What Child is This...?

One of the more popular passages of Scripture sited during the Christmas season is Isaiah 9:1-7. We love to explore the ideals of having a "Prince of Peace" in Jesus. But then there’s Matthew chapter 10... especially verse 34 where Jesus in his own words throws us a curve... "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Between Isaiah 9 and Matthew 10, we go from an encouraging uplifting vision in Isaiah’s prophecy to something more troubling in our relationship with the Son of God. What did Jesus mean when he said, he came not to bring peace, but a sword? What are we supposed to do with a Prince of Peace who says such a thing in a tone of warning?

During this time of the year it's normal for us to think of Jesus as the sweet baby in the manger. Our songs are about him being tender and mild, how he lays down his sweet head and no crying does he make, and all these wonderful images of this divine child. Those images and views are certainly appropriate at this time of year. But knowing what he himself said in Matthew chapter 10... we need to ask ourselves if we’ve suspended our perception of Jesus to that of a baby in a manger? Have we allowed our vision of “Jesus the man” to be distorted by our vision of Jesus the baby?

These are fair questions to consider, because I think many Christians tend to view Jesus as an adult the same way we view him as a baby. As an adult we picture him as being a mild, sweet-natured, and gentle Savior, somebody who talks softly, who never scolds... pretty much a big, grown-up baby. We rarely think of him as being aggressive or belligerent or combative or in any way socially impolite.

So this Christmas season we need to ask the questions... What child is this? Do we really understand who it is that we worship at Christmas? To answer that question, we've got to let Jesus out of the manger.

Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace, but a sword. If we go back 2,700 years, to the time of the prophet Isaiah... he was writing 700 years before Jesus came. He prophesied that when the Messiah comes, when this divine King is born, he will be the Prince of Peace.

That's an amazing title when you consider that at the time Isaiah was writing, the monarchs were seen as those who brought war and destruction. And here he says the divine monarch will come and be a prince of peace. If you know the Christmas story [Luke chapter 2] you know that on the night Jesus was born there were shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, when suddenly the clear night sky exploded into a glorious light of angels that filled the sky. They declared to the shepherds, "Glory to God in the highest, and to men peace on earth." That's one of the most dominant themes of the Christmas season. You see it posted everywhere... Peace on earth. We think that Jesus came to establish peace, to bring an end to conflict and strife, to make our lives more comfortable, more safe and secure. But is that accurate?

Certainly Scripture says he is the Prince of Peace and he has come to establish peace. But in Matthew 10 Jesus says something very uncomfortable. It's challenging. It disrupts our assumptions about who he is and why he came. The chapter begins with Jesus selecting his 12 disciples, and then in verse 5 he sends them out on a mission to proclaim the kingdom of God throughout the villages and towns of Israel. He gives them specific instructions-to raise the dead and heal the sick and proclaim the Good News. Then in verse 26 he tells them that as they do this, they are going to be persecuted. People are going to hate them because of their affiliation with him.

Then on the heels of all that, in verse 34, Jesus says this... "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." What are we to make of that? What happened to our Prince of Peace? What happened to "good will toward men"? Jesus says he did not come to bring peace... but a sword. This doesn't fit with our view of Jesus in the manger, the sweet, innocent, meek, and mild baby. This doesn't fit with our cultural view of Jesus the man, who is equally as infantile and sweet and gentle. How do we reconcile that Jesus says he has come to bring a sword? What does that mean?

First, he's not speaking literally. Jesus is not literally wielding a sword. He never once displayed that sort of behavior or advocated for armed conflict in any situation. It's important to put his alarming statement in the context of the entire chapter. Starting in verse five, when Jesus is giving instructions to his disciples as they go out, he tells them what they should bring. He says don't bring any money, don't even bring a bag, don't bring an extra change of clothes, don't bring extra shoes, don't bring a walking stick, don't even bring food. He certainly doesn't tell them to bring a sword. So Jesus is not speaking literally. He's using the sword as a metaphor, as a symbol. What does it represent?

Most of us think of a sword as an instrument of violence. It's a weapon of warfare. So is that what Jesus means, that he's come to bring death and war and destruction to the earth? Some people think so. In fact, throughout Christian history some have interpreted this verse to justify war against non-Christian cultures. Others have used it to justify Christians killing non-Christians in the name of God for self-defense or to protect the church in some way. That's how it's been interpreted throughout history. Some boldly say that Jesus is pro-war. That's a misinterpretation of what Jesus is saying. Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus advocate violence. Nowhere is he pro-war. Jesus is not using the sword as an illustration of vengeance or violence or death in any way.

Remember, this is also the Jesus who told us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us. And he modeled that for us as he hung on the cross, where he prayed to forgive those who were in the process at that very moment of murdering him. This is also the Jesus who told Peter to put away his sword, because those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. Jesus is not advocating violence or war. That's not what this symbol means. So what does it mean?

The key to understanding what Jesus means is in the word peace. Jesus says he has not come to bring peace. The word he uses here is the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom means peace. But the Hebrew word has a more nuanced meaning. It doesn't simply mean peace in the absence of violence. It's a peace that comes from wholeness, from being complete, completely put together, unified. It's the wholeness that comes when nothing is missing, when everything is one.

So what Jesus says is saying is this... I have not come to bring wholeness; I've come to bring the opposite. The opposite of wholeness or unity is division. He's using the image of a sword to illustrate... to divide, to cut, to sever in half. "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." I did not come to bring wholeness and unity, but division. This meaning fits the context of Matthew chapter 10. In the verses immediately before verse 34, Jesus warns the disciples to expect to be persecuted and hated because of him. He, Jesus, will cause reactions in people much like the results cause by a sword. His presence, his words, his activities will cause division among people. It’s as if HE becomes a line is drawn in the sand, and people will be forced to take sides... for him and with him or against him and opposed to him.

This imagery of a sword being an instrument of division is picked up by the author of Hebrews in describing the Word of God. It says the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, able to divide spirit from soul (Heb. 4:12). So the idea that a sword is to cause division or to separate or to sever, cut in half, that's what Jesus means. His presence in the world causes division. His presence on earth was not to bring peace, but cause separation and division.

What Jesus is saying is that his mission is to turn the world upside down. We see him doing that even from the moment of his birth. If you know the Christmas story you know that when King Herod heard that the Messiah, the divine King, had been born in Bethlehem, Herod was greatly disturbed, because Jesus even as a baby, as a newborn, was a threat to his power. He'd come to turn the world upside down. So Herod tried to have this child killed.

Also, when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus as an infant to the temple to be dedicated, an old man named Simeon recognizes that this baby is God's long foretold deliverer. While he's holding the child he says to Mary and Joseph, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel." In other words, this child is going to turn the world upside down. He is going to cause division among people.

Maybe it’s time we change our perception of Jesus during this season. At Christmas, we don't welcome and worship and celebrate the birth of a passive Savior, a pushover Messiah, somebody who just came to make us feel better. Jesus is the most radical person who has ever walked the earth. He did not come to bring peace; he came to bring a sword, to turn the world upside down, to radically alter the world, to dethrone every illegitimate king.

The reason why this is so threatening, the reason why Jesus turns the world upside down, is because to be in a proper relationship with God, to love him with all that we are, means removing things in our lives to make room for Him.

Every one of us has put something in the place in our lives that rightfully belongs to God alone. Just as Herod was threatened by the birth of this rival king, every one of us should be threatened by the birth of Christ, because he has come to dethrone whatever it is that dominates our lives that he alone has authority over.

That's why His coming into this world is like a sharp cutting sword... He came to radically alter the world and redirect our lives to God. Jesus came, not to bring immediate peace, but to divide us from our illegitimate allegiances. Jesus comes to ask for our full allegiance, and that will cause division both in us and in our world.

During this Christmas season, don’t be fooled into thinking that Jesus is a helpless, sweet baby, tender and mild, laying down his sweet head in a manger. Jesus is no such thing. He did not come to make us feel better about ourselves, but to demand our allegiance.

He came as a threat to every illegitimate “god we have placed before him.” He seeks to tear down every illegitimate thing, every attitude, every desire in our own lives, whether it be family or self or anything else. God alone can make such a demand.

SHINING the LIGHT of TRUTH in a Dark World

Matthew 5:14-16 - You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.

On a clear night the lights from a distant city can be seen for miles, and if the city is on a hill nothing will hide its light. Long before the advent of electricity, the night fires of a city located on a hill could be seen for a considerable distance.

A number of hills around the Sea of Galilee in Jesus' time were topped by cities whose lights were clearly visible on the night horizon. The people to whom Jesus was speaking would have been very familiar with these lights. A city set on one of the very high hills in the region of Galilee, was particularly noticeable at night and this may have been the visual imagery Jesus had in mind when He spoke the words recorded in Matthew 5:14.

The lamps used to light first century houses were small ceramic vessels containing olive oil and a floating wick. When lit, the lamp was either set on an appropriate shelf or on a well-positioned lampstand where it "gives light to everyone in the house." While the first century lamp was not as bright or convenient as our modern incandescent or fluorescent lights, it gave adequate light as long as the wick was kept trimmed and the lampstand was put in a central place. Because these lamps required fire to light, they were not put out when the household went to bed. Instead they were dimmed by placing a bowl or a measuring container over the lamp. This is what our Lord had in mind when He spoke the words of Matthew 5:15.

What is the thrust of Jesus' comments about a city on a hill being visible and a lamp in a house giving light? It's quite obvious from the context that He doesn't want His followers and their message of truth to be hidden or dimmed. He wants His light bearers to let their message shine brightly so that there will be no confusion in the world as to what the truth is and where it can be found.

The purpose of light is to reveal what's in darkness and to give direction, like a beacon or light on a distant hill. As the light of the world, followers have a two-fold responsibility as bearers of light (truth).

Christens are to be as brightly shining lamps that make plain the truth that is concealed by spiritual darkness, as well as clear beacons that warn of spiritual danger and point the way to all who will take notice. "That you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15).

As the light of the world, Christians have the two-fold mission of exposing right and wrong and of being a reference point to determine right and wrong. In verse 15 we see our assignment is to reveal truth. Without spiritual light, people cannot clearly distinguish truth from error or right from wrong, just as people in a dark house can't see where it's safe to walk. In verse 14 we are told to maintain a testimony which becomes a reference point in this dark world. As the lights of hilltop cities served as night beacons for travelers, a directional point to safety, so our Christian communication (verbal and non-verbal) should shine as a beacon... a desirable destination for seekers of truth.

Christians as the “light source” should stand out and be so obvious that people groping in spiritual and moral darkness can get a bearing on what is right and wrong and be pointed in the right direction.

Remember that the Lord's main point about our light... is that we are not to hide it! The Lord Himself has elevated His followers to be positioned to the eyes of the world as if on a hill... on a lampstand, so as not to be hidden or dimmed, but to brightly shine forth! This is so important, because only true Christians are the light of the world.

There are many denominations, many types of religions around world, cultists of all sorts, new agers of every variety, religious gurus and shamans, "good" and sincere people, and any and all other self-proclaimed "light"-bearers... but they are not the light of the world. They are not even a small part of the light. In fact, they are part of the darkness! Their philosophies may sound very enlightening and they may appear to be good role models, but according to the truth of Scripture this is only an illusion. "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

Carefully contemplate this passage in 2 Corinthians... notice that the “false lights” can actually appear to be "Christians," and are actually involved in "Christian" worship and service.

No wonder that the “lights of truth” must be shining brightly and not ever or even partially hidden. How tragic if people in this dark world are led astray by false "light" because the true light is too dim to be noticed. Gropers in darkness will generally turn to the brightest light available. Many who are seeking enlightenment are going the wrong way, because false guides don't hide their "light." They take every opportunity to talk to anyone who will listen and respond to their ideas of spiritual and moral "enlightenment." Many of these false "lights" truly believe that they are helping others and bettering themselves, but they are deluded.

What an awesome responsibility truth bearing Christians have as the light of the world. We must do everything we possibly can to let it shine forth brightly so that the evil and error that shrouds the world in darkness is exposed and people will know the right direction to turn.

But you may say, shouldn't we be careful not to be too out-spoken? People could be offended and turn away from truth. Shouldn't we build relationships with them and share the truths of Christianity only when they ask us or when it is non-threatening to them? Fair questions. Perhaps we could even build a case for this position if the Lord had only given us verse 15 of the text. Lifestyle evangelism or relationship evangelism is, in many ways, like the lamp in the house. And bringing a friendly, truth-revealing "lamp" into a relationship is certainly part of being "the light of the world."

But verse 14 clearly indicates that we are to proclaim the truth publicly as well as privately. A city is not built on a hill for concealment purposes. In fact, its light cannot be hidden. The Lord has not placed us in this world to act as dim or flickering lights. He has "set us on a hill" and our light is to be bright and seen.

Building relationships and earning the right to be heard through lifestyle evangelism are very important. "Fire and brimstone sermons" should not characterize our testimony, nor should our "beacon" be like the high beam of headlights that annoy oncoming drivers. But in a dark world where the majority of people around us are lost, God wants our testimony to shine out not only "in the house" but "on the hill." It should shine out for great distances and to many people. It goes without saying that there will be numerous times when people will be offended and not want to hear or know the truth. After all, Jesus did say that people "love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil" (John 3:19).

If we are going to obey the Lord, our lifestyle evangelism must include public proclamation of the truth as well as the more private sharing of the truth in caring relationships. At the present time, would you say that your individual witness for Christ, whatever activity that involves, is like the light of a city on a hill, or is it like the small warm glow of a lamp in the home? To be true to our Lord's command, our light must be both!

Do good works fit in with the Christian commission of being the light of the world? At first glance verse 16 might seem to indicate that our good works are essentially the light that should identify us. But notice that this verse draws a distinction between our good deeds and our light. They work together but are not identical. Our light should draw people's attention to our good works. "Let your light shine...that they may see your good deeds..."

Light refers primarily to the proclamation of truth from our lips, while good works refers to the activity of our lives. Notice further in verse 16 that our light should draw people's attention to our good works in such a way that people are directed towards God. Our light is not to be used to show off our good works so that people praise us. As a result of our verbal testimony people are not to hear about our good deeds but see them and praise God. Good works should be the natural, almost subconscious, outcome of our faith. If our light is shining out and not hidden, any praise of our activity will logically and reasonably be given only to God.

It is because Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12), that Christians are the light of the world. When we became Christians we not only received forgiveness of sins, we also received new light and life in Christ. We have come to know the Lord Jesus not only as the Way, but also as the Truth and the Life. (See John 14:6.) Because He is the Truth within us, we are the light of the world. "For God, who said, `Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Because Christ is the Life within us, our good deeds are more than humanistic good works. The source of both our light and our good works is the mission of Christ, working within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Our proclamation and performance are distinct, but must merge together. If there is no walk to back up our talk, our "light" may be a mere profession of faith without genuine substance. (2 Corinthians 13:5.) On the other hand, good works without the light of verbal testimony could merely be humanistic good deeds, and could even contribute to the darkness by failing to bring the true light into dark places!

Follow the perfect model of our Lord. His good works were always associated with His poignant words. His love for people never caused Him to water down God's righteous standards. He boldly proclaimed the truth to the multitudes; He gently shone light into dark lives in one-on-one relationships. He continued to shine in a dark world even when He was misunderstood and persecuted, and we can expect the same response if we let our light shine out. (Matthew 5:10-12.)

The good news... some people will respond to the Light! Not only that, there is blessing and reward promised in these verses to shining lights. So let's not cover our lamps because of compromise or laziness. Let's not climb down from the hill where the Lord has placed us because of fear or ridicule. And let us not hinder the light of other passionate believers in the body of Christ.

As we contemplate the birth a Jesus... the light of the world, this Christmas season... let us make every effort to let our true light shine out clearly in this very dark world.

Harnessing God’s Power

Amazing things happen when ordinary men and women are led and filled by the Spirit of God. What does that statement mean to you? Do you believe that’s possible?

Maybe not, because you don’t really know enough about the Holy Spirit to appreciate how “He” works in the life of a believer. Many Christians today have never contemplated the Power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Or for that matter, even have a clear understanding of “who” the Holy Spirit is. Some believers even doubt the existence of the Holy Spirit.

Too many hearts and lives remain unchanged because of this deficit in knowledge and understanding. We need more than sound doctrine - we need the Power of God working at full capacity in our lives. Change is what He is all about... changing you into a “worthy vessel for His use”... transforming you into a Christ-like believer with an all consuming passion for doing the will of God.

Most of us are aware of the excesses attributed to the Holy Spirit, from emotional fanaticism to outright charlatans teaching untruths about His work in the world and in you. But in spite of the counterfeits and misinformation, the Holy Spirit remains real and available to Christians willing to yield totally to “His” leading and influence.

The Holy Spirit longs to reveal the mind of God to each one of us and to release heavens limitless resources to meet the desperate needs in the world today. He... the Holy Spirit is a "divine person" of the Triune God, who works through committed Christians to accomplish the divine plan of the ages... to rescue fallen man from sin and lay the foundation for the “return" of Christ Jesus.

I cannot help but believe that there are many Christians who want to be more effective and efficient in the Lord’s service, in sharing the Gospel with family, friends, anyone encountered. It's from the Holy Spirit that we may expect to grow in our effectiveness in serving Kingdom matters.

The work of God is not accomplished by the might of men or by the powers of men, but it is by God... in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is by Him that truth convicts, converts, sanctifies and saves. He can’t be manipulated by any person or defined by any movement or ideas of man. Vows and promises alone, no matter how sincere, can never overcome the power of the world, the flesh, and the works of the devil. It takes a power beyond our strength... the Holy Spirit.

Christians have a mission to accomplish, given by Jesus himself. Only by the outpouring of the Spirit’s Power can we [individually and collectively] expect to make a difference. The promise of this divine ability recorded in Acts 1:8 was in fact the last thing Jesus said before his ascension [return] to heaven. You will receive power.......You will be my witnesses....... to the ends of the earth. Jesus promised then and that promise has not changed - we are supernaturally equipped to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Without the Holy Spirit there is no deep understanding of Scripture. Wisdom and maturity are but hollow words and our worship is shallow and self-serving. Preaching is mechanical, rarely or maybe never truly piercing the heart. Conviction of sin is almost nonexistent. Faith is more mental than heartfelt. Prayer time... in groups and individually fades away. Church meetings become routine and boring. The result is tragic....Christian people live in a “lukewarm limbo,” never discovering or embracing the power God promised in the person of the Holy Spirit. Your commitment, your baptism in obedience to the gospel, gets you a promise of unparalleled magnitude... the indwelling Holy Spirit... God in YOU... working to make you all God knows you can be.

Consider what the apostle Paul says about the proper balance of human effort and dependence upon the Spirit’s Power: “To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me...” Colossians 1:29

Peter’s sermon at Pentecost...was the first sermon ever preached in Church history under the anointing and empowering Holy Spirit. Peter himself was a metamorphosis of the Spirit's power... transformed from a fair-weather friend of Jesus [denied Him three times] into a passionately committed, Spirit-led apostle.

Whatever God calls us to do, He will also be faithful in equipping us to do it successfully. We must never forget that we are “co-laborers” with Christ through the Holy Spirit’s work in us and through us.

Acts 6: 3... “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom”. Clearly, it was evident to the Apostles that there was a visible noticeable distinction between those who displayed the Power of Holy Spirit and those who did not display it at all. The Holy Spirit is either working at full force or not at all. The Spirit’s work of transformation and change shows up in one’s attitudes, choices and decisions, enthusiasm, passion for seeking the lost, and demonstrated by personal actions in harmony with the mentoring and leading of the Holy Spirit.

God did not come in the person of the Holy Spirit to give us thrills and chills. He came in this manner because it is the best form for Him to work with us through the travails of a fallen world... to equip us and help us workout our salvation. Jesus gave the command of the Great Commission as recorded at Matthew 28:19-20... the Holy Spirit works to empower and equip us to win lost people to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is a living, speaking, divine person - the third personage of the Divine Trinity. He gives divine guidance and leading on what needs to be done in order to advance the Church...the body of Christ. He does it exclusively thru committed and totally submitted Christians.

Phillipians 2:13 says....”It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose”. Notice that we need God’s help no just in the "doing" part, but also in the "willing" part to walk in His ways. It is God’s work from beginning to end. Just as forgiveness can only come through Christ’s work on the Cross, successful daily living for the Lord can only be achieved through the Power of the Holy Spirit working fully in our lives.

The power to be different comes from the Holy Spirit, not from any source known or devised by man, and certainly not from our own strength. Every other system you may have heard about no matter how religious sounding is a fraud and leads to defeat due to the fleshly impulses and schemes of our sinful nature.

If you are a Christian, then you are saying to God... change me. Transform me into a person who can do what YOU... the Holy Spirit, needs me to do... needs me to be. I am clay in your hands, mold me into a useful and productive tool for your use. All that may sound complicated, and maybe even a bit scary... but it really is not a frightful experience. All you have to be is totally submissive, honest of mind and heart and “God in the person of the Holy Spirit” will work amazing miracles in your life.

Whatever God is doing today in our world, He is doing it in the "person of the Holy Spirit." He has no other presence on this planet. CHRISTIANS are the outward visible manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today. Just as there is no salvation without Jesus, there can be no satisfying Christian living and witness without the Power of the Holy Spirit working fully in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is the appropriate manifestation of all that God is... from his holiness, his righteousness, his love and mercy... to the compelling desire to preach the gospel to the lost. The Holy Spirit is the best way for God to work out the salvation of His followers in a fallen world dominated by His adversary Satan.

The Holy Spirit’s blessing and power is the key to everything. Here’s the really great news: It’s all FREE! Salvation is free. Forgiveness of sin is free. Your name written in the book of life in heaven is free. And the Power of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life is free. EVERYTHING we need is FREE... from the hand of a gracious and loving God.

It is not through human talent or any earthly resources no matter how powerful they may seem, that the true Christian Church is sustained; but rather it is through men and women saturated with God’s Holy Spirit and full of His Word.

God will act the same way today towards us, as he did nearly 2000 years ago to the first believers in the infancy of the Christian Church. He will transform our lives, invade and bless our Church, and equip us to do things beyond “all we (could) ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...” Ephesians 3:20.

He is waiting for you to take Him seriously. He is waiting for you to invite Him in, let go of the steering wheel of your life and let Him do the driving. We have the most powerful resource for living and "growing in Christ" the world will ever know... God Himself... interacting with willing and obedient believers, in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Wrap your brain cells around that for awhile. Pray about your intimate connection and relationship with the Holy Spirit and watch what happens.

For all Christians everywhere... yield yourselves totally to the Spirit of the Living God.

Being truly thankful... is it possible?

This week, we'll reflect on our times of ungratefulness, along with encouragements to be more thankful. Some pleas and prayers on Thanksgiving Day will be given with a large dose of sentimental emotions and even patriotism.

There are some questions that nag... is thankfulness something we can “conjure up” when a thanksgiving family feast rolls around, just once a year? Or is it something like happiness, which we can never manufacture but which is always the product of something else, the effect, not the cause? Can genuine thankfulness be manufactured... in a world where feeling thankful is hard to do?

Yes, to a certain level. For example, we've come up with verbal formulas to snap us out of ungrateful funks: "Look for the silver lining in the dark cloud"; or "Look at the glass as half full, not half empty"; or that universally used cliché, "Count your blessings." Then you have the espousers of positive thinking, giving admonitions about possibility thinking and thinking only positive thoughts. Such advice on positive thinking is so infectious... it sells tons of books, and yes, some of the ideas do in fact work to a level.

Such band-aids can help for a time. But here's the truth of the matter... We can't keep it up. There are days when we just don't have the energy to count our blessings. And sometimes those days turn into weeks, months and even years. There are long stretches when we'd like to be thankful, but frankly, we just don't give a rip.

The Lord Jesus encountered an interesting situation that speaks to the truest understanding of thanklessness while traversing the frontier-country between Samaria and Galilee. The story is found in Luke 17.

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a serious illness... leprosy. Surely, they must have thought, if Jesus could cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, he had the power to help them too. They were already outcasts and had nothing to lose, so they raised their voices in desperate hope.

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."

Jesus simply tells them to go to the priests, who were the first-century referees as to whether a healing had taken place. Any cure, according to the Book of Leviticus, would need the equivalent of a "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" so that the formerly unclean could be ritually restored to the community.

Will they go? How can they, since Jesus has done nothing outwardly to assure them of a cure? Was this a trial of their obedience? How would they respond to the Lord's ambiguous command? Something in the reputation of Jesus, or perhaps in the way he looked them in the eye, encouraged them that they had met not divine indifference, but God's mercy, on that day on that lonely road.

And as they went, they were cleansed.

The progression, the unfolding of the events is important... "as they went, they were cleansed." Their obedience precedes their healing. What happens now?

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Until this point, the 10 lepers had acted as one. They had lived together, they had cried out together, they suffered together, they had gone off to find Jesus together, and they had been cleansed together. Now, however, one of them turns back towards Jesus. Whatever has happened, the man knows he has been blessed, and the blessing requires a personal response. First he sees, then he turns, then he praises.

While the healed Samaritan was still humbly at Jesus' feet... come three pointed, rapid-fire questions, which cast a shadow over the celebration and the encounter with the ten men.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?"

Here, in this encounter with the lepers we learn a deep thing of God... of His holiness... of His unfathomable love for humanity. Praise and recognition are being sought from these ten by Jesus. Why did Jesus need to be thanked in such a way?

He already had rewarded their obedience, but it seems Jesus wants something more. What is he hoping for? He wants their gratitude. Gratitude or gratefulness is a knowing awareness that we are the recipients of a level of goodness that we can not hope to produce from within ourselves. Didn't the “other nine men” know what Jesus [God] had done for them? Didn’t they care?

The nine who did not return to give thanks were rude, ignorant and misaligned with a fundamental truth of the universe. It’s hard to escape such truth, because humanity is hard-wired by God to be thankful. We are wired by Him to be thankful beyond just the acknowledgements of acts of kindness... we are naturally wired to dig into the depths of our souls and express genuine gratitude for things undeserved.

We are the recipients, not the creators, of goodness. Goodness is in fact an attribute of God’s love that humanity benefits from. In acknowledging this simple truth we elevate ourselves by reflecting the qualities God created within us. God is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimate loving act. Jesus was well justified and entitled to receive praise for what he had done for the 10 lepers.

We are designed to “give” to God praise from the depths of our hearts... from the core of our very souls. The capacity to draw upon our created essence requires that we recognize our inability to do anything in thanksgiving without God. The Apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 5:20 sum it up nicely... "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father.”

Those words reveal the utter inadequacy of all our human attempts to manufacture genuine thanksgiving without involving God. It is that essence within us that prompts our “worship” of the Living God. Thankful... always and in everything? Think about “always and for everything” very carefully... because there’s no wiggle room in those words. Paul means for us to be genuinely thankful for all the circumstances of our lives.

Given that fact, thankfulness, praise and gratitude are really not options when you call yourself a Christian. They’re a joyful inevitability in a world designed and upheld by God. The only question is whether we will live our “lot in life” with thankful gratitude?

Then he [Jesus] said to him [the healed leper], "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I wonder how the nine felt when the man, returning from his worship, finally caught up with them, telling of his grateful exchange with Jesus. They had missed the opportunity to deepen their elation by giving thanks. The grateful man received more than the other nine because he had his cure confirmed by Jesus, the Christ... “your faith has made you well.” What this one healed leper now knows is priceless and sustaining of his faith. He knows the true depths and magnitude of God’s mercies... discovered beyond thankfulness, in “grateful gratitude”... sweetened by his worship, his prayers and praises of faith.

To give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ means to recognize that Christian gratefulness begins with an affirmation of a great negative: we simply can't thank God in a manner that matches His great love for us.

To paraphrase the Apostle Paul... "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungrateful. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still self-centered and ungrateful, Christ died for us … And so we rejoice in God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ …" (Rom. 5:6-11). Sobering thoughts to say the least.

Our calling to live and breathe thanksgiving is high, so high as to be humanly impossible. So we will fall far short of it in this life, and fall short time and time again. We will have moments when a pure and complete thanksgiving floods forth from our souls, but most days we'll live somewhere far south of that superlative moment of genuine gratitude.

Gratitude brings benefits in this world and in the world to come. The nine had their cure and went off to live out their lives restored to family and community... the one who showed his gratefulness, his gratitude had his cure, plus an eternal relationship with Jesus.

This Thanksgiving, let's remember that we are all the recipients of God's goodness. Be thankful from the depths of your heart, be grateful for all that God does for you even when it seems like there’s nothing to be thankful for.

Today and everyday of your life... you have His grace and mercy... His boundless love. Be deeply thankful from the depths of your heart for all you have and for all God has done for you.

Superman or Weakling... which are you?

In a recent syndicated newspaper article on the Holy Spirit, a charismatic preacher had this to say about the Holy Spirit’s role in a Christian’s life:  “We are Clark Kent, but with the Holy Ghost, we become Superman.”  Immediately the images of Superman come to mind... superhuman strength, death-defying capabilities, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Spirit-filled Christian? 

Fostering the idea of turning into Superman via the power of the Holy Spirit may be very appealing to a culture obsessed with “Extreme Makeovers,” but it certainly has no foundation in Scripture. 

In fact, it’s just the opposite. The Apostle Paul’s self-assessment of his own role in ministry stands in stark contrast to any Superman mentality or capabilities. He said... “What after all, is Apollos? And what after all, is Paul?  Only servants” (I Cor. 3: 5). 

Paul’s humble approach to the Corinthian church is far less than one with Superman-like powers when he said... “I came to you in weakness, and in fear, and with much trembling” (I Cor. 2:3).  Superman couldn’t handle his inherent vulnerability and weakness to kryptonite, yet Paul is willing to boast, even delight, about his...  “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, and in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Paul hardly sounds like a man of steel in 2 Corinthians 12, yet no honest reader of the New Testament would diminish the fact that Paul’s ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Paul himself confesses that his ministry had little to do with his own abilities...  “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom (not even Superman’s!), but on God’s power.”  (1 Cor. 2:4).

The Holy Spirit is not an “it” or some inanimate energy force directed by the will of God to perform His bidding. The Holy Spirit is Divine... He has personhood and is part of the Triune God... revealed and engaged with humanity in a very special way. So what does the Holy Spirit’s power look like when active in a Christian’s life? 

Study of the Holy Spirit is known as the doctrine of Pneumatology. Over my years of teaching the Bible and writing about various theological topics, I’ve been amazed at how little Christians know about the person of the Holy Spirit. The misunderstandings and published misinformation about “who He is” fills bookshelves in libraries. A lot of attention is given to avoiding the charismatic excesses, than rightfully acknowledging the sovereign Spirit as he presents Himself in the pages of His own inspired Scriptures.  Consequently, the majority of teachings on Pneumatology are devoted to establishing what the Spirit does not do, rather than what He does do. For most Christians, we are left wondering what a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit actually looks like in the life of a Christian. 

We are scared of anything perceived as supernatural, especially when we don’t understand it. We know God the Father, all His superlative attributes and His holiness. We can relate to the descriptions of God the Father and the imagery used in Scripture to describe Him. We can connect with Jesus the Christ, because he lived among humanity. He’s our savior, redeemer, our intercessor with God the Father. And in Him, by His sacrifice on the cross and by our obedience to the Biblical plan of Salvation we can be saved. We get all that.

However, the Holy Spirit is not as explicitly described in the Bible as God the Father and Jesus our Savior. At least that’s what we think. So, we fear being labeled charismatic, pentecostal, experiential, or even mystical and don’t talk about the Holy Spirit’s dynamic involvement in the everyday living of being a Christian.

Perhaps this is understandable, given the fact that many of us have been faithfully engaged in a battle defending the trustworthiness and accuracy of the Bible.    But in so doing we may have unintentionally neglected coming to know and understand the working of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is more clearly portrayed throughout Scripture than we realize. The Word and the Spirit are one... synchronized to illuminate a path for Christian living.   We will never understand the unseen yet critical aspects of the Spirit’s power in our lives until we open ourselves up and overcome what might be called our “Holy Spirit-shyness."

The Holy Spirit is the “supreme insider” in our lives. The spiritual manifestations of Christian living is a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (I Cor. 2:4).  A careful reading of I Corinthians 2 reveals Paul’s inner condition (weakness, fear, and trembling) precedes the Spirit’s power in his life.  Paul’s inner spiritual condition was the soil out of which his Spirit-empowered living grew.  In other words, the Spirit’s dynamics were the heat and passion added to the routines of life.

A SPIRIT FILLED-SPIRIT-DRIVEN LIFE is what we want. The Holy Spirit is the explicit driving force behind living in Harmony with Christ... Godly Christian living. The Spirit brings illumination to our lives.

A Spirit-driven life reflects the powerful dynamic of the Word and the Spirit integrated together and evident in how a person lives. 

The living truth of some portion of Holy Scripture, becomes a living reality to the hearer as he or she is confronted by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit in matters of judgment, redemption, forgiveness, personal choices and decisions.

The Spirit works in our devotional time, applying the Word like a salve to the hearts of those who hear, read, discuss and do what the Bible says. 

Since our minds are being renewed day by day (Romans 12:2), we need the help and illumination of the Holy Spirit so we can see and feel the heat, passion and power of God’s Word and the urgency with which we must apply it to our lives.

Biblically, Jesus foretells the Spirit’s illuminating ministry in John 16:13-14: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”  Paul speaks of the need for “spiritual discernment” for understanding the “things that come from the Spirit of God” in I Corinthians 2:14.  Perhaps the best illustration of illumination is when Jesus opens the eyes and hearts of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.  Notice... the opening of the Scriptures synchronized with the opening of their hearts!  Their illumination results in hearts set ablaze and burning within them! 

As Christians, if we hope to experience “hearts burning”, we must “open the Scriptures” and be absorbed by its messages (Luke 24:32).  Think of it this way:  What the Spirit illuminates in personal study, He will empower in daily living. 

If you’re not in the Word constantly, then the Spirit is not working in you the way He could be! The Word, The Spirit and Prayer are the cornerstones of a Spirit-led life. 

The Word of God must be integrated with the Spirit of God, and, conversely, an understanding of the Spirit of God is inseparable from the concept of God’s Word.  The Word is the source of what the Holy Spirit implements, and the Spirit is the breath by which God speaks to us. It is not possible to believe in the Holy Spirit's work without believing in the Bible's inspiration, for all Biblical revelation is the Holy Spirit's written witness... God to man. Nor is it possible to understand the full truth of Scripture and to receive what God wants us to receive unless the Holy Spirit, who by inspiration guided the Word's authorship, also leads us in our understanding of it. The Word and the Spirit must be experienced together, if they are not, our retention of Biblical concepts will be jeopardized. The Spirit leads us down the path of His inspired Word, and the written Word leads us to the Living Word, Christ Jesus. 

You should be acutely aware and hopefully convinced that no Christian can rightly anticipate the Holy Spirit’s power unless they are resolutely synchronized to the Holy Spirit’s purpose.  What is His purpose?  To glorify Jesus Christ through the instrumentality of the Old and New Testament scriptures, both of which point to Him.

In Luke 24, Jesus himself proved that he was at the heart of the Old Testament and the fulfillment of the promise and God’s redemptive plan.  Furthermore, Jesus says in John 5: 39-40, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” The combination of Biblical testimony (“Scriptures that testify about me [Christ]”) with the Spirit’s witness (“He [The Holy Spirit] will testify about me [Christ]” (John 15:26) lifts up Christ and changes lives. 

No Supermen or Superwomen needed. God wants Spirit-filled and Spirit-dependent “followers” to open the Spirit-inspired Word of God and then live, just live, according to its power!  The weaker you are the better!

In order for your life to be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, you need to seek the Spirit’s empowerment along with the Scripture’s intent (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must yield to the living divine person of the Holy Spirit as we align our lives with the inspired by Him... living Word! 

Hearing, Reading, Seeing, Discussing, Doing... Growing to Maturity

Ever wonder why some people never seem to grow up in Christ? Why they never mature spiritually? They come to church faithfully every Sunday for one-hour and hear great sermons. In fact, the sermons they hear teach the Word powerfully. And let’s assume that folks who attend church faithfully every Sunday, live good moral lives and help others, but they are still babes in Christ. How is that possible?

It’s not enough... one-hour on Sunday. Not even close. Hearing the Word is only part of what a Christian must do to be firmly grounded in Scripture and know what it really means to have an active and vibrant faith.

A few years ago, the Pentagon commissioned a study to determine the impact of hearing information, the rate of memory imprinting and rate of failure to recall. It showed that the average person forgets 90 to 95 percent of everything we hear unless we write it down—we forget everything we hear in less than 72 hours unless we write it down. Those statistics will depress any preacher. It simply means that great hard hitting teaching sermons packed with spiritual gems, are all but forgotten by the middle of the week... unless the audience is in the habit of taking notes... writing something down.

It's no surprise to any Bible teacher, especially a pulpit preacher, that we now have a generation that knows absolutely nothing about Scripture. Our parents' generation, mostly a bygone age, knew a significant amount of Scripture. Baby Boomers know a little bit less, but still a significant amount about Biblical teaching because they were raised by people who were passionate about the Word. The next generation, the Baby Busters, knew even less; and the Millennial Generation knows nothing. They know more about Lady GaGa, current fashion trends and stuff on the Internet; but they don't know who the apostles are; they don't know the books of the Bible or even how many there are!

They don't know basic Bible stories. If you mention the Book of Job, the story of Job or the story of Noah, there are a lot of people in America who don't know who Noah is and wouldn’t know how to pronounce the name “Job” properly. They certainly don't know Scripture. Many churches have gotten away from the habit of Scripture memorization, which is the most important spiritual discipline for a Christian. Want to see the power of God working in your life? Memorize hundreds of verses over time and watch God bring them to mind when you need them— in witnessing, when faced with temptation and carnal thoughts, in the challenges of everyday life. If you don’t consistently and repeatedly feed your mind with Bible verses, you can’t recall them... because it takes more than occasional hearing to get them firmly rooted in your memory.

So this should come as no surprise... you can consistently attend Sunday worship services your entire life and still be carnal, cranky and judgmental. You don't witness, you don't live a godly life and you are not at all Christ-like. For “one-hour” you “hear” the Word preached but forget most all you heard by the middle of the week. That means you could sit in church for 20, 30 or 40 years, hear good preaching and teaching, and it doesn't change the cornerstones of your personality.

Preaching is not enough to make disciples of Christ. Preaching the Word of God is critically important, but insufficient because it only goes through the “ear gate” and people learn in different ways and at different paces. Some people learn through the “eye gate”—they like to read; some through the “mouth gate”—they like to discuss; some people learn through the “hand gate”—they're kinetic [doing, working] learners. To truly ingest the Word of God, rooting it deep into the mind and heart, it takes a total collaboration of our entire physical being to engage the learning styles that will ensure we absorb and retain what we hear, read, see, discuss and do.

Growing in Christ requires hard work. It’s a life long process... a 24/7 total commitment of mind and body to get beyond ourselves and become what God wants us to be. If all you think you need is to attend Sunday worship services for one-hour each week, you will never know how to feed yourself. You have to be fed by others. Hebrews 5:12 says, "...by now you ought to be teachers and yet you have to be taught again...." (1 Corinthians 3:2; 14:20; Hebrews 6:1; 1Peter 2:2)

So now you know that going to church one-hour a week is pretty much worthless, if you think that level of commitment will change you. You much commit to developing the habits of spiritual discipline—the spiritual discipline of prayer, the spiritual discipline of memorizing Bible verses, the spiritual discipline of witnessing and sharing the gospel.

The Bible says at James 1:22... "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, so deceiving yourselves...." (Luke 6:46-47; James 2:14)

In review... let’s be honest, many Christians are guilty of being hearers of the Word only. We “hear” great messages that are quite interesting and we hear a lot of Bible background. We hear a lot of theology. We hear a lot of Scripture. We hear a lot of word terminology... but the key to “all we hear” is recorded at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:24-26 when Jesus said... "Now if you put this into practice, if you do it, now you build your house upon the rock. But if you just listen [hear] to it, you've built your house on sand."

Decision Making... Easier with God as your Partner

Do you struggle with decision making? For some of us, making any serious decisions brings high anxiety. If only our decisions were risk-free, guaranteeing us the best desired outcome. Decision making forces us to accept responsibility for the success or failure of our choices, and we get to experience first-hand how our decisions help or harm others.

God created us with the unique ability to choose our course, our path. He loved us so much that we are allowed to make our own choices. Of course our choices can either be good or bad decisions. Yikes! Is that a heavy responsibility or what?

Two great examples of wise decision makers were Noah and Abraham. They were confronted with making decisions that would ultimately impact all of humanity. At the time of their decisions, they didn’t know the magnitude of their choices or the impact they would have. Noah had to decide if he was going to build the Ark, and Abraham had to decide if he was going to leave his home to travel to a far off land not knowing what the future would hold. Each made their choices without a lot of detailed information, no guarantees were given. They made their decisions based on their trust and faith in God and their willingness to obey His direction, and as a result they received blessings from God.

Decision making based only on human instinct or intuition frequently produces serious consequences. When our selfish impulses influence choices, disaster soon follows. In the Bible, Abram (Abraham) offered his nephew, Lot, the choice of the whole land that rightfully belonged to Abram (Genesis 13:8-11). Lot made his decision without concern for Abram. Lot’s selfish desire for the most fertile, well-water plains caused him to settle near the wicked and sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram, on the other hand, trusted in the promise of God (Genesis 12:1-3, 7) regardless of what Lot had decided. Decision making based on God’s promises and commands always provides us with a sense of well being and peace.

When we exclude God from our decision making, we intentionally ignore God’s instructions. “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed . . . I will send great troubles against them—all the things they feared . . . When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—and chose to do what they know I despise” (Isaiah 66:2-4).

Our pride and selfishness usually prevails in our decisions... “I’ll take this course of action. If God doesn’t stop me, then it must be okay.” Instead, God’s direction and wisdom must be sought before we make any decision. There are three parts to every decision we make: Your Mind in the matter and the potential for bad results from impetuous choices (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Almost always there is some form of Peer Pressure, and that always produces confusion and usually failure (Jeremiah 7:24). Then there’s God’s Mind, do you listen to His word or do you try and wiggle around it? God, by His Word gives us a supernatural like wisdom, clarity, focus, a sharpness in our thoughts as we merge our minds with His through His Word as we contemplate our choices. (Proverbs 2:3-8).

Decision Making should always be a humbling experience. One of the most difficult factors in decision making is humbling oneself, admitting that you don’t know it all or that you’ve failed many times before and will likely fail again. King David experienced first hand how his decision resulted in Israel being punished. Following David’s disobedience, God gave him three choices of punishment -- famine, destruction by his enemies, or plague (1 Chronicles 21:7–15). David based his decision on God’s mercy. David understood that submitting to God’s commands was the right choice, even when it was painful.

We all make costly mistakes, decisions that we wish we never made. Moses ignored God’s instructions (Numbers 20:8-12), Samson surrendered his strength (Judges 16:17-21), and Peter repeatedly denied knowing Jesus Christ (John 18:25-27). Each of these mighty men humbled themselves by asking for God’s forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The journey in any decision making may be a difficult and lengthy one. By trusting in God’s plans for our lives, we experience peace in the storms of life. The choices we make don’t make the path before us in this life any easier or less bumpy, but when we work with God in our decision making, we gain the security and comfort of knowing we’re not going alone... God is with us.

Remember, any decision that draws us closer in our relationship with God is going to be assured success (Jeremiah 29:11-13). When we surrender our will (our pride and selfish motives) to the supremacy of God’s will in our lives, He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 27:3-5). You can take that guarantee to the bank!