One of the key elements of any good story is a conflict. Without a conflict it usually lacks intrigue, which would probably mean that you’re not interested in whatever drama you’re reading, watching, or participating in. People are drawn to conflict.
A good writer has to define the conflict well enough where the reader can either sympathize, empathize, or at least recognize that there is a conflict. Conflict is simply a disagreement Or a clash of two forces or ideas.
Although we probably hope our life isn’t filled with conflict, we do tend to remember the times of conflict better than the times of nothingness. There are many people, and you may be one of them, that talk about the hard days of yesteryear when you were poor, or when you were in a war, or stuck in a bad lifestyle. Most of us have some odd attraction to our conflicts in our past. Some don’t look at them favorably and are unable to talk about them much because of the pain that the conflict caused. However, even by avoiding talking about the conflicts would seem to be an indicator of their impacts on life.
There is one conflict that all of us have to come to realize, the conflict of sin. Paul said in Romans 7:18- 20, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not
want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” That’s the conflict: my lusts or God’s will.
It’s within that conflict of our two natures where we begin to understand the power in the cross. Jesus willing sacrifice opened up the solution to our conflict of sin. Jesus said to the apostles, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Or as Paul says in Romans 8:5-8, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
There is a scene mentioned in Revelations 5:2-10 of a serious conflict in the heavenly courts where an important book couldn’t be opened. “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” the elders around the throne asked. Now, I’m not sure how much of this scene John really understood, but when he realized that no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth could open this locked up, spirit-filled book, he began to weep greatly. But one of the elders sitting around the throne understood where the solution was found. He said, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
The problem was that whatever was in that book would be sealed up forever unless it was opened. Jesus took the book out of their hand and had the power to open its seals. Why was that so important? Jesus eludes to why that was important in John 12:45-48, “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day…”
Every word Jesus spoke testified about God, His plan, His love, or the Judgment to come. The more we understand His words, the better we’ll see how the conflict of sin is solved. For this reason we should recognize how important God’s word is to salvation. 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Sometimes I read a book that I don’t like how it ends. To some, Jesus didn’t seem to be the solution to their conflicts, and they said in John 6:60, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” Many abandoned Him that day. But Jesus then went on to reveal the power in God’s words (John 6:63), “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Thankfully, the story of life that the Bread of Life revealed to us made the solution to the conflict clear to those who wanted to hear it. Just as the apostles responded to Jesus when asked if they were going to abandon Him too, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”
Do you see God’s words as the solution to your conflicts? Please consider the words of God as more than a book. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The Bible is no small book that you hold in your hands. The heavens declare the power in the word of God; they recognize the value of those spiritual words that shape our lives and give us insight for the decisions ahead. Ephesians 5:15-18, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Shining the light in Haiti
Cap-Haitien is a city of nearly 200,000 people, a city that used to be referred to as the "Paris of the Antilles" for its architectural beauty and sophistication, but for those that have visited there, there is little wealth there today. Cap-Haitien served as the capital of the French Colony of Saint-Domingue from 1711 until 1770 when the capital was moved to Port-au-Prince. After the Haitian Revolution, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Northern Haiti under King Henri Christophe until 1820.
What once was considered a bustling city reflecting the energy of Paris now barely stands on its own. The country of Haiti has endured many rebellions, earthquakes, and other disasters that have left it struggling. Although the economy may be less than desirable, the fields are white for harvest. Many people look to the work that the Cap-Haitien Children’s Home provides as a tremendous blessing for the city and the surrounding area.
People can look to the home as a beacon of light for those children who have been abandoned, orphaned, or anything else. For a Christian Home to function the way it needs to requires good leaders, teachers, and supporters. Thankfully, the Cap-Haitien Christian Home has received all of those. It’s also a blessing for the people that are able to volunteer; they get to participate in spreading the light of Christ in a land where it’s needed desperately.
The work the church is involved in isn’t limited to nurturing children in Cap-Haitien, but also equipping young, and old men alike, in spreading the gospel to their nation. The Haitian Christian Foundation (HCF) supports and prepares Haitians to be spreaders-of-the-word. HCF's primary ministry is the Center for Biblical Studies (CBT), where men learn to study the Bible, and they build relationships with wonderful mentors and in turn become mentors. Each of these efforts can make such a difference to a nation that needs so much.
When we look to how many benefits come from uniting for a purpose of raising Godly children and training men to preach the word, I hope we begin to imagine the blessing that would come from putting some of that same effort into the lives of the children we’re blessed to be around and into the lives of capable men by equipping them to know and spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
This Sunday as the members of our church share the work they were able to do in Haiti, be praying for how you can get involved in the future. If you already support the work, thank you. If you don’t, please consider how your participation may change many lives.
Thanks to those men who helped out in Haiti recently. May God bless you!
What once was considered a bustling city reflecting the energy of Paris now barely stands on its own. The country of Haiti has endured many rebellions, earthquakes, and other disasters that have left it struggling. Although the economy may be less than desirable, the fields are white for harvest. Many people look to the work that the Cap-Haitien Children’s Home provides as a tremendous blessing for the city and the surrounding area.
People can look to the home as a beacon of light for those children who have been abandoned, orphaned, or anything else. For a Christian Home to function the way it needs to requires good leaders, teachers, and supporters. Thankfully, the Cap-Haitien Christian Home has received all of those. It’s also a blessing for the people that are able to volunteer; they get to participate in spreading the light of Christ in a land where it’s needed desperately.
The work the church is involved in isn’t limited to nurturing children in Cap-Haitien, but also equipping young, and old men alike, in spreading the gospel to their nation. The Haitian Christian Foundation (HCF) supports and prepares Haitians to be spreaders-of-the-word. HCF's primary ministry is the Center for Biblical Studies (CBT), where men learn to study the Bible, and they build relationships with wonderful mentors and in turn become mentors. Each of these efforts can make such a difference to a nation that needs so much.
When we look to how many benefits come from uniting for a purpose of raising Godly children and training men to preach the word, I hope we begin to imagine the blessing that would come from putting some of that same effort into the lives of the children we’re blessed to be around and into the lives of capable men by equipping them to know and spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
This Sunday as the members of our church share the work they were able to do in Haiti, be praying for how you can get involved in the future. If you already support the work, thank you. If you don’t, please consider how your participation may change many lives.
Thanks to those men who helped out in Haiti recently. May God bless you!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
The Reaction
“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” This was the frequently asked question of the evil queen in Snow White. One day when the mirror responded with “there is someone more fair than the queen," the queen was angry enough to kill.
We all have different ways of responding to the discovery that someone is more kind, more generous, more forgiving, or just better than us. Some people become angry like the queen, others may experience a kind of depression or envy, and others find themselves idolizing that person.
Near the end of Jesus ministry on earth He demonstrated qualities that pricked people to the heart. From Peter to Malchus from the Jews to the Roman guards, Jesus’ reactions to how people were treating Him made an impression.
When the rooster crowed the last time, Peter remembered the words of Jesus, words that Peter had denounced. Matthew 26:34, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” On the night of Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter went away and wept bitterly.
Malchus, the high priest’s slave, experienced something as equally humbling as he accompanied the mob who came to arrest Jesus for being a fake and a troublemaker. But what Malchus learned was different. John 18:10, “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus.” But Jesus immediately helped the man. Luke 22:51-52, “[Jesus] touched [Malchus’] ear and healed him.”
There was the Roman centurion whose job it was to assist in punishing criminals. But on this night, the criminal he was watching over actually convicted him. Luke 23:46-47, “Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last. When the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’"
Then there were the large number of Jews who had been convinced by the high priests that Jesus needed to die because of who He was. Yet they too observed what had happened, and began to return, beating their breasts.
As the seed that was scattered in the parable of the soils fell on soils that responded differently to it; Jesus’ life prompted reflection on those who came in contact with Him. Some remained bitter and angry; others wept and mourned. Still, there were others that were emboldened by the courageous display of God’s glory through Jesus’ sacrifice. People like Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple, found the courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he, along with Nicodemus, took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with spices in the burial custom of the Jews (John 19:38-40).
It hadn’t been too long before this that some of those same people who had come in contact with Jesus reacted differently. Peter claimed he wouldn’t deny Jesus ever but would even die with him. The priestly group had “plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him” (Matthew 26:4-5). The Romans had been beating and mocking him saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.” Meanwhile the Jews would be chanting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Jesus paid for their sins and the sins of all of us that day. Later they would be saying something different, “Men and brethren, what do we do?” and “What must I do to be saved?” Where do we fit in? How do we respond to the message of Jesus? There had been many reactions, but in the end all will be humbled. Revelations 1:7, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” One day all will see that Jesus truly is “the fairest of them all." He is the one that truly deserves to be glorified. Why not let that begin with you… today?
We all have different ways of responding to the discovery that someone is more kind, more generous, more forgiving, or just better than us. Some people become angry like the queen, others may experience a kind of depression or envy, and others find themselves idolizing that person.
Near the end of Jesus ministry on earth He demonstrated qualities that pricked people to the heart. From Peter to Malchus from the Jews to the Roman guards, Jesus’ reactions to how people were treating Him made an impression.
When the rooster crowed the last time, Peter remembered the words of Jesus, words that Peter had denounced. Matthew 26:34, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” On the night of Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter went away and wept bitterly.
Malchus, the high priest’s slave, experienced something as equally humbling as he accompanied the mob who came to arrest Jesus for being a fake and a troublemaker. But what Malchus learned was different. John 18:10, “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus.” But Jesus immediately helped the man. Luke 22:51-52, “[Jesus] touched [Malchus’] ear and healed him.”
There was the Roman centurion whose job it was to assist in punishing criminals. But on this night, the criminal he was watching over actually convicted him. Luke 23:46-47, “Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last. When the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’"
Then there were the large number of Jews who had been convinced by the high priests that Jesus needed to die because of who He was. Yet they too observed what had happened, and began to return, beating their breasts.
As the seed that was scattered in the parable of the soils fell on soils that responded differently to it; Jesus’ life prompted reflection on those who came in contact with Him. Some remained bitter and angry; others wept and mourned. Still, there were others that were emboldened by the courageous display of God’s glory through Jesus’ sacrifice. People like Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple, found the courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he, along with Nicodemus, took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with spices in the burial custom of the Jews (John 19:38-40).
It hadn’t been too long before this that some of those same people who had come in contact with Jesus reacted differently. Peter claimed he wouldn’t deny Jesus ever but would even die with him. The priestly group had “plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him” (Matthew 26:4-5). The Romans had been beating and mocking him saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.” Meanwhile the Jews would be chanting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Jesus paid for their sins and the sins of all of us that day. Later they would be saying something different, “Men and brethren, what do we do?” and “What must I do to be saved?” Where do we fit in? How do we respond to the message of Jesus? There had been many reactions, but in the end all will be humbled. Revelations 1:7, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” One day all will see that Jesus truly is “the fairest of them all." He is the one that truly deserves to be glorified. Why not let that begin with you… today?
Sunday, August 2, 2015
The Answer Is (C) Faith
I remember a few times during college when I stayed up late into the night actually studying for a
test. It was great that I was studying, it was pathetic that I had hardly cracked the book open until
the night before the test. It seemed like every minute counted. Two more minutes reading
something I was fairly certain I would forget before class started, or an extra minute looking at a
chart that I was sure we’d looked at during class at some point. However, if I had been honest with
myself, I knew that the likelihood that whatever I happened to stumble upon during my study blitz
would actually come to my mind correctly at the time I needed it was pretty slim. That was the fruit
of laziness, the byproduct of procrastination, and ultimately I deserved whatever low grade was
most likely coming to me.
Thankfully I graduated college without any really bad grades. Looking back I realize how inefficient I really was; I can see where more consistency would have made studying for a test more effective. Perhaps that’s the value of hindsight and experience. In a nutshell I can see how unprepared I was for the test, thus how nervous I was to face that hour.
Similarly, we all have a test waiting for us. A day when we give an account for the things we’ve done. So how do you study for that test? If knowledge is the key to passing a science, math, or history tests; then faith might be the equivalent in a spiritual test.
How many books of the Bible I know probably won’t help, any more than how many times I made it to church. Each of those things may aid in building my faith, but knowledge alone isn’t going to help me pass the ultimate test at the end.
It’s easy for us to equate Bible knowledge with living for God, yet the Pharisees were living proof that wasn’t correct. In fact, Jesus informed a crowd in John 12:48, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” Those words were the instructions of life. Living to glorify God, serving, forgiving, and plenty of instructions about what godliness actually looks like.
Jesus told some powerful parables in Matthew 25 that revealed how faith impacts our eternal reward. First, He explains how something changed in 5 of the 10 young women who had all started out with their fire burning brightly. Half of them kept their faith burning in their lamps, the others didn’t. Their negligence was equivalent to “rejecting Jesus’ words and instructions.” We know that’s the case because in that same chapter He tells another parable about the sheep and the goats where He describes the actions, and more importantly the motives, behind the faithful; those who receive the instructions of the Lord.
Matthew 25:32-36, “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me…”
As James said in James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” When Christians do not serve others, help others, comfort others, etc. for the purpose of sharing our faith, we miss powerful opportunities to make an impact. But the side effect of making a difference in the lives of the people around us is that our own faith will be strengthened.
As we ponder how to study for the test at the end of life, we have to realize that no amount of good I do is going to earn my way to heaven, however, part of God’s design is that with every good work I do for the purpose of glorifying God my faith grows proportionately. Can a man out give God?
Zaccheus offered four times the amount that he’d taken from anyone in order to show his repentance. Who was he repenting to? Ultimately God, but mankind was the recipient of his repentant heart. Remember God designed the link between serving others and our faith, so now we have the responsibility to “receive the sayings Jesus spoke to us,” and it’s in that trusting faith that we find God is pleased. Serve on for His glory!
Thankfully I graduated college without any really bad grades. Looking back I realize how inefficient I really was; I can see where more consistency would have made studying for a test more effective. Perhaps that’s the value of hindsight and experience. In a nutshell I can see how unprepared I was for the test, thus how nervous I was to face that hour.
Similarly, we all have a test waiting for us. A day when we give an account for the things we’ve done. So how do you study for that test? If knowledge is the key to passing a science, math, or history tests; then faith might be the equivalent in a spiritual test.
How many books of the Bible I know probably won’t help, any more than how many times I made it to church. Each of those things may aid in building my faith, but knowledge alone isn’t going to help me pass the ultimate test at the end.
It’s easy for us to equate Bible knowledge with living for God, yet the Pharisees were living proof that wasn’t correct. In fact, Jesus informed a crowd in John 12:48, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” Those words were the instructions of life. Living to glorify God, serving, forgiving, and plenty of instructions about what godliness actually looks like.
Jesus told some powerful parables in Matthew 25 that revealed how faith impacts our eternal reward. First, He explains how something changed in 5 of the 10 young women who had all started out with their fire burning brightly. Half of them kept their faith burning in their lamps, the others didn’t. Their negligence was equivalent to “rejecting Jesus’ words and instructions.” We know that’s the case because in that same chapter He tells another parable about the sheep and the goats where He describes the actions, and more importantly the motives, behind the faithful; those who receive the instructions of the Lord.
Matthew 25:32-36, “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me…”
As James said in James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” When Christians do not serve others, help others, comfort others, etc. for the purpose of sharing our faith, we miss powerful opportunities to make an impact. But the side effect of making a difference in the lives of the people around us is that our own faith will be strengthened.
As we ponder how to study for the test at the end of life, we have to realize that no amount of good I do is going to earn my way to heaven, however, part of God’s design is that with every good work I do for the purpose of glorifying God my faith grows proportionately. Can a man out give God?
Zaccheus offered four times the amount that he’d taken from anyone in order to show his repentance. Who was he repenting to? Ultimately God, but mankind was the recipient of his repentant heart. Remember God designed the link between serving others and our faith, so now we have the responsibility to “receive the sayings Jesus spoke to us,” and it’s in that trusting faith that we find God is pleased. Serve on for His glory!