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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Community and an Outsider

A Community and an Outsider

I have been spending more time reading lately than normal. Maybe not total time invested, but more regularly. Of late, one book in particular has occupied my time. It is the story of a community. A solid community that clearly has its' act together. They share their lives with each other. They eat together. The share gifts with each other. They come together to sing. It is a great community in every way.

The book also contains the story of an outsider that (for some unknown reason) doesn't like this community. We are not told of his past or why he detests their traditions and their lives together. Somewhere along the way, hate has taken over and he determines to harm them. He decides to visit their town and do damage to their lives.

He visits them late one night and breaks into home after home and steals the things he believes is the source of their community joy. It is a sad story. The morning arrives and the town wakes to the devastation that the outsider has unleashed during the night. He is waiting nearby to witness their reaction. He can't wait to hear their heartbreak.

Much to his surprise, the community comes together and instead of sadness and heartbreak, he hears sounds of joy. The stuff that he had taken was not the source of their strength. The source of their strength was the love they shared for one another. He was so moved that he came back to town and returned all that he had taken. And here's the best part... Are you ready? He was welcomed into the community. He was transformed by the love that he was shown!

I'm not sure what the Doctor had in mind when he wrote this book. Maybe I have it all wrong! To me it is the story of the church and it's mission. When a person is introduced to the life changing, transformative work of the Savior and His church, surely their heart grows a couple of sizes. When they are welcomed into the community that they sought to harm, the world sees a picture of grace like no other.

It has been a lot of years since I spent time with the good Dr., Dr. Seuss, too many in fact. His wisdom rolled up in wit is surely needed today. As I spend time reading these books to my granddaughter, I am reminded of the hours I spent reading the timeless tales to my children. They learned to count fish, not allow strays into our home, why brushing teeth is important and so many other life lessons that are still needed today. The story of the transformation of the Grinch is surely our story! Our hearts were enlarged as we encountered the love of Jesus and His people.

May we be the "Whos" that are needed to change the world and may our church's be the "Whovilles" that celebrate His love as we share our gifts, assemble around His table to share the Supper and sing songs of joy to our creator. Dig out the old Dr. Seuss books and have another read. There is more in there than you remember! Read to your kids and grandkids. It matters. Enjoy those moments when it is just you and her or him. Those a precious moments.


Thursday, April 28, 2016

The Church, the Christian and the Sinner

Ok, let's clear up one thing before we start, every Christian is a sinner. We are called to leave sin behind and grow into the likeness of Christ, so while we are still sinners, we are to be less sinful as the days/ years pass by. Knowing this, that we are all sinners, we should humbly eliminate all self-righteousness from our hearts when considering how we approach the sin of others.

The eighth chapter of John contains a story that might give us some insight into how we are to treat those "caught in sin". Let's read a bit... “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  John‬ ‭8:3-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I think it is important to understand two things as we read these verses and those that follow. The people that brought the woman to Jesus were not concerned about her, they were trying to harm Jesus. They had evil intentions! Secondly, the woman was caught in a sin and Jesus dealt with her and her sin.

Jesus recognized their intent and held up a mirror for them to examine themselves. They had no concern for the woman (and man) that had be caught in the act of adultery. (notice the man isn't there) Love demands that we care. Love demands that we demonstrate our compassion. As His followers, we are to be aware of other's intentions. (we often fail at this) Sometimes things sound good on the surface, but we are to examine not only the action, but also the intention. We can be taken in by smooth talkers with a message that is appealing.

We can be manipulated by those that have evil intentions. Jesus saw this and would have nothing to do with it. He bends down and writes something in the dirt. Many have speculated about what he wrote; but if it was important for us to know that, we would have been told. For me, it is the Creator playing with the material he used to make these people of evil intent.

He calls them out...“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” These "Bible thumpers" are called to consider their own sin as they judge others. Now understand this clearly, the God follower is to call sin, sin, whether in our own lives or in the lives of others. But, when it comes to judgment, that belongs to God. He is The Judge. The only Judge. When confronted with their own sinfulness, they retreat... At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

There is certainly a lesson to be learned here. Our motives matter. Let me say that again, our motives matter. If we seek to diminish others in order to elevate ourselves... sin. If we use others with the intention of harming them or someone else... sin. Before we consider helping others "caught in sin", we should retreat. Retreat to pray, retreat to consider our motive, retreat to allow compassion to do its' work on our heart. That is about us and our motives, but what about the person caught in the sin? Should we speak? Should we care enough to tell them the truth? Or should we fear rejection and public shaming? (lots of that available today)

Jesus does not deal with the woman publicly. I think that is important. He waits until everyone is gone before he speaks to her. But He does speak to her! And when he speaks to her, He grants forgiveness. And He calls her to action! “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

It is important to remember that all sin has a penalty and it must be paid. Jesus knows this. He knows that He will one day pay for her sin, so He can forgive it today. Condemnation is God's business. Forgiveness is God's business. Our business is to point to the One that offers both...to the unrepentant sinner, condemnation and to the person that confesses and follows, forgiveness. That is not the end of the matter in this story. He gives forgiveness and then He calls on her to change! He calls on her to change! “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is a critical point; no, this is the critical point. The church and the Christian are to speak truth about sin. If God calls something sin, then we (the church and the Christian) are to do the same. Of course we are to be compassionate about the person, because we were once that person. But, we can never call evil, good. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20  Lying is a sin. Cheating is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Homosexuality is a sin. Gossip is a sin. Anything that goes against the will of God is sin. I cannot change that and the church cannot change that. The church cannot change that! (many are trying)

Jesus calls the woman caught in sin to "leave her life of sin". If she goes back to living a life of adultery, she will be condemned. I think I need to say that again so... If she goes back to living a life of adultery, she will be condemned! For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire that will consume the adversaries. When a church, when a Christian tells someone that they can continue to live a life "caught in sin", they are lying to them!! The liar must stop lying. The homosexual must stop their homosexual relationship. The adulterer must stop committing adultery. That is what Jesus called the woman to do and that is what the church and the Christian must do.

Our message is about forgiveness, yes; but it must contain the truth about condemnation. Any church that tells a person that they can continue to live in sin and still be in good standing with their Savior is misleading a person about eternity. Here is the message... Jesus died to pay for our sin, he calls us to believe in Him, place our trust in Him, repent of our sin (turn from sin to a life of righteousness), be immersed in water to demonstrate our faith and receive His forgiveness and live a life in subjection to His will. Jesus' message is clear and simple... “Go now and leave your life of sin.” It is our decision. Always has been, always will be. Our choices have consequences, always have, always will. That is the message the church is to offer. Forgiveness and condemnation... both are available. Which will you choose?


Thursday, January 7, 2016

Matthew 1-7

First Week In Matthew


(Matthew 1-7)
What an amazing way to enter the New Testament! The Apostle Matthew gives us the start we need if we want to get to know Jesus better or if we just want to get to know Him for the first time. In seven chapters, he takes us from the promise of the messiah in the Old Testament, the birth of Jesus, the beginning of His ministry and through the greatest sermon ever preached. Not bad for seven short chapters!

From Abraham to David to Jesus, Matthew demonstrates that God's promise to establish a kingdom and sit a ruler on the throne that would rule forever has been kept. Jesus is that fulfillment. J.C. Ryle put it this way, "Jesus came to fulfill the predictions of the prophets, who had long foretold that a Savior would one day appear. He came to fulfill the ceremonial law, by becoming the great sacrifice for sin, to which all the Old Testament offerings had ever pointed. He came to fulfill the moral law, by yielding to it a perfect obedience, which we could never have yielded - and by paying the penalty for our breaking of it with His atoning blood, which we could never have paid."

His baptism by John is an example for all of us as we choose to become disciples and follow Him. While He was sinless, He was still obedient to John's baptism. God, the Father recognized this by declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus later in Matthew commands his followers to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matt 28: 19-20)

His temptation is a great example to us that in our lives we will be confronted by Satan. He gives us the solution to this problem as He quotes scripture and is obedient to His Father's commands. Had He come to this earth and never suffered in His life and dealt with our weaknesses, we would question His ability to fully understand our struggles. As it is, He dealt with far more than we will ever face and He stands as our advocate before our Father. That is good news!

The Sermon on the Mount stands as the greatest single teaching in the history of mankind. Jesus deals with human weaknesses and gives us the answers to our questions. You want to find joy and happiness, Matthew 5: 2-11. Purpose in life, Matthew 5: 13-16. Relationship issues, Matthew 5: 21-47. And on and on.

Take the time to read the first 7 chapters of the gospel according to Matthew. It will take you less that 30 minutes. That's not a lot of time to find the treasure that is found in these chapters. You will grow in your knowledge and in your love and appreciation of a God that keeps His promises, sends His only son and provides us with teaching that enriches our lives. Good stuff? Great stuff!