Acts 15- Men Who Will Risk Their Lives

After reading through this portion of scripture I want to ask, "what kind of man or woman are you?" In the text the disciples were sending a hand written letter crafted during the council of Jerusalem that was to be delivered to the Gentiles to encourage them... In addition to the letter they wanted to send some worthy men that would be faithful to deliver it and encourage the believers. What was the description of these men? Verse 26 tells us; "men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The early church was persecuted and they knew that it was costly to follow Christ... But, do you know that? Do you know that it is still costly to follow Jesus. That it will potentially cost you your reputation, your acceptance, your comforts? Or have you made yourselves a hybrid faith that is easy going and lukewarm? The gospel makes people uncomfortable and uneasy. It is not a set of morals. It does not say you need to be a bible-belt christian that attends church functions and does certain christian things. Following Christ costs you something. At very least it cost you your will. Remember how we lay down our lives to follow Jesus and we don't look back? Many of us have become way too comfortable with casually following Christ. What I want to ask is; would you risk your life for our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you willing to go all out even at the expense of your life? Would you be willing to set a course that says you will take the gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost?

Piper's Video on the Prosperity Gospel

After I posted the last blog entry I realized that some of you students that read this might not totally understand what "the prosperity gospel" is. In essence it is a distortion of what we would call the real gospel and wrongly puts the emphasis of God's goodness on His ability to bless us materially and physically. It basically makes God out to be our genie in a bottle. We say jump, He says how high... all we need is faith to make God pour out His abundance of blessings. It is heresy. It is wrong.

God does desire to bless those that follow Him. But that blessing may come in the form of suffering. God may use the taking of your health and wealth to ween you off of dependance on the things of this world and prepare you for eternity. The gosple is a call to lay down your life, not a salespitch to fill your life with more stuff.

If the prosperity gospel is accurate than all the Christians across the globe right now that are sacrificing to proclaim the gospel to unreached peoples are dumb... Maybe they can say with the Apostle Paul, "we are most to be pitied." I however think they are heroes of the faith.

Please do not buy into the prosperity gospel! It is very popular in western Christianity because it appeals to our desire to have a ton of stuff. It is what our itching ears would love to hear. And it can sneak in even to those that seem the most godly. Churches buy into it when they care more about their campuses and programs than they do the gospel. People buy into it when they would rather have Jesus give them their desires than have Him demand their lives.

Here is an insightful video from Desiring God. Hope you enjoy.

Acts 15- It is Through Grace of Jesus

Circumcised or not? If a gentile becomes a believer shouldn't they have to participate in circumcision according to the custom taught by Moses?

This was a real huge question that the early church had to deal with as more and more gentiles became followers of the way. And the question still looms over us today as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

The issue isn't just about circumcision, it is about yoke. "Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?" (vs. 10). What was happening was that when Gentile men professed Christ as Lord and were baptized some of the Jews were saying, 'yeah they are followers, yeah they got baptized, now what they need to do is get circumcised just like the rest of us.'

This led to a council at Jerusalem where the disciples had to make a decision. And the result; "we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are" (vs. 11b). It is by grace that we are saved not by works so that no man may boast. In eternity no one will be boasting about how their circumcision grants them favor with God. We all will be boasting about the grace of Jesus Christ.

Sounds like a dumb Bible times problem right? Wrong! We still place yokes on ourselves and others and we offend the grace of Jesus. Let us walk through a couple examples and then you can figure out what your yoke is that you need to repent of.

Salvation by church attendance: We put a yoke on Christ-followers that to be a true christian you must attend our church and swear allegiance to our organization(the church) and if you do miss for a couple weeks then you are letting God down. That is a yoke. We are saved by grace not by presence at church. Is meeting with the assembly of God's people a good idea? Absolutely! But, it does not give us salvation.

Salvation by moral behavior. It is common in church culture that to be a christian means, 'you don't drink, smoke, cuss, or chew or date girls that do.' We can overemphasize these moral behaviors to the point that they become a yoke. We can give 'not behaving in certain way' more importance than Jesus Christ and His gospel. When someone is advocating this yoke they don't really care how you think of Jesus they just want to make sure you are behaving decently. Parents beware that you don't place this one on your kids. Christianity is so much more than behavior modification.

Salvation by small group. This says that you are saved by attending a small group. Sounds something like, "if you are not attending a small group then you are not experiencing all that God has in store for you." That is a yoke. There was no small group ministries in Jesus day. People just hung out with one another and loved one another. They didn't need a program for that to happen. Don't let a small group program become your yoke.

Salvation by service. If you want to be a real Christian then you have to serve. Be careful that you are not earning your favor with God through the different ways that you serve Him at church or in our community. We do not earn favor with God through our works. We earn favor with God at the cross of Christ.

These things are not bad in and of themselves! I am not saying that you should skip church, that you can behave however you like, that you should avoid small group opportunities, and that you should avoid serving. What I am saying is that you shouldn't elevate anything to the level where it competes with the cross of Christ. The gospel is the most important thing in our lives and in eternity. Do not crowd out the importance of the gospel with yokes that "Christians" can place on each other. "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them" (Luke 11:46). Jesus rebukes when we place burdens on one another. So let us not elevate works to the level of the cross and impose on one another heavy yokes.

"We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved" (vs. 11). Ephesians 2 teaches us that one day we will be standing in heaven singing praises about the one who graciously saved us and brought us to eternal life. And it also says that no one will have any ground to boast. No one in heaven will say, "look at how I conducted myself on the earth. Wasn't I so good? I earned this!" No! Everyone will sing the praise of the lamb that slain. Everyone will marvel at his grace for eternity. "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:6-9).

Do not try to add to the grace of Jesus Christ. It is sufficient. There is not a yoke that needs to be added to your faith in Christ. There is nothing left undone that you need to finish up to earn your salvation. Just Jesus Christ and him crucified. He is enough. He saves. We need to accomplish nothing else. Isn't that good news?

Are You Real?

Here is a brilliant question that was asked by a brilliant student I know; "how do I know if I am the real deal? How do I know if I am truly saved?"

That is not a dumb question... in fact Jesus teaches the opposite in a couple places. Jesus teaches that 'not everyone who says, "lord, lord will enter the kingdom'" (Matthew 7:21). He teaches that some will say to him, "'we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evil doers'" (Luke 13:26-27). Or he says, "many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!'"(Matthew 7:22-23). So, Jesus is informing us that there will be people that assume, and wrongly, that they 'know him' and it will come as an utterly crushing blow that they not only are not known by the Christ but also that they are 'evil doers!'

So, asking if we are real is a good question that we should put to ourselves because the bible puts it to us as well; "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you- unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Cor 13:5) This is a good question to ask and I think it is a much better idea to question now then to find out on the day of judgement. If you haven't asked then maybe it would be a good idea... 'Am I real? Am I really saved?'

I think it is incredibly mature to ask that question as a high school student... I know I didn't personally ask that question until I was much older... Having grown up in churches I just assumed that I knew about grace. When in fact the exact opposite was true. I knew of cheap grace, not the costly grace that the bible speaks of. The problem of most false converts is cheap grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it this way: "Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church [and individuals]. We are fighting today for costly grace" (The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 43). Cheap grace teaches that forgiveness is cheap and easy. Which is the exact opposite from the cross. The cross was costly. Grace is far from cheap. That is why it is so magnificent for the saved sinner! We dwell at the foot of the cross in wonder and awe. We revel at what was accomplished for us! We are astonished at the grace and mercy that God extends to us. That the Son of God would die for me?! Who could possibly think that the King of the universe would die for a rebel like me? We are humbled as we contemplate the glory of cross, It is the power of God and the wisdom of GOD!!!! It is our hope and our salvation! It is beautiful! But now I am getting ahead of myself...

Here is a way that you can have some confidence in God's saving of you specifically. You probably already know that Christ literally died, that he absorbed the wrath of God due to sinners, that he took on himself the curse of sin and death, that he was buried, and that he resurrected to authenticate his ability to conquer death, the grave, and sin. And, he extends the offer to any that would believe on him for salvation. What the question really is, "did he do that for me?" Let me ask you this; "how do you feel about the cross?" The answer will help you to know whether or not you are saved. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... [the message of] Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:18, 23-24). When you think about what the cross means to you do you see salvation? Do you see glory? Do you see forgiveness? Are the scars on Christ balm for your soul? Do you see that your punishment was satisfied in the torture, abandonment, ridicule, and destitute of the Son of God when he walked the brutal road to Calvary and hung on the cross?

When you see the magnificence of The Author of Love dying on a cursed tree you know that you are saved! There is a miracle that happens when you are saved. The technical term is regeneration, or you may have heard the phrase, 'born again.' What that means is that God does a miracle in your heart and life. The bible tells us that we are dead in our sin and we are opposed to the ways of God. We think the Cross is dumb and obedience is legalistic. Then in His great love and mercy He makes us ALIVE! He gives us the ability to see the beauty of Christ and what He achieved. We get to see 'the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:4). That, my friends, is a beautiful miracle. When Christ who is the image of God is revealed to you and you feel your heart skip a beat. When you feel adoration for the risen Christ rising up in you then you know that you have been brought from death to life. You can say, "I once was blind but now I see!"

Unfortunately, those that are perishing think of the cross as foolishness and some even think of Christ as their little dispenser of cheap grace that 'justifies the sin and not the sinner' (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 43). I suppose that if you feel that way then you have much to be concerned about. However, God appeals to you to fly to the cross; to trust his Son for salvation; to accept forgiveness of sins; to be brought from death to life. The offer is made today for those that are far off. And I personally beg you to do the same; trust Christ, believe on Him for salvation, He is extending His grace to you today! Do not stiff arm His grace again! Please please please allow Him access to your heart and life!

And for those of us that need to be reminded of his love for us and his saving power:

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:8-11).

As those that are saved by grace we still make mistakes and in a weird way, although I hate the mistakes, I am thankful for them. They keep me near his cross. Christians that don't need a savior are the ones you have to be worried for. Their ability to perform their Christian duties repel them from Christ and from his cross. They will make it to the bitter end on their own strength and hear those treacherous words, 'I never knew you, you might have done all sorts of things in my Name but you did not know me.' Christ's offer is for those of us that sit at the foot of his cross daily and receive salvation daily. We are utterly reliant on him for forgiveness and sanctification and life. When you find yourself at Calvary you say with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6: 68). Salvation is from the Lord and he grants assurance to those that sit at the feet of Jesus for eternal life.

But I know sometimes there is only a little flicker in your heart. You barely feel anything towards Christ. You are feeling weighed down and, truthfully, disinterested in Christ or His Cross

And at the end of the day maybe the best advise I can give to someone asking these questions is... go to God. Confess that your appreciation of the Christ is not what it should be. Ask Him if the offer He made is for you. I think it is fair to ask Him if He loves you. I believe that God is more than able and willing to demonstrate His love for you. He will wrap you up in His arms of grace and show you, "you are my son," or "you are my daughter." And there is nothing more precious than that feeling. And the more you feel and experience that love the more your love for Him grows. And the more that exchange of love goes back and forth between you and your Maker the more you can be assured that you are His, and He is yours.

Acts 14- Testifying to the Word of Grace

Paul and Barnabas "spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed" (vs 1). After the city was stirred up they fled to a different city... "and there they continued to preach the gospel" (vs. 7). Here we have two men captured by the grace of God. They are changed men that are in love with their savior. They are called to be proclaimers of the gospel. And, that is what they are doing wherever they go and to whomever they go to.

I know that Acts 13 teaches us about the special calling of Paul and Barnabas for frontier missions. They have a special task of helping people come to know Christ by traveling and preaching, but we all receive at least the first part of that call when we recieve Christ as savior. The elders that were left behind in chapter 13 also had the responsibility of proclaiming Christ like Paul and Barnabas. The difference was travel.

So, we should learn from Paul and Barnabas to be single minded about Christ. We need to decide to know nothing other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). Then our words and actions should be about Him no matter where or what is going on.

Is your life singularly focused on Christ? Is your day timer plans for the day reflecting that Christ is preeminent? Are they reflecting that Jesus is the most important thing to you? Does Jesus come up in conversation? Do you testify about His grace? The message is no less exhilarating for you today than when you were saved.... maybe even more! I need Christ to free me from bondage to sin and to liberate me today and it excites me to think that grace is mine! How can I not share it?!?! So, take a moment to refocus and set your heart your mind your being to proclaim Christ in word and deed today. Make Him known.

Thoughts on Spurgeon, pt 1

It was crazy to me that C.H. Spurgeon grew up looking at the pictures of Christian from Pilgrim's Progress. He spent his youngest years perusing books of great depth like Pilgrim's Progress and Foxe's Book of Martyrs. He began at an early age to engage in discussions of doctrine with older gentlemen(both his father and grandfather were pastors and young Charles would sit in as they talked with other pastors and leaders). This led to an interesting point in his life when the weight and burden of sin was crushing his soul...

I'm not sure how long this took place but I am sure that it had a profound effect on his outlook on sin and ministry. First, that sin was utterly deplorable but also that sovereign grace should be (and was) preached in every sermon. 

It was incredible to me that he spent time begging God for conversion. He had an awareness of sin but needed to be born from above. I think it is a great idea to teach people to pray for conversion. That they need to have God accomplish a work in them that they cannot achieve by signing a card for baptism or by wandering to the front. This desperation for conversion had a profound effect on him. He took sin absolutely seriously and he resolved to preach with crystal clear clarity that all need to trust in the crucified Jesus for salvation.

Level Ground at the Foot of the Cross

So, why did John the baptist prepare the way? To make it a level playing field. It didn't matter what background an individual was from. All have sinned and need to repent. Anyone from pharisees to prostitutes. The super religious to those that are the polar opposite of religious, and everything inbetween. "God can raise up children for Abraham from these rocks," John said... And I am a rock. Praise God for His grace. 

As I was sitting at Beef-a-Roo eating my lunch today. Three college age kids were a few tables down and talking loud enough that I could clearly hear them. Their conversation had to do with dancing on the counter top at the bar recently and how cool it was that one particular place stayed open until 6am and then reopened at 10am. One of the guys said that he could function on only a few hours of sleep and head back to the bar.

Here is the reality of the situation... I am the same as them. A youth pastor and 3 college age people sitting at a restaurant. We all have sin. We all make mistakes that offend God and our only hope is a Roman tool of execution. I need the cross just like they do. I need it everyday including today. It doesn't matter that I wasn't at the bar with them dancing I still have sin and I still have no solution for it other that an old rugged cross. Jesus paid for my sin and he will pay for theirs too if they will accept it. 

It is level ground at the foot of the cross. At the foot of the cross you will find humble religious leaders and you will find drunks and prostitutes and tax collectors. You will find the down and out and you will find the well to do. But you will never find someone that has earned their favor with God with their own abilities. You might find people standing with their back to the cross scoffing at us lowly people kneeling but they hardly know Jesus. At least, not like they should. Jesus does not admire the proud. He knows we are fragile and sinful creatures and He is our remedy and our comforter.

The Cross Again

I love the cross! It is central to my life... Even though it is a grotesque Roman tool of execution. It is through the execution of One man that life was given to many.... and that life was given to me! O that precious cross! 

Below I have begun to describe how to get to heaven. In a nut shell I tried to explain the gospel. But, there are so many elements to the gospel. So, it is not easy to pack it up and McDonnie it. (That is a term I just made up to help describe our culture's desire for quick and easy drive through style). Anyways, the gospel has so many different elements and Christ giving me His righteousness is the one that mobbed my heart this morning at church... 

Not only is Jesus our substitution but He is also our righteousness. God demands perfection. He is a perfectly holy God and cannot be in the presence of sin. So we are separated from Him. In order for us to be with Him for forever we have to change. I am so soiled and dirty that I can't make the dress code for this party. But, another truth about me is that I am so messed up that even my best efforts to clean up will not make me ready for the party. The bible says that our 'righteousness acts are like filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6). 

So I have the wrath of God pointed at my head like a nuclear missile... and Jesus covers me like a bomb shelter. Then, after Jesus absorbs the whole wrath that is due to me. I put on His righteousness like a garment. I am given a royal robe. I am clothed with something that doesn't belong to me. Jesus' righteousness. You see I am inherently bad. I am selfish and arrogant. But, Jesus is in the business of crucifying those parts of me. And after He crucifies an area of selfishness He places in me His ability to be selfless. Not just in the area of selfishness, He places in me His ability in whatever area He is working on... In me there are many.

Let me try to illustrate a little more. Imagine I am standing in line for a concert. It is something that I have wanted to attend for years and now I have finally made my way to the event... As I get closer to the front of the line I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I start to think I might not be able to get in. As I get closer and closer the feeling gets stronger and stronger. In fact, I start to despair that I could ever go in. When I reach the front of the line my suspicions become reality. I am asked to present a ticket that I do not possess. My heart sinks. But, at that moment a man presents me with a ticket. His ticket.

That is how it is with righteousness. What you require to have to be in the presence of God you do not possess. But, out of the grace and mercy of Jesus He presents you with a ticket (His Righteousness). He grants admittance into the Kingdom. It is bizarre because really you did nothing to deserve your being there. That is what makes grace so weird and religion so easy to fall into. We know of nothing that insults our pride like grace. 'We need to be justified on our own account' according to our screaming egos. 'You better earn your keep.' Even after we have received grace we still struggle. We want to do something. We want to earn favor. The weird thing is we already have it we just have to believe. 

Believing that Jesus gives us His righteousness is another element in getting to heaven. Believing on Him for righteousness. This morning I thought about my failures this week and I thought about Jesus being for me. It wrecked me man. The God of the universe stoops down to me and provides what I can't for me. He loves me that much that He doesn't cast me out when I mess up but instead He provides a way for me to be right with Him. Isn't that phenomenal?! Doesn't that make you want to praise Him?

The Cross

Last night I asked some of my Jr high guys how to get to eternity... The answer was telling and heartbreaking. They said, "you have to be good" then another chimed in, "you have to 'not sin'," and yet another, "you have to read the bible," and "you have to teach others how to be good" My jaw dropped. Not that I should be surprised that some Jr high boys have a hard time with the gospel, the gospel is bizarre. But, I kind of felt stupid for not having made it very clear for them. 

So I told them graciously that they were wrong. And I asked if they would like to know how to get to eternity? It is a simple question and the answer is profoundly important. In fact, I am planning on spending a couple weeks at youth group explaining this now.

To get to heaven you don't have to be good. In fact you will not find any good people in Heaven, except one... The King. You do not have to read the bible in fact a good portion of the people there will have been illiterate when they were on earth. You don't have to be a great proclaim er of the truth helping others to be good. There is only one way that grants entrance to eternity. Jesus. 

More on Getting to Heaven

Here is a little more elaboration on the question, "how do you get to heaven?" 

Everyone of us is inherently bad. I know it sucks. You are bad. If you defend yourself right now you are only confirming your pride and displaying your anarchy towards the King and showing that you don't understand your state. You, me, your friends, our friends, coworkers, etc... we are all bad. In fact, we each have offended God. Today even. We have disobeyed Him, disrespected Him, belittled Him, ignored Him, and that is just some sins we have committed toward Him, not to mention sins we have committed against His people that He has made in His image. And this took place today. So, we have broken good laws that He put in effect. 

Now if He wants to dismiss offenses that is good and fine but it is not just. That would be like letting a criminal go free. If someone breaks laws and if the judge just says, 'I don't care you are dismissed' that is not justice. That is ignoring the issue that the law has been broke and there is a punishment due. If no one is punished then it is like saying the law really isn't that important. Let me just say it is. All God's law is important and life giving. Every last letter of the law that was drafted with complete knowledge of the world that He created and each part of the law is to preserve that which is good about creation. Let's illustrate this a little. Take the opposites of the law and apply them to yourself. Others steal from you, others cheat you, they lie to you, they hate you, etc... that is clearly bad so the law is good. We want the law. So, ignoring the punishment doesn't work because the law is good and should be upheld. 

That puts us in a predicament. We are saying that  we have broken the law and it would be non justice if punishment is dismissed. But, we are in real big trouble because we have broken the commands everyday. Let's look at a few laws, loving God, idolatry, and coveting. Ok, most of us have broken the first command everyday. We do not love God like we should in fact most days we don't even think about Him. We wake up and take a breath but we do not give thanks for the oxygen or the sun rising or that our hearts are still beating. In fact, we ignore Him completely on some days. We don't even entertain a single thought about Him. So, strike one. Then we can look at idolatry. Every day we commit idolatry. Sometimes it is with our food. We think that we get our life from our food. We think that without it we perish. We think about what we are going to have for lunch and how it will taste. We plan our days around our meals and idolize the food that we put in our bellies. Idolatry. Or maybe you aren't a food person but you enjoy your hobbies. Maybe your hobby is TV. You love your favorite TV program and you schedule your week around your show. You have to watch that show or DVR it so you can watch it later. You idolize the show. Or maybe you idolize something else, your popularity, your job, your car, your favorite sports team, etc... Strike two. How about coveting? Desiring what you don't have. The opposite of being content. Everyday I am sure you see something that you want. An advertisement or something that a friend has. Or something that you drive by. Most of us covet everyday. Strike three. There are three broken laws. Maybe we don't break those three specific laws every day but there are plenty more that we break so let's just say we break 3 a day. Now I am 26 years old and I will subtract 5 years that maybe I won't be morally responsible for. So, 21 years, 3 sins a day equals 22,995 sins. Imagine standing before a Judge with that many speeding violations. You would be in trouble.

Now God in His great love for you is not going to make you pay. He actually made His son pay for you. The judge, who with ample evidence shows your transgressions, then takes off His robe and steps from behind his bench and says, "I'll pay. I'll be the one that takes the punishment." Then invites you to believe. If you believe and trust then you get granted access to His kingdom.

Now what does He mean by "believe" because the bible says "even the demons believe and shudder" so what does Believe mean? It means that you actually completely trust. There was a silly pastor with a BB gun that asked who believes I can shoot this balloon with the BB gun? Most people raised their hands. Then he said, "who believes enough that they would hold the balloonwhile I shoot it?" Less hands on that one. Then finally he asked, "who believes enough to hold it in their teeth?" One guy kept his hand up so this pastor invited him on the stage and took aim.... He shot the balloon and nearly lost his job but the point is you can say that you believe without really being willing to make a change. It is easy to sit in a crowd and say "Jesus is my sacrifice. He paid for what I deserve." It is a completely different thing to 'hold it in your teeth.' 

Do you believe?

Acts 5- What Kind of Church?

"... And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number" (Acts 5:12-14).

I can picture Luke reminiscing as he wrote about the church services he attended at Solomon's Colonnade. Isn't it strange that no one dared to join them? What's up with that?

Here is what I believe to be the reason why the others didn't dare join them. There was something supernatural that occurred when all the believers got together to worship. I mean it was a display of the Body of Christ and it was holy. It was different than a board meeting or a concert or a sporting event. This was spirit filled people getting together and the presence of the Lord was on them... lets not race over that. I will say it again. The presense of the LORD was on them. It makes me think of Moses on the mountain top with God in Exodus. The Israelites looked up and as the Glory of God descended to meet with Moses it looked like a fire consuming the mountain (Exodus 24:17). The appropriate response of the Israelites was that they didn't want to go near the mountain. In fact when Moses came down they made him cover his face with a veil because he was glowing just from being near the glory of God.

That is how church should be. The glory of God resting on the body of believers like a consuming fire. When an onlooker heard or saw this gathering they wouldn't dare join them (vs 13). I am not going near because I could be consumed by the fire. I am not sure if I am Holy enough to come anywhere near where God is... Yet they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and were added to their number (vs 14). 'Ah, those were the days,' I could see Luke saying. And I also say that in my head as I read.

But, what would it take to see that happen again? It isn't an ideal in history that can never be repeated... I believe that is God's desire for church every Sunday in every city. But what hinders that? First off I would say a lack of faith. We hardly believe that church would have been that powerful in bible times let alone in Beloit in 2009. So friends we must fight the fight of faith... believe that God is living and mighty and consistent with scripture. Believe that if we would take God seriously that He would be honored to show Himself mighty. Secondly, the reason I believe church is so flat is because we lack holiness. God does not honor his temple if it is defiled. He removes His spirit from the Churches that do not pursue holiness(Rev. 2). We can hardly expect God to descend like a consuming fire on a bunch of defiled sacrifices.

So, friends... let us prepare our hearts for Sunday morning. Let us do our work at the cross before we even come into the temple. Golgotha, where the cross was located, is outside of the city. Not in the temple. So we need to do our work of repentance and confession before we enter into the temple. "Let us go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore" (Hebrews 13:13). Take our sin to the cross before we even go to church. So that God would be pleased to attend the temple. Then, let us attend church with faith that He will make His presence known. We should pray that what happens at church is unexplainable. We shouldn't expect everything to go according to plan. We shouldn't expect church to be predictable. It should cause us to tremble.

Lastly, it is out of that sort of holy relationship with the Almighty that service and community outreach and evangelism happen. When the believers have it right first then numbers were added and they were highly regarded by all the people. When we put the priorities on adding numbers first and being highly regarded first then we endanger ourselves of loosing our treasure (Jesus Christ) and becoming a successful philanthropic organization. Which many churches have done. Programming takes the place of the spirit and outreach takes the place of spirit lead evangelism and community service takes the place of regard and respect for godly people. It is a danger that we cannot afford. When I read Acts I desire that we would repent and return to former ways. I ask for the spirit to move in my life so I can experience what those believers in Solomon's Colonnade experienced. And I pray that church would be anointed like that. Imagine what church could be like? It would blow our minds. I am praying for that.

John 17- The Difference Between Religion and Loving Christ

This is important. I have been a Christian for 8 years now. I grew up going to church but it wasn't a love relationship with Jesus. It was obligation or duty or simply a label. I was a "christian." My family attended church. It was expected that I attended church. I learned early on what Jesus did on the cross and that I needed him to be my savior because I sin. I learned that there was a gap between me and God and I needed Jesus to bridge the gap. Makes sense, sign me up. So, while I was still young I prayed the sinner's prayer and invited Jesus into my heart. No fireworks, no huge conversion, no crazy story of going from a life of partying and drugs to being completely free. I didn't burn my secular CD's. I didn't have to cut ties with crazy friends. I simply believed and confessed like I was told to and I was a "christian." Unfortunately, this is the sad story of many christians... the reason I say sad is because I don't think that results in a genuine belief. I don't think that simply understanding and doing what you feel compelled to do makes you a "real" and "authentic" Christian.

It was when I was 18 years old that Jesus became precious. All of a sudden the cross became more than a bumper sticker or something to be worn around a neck but it actually became my life. What Jesus did in his death, burial, and resurrection became everything. He became my treasure.

That is what Jesus says in John 17:1 "Father, the time has come. Glorify your son, that your Son may glorify you." Glorify. Is Christ glorified to you? Did the cross become precious? Is it everything? Is God everything to you? When it hits you like a ton of bricks you feel it... It is like gaining sight. It is like you finally understand what the fuss was about... It is like a light goes on and all of a sudden the fog clears and you see Jesus magnified and lifted high. He is the Son of God. He is perfect and he gave you perfection by taking what you deserve and giving you rights to be sons and daughters. You were cursed but he became your curse. Then you fall at his feet and worship him in adoration mingled with fear and respect. It is intense! It consumes you.

Has it hit you yet? Has it became dear to you yet? Or is christianity simply something you participate in. A religious duty. A religious label. A holy habit. It has to be more than that. Jesus is a treasure and until you feel the weight of that I would be hesitant to call yourself a believer. "There are many who will say to me on that day 'Lord Lord...' and I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.' (Matthew 7:21-23)" I have heard of church going full time ministers who have not found the cross precious... I believe the bible is clear of what happens to them. Read Acts 5 and see false believers in action. They went through all the motions but Jesus wasn't glorified to them. I am talking about Ananias and Sapphira... They were professing believers at the start of the Church in Jerusalem and they would have sat under Peter's amazing sermon... they would have said the sinner's prayer... they would have been baptized... they even sold their land to give to the apostles to help with the church.... they are super christians in our eyes. But, Jesus wasn't glorified to them. He wasn't their everything. It was just a show. And the Spirit found them out. Don't let your story parallel theirs.

Is Jesus glorified to you? Is he your everything? If the cross is just a symbol to you then push your chair back from your computer and get on your knees and beg that God would grant you the mercy to see Christ glorified. It may seem silly but it is the most important thing you could possibly do. You might be at work or school or even at home but do not budge until God grants you your wish.

God make us love you by showing us how magnificent you really are! Make us see how incredible the cross is! We are not going anywhere until you show us your glory. Work can wait. Family can wait. School can wait. Seeing your glory is the most important thing right now. Show us your glory. 'Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.'

Luke 23-Vehemently Accusing Him

Oh, that we would stop being the people in chapter 19 that sang praises to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem and then probably participated in the crowd that yelled to Pilate, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

We have that tendency in each of us. Remember how sweet the sound of a redeemer sounded when you first heard! We each so passionately sang, "blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luke 19:38, Psalm 118:26)" But who cut in on you? Satan began to whisper only 4 chapters later, 'this man brings trouble, he stirs up the people.' So, the people cried out to crucify him. And, we fall prey to the same mentality... so quick to sing praises and then dishonor God only a little later when we realize his Kingdom is not what we anticipated. It is offensive. It isn't about me?! I want a different kind of Messiah that brings me prosperity and peace, now!

You might argue that I am making some major assumptions to think that the song singers in Chapter 19 were there in Chapter 23... but, if they were not participating in the mob, then where were they? They weren't standing up for Him. If nothing else we can assume that. They didn't defend their king. They were scared and withdrew. Maybe, that is a better picture of your Christianity. You sing loud at church when the people next to you are worshiping and the music is loud enough to drown out your voice, but what happens when things get tough? Do you stand up for your faith then?

This is my experience and it is breaking my heart lately... I am definitely a song singer from Luke 19. I definitely sing the praises of Jesus of Nazareth as he triumphantly enters... but then the people I can relate with the best in chapter 23 are the chief priests and the teachers of the law... I actually, by my life, spit curses on Jesus. Vehemently! I sin and offend my savior to his face condemning him on that cross. What a wretched man I am?!? Thanks be to Jesus that he was so gracious as to see my waywardness before time began and resolved to forgive me completely! Thanks be to Jesus that He is making it impossible for me to continue to sin against him without feeling complete heart ache and brokenness! Thanks be to Jesus that he uttered the words, "Father forgive him for he knows not what he does." Oh, how sweet those words are to me, the accuser that placed Him on the cross?!

If that doesn't move you then friend you are dead. The story of the cross is the sweetest and most glorious truth that has ever crushed me with its glory! I am forever in debt to the work that Jesus did on my behalf on that cross. Words will continue to fail me as I attempt to tell others about this magnificent truth. Maybe this ancient Hymn will help us to vent our adoration.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown


O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name


Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

Wonderful Cross by Isaac Watts

Matthew 27

This week, the cross has crushed me with all its weight. I can think of two times this week when I thought about what Jesus did and literally I was sobbing. Tears streaming down my face, totally broken at the foot of that old rugged cross. And, there were many other times where my eyes welled up with tears. This is not normal for me. I am not a big cryer. I am a man. I grew up on a tree farm. My toys were engines and chainsaws. When I broke a limb it was inappropriate to cry... "walk it off." Me and my brothers are all that way (4 boys- you can read ''MEN"). Unfortunately that makes us slightly clueless about girls, but none the less, crying is foreign to me. And, this week I have done a lot of it. When you read about Jesus in Matthew, you realize how completely horrible the whole thing was. This was a man that was faultless. All he had ever done is help and heal and teach people. He was so selfless, so caring, so compassionate. Yet, in Matthew 27 we find him standing before accusers, and being ridiculed, and ultimately being crucified. And, the only crime they could post on his crucifix was, "King of the Jews."

I hate reading about the public humilition of Jesus. When the soldiers are mocking him and spitting in his face, and slapping him, and pulling out his beard, I want Jesus for just one minute to display his Godness. I want him to display his utter power and crush his adversaries. I want him to show them that he is the Living God. But, like a sheep is silent before the shearers, Jesus did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53: 7) He took it all. At Central's staff meeting last week we looked at how intense his suffering was. All of the gospel accounts display how horrid the time leading to his death was. And the reason that Jesus had to suffer in those ways is because of the wrath of God. God was pouring out on Jesus the fullness of His wrath. He was exhausting completely his wrath on Jesus. And, the thing that gets me the most is that I deserve it! He was faultless but I am guilty. He is an innocent man, but I have blood on my hands. My savior endured torture and ridicule and punishment that is due to me?! So when I have taken communion this week and thought about my Jesus being slapped by roman soldiers and ridiculed and spit on, my heart breaks. That should be me. Not him. Not him at all.