pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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To the End of the Age

Jesus suffered a painful death as an act of obedience to God and out of love for us.  A pure and holy man went to the cross not only to suffer nd die but also to take upon Himself the sins of us all.  It is through this gift that we are able to find salvation for our souls.

After He died, Jesus was resurrected and sits at God’s right hand.  He sits to judge the living and the dead.  Peter tells us that after dying Jesus went and “preached to the spirits in prison”, those dead in their sins since the time of Noah.  Jesus wants us all to be saved.  Jesus judges us in accordance with how we live our lives as a follower or disciples of Christ.  Followers emulate the ways of the one they follow.  Disciples study one so that they can be like the one they study.

Our baptism was the beginning of our commitment to live as a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ.  Baptism is symbolic of the cleansing waters of the flood, when God washed clean the earth, removing man and his sin from the world.  Baptism is a promise to God to live with a purity of conscious.  At times we have suffering.  At times we have joy.  Most of the time we live between these two.  If we live in all these states as a faithful and obedient follower and disciple of Christ, our destiny is the same as Christ’s destiny.  Eternity awaits the faithful and obedient.  But in our day to day, we are called to take up the cross of Christ, to live for Him. For strength, remember the promise found in Matthew 28:20 – “I am always with you, even to the end of the age.”


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Faith and Action

In the US we practice our faith in relative safety and peace.  Sure it may cost us a ‘friend’ here or there or an invite to the ‘big’ party.  But it is pretty unlikely that we’ll see scores of girls kidnapped from the local Christian school or that militiamen will attack our church one Sunday morning.  Yet many around the world face these or similar dangers and still practice their faith because they know the ultimate reward that God has in store.
Could we live such a brave faith?  Willing in any and all circumstances to do what God is calling us to do?  Could we bravely walk into the cafeteria or break room and share our faith with whoever is sitting there?  Could we give a little more than is comfortable to help a person in need?  Yes we can and great is our reward too.  Through our actions and words we can bring hope.  We can be the light and love the world so desperately needs.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”. We can both live out from these words and help others to come to know the truth of these words in their lives.  May we live a brave faith.


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Near to God

In times of trial or distress, it is common to ask God “Why?” or to wonder where God is in the midst of it all that is happening.  In general we hold to the belief that God is supposed to fix things or at least make them better.  And when He doesn’t, we begin to question and wonder.

During these “dark nights of the soul” it can be so difficult to find God.  It’s not that God is absent from us, it is just that we are having a hard time connecting to or feeling God is near.  It is truly like we are wandering around in the dark.

And at just the right moment, after all has been stripped away and we are desperate, God is right there.  He comes alongside, arms around us, and He walks us through.  When we get to the point of crying out to God, we find He is right there.  Then the gloom begins to lift and we begin to see the light ahead.  James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  This is an important verse to remember when we are in the midst of struggle and we feel alone.  May we keep it ever in our hearts.


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An Unknown God

Hainidni knnuj womqnf.  Plnye!  How about transubstantiation or prevenient?  No?  Then how about lol, bff, dk?  Now are we speaking the same language?  Maybe, maybe not.

Just as Paul chose to learn the thoughts and ways of the Athenians, we too must learn and know the ways of non-believers if we want to be able to reach them for Christ.  Now I am not saying we need to become like them or to do the things the do, but we have to be able to relate and to “speak their language”.

Paul realize when he saw their altar to “an unknown god” that they were a spiritual people.  Paul knew they were searching for something.  A high percentage of people today recognize or believe that there is a god, they just don’t know God.  Many non-believers can sense that ‘hole’ in their life that they just can’t seem to fill with stuff or human relationships or…  Take courage today in Paul’s words and chose to put them into action: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”


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Paul’s Secret

Just how “Christian” is our society?  How you answer that depends on your definition of the word ‘Christian’.  However you define the word though, I think it is true that the US is much less ‘one nation under God’ than we used to be.

As Paul stood to address the people of Athens in Acts 17, he faced a tough crowd.  There were very few followers of Christ there and the people followed a variety of beliefs and lifestyles.  But Paul had done his homework.  He had gotten to know their ways and ideas.  Paul could take them from where they were to where he wanted them to be because he could relate to them and their ways of thinking.  We too can do this with our friends, neighbors, coworkers…  Paul was then able to begin to share his faith with them.

Paul’s secret is our secret too.  The one true God is our God.  The creator of the earth and all on the earth is our God.  He is Lord of all life.  And He loves us.  Some people don’t know the secret yet.  Maybe you know some of them.  It is our call to share the good news with all the peoples.

Paul goes on to later write: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him”.  It is our call to share the secret.  After all, isn’t it great to share?!


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God Needs Time

In John 14, Thomas’ concern is so often our concern too – “how can we know the way?”  Jesus’ words of reply show us.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.In my head I know this to be true.  Yet at times I struggle to live this out in my life.  I doubt and question.  I wrestle with God for control of my life.  I want to follow John’s way.  But then I realize that I am insufficient.  God is necessary.

In both weakness and conceit, I need God.  In one to give me strength and in one to humble me.  At all times, God is good.  At all times He gives me just what I need.  It is our task to take in the things God offers at all times.

To be able to do so, we must really know Him.  To know Him requires frequent trips back to the basics – time in the scriptures, bowing in prayer, lifting our voice in praise, serving others.  The list goes on.  All are paths to come to know the way, the truth, and the life.  Faith is a pretty simple thing.  We must give of ourselves – mostly in time – to come to really know the way, the truth, and the life.


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Peaceful Trust

What is the largest crowd you have ever actually been a part of?  Was it at a big arena concert or maybe at a game?  For me it was several years ago in Washington, DC, when I went to be a part of Promise Keeper’s ‘Million Man March’.  I was just one of about a million people gathered there that day.  It was incredible to look out at the sea of humanity and to realize that I was just one part of it.  When I think about that huge group, it pales in comparison to how many people inhabit the earth.  There are now 7,000 people for every one of those million men gathered that day in DC.

Yet God knows, cares for, and loves each of those 7 billion people on the earth.  Do they all love Him back?  No, but that doesn’t matter to God.  He loves them all equally because  they are all His creation.  He loves them all.

It is hard to fathom that despite the fact that we are each just one of seven billion, God loves each and every one of us.  Yes He does!  What a mighty God we serve.

It is because of this great love that we can trust Him with our lives.  His plan for us is so much better than any plan we could muster.  Because God’s steadfast love endures forever, we can trust Him to always have the best in mind for us.  Because His love never fails, we can trust that He will see us through the valleys and will bring us up the other side.  We can trust into God and into Jesus’ words: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)


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Kinda Exciting Out Here

I kinda like being comfortable.  I like it when things are ordered and moving along as planned.  It is nice when things move along smoothly.  Do you like it when things are comfortable and ordered and all seems good?
Yet it is dangerous to live on cruise control.  When we are just cruising down the rut it is sometimes hard to see what is going on outside of our little trench.  And isn’t a little excitement OK sometimes?  Isn’t it invigorating to feel the tension of the unknown or the “what if”?
In John 14 Jesus states that He is the way, the truth, and the life.  To know Jesus is to know God.  It raises the question in my mind: how well do I know Jesus?  Do I really know enough of Him?  Or am I on cruise in my relationship with Jesus?  Or do I read the Word with questions?  How will I know Him better today?  How will this word cause me to grow?  To trust Him more?
No one is ” there” yet.  All of us have room to grow, to know Him better, to trust Him more.  To seek these things brings us to the edge of the unknown.  Step out – it’s kinda exciting out here.


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Sharing the News

Stephen was the first of many to die for his faith in Jesus Christ.  Many more have died in the name of Jesus over the centuries.  Some will die today, some will die tomorrow, and so on.  It even happens on a rare occasion here in America. There are Christians out there willing to die for their faith today.

Relatively speaking, we live in a country where it is pretty safe to share our faith.  Certainly in the public arena the worst things we face are rejection, scorn, and maybe a helping of ridicule.  In some work environments the subject of faith is ‘taboo’ and to talk about our faith may risk our job.  In some settings we may find ourselves ostracized or unwelcome anymore because we chose to speak about our faith.

Yet despite the relative safety we generally don’t like sharing our faith.  Maybe we will share our faith in just the right setting with just the right person at just the right moment.  There are definitely these times and it is joyful to God when we take these opportunities.  But most of us are not an “anytime, anyplace, anyone” type of person when it comes to sharing our faith.  It is my prayer that my mighty God and amazing Savior fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit and empower me to share my faith with any and all that I meet to the end of my days.  Will you make this your prayer too?


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A Heavenly Gasp

Does your family have any unique practices or traditions – a special dish at the holiday season, a quirky birthday celebration, something you do every Easter…?  Maybe you don’t understand it or even understand where it came from, but you go along because that is what is expected.  Then at some point, someone says something like, “Hey, this year instead…” and you gasp!  Or sometimes the tradition or practice fades because you moved away and one Easter morning you realize you don’t ‘x’ anymore and you feel like something is suddenly missing. As a Christian family we get our traditions and practices from Christ.  He is our firm foundation, our Cornerstone.  We are called to be His “living stones” – to live our lives in a way that brings Christ to the world.  Like our family traditions, we find our identity in Christ. Sadly, like some of our own family traditions, sometimes we don’t always fully understand or even like some of the Christian traditions and practices that we are called to.  Sometimes we fail to live them out.  For example, do we always embrace tolerance and practice respect?  Do we always love our neighbors as ourselves?  Sadly, not always.  At these points the gasp does not come from us. But the good news is that we are precious to Jesus.  Despite our human limitations, He continues to build us into His holy nation, a people called to God.  We belong to Him.  Our journey is simply growing more and more like Jesus every day.  And despite ourselves, we do.  It is through Jesus.  Thank you Lord!!