He is Risen Indeed!

The 15th chapter of the book of 1st Corinthians is devoted, in large part, to the significance of the resurrection, and we can be challenged to think about how Jesus being risen from the dead affects our lives today. Here is a passage from that chapter:
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

We are alive in Him - the God of the universe, the Maker and Sustainer of all things, sent His Son into the world to pay a penalty for sin that we were incapable and unqualified to pay.  Our destiny was eternal separation from God, but Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, and so He was qualified to pay the penalty.  And, because He was sinless, death could not hold Him!  So, He is risen from the dead, and we are raised to new life with Him - He gives us the power to live a victorious Christian life.

+++++

There's a passage I want to share from 1st Timothy 3 that deals with some cornerstone beliefs of the
Christian faith, about which we can be totally convinced:
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

We have finished the celebration of what is regarded to be the greatest moment in human history, the culmination of God's story of redemption - the resurrection of Jesus from the dead!   Imagine - the Son of God, a sinless man, put to death, bearing the sins of the whole world, surrendering to death, but then defeating death and its power by raising from the dead.

And, for the Christian, we observe or celebrate that occasion not by merely getting out our spring clothes and attending special services, but to recognize the living reality of Christ's resurrection every single day!

Many may not hold the resurrection in the position that we as Christians do, or should do, but a new Rasmussen report shows that people believe it.  The Christian Examiner website states that:

According to the results of the telephone survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by a Rasmussen partner from March 22-23 – just before Easter weekend – "belief in Jesus Christ's resurrection is even higher this Easter."

The survey indicated that 77 percent of American adults still "believe Jesus Christ was the son of God sent to Earth to die for our sins. Fourteen percent don't believe that to be true."

The survey asked questions it has asked to random survey participants every year – questions about Jesus's divinity and the central proposition of the Christian faith, that Jesus Christ was raised from the tomb on the Sunday after his crucifixion.

There has been some flexibility in the numbers - for instance, in 2013, the number of Americans who said they strongly believed in the resurrection of Christ stood at only 64 percent, with 19 percent saying they rejected the idea of the bodily resurrection of Christ. The preceding year, 77 percent said they believed Jesus was raised from the dead and 86 percent of adults believed Jesus was an actual person, not a myth.

The existence of Jesus as a real, historical figure is a premise of the movie, God's Not Dead 2, which debuts this weekend.  This is an important film that deals with religious liberty and defending our faith.  Former Arkansas governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee makes a cameo apperance in the film, and he did an interview that was published on the Christian Examiner website. In it, he said:

You can mention just about any religion in the world, and that's just considered a study of history. But if you specifically mention Jesus, then suddenly that turns into a sectarian religious discussion and we supposedly can't have that – even though you can't deny the historical fact that Jesus was a real person. He had an enormous impact on not only His world but the world that we live in today. That's an indisputable fact of history. If you take that out of any historical discussion, then now you have re-written history and you're giving children a very incomplete picture of the story. You're robbing them of an honest education.

Let's explore several key words today.  One is certainty.  We can be certain of the historical fact of Jesus coming to earth and His bodily resurrection.  Because we can be convinced that Jesus was who He says He was, then we can embrace the truth of the Scriptures about how we can apply that to our lives this very day.

That certainty can produce in our lives a confidence in the Lord.  If we believe that He is the Son of God, came to earth, died for our sins, rose from the dead, and is alive today, we can recognize the truth of His word and that those principles are true for us today.  Because He gave His life, we can know that He is with us.

We can also acknowledge the cost that Jesus paid, and the cost of following Him.  He took care of the penalty, so we don't have to try to pay a sin debt we could never satisfy.  But, He does call us to sacrifice ourselves and lay down our lives, our desires, our human tendencies, in order to follow Him. As Huckabee said, "You really don't have to have a suspension of belief to see this movie happening. But I think it also is a challenging movie, and it calls for every believer to look deep within: What do you do when your faith and following Christ means it's going to cost your something – and you don't know what the outcome is going to be?"

Certainty - confidence - and cost.  Because we know Him and know that He walks with us, we can recognize that whatever we face in this life, He is with us.

Hamilton, Flaws, and Faith

One of the ways that we can grow in our faith is to remember God's Word and remember how we have seen Him operate in our lives. And, even though we were not eyewitnesses of Christ's death on the cross and that incredible act of redemption, He has provided a vivid picture of what He did for us there. Paul describes it in 1st Corinthians 11:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

We can learn from history - Biblical history can show us who we are and who God is, manifested in His actions toward His people.  A study of American history, regarding the role of the Lord in the sustenance of our nation, can be instructive and inspiring as well.  In the name of political correctness and the mistaken notion of separation of church and state, people have attempted to erase the presence of God from the journey of our nation.  But, He has been there, and will continue to be there - and it would be my hope that our collective lives, as well as our individual lives - would be in step with His principles.

+++++

It is always helpful to learn from the past - remembering God's blessings and evidence of His hand, as well as to learn from missteps that we have made. Think about these words from Deuteronomy 6:
10 "So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full--
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Quick - whose picture is on the $10 bill?  No, the person wasn't even a President, he was the first Secretary of the Treasury - Alexander Hamilton.

And, his life is depicted in...a Broadway musical, which is easily the hottest ticket on the Great White Way.  That's right - it's American history meets hip-hop, and Christianity Today reports that there's a healthy dose of Biblical references in this presentation.  

Alissa Wilkinson wrote the article; she's on the faculty of The King's College in New York City.  She writes:

This display of biblical literacy is good for the show: it enriches both its sense of history—the Founders, whatever their individual beliefs, were conversant in the Bible—and in several cases builds out the story’s themes and characters in ways that make them even more complex and fascinating.

So I investigated, and here are the results: 18 times Hamilton directly references the Bible or Christian theological concepts, with short explanations, for any fan of the soundtrack or the show. I’ve ordered them by the order in which the tracks appear on the album. (And I hope I didn’t miss any.)

Isn't that refreshing - political leaders who were conversant in the Bible, not just using the Bible as a prop for a platform.

One of the main storylines in the musical, as well as the real-life story, is the tension between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.  Burr's character serves as the narrator, and he owns a third of the Biblical references.  In real life, Aaron Burr was the grandson of noted preacher Jonathan Edwards.

Some of the references the Wilkinson points out include the notion of Providence in installing Alexander Hamilton in his lofty position.  There are references to the "Promised Land," describing a sort of longing for freedom.

In a song called, "Wait for It," Burr, according to the writer:

...particularizes the force that takes things away from him over and over (“everyone who loves me has died,” he sings) as Death and Love and Life and, of course, Hamilton. This construction pops up again in his last big number, “The World Was Wide Enough,” when Burr tells us about his fatal duel with Hamilton, who in one sense stole his future from him even in death: “Death doesn’t discriminate / Between the sinners and the saints / it takes and it takes and it takes / History obliterates / In every picture it paints / It paints me and all my mistakes.”

There are themes of loss, of temptation, pride, and...death, referred to as "the other side."  Wilkinson says:

The phrase “the other side” recurs throughout the show: Hamilton tells Burr in “The Story of Tonight” reprise that he’ll see him “on the other side of the war,” and tells Lafayette in “Yorktown” that he’ll “see you on the other side.” But he invokes the term most obviously, and with different implications, in the moments after he’s been shot and the world slows to bullet speed while his life flashes before his eyes. In this moment, he starts to see those who have passed away already—his friend John Laurens, his mother, his son Philip, George Washington. They’re on “the other side,” which is to say in heaven, and that’s where he’s headed, too, to finally take a break and wait for Eliza.

There's a reference to the "sign of the cross."  Referencing another Christianity Today article, the story states that Hamilton was religious as a young man, less so for a long while, but then returned to his faith after the tragic death of his son Philip. The “sign of the cross” he refers to is employed by some Christian denominations, in which the forehead, chest, and shoulders are touched, often accompanied by the statement “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Susan Lim, a professor at Biola, in that other story, highlights the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer of Hamilton, based the musical on a biography by Ron Chernow.  She writes that:

In the hundreds of pages that inspired the musical, a reverberant theme resounds throughout: that God loved this destitute orphan and opened doors for him. His rise parallels the story of a shepherd boy who became king. And like King David, General Alexander Hamilton had his own adulterous affair, political coup, and preventable tragedies. Yet God’s tender heart and longsuffering kindness were woven throughout Hamilton’s 49 years on this earth.

 Referring to Hamilton:

As a child of the Enlightenment and relentless pursuer of the truth, Hamilton despised religious fanaticism and searched for “logical proofs.” With the legal mind and intellectual tenacity he applied to the US Constitution and Federalist papers, Hamilton surveyed the Scriptures and religious evidence. “I have studied [Christianity] and I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man,” he concluded.

It is very interesting to me how a musical that is based on American history has captured the imagination of theater-goers.  I haven't seen it, and cannot endorse it, but there are certainly some principles about which we can think.

For one thing, we can be challenged to dig deep into American history - and the spiritual underpinnings of our great nation.   The story of America, I believe, is a story of Providence, of divine intervention, of a people that pursued God's blessings and His freedom.  The foundation for our system of government, the Constitution, was made, as John Adams said, for a moral and religious people - I think that if we fail to recognize that, we will see a government that is no longer effective and that will show signs of chaos.

We're seeing that today - just as the dissenting justices predicted in Obergefell, there are the ominous signs that those who refuse to accept, because of deeply held religious beliefs, the concept of same-sex marriage will find themselves under the threat of penalty.  I am deeply concerned about attempts to force ministers to officiate at gay weddings or the negative repercussions for Christian organizations who do not support this newly-created extra-constitutional relationship called gay marriage.   That decision was a dramatic departure that had no foundation in law or morality, and continues to create chaos.

I think that the story of Alexander Hamilton also speaks to the limitations of politics.  When we consider the acrimonious nature of our American political discourse, deplorable as it may be, you can see the effect of power and greed on fallible human beings.  And, the time of Hamilton was not some glorious age, either - after all, he died in a duel with rival Aaron Burr - you won't see something like that in Cleveland this summer in a contested Republican convention.   We need to continue to be in prayer for the selection process and for those leaders who have been selected, that they will fill the purpose for which God placed them there.  So, stay involved - in prayer and in the process of keeping our leaders accountable.

For the Master

1st Corinthians 9 reminds us that the Christian life is a life of discipline. Paul writes:
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Here we see some encouragement to be determined and disciplined.  And, in light of what Paul wrote several chapters earlier about our bodies being the Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are to exercise physical discipline, as well as discipline in the spiritual and other areas.  The characteristic of self-control is listed in Galatians as part of the "fruit of the Spirit," and that, to me, means making the decision to allow the Spirit to control us, rather than live a life out of control, out of submission to the Spirit of God.

+++++

1st Timothy 4 outlines how physical exercise can be beneficial to us, and how spiritual exercise is
important in so many ways.  We can also be reminded that we are to exercise discipline in all areas:
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

The sporting event known as March Madness has now determined the Final Four - on the men's side, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova, and Syracuse will be vying for the NCAA national championship.  The Syracuse women's team is in the women's Final Four, along with Oregon State, Washington, and, no surprise yet again - UConn.

So, with all this emphasis on basketball, the Christian Examiner website ran a nice story on the life of the inventor of basketball, James Naismith.   The story quotes Michael Zogby, a University of Kansas religion professor, who said, "Naismith's goals in life, as he stated on his application to the International YMCA Training School, were to try to help 'win men for the Master,' to build character and to be an example for the men."

He was orphaned at age 9, raised by his grandmother, and was a high school dropout.  He was working with his uncle in the lumber industry and spent too much time at the local bar.  Someone reminded Naismith that his mother would be disappointed in him, and that was a catalyst for change.

He went back to college and got a physical education degree and then a theological degree from Montreal's Presbyterian College.  But, he felt he could serve God better through physical education than a pulpit - he moved from Canada to Springfield, Massachusetts to become a grad student and an instructor at the International YMCA Training School.  

During a blizzard in 1891, the director of the school asked Naismith to invent a game that could be played inside and would focus the energies of the school's young men.  According to a 1939 radio interview Naismith said, "I called the boys to the gym and divided them into two teams of nine and gave them an old soccer ball. I showed them two peach baskets I had nailed at each end of the gym, and I told them the idea was to throw the ball into the other team's peach basket."

In a University press release, Professor Zogby is quoted as saying, "Less well-known is that his game also was meant to help build Christian character and to inculcate certain values of the muscular Christian movement." That movement was made famous by President Teddy Roosevelt and was particularly popular from 1880 to 1920.  It tied physical health to "manliness" and spiritual health. At the core of Naismith's ministry was a commitment to developing the Christian character of young men.

Zogby said, "His approach was to put Christianity out there in front of people and try to influence them through positive character development, but he reserved his formal preaching for when he was a guest minister at area churches." Naismith is quoted as saying: "Whenever I witness games in a church league, I feel that my vision, almost half a century ago, of the time when the Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics, has become a reality."

I think about the desire that Naismith demonstrated to use athletics as a means of winning people to Christ.  Isn't that the goal of organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as well as the aim of so many coaches who connect with young people through sports?   Sport can be not provide physical reward, but also spiritual opportunity.

I was also struck by this concept of "muscular" Christianity - involvement in physical exercise can provide a number of long-term advantages.  It shows that we are concerned with taking care of the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and, as Pastor Aaron Motley and I discussed prior to his church's recent "Run for Jesus" event, if we stay active, it could prevent us from being forced to the sidelines in our pursuits for the Kingdom of God.  Poor health habits could short-circuit our effectiveness for the Kingdom. There is a relationship between physical activity and spiritual discipline.

Finally, Naismith apparently had a right perspective on what ministry looks like.  Sure, he spent time in the pulpit, but he thought he could be more effective in being involved in PE - we are all called to be involved in the work of the Lord, and we can rely on the Holy Spirit to place us in the right position in order to be effectively used by Him.  

Sufficient

In 1st Corinthians 1, we can read these verses about the cross - even though it was regarded and continues to be an offense, it also provides hope to the world.
18 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.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Those verses were quoted in a recent Decision magazine article, to which I will be referring coming up on today's Front Room commentary.  We have just completed our celebration of the two most impactful events on the hearts of human beings - the death of Jesus and His resurrection.  But, we don't leave that celebration behind...His death and resurrection is also our spiritual story, because the Bible teaches us that we have died with Him and we have been raised to new life in the Spirit.  Our hearts have been transformed as we have been willing to lay down our lives and acquire His new life.

+++++

The first two verses of Hebrews 12 comprise a powerful passage that can help us to reflect on what
our Lord did for us on the cross:
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

On Good Friday, I offered a commentary about the cross, portraying it a symbol of life for us through Jesus Christ, of His love for us, and the promise of light for the world.  I mentioned that there is a church in Corpus Christi, Texas that is building a 210-foot-tall cross and how there is a local atheist who has stated his opposition to it, not surprisingly.

The March edition of Decision magazine has an article about the offense of the cross.  It mentions several instances of public crosses that have drawn fire, such as a 45-foot-tall cross in Port Neches, Texas which, according to the article:

The Port Neches cross remains firmly planted—despite aggressive legal threats from an atheist group charging that it violates constitutional church-state separation.

Port Neches is only the latest example in which the cross, and Christian symbols generally, have drawn fire. In Edmond, Okla., a part of the city seal has been blank since 1995—the year a federal appeals court ruled that a cross on the seal implied government sponsorship of a religion. In California’s Mojave Desert, a cross erected in honor of fallen war veterans was held in legal limbo for years until a private group bought the two acres of public land surrounding the cross so that it could remain. Dozens of other cases could be cited.

Yet these brouhahas over Christian symbols in public spaces don’t begin to plumb the depths of offense the cross of Christ evokes.

It quotes from Billy Graham, who said during the filming of The Cross, a video used during the 2013 nationwide My Hope evangelism effort: “People don’t want to hear that they are sinners,” adding, “To many people it is an offense. The cross is offensive because it directly confronts the evils which dominate so much of this world.”

It mentioned the controversy around the hymn by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.  For a hymnal, a denomination wanted to change the lyrics of the song, "In Christ Alone:" The committee had sought to change the words, "Till on that cross as Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied” to a less offensive “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified.” Keith said in a later interview that God’s love was indeed magnified through the cross, but God’s chosen means to do that involved a particular blood sacrifice that satisfied God’s just wrath toward sin.

The article points out that, "as Mr. Graham said in The Cross, God demonstrated His love for people by giving His Son to die on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."  He said, "Jesus endured all of that in our place because of our sins,” adding, “We deserved the cross, we deserved hell, we deserved judgment and all that that means.”

So even though the cross may offend, it "offers the only solution for man’s sin debt."

On this day after Easter, making the amazing culmination of a series of events resulting in that sin debt being paid and the purchasing of new life for those who would call upon the name of Jesus, we can think about not only the offense of the cross but the sufficiency of the cross.  We have an all-sufficient Savior who paid our sin debt through His sufficient sacrifice.   We now know the burden and the barrier of sin has been removed, and as we die to sin, acknowledging Christ's sacrifice for us, we can experience newness of life.

But, we should never forget the suffering of the cross.  Just as it had been prophesied, Jesus bore the shame and the pain, ultimately being put to death, but He endured it, just as Hebrews 12 says, for the joy set before Him - the joy of redeeming fallen humanity.  The suffering became a necessary component, and Jesus was strongly motivated to fulfill His purpose and to give His life.

Now, we can live in the supremacy of His victory.  The power of sin and death no longer has a authority over us.  Romans 6 reminds us that the wages of sin is death, but...but, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.  We have access to the power of the God of the universe, so that we might walk in triumph.  Jesus defeated death and we can share in that victory.

What is a Christian?

In Romans 5, we see the stark reminder of our need for a Savior and the satisfying recognition that Jesus has come to save sinners:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

In what is commonly called the Last Supper, which we now commemorate by the act of communion - Jesus highlighted two elements:  He said that His body would be broken; that reminds us that He suffered death so that we might have new life and victory over the power of sin and death.  He also said that His blood would be shed; and we know that His blood cleanses us from sin - through that blood, we have forgiveness, the promise of a new start, the slate wiped clean.  The sacrifice of Jesus shows us that by dying to ourselves, we can acquire His new life.

+++++

In Matthew 26, we read about what Jesus said to His disciples as the events accelerated leading to His death:
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
2 "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."

Later, Jesus shared that last meal with His disciples, and provided a vivid image of the significance of what He would experience through the cross:
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

The bread and the cup: representations of Jesus' body and blood and the sacrifice He made.

There has been quite a bit of emphasis during this election season about the so-called "evangelical" vote, as if it were one, big monolithic voting bloc.  The exit polling data has shown that religious voters come with a variety of perspectives.  While some analysts will say that the self-described evangelical may not be an evangelical Christian at all, the folks at Pew Research say that there are some habits of highly effective evangelicals that they have detected as they dig a bit deeper.

The summary on this topic of exit polls and evangelicals says this:

...data from Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study show that when people identify as “born-again or evangelical” Christians, they also are very likely to report specific beliefs and behaviors that are characteristic of evangelical Protestantism, and this is the case regardless of which political party they support.

Indeed, most self-described evangelicals are quite religiously observant. More than six-in-ten, for example, say they attend religious services at least once a week, and another 16% say they go to church once or twice a month, according to our study. Fully 86% of evangelicals say religion is very important in their lives, and 83% say they pray every day. In addition, six-in-ten self-described born-again and evangelical Christians share their faith with others at least once a month, while an additional 16% say they share their faith at least several times a year.

And, not surprisingly, Pew says that Christians who do not identify with the born-again or evangelical labels are far less religiously active.

There is also the observation that those who identify themselves as “born-again or evangelical” Christians make up 36% of registered voters, compared with 37% who are non-evangelical Christians and 27% who identify with non-Christian faiths or with no religion at all.

Now, Pew points out that their polls and political exit polls are different in this significant way: the Religious Landscape Study asks people whether they are Christian before asking if they think of themselves as born-again or evangelical. By contrast, everyone who takes the exit poll (including religious “nones” and adherents of non-Christian faiths) has the opportunity to identify as a born-again or evangelical Christian.

I think a good question for each of us today as we contemplate the work of Jesus on the cross moves beyond merely whether or not a person describes himself or herself as "evangelical" or even "born again."  The question for us is: what is a Christian?   I believe the Bible teaches that a Christian is a person who has acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Lord of his or her life, believing that God has raised Christ from the dead.  That is based on Romans 10.  It's more than a mental choice, it is the expression of a heart's desire to be truly devoted to God, and to believe that Jesus is alive.

Christianity is more than a religion, it is not a system - we become Christians as we acknowledge the grace of God, enabling us to experience forgiveness and freedom, and accept what God has done through Christ on the cross by faith.

We hear a lot about Christians and evangelicals, especially here in the throes of an election.  But, it's important that we know what a Christian is, and to be assured that we have actually received Christ into our lives.  If you don't know Him, you can pray a simple prayer - acknowledging you are a sinner in need of a Savior, believing in your heart that He is the risen Lord, and confessing Him as your Lord...that is the starting point for an exciting adventure as you follow Jesus, the One who gave His life for you.

Holding High the Cross

In Colossians 2, we can gain insight into the significance of what Jesus did for us on the cross:
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

There is a death sentence upon each human life.  Because of sin, we deserved eternal punishment - separation from the God who created humanity.   We come into this earth in need of a redeemer, so that our human nature can be transformed by the power of God's Spirit.  The cross is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus made - His paying of the penalty that each of us owed because of our sins.  He took our place on that cross and by so doing, surrendered to death, so that we might come to experience and enjoy new life.

+++++

We continue to look at the events of Holy Week, and on this Good Friday, I want to read from John's account of Jesus on the cross. In chapter 19, we can read:
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Corpus Christi, as you're probably aware, is a city in Texas.  Corpus is the Latin for "body," Christi for "Christ," so the city literally means "body of Christ."

It's interesting that the city named after Jesus Himself has a controversy over religious expression. You see, there's a local church called Abundant Life Fellowship that is behind the effort to build a large cross near Interstate 37 and it's projected to be one of the largest crosses in the world, according to a story on the KRISTV.com website.  And, the groundbreaking in January attracted the mayor and city council members.

That's where a local atheist who is known for stirring the religious freedom pot comes in.  His name is Patrick Greene and he believes the mayor and city council members violated their oath of office.

Greene says, "They have to remain neutral and they cannot show preference of one religion over another," adding, "because it gives the public the idea that the government, which has to remain neutral in every level of the United States, it takes away the neutrality." He's even threatening to sue the church!

He also wants the elected officials to admit they were wrong. But the City Attorney, Miles Risley, says that they weren't. Risley says after reviewing the event, he feels city leaders did nothing wrong. The attorney says council members have a right to attend ceremonial events such as that one.

He also pointed out that the construction of a monument like this stands to benefit the city as a whole and increase tourism to the area, not just promote a particular religion.

The television station reports that the cross will be 210 feet tall. And Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life says, "It'll be made of 5/8 inch cold rolled steel, be welded, and put together in sections," adding "The cross bar on the cross will be 95 feet wide. It will be 12 feet in diameter. The cross is so massive and so tall it will have a two foot deflection at the top, it will actually sway in the wind two feet back and forth." The estimated cost for the cross is 1 million dollars.

Here we have plans for a large visual structure that illuminates the central message of the Christian faith.   The message of the cross is that God sent His only Son to earth to give His life so that in Him we might have a right relationship with God and enjoy new life in Him.   The cross shows us that our sins have been forgiven, the penalty of eternal separation from God has been paid, and He has erased that chasm between God and humanity.   The cross is a symbol of life.

It is also a reminder of love.  Jesus endured shame and suffering to the point of death because of His great love for us.  He recognized our need for redemption, so He gave up His place in heaven and came to earth so that He could do what was necessary in order to bring us to Himself.

The cross also shows us the triumph of light over darkness, and we are called to radiate that light. We have been entrusted to share that message, the good news, of what Jesus has done.  The display of the cross, sometimes in dramatic fashion, such as the folks in Corpus Christi are doing, can communicate powerful truth about the love of God and the new life He has promised.

That's How It Works

The Bible teaches us in 2nd Corinthians about our motivation as citizens of a heavenly Kingdom,
who have been brought into a relationship with Jesus:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

That's some encouragement to see through spiritual eyes, to see through eyes of love.  We are called to love the Lord with our whole heart, and as we do that, we have the capacity to love those with whom we come in contact.  We recognize and identify the power of God, the power that has set us free and can set others free.  Just as Jesus was self-less in giving His life, so we can be challenged to take our eyes off ourselves and demonstrate and share the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.

+++++

During Holy Week, we think about some of the major occurrences during that time period: the Triumphal Entry, the cleansing of the Temple, the Last Supper, and of course the crucifixion and the resurrection.  It struck me that the book of Matthew points to the teaching that Jesus did during this pivotal week.  He knew that His Kingdom would be established, and He was preparing His followers for life in that Kingdom, to adopt to and adapt to that way of living.

For instance, in Matthew 22, we read:
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

He then began to rebuke the Pharisees for not following the way of love.  After a discourse on the signs of His coming and the parable of the ten virgins, illustrating readiness for His return, He elaborated on the use of talents, then in the latter part of Matthew 25, He shared the parable about ministering to those in need, saying in verse 40: "'...inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"

I came across the transcript of a Breakpoint commentary by Eric Metaxas recently that really coincides with that Kingdom mentality, predicated on the love of Christ.  He highlighted how Jesus heals the broken and called attention to a new initiative called PRAY LOVE HEAL.   He mentioned William Wilberforcce, who worked to abolish the slave trade in Britain, and those who labored with him - a group called the Clapham sect.  Metaxas said:

The small group of Christians with which he planned and prayed, known as the Clapham Sect, took the long view of social change. To free slaves in an empire that depended on them must have seemed unthinkable to most. Yet, guided by God and devoting much of their lives to the task, they met their goals.

The Clapham Sect came to mind recently when I learned about a new outreach addressing sexual brokenness. PRAY LOVE HEAL presents itself as “a global community invested in the spiritual, sexual, and relational healing of the world.” Now there’s a challenge for you! To do this, they’ve launched a website featuring helpful resources and publish a daily email containing guided prayers, Scripture readings, and a brief devotion. Each month features a new prayer focus. March offers prayers for victims of pornography.

Metaxas goes on: "...like the Clapham Sect, PRAY LOVE HEAL understands this mission in light of a much larger effort to renew a Christian vision of sexuality, relationships, and the human person." He continues: "According to PRAY LOVE HEAL director Daniel Weiss, whose organization, The Brushfires Foundation, I’ve mentioned on BreakPoint before, we cannot adequately address one aspect of sexual brokenness without understanding the larger family and cultural contexts."

The website address is www.prayloveheal.org.

I agree with Eric - this is a BIG vision, a Kingdom vision, but when we recognize that we belong to the Kingdom of Heaven and we serve a King, our Lord Jesus, who has taught us how it works and has given us the power and principles to allow Him to work through us, then we can go forth with confidence.

The message of the cross is wrapped up in the power of love - a selfless man who gave Himself for all humanity.  His redemption was not partial - it was complete.  Our Lord Jesus does not do things half-heartedly or insufficiently...He gave His all, and He calls us to give everything so that we can have all of Him.

The PRAY LOVE HEAL website says that:

PRAY LOVE HEAL is a global community that PRAYS for spiritual, sexual, and relational wholeness, offers the LOVE of God to those in pain, and invites the Holy Spirit to HEAL our deepest wounds. We educate people about deep human needs and equip them to pray for healing and wholeness in their own and others’ lives.

That's the plan - if we are convinced that Christ is the healer, who can make us completely whole, then we can be drawn to unite our hearts with others to pray for His healing power to be released upon the earth - a big vision for sure, a Kingdom vision, but it's the expression of the love for God I read about in Matthew 22, a love through which we can love others.   In Christ, we can know the hope of the world and be motivated and equipped to share hope.  The cross represents hope for all - and we can share it in a big way, a Kingdom way.   He knows how it works, and calls us to follow.

A House of Prayer

We keep our focus on the things of God, on what is important to Him, as we recognize the power and the opportunity of approaching Him in prayer. Matthew 18 says:
18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

There is great power as God's people come together in prayer, calling upon the very power of heaven and asking Him to express His love and nature toward us.  As we gather in the name of Jesus, we can have great confidence in Him.  One of the great messages of the Easter season is that Christ came to earth - He died so that the barriers might be taken away and that we might come to know Him and communicate with Him.  He invites us to come into the house of prayer and meet with Him.

+++++

We are continuing our walk through the events of Holy Week, that week leading up to the death of
Jesus, and we read this account in Matthew 21, after the record of the triumphal entry:
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"
11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

Here Jesus is refining the spiritual practice of the people. The people in the temple had become off-track, and Jesus showed them what pleased, and pleases Him.  We are so prone to get our priorities out of place, and we may be too consumed with the practice of faith, even the erroneous kind, and miss the simple devotion that we are called to have with our Savior.

Benjamin Rogovy is a Seattle man who collected over $7 million dollars from 125,000 consumers through his for-profit company, Christian Prayer Center. According to Christian Today, he charged between $9 and $35 for prayers. He attracted customers through creating fake religious leaders and false testimonials. Rogovy, will pay back up to $7.75 million to around 165,000 customers who were victims of his deception across the several businesses he ran, according to Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Rogovy violated the state Consumer Protection Act and the Charitable Solicitations Act, which forbid businesses making false claims and prohibit churches and charities from using misleading or deceptive statements.

The so-called "Center" created a fake religious leader, Pastor John Carlson, claiming that he solely ran the sites.

The site would send weekly inspirational emails under his name, and even created a fake LinkedIn profile, describing him as "Senior Pastor, Christian Prayer Centre, January 2009 – present." They also used the name Pastor Eric Johnston to sign correspondence.

According to the Washington State Attorney General's office, "Neither of these people exist."

The website also had "fictitious testimonials from consumers using stock photos that claimed they successfully prayed to avoid home foreclosure, deliver a healthy baby, win the lottery, obtain negative results of an HIV test and put cancer into remission."

The article says that consumers who bought prayer services from CPC between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2015 are able to receive a full refund and are able to file a complaint to the Washington State Attorney General's office until June 11, 2016.

There are some lessons to be learned here:  first of all, we're reminded that people will use ministry as a means of making money.  This is an extreme example of someone profiting from the practice of faith, but we can exercise discernment regarding ministry with which we are looking to get involved.  In Jesus' time, there were no doubt those that were taking advantage of people of faith - there were the money changers in the Temple who were called "thieves" by our Lord.   So we have to guard against those who would take advantage of us, even using seemingly spiritual activities.

But, we have to also recognize that the enemy will deceive us to the point where we get off track in our devotion to Christ.  If Jesus is calling us to approach Him with seriousness and surrender, with an attitude of humility and prayer, then we can view that as a holy calling and opportunity.  We have to guard against taking our Christian walk for granted.  The pursuit of Jesus is centered on our love for Him, which grows as we communicate with the Savior.

And, we have to make sure that we are not stealing time from Him and passion from our relationship by being consumed with the things of this world.  We certainly don't want to be characterized as "thieves" who are not giving the Lord the glory due His name.

Beyond the Optics

There's a great passage of Scripture in Philippians 2 which can be important to think upon as we enter this Holy Week, reminding us of the meaning behind the events about which we read and even
dramatize:
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus came to Jerusalem for the final week before His crucifixion.  He had been hailed as a miracle worker, a deliverer - a King, even, and rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in what has been called a "triumphal entry."  We have to be careful to consider, though, the messages that the earthly ministry of Christ have to communicate to us - about Him, and about ourselves.  We are called to humble ourselves before the King who humbled Himself before death.  We can surrender ourselves in order to accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus died to purchase for us.

+++++

In John 12, we read about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem:
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

This passage of Scripture can indicate to us some of the qualities of the identity of our Lord.  He was regarded as the one who would come to "save" - expressed through the word, "Hosanna."  He was looked upon as the future King of Israel; perhaps they saw Him in that regard in the political sense, but certainly in God's eyes, He had another idea about what His Kingdom would look like.   

Even though they may have been confused or even incorrect about His identity, still the events of Holy Week can help us to see who He is and who we are in Him.

I want to talk about true identity today.  I came across an intriguing story about an event called Face of the Globe.  It's from the Australian website Sunshine Coast Daily, and it's about a finalist of this not-so-typical "beauty" pageant; perhaps its not a beauty pageant at all.  The story centers on Erin Stanfield, who was crowned Face of the Globe Australia.  

She said, "Face Of The Globe is a little bit different than your normal run of the mill pageant."  She is quoted as saying, "You're judged on your journey and what you've done in the lead up and how you're a role model for women rather than what you look like."  She added, "I have spent the last six months tirelessly fundraising, volunteering, participating in charity work, making appearances at local attractions and doing good deeds around the Sunshine Coast community. I've been eat sleeping and breathing this."   The finals are coming up in Paris in a number of weeks.

This story caught my eye, because I think it does center on identity rather than just outward appearance.  You could say it's all about works, but there does seem to be quite a bit of substance here.  It seems that the message is more important than the optics.

Now, back to the events of what we commemorate as Palm Sunday.  To the people gathered at the entrance to Jerusalem, there was the appearance of a mighty King, a deliverer, one who would set Israel free from the cruel oppression of the Romans.  That was the outward appearance to which people gravitated.  But, there was something else going on, and that can be instructive for us today.

Surely, Jesus rode into Jerusalem to make a statement, as well as to fulfill a prophecy.  He didn't surround Himself with a legion of soldiers or come riding in on a gallant horse - no, He selected a humble donkey.   The message was more important than the optics. 

And, that's where we have to go when we consider the story of Jesus, especially regarding Holy Week.  We see a man who came into Jerusalem hailed as a King, who knew what He was facing, and who was put to death by the religious leaders and the Roman officials.  Many know the story, but we have to consider the "why" of the story and its implications for each of us.  

The cross is a powerful symbol of love, sacrifice, and forgiveness, and it is a reminder to us of the salvation that Jesus purchased for us through His punishment.  He was indeed the Son of God, who became a man and humbled Himself before death for us.  That's who He was, and by our identifying with that death, we have taken His nature into our hearts.

So, during this Holy Week, we can go beyond the story, deeper than the outward appearance of the story of a suffering servant, and consider that He did this for you and me, so that we can have a change of identity.  The optics of Palm Sunday were quite significant, but we must realize it's more than just a nice story of a man who wanted to be King, it was the identification of a man who was our Savior, who calls us to identify with Him so that we can be changed.

Pollution in the House of Worship

Jesus warned the Pharisees whom He encountered to not be hypocrites, attempting to put on a good appearance while their hearts were corrupt. He warned them in Matthew 23:
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

We are born again by the Spirit, but we struggle with the flesh - how prideful and self-serving we can be if we do not allow Jesus to control our lives.  Even though we may try to display the veneer of piety, the true test comes as we measure what is in our hearts.  Jesus told the Pharisees to cleanse the inside - and the reliable way that is done for each of us is by the power of the Holy Spirit, confessing our sin, and recognizing that the blood of Jesus covers our sin.   Only through the appropriation of His sacrifice for us can we experience the true freedom He wants us to have.

+++++

Our bodies are described as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and 1st Corinthians 6 encourages us to
guard against the desecration of that temple:
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

It is a troubling occurrence in our culture when you see acts of unacceptable speech and behavior that are on display, such as an act of vandalism, or what you might call a series of acts of vandalism, in a chapel on the campus of a major university.  Such was the case last week, when two students at Northwestern University in the Chicago area allegedly spray-painted the chapel, according to ChristianNews.net, with offensive hate slurs and vulgar imagery on the walls.

Two freshmen are accused of entering Northwestern’s Alice Millar Chapel last Thursday night and vandalizing the hallway and stairwell.  Some of the acts included the painting of a swastika in a hallway and painting over photographs of Muslim students.  There were graphic images, offensive words, and even the name of a Presidential candidate as part of this offensive display of "artwork."

The article says that university chaplain Tim Stevens told the New York Daily News, “It’s disturbing to think that someone who’s been in this space would be venting some sort of rage that way,” adding, “I feel bad for them that they can’t handle it in a more productive way.”  And, it states that the Chicago Tribune reported that Judge Peggy Chiampas sharply rebuked the young men during their bond hearing, declaring, “These allegations are disgusting to me."

University President Morton Shapiro also issued a statement condemning the vandalism, which he called “abhorrent.”  He is quoted as saying, “This disgusting act of hatred violates the deepest values and core commitments of our university and is an affront to us all."

The teens were charged with criminal damage to property, institutional vandalism and the commission of a hate crime for desecrating a house of worship. They were released on Saturday after 10 percent was posted of their $50,000 bail.  They have already admitted to the crime, and they are on interim suspension.  The Boston Globe reports that one of the boys is the son of the chief justice of the Massachusetts state appeals court.

Well, obviously these young men were incapable of expressing themselves in productive ways.  Who knows what their motive might be, but certainly showing this level of disrespect for a sacred space, as well as for the groups of people they maligned, shows a tragic insensitivity that is unacceptable in a civil society.  The decision to vandalize was theirs alone, but who knows what sort of influences contributed to their being desensitized to these matters.  It's a bit unnerving to label something as "hate speech," because that label has been used against Christians to describe the expression of Biblical views on sinful behavior, but I think the consensus in culture in this case would agree with the teachings of Jesus - this shows no compassion and is demeaning toward entire groups of people.

I do want to shift and think about our own spiritual "temples."  As 1st Corinthians 6 says, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit - if you are a Christian, He lives inside of you; you are His house, sort of speak.  So, we have to guard our hearts, guard the gateways through which sinful ideas enter in, which can lead to sinful actions.   When we encounter thoughts and attitudes that are not pleasing to God, it's important that we do not allow those streams of thought to infiltrate and pollute our souls, but that we allow the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus to set us free.  We are sinful creatures, but the Bible says that we are new creations in Christ Jesus - we have to renew and retrain our minds to think in a manner that lines up with God's truth.

From the Evangelical Bunker

God intends to use our lives as a shining example of His abiding presence and His love for humanity. We are reminded in 2nd Corinthians 4:
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We have the truth of Jesus that has been expressed in our hearts, and we have the opportunity to radiate that truth to a world that so desperately needs to know Him.  In our interaction with other people, even those who do not know Christ, we recognize that God will direct us in the way we should act and He will inspire the words that we say.  It is important that we are sensitive to representing Christ well, allowing His light to shine through us.

+++++

In John chapter 17, Jesus is praying for those who would come to know Him:
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

I have commented and written about occasionally about what is obviously a lack of civility in our culture.  Earlier this week, I pointed out the opportunity in our lives to be peacemakers.  But that can be hard when we are having trouble communicating with people different than we are.

And, a new Barna survey shows that evangelicals seem to be suffering from a "communication gap." The Barna Group website says:

In research conducted for David Kinnaman’s new book Good Faith, Barna discovered just how difficult it is for most people to reach across these cultural divides. Most Americans indicate that they think it would be difficult to have a natural and normal conversation with minority groups who are different than them.

The research shows that 73% of Americans would struggle to have a conversation with a Muslim, 60% would struggle with conversing with a Mormon.  Other groups and percentages include: an atheist, at 56%, an evangelical, close behind at 55, and someone from the LGBT community at 52%. Please note, these are all majorities.

Now, zeroing in our evangelicals, the summary on the website states:

Evangelicals seem to have a particularly difficult time talking to those outside their group. They report higher tensions than any other group when it comes to having conversations with those who are different from them. For instance, almost nine in 10 evangelicals (87%) believe it would be difficult to have a natural and normal conversation with a member of the LBGT community, but only six in 10 in the LGBT community (58%) say it would be difficult to have a natural and normal conversation with an evangelical.

And, as the summary points out, "Evangelicals consistently report higher levels of difficulty toward other groups than those groups report toward them."

Barna Group President David Kinnaman is quoted as saying: “This splintering and polarization of American culture has made it more difficult than ever to have a good conversation, especially about faith,” adding that, “Even when two people agree, honest interaction can seem elusive. Try to talk about things like gay marriage—or anything remotely controversial—with someone you disagree with and the temperature rises a few degrees. But being friends across differences is hard, and cultivating good conversations is the rocky, up-hill climb that leads to peace in a conflict-ridden culture."

He observes that, "In order to have meaningful conversations, we must first realize that it’s not enough to be nice...," adding:

“Though important, being winsome often means leaving some of the more inevitable conflict at the door, which limits meaningful dialogue. It also causes an uncomfortably large segment of Christians to agree with people around them rather than experience even the mildest conflict. We must embrace the hard edges of dialogue, extending kindness and hospitality, but doing so in the face of inevitable, but healthy and constructive, conflict."

Kinnaman also says that, "social media at its worst can magnify our differences, making it even harder to have conversations that matter."

This survey can challenge us to examine the way we relate to others, even with whom we disagree. Perhaps the most common place where one might meet and interact with people from a different moral perspective is in the workplace.  This gives an opportunity for Christians to show who they are in Christ and to engage with people who have a different point of view.  And, there is a challenge to compassionately and, in a civil manner, build relationships, holding firm to the principles of Scripture, without compromise.   Neighborhoods can also be instances where believers can be salt and light and interact with people who do not share or practice the Christian faith.

I think that, if we're not careful, evangelicals can develop a bunker mentality.  Some manifestations of this can be the adoption of an "us vs. them" attitude, the proliferation of a Christian counterculture, or even the tendency to isolate from a world of corruption.  While the basis for these attitudes is Scriptural, the practice of trying to "be in the world, but not of it" can tend to contribute to a separation that maybe outside what the Lord intends.  Certainly, in our churches and through our engagement with Christian resources, we can grow in Christ and develop holiness.  We can recognize that from our engagement with Christian activities, we have a springboard from which we can exercise our duty to our Lord to express His truth and His nature to a world that needs to see who He is and to experience His love.

Step by Step

Because we know the Lord, we can have assurance of His handiwork in our hearts and His hand upon our lives, directing us in the way He would intend. We can read in Psalm 110:
7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.
8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

This passage teaches us that we can rely upon His precepts, and if we are patterning our lives in according to the principles we find in the Scriptures, we can have access to His guidance.   As we grow in a sense of reverence for and dependence on Him, we can acquire greater wisdom to live our lives in His way.  Sometimes we will not understand, and we just have to trust, but we can rely on Christ and know that He will glorify Himself through us.

+++++

The Bible encourages us to pray for wisdom - and be confident in the Lord as He directs the course of our lives. James 1 says:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Ryan Rice is a pastor in New Orleans.  He grew up in the church, and was enthusiastic about the Bible, but then his mother married someone who was an abuser and drug user, and things began to grow darker in his life.  Baptist Press has a story on Pastor Ryan, who began to despise church during middle school.  He relates, "I remember sitting there and thinking, 'This is the worst thing ever. I hate church. I hate the people here.' That was coming from a lot of hurt."

Ryan became a popular and handsome athlete who was the high school student council president. He says, "From every aspect of my life, I was empty on the inside," adding, "I was just broken."

He met his future wife and her father while in college. Seane' began praying for Ryan - his future father-in-law led him to Christ. He then recognized that God was calling him to preach.

After college and marrying Seane', Ryan began selling insurance in Baton Rouge. As he prayed he sensed that God was directing him to serve in the children's ministry at church. The pastor there began to disciple Ryan and that helped him refine his understanding upon God's call on his life. He believed that God was calling him to plant a church in his childhood neighborhood on New Orleans's west bank - a place called Algiers.

But, he was reluctant. He says, "I can totally relate to Jonah," adding, "I had this call, even desire, but I didn't want to go. It was a reluctant kind of thing." As he interviewed in Michigan to interview for a children's pastor job, the pastor randomly asked him, "When are you going to church plant?"

Then Rice knew that he had to go home to his Nineveh.  Rice relates, "God has given us the green light of the Gospel to go to a place that is without hope and in need of hope. I'm sold. I said yes..."

He came home and found that the people in his community were at the same place he had been as a teenager. He says, "People were a lot like me when I was in the churchy world," adding, "They know things about God and call themselves spiritual." But, there were socioeconomic changes in the neighborhood: crime was up, and there was economic disparity.

Life Church New Orleans launched in September 2014, and weekly services began the following January.  Most attendees are people whom they met while prayerwalking in the Algiers community, and an Easter outreach connected them to a number of prospects, many who had some type of experience with church but had never made a profession of faith in Christ.  He has found support from a partner church in Baton Rouge and the Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program.   This Baptist Press article appeared as part of a Week of Prayer for North American Missions, correlated with the Annie Armstrong missions emphasis.

As I continue this prayer series in The Front Room, I wanted to call attention to how God responds in our lives and in the lives of other people as we take time to intercede.  Ryan Rice prayed about his calling, and God led him on an exciting journey...first into children's ministry, and then as he was faithful to do that, he was called to plant a church in his hometown.  We have to remember that God ordains the steps of our lives and He will show us direction as we develop an obedient heart, which is cultivated through prayer.  The Bible tells us to ask God for wisdom.

There is a reminder for each of us - no matter what stage we're in, we can be confident that God's hand is upon our lives, if our hearts are right with Him.   We may not see several steps into the future, or even the very next step, but we know that He is in control, and He will help us to understand more about the call on our lives and prepare us for the steps upon which He will take us.  We can depend on the Holy Spirit to lead us as we dedicate ourselves to following the call of God.

Time For the Peacemakers

In Ephesians 4, we are exhorted that because we are new people in Christ, putting off the old and
putting on the new...
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil.

I think you can gather there that allowing anger to fester is a means of giving place to the devil.  The Bible cautions us against allowing a root of bitterness to grow.  In our culture today, we are seeing manifold roots of bitterness, that are consuming the hearts of people and overflowing, resulting in tension and conflict.  People are feeling a lack of hope, and they want better lives, as well as a sense of understanding and even justice.  God's Word can provide the hope we need and can fine-tune our perspective as we recognize the power that it has to show people how to behave toward one another.

+++++

Paul encourages believers to stand on the firm foundation of Biblical truth, which can be an anchor in the unsettled times in which we live. He writes in 2nd Thessalonians 2:
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

So, let me ask you - how does it make you feel?

To see protesters in the streets and inside an arena where a candidate for President of the United States was about to speak.  To hear reports of police with pepper spray to control a crowd outside a rally in another major city.  To see a candidate attacked by a protester as he was about to speak.  Is this America?

In Brazil, they're flooding the streets protesting.  The Guardian reports that, "More than a million Brazilians have joined anti-government rallies across the country, ramping up the pressure on embattled president Dilma Rousseff."

Is this democracy in action?  Or is something else going on here?   Is that a glimpse into the future of where we are headed in America, where people are taking to the streets to make their voices heard and perhaps responding or reacting in what could be termed "violent" ways?

Over at the American Conservative, Rod Dreher writes:

What happened tonight in Chicago is why we need Trump, as obnoxious as he is, to keep going. I am not a Trump supporter, and I reject much of his rhetoric. But he has a right to give a speech, even an obnoxious speech, without it being interrupted by demonstrators. All of us do. Trump is revealing how impossible it is to have a normal democracy with the activist left, who think their crying need for “safe spaces” gives them the right to silence their opponents.

But after the Sunday morning shows, Dreher, while after the cancelling of the Friday rally in Chicago had been a bit more sympathetic toward Trump, wrote in another column:

The bonds of mutual affection that should hold our country together are a lot thinner than people think. Donald Trump isn’t strengthening them. Neither are his enemies. After Trump’s performance on the Sunday talk shows yesterday, I am less sympathetic to him than I was after his rally was shut down by the SJWs.

The SJWs are the "Social Justice Warriors," and earlier in the Monday column, he was critical of their activities:

What is awfully hard to take is folks on the left denouncing Trump’s implicit and explicit violence and illiberalism, when they have been silent when SJWs have done the exact same thing, over and over, on campuses around the nation.

He had referred to liberal writer Jonathan Chait, saying:

Chait is right: either we have a country in which people are reasonably free to speak their minds on political matters, or we don’t. If we cannot or will not recognize and defend that right for everybody, then what kind of country is this? On the other hand, if people exercise that right irresponsibly, by inciting violence, it brings the law and the constitutional framework into which it fits into disrepute.

On the Townhall.com website, you can read these words from author and talk-show host Dr. Michael Brown, who offered three statements about recent events at Donald Trump rallies;

First, anyone attempting to attack Trump supporters, let alone trying to attack Trump directly, is completely wrong and without any justification.

Second, the protesters that shut down the Friday night Trump rally in Chicago were not just anti-Trump. It appears that many of them were ultra-liberal and would be no friends of the conservative movement as a whole.

Third, Trump bears some responsibility for these outbreaks because of his inflammatory and irresponsible rhetoric.

Freedom of assembly and freedom to even engage in peaceful protests are hallmarks of the American democracy.   I think back to the civil rights movement and how so many people who were searching for freedom would speak out, peacefully assemble, and even take to the streets, with the ultimate aim of justice.  But, our civil rights heroes were certainly not protesting for the sake of being divisive - they had a plan, a purpose, an aim, even a sense of a higher calling.  In our society today, those who protest just to disrupt do little more than fan the flames of disunity and create a less orderly society.

Unfortunately, the controversy over what has happened this weekend has degenerated into a "blame Trump" or "blame the protesters" discussion.  There is certainly plenty of blame to go around, but I think it's important that we really get a sense of what is going on here.  And, it is not my position to endorse a candidate or tell someone how to vote.  But, we are seeing that the level of discourse has deteriorated, and even if you like Trump or support him for his ideas of his "tell it like it is" style, still I believe you have to be concerned that we have Americans who are pitted against each other.  This Presidential race is being carried out in that atmosphere.  But, admittedly, there is a deep sense of anger that is permeating our society, and it's time for the peacemakers to step up.

As Christians, we are called to be the peacemakers, and I believe we can possess the right temperament in order to diffuse situations.  So, in a divided America, one of the first things we can do is pray.  As temperatures and tempers rise during what could be a long, hot summer in the political process, we need to pray for peace.

And, we can start in our communities, in our neighborhoods - we can meet anger with peace.  There does seem to be enough anger to go around - there are economic frustrations, compounded by a sense that our American system, our constitutional form of government, is under assault.   John Adams said the Constitution was made for a moral and religious people - so when there people have departed from the strong moral and spiritual foundation upon which this nation was founded, what happens next?   I don't know, but I will say that we don't disregard the time-honored principles of our Constitution which has served us well for over two centuries - we should really double-down on it and elect leaders who are intent on preserving it.

So, another action step is to take part in the political process - if you're in Florida and haven't done so already, go vote today.  Continue to be a good, engaged citizen. No matter who you support, be the best supporter you can be - but let policy dictate your behavior, not emotion.  Enthusiastically support your candidate of choice, but with civility in the course of politically-oriented conversation.  And, I think we do well to pray for and engage our leaders when they are adrift.

Finally, I think in the midst of turmoil, we can check our own hearts - we can ask: are we consumed with anger, frustration, fear, or the temptation to lash out at others?  I think even Christians can get caught up in the angry discourse and develop a bitter perspective regarding matters of policy.  We are called to reflect the character of Christ, and I think turning down the volume can be helpful - to the extent that we listen to one another and develop a servant's spirit toward other people.

Guitar Hero

As we worship God, we can become more attuned to His power and His presence.  We can even see His power released in a new and fresh way.  And, we can find that we are triumphant in the challenges we encounter as we enter into worship.  This principle is found in 2nd Chronicles 20, as
King Jehoshophat had led the army of Judah into battle:
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever."
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

Is that an antiquated Bible story or an example to us about the power of praise?  I believe the latter - there is something that happens in the spirit realm as we begin to offer the sacrifice of praise to God. A translation of Psalm 22 says that God inhabits the praises of His people.  When we are weak, we can come before God in worship and we can gain a fresh touch of His strength.  Our worship can be a powerful resources in challenging times.

+++++

The Bible portrays for us a life of spiritual sensitivity, including the practice of worship, underscored in this passage from Ephesians 5:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord...

Yishai Montgomery is a 26-year-old amateur guitarist who lives in Israel.  Recently he had just sat down to play his guitar near the ocean when he heard screams.  A Palestinian assailant on a stabbing spree was in the process of claiming a victim.  According to the story on The Blaze website, Montgomery told Israel’s Channel 2, “I heard screams and then I saw the terrorist, I slammed my guitar on his head." He added, "He was stunned and didn’t know what to do with himself."

The story continues: "He started to run down the street. I left everything behind and shouted ‘terrorist,’ and started to run after him with a group of six to seven people."  The Blaze reports that Montgomery told Israel Hayom, "If I didn’t have my guitar in my hand he would have succeeded in stabbing me."

An Israeli police spokesman tweeted that the assailant was shot and killed at the scene.

During the stabbing spree, an American from Lubbock, TX lost his life - a U.S. Army veteran and graduate student at Vanderbilt University, Taylor Force.  And, The Blaze story referred to a report on The Post, which noted that’s also the hometown of the guitarist’s father and grandparents.  A dozen others were wounded in the stabbing spree.

After learning he had wrecked his guitar in a most unusual way, Israelis chipped in to buy Montgomery a new instrument. But a local music store beat them to it and gave Montgomery a new guitar in honor of his actions.

The story points out that Israel has faced a wave of nearly daily Palestinian attacks since September. It's a sobering reminder of the need to follow the Scriptures and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. There was a comment to the article to that effect.  

This young man stood in the face of evil and realized that he had a tool that could be used to thwart its advance, so used his guitar, which I would imagine it was something very precious to him.  You certainly can laud Yishai's courage and his presence of mind to take a bold step and use the resource he had at hand.   I think of the words of God to Moses after he had called him to be his representative before Pharoah - "what is that in your hand?"  What do each of us have in order to carry out the work of God?

Finally, something that struck me from this story is that a man used a musical instrument to turn back an enemy.  Now, think with me about how the use of music in worship can be a powerful force against our spiritual enemy.  I believe there is a relationship between worship and spiritual warfare. Our praise can activate the power of God in the circumstances we face.  Before going into battle, King Jehoshophat called for a worship service, a time of singing praises to God.  Saul commissioned David to play the harp to turn back an evil spirit which vexed him.  When we are oppressed by the enemy, we can sing or speak words of praise to God so that His presence is released in our lives.

Targeted

The devil is the oppressor, but Jesus Christ is the liberator, providing us the means to walk in spiritual victory. In Acts 10, we find that Peter is speaking, and he refers to...
36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all--
37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

The contrast is very clear -  Jesus did...and does...good.  He is the healer of all those who are oppressed.  Satan wants to hold every human being captive, to walk according to his plan and to surrender to his devices and desires.  But, Jesus has come to heal - to forgive us of our sins and to remove from our lives that bondage that past sin can bring.  According to His mighty power, available to all who call on His name, we can live in the Spirit and experience His freedom.

+++++

We have been placed in this world to be representatives of Jesus Christ, and because of that heavenly standing, we will encounter earthly suffering, which may include spiritual attack. 1st Peter 5 says:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Tim Remington is a pastor is Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  Last Saturday, he shared the opening prayer at a rally supporting Republican Presidential candidate, Senator Ted Cruz.  The next afternoon, he was shot in the parking lot of his church, the Altar Church, according to a story on the Christian Today website, which said that the gunman had waited for Remington while he conducted his services and fled before police arrived at the church parking lot.  The motive for the shooting is under investigation and it is not clear whether it was linked to Remington's support of the Texas senator.

The website pointed out that Pastor Remington was shot six times in the back and suffered a collapsed lung. It said that suspected gunman Kyle Odom was arrested Tuesday outside the White House in Washington, D.C. after he threw "objects" over the fence, NBC News reported.

Christian Today said that Odom is a former Marine who has a history of mental issues, according to police.  The local police chief said Odom's attack was "pre-planned" and that he was armed during the Sunday church service. He went to the parking lot after the service and shot the pastor.

And, the pastor's condition is improving; some say miraculously.  Again, from Christian Today, Remington's son Jeremiah is quoted as saying that what happened to his dad was a miracle. According to KHQ, he said: "It really is, there was a bullet that lodged in his skull. It's an angel that said, this is as far as its gonna go today." The family has said that God is keeping the pastor alive.

Jeremiah said, "Thank you and keep praying for him," Jeremiah said, adding that they can forgive Odom for what he did. He said, "If God can forgive, we can forgive."

The Guardian reports that Remington, who is 55 years old, regained consciousness on Monday night in a Coeur d’Alene hospital, according to John Padula, outreach pastor for the Altar Church where Remington is the senior pastor. He said on Tuesday, “He’s whispering and talking to his family a little bit,” adding, “He’s doing absolutely amazing. He gave me a thumb’s up last night when I went in.”

There are several takeaways from this incident.  First of all, it reminds us of the dangerous world in which we live.  Consistently, there seems to be a stream of stories where there has been violence on church property.  And, while the church should be a haven for those who are disturbed, it should also be a safe place for all.  So, churches can be challenged to evaluate their security infrastructure.

And I think it's important to note the forgiving spirit of the Remington family.  As the son said, they are willing to forgive the attacker for his actions.  That is a notable expression of Christian charity, and demonstrates a willingness to love the person, no matter what his or her actions may have been.

Finally, Pastor Remington is a man of God.  Not because of his political affiliation, but because of his spiritual affirmation.  And, we can be reminded that there is, spiritually speaking, a target on the back on our Christian leaders - they are on the front lines, and it's important to uphold them in prayer.  But, we know that Satan is alive and well, roaming the earth to steal, kill, and destroy, and seeking whom he may devour, so all Christians are threatened.  He is dedicated to blocking the move of God in the earth, and we as believers have to take up the proper spiritual weapons - including the armor of God that is outlined in Ephesians 6.  We don't defeat the works of the devil by relying on human resources, but on the powerful tools of heaven.