When God Shows Up

Ever have a moment when you really sensed God’s presence? As if He was orchestrating the very moments in a particular situation in your life? God tells us in His Word that He is always working in our lives and that He even knows the hairs on our head but often we long to sense Him, feel Him, know Him. I believe we fail to see Him in the way we desire because so often we are in disobedience or failing to confess sin. But when we are truly serving others, ministering with our heart and soul, He is there and He makes His presence known.

In the Gospel of John chapter 20, Thomas told his co-disciples that he would not believe that Jesus had resurrected unless he was able to see and touch His wounds. And when Jesus showed up and allowed Thomas to feel His nail prints and touch His sword-pierced side, Thomas cried out that he believed. Jesus then poignantly reminded him and us that he only believed because he saw Jesus in the flesh and then announced to everyone in the room “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Perhaps maybe the hardest thing God asks any of us to do on the other side of the cross is to believe that Jesus did exist and that He was who He claimed to be – the Son of God in the flesh that came to save sinners.

2,000 years is a long time and yet God tells us that 1,000 years is as one day to Him. For many of our modern scientists and philosophers it is easy to explain God away in the theories of evolution because surely if we were made in God’s image as Genesis states, God would be readily apparent. Of course, Romans 1:20-23 tells us, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”

There may be no other passage in the Bible other than this one that perfectly encapsulates the world’s view of God in the 21st century. We would rather worship the creation than the creator. Yet God tells us that his very essence and power are revealed in creation. But if we fail to acknowledge God here than how can we ever come to His Word and see Him there in His special revelation? The answer is we can’t. Our God really is not all that mysterious. He is not a genie in a lamp that requires some sort of magic password to grant us access to him. He is a God that inspired 40 men over a period of 1,500 years to write 66 books that all contain the same message – Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ!

Every one of us that claims to be a Christian is a testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For you see, He lives inside us and it is through us that the world knows what Thomas found out - Jesus is real. The world can see us, touch us, watch us and by so doing it is as if Jesus is standing in front of them all over again telling them to touch his wounds. We are His testament. We are His voice. We are His heart. What a privledge.

A Living Epistle

This past week I was listening to a preacher speak about the love of God and he began detailing the life of Mother Teresa, who was an Albanian Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She ministered for more than 45 years to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. At the time of her death in 1997, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had more than 4,000 sisters, and an associated brotherhood of 300 members, operating 610 missions in 123 countries. These included hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, personal helpers, orphanages, and schools.

The preacher went on to share a quote of hers that has remained lodged in my head all week because of its incredible poignancy and truth. An interviewer years ago had asked Mother Teresa how she was able to accomplish such great works in her life given her humble beginnings as an Albanian nun. She responded that she had not accomplished great works, but had rather performed simple acts toward others in need with great love.

As I pondered this statement, I thought to myself that she perfectly summed up the crux of the gospel and the Christian faith. It is not the acts themselves but acts performed in the love of Christ that minister to the body and soul.

Mother Teresa said many times throughout her life that being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. She acutely understood and lived the message of Christ as he told His followers to love their neighbor as themselves. In fact, all of Christ’s miracles were not performed simply to wow people but to showcase His love. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, visited the lonely, and raised the dead because of His great love. He told us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that love is the greatest virtue of all because it encapsulates all of the others.

So, it is no wonder that in Matthew chapter 25, as Jesus speaks about the judgment of God when the believers will be separated from the unbelievers, He tells us that the litmus test of our faith in Him would be practically demonstrated in our lives as we minister to the needs of others. He never mentions what a devout Christian we were in terms of how often we attended church, Bible studies, or revival meetings, but instead focuses on how we loved and met the needs of others, in particular other believers, as he says to those on His right, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

Did you notice that the acts that are commended are not earth shattering in nature, are they? Christ speaks of giving water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to a stranger, and visiting the sick, lonely, or imprisoned. These are acts we all can do regularly in the normal course of life no matter our status, education, or geographical location. Christ did not say, “When you founded a church, surrendered to the missionary field, or built a school, you did these things to me.” He said a cup of water given to someone in need was given to Him.

What an amazing thought - a cup of water, some food, a bag of clothes, shelter for a stranger, time spent with the sick or lonely. These are the demonstrable acts of a life that is completely lost in Christ and these were the very acts that Mother Teresa performed over and over again for 45 years. This is why she said that she performed small acts with great love because she understood the Person she was truly ministering to – Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thought to allow to captivate our life and shape our walk.

So, this brings us to the most important question. What are we doing to minister to others? What am I doing? I recently listened to a sermon where the preacher said that your neighbor is anyone that has a need that you can meet. How many people around you and me have needs that we can meet? Let’s dedicate ourselves this Christmas season and throughout 2011 to becoming living epistles to others.

"Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus." - Mother Teresa

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

Recently, I was reading a book on the love of Christ and how it is the very foundation for radical discipleship. Within the book, I read a gripping letter from a young pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa, that was discovered following his martyrdom for his faith in Jesus Christ. I quote his letter verbatim:

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made – I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’ m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am lifted by prayer, and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me. And, when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!

This may be the most powerful letter I have ever read on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even a casual reading of the Scriptures will reveal that the person closest to the heart of Jesus Christ is not the who knows the most, prays the most, or holds the most important position or title. It is the one who loves the most. For you see, Jesus Christ by His very birth, ministry, death and resurrection has transformed His followers into imitators of His great love. I would go as far to say that it is impossible to say one is a Christian if Christ's love is not readily apparent, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Let all of us continually seek the cross of Christ, humbling ourselves on Calvary, basking in His great love that we may take our fill and pour it out to each and every soul that crosses our path.

“However holy or Christ-like a Christian may become, he/she is still in the condition of 'being changed.'" - John R. W. Stott