minutes to listen to it, or see the lyrics below the video.

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

What's So Good About Good Friday?

2010-04-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

A few years ago I gave a message to a youth group in Turkey with this title. The point: what is it about the horrible torture and brutal murder of Christ that leads us to refer to today as Good Friday? It seems kind of odd that his pain, suffering, and tragedy could ever be considered good. So I would like to take up the question again: What is so "good" about Good Friday?
I've heard people say that the cross was the victory of Satan. But this, according to the Bible, is wrong. Satan did not win at the cross. In fact, he actually destroyed himself. We give him too much credit if we even say that it was his idea. The cross was God's idea. It was God's doing. Don't believe me? Good. Check out what the Bible says:

"Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10)

"Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23)

"for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place" (Acts 4:27-28)

Even though other people carried it out, the cross was God's idea and God's doing. And it was for our good. Consider with me three truths from Colossians 2:13-14:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

We Were Dead, But By the Cross We Can Be Made Alive
Because we do not trust God, we are dead in sin (see Ephesians 2:1). But now, because of the cross, God makes us alive. Those who trust in Christ have been brought from death to life.

We Were Debtors, But by the Cross Our Debt is Cancelled
The debt record against us was huge. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). We could not pay this back, no matter how hard we tried. Our fate with this debt is eternal separation from God. We are doomed to Hell if not for help. And now we can be forgiven. How? By the cross. God nails our sin to the cross and we bear it no more.

Satan and His Forces Are Now Disarmed and Defeated
Satan is our accuser (Revelation 12:10). He seeks to condemn us because of our sin against God. But, as we just saw, God took our sin and nailed it to the cross. So what does Satan have to say now? His mouth has been shut. He can't bring up our sin anymore. He has nothing to hold against us before God. And so he is shamed for trying to do so.

What's So Good About Good Friday?
So now we end where we began. I now ask the same question to you: what do you think makes good Friday good? Is it a day off from work? Is it the signaling of Spring Break? Maybe travel with family or something of the likes? Or is it the most precious day when God took away your sins, nailed them to the cross, shut up your accuser, and gave you new life? Is Christ the reason for your Good Friday? I pray that he is. If he's not, turn to him now. Trust him and follow him.

Are the Rocks Doing Your Job?

2010-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

It was Sunday as Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem. It would be the final week before he was crucified. Two of the disciples, following Jesus' instructions, untied a colt and brought it to him. The colt had never been ridden until Jesus climbed atop and began his entry into Jerusalem. Prophecy was about to be fulfilled: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

Jerusalem's king had come. Just as promised about 500 years earlier. And so the rejoicing began. It's was a moment of celebration as the crowds laid their cloaks and palm branches across the road. Singing and shouts of joy ensued (cf Matthew 21:9; Luke 19:38):

"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
"Hosana to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest!"

But not every one was happy. Some continued to resist their king. In fact, they were the ones who would call for his crucifixion. As the crowds cheered with joy, the Pharisees told Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples" (Luke 19:39). They couldn't see it. Even in this moment of great joy, they were blind and indignant.

Jesus gave them a stern reply: "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Rocks would sing his praise if the people didn't. It was fitting for the people to sing.

Jesus turned the tables on them. He lauded those the Pharisees wanted to silence, and silenced the Pharisees who wanted to be heard. He encouraged the crowd who sang for joy at his presence, and he wept over those who would destroy him.

The question for us is: which group are we? Am I welcoming the king into my life to rule and reign with truth, justice, and mercy? Or am I shutting him out, rebelling against his authority and shunning his very presence? To be silent before this king is to go against the very thing we were made to do. And if we don't do it, creation will. So I ask you, are the rocks doing your job? Are they singing praises that should be pouring from your lips?

The Most Important Bible Passage on Homosexuality

2010-03-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

There's several different answers that I usually hear for this question. Occasionally you hear Sodom and Gomorrah thrown in (Genesis 19). But here's some of the main ones:

Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them."

Romans 1:26-27: "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Quite frankly, these miss the mark. Now before you pick up the stones to throw, let me ask you a question: Where is the hope for people who have committed homosexual sin? Seriously, from these verses alone, there is none. And that's why I don't think that these are the most important passages in the Bible on homosexuality. As Al Mohler once said: "Homosexuals are waiting to see if the Christian church has anything more to say after we declare that homosexuality is a sin."

Personally, I think 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 should be our flagship passage in addressing this topic.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (emphasis added)

This passage sums up clearly what Christians need to communicate when talking about homosexuality.
1. Homosexuality is clearly identified as a sin, along with other sins that keep people out of the kingdom. Homosexuality is not singled out and targeted as the only sin that keeps people from God, as is often the case with our speaking about it.
2. Grace is held out to the sinner through the power of Christ to transform. It's through his blood that we are cleansed, declared righteous and made to be holy as we ought to be. Christ is the remedy for all sin, even homosexuality.

To only focus on homosexuality as a sin is harsh and judgmental. And to condemn sin without offering the remedy is just downright hateful. But verse eleven clearly says that there are those who are changed by Christ's power - not their own willpower or choice or determination. Christ transformed them. Indeed it is Christ who transforms all of us.

The bottom line: don't just talk about sin. Talk about the remedy. Because in the end just telling someone they're going to hell and are without hope is ineffective. But to point them to Christ alone as the source for healing, forgiveness, and transformation is what the gospel is all about.

God Is Faithful

2010-03-18T18:25:00.003-04:00

Recently I read a blog post from someone who is enduring a great deal of temptation. You can read the post here if you wish. In it, he sights 1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

He says:

So as the darkness seems to close in on every side, I do the only thing I can – I keep looking for the light. For the path that will get me out of this dark cave. For the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I often wish for instant deliverance. But I know that’s not how God usually works. The good news is that “God is faithful.” He won’t let me down, and he won’t give up on me. Ever.

Amen. I don't think I could say it any better myself. Sometimes temptations can seem way bigger than we are. In fact, I think they are way bigger than we are. If we were bigger than the temptations around us, then we would not need God.

But the good news is that, even though we are surrounded by overwhelming temptations, God is faithful. He's faithful in two ways:
1. He keeps us from being overwhelmed by the temptation. He never lets temptation use all of its power on us.
2. He never leaves us in temptation to find our own way. He provides the way of escape.

We do not have to give in to temptation. And we don't have to fight it on our own. To all of you who face seemingly overwhelming temptations - whether it's anger, pride, lust, or lying - know that you are not alone. Welcome to the human race. But more importantly, look to the one who is faithful to deliver you, who will stand by you and lead you into freedom.

Memorizing Scripture: How should I memorize?

2010-03-06T11:05:00.005-05:00

I want to finish this short series on Scripture memory by offering a few more helps on how to memorize Scripture.

Word-for-word or general idea?
Should we memorize word-for word, or just focus on the general idea of the verse(s) we are memorizing? I have to go with word-for-word here. To just get the general idea could be more hurtful in the long run. For example, if you misunderstand the general idea, how can that truth be helpful? Memorizing word-for-word allows us to reflect more on what the author is saying so that we can better understand the idea being conveyed.

Verse Numbers
One common question when attempting to memorize scripture is should I memorize the verse number? Really, I believe it's up to you. Chapters and verses were added by men, not by God. I would however advise that you definitely know the book and at least the chapter that your verses come from. Memorizing it all is good, but I don't think it's essential.

Suggested Methods/Helps
1. Write your verses on an index card and carry it around with you. This way you can review throughout the day.
2. Involve all your senses. Read it out loud. Look as if you're photographing the words. Move when you read it. Use gestures when reciting verses. Get your whole body involved. This reinforces what you are memorizing even more.
3. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! Even when you have a verse "down," don't forget to review it often. The best time to review is when you are struggling. This does two things - it encourages you to keep going, and it trains you to turn to God's word and to God himself when you are struggling. Review in the shower, in the car, lying awake at 3 AM. I cannot stress this enough. You lose what you do not use!

Links
An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture - A good booklet by Dr. Andrew Davis about memorizing lengthy passages of Scripture. He gives the reason as well as a method for engaging in Scripture memory.
Scripture Memory System for Windows - A program that lets you enter verses of your choosing from a translation of your choosing. It also has various drills, practices and tests to help you memorize. It also allows you to create verse cards that can be printed out. My pocket holds some of the ones I have done now.
Mobilize Faith - for iPhone users - memorize scripture with the aid of your iPhone!

I hope this brief series has been helpful to you, and I pray that God would challenge you and lead you to memorize his Word. Let me know if I can be of any help to you in this journey.

Memorizing Scripture: What Should I Memorize?

2010-02-15T19:20:00.006-05:00

In the last post, I tried to challenge you to memorize scripture. Hopefully, you have been challenged to do so. But maybe you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you’ve been memorizing, but you’re not sure if you’re memorizing the right thing. I’d like to help you as you seek to learn God’s word and store it in your heart.

So what should you memorize? Well, John Piper offers the following suggestion about “shifting up” from your current place of memory:

Let me be very practical and challenge you to do something you perhaps have never done. If you are not a memorizer at all, shift up to memorizing a Bible verse a week. If you only memorize single verses, shift up to memorizing some paragraphs or chapters (like Psalm 1 or Psalm 23 or Romans 8). And if you have ventured to memorize chapters, shift up to memorize a whole book or part of a book. Few things have a greater effect on the way we see God and the world than to memorize extended portions of Scripture. (When I Don’t Desire God, p. 121)

So that’s the first part of the “what” answer. But I realize that’s not very helpful when you ask, “What verses/chapters/etc. should I memorize?” Again, Piper is helpful:

I’m not into mechanical memorizing. I’m into fighting the fight of faith. I want to memorize Scripture so that I can defeat the devil at 3 o’clock in the afternoon—that’s why I memorize! It’s so that I can minister to a saint in the hospital at 10 o’clock at night if I’ve forgotten my Bible. This is for my soul, and for the souls of others around me. (Bible Study Magazine, Sept.-Oct. '09, p. 12)

Piper’s advice (and I would agree) is to select passages that will help you grow in Christ-likeness. Also, memorize verses that will help you to help others in need. Don’t memorize verses just to memorize verses. Memorize verses that will challenge you to think on Christ, to point others to Christ, and most importantly to be like Christ.

Find scriptures that target direct temptations you face. Is lust a problem? Perhaps 2 Timothy 2:22 will help: “ So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Or maybe 1 Corinthians 6:18-20: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

How about anger? Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

You get the picture. Target your temptations. This is exactly what Jesus did with the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). When challenged to abuse his power for selfish, belly-filling bread, he reminded himself and told the devil that man lives on the word of God, not bread alone. When challenged to put God to the test, Jesus quoted a passage about not testing God. When asked to bow down and worship Satan, Jesus responded with Scripture that stated that God alone is to receive worship.

Also, don’t forget about others as you memorize. Memorize verses that can help explain the gospel. Learn scripture that will help you minister to the hurting and broken. Store up passages that will help you encourage other believers.

John Piper’s church does yearly, church-wide memory program. It’s a verse or a few verses a week for the whole year. Maybe you can look through them. Maybe it’s a good place to start. Or, you can develop your own plan. But please, memorize God’s Word. Be ready to use it in the battle for the faith. We cannot survive without our greatest weapon.

In the next post, I hope to give you some ideas for how to memorize scripture. In the meantime, make a plan. Make a commitment. And by all means, stick to it.

Memorizing Scripture: Why Bother?

2010-02-09T18:40:00.005-05:00

Recently, while reading John Piper's When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, I was reminded of and challenged by the discipline of memorizing scripture. And so I thought I would pass the challenge along to you.

The most common response to this challenge can be summed up in two words: "Why bother?"

Is there any value in memorizing Scripture? Is there really a benefit to memorizing verses, paragraphs, chapters, or even whole books? Should I really memorize anything other than John 3:16? What's the point in it anyway?

There's really no point in challenging you to memorize Scripture if you don't think there's any point. So let me explain why I think it's important.

First of all, the Bible is called the "sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). It's the only piece of the armor of God that is used to attack. What do we attack? Well, Satan and his minions. Remember that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. We are engaged in a battle against our sin. We are also engaged in a battle with the world's system of belief. How can we stand if we don't use our most powerful (and, actually, ONLY) weapon against it?

Also, many times in Scripture we see people being told to meditate on God's Word. To think about it. To consider what it is saying. Day and night. We're told not to let it leave our mouths. So it is important that we really try to make Scripture a regular part of our daily existence.

"Well, that's all well and good," you may say. "But I can do all that with a Bible in hand, can't I?"

Yes, you can. And, possibly not. Listen to the psalmist:

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

How did the Psalmist fight sin? Was it with a regular quiet time? Was it with his scroll in hand so that he could browse through and find the verse that would kill the temptation before he found himself sinning? No, he killed sin by storing God's Word in his heart.

How is it that you kill the urge to speak angrily and harshly at work when your Bible is not near by? How do you conquer various temptations at 3 in the morning without the sword in hand, when it's dark and you don't want to move?

More importantly, how do you comfort someone who's hurting or wondering about God or needs some encouragement when you don't have your Bible handy? Can we really minister to other people or challenge ourselves to continue following God if we don't memorize Scripture?

I hope that you will take the challenge to memorize. I'll be posting more on some techniques that may help you along the way. But for now - take serious stock of your life. What areas of your life would benefit from memorizing Scripture? And, more importantly, what are you going to do about it?

Compassionate Risk in Ministry

2010-02-02T16:29:00.006-05:00

40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. (Mark 1:40-43)

Our men's group is currently doing a Bible study on the Gospel of Mark. This is part of our weekly passage, and it struck me as having a lot to say about ministry.

Moved with Pity
This tells us of what our motivation should be in ministering grace to others. It's not pride; it's not because we can. Compassion should drive us to want to help others. Nothing else will do. Approaching a hurting person with arrogance or an attitude of "I completely understand this and you need to listen to what I have to say" will push them away from the gospel. Judging them is out of line with the character of our God. Jesus was moved with pity to help this man.

"I will"
We have to be willing to help. Compassion motivates us to serve. But we must be willing to serve whole-heartedly. We must be willing to sacrifice the time, the energy, the effort to be able to help effectively. This means we have to be willing to listen and understand as best as we can.

This is more than reading a book or a few stories of other people and then offering "help" based on what worked for them. It also means more than just saying "Well I heard about this, and this must be true for you..." This is not being willing to help. This is being judgmental. Especially if all you say is negative stuff.

"Be Clean"
Real solutions. Not pat answers, and definitely not our own misinformed advice. We need to provide people with Biblical hope - hope grounded in the gospel. Regardless of what their circumstances are, and regardless of what they have done, we need to point them to the real solution to their needs and problems.

He Touched Him
Jesus did more than just talk to this man. He touched him. He touched a leper, a man cut off from the people because of his infectious skin disease. Jesus risked "catching the disease" in order to serve this man.

So it should be with us. We have to be willing to get dirty for the sake of the gospel. We can't hold people at arm's length and just tell them what to do or else. This again is a form of judging them. And, in case you were wondering, it is not helpful. Risk yourself. Risk your safety. Risk your attitude. Risk all that you have to help others, regardless of how dirty you think they are. Regardless of how little you understand about them. Regardless of what you think you understand about what they are going through.

I hope we will all be encouraged and challenged to live a life of compassionate risk-taking service for the true benefit of others.

How Great Our Father's Love

2010-01-09T11:01:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching the Dateline Special about David Goldman’s battle to be reunited with his son Sean. Unfortunately NBC is not posting this special on the web at this time, but you can learn more of the story here. Basically, David's wife returned to her home country of Brazil with Sean (he was four at the time), divorced David, and refused to return Sean to him. She remarried in Brazil, then later died in child birth. After four and a half years, countless setback, and legal battles, the Brazilian Supreme Court finally ordered Sean to be returned to his father. Sean is now nine years old.
As I watched this heartbreaking tale unfold, I could not help but see how much love David felt for his son. He would never stop fighting until he was with Sean again. He would be satisfied with nothing less. Through all the frustration and battles going on, David never quit. Seeing this, I realized that Sean would be ok. When he finally returned home with David, I knew that he would be loved and that his dad will continue to do whatever he needs to see that his son will be well taken care of. Such devotion and determination is something we rarely see today.
Amidst watching this story, I cannot help but think of God’s love for us. It’s a familiar concept. John 3:16 – “God so loved the world.” 1 John 4:8 – “God is love.” In fact, it could be so familiar that we don’t stop to think about his love for us. We begin to take it for granted. But David Goldman shows us on a small scale the lengths that a loving father will go through to be with his child. This is the God who, instead of sending us to Hell as we deserve, chose instead to give his Son for us so that we could be with him (Romans 5:8). He gave at the highest cost so that we could call him “Daddy” (Romans 8:15). And if he’s given so much for this to happen, he will continue to give us what we need to trust him and rest in his love for us (Romans 8:32).
I confess that I haven’t felt the depth of this love for some time. Saying “God loves you” has become a phrase that doesn’t really have a lot of impact for me, not a phrase that makes me stand in wonder. Yes, I believe that God loves me. I believe he loves everyone. But I can’t remember the last time when I felt that love. How about you? When was the last time that hearing “God loves you” really moved you? Have you taken his love for granted?
I thank God that he has given me a fresh glimpse of his love through the moving story of David and Sean. And I pray that you and I alike would feel the depth of God’s love – a love that goes beyond all limits. I hope that we will "[s]ee what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God
(1 John 3:1). I leave you with the promise of God’s undying love for us. I pray it will stir you to draw near to God and to trust in his perfect love.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Fulfill William Tyndale's Dream

2009-12-29T17:37:00.011-05:00

I've been reading some of John Piper's book Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ, covering the lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton. William Tyndale was the first to give us a Bible in the English language. When talking to a Priest about this, Tyndale said, "If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow, shall know more of the Scripture than thou dost" (p. 30). His desire was that the common man would know the Bible as well as, and even better than, a priest would. Indeed, Tyndale gave his life to see the Bible written in the language of the common man and not limited to the scholarly and well-learned.
As we come up on 2010, I have a question for you: have you tried to fulfill Tyndale's lifelong dream? I read a statistic that more than 85% of Christians have never read the Bible all the way through. Am I the only one who has a problem with this? And, I can already hear some objections:
#1 - "The Old Testament is Dull and Dry"
#2 - "The Old Testament isn't important anymore - we have Jesus"
#3 - "I don't really see the point in reading the Bible"
I'd like to answer these objections with 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." Consider these two verses for a minute.
1. "All Scripture is breathed out by God" - ALL of it. The genealogies, the laws, the prophets, the psalms, the histories - everything. The whole book is from God.
2. "All Scripture...is profitable" - The Law is useful, the genealogies are useful, the Gospels, the stories and the prophecies. Through these various means of communication, we learn what to believe, we learn what is wrong in us, we learn what to do about it, and we learn how to live. The reason is so that we can be "equipped for every good work." It's not just about reading it all and knowing it all - it is about changed lives. It is about us knowing God properly and being prepared to do his work in the world.
God wants us to know his Word so that we can be effective in his World. So I challenge you to read the Good Book this year. Make William Tyndale's dream come true: know the Scripture more this year.
If you'd like to read through the Bible this year, here are a couple of links to some plans that can help you do it:
Into Thy Word - This site has several plans for you to choose from. I'm using their Genres Plan this year. I have made this plan into easy-to-use bookmarks if you are interested. Leave a comment if you would like these bookmarks in a Word Document format.
Discipleship Journal Plan (via Bethlehem Baptist Church) - This has a plan that also prints out on convenient bookmarks for your reading. Also, this plan breaks the Bible into 300 reading days, giving you about 5 grace days every month. I used this plan a few years ago.
You can also Google search "Bible Reading Plans" and come up with a wealth of plans for your choosing. Or you can create your own plan. Whatever you decide, please choose - no, resolve - this year to help fulfill Tyndale's vision. Above all, I pray that God transforms us all this year as we look into his perfect Word. God bless you as you seek to know him more!

Romans and the Reason for the Season

2009-12-24T14:29:00.004-05:00

Romans has long been my favorite book of the Bible. It was the first book I ever interacted with, the first book I memorized Scripture from, and it has been foundational to my thinking and understanding about what God and the Christian life are all about. As I was listening to it yesterday, I couldn't help but think about how fitting it is for this time of year, how it's message leads us to rejoice this season that the Church has set apart to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Romans is a message about the gospel, or the "good news." In fact, Paul says that the the good news is so good that it is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes"(Romans 1:16).
You see, humanity has a problem. I have a problem, you have a problem - all of us have a problem. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23). Basically, this means that all of us have turned away from the true God and worshiped other things (1:18-23). And because we turned from the true God, we have also ended up doing all sorts of things to hurt ourselves and each other - from selfishness to murder (1:24-32). We have judged and condemned others (chapter 2). As Paul said, ALL of us have done it. I am not exempt. Neither are you.
Yet, Paul tells us that God has continued being kind to us so that we would return to him (2:4). And in his kindness, God did the ultimate act of kindness he could. Some would call it the ultimate Christmas present. He gave us his Son. Jesus came into the world while we were unable to help ourselves and he gave his life for us (5:8). He died and rose again so that we would not have to be judged for our sins (3:24-26), and we could be at peace with God (5:1). He died so that we could be reconciled to God (5:11). What amazing love is this!
So, how do we respond to such a great gift and incredible offer? By faith (3:24). We receive God's gift by putting our trust and our hope in Him. And that is how the gospel has the power to save us. Those who believe are free from sin. They are free from the "wages of sin" which is death and separation from God (6:23). We are free from the influence of sin - in other words, we can live lives that God meant for us to have, loving him and loving others (chapters 6-8; cf. Luke 10:25-28). We can give our lives serving each other, sharing the good news, and living as we ought in the world, wherever we are (Romans 12-16).
The message of Romans is the message of Christmas. God gave his Son to save us from sins and to give us relationship with him. What will you do with God's amazing gift?