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Ray Lewis, the star linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens was interviewed by his former teammate Shannon Sharpe hours prior to Super Bowl 47. Football was not discussed but God's glory was.
Lewis was asked what he would say to the families of the two men killed in Atlanta after the Super Bowl in 2000. Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after that incident. The families have spoken out in the last month including a story in USA Today about Lewis being celebrated for what he has accomplished in the NFL. "It’s simple," Lewis said, "God has never made a mistake. That’s just who He is, you see...To the family, if you knew, if you really knew the way God works, he don’t use people who commits anything like that for His glory. No way. It’s the total opposite."
What Lewis is implying is that God would not have allowed him to reach such an unprecedented level of success in the NFL if he was culpable in any way for the murders. Incidentally, most football experts consider Lewis to be one of the best middle linebackers to ever play the game.
But Lewis takes this concept of God's favor one step further by suggesting that his football career has brought glory to God. This fact, in Lewis' mind, vindicates him from that ugly night in Atlanta because, after all, God would not use murderers for His glory even though one third of the Bible is written by murderers. Moses, author of the first five books of the Bible killed an Egyptian slave-master and buried his body in the sand (Exodus 2:12); King David, author of more than half of the Psalms had Uriah murdered, Bathsheba's husband with whom he had an adulterous affair (2 Samuel 11:15); and the Apostle Paul, author of 13 New Testement letters persecuted and killed Christians before his dramatic conversion on the Damascus road (Galatians 1:13).
What Lewis fails to grasp is that if people are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because they believe God will help them win football games. It's because Jesus Himself is appealing, and what He says rings true. It's because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It's not because we want more of the same.
What Christianity really needs is for its members to unflinchingly obey the commands of Jesus Christ and exhibit the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John chapter 10. Shortly before his death, the Marxist leader Lenin said, “Give me ten men like Francis of Assisi and I will rule the world.” It is the power of the life transformed by Jesus Christ that makes the world sit up and take notice not pregame dances and multimillion dollar contracts.
And to be honest, if the gospel was truly proclaimed many of the folks that claim to be Christian would shrink fast. America has moved so far away from preaching the cross that it is not surprising that our professional athletes who claim the name of Christ do so because they want Him to help them win. English Christian evangelist and author Leonard Ravenhill once said, "Christianity is not measured in success but in sacrifice." Truly a lost concept in today's world.
We need to come to the place where our lives mirror what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him [Jesus] and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” This is our charter as believers. As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be ready to obey Christ as unconditionally as the first disciples. That is our calling, not Super Bowl rings.
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“God is able to take your life, with all of the heartache, all of the pain, all of the regret, all of the missed opportunities, and use you for His glory.” - Charles R. Swindoll, Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2013
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The War Against God’s Word Continues…
This past week, a friend of mine forwarded me a link to a
CNN article entitled, “New Bible Translation Omits 'Christ,' 'Apostle'.”
The story is about a new Bible translation that has been compiled
by Professor David Capes, a New Testament teacher at Houston Baptist University.
The translation is called “The Voice” which according to Capes is marketed
toward people who own a Bible but have never read it because they feel it is
too difficult to understand. His goal was to emphasize the “meaning” behind the
words. To this end, The Voice does not include the words “angel”, “apostle”, or
“Christ.” Capes goes on to say that “We ... made that strategic decision, not
to transliterate, but to translate everything, to give them the meaning of the
text, and to give them the sense of where the story ... is going.”
As I read this article, I could not help but think some things
never change. In Genesis 3:1, Satan disguised as a serpent tells Eve, “Has God
indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Since man has been created, Satan has been
attacking God’s Word to keep man in darkness.
Why Capes and his editing team felt people could not
understand the words “angel”, “apostle,” or “Christ” is stunning. To then state
that the impetus behind his translation was the fact that people who own a
Bible do not read it because it is apparently too hard to understand is ludicrous.
The Bible itself tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 that the gospel is veiled to the
unbelieving world because Satan has blinded them, “But even if our gospel is
veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this
age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Christianity is not a numbers game. Our goal as followers of
Christ, especially a teacher of the New Testament like Capes should never be to
water down the Word of God in an effort to attract people to the gospel
message. Shortly before his death, the Marxist leader Lenin said, “Give me ten
men like Francis of Assisi and I will rule the world.” It is the power of the
life transformed by Jesus Christ that makes the world sit up and take notice
not massaging God’s Word to make it more palatable.
Jesus never compromised on doctrine. Never. He knew the
result would mean more souls would perish. The Apostle Paul emphasized this
exact point to his young protégé Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but
be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith,
in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine…Take
heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you
will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-13; 16).
The greatest need in the church today is not increased
membership and certainly not at the expense of altering God’s Word. We need to
come to the place where our lives mirror what the Apostle Paul said in
Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him [Jesus] and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His
death.” This is our charter as believers. We are not called to be marketers of
Jesus Christ, we are called to become like Jesus Christ. A tall order indeed
but this is the narrow road that leads to eternal life.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Heaven Under Our Feet
This past week I had the opportunity to travel with a church group to Costa Rica and visit the Lighthouse Children's Home. Its founder is Larry Neff, who was an orphan himself at age three. Larry felt the call early in his Christian life to build Christian orphanages to help homeless and needy children. The first home he built was in Mississippi in 1978. The second home he opened was in Costa Rica and he has since opened additional homes in Panama, Mexico, and India.
I have to admit that I was nervous and anxious on the flight down as I wondered about the living conditions and how the children would react to bunch of “gringos” invading their home.
A tour guide described the area where the orphanage is located as the armpit of Costa Rica with broken down squatter homes, guard dogs, and lots of bars to keep the thieves out. As we arrived, I would say that was a pretty apt description of the outside, but what lay on the inside contained the jewels and treasures of heaven. For you see, the Lighthouse home is comprised of 23 children who are there for a myriad of reasons. Most are there because their parents have either abandoned them or could not afford to care for them. Tragic, I know, but when you meet these children you would never guess that their backgrounds were so broken. Larry and his wife Paula, and Sally the “house mother” and her husband Terry have literally poured the love of God into these children.
Mother Teresa used to say that a person’s greatest need is not food and water but to be loved. These children are well fed, well clothed, and have a Christian school on the premises, but you quickly realize that it is not these things that enable them to exude such peace and happiness. It is the love and acceptance they receive every day. It is not hyperbole when I say that our church group had the privilege of being in the presence of living epistles.
These children with such difficult and tragic beginnings welcomed all of us with open arms, smiling faces, and a sense of love that I have never felt before anywhere. The language barrier (the primary language is Spanish) soon faded as we gathered every night to share testimonies, Bible devotions, and songs. During the day we dug holes, poured cement, mowed lawns, washed and painted school walls, cooked meals, and helped teach the school-aged children. Each day we marveled at how each child had his/her role in the home and did his/her chores without complaining.
On the plane ride home, I sat next to a man from Miami who had traveled to Costa Rica on business. When I shared with him that we were there on a mission’s trip, he asked if my husband used his vacation time to go on the trip. When I replied yes, he remarked, “Really? He used his own time to live in a place like that and dig holes and mow lawns every day?” I suppose that is a fair assessment as on the surface it seems ludicrous to spend your vacation time in the armpit of Costa Rica digging ditches and washing walls but, in reality, God gave us a taste of heaven.
In so many ways the whole experience reminds me of all the paradoxes that are contained in Christianity – you have to die to live, lose your life to find it, have faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain, go to a Costa Rican orphanage to find the Sermon on the Mount being lived out every day.
A woman named Patricia who can only be described as a woman completely in love with the Lord, was our tour guide for a day as we visited the Rain Forest. At one point during dinner she commented that Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, but rather how to pray. As I reflect on the trip, I realize perhaps more than ever that the gospel is not contained in great orators but in great hearts that seek to obey the Lord at any cost. What a privilege to have seen the gospel up close at the Lighthouse Children’s home. I am already planning my return visit.
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"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." - Mother Teresa
I have to admit that I was nervous and anxious on the flight down as I wondered about the living conditions and how the children would react to bunch of “gringos” invading their home.
A tour guide described the area where the orphanage is located as the armpit of Costa Rica with broken down squatter homes, guard dogs, and lots of bars to keep the thieves out. As we arrived, I would say that was a pretty apt description of the outside, but what lay on the inside contained the jewels and treasures of heaven. For you see, the Lighthouse home is comprised of 23 children who are there for a myriad of reasons. Most are there because their parents have either abandoned them or could not afford to care for them. Tragic, I know, but when you meet these children you would never guess that their backgrounds were so broken. Larry and his wife Paula, and Sally the “house mother” and her husband Terry have literally poured the love of God into these children.
Mother Teresa used to say that a person’s greatest need is not food and water but to be loved. These children are well fed, well clothed, and have a Christian school on the premises, but you quickly realize that it is not these things that enable them to exude such peace and happiness. It is the love and acceptance they receive every day. It is not hyperbole when I say that our church group had the privilege of being in the presence of living epistles.
These children with such difficult and tragic beginnings welcomed all of us with open arms, smiling faces, and a sense of love that I have never felt before anywhere. The language barrier (the primary language is Spanish) soon faded as we gathered every night to share testimonies, Bible devotions, and songs. During the day we dug holes, poured cement, mowed lawns, washed and painted school walls, cooked meals, and helped teach the school-aged children. Each day we marveled at how each child had his/her role in the home and did his/her chores without complaining.
On the plane ride home, I sat next to a man from Miami who had traveled to Costa Rica on business. When I shared with him that we were there on a mission’s trip, he asked if my husband used his vacation time to go on the trip. When I replied yes, he remarked, “Really? He used his own time to live in a place like that and dig holes and mow lawns every day?” I suppose that is a fair assessment as on the surface it seems ludicrous to spend your vacation time in the armpit of Costa Rica digging ditches and washing walls but, in reality, God gave us a taste of heaven.
In so many ways the whole experience reminds me of all the paradoxes that are contained in Christianity – you have to die to live, lose your life to find it, have faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain, go to a Costa Rican orphanage to find the Sermon on the Mount being lived out every day.
A woman named Patricia who can only be described as a woman completely in love with the Lord, was our tour guide for a day as we visited the Rain Forest. At one point during dinner she commented that Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, but rather how to pray. As I reflect on the trip, I realize perhaps more than ever that the gospel is not contained in great orators but in great hearts that seek to obey the Lord at any cost. What a privilege to have seen the gospel up close at the Lighthouse Children’s home. I am already planning my return visit.
**********************************************************
"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." - Mother Teresa
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Case of Manny Not “Being Manny”
As an avid Boston Red Sox fan, I have to admit that I was intrigued by the possibility of the Red Sox potentially signing Manny Ramirez this summer. You may recall that Manny played for the Red Sox during most of the past decade and was the MVP of their World Series championship in 2004. He is also arguably considered the best right handed hitter to ever play the game.
After a long contract dispute to begin the 2008 season, Manny basically stopped playing for the team forcing them to trade him to the L.A. Dodgers mid-season. The rocky dispute between Manny, the Red Sox front office, and his teammates was covered ad nauseam for months. Red Sox fans felt spurned by Manny whose infantile behavior resulted from ill feelings toward management as both sides stalemated on a new contract. The emotions from that dispute have carried over the past two seasons as Manny and the Red Sox have played the game of “He said”, “He said” in the newspapers.
Given all this, you can imagine my surprise when I recently read the following ESPN headline, "Manny Ramirez: ‘My Fault’ for Boston Exit."
Manny had apparently granted an interview to “NESN Daily’’ host Uri Berenguer and told him he had become a born again Christian and spends his days reading the Bible. When asked about how his playing days ended in Boston, which included a fight with teammate Kevin Youkilis, he said, “I think everything was my fault. But, hey, you’ve got to be a real man to realize when you do wrong. Hey, it was my fault.”
I am not sure if I have ever heard Manny Ramirez publicly say that he was at fault about anything. His antics were so notorious in Boston that the media and fans used to excuse his disruptive and often boorish behavior by saying that’s “Manny just being Manny.” I know, sad but true. So, to hear him take full responsibility for one of the most heated feuds in Boston sports history is eye opening to say the least.
But then again the gospel is just that powerful too. For you see, when a person truly gives himself to the Lord and becomes born again the Bible states, “He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) One of the first marks of a life changed by the power of Christ’s love is ownership for one’s behavior. Manny’s apology was not just an “I am sorry” statement. He took full responsibility for his actions and put the blame squarely on himself.
You may be wondering why a follower of Christ would immediately take ownership for his/her actions. It is because the cross represents ultimate and complete forgiveness for one’s sins – past, present, and future. When a person has been forgiven by Jesus Christ that same forgiveness is then transferred to others. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the Welsh Protestant minister, preacher, and medical doctor who was influential in the reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century, acutely understood this reciprocal nature of forgiveness when he stated, “I say to the glory of God and in utter humility that whenever I see myself before God and realize even something of what my blessed Lord has done for me, I am ready to forgive anybody anything.”
You see Christianity poses a personal Savior to forgive your sins and mine. In one sense Jesus did not die for the masses; He died for each and every person that comes to the cross asking for forgiveness for their own sins.
I do not know for certain if Manny’s profession of becoming a Christian is genuine or not as only the Lord knows the heart. But I would venture to say this, if Manny has indeed given his life to the Living God, than I, for one, will be praying/rooting harder for him in his daily walk with the Lord than I ever did when he was an outfielder for the Red Sox. Championship rings, multi-million dollar contracts, baseball records, the Hall of Fame - all of it will pass away one day and be remembered no more - but one’s relationship with the Savior will endure throughout eternity.
After a long contract dispute to begin the 2008 season, Manny basically stopped playing for the team forcing them to trade him to the L.A. Dodgers mid-season. The rocky dispute between Manny, the Red Sox front office, and his teammates was covered ad nauseam for months. Red Sox fans felt spurned by Manny whose infantile behavior resulted from ill feelings toward management as both sides stalemated on a new contract. The emotions from that dispute have carried over the past two seasons as Manny and the Red Sox have played the game of “He said”, “He said” in the newspapers.
Given all this, you can imagine my surprise when I recently read the following ESPN headline, "Manny Ramirez: ‘My Fault’ for Boston Exit."
Manny had apparently granted an interview to “NESN Daily’’ host Uri Berenguer and told him he had become a born again Christian and spends his days reading the Bible. When asked about how his playing days ended in Boston, which included a fight with teammate Kevin Youkilis, he said, “I think everything was my fault. But, hey, you’ve got to be a real man to realize when you do wrong. Hey, it was my fault.”
I am not sure if I have ever heard Manny Ramirez publicly say that he was at fault about anything. His antics were so notorious in Boston that the media and fans used to excuse his disruptive and often boorish behavior by saying that’s “Manny just being Manny.” I know, sad but true. So, to hear him take full responsibility for one of the most heated feuds in Boston sports history is eye opening to say the least.
But then again the gospel is just that powerful too. For you see, when a person truly gives himself to the Lord and becomes born again the Bible states, “He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) One of the first marks of a life changed by the power of Christ’s love is ownership for one’s behavior. Manny’s apology was not just an “I am sorry” statement. He took full responsibility for his actions and put the blame squarely on himself.
You may be wondering why a follower of Christ would immediately take ownership for his/her actions. It is because the cross represents ultimate and complete forgiveness for one’s sins – past, present, and future. When a person has been forgiven by Jesus Christ that same forgiveness is then transferred to others. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the Welsh Protestant minister, preacher, and medical doctor who was influential in the reformed wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century, acutely understood this reciprocal nature of forgiveness when he stated, “I say to the glory of God and in utter humility that whenever I see myself before God and realize even something of what my blessed Lord has done for me, I am ready to forgive anybody anything.”
You see Christianity poses a personal Savior to forgive your sins and mine. In one sense Jesus did not die for the masses; He died for each and every person that comes to the cross asking for forgiveness for their own sins.
I do not know for certain if Manny’s profession of becoming a Christian is genuine or not as only the Lord knows the heart. But I would venture to say this, if Manny has indeed given his life to the Living God, than I, for one, will be praying/rooting harder for him in his daily walk with the Lord than I ever did when he was an outfielder for the Red Sox. Championship rings, multi-million dollar contracts, baseball records, the Hall of Fame - all of it will pass away one day and be remembered no more - but one’s relationship with the Savior will endure throughout eternity.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Reflecting on the Resurrection - The Foundation and Pinnacle of the Christian Faith
First, Happy Resurrection Sunday! As we approach this day, I am reminded that as a Christian this is not a day that we only celebrate once a year, but every day as it is the very underpinning of our faith. For you see, without the resurrection of Christ, we have no faith. The birth, work, ministry and death of Jesus Christ is all in vain without the resurrection. It was there, in that tomb, that Jesus defeated the grave and death, and it is this fact that is the very lynchpin of all that we believe and hold to be true in this life and the next.
In I Corinthians, chapter 15, the Apostle Paul gives the best dissertation in the Bible on the importance of the resurrection as he states, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty….And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (verses 13, 14, 17, 19). I do not believe there is another series of verses in the entire Bible that sums up more perfectly the condition of the Christian without the resurrection. Paul goes as far as to say that if Christ did not rise than we should be pitied, and indeed we should be.
In his book Mere Christianity , C.S. Lewis sums up the work and mission of Christ this way, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus]: ‘I am ready to accept Jesus as a great teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man, who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God [who rose from the dead and claimed to have the power to forgive sins] or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool; you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
I would also add that the New Testament emphasizes throughout its pages that only if the resurrection of Christ is real is the Christian faith not an illusion, and more so, the resurrection alone, single handily substantiates every claim Christ made regarding his identity and life’s purpose.
This truth is something to behold, isn’t it? Only the Christian faith professes to have an incarnate God who came to earth to be a sacrificial Savior to atone for the sins of a people who were powerless to change their sinful condition before a holy and just God. It is the Christian faith at its core that elevates the resurrection of Jesus as the means by which all who have put their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins will also rise one day as He did (John 20:31). It is the resurrection that is the gateway to God, the great pearl of all theology to ponder, and the crescendo of the Christian faith.
Let’s all rejoice this Resurrection Sunday with the Apostle Paul as he proclaims, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades [Grave], where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:50-56). Amen.
“Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: ‘a virgin's womb and an empty tomb.’ Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘No Entrance’ and left through a door marked ‘No Exit.’” - Peter Larson
In I Corinthians, chapter 15, the Apostle Paul gives the best dissertation in the Bible on the importance of the resurrection as he states, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty….And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (verses 13, 14, 17, 19). I do not believe there is another series of verses in the entire Bible that sums up more perfectly the condition of the Christian without the resurrection. Paul goes as far as to say that if Christ did not rise than we should be pitied, and indeed we should be.
In his book Mere Christianity , C.S. Lewis sums up the work and mission of Christ this way, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus]: ‘I am ready to accept Jesus as a great teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man, who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God [who rose from the dead and claimed to have the power to forgive sins] or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool; you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
I would also add that the New Testament emphasizes throughout its pages that only if the resurrection of Christ is real is the Christian faith not an illusion, and more so, the resurrection alone, single handily substantiates every claim Christ made regarding his identity and life’s purpose.
This truth is something to behold, isn’t it? Only the Christian faith professes to have an incarnate God who came to earth to be a sacrificial Savior to atone for the sins of a people who were powerless to change their sinful condition before a holy and just God. It is the Christian faith at its core that elevates the resurrection of Jesus as the means by which all who have put their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins will also rise one day as He did (John 20:31). It is the resurrection that is the gateway to God, the great pearl of all theology to ponder, and the crescendo of the Christian faith.
Let’s all rejoice this Resurrection Sunday with the Apostle Paul as he proclaims, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades [Grave], where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:50-56). Amen.
“Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: ‘a virgin's womb and an empty tomb.’ Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘No Entrance’ and left through a door marked ‘No Exit.’” - Peter Larson
Monday, March 29, 2010
…And the Smell of Fire Was Not on Them
This past week I was reading through the book of Daniel, which contains the Bible’s two most well-known epic escapes. I wanted to touch on the first great escape that we read about in chapter three that involves three Hebrew men and their fiery furnace appointment.
As background, the Book of Daniel is set during the Babylonian Captivity, a period when Jews were deported and exiled to Babylon following the siege of Jerusalem of 597 BC. The book revolves around Daniel, a Judean and member of Israelite nobility who becomes Chief Magician (4:9) in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon from 605 to 562 BC. The book has two distinct parts: a series of six narratives (chapters one to six) and four apocalyptic visions (chapters seven to twelve).
The fiery furnace story that I referenced earlier takes place within the narrative section of the book. In chapter three, we read that King Nebuchadnezzar had built a giant golden statue of himself and ordered everyone to bow down and worship it. If anyone refused, they were to be executed by being thrown into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who, along with Daniel, were members of the Israelite nobility, and therefore taken into the king's service, boldly refused to worship anyone other than the God of Israel and then professed their faith in God's ability to protect them, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (3:17-18).
As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego entered the furnace, the king made an amazing observation, "Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (3:25). The Lord Himself had entered the furnace and protected his servants from harm but what I wanted to focus on was the level of protection provided as I believe it contains a wonderful spiritual truth that I hope will bless your heart.
The Scripture says that when the servants exited the furnace they were inspected by the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors, “...and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them” (3:27).
The Lord did not just save the lives of his servants; the text says the fire had no power on them. Their God had saved them completely, so that there was not the slightest evidence that they had ever been in danger. So too, the salvation offered by the Lord is so effective and complete that nothing of the lost condition of the sinner remains. It is this fact that prompted Christ to exclaim on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His atoning work of salvation offers absolute deliverance from all that corrupts, all that defiles, and all that blights to anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
At the end of the chapter, Nebuchadnezzar responded to this miraculous deliverance by declaring, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this" (3:28-29).
That is quite a statement from a king who at the outset of the chapter believed he was the king of kings to be solely worshipped by all. Now this man realizes there is a God in Israel and He alone has the power to deliver like no other.
Yes, there is a God in Christianity. A God in the midst of His people, going with us through the fiery trials of life, protecting us from all harms and guiding us home to His everlasting arms.
"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain." – C.S. Lewis
As background, the Book of Daniel is set during the Babylonian Captivity, a period when Jews were deported and exiled to Babylon following the siege of Jerusalem of 597 BC. The book revolves around Daniel, a Judean and member of Israelite nobility who becomes Chief Magician (4:9) in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon from 605 to 562 BC. The book has two distinct parts: a series of six narratives (chapters one to six) and four apocalyptic visions (chapters seven to twelve).
The fiery furnace story that I referenced earlier takes place within the narrative section of the book. In chapter three, we read that King Nebuchadnezzar had built a giant golden statue of himself and ordered everyone to bow down and worship it. If anyone refused, they were to be executed by being thrown into a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who, along with Daniel, were members of the Israelite nobility, and therefore taken into the king's service, boldly refused to worship anyone other than the God of Israel and then professed their faith in God's ability to protect them, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (3:17-18).
As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego entered the furnace, the king made an amazing observation, "Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (3:25). The Lord Himself had entered the furnace and protected his servants from harm but what I wanted to focus on was the level of protection provided as I believe it contains a wonderful spiritual truth that I hope will bless your heart.
The Scripture says that when the servants exited the furnace they were inspected by the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors, “...and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them” (3:27).
The Lord did not just save the lives of his servants; the text says the fire had no power on them. Their God had saved them completely, so that there was not the slightest evidence that they had ever been in danger. So too, the salvation offered by the Lord is so effective and complete that nothing of the lost condition of the sinner remains. It is this fact that prompted Christ to exclaim on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His atoning work of salvation offers absolute deliverance from all that corrupts, all that defiles, and all that blights to anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
At the end of the chapter, Nebuchadnezzar responded to this miraculous deliverance by declaring, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this" (3:28-29).
That is quite a statement from a king who at the outset of the chapter believed he was the king of kings to be solely worshipped by all. Now this man realizes there is a God in Israel and He alone has the power to deliver like no other.
Yes, there is a God in Christianity. A God in the midst of His people, going with us through the fiery trials of life, protecting us from all harms and guiding us home to His everlasting arms.
"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain." – C.S. Lewis
Monday, January 18, 2010
Is God a Patriots Fan?
With the Super Bowl fast approaching, the issue of whether or not God is rooting for a particular team to win always seems to surface. I find this to be one of the more intriguing questions given that sports entertainment has become more of a religion today than the God of the Bible.
I want to begin addressing this question by mentioning a couple of quotes from Tom Brady, the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback of the New England Patriots. After Brady won his third Super Bowl in 2005 he was asked if he would still have the competitive drive to come back next year and compete for another championship after already winning three at the tender age of 27 (an NFL record). Brady’s response was both intriguing and insightful. He stated that after the initial euphoria wore off from winning his third championship, he asked himself, “Is this it? Surely there has to be more.”
More? Surely Brady was joking. He was at age 27 the epitome of success – three time champion, Brad Pitt type good looks, Hollywood actress girlfriend on his arm, and yet he was unsatisfied. The world would say his answer depicted his competitive spirit of wanting to be the greatest QB ever but I say his response goes much deeper. His response speaks of a spiritual void. You see for every person there is a spiritual void that we try to fill with all sorts of things – work, relationships, kids, hobbies, but yet we find ourselves very unsatisfied. “Because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.” (Romans 8:7)
In his book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, Max Lucado says that when a man knocks on the door of a brothel, he is looking for God. So too with Brady. His question speaks of a void that seems untouched by his unmatched success. Subsequently, when Brady was asked a couple of years ago if he ever considered what God thought of his success, he said that he didn’t believe that “God gave a [expletive] if he could throw a football or not.”
On this account, Brady could not be more wrong and I believe this gets to the crux of our discussion about God’s sports interest. God most certainty does care that Brady can throw a football. He gave him the talent and ability. He also gave Brady a stage unlike anybody else to not only showcase that ability but to glorify God. I know Brady has never claimed to be a Christian but the Bible says God has fearfully and wonderfully made each of us (Psalm 139:13-14) and that our purpose from our birth has always been to serve and glorify Him in all that we do. “All has been heard; the end of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun].” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Winning or losing is not really the point with God. I would suggest that God gets more glory from a Christian who loses a big game and displays graciousness and humbleness than from a multiple champion who only glorifies himself. Rudyard Kipling wrote a wonderful poem called “If” in which he states, “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.” I believe this is God’s view as it relates to his children whether they are athletically gifted or not. He is looking for the individual that seeks to glorify Him on the playing field, at the office building, within the home.
In the end God will hold us all accountable for the talents and abilities we have been given and how we have used them to prosper His gospel. He will not look at Tom Brady any different than me or you as the Bible says God is not a respector of persons (Acts 10:34-35). He will look at how we responded to His revelation of Himself in our lives and how we used the gifts and talents He bestowed upon us for good and Super Bowl rings will be of no consequence.
I want to begin addressing this question by mentioning a couple of quotes from Tom Brady, the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback of the New England Patriots. After Brady won his third Super Bowl in 2005 he was asked if he would still have the competitive drive to come back next year and compete for another championship after already winning three at the tender age of 27 (an NFL record). Brady’s response was both intriguing and insightful. He stated that after the initial euphoria wore off from winning his third championship, he asked himself, “Is this it? Surely there has to be more.”
More? Surely Brady was joking. He was at age 27 the epitome of success – three time champion, Brad Pitt type good looks, Hollywood actress girlfriend on his arm, and yet he was unsatisfied. The world would say his answer depicted his competitive spirit of wanting to be the greatest QB ever but I say his response goes much deeper. His response speaks of a spiritual void. You see for every person there is a spiritual void that we try to fill with all sorts of things – work, relationships, kids, hobbies, but yet we find ourselves very unsatisfied. “Because the mind of the flesh, with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.” (Romans 8:7)
In his book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, Max Lucado says that when a man knocks on the door of a brothel, he is looking for God. So too with Brady. His question speaks of a void that seems untouched by his unmatched success. Subsequently, when Brady was asked a couple of years ago if he ever considered what God thought of his success, he said that he didn’t believe that “God gave a [expletive] if he could throw a football or not.”
On this account, Brady could not be more wrong and I believe this gets to the crux of our discussion about God’s sports interest. God most certainty does care that Brady can throw a football. He gave him the talent and ability. He also gave Brady a stage unlike anybody else to not only showcase that ability but to glorify God. I know Brady has never claimed to be a Christian but the Bible says God has fearfully and wonderfully made each of us (Psalm 139:13-14) and that our purpose from our birth has always been to serve and glorify Him in all that we do. “All has been heard; the end of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun].” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Winning or losing is not really the point with God. I would suggest that God gets more glory from a Christian who loses a big game and displays graciousness and humbleness than from a multiple champion who only glorifies himself. Rudyard Kipling wrote a wonderful poem called “If” in which he states, “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.” I believe this is God’s view as it relates to his children whether they are athletically gifted or not. He is looking for the individual that seeks to glorify Him on the playing field, at the office building, within the home.
In the end God will hold us all accountable for the talents and abilities we have been given and how we have used them to prosper His gospel. He will not look at Tom Brady any different than me or you as the Bible says God is not a respector of persons (Acts 10:34-35). He will look at how we responded to His revelation of Himself in our lives and how we used the gifts and talents He bestowed upon us for good and Super Bowl rings will be of no consequence.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Do All Roads Really Lead to Heaven?
If I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me that all roads lead to heaven, I would not be writing this blog but making flight arrangements to Hawaii. All kidding aside, for those of us that believe there is an after life, I would imagine this question of how one attains eternal bliss would be of the utmost importance. What is even more remarkable is that so few people spend any time at all understanding the religion they were raised with and even less time researching other religions of the world. It may or may not surprise you to know that the Bible is one of the most frequently commented on books that has never been read in its entirety or even at all by its commentators.
Bearing this in mind, I wanted to briefly detail what Christianity offers as opposed to the other major religions of the world. I will be paraphrasing some of Max Lucado’s thoughts on this subject as detailed in his book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope. First, Christianity is not technically a religion at all. It is a relationship. It is the only faith where one attains heaven based on the sacrifice of its God - Jesus Christ - and not through any human merit. The Bible states that God’s followers are “saved” based on the grace (unmerited favor) of God and their faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for their sins, “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Every other major religion of the world offers eternal bliss through the means of human achievement. Christianity offers it through the cross of Jesus Christ. Judaism refuses the claim of Christ as Messiah. Christians believe He is the promised Savior. Buddhists look toward Nirvana, achieved after numerous reincarnations. Christians believe in one life and one eternal life. Muslims earn their way to Allah by performing the duties of the Five Pillars of Faith. Christians rest in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Humanists do not acknowledge a creator of life. Jesus claims to be the source of life. Spiritualists read your palms. Christians consult the Bible. Hindus perceive a plural and impersonal god. Christ followers believe “there is only one God.” (I Corinthians. 8:4) And most supremely, every non-Christian religion says “You can save you.” Jesus says, “My death on the cross saves you.”
How can all religions really lead to God when they contain such disparate claims about how one attains eternal life? We don’t tolerate such illogic in other matters. We don’t pretend that all roads lead to Boston so why do it with something as important as your eternal destiny?
Bearing this in mind, I wanted to briefly detail what Christianity offers as opposed to the other major religions of the world. I will be paraphrasing some of Max Lucado’s thoughts on this subject as detailed in his book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope. First, Christianity is not technically a religion at all. It is a relationship. It is the only faith where one attains heaven based on the sacrifice of its God - Jesus Christ - and not through any human merit. The Bible states that God’s followers are “saved” based on the grace (unmerited favor) of God and their faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for their sins, “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Every other major religion of the world offers eternal bliss through the means of human achievement. Christianity offers it through the cross of Jesus Christ. Judaism refuses the claim of Christ as Messiah. Christians believe He is the promised Savior. Buddhists look toward Nirvana, achieved after numerous reincarnations. Christians believe in one life and one eternal life. Muslims earn their way to Allah by performing the duties of the Five Pillars of Faith. Christians rest in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Humanists do not acknowledge a creator of life. Jesus claims to be the source of life. Spiritualists read your palms. Christians consult the Bible. Hindus perceive a plural and impersonal god. Christ followers believe “there is only one God.” (I Corinthians. 8:4) And most supremely, every non-Christian religion says “You can save you.” Jesus says, “My death on the cross saves you.”
How can all religions really lead to God when they contain such disparate claims about how one attains eternal life? We don’t tolerate such illogic in other matters. We don’t pretend that all roads lead to Boston so why do it with something as important as your eternal destiny?
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