Making Jesus Cry

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Pete

The thought of Jesus weeping kind of arrested me this morning. I’m reading the account of His triumphal entry . . . that foreshadowing of His entry into Jerusalem as King . . . accompanied by such an outburst of public praise and worship that it rightly only belonged to God . . . that moment when the stones were queued up, ready to declare His glory, should the mouths of His disciples be silent. And amidst the adulation . . . unnoticed by most during this praise fest . . . Jesus wept.

And when He drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. . . . And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”    (Luke 19:41-42, 44b ESV)

Jerusalem . . . the place of “double peace” . . . the city of God’s choosing that His glory might dwell among His people. The city of peace which tragically did not recognize the Prince of Peace . . . the place of peace which did not see in Him the things that made for peace. A city which did not know the time of its visitation . . . a city so so wrapped up in prideful, blinded, man-made religion that it did not recognize that the Messiah they had been waiting for was entering its gates for one last inspection. And, as Jesus paused before entering Jerusalem’s gates, He wept.

It kind of puts a pit in your stomach to consider that the creation can be so lost that it causes the Creator to cry. Your heart breaks as the Shepherd looks to those who He would have as His flock only to be rejected by them. The Savior is in their midst . . . and they didn’t know it . . . they wouldn’t have it . . .

I wonder if sometimes I move Jesus to tears. I don’t know. But I wonder if there are times when He desires to reveal His glory but my heads so not in the game that I don’t recognize His entry. If there are times when He seeks to draw near but my face is turned away, distracted by some other “priority”. If there are times when He comes to visit and I don’t even know it. And if, in those times, it grieves my Savior.

But as I consider Jesus weeping, I’m also reminded of His compassion and commitment towards those He has called to be His own. That any tears of His that may fall in heaven over my denseness are reflective of His desire to complete the work He has begun in me. His blood being sufficient to cleanse me from all sin . . . His grace sufficient to cover my failures as I stumble while trying to walk in a manner worthy of the calling . . . His Word living and active and able to transform as it penetrates my thick skull . . . His Spirit powerful and persistent to conform me, more and more, to the image of the blessed Son of God.

I don’t want to make Jesus cry . . . if that’s possible. But how I thank God for a Lord who is compassionate and whose tender mercies never fail. How I praise the Father that the Son longs to dwell within me through the Spirit and, though there are times that I might “miss the visitation”, He will stand at the door and knock . . . and come in when invited . . . and clean house as necessary . . and forgive sins when confessed . . . and continue to reveal Himself as the Shepherd King.

For His glory . . .

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Worth Waiting For!

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Pete

I missed one. Last week I was asking, “Who’s Your Savior?” I said that in Titus the term “our Savior” was found five times . . . that three times God was identified as “our Savior” and that twice “our Savior” was declared to be Christ Jesus . . . concluding that if God is our Savior and Christ is our Savior then they must be one and the same . . . evidence of the Scriptures revelation of God as a triune being . . . one God known in three Persons. But I missed one . . . didn’t show up because of the search string I typed into my handy-dandy Bible study program . . . perhaps I should have just diligently read the entire letter. Anyway, there’s one more . . . “hidden” from my search because of an adjective . . . overlooked because what was “implied” about the Godhead through the other verses is stated so clearly here . . . but worth waiting for . . .

. . . waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ . . . (Titus 2:13 ESV)

Paul’s encouraging Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (2:1). And the teaching being referred to is not the high and mind-stretching stuff of the Trinity but practical, down-to-earth instruction on how those who name the name of Christ are to live on a day-to-day basis. Whether older men and women, young people, or bond servants, there is a character to be developed and manner in which to live which will “adorn the doctrine” of the Savior (2:10). The walk complements the talk . . . the authentic cover of holy character beautifies the call of the kingdom. And the heart of this plea to live “self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (2:12b) is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ours is a call to go against the flow . . . to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions” (2:12a) . . . to instead pursue that which is aligned to being the redeemed, “a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (2:14). And the great motivator? The appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ! It will be worth waiting for . . .

Jesus is coming again. Having appeared once to bring salvation for all people (2:11), He is coming again to reveal His glory as King of all people. Having come the first time as the Lamb of God, He will come a second time as the Lord of Lords. And mine is to wait for His glorious appearing . . . to anticipate it . . . to look for it . . . to live in light of it. His glorious appearing becomes the filter through which I encounter life. It provides context for my priorities . . . it provides perspective concerning my trials . . . it provides a point on the horizon of the “there and then” which I can fix on, helping me in navigating the “here and now.”

It will be worth waiting for . . .

Oh, that I might live more in anticipation of our blessed hope. That I might more consistently be fixed on His imminent return. That I might adorn the doctrine of Christ with an authentic expression of what is means to be “a people for His own possession”.

All by His grace . . . all for His glory.

Worth waiting for? Absolutely!

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On Climbing Trees

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Pete

If you pause to reflect, he really does kind of capture the imagination. The guy’s a shrimp . . . just a little squirt . . . I also imagine him as being kind of out of shape . . . or in shape if you consider a pear a shape. You know he’s not liked very much . . . and I wonder which came first, being disliked because he was a tax collector, or becoming a tax collector because nobody ever liked him anyway. And I also sense that he’s not someone overly concerned with maintaining the status quo . . . that he had a bit of brass about him . . . not afraid to make a bit of scene if that’s what he felt he wanted to do. And, given the reputation of tax collectors of the day, the irony is not lost on me that this guy’s name literally means “pure” . . . I don’t think he was too pure. But what does surprise me as I form this Zacchaeus image in my mind is that this guy climbed trees.

And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for He was about to pass that way.   (Luke 19:2-4 ESV)

Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree. This small statured rich guy hoisted up his garment and shimmied his pudgy little body up one of the large branches/trunks emerging from the ground. This enemy of the people who had been lost in the crowd draws attention to himself as the leaves fall and the bark flakes off. He climbed a tree . . . because he wanted to see who Jesus.

That’s what Zacchaeus wanted . . . he wanted to know who Jesus was. From a human perspective, that set the ball rolling . . . that was the starting point to an encounter with Jesus which would change his life forever. And it occurs to me what a disservice we do this portion of God-breathed holy writ, if we think of it as only a kids’ story or we apply it only to salvation.

Now to be sure, it is a great salvation story . . . the coming together of one wanting to know Jesus and the Son of Man coming to seek and save the lost(Luke 19:10). It’s a great illustration of Jesus’ promise that for those who seek they will find (Matt. 7:7). But why would we think that this stops at salvation . . . that once we’ve seen Jesus, we don’t need to seek to see Him more? Shouldn’t the saved be climbing trees too?

Shouldn’t I continually be like Zacchaeus, seeking to see Jesus? Shouldn’t that be one of my priority life pursuits . . . to want to know the Son of God more and more? Couldn’t Zacchaeus be a daily inspiration? Even though I may be “too short” to see Him on my own, my desire to want to know Him should propel me to climb whatever tree I can find to see Him and interact with Him. And if I have the seeking heart of a Zacchaeus wouldn’t I expect that Jesus would be just as faithful to me as He was to ol’ Zach . . . that if I ask, and seek, and knock, then Jesus will answer and reveal and open . . . and the Jesus I seek to know more and more, I actually will know more and more?

How can I comprehend the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ . . . if I don’t, like Zacchaeus, seek Jesus? Why wouldn’t I make the effort to “go out on a limb” every so often in order to seek to know the one who personifies that love which surpasses knowledge? Why wouldn’t I take God at His word and pursue knowing the un-knowable because God promises that He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:17-20)

That’s what happened to Zacchaeus that day. He climbed a tree in pursuit of knowing Jesus . . . and, it turns out, Jesus already knew him . . . and they connected . . . and they communed . . . and that pudgy little guy was never same from that day forward. And it all started with climbing a tree . . .

Who knows what encounter I’ll have with the living God, manifest in His Son, residing in me through His Holy Spirit, if I but seek to see Jesus . . .

Maybe I’ll climb a tree today . . .

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Who’s My Savior?

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Pete

It was put on my radar years and years ago. And like a familiar landmark, every time I’m “in the neighborhood” I look forward to taking note of it again. It’s kind of like Mt. Rainer around here, when it’s out (that’s we call it when the clouds aren’t covering it) you can’t help but cast a glance at it and marvel afresh at its magnificence. So, when I get to Titus, I anticipate running into this familiar truth . . . and it never disappoints . . . queue the awe-o-meter . . .

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4 ESV emphasis added)

There’s a lot packed into this “how-do-you-do”. The saints are “elect” . . . godliness is tied to the knowledge of the truth . . . the hope of eternal life is a promise of God . . . the God who never lies (attribute of God to note) . . . a promise made before the ages began — not some “Oooops, what do I do now?” type of Plan B. But what was pointed out to me . . . and gets my heart pumpin’ every time I visit this “Titus neighborhood” is “Who’s Your Savior?”

Which is it Paul? Is God our Savior or is Jesus Christ our Savior? Answer: Yes! O’ blessed, amazing, blow your mind YES!!!

Kind of surprising, but you actually don’t find the term “our Savior” a lot in the NT. Only 9 times . . . twice in 1Timothy, once in 2Timothy, five times here in Titus, and once in Jude. Six times God’s our Savior . . . three times Christ Jesus is our Savior. In Titus it’s a three / two split.

Way, way back in Arithmetic 101 I was taught that if two expressions are equal to the same thing, then the two expression are equal with each other. So, if God’s our Savior . . . and Christ Jesus is our Savior . . . than God is Christ . . . and Jesus is God. Can anyone say, “Trinity?!”

This is one of those indicators in Holy Writ of the mystery of the Godhead . . . God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit . . . that God is one and yet subsists in three distinct Persons. That Jesus Christ is fully God . . . that He came as Immanuel, that is God with us (Matt. 1:23) . . . that “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Heb. 1:3) . . . that to see Jesus is to see the Father (John 14:9-10) . . . that Jesus the Son, and God the Father are one (John 10:28).

Do I fully grasp it? No. Do I believe it? Absolutely! Does it is send a shiver down my spine to meditate on it? . . . to consider the awesome constitution of God in that He is one and yet He is three? . . . to consider the approachable-ness of God as He who lives in unapproachable light has determined to enter into abiding communion with me through the blessed Person of the indwelling Holy Spirit? . . . to consider the love of God that would He would come to the earth as the Lamb of God and personally and intimately redeem my soul for His pleasure and glory? Does it send a shiver down my spine? Yeah . . . kinda’!

Who’s my Savior? Almighty God . . . He who is enthroned in heaven . . . surrounded by a heavenly chorus of “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” . . . He who is worthy to receive all “glory and honor and power” (Rev. 4:8,11). Who’s my Savior? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, One with God . . . He who was slain and by His blood ransomed people for God . . . He who is worthy to receive “power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:9-11).

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior   (Titus 3:4-6 ESV)

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”   (Revelation 5:13 ESV)

He’s my Savior! Amen?

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Going for Gold!

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Pete

I’ve been enjoying watching some of the Olympics on the television. There’s something kind of inspirational in watching some of these athletes compete. I’ll be honest, I’m still not a fan of professional’s competing in what were once “amateur games.” Not too interested in the “dream teams”. It’s the “no names” pursuing a dream that capture my attention . . . those who sacrifice for four years, some to the point of hovering in poverty, for the hope and privilege of competing against the world’s best on the world’s stage. They are those who dedicate themselves wholly to being ready for that prize which comes available to them once every four years . . . for many, coming available only once in their lifetime. They are those who are focused on the prize . . . those who order their lives around going for gold . . .

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.   (2Timothy 4:6-8 ESV)

As I finish up my reading in 2Timothy this morning it’s evident that Paul is coming to the end of his life. He has poured out his life as an offering to God . . . his “departure” is at hand. Yet you can’t help but pick up on the fact that Paul is “sprinting” the home stretch . . . still going strong. Having fought the good fight . . . having finished the race . . . having kept the faith . . . his spirit soars with the anticipation of receiving the prize . . . of gaining the crown. It’s been his goal since he was “recruited” by the Lord Jesus on that road to Damascus. For Paul, to live was Christ, to die gain (Php. 1:21). He would count all things loss in order to pursue “the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Php. 3:14).

Like going for gold four years out, sometimes you need to hang your hat on some future vision to prompt you to order your life aright now. So if I want to “go out” as Paul did, then how should I be living now? Paul looked forward to receiving the “crown of righteousness” and said that it would not only be given to him, “but also to all who have loved His appearing.” So, it’s available to me . . . the question being do I love His appearing?

Do I long for that day when I will see Jesus? Are the words, “Come, Lord Jesus” frequently on my mind? I remember years ago a preacher saying that the opposite of love isn’t hate, but that it’s indifference. That has stuck with me for years . . . and it came to mind as I was meditating on this verse this morning. Do I love His appearing . . . or am I kind of indifferent? So often the “prize before me” is obscured by the distractions around me. All too often my concern with the “here and now” results in complacency about the “there and then.”

I do love His appearing — both of them!!! The first appearing when He came as the Son of Man, the Lamb of God, to pay the price to redeem my soul. And I long for His next appearing . . . whether that be as I go to Him . . . or He comes for me in the sky . . . as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords . . . to call His church to Himself . . . to set up the new heavens and new earth. I do long for it . . . but so often it can be “outta’ sight, outta’ mind.”

How I need to, by His grace and through His indwelling Spirit, strive to keep His appearing always before me . . . to be my daily anticipation . . . to be my daily motivation . . . to be my daily celebration!!

His appearing . . . that’s what I’m in training for . . . that’s why I seek to run the race . . . to fight the fight . . . to keep the faith. That’s the gold I’m going for . . . by His grace . . . for His glory!

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Keep On Keepin’ On!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Pete

He wasn’t flashy . . . but he was the real deal. Not some nuclear physicist, but a pretty good truck driver with a down-to-earth wisdom that caught your attention. Not a university trained man, but one who had buried his nose faithfully in the Scriptures daily . . . one whose hunger and thirst for the things of righteousness drove him to study the inspired Word of God . . . one, who as a result of what he found in the Word, had set his gaze firmly on the prize and sought diligently the kingdom. Not someone who would necessarily stand out in a crowd, but someone who had a profound impact on this guy at the keyboard. And one of his favorite encouragements . . . one that I’ve claimed for my own . . . was, “Keep on keepin’ on!” And this guy from my past was brought to mind as I was reading in 2Timothy this morning . . .

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it . . . (2Timothy 3:14 ESV)

Paul knew better than anyone that the Christian walk isn’t really a walk or a stroll but that it’s a race . . . a pursuit of an ultimate goal. And that this race isn’t just a sprint but a long, enduring marathon. It was important to Paul that those who came to faith, would pursue the faith . . . that those who started well, would finish well . . . that those who sang Sunday School songs as a kid, would still be singing the praises of God as a “senior saint.” And, I’m thinking, that part of the “secret sauce” to finishing well has got to be the daily determination to keep on keepin’ on.

And the secret to keepin’ on? You continue in that which you have learned and have come to firmly believe. If I believe, or am assured, that something is true, trustworthy, the “real thing” . . . then I am far more likely to seek it . . . and desire it . . . and live for it. Would it be safe to say, “Show me a Christian who’s struggling with living for Christ and I’ll show you someone who’s not really convinced that Christ is living in them or worth living for?” Staying power is heavily reliant on being convinced that Jesus and the salvation He offers is truly “the way, the truth, the life” . . . the only way . . . the whole truth and nothing but the truth . . . demanding our whole lives and nothing less than our lives.

Timothy learned and became convinced of the truth of the gospel. He was a student . . . studying not only the Scriptures but also those who modeled how to practically “seek first the kingdom of God”. And Paul commanded him, “You MUST continue, in that which you’ve become convinced.”

I know I’ve said it before . . . again and again . . . but being saved is about so much more than just avoiding hell. It is about so much more than just waiting for heaven. Being saved is about pursuing salvation. It is about learning and then continuing in that which we’ve learned. It is about desiring to live godly lives in Christ Jesus (2Tim. 3:12). It is about knowing and then living out doctrine . . . about a way of life . . . about purpose, faith, longsuffering, love and perseverance (2Tim. 3:10). It is about continuing . . . or as my friend Wynn would say so often, it’s about “Keepin’ on, keepin’ on!!!”

And I think the reason so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are struggling with continuing is because they really haven’t learned and they really aren’t convinced. They have not learned the truths of the faith and thus have not embraced the truths of the faith. They have not been taught “to observe all things” which is just as much a part of the Great Commission as is “Go therefore and make disciples” (Matt 28:19-20). Poorly taught . . . poorly walked. Little investment in the Scriptures . . . little staying power in the world. Lack of concentrated consideration of God’s Word and ways . . . lack of desire to take up the cross and follow Christ.

The more convinced I am of the truths contained in the “God-breathed Scriptures” (2Tim. 3:16), the more likely I am, by God’s grace and the power of the Spirit within me, to continue in the God-ordained way of life He has called me to.

Oh, that we as the people of God would know a revival of “firmly believing” . . . and that we would know the power of the Spirit in continuing . . . that we would keep on keepin’ on . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory . . . amen?

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Confession

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Pete

What had begun as a rebuilding program . . . and had transformed into a national reform program . . . eventually budded into a full blown revival program. Overall, reading Nehemiah is pretty inspiring. I get especially jazzed when Ezra the scribe hits the scene with the Book of the Law (ch. 8). The people are hungry for the Word of God . . . “the ears of the all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (8:3b). And Ezra reads . . . and the word of God is taught . . . and there is understanding . . . and there is worship . . . and there is a desire for more. And I get to Nehemiah 9 and the people are back for more of the Word.

But this time, the crowd isn’t dressed in their “Sunday best” . . . instead they are “assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads”. This time, rather than taking in the Word of God, they are responding to the Word of God . . . “and they confessed their sins and the iniquities of the their fathers” (9:2). After three hours of standing and hearing the Word of God, they continue standing for another three hours and “they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God” (9:3).

And I’ll be honest with you, my first inclination was to skim over the confession part. Give me the grounding of the Word . . . let me soar as I imagine the glorious wonder of the worship . . . but three hours of confession? Really? Yeah . . . that’s what they did. They declared the greatness of their God (aka worship) . . . and, against that holy backdrop, they openly acknowledged the blackness of their sin and they declared the stiff-necked history of their ancestors.

And I find myself wondering why I want to skim over the confession part. Maybe it’s because I have a hard time relating to such an ardent expression of contrition and repentance. Sure, I have confessed sin . . . I have asked for forgiveness for transgression against the God of my salvation . . . but I don’t know that I have even come close to such an “over the top” response to the light of the Word. While I have been “convicted” of my sin, I am seized with wonder at the degree to which these exiles had been so exposed by the light of the Word that they would so physically and so publicly and so extensively respond with confession.

Or maybe I have this natural tendency to skim over it because of a fear of admitting failure before a God I so want to please . . . a fear, that if I think about it, is rooted in some weird view that it’s somehow more about my performance than it is about God’s grace. But these confessors of Nehemiah’s day were also worshipers . . . the reality of their sin was acknowledged within the context of the equal reality of God’s mercy and grace . . . while their sin was great, their God was greater . . .

But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. . . . Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.   (Nehemiah 9:17b, 31 ESV)

Perhaps that’s the barrier to real, heart-wrenching, lay it all on the table before God confession . . . being so focused on the failure that I lose sight of the Father . . . wanting to avoid facing the reality of coming up short rather than running to and falling at the throne of grace and availing myself fully of the finished work of the cross. Rather than skimming over confession, perhaps I need to be relying instead on the sufficiency of Christ.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   (1John 1:9 ESV)

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Do Your Best

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Pete

A blast from my past . . . As part of this morning’s reading in 2Timothy I came across a verse which has been foundational in my Christian walk. A verse that was put on my radar as a young believer and I think has shaped me ever since.

In the old “Authorized Version” . . . which is how I was first introduced to it . . . it reads:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2Timothy 2:15 KJV)

The emphasis was on “study” . . . study the Word of God, study it hard, and rightly divide the word of truth. My foundational years as a Christian were marked by men and preaching that placed an emphasis on “mining” the truths of the Word of God for myself. Preaching, they said, was “truth advertised”, but you needed to “buy truth” for yourself and that was only done by spending time in the Word . . . and in books explaining the Word.

The modern translations suggest that the AV translators may have been a bit over zealous in translating that first word as “study”. Instead they suggest that the idea is more general as in, “Be diligent” . . . or “Endeavor” . . . or “Exert yourself” . . . to present yourself approved to God. But I think the meaning doesn’t change a lot. The context is “rightly dividing the word of God” — and that’s where we need to be diligent.

The ESV translation of the verse kind of resonates with me . . . not because I necessarily think it is more accurate (because, really, what do I know) . . but because it includes another “blast from my past” — a little phrase of encouragement that I used to say to my girls when they were little (and sometimes still now) . . . “Do your best”.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2Timothy 2:15 ESV)

That’s what we “bring to the table” . . . doing our best. Mine is to put forth my best effort to present myself as one “tried and determined authentic” before God.

My sanctification is not something that I can create or make happen . . . but it won’t happen without me doing my best. Holiness is a work of grace through the indwelling Spirit in my life . . . but it won’t get off the ground if I don’t do my best. And I really believe it starts with the Word of God. I need to read the Word . . . I need to meditate on the Word . . . I need to study the Word. That’s how I will be “transformed by the renewal of my mind” (Rom. 12:2).

I’m not the brightest, I’m not the most learned, but that’s not what God’s asking. He’s simply asking that “I do my best” (to which I must confess, there’s lots of room for improvement there).

I don’t want to be ashamed when I stand before Him, having to acknowledge that I didn’t consider His revealed Word a priority and really don’t know much about it. Instead, I want to, to some degree, be marked as a “workman of the Word” . . . having done my best . . . by His grace . . . through the enabling and illumination of the Holy Spirit . . . and for His glory.

Amen?

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The Church of the Living God

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Pete

I was saved into a tradition where we never went to church. Oh, we came together for the breaking of bread . . . we assembled on the Lord’s day . . . we went to meeting on Sunday (morning and evening) . . . but we were pretty choosy about our words . . . and so, we never went to church. Church wasn’t some place to go to . . . it was us people. Church wasn’t about a program or a set of activities . . . it was about a power and an anticipated dynamic. And, while I know that it’s way too easy to major on minors, I sometimes do think that we believers would be better off if we chose carefully our words. It was a phrase that jumped off the page at me in 1Timothy that brought this to mind . . .

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.   (1Timothy 3:14-15 ESV)

The church of the living God. Talk about taking the common place and elevating it to the sacred. Actually, I fear we have made “church” commonplace . . . it has always been a sacred. Oh, that we would recapture something of the awe of the holy church of the living God.

It is a household . . . an inhabited place . . . a dwelling place . . . constructed that someone might move in. And that Someone is the living God . . . and that “place” is His people. Those He has redeemed . . . those with reconstituted spiritual DNA who are now alive to God . . . those He has quarried into living stones “being built up as a spiritual house . . . to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ . . . that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Peter 2:5, 9).

The house of God is not four walls, a sanctuary, some classrooms, and a fellowship hall. Oh, that we would look not at the building but in the mirror and gaze at the house of God. That the awe-o-meter would go off the scale as we consider that we are the church of the living God! That a holy sense of grace-dependent responsibility would take hold of our hearts as we come to grips with the fact that His intent is that “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). That His people would not “go to church” but instead anticipate “coming together” realizing that He has joined us together as a spiritual structure growing “into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22).

A dwelling place for God . . . the church of the living God!

If that isn’t a high enough and holy enough calling how about the fact that we are to be “a pillar and buttress of truth”?!? What’s a buttress? It’s a support . . . the NIV says “foundation”. The church of the living God (aka us) have been tasked with being the support and the pillars holding up the truth. How’s that for a job description? “Uh, what’s your job?” “Oh, to be a dwelling place for God . . . and to be the foundation for truth.” Really!?! Yeah, really! How we dumb it down when we say, “I’m going to church.”

Again, I don’t want to major or minors . . . and it’s not about whether or not we say we “go to church” or “go to meeting”. But let not the people of God lose sight of the reality that they are the household of God . . . let the redeemed not forget that they have been called out as dwelling place for the living God. Let’s not dumb it down . . . let’s always be mindful of how high and holy is our calling as the church.

Who is sufficient for these things? . . . Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God . . .   (2Corinthians 2:16b, 3:5 ESV)

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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The Enemy’s Playbook

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Pete

While we have an enemy, we also have the power to resist him. While he is a deceptive snake, he is not particularly unpredictable. His methods to oppose God and God’s people have been exposed . . . his tactics have been revealed in Scripture. And as I read Ezra 4 this morning it seems to provide some great insight into the enemy’s “playbook” . . .

Context . . . after 70 years in Babylonian captivity, God’s people end up under “new management” — the king of Babylon is defeated by the king of Persia, Cyrus. The Lord stirs up Cyrus’ heart to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1). And so, 42,360 men, with their wives and kids, gather up their belongings, load up the treasures donated by those staying behind, and head back to Jerusalem to rebuild it. And they start work immediately on restoring the temple . . . the place of sacrifice . . . the place of worship . . . the place to which they beckon the presence of God.

And things are off to a good start (Ezra 3). Then in Ezra 4 some new players are introduced to the scene . . . they are identified as “the adversaries” (ESV) or “the enemies” (NIV). . . they are those who oppose the work of God. A reminder that whenever God’s people are doing God’s work they can expect to be opposed by God’s enemies. Check out their escalating tactics . . .

First, they try to infiltrate. “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do” (Ezra 4:2). They try to compromise the effort by joining it . . . to slow down and derail the work from the inside . . . to entice the people into an unholy union with the enemies of God as they portray themselves as friends of God. If they succeed here, it’s mission accomplished. This is the strategy the enemy deploys first and I fear it is far too often way too successful. If the enemy can convince God’s people to let him in and “help out” he gains a huge victory . . . compromising not only the work, but God’s people themselves. Oh, how we need to be on guard against our adversary and stand fast on his “undercover advances” to let him in . . . to convince us to partner with the world in the work of God. It’s a trick!!! Don’t buy it!!! Back to Ezra . . .

When that doesn’t work it says, “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose . . . ” (4:4-5a). Can’t get inside? . . . then the enemy will seek to discourage, and trouble, and frustrate God’s people. Still nothing too overt as King Cyrus is still around and supports the work . . . so they just whisper in their ears . . . and hire professional learned counselors to tell them they’ll never make it . . . like a river eroding the banks they subtly throw up barriers and speak words of discouragement. The enemy tries to convince God’s people to give up . . . forget the work . . . forget the pursuit of God . . . it won’t really make a difference anyhow. But Ezra and the people resist and keep on keepin’ on.

But then a new king comes on the scene . . . the air cover is gone . . . and the enemy becomes a little more open as “they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem” and sent it to the new king (4:6). They work the political process to stop God’s people from doing God’s work . . . writing a letter to the king telling him that he had better stop the work as these Jews are just trouble makers. They take partial truths and fabricate a threat that doesn’t exist. And then, when the king orders the work on the temple to stop, these enemies show their full colors, “they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease” (4:23). Open opposition . . . stopping the work by force.

What insight to our enemy and his strategies . . . join ’em and compromise ’em . . . if that doesn’t work, trouble ’em and discourage ’em . . . if that doesn’t work, accuse ’em . . . if that doesn’t work, physically oppress ’em. That’s what God’s people doing God’s work can expect.

Paul says, that as believers, we should be on to how the enemy works, “that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2Cor. 2:11). Paul also reminds us that God has provided us with a complete, sufficient, and effective set of armor that we might “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). How often we concede the battle on the first tactic rather than resisting the enemies advances in the power of the Spirit.

God wants us to stand firm and set our hearts completely on doing the work He’s given us . . . knowing there will be opposition . . . but knowing too that in Him we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37) . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory. Amen?

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