Lift Up Your Head and Be Thankful

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap” (Luke 21:34).

Just days before Jesus was arrested and, subsequently, murdered on the cross his disciples questioned him on how they would be able to recognize when life as they knew it on earth was about to end. The scenario Jesus outlined for certain events that would preclude the end of time included: world-wide religious confusion; national wars and revolutions; natural disasters including earthquakes, famines and pestilences; persecution and betrayal of Christians by family, friend, and foe; targeting of Israel for destruction by other nations; and even cosmic disturbances that shake the heavenly bodies (Luke 21:5-26).

Taking a simple stroll through the state of world affairs with eyes wide-open is alarming and disconcerting. One website that encourages religious tolerance provides information on forty organized religions and faith groups in the world–every group from Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism to the Church of Satan. Christianity, the largest group, consist of some 1500 denominations and para-church ministries along with thousands of independent churches and organizations. One frightening bit of counsel on the site’s homepage encourages visitors to “find a faith group that matches your beliefs.” The straight-forward suggestion is that all religions are equal; moreover, what each and every person believes about life, God, and the after-life are equally accurate, so people should just hook up with a church that believes what they believe. This mindset is not only dangerous, but it clearly explains the presence of world-wide religious confusion.

At present the American military is fighting in Iraq and Afganistan. The Foreign Policy website cites thirty-three conflicts on-going around the world including civil wars and insurgencies. Not counting all-out wars, cities all over the world including in the Unites States, have long been riddled with too many instances of assault and murder. Considering reality and what is reported daily on news stations, is it stretching things at all to say we are a planet at war?

Death tolls are expected to reach into the thousands after the 8.9 strength earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. It is the fifth strongest of eleven quakes recorded in the last 110 years that register at least 8.6 on the Richter Scale, and it happened right on the heals of the quake that struck New Zealand at the end of last month. Four million buildings in Tokyo alone had no electricity shortly after the disaster hit. Thousands of homes and automobiles were destroyed in a matter of hours.

Add to this kind of horror the untold numbers of people suffering from starvation, disease, and AIDS in our world. Tack on the increasing incidents of religious persecution; specifically, the numbers of Christians being arrested, detained, and killed. We cannot help but feel a cautionary check in our heads and hearts when we measure the world’s news against Jesus’ prophetic statements in the Bible, especially in Luke’s gospel. Jesus warned, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Jesus wanted his first-century disciples and his twenty-first century followers to be prepared for what will befall this planet as the time draws nearer to him bringing history to its glorious culmination. So our Lord said, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. . . . Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34, 36).

Dissipation is excess amusement, entertainment, self-indulgence, partying, recreation, and self-gratification. Jesus sternly warns people not to let their lives be taken over by these things. A life full of these excesses cannot be centered in Jesus Christ. Drunkenness is being intoxicated to the point that our mental faculties and physical actions are diminished. Alcohol and drugs will certainly put people in this condition. So also will sex, power, and greed. Anxiety is worry, tension, and panic that sets in when we are unrealistically, overly concerned about past, present, or future events. This kind of angst creeps in and steals our ability to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our hearts committed to him and his will, and our hope securely centered in his promise of eternal life.

Christian, you have much to make you “lift up your head” toward heaven. Because you have received Christ as Lord and Savior, do not allow anything to steal your attention from Christ. Serve him to the bitter end. Jesus died on the cross in your place to pay your penalty for your sins, and three days later he rose from the dead. Today, he sits at the right hand of the throne of God, the Father. One day soon, in an instant, whether you are dead or still alive, he himself will come for you. All who truly belong to Jesus through faith will be sucked off of this planet as in a vacuum–raptured, caught up with him in the air–where we will be with him forever.

There you will be, safely tucked away, during the great tribulation when those who have rejected God's great gift of salvation are left on this earth to suffer the worst atrocities, horror, and evil every known because God is pouring out his wrath upon the earth. Be thankful. You’ll be safe with Christ when he destroys the armies that descend on Jerusalem at the Battle of Armageddon, when he throws the Antichrist and False Prophet into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, and when he collects those saved during the tribulation and destroys the unsaved. Be thankful. You’ll see Jesus throw Satan in the abyss and lock him up for a thousand years. During the 1000-year millennial reign, you’ll be with Christ. Be thankful. When Satan is let out of the abyss for one last rampage of self-indulgence, you’ll see Jesus throw him into hell where he will stay forever. Be thankful.

When Jesus somehow hides his heavenly army and family of believers in another dimension of time and space, you will be there to see him do as John Phillips described, “detonate the earth” (Exploring Proverbs. Volume 1. New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., 1995, page 466). Heaven and earth as we know it will be destroyed in a great cataclysmic fire. And after the smoke clears, somewhere on the banks of eternity Jesus will appear sitting on a great white throne. The unsaved, wicked, and evil dead will be raised, judged, sentenced, and damned to hell for all eternity.
 

Finally, a new heaven and new earth will be come into view and the great words of Revelation 21:3-5 will become reality: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” Mark it down in big bold letters–we, who are truly saved by faith in Christ, will be there with him forever and ever. So, my Christian friend, don't let any earthly amusement, addiction, or anxiety steal your obedience to Jesus Christ. Lift up your head to heaven and be thankful.

The Impact of a Good Soldier's Legacy

“They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course” (Joel 2:7).

In today’s news, we read that Frank Buckles, the last surviving U. S. veteran of World War I, died peacefully in his sleep yesterday, February 27, 2011, at his home in West Virginia. He was 110 years old. Born in Missouri in 1901, Buckles went from one recruiting station to another after the war broke out trying to join the military and defend his country. Finally, an army recruiter signed him up in August 1917 even though he was only 16 years old and sent him overseas to serve as an ambulance driver. During World War II, Buckles was on business in the Philippines when he was captured by the Japanese. He spent 42 months in prison camps as a civilian POW before being released. Recently, Buckles said in an interview, “I knew there'd be only one (survivor) one day. I didn't think it would be me” (msnbc.com news services, 2/28/2011).

This brave old soldier’s life should rightly be honored by all. His love for America caused him to lie about his age to get into the battle that was coined “the war to end all wars.” Being the last World War I survivor is a powerful reminder to all of us that it really does matter how our lives end; especially, the memory that we leave behind. Buckles left an impressive legacy of love and selfless service to his country.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we could learn a lot from Buckles’s story if we’d pay attention. We represent America too, but we are also soldiers and ambassadors of another country called the Kingdom of God. Our war is spiritual in nature with the goal of seeing as many people out of this world receive God’s gracious gift of salvation through faith in Christ and spend their lives in service to him. Our commanding officer, Jesus, has charged us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is our supreme duty and privilege as soldiers of heaven’s kingdom. We should perform our duty with bravery and valor.

Our status as Christ’s representatives is unmistakable: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Since we represent the King of this heavenly kingdom, it is our duty to image his character and speak his message with the utmost integrity and honor. The apostle Paul represented his Lord with great poise and commitment and left a great challenge for every Christian when he said, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20).

All of us will one day come to end of our life. Our legacies will already be formed and will live on in unalterable shape. In other words, they will be what they are whether good or bad, positive or negative, helpful or hurtful. Therefore, what we do right now with each day matters more than we imagine. Our moments of prayer and Bible study are indispensable. Our extended sessions of silence and solitude before God listening for his instruction are life-altering. Our experiences of worship, fellowship, and service can impact heaven’s kingdom for good. When we faithfully and obediently herald the message of the gospel, our efforts carry the potential to reflect our Lord’s own life and work.

Will it be said of you that you charged forward like a warrior for Jesus? Will your legacy include news of you scaling walls of opposition like a soldier? Will you be remembered for never swerving off the course of strong and steady faith in God? Let these words from an old soldier rally your heart: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

Paul died a heroic, old soldier in Christ’s army. Among his last words to his protege, Timothy, are some I definitely want to be able to say with assurance at the close of my life: “The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Friend, live the Christian life with truth and honor; serve the Lord Jesus with passion and obedience; fight the war of faith with tenacity and hope–it matters that you do this; it matters more than you know.

Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank you for the example in the Bible of others who have lived and served you faithfully. These valiant old soldiers are an inspiration to me to follow in their footsteps. I do want to give my life in service to Jesus Christ who gave his life for me. Strengthen me in every way necessary to follow through. Grant me courage, boldness, endurance, desire, and wisdom to fulfill your will for my life, to leave a lasting legacy of meaningful Christian service, and then, when my life is over here on earth, receive me into your presence in heaven where I shall serve you with equal passion for all eternity. In Jesus' name, amen.

It Should Have Been Me!

"With this he (Pilate) went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him (Jesus). But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?' They shouted back, 'No, not him! Give us Barabbas!'" (John 19:38-40, NIV).

The biblical term atonement, though it does not get much attention from the average contemporary churchgoer, is critically important to understanding the true meaning of the relationship of the death of Christ to the promise of heaven. In the original language of the Old Testament, atonement is the word kaphar, found some eighty times, meaning to cancel, to cleanse, to forgive, to pardon, to pitch or purge away, to put off, to reconcile. Atonement appears once in the New Testament in Romans 5:11 where it carries the meaning of reconciliation: "We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" (KJV).

Furthermore, we need the biblical concept of substitution to understand the connection between the death of Christ and the promise of heaven. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was based on an animal being killed or punished in the place of a person who was guilty of sin. For example: "Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. . . . He is to lay both on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place" (Leviticus 16:11, 21-22). In the first case, the bull's life was substituted for the life of the sinning person or people, and, in the second case, the goat became the scapegoat that bore upon himself the sins of the people and carried them away.

God told Abraham to take his first-born son, Isaac, up on a mountain and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham immediately went about the preparations to obey. On the way to the mountain, Isaac recognized that an offering was about to be made, saw the wood for the burnt offering, but puzzled over the absence of a lamb to kill as the sacrifice. When he asked his father why there was no lamb, Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" (Genesis 22:8). On the mountain, Abraham built the wooden altar, tied up his son, and laid the boy on the altar. When Abraham was about to kill his son with a knife, God, being fully satisfied with his display of faith, stopped him. Then "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son" (Genesis 22:13). In this case, the ram's life was substituted for the life of Aaron.

The ultimate sacrifice for sins is prophesied in the Old Testament. At least 700 years beforehand, God foretold of one man's sacrifice for all men's sins: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us preace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-6). This prophesy was fulfilled in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:24-25). 

Paul said, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). So Jesus Christ bore our sins and took our punishment upon himself as our substitute so that we could be forgiven and receive new life (eternal life). Through his punishment and death on the cross, Jesus was literally and is lastingly the substitute for every man, woman, boy, and girl who will believe and trust their whole lives to Him by faith. Jesus is our atonement through whom we have received atonement: through Christ, the believer's multitude of sins is pitched away, purged out, and put off; the believer's debt of sin is forgiven; the believer's sin-stained life is cleansed; the believer's promised sentence of death is cancelled and pardoned; and the believer is reconciled to God.

All believers should feel the full impact of what it means that Jesus substituted Himself for them so they could receive atonement for their sins. Perhaps if we consider the one person who knew this reality up-close-and-personal we might feel a greater respect and thankfulness. Jesus was being tried by Pilate for false charges. The Jewish crowd was unrelenting in their demand for His execution. After interrogating his prisoner, Pilate found no basis for the charges brought against Jesus and wanted to have Him released.

The custom was to release one Jewish prisoner during Passover week as an act of goodwill by the Roman government. Pilate offered to set Jesus free; however, the Jewish crowd demanded that a convicted criminal named Barabbas be released instead of Jesus. Three times Pilate tried to get the crowd to choose Jesus, but each time they demanded Jesus to be crucified. Now, crawl into the skin of Barabbas as his chains are taken off and he walks by, perhaps even brushing shoulders with Jesus, the innocent man who would be his substitute in death.

Picture yourself as Barabbas, the guilty murderer, as he melts into the hostile crowd and walks through the streets of Jerusalem watching Jesus carrying His own cross barely alive from the horrific beating that should have been yours to endure. From atop Calvary's hill, imagine yourself as Barabbas hearing the scream of horrow as nails are driven into His hands that should have been your hands, and into His feet that should have been your feet.

See Jesus hoisted up on the cross that should have been your cross, suffering the shame that should have been your shame, bearing the blame that should have been your blame, dying the death that should have been your death. There you are standing in the skin of Barabbas just as guilty as Barabbas. Have you got the picture in bright vivid color firmly planted in your mind's eye? Now, say these words outloud that most certainly rang out so loudly in Barabbas's mind that he covered his ears to stop the repeating, piercing, deafening cadence: "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!; IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!; IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! . . ."

Dear God: Fix Our Mess, But Don't Fool With Our Means

"Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear" (Luke 8:37).

Jesus and his company of disciples climbed out of a boat on the east side of the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Gadarenes. Suddenly a naked man apparently out of control ran at Jesus and fell at his feet. Word was the man lived under guard in the cemetery among the tombs of dead people. The townspeople, out of fear, banished him to solitude and bound him with chains and shackles. He often brokes his chains and raced off into the wilderness screaming unhuman sounds and shrieks. The man was sick. When asked, the man gave Jesus the name he had assumed, Legion, because he was possessed by many demons.

Jesus was standing before one man but confronting as many as six thousand of Satan's demons begging him not to cast them into hell, but rather to allow them to leave the man and enter a herd of pigs grazing nearby. When Jesus gave his permission, the demons exited the man and entered the animals spiralling them into lunacy and sending them over a cliff, into a lake, and to their death. The pig farmers who witnessed what happened ran all over town telling what had happened.

By the time a crowd gathered, the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully clothed, and completely normal. He wanted to join Jesus' company of disciples; however, Jesus told him to go home and tell every one what God had done for him. While he was going on his merry way, the townspeople, in gang-like fashion, insisted that Jesus leave town. According to their wishes, Jesus and his disciples got in their boat and left in the same fashion in which they had arrived.

In this account of one experience in our Lord's ministry on earth, we learn several sad realities about ourselves that often keep us from experiencing God in greater ways:

First, we often become too easily accustomed to living with fear. How long had that man lived in those tombs possessed by demons? Instead of confronting Satan's activity among them with faith in God's power, those townspeople handled the situation in their own way-- putting the man in a place where they did not have to look at him every day. Their actions neither solved their problems, nor alleviated their fears. Actually their actions made their problems and fears into a bigger mess.

It happens in our lives too when we run from our fears instead of face our fears. Listen, Jesus is not afraid of even what we fear most. He is Sovereign God over all that is-- that includes heaven, hell, and earth. There is not one single demon or Satan himself that does not tremble at the name of Jesus. How much more does all of hell stand attention and beg in the presence of Jesus? The psalmist reminds us, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). We should call upon our Lord and face our fears with God's power.

Second, we often don't want to upset things or get radical in our faith. Those townspeople had learned to tolerate and live with demon activity among them. They had even hired men from among them to stand guard to make sure the demonic activity stayed in the tombs and didn't get near them. They had no problem with buying or making new sets of chains and shackles every time the man broke a set. Forming a search party to go after him and bring him back to the tombs when he fled into the wilderness in a demonic rage had become an accepted way of life. Day in and day out they listened to the terrible screams coming of the cemetery.

They had the situation under their control just the way they wanted it. If things could be changed, fine, but don't upset the apple cart by asking them to walk away from what had become comfortably under control, and live out of their comfort zone with radical faith in Christ. This is a 2000 year old story, but it paints a perfect portrait of twenty-first century people. In the words of Jesus himself, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples" (Luke 14:33).Yes, God calls us to a reckless abandonment of our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Third, we might be okay with change as long as it doesn't change our livelihood. Apparently raising pigs provided a good living for the townspeople providing them with not only food but a source of income as well. When Jesus sent their money-makers over a cliff in a demonic craze, all they could see was their livelihood being flushed down the toilet-- or better said, drowned in the sea! I wonder how many people have missed their heavenly calling because they were too tied to their earthly career. How many churches have missed revival because the people have a death-grip on the status-quo? How many people have settled instead of soared? The fear of change alone has limited many lives and killed more potential than any other thing on this earth. These townspeople had God walking among them more than capable of meeting their needs, yet the change that Jesus brought with his presence was more than they were willing to endure.

We're the same way. Change is okay as long as it doesn't mean we have to live with uncertaintly, get uncomfortable, make a drastic move, do the unusual, spend more than a little, or rise above our reason. Too many people today want to believe they're going to heaven, but they don't want God fooling with their lives. Therein, lies the explanation for why we fail to see great moves of God in our lives, families, churches, communities, nation, and world. We need to go back to the very beginning-- to the experience of salvation.

Contemporary evangelism has reduced becoming a follower of Jesus Christ to a marketing strategy of getting people to assent to a few pre-packaged biblical truths, walking down the isle of a church, praying a sinner's prayer, signing a commitment card, and then going back into their world to think the same, talk the same, and live the same as they did before they quote "got saved."

None of that is in the Bible in precept, principle, or pattern. Biblical converstion to Christ is radical, earth-shaking, and life-changing. Men and women in the Bible who came face to face with Christ became competely undone. They fell prostrate at his feet, grieved and waled over their own sinfulness. Afterwards, they walked in this world dripping with the power and unction of the Holy Spirit. Many Christ-followers through the ages have given their own lives, rather than deny their love and commitment to their Lord. Hear the words of Jesus with your heart: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).

So, what matters? Not what we think, but what Christ wants us to thinks; not what we say, but what Christ wants us to say; not what we want, but what Christ wants us to want; not what we do, but what Christ wants us to do. Open your Bible and ask the man at the tombs, Simon Peter, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, or Paul how drastically Jesus changes a person's life when he becomes Lord. You might be surprised, or better still, you might be changed.

Prayer: Father in heaven, I've grown way to accustomed to managing my fears myself. I've organized my life myself and gotten bitter when anything came along upsetting what I've put in place. For too long, I've had my life all figured out the way I wanted it. Now, I'm afraid that some of it or none of it is the way you want it. I repent of the sin of selfishness and arrogance thinking I was supposed to be in charge instead of you. Forgive me and change me. Come now, clean up my mess, and radically fool with my means. I surrender everything, including my will, to you. Revive me and make me your instrument of revival in this world. In Jesus name, Amen.

What Do We Do in the Meantime?

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward tot he day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:10-12).

One fact the Bible is very clear on is that Jesus is coming back. Equally clear is the reality that his coming back will be suddenly and unexpectedly. There will be no final notice or public notice at that moment. God has given sufficient announcement in the Bible. The physical universe, as we know it, will be destroyed and disappear culminating in God ushering in the new heaven and the new earth.

The question Peter emphasized is simply: Since this is what God is planning, what do we do in the meantime? Summarily, Peter left us instructions to live holy and godly lives, and look forward to Christ's return. Now, can we flesh that out any? Sure. In the third chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul lends us valuable help in what enduring the end times is all about. The apostle's help falls neatly into two divisions: What should we expect? and What should we do?

First, we should expect the times to be terrible (2 Tim. 3:1-5). People who exercise no faith, trust, and hope in Jesus Christ will be selfish, mean-spirited, and ungodly. Paul left a bullet list of eighteen specific sinful character traits that prevail on earth in these last days. The selfish catagory includes: "lovers of themselves," "lovers of money," "boastful," "proud," "without self-control," "conceited," and "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." The mean-spirited catagory includes: "abusive," "ungrateful," "without love," "unforgiving," "slanderous," "brutal," "treacherous," and "rash." The ungodly catagory includes: "disobedient to parents," "unholy," and "not lovers of the good." Take an inventory of the happenings around us: alcohol and drug addiction is rampant; sexual immorality in every form eats away at the foundation of society; families fall apart while long-held family values are undermined by the assault on traditional marriage and the homosexual agenda; crime in every form steals, kills, and destroys people's lives; educational opportunities abound while jobs disappear, welfare rolls increase, price of goods continues to grow, credit card debt drowns families, extravagance rules in rich circles, prisons overflow, and the national debt soars out of control.

So, how does the Bible advise God's people to respond to selfish, mean-spirited, and ungodly people as they wait on Christ's imminent return? Paul said, "Have nothing to do with them." Don't withdraw to a secluded island or put up a ten-foot privacy fence or become a recluse. Christians still have to live out the Great Commandment and Great Commission despite the terrible times. Be loving, helpful, kind, and compassionate to even those who live out the most ungodly lives; however, do not participate in their ungodly behavior. Draw the line in the sand. Every interaction with ungodly people should be for the purpose of influencing them to hear the gospel of forgiveness and salvation in Christ, repent of their sins and receive God's forgiveness, receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and live the rest of their lives to please God.

Second, we should expect the God's truth to be under attack (6-9). Unholy, ungodly people will be "always be learning but never able to acknowledge the truth." For people outside God's kingdom, greater learning will shamefully lead only to greater wickedness. "Men of depraved minds" will twist, distort, and subvert God's truth found in the Bible through crafty, clever, and deceitful means for the purpose of worming their way into the lives of spiritually-weak people and persuading them to follow after them instead of following after Christ.

So, how does the Bible advise God's people to respond to the subversive attacks on God's truth? Simply put: trust God, keep your spiritual eyes and ears open, and watch God expose the dirty deeds of these Bible-truth-haters. The apostle Paul said that God would make sure that "their folly will be clear to everyone." The "everyone" includes Christians who have been trained through the spiritual disciplines of worship, service, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and prayer to recognize the difference between Satan's activity in the world and God's activity in the world.

Third, we should expect to be persecuted for living sold-out faithful lives to Christ (10-12). The sinful world of Paul's day hurt him for living so close to Jesus, and our sinful world will treat us the same way if we live close to Jesus. Write it down big and plain so there is no understanding: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Jesus said Himself, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Mat. 10:22). Moreover, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Mat. 5:11-12). The Lord said "when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me", not "if" they do these things.

So, how does the Bible advise God's people to respond to the prospect of enduring opposition and persecution while they wait for Jesus to return? Well, look what Paul how Paul said he responded and learn that we are to teach the word of God faithfully, maintain a way of life that honors God, live with great purpose, and face the world with great faith, great patience, great love, and great endurance in the Lord Jesus. Paul said, "the Lord rescued me from all of them." Therefore, along the way of persecution, we are to let God defend us and get us through.

Fourth, we should expect evil to escalate and evil men to multiply (13-15). The Bible leaves no wiggle-room plainly warning us that circumstances in this world we live in will get worse, not better as "evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse." That truth cuts cross-grain with the unbiblical views being spread abroad by intellectuals and movers-and-shakers of our world. Somehow, the belief that increased learning and prosperity will lead to people becoming better people and the times becoming more peaceful times seems to have people in a trance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So, how does the Bible advise God's people to respond to the escalation of evil as they wait for the return of Christ? We should go back to the Bible and go deeper in the Bible. Paul advised us to work on becoming stronger in the faith, more convinced of what we know about Christ, and more knowledgeable of the Bible. In other words, while the world gets more evil, Christians are to get wiser in the word of God.

And finally, with all of these last-day realities taking place before our eyes, we should be eagerly allowing Bible truth to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us to be men and women of God who are equipped and actively engaged in every good work of God. Remember this: the sinful, evil, lost world in which we live is on a collision-course with hell. However, right in the midst of this terrible world the kingdom of God is growing larger one saved-soul at a time and growing richer one good-work at a time as God's people go forth in Holy Spirit power. When we obey our Lord's Great Commandment to love God with all our being and our neighbors as ourselves and when we pursue our Lord's Great Commission to go into all the world making disciples of Christ who in turn make disciples of Christ, we are, in fact, facing these terrible end times exactly the way God wants us to as we wait for the soon-coming Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I'm afraid that I have not always faced these last days with spiritual eyes and ears. Forgive me for failing to take full advantage of the availability of your words through having a Bible in hand, a church to attend, the preaching of your Word to hear, and the opportunities to minister and serve. I commit today to be a faithful follower of Christ, to live and serve you wholeheartedly, and to get better prepared to face these terrible times in these last days while I wait on the return of my Lord Jesus. May you always find me faithful and attentive to your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Transforming Power of Forgiveness

"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you." Psalm 86:5

Notice that the psalmist included forgiving, good, and love in the same sentence describing God. Might that suggest that, as these terms describe God, they should also describe his people? To be a forgiving person is both good and loving; when we lovingly forgive, we are exemplifying goodness; if we extend love to others through forgiveness, we are modeling God's goodness. Here are a few more Bible truths on forgiveness for us to remember and model in our daily lives:

• Forgiving others is not equal to condoning sinful behavior. Often we hold back forgiveness because we're afraid our offender might view it as us going along with their bad choices and wrong behavior. This is a subtle, satanic tactic meant to keep us withholding forgiveness, and our eternal enemy has managed to use it to destroy many families and relationships. God never condones our sinful behavior, yet he forgives us: "O LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds" (Psalm 99:8).
• True forgiveness places the memory of the offense in the ashes of forgetfulness. How many times do we refuse to forgive because we refuse to forget? We excuse our sinful unforgiveness saying we just can't forget, but the truth is we simply refuse to forget. As a result, people walk around, sometimes for a lifetime, with a never-ending bullet-list of wrongs perpetrated against them and a heart scarred and hardened by bitterness, anger, resentment, and hate. What if God treated us this way? Thank heavens he doesn't: "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared" (Psalm 130:3-4).
• True forgiveness does not depend on the degree or level of the offense. Many times our own sinful nature will convince us that we could have forgiven a person had the wrong we suffered not been so bad and painful. This course of thinking is also from Satan to keep us bound up in the chains of unforgiveness. On the cross, Jesus modeled for us that we are to forgive the smallest and the greatest wrongs committed against us. Hanging on the cross with a bleeding, dying body riddled with horrific wounds and nails in his hands and feet, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34).
• Our forgiveness of others is the prerequisite of God's forgiveness of us. How hypocritical it is for us to pray asking God to forgive us our wrongs against him, when we refuse to forgive others their wrongs against us. The shame that truth brings to our hearts should be enough to cause us to alter our ways. As Jesus so clearly put it, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15).
• God commands us to forgive others. We who call ourselves Christians through faith and surrender to the Lordship of Christ Jesus have no choice but to forgive others, if we desire to stay in good fellowship with our heavenly Father. We can all attest to how broken our human relationships get from unforgiveness. How much more is our relationship with God broken from the sin of unforgiveness? Let's write it down big and plain: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

So, let me ask you: does your forgiveness really count? Old Joe was dying. For years he'd been mad at his childhood friend Bill. Wanting to straighten things out, he asked his friend to come see him. "Bill," Joe began, "I don't want to face God with all this bad blood between us." Then very reluctantly and with great effort, Joe apologized for things he'd said and done and assured Bill he forgave him for his offenses. Everything seemed fine until Bill turned to leave. As he reached the door, Joe called out to him, "But remember, if I get better, this doesn't count" (Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book, 154).

Friend, don't let your forgiveness be like that. If it doesn't count on earth, it won't count in heaven. As the early church father, Augustine, put it: "If you are suffering from a bad man's injustice, forgive him lest there be two bad men" (Zuck, 155).

Forgiveness: love it, live it, loose it!

Prayer: Father in heaven, forgive me for the my sin of refusing to forgive others. Pierce my soul leaving the trail of conviction left by your truth concerning real forgiveness. By your grace and your molding hands of love, make me the forgiving person I should be as a follower of your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.

Spiritual Confusion

"I can't get up and give you anything" (Luke 11:7).

In the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow and the crew found a key-- well not exactly-- it was a drawing of a key. Trying to figure out what to do next led to utter confusion. (watch this video).

Have you ever experienced confusion in your walk with Jesus Christ? You know what I mean: you're heart has been set on being faithful to your Lord and out of nowhere - wham! - circumstances shifted, and all of a sudden confusion set in. Why is this happening? What is going on? Why me? Why won't things work out? Woa, I didn't see that coming! A million "what ifs" flood into your mind and hang around like storm waters that will not subside or drain away. You prayed but it was like heaven was silent, God was in bed, and he wasn't getting up and giving any answers.

You've tried to convince yourself that what's happening is somebody else's fault. It's not working. You've tried to spiritualize the situation and convince yourself that you're not confused. It's not working. You've performed an extensive self-evaluation. Have I been worshiping? Check. Have I been studying my Bible? Check. Have I been praying? Check. Have I been sharing my faith with others? Check. Have I been serving through my church? Check. Have I been fellowshiping with other believers? Check. You got through with your checklist and realized that as faithful as you've tried to be, there's always room for improvement.

So, you promised God that you would step-up your commitment level a notch- because you love Jesus and you really do want to serve him well. You felt better for a while but before the next Sunday you realized that confusion was still clinging to you like a sticky vine, and if anything, it got worse. Like you, I've been there. My gut-feeling is that times and seasons of spiritual confusion will be a part of our spiritual journey until our Lord takes us home to heaven. We're in good company though, Jesus' disciples spent a good deal of times confused about where Jesus was taking them, what they were learning, how they were to apply what Jesus was teaching them, and why they had to do this or that.

On one occasion, Jesus took his disciples to Peter's house where Peter's mother-in-law was sick with fever (Matthew 8:14ff). He healed her. When evening came, the house was suddenly surrounded by sick and demon-possessed people looking for healing. Jesus obliged them and healed many. The crowd kept growing. All of a sudden, Jesus got in a boat, called his disciples, and told them they were going to the other side of the lake. They must have thought: for what? What about all these sick people you haven't healed? Why are we leaving?

Then on the way over in the wee hours of the morning, a furious storm swept over the boat that scared the disciples to death (Matthew 8:23ff). How confused do you suppose they were? A father brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples and begged them to heal him, but they could not do it. After Jesus healed the boy, his disciples got a quiet moment with Jesus and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (Mark 9:28). How confused do you suppose they were?

After the Jewish leadership stoned Stephen to death, that very same day "a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). While those Christians were running for their lives, don't you wonder how confused they were about what was taking place? When John saw Herod kill James, his brother (and apostle), and then arrest Peter (Acts 12:1ff), don't you wonder how confused he was? All the times that Paul was stripped, beaten, and thrown in jail for telling others about Jesus, do you suppose confusion ever set in?

Oswald Chambers said that times of spiritual confusion can be God using circumstances to take us in directions that we temporarily don't understand in order to lead us to the understanding of what he wants for us and from us. Jesus' parable about a needy man knocking on a neighbor's door at midnight (Luke 11:5-13) teaches us something about surviving spiritual confusion long enough to come away with a better understanding of God and ourselves.

The disciples prompted Jesus with the request for him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). He shared what we've come to call the Lord's Prayer with them and followed with a story about a man whose friend arrived at a most inopportune time, midnight. Apparently, the man did not have enough bread to offer his late-arriving guest a meal, so he went next door to ask his neighbor for some food. When the man knocked on the neighbor's door, he was told that it was late, his family was in the bed, the lights were off, the door was locked, he had nothing to give him, and to just go away.
Jesus told his disciples that even if friendship were not enough to make the neighbor get out of bed and help his needy friend, he would certainly get up if the man would be persistent and not give up. Then Jesus said, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9-10).
Finally, Jesus ends with an illustration about a good father who always has the best intentions toward his needy son and gives him good gifts. Our Lord teaches us two insights to help us navigate the rough waters of spiritual confusion:

First, God's friendship toward us might sometimes seem unfriendly. Hearing his neighbor say "go away" must have sounded and felt very unfriendly. The friend must have been confused at his neighbor's actions, if only for a minute. Sometimes we treat God the same way thinking that if God is really our friend he would give us this or that, never allow us to suffer, respond immediately to our prayers. However, what we experience is exactly the opposite: we don't always get what we want, sometimes we experience suffering, and answers to prayer rarely come as quickly as we want them to. Does this mean God is unfriendly? Never.
When the neighbor said "no", it raised the intensity of his friend's pursuit. In other words, the pace of his chase increased to haste! Look what happened when he increased his asking, elevated his seeking, and amplified his knocking-- the neighbor got up and gave him what he asked for. If all a child is ever told is "yes", he will grow up to be a spoiled brat. On the other hand, if the child is always told "no", he will grow up to be selfish, angry and mean. The answer is: to have a well-rounded personality and disposition there are times when a child must be told "yes" and other times "no." Sometimes as parents, we have to withhold things from our children to teach them life-lessons, shape their hearts to selfless rather than selfish, and point their lives toward the greater good.
God works in our confusing circumstances in a similar way. Having to endure painful, stressful, hurtful circumstances may make God seem to us like an unkind friend. But he is not unkind. Consider Peter's advice to persecuted, confused Christians scattered all over the world of the first century: "You may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that our faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:6-8). See, Jesus really is "our friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)."

Second, God's fatherhood over us might sometimes seem unloving. Living in the 21st Century may be a disadvantage to us trying to capture the impact of this 1st Century moment. There were no Wal Marts, Double Quicks, or grocery stores open 24/7 in the 1st Century. Being "neighborly" was a way of life. When a person needed sugar, flour, water, or a meal, any of them was as close as their nearest neighbor. So, it really would have appeared to be unloving when the neighbor in this parable told his friend to "go away."
One of the most repeated grievances that people have for not accepting Christ as Lord and Savior is they really cannot fathom how, as they put it, a loving God could allow suffering in the world. Children have accused parents of not loving them when they are disciplined. Does spanking a child, grounding a child, or taking away the tv, computer, and cell phone for a period of time necessarily mean that parents don't love their children? No. According to Proverbs 13:24, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him."
The point is simply that sometimes what might seem to be unloving is actually God loving us enough to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us in righteousness so that we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Psalmist said, "All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. . . . The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made" (Psalm 25:10; 145:13).
God's desire is that our minds be transformed to reflect his thoughts and values; that our actions display his ways; that we be conformed to the image of Christ. For a potter to make a usable plate or bowl from clay, he must pull, squeeze, and stretch the clay. For a metal worker to make a usable sword, he must heat the metal with fire, strike it, and bend it. If the clay and the metal had feelings and could speak, they would both say that becoming something usable hurts and is almost always uncomfortable. So it is with us as God makes us usable for his glory.

Oswald Chambers also said, "There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness." None of us enjoys trouble, stress, hardship, and confusion; yet, some of us have discovered that each can bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. Listen to Jesus promise to his disciples: "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11:10). God just wants the pace of our chase to increase to haste- he wants us to pursue him and his plans for us with all we've got.
God is a good father who always has what is good for us in mind. That's why if we ask him for a fish, he won't give us a snake. If we ask him for an egg, he won't give us a scorpion. If we, as parents, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does God? So then, in our times and seasons of spiritual confusion, if we will keep asking, seeking, and knocking, sooner or later God will bring clarity to our circumstances and help us understand everything he allows to happen in our lives.
Blessings,
Bro. Jack