Category Archives: Christ

Blood, Christ, Church, Power, conversion

A Neutered Gospel

Posted by admin on April 6, 2010 at 3:42 pm.

Having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Tim 3:5)

                Bob Barker, the long-time host of “The Price is Right,” always closed his show with an appeal to control the pet population by having our pets spayed or neutered. By doing this, of course, the pets cannot reproduce more than people are willing to care for them. At least that’s the theory.

                My son sings in a choir at a state university. His choir director is an evangelical Christian and has the responsibility of choosing the music that the students sing in the choir, but has certain guidelines to which he must adhere. Classical music and spirituals (especially) owe much to the Judeo-Christian heritage, and this director can choose songs that reflect this heritage – so long as they do not mention the blood of Christ. The songs have effectively been neutered.

                The reproductive power of the Gospel is in the blood of Jesus. How interesting that those who are seeking to keep American Christianity from expanding can see this, while many churches do not! Without the blood, we have no distinctive message because it is the blood that buys us forgiveness. It is the blood of Jesus that satisfies the wrath of God and allows us access into the very throne of heaven. In the words of Robert Lowry “nothing but the blood” can wash away our sin.

                This is why the unofficial national hymn in America is “Amazing Grace” – because it doesn’t mention the blood. John Newton, the author of that song, would roll over in his grave (except that he’s not there!) because the whole essence of the grace he received was through the blood. I doubt that he ever dreamed that his great poem would be divorced from the blood of Christ that inspired it. But it has.

                I am a believer in Christ only because of the death (the blood), burial and resurrection of Jesus. Without these I have no hope, but with them, there is power to change a dying world, and an assurance that I will stand redeemed before Him one day. In the words of Andre Crouch, “The blood will never lose its power.”

Christ, Eternal Son of God, Gentiles, Hearts, Messiah, Restoration, Resurrection, conversion

Receive or Reject

Posted by admin on March 10, 2010 at 12:01 pm.

He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12).

                This passage is one of the many “sad and glad” couplets in Scripture. It combines one of the most tragic phrases in all of literature with one of the most hopeful.

                There are many reasons why “His own” did not receive Him. Some can be attributed to misunderstanding. He didn’t fit the mold that they had come to expect. He didn’t follow all their rules and regulations; He didn’t throw off the yoke of the Roman government; He didn’t stroke the religious establishment in the right way; indeed, on that point, He stirred them up and pointed out their hypocrisy.

                Some of those who misunderstood Him at first came around later and broke up mold of their expectations so that they could see Him for Who He really was.

But others didn’t. These stubbornly held fast to their expectations and required Him to conform to their ways of thinking. The irony (or perhaps hypocrisy) was that these apparently religious people had put God in a box and refused to let Him out. Their ways were all that mattered. They would be recognized and honored when they forced God to do what they determined was the best policy for their people. Many of those that refused to receive Him tried to use their personal or political influence to make Him conform to their ways. Ultimately they would “win the battle” but “lose the war.” Jesus would be crucified at their hands, but He would rise again to life.

But how much happier were those who are described in the “glad” portion of this couplet. They received Him, acknowledging ultimately His glory. They didn’t necessarily understand all that He was doing or all that would happen to Him, but they understood, with John, that this One – the Messiah – was not their puppet, but was the One they needed to obey. They were willing to be the servants rather than the Master.

It seems to me that we see the same contrast among people today in Western society. We can argue about whether “His own” only refers to Jewish people, but it would be immaterial. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, the human heart still is rebellious against our Creator. We still want to pull His strings rather than submit to His will. We still have the same choice: receive Him or reject Him. In the end there is no other option.

Bread of Life, Christ, Church Today, Resurrection, Scripture, Walk with Jesus

Their Hearts Burned

Posted by admin on March 9, 2010 at 11:31 am.

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32

                On the evening of the Resurrection of Jesus, as the word was beginning to circulate that something had happened to the body of Jesus, two men were walking along a road toward the town of Emmaus when they were joined by a stranger. It was Jesus, but they couldn’t recognize Him.

                They were amazed that this Man seemed to not know the news that Jesus had been crucified, much less that He was reported to have been seen alive again. So Jesus explained to the men all that the Scriptures had to say about Himself “beginning with Moses and the Prophets” (Luke 24:27). Later, after He became known to them, they realized how His discourse had affected them.

                The hearts of these men “burned” within them because they were searching for the Truth, and the Truth was being revealed to them. They didn’t have a flippant, fatalistic attitude that found expression in a phrase like “Oh well, it must not have been God’s will!” They were earnestly trying to make sense of the things that had happened and to see these events within the grander scheme of God’s redemptive plan. They were looking to know Truth. They would find it within the revelation of Scripture, explained by the One who embodied the Truth. What a privilege was theirs that makes many of us envious!

Having known Christ in this culture for the past 35 years, I confess that I am cynical about how many people today are really searching for Truth. Many SAY they are, but the cares and comforts of this life are usually more important. It is unusual – but supremely joyful – these days to find a brother or sister whose greatest concern is simply to know Jesus and His Truth.

                But though I tend to be cynical today, I am confident that this tribe will increase in the next few years (if Jesus tarries). As the prosperity of our Western culture wanes, as people become disillusioned with the emptiness of materialism, there will be a hunger for the Word again in the hearts of men, because, as Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Solomon’s statement in Ecclesiastes that God has placed “eternity in our hearts” implies that the things of this world will never truly satisfy. It may take some time for us to try “everything,” but once we do, the hunger in us for eternal Truth will burn. The junk food spiritual diet many today live on just won’t satisfy.

Christ, Disciples, Prayer, Scripture

More on Prayer

Posted by admin on February 23, 2010 at 4:31 pm.

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning (Luke 9:29). Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2).

                It would appear that God is trying to speak. As I have been reading through the Gospel of Luke recently, I have begun to notice the number of times Jesus is either praying or encouraging others to pray. Although I have read this Gospel many times, some of the references have startled me this time.

                For example, Luke is the only one of the Gospel writers to describe the Transfiguration with the words “As He was praying…” (9:29). Luke is also the only Gospel writer to introduce the story of Peter’s Confession with the phrase, “When Jesus was praying…” (9:18). The second verse of the next chapter includes Jesus’ command to pray that “the Lord of the Harvest [would] send out workers into His harvest field.” And the chapter closes with Jesus’ praise of Mary’s devotional heart over Martha’s constant activity.

                I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t understand prayer. I cannot explain why the omniscient Father needs for me to ask Him to do what He wants to do. But for some reason He does.

               It probably is wrapped up in the idea of relationship. We often compare the communication between God and His people with the communication between a couple who are dating. This communication goes beyond words in that as their love develops and matures, they begin to understand what makes the other “tick” – what  his/her values are, what makes them angry, how he/she responds in times of stress and struggle. This illustration breaks down in that neither of the dating couple has infinite knowledge and wisdom, but the illustration still describes what a combination of prayer and the Scripture will do for us. We’ll get to know His character, especially the infinite nature of His love for men made in His image.

                      Far more than our service, God our Father wants us. He desires the fellowship of His worshipping people, and in the process of that fellowship, He longs for us to acquire the heart He has for a rebellious world of His image-bearers. We may never fully understand why He longs for His people to pray; we may never fully understand why Jesus’ example of prayer is so pervasive in Luke’s Gospel; but we can understand that it is this process of communication – back and forth, prayer and Scripture – that infuses His values into our hearts. Perhaps I should say, “It is ONLY this process…”

Christ, Death, Eternal Life, Faith, Gentiles, Jesus, Messiah, Sovereign Lord

Prepared for death

Posted by admin on February 15, 2010 at 2:47 pm.

Luke 2:25-32  Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

                Probably my favorite character (aside from Jesus) in the Christmas story is the old man, Simeon. He was a faithful and godly man in the midst of a religion of external forms and ritualistic worship. At some point – we don’t know if it was that morning when he woke up or months before – God had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Messiah. But eight days after Jesus was born, His parents brought Him to the Temple for His dedication and, while there, they met Simeon.

                Simeon recognized the Baby Jesus as the Messiah and “sang” the wonderful hymn that is recorded in verses 29-32, called the “Nunc Dimittus.” (This is the last of four hymns recorded in the first two chapters of Luke and takes its name from the first words of the Latin text.)

                I like Simeon and his song because he has life in its proper perspective. First he recognizes that God has him in this world for a purpose. Once he recognizes Messiah, he can be “dismissed” by the “Sovereign Lord.” His work is done; his next assignment is in a different venue – heaven. We who are “in Christ” should take our cue from Simeon – we are here as servants of God, not those who issue the orders! He calls us to His service and dismisses us when He is done with us – not the other way around.

                Simeon also has a global perspective. While God’s principle place of activity was within the nation of Israel, Jesus was still “a light of revelation to the Gentiles.”It was always within God’s scope that ALL nations would worship Him. Around His throne will be some “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (see Rev. 5).

                But mostly I like Simeon because he is prepared to die. It’s not a fearful thing; he may not know exactly what death will bring, but he knows the One who has ordered it. And he trusts Him.

                Lots of people today aren’t ready to die. But they can be – if only they follow Simeon’s example, and actively look for Messiah.

Christ, Matthew 23:30-32, Sin, Uncategorized

Sins of the Fathers

Posted by admin on January 28, 2010 at 2:20 am.

And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! (Matt 23:30-32)

                The truth is that we have all – to some extent – participated in the sins of our ancestors. That’s a hard concept for many of us in modern times. We don’t want to be judged by the sins of our parents and grandparents, but it appears that we should be. This statement from the lips of Jesus Himself suggests that if we had lived in a previous generation we would have responded the same way.

                Two of the notable saints of the Old Testament seemed to understand this truth because both Daniel and Ezra are recorded as seeking forgiveness for the sins of their ancestors (Dan. 9:3-19; Ezra 9:5-15). They seemed to understand that they were suffering under God’s judgment because their parents and grandparents had failed to follow Him with a whole heart.

                Most of us understand our culpability for our own sin, but perhaps the Church today needs to gain a healthy spirit of repentance for the sins of the previous generations. If we are struggling with materialism as a people, it may be because the roots of that sin have been sown in our hearts by our parents who wanted to provide for us better than they enjoyed as children. After all, the sins of the fathers are visited on the children to the third and fourth generation.

                I don’t know how to communicate this without making it seem that succeeding generations will be held accountable for the sins of their parents, but that is NOT my intent. I will be judged for my sins, and His grace is sufficient for me to overcome any influence of my ancestors. Still, that influence persists, which explains why most people who have descended from troubled homes or from parents that rejected Christ have a harder time believing than those whose parents have faithfully served Him.