Advent-ure Day 11: King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Jesus is the source of power for us in the struggles we face each day. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and as 1st John 4 reminds us, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

So, when we are weak, we recognize that is an opportunity for God to show His strength. 2nd Corinthians 12 says:
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The enemy's agenda is to destroy the plan of God, and He does that by luring the child of God into either outright sinful behavior, or at least into destructive self-reliance, in which we depend on ourselves rather than Him.  We allow our own ideas or those that the enemy plants into our minds to be the basis for our decisions rather than the Word of God.  We believe lies rather than hold to the truth.  Jesus walks with us, He is our champion, and wants to work in us to the glory of the Father.

+++++

We begin another week of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, and yesterday marked the second Sunday of Advent for churches who are commemorating it.  We are looking at 25 different areas or concepts this year, all centered around the theme, "Let's Worship Jesus."

We are looking at his personality, reflected in the various names by which our Savior is called.  Saturday, Day 9, dealt with Jesus our Redeemer, based on Titus 2:14 which tells us that Jesus "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

On Day 10, corresponding to Sunday, the emphasis was on Jesus our Wonderful Counselor, based on Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Today, we rejoice in Jesus, who is called King of Kings and Lord of Lords, according to 1st Timothy
chapter 6, verse 15...let's get a running start - Paul is encouraging believers to...
14 ...keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Jesus is our great and mighty power, and He stands with us and walks with us when we face the difficulties of life.  And, we can be reminded that He is available to be our source of power in our times of weakness.

Maybe you have heard of or read the story of a middle school student in Tennessee named Keaton Jones.  According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel:

Keaton's mother, Kimberly Jones, filmed him crying in the passenger seat of a vehicle after she said she picked him up from school "AGAIN" because he was afraid to go to lunch. "Keaton asked to do this," Jones wrote in a Facebook post.

In the video, Keaton said other students made fun of the way he looks, poured milk on him, put ham down his clothes and said he had no friends.

"People that are different don't need to be criticized about it," Keaton said. "It's not their fault. But if you are made fun of, just don't let it bother you. Stay strong I guess. It's hard. But it'll probably get better one day."

That day might just be today.

As of Sunday evening, Keaton's video had more than 18.5 million views and had been shared more than 369,000 times on Facebook. His message resonated with an eclectic mix of celebrities, who responded by condemning bullying, sharing their own experiences and lauding Keaton for his courage.

Among the celebrities: Chris Evans, who plays the role of Captain America, Dana White, who heads the UFC, talk-show host Sean Hannity, rapper Snoop Dogg, and a number of professional athletes, including players from the Tennessee Volunteers and NFL Titans.

This is a serious problem in our culture.  The News-Sentinel website also says that: "According to a federal study released on Tuesday, one in every five middle and high school students has complained of being bullied at school, while the number of reported incidents of sexual assaults on college campuses has more than tripled over the past ten years."

Writing for The Christian Post, speaker Nick Vujoicic stated:

Throughout my life I've seen that bullying is real and part of the dark side of human nature. Bullying has been with us as long as sin has existed.

Jesus Himself was a victim of constant bullying from His enemies. When the high priest questioned Jesus before His crucifixion, a temple official slapped Jesus in the face for daring to speak the truth. Jesus did not back down from these religious persecutors. Instead, He demanded to know why the official had lashed out.

Jesus was teaching us that no one should give in to being bullied or persecuted. We should put our faith into action, stand against those who would intimidate and persecute us and anyone else, and demand to be treated fairly.

As perhaps you know, Nick was born without limbs. He writes:

...I didn't tell my parents when I was picked on because I didn't want to upset them. I thought I could handle it myself, but I was wrong. I should have told them from the beginning. It is a lesson that I share with my audience, especially with young people.

Victims of bullying do need help. And parents must teach their children to be compassionate and Good Samaritans, to step up if they see such someone being mistreated.

Bill Conger, who is a school counselor, shared information on the LifeWay website, based on the book, The Bully Blockers Club, by Teresa Bateman.  He writes:

• Ignore/Avoid: Bullies want attention. Don't give it to them.
• Be a friend: Sometimes bullies don't know the right way to be a friend. Try winning them over with kindness.
• Don't be a pushover: In a clear, firm voice, look your intimidator in the eye and tell him to leave you alone.
• Tell an adult: Let the adult in charge of the area where the bullying occurs know what's going on.
• Build a club: Combine forces with other friends. The bully is less likely to pick on children who are in a group.

Conger also says, "If these tips to empower your child to handle her troubles don't work, then you may want to step in."

Vujicic and Conger both stress the importance of others stepping into a bullying situation.  Keaton now has a whole army of powerful friends to show him support.  But, we also recognize that once the attention dies down, he will need the support of people in the local school, as well as fellow students to stand with him, to help him deal with the taunts and actions of the bullies.

And, ultimately Christian students can be a force to help those who are being bullied, and to even show kindness toward the bullies, in an effort to get them to stop - if they don't know Christ, it provides a witnessing opportunity all the way around.

This is yet another issue in which the body of Christ can step up and help.  The Focus on the Family website says:

Schools are responsible for providing a safe environment for all who attend, including a schoolwide culture in which bullying is definitely not acceptable. This goes well beyond cracking down on individual bullies. It requires an ongoing, comprehensive effort involving students, teachers, administrators and support staff that is designed to increase awareness of bullying, improve adult supervision, and generate rules and a social climate that clearly discourage bullying. The staff and teachers must also provide protection from all forms of bullying.

Churches should clearly teach young and old alike that bullying directly contradicts the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. It was He, after all, who sought out the outcasts and powerless and who taught the critical importance of helping "the least of these."

I have to admit that recently, I have read in the Montgomery Advertiser about efforts of the faith community to get involved in the lives of students and their families.  Just yesterday, there was a front-page article about the backpack program, which helps to provide food for students and their families on the weekends.  There is also a group of church leaders who are attempting to bring hope for students.  The church and the school can be powerful partners in shaping the lives of young people.

Christians can stand with those who are being mistreated or who are less fortunate in a number of ways; just as Christ, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has stood and continues to stand with us.  We need a powerful friend, and Jesus is that friend that sticks closer than a brother, according to the book of Proverbs. We can appropriate God's resources in our own lives and depend on His mighty power, and we can be challenged to tell and demonstrate to others the power we have discovered.