Resurrection Sunday: Living a life of Worship

Colossians 3:14-17 ESV "Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I hope you're spending some time with family and enjoying a life in constant fellowship with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This is the great blessing of life we have as believers. 

Hebrews 13:15 ESV says, "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

What is worship? Is it singing on Sunday at church? Is it bowing before God on our knees before bed? Those are definitely examples of personal corporate worship and personal worship in it's simplest form. But included are many other forms of worship. In Hebrews 13:15, acknowledge his name.

What does that mean? Talk about Jesus. If you don't know what to say about Jesus, read about Jesus. Read the Bible, or some good commentaries or some good books on the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many.

1 Peter 2:5 ESV says, "You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

Do you ever read 1st Peter in star-struck awe? I do. I love Paul's writings in a different way, but in Peter's work you can just sense a powerful clarity of interpretation of the grace of God. 1st Peter is a powerhouse book, it just blows me away every time I read it. But, with Romans chapter two and three, same thing, Paul knocks me flat off the chair every time.

But truly, it's not Peter or Paul is it? It is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the writings. It is certainly their styles of writing, their understandings of God that speak through the word. Yet it is the Holy Spirit that is upon me, given to me by Jesus when he saved me, that allows my mind to flower in understanding of the scriptures.

Before Jesus saved me, did I care about the Bible? Nope. Some old book? Why would I? But once I was saved, I could not put it down. I was reading, listening, learning, studying, and it's still the same... I can't put it down. It's such truth. It shines like a beacon above the din of lies, consumerism and foolishness that clouds the culture.

Psalm 77:13 ESV says, "Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?"

The Psalms are just wonderful aren't they? I like to listen to Max recite them before bed, on my phone. By Max I mean the audio NIV Bible. It's quite well read. I love the Psalms, and if you read through them you'll notice prophecies about Jesus Christ all over the place! Such as in Psalm 77:13, David writes, "Your way is holy." What is Jesus referred to as in John? The way, the truth, and the life. How does Luke refer to faith in Jesus in the book of Acts? He calls it "the Way."

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Isn't it wonderful to know, totally know that God is with all of us right at this moment? He's as much with me as I write this, as he is with you as you're reading these words. He is with the persecuted Christians in Pakistan. He is with the starving Christians in Gambia. He is with the Christians in Europe. He is with the Christians in the United States. He is with us. Always with us. He is not limited by space or time. With you he has all the time in the world, he's not rushing off to deal with something else, he is able to both rush off to deal with something else, and patiently and attentively minister to your heart, your mind, your intellect, and your very soul. He is 100% present with you. Look upon His face. 

In Zephaniah it was prophesied, "a mighty one who will save." Well now we may say with certainty and rock-solid assurance, "a mighty on who did save." A mighty one who has saved me. And you. And if you don't know him, if you can't seem to muster interest in scriptures or old books, don't worry. The interest comes after you make your commitment to Jesus.

And in Zephaniah 3:17 we see a good picture of how God ministers to us. When we know him, he rejoices over us with gladness. When we please him, which is conditional on loving his son Jesus, he is well pleased in us. Because he is well pleased by his son Jesus. And so we are adopted family. But more than adopted, we are blood family. We are made new. Our old selves are dead.

God rejoices over us with gladness.

God quiets us with his love, when we want to cry out in pain.

And God exalts us with singing.

1 Chronicles 16:29 ESV says, "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness..."

So knowing that God is full of love and expresses it and actively gives it daily, how will we respond?

We ought to respond in worship. Not because we're suppose to, but because we want to. Worship is transformative in that way. When I pray for a few minutes, read the Bible, attend studies, and go to church, my interest and wisdom grows. As a result I've allowed good seed to be sown and watered in me, and a garden blooms in my heart. Let the garden bloom in your heart. Over the months and years, watch them grow, and produce fruit. 

God can and will use you, if you know and follow. A year and a half ago I received the Savior and started this blog. When I first received Jesus Christ, I had no car, no work, I wasn't in college, I didn't have any friends, and I was bankrupt. I didn't attend church, or Bible study, I didn't attend support groups, see a counselor, I didn't serve or help those around me.

Today God is doing a work in my life. Today I write a blog. Today I have a vehicle. Today I attend counseling and support groups regularly. Today I tell people about Jesus. Today I have a job at a Salvation Army homeless shelter in town. Today I'm a baptized member of a church, serving on different ministries at the church. Today I attend Liberty University. Today I attend Bible studies. And today I'm clean and sober. These are works of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit he gives. I can take no credit. God gets all the glory. By His Grace, I found myself with the Holy Spirit within, and new motivations to love wisdom, love holiness, and love helping those around me. That is the testimony, the rock solid, concrete scientific data that cannot be ignored. Empirical evidence shows, that a doomed soul has a new life today. How can it be? Answer: God is real.

I was talking with a young man and he compared faith to Jesus Christ in believing in fairies. I don't know any fairies who are worshiped by two billions Christians worldwide. And I don't know any fairies that can cure hopeless addicts and turn them into serving, adoring Christians of powerful faith.

Psalm 103:1-4 ESV says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy..."

My point here is that Jesus Christ can do the impossible in lives. For that reason and for so many others, he is deserving of our worship. Our worship is not simply singing or praising or prostrating before him. No. Our worship is a daily song, and it's sung by acts of worship. You volunteer at a food pantry, you sing before God. When you share the gospel with a friend, you sing before God. When you play with your kids, you sing before God. When you give food to a homeless man you sing before God. When you smile to a stranger, when you give a hug, when you share a Bible verse, when you help those in need, it's all a daily song, throughout the week to your Maker.

Psalm 147:1 ESV says, "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting."

So as we go out and enjoy the holiday, and attend church on Resurrection Sunday, let's remember to have an attitude of daily worship in action and thought to God Almighty. Recall what Jesus Christ did on the cross. And believe and know that he rose from death, by the power of God, and now sits alive and well at the right hand of God the Father.

I'll leave you with this powerful description of the life of Jesus Christ to close out today:

"He was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men. Yet he spoke of coming on the clouds of heaven with the glory of God. He was so austere that evil spirits and demons cried out in terror at his coming, yet he was so genial and winsome and approachable, that the children loved to play with him and the little ones nestled in his arms.

His presence at the innocent joy of a village wedding, was like the presence of sunshine. No one was half so kind or compassionate to sinners, yet no one ever spoke such red-hot scorching words about sin. A bruised reed he would not break. His whole life was love. Yet on one occasion he demanded of the Pharisees, how they were expected to escape the damnation of hell.

He was a dreamer of dreams and a seer of visions, yet for sheer stark realism, he has all of us self-styled realists soundly beaten. He was the servant of all, washing the disciples’ feet, yet masterfully he strode into the temple, and the hucksters and moneychangers fell over one another to get away in their mad rush from the fire they saw blazing in his eyes. He saved others, yet at the last, he himself did not save.

There is nothing in history like the union of contrasts which confronts us in the gospels; the mystery of Jesus is the mystery of divine personality." -James Stewart, Scottish theologian

Encouragement for Spiritual Dryness

John 3:17 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

My brothers and sisters in covenant with the God who is real, blessings be upon you, blessings upon blessings as we serve out our remaining time on the planet earth.  Our God is love and he is power and he is mighty in strength!  He stands in power over all things, who can explain him? Who can see his boundaries, or stand in judgment over his decisions?  

Yet the Earth is a spinning ball of trouble. What sin has yet to be committed? What sorrow have we spared ourselves? Sometimes I'm so discouraged by the incredible problems facing our generation, but I take heart, for our savior has overcome the world. 

Corruption and social unrest. Conspiracy theories linger in the backdrop, trust in institutions plummeting, criminal activity, human trafficking, satanic imagery in the media, Marxist atheism prevailing on college campuses, and the endless abortions, just to name a few of these issues, and the task seems quite daunting at times. I look puzzlingly at Christians who seem to mesh into the culture and embrace it, but it's not for me to judge their actions. 

Day in and day out I find myself faced with new situations where I may represent a bit of God's grace and mercy. Mercy is the forgiveness we have of our sins at the cross of Jesus Christ. Grace is the redemptive work the Holy Spirit does in our lives on a daily basis. I want to model those two blessings to those around me.

We are richly blessed to know and be in communion with the Author of Life.  

1 John 3:2 (ESV) Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 

Is your heart directed by God? Draw near to him not in word only, but also in your emotions, your feelings. Surrender yourself to him on a daily basis, give yourself over obediently to his direction and loving guidance.

Give yourself a nudge to the homeless and the helpless. When you consider walking away, or driving off, instead, fight through the fear and awkwardness, and serve those who have nowhere to stay, and suffer all manner of affliction. This is pleasing to God. Yet always follow His leading, not your own instincts, for His will is always right. If it's not His will, then don't do it, if it is, then we ought to move forward in faith. 

Isaiah 58:10-11 (ESV) If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
 
I'm honored and humbled to be here to encourage you: Don't give up the race. Don't grow weary in doing good. Keep the faith, day in and day out. When your start getting tired of loving and helping others, go to God and confess your confusion and sadness to him. He is not offended at words spoke in emotion, in fact he prefers our genuine tears to any false ceremonialism. Though we ought always honor Him as holy. Express your heart, but like Job, don't accuse the Lord of wrongdoing, because he is Holy and trustworthy! He loves you! 

Our God laid the foundations of the Earth. He wove galaxies and nebula between his fingers, with no effort at all. His thoughts planted the burning centers of stars in the far corners of space-time. His purposes sent rocks hurtling between solar systems. His righteousness and creativity set humanity on the Earth. His justice saw the results of sin in the human heart and cursed the creation to be fallen, and humanity to live once and then face judgment, but his mercy and grace sent the savior Jesus Christ into the world, and as such, all things will one day be made new.

Revelation 22:1-5 ESV "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

I'm very encouraged by Son of God, God's not Dead, and Noah. We're engaging a media obsessed culture in a Biblical manner.

"Has anyone provided a proof of God’s inexistence?
Not even close.

Has quantum cosmology explained the emergence of the universe or why it is here?
Not even close.

Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life?
Not even close.

Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought?
Close enough.

Has rationalism in moral thought provided us with an understanding of what is good, what is right, and what is moral?
Not close enough.

Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good?
Not even close to being close.

Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences?
Close enough.

Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational?
Not even ballpark.

Is scientific atheism a frivolous exercise in intellectual contempt?
Dead on."

-David Burlinski, The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions

It's a feeling I love, when someone scratches a spot I know is there, but I couldn't seem to find it before. Just like when I read G.K. Chesterton and he talks about the quiet oppressiveness of materialism.

I spent Friday and Saturday with my mother, which was absolutely wonderful. In the wake of the divorce of my parents, there was so much destruction. And I guess through all of it, 12 years plus, we really were divided. My mother and I used to be very close when I was a kid. So it's been hard on both of us.

But it was nice to spend some time with her. So thank you Jesus, for giving us time together. I spend a lot of time somewhat separated, whether at work, at home, on the internet, at church, or at support groups. I feel a part of, yet different. It's hard to trust these days. The only one I trust completely is Jesus. No one else was there for me at rock bottom but Jesus. Everyone else had left. But Jesus was there to help me up.

Anyway, when my mom and I hung out among other things we went to see the movie "Noah." It wasn't particularly biblical. In fact it wasn't even close. But like Lord of the Rings, it had biblical themes running through it. Second chances, judgment, faith, trust, and the theme of sin was powerful in it. It also had clear strands of Gnosticism in it.

So, instead of blasting the movie, condemning it, and pushing it away... I enjoyed it for what it was. And that way I can then engage culture, and pray for those who are seeing it, that their interest would be sparked, that they'd be saved eventually by Jesus. That's just my approach, my concern isn't to blast anything necessarily, though I think reasoned critiques are valid. But my purpose I believe, is to become all things to all people, as Paul said, and to see as many saved as possible.

I'm feeling quite encouraged actually. The atmosphere is changing bit by bit. I sense a growing unity. We have too many divisions in Protestantism. We cannot reclaim the west if we divide, divide, divide, over small issues. Anyone should be able to see that.

Never-the-less people are standing up, and putting things together. Just like the Christian digital artwork page. Things are happening in the national media that are just wonderful. Three movies now very recently in theatres across the entire nation! Do you understand how wonderful that is? That's millions of people we tend to never interact with in our local churches being engaged. For the part of "Noah", their artistic curiosity is powerfully engaged. For the part of the movie "God's not Dead" their intellectual questions, interest, and skepticism are being engaged on the national level! Wow, Praise to God! And with the movie "Son of God", it's just straight up sharing the gospel. God is being very gracious with these three developments, and I can't say how pleased I am.

Are there problems with all three, minor issues, even with Noah some larger issues? Yep. But I can accept that, because the gains far outweigh the costs. And I have to think about how I'm representing Christ with my reaction. If I'm getting all bent out of shape, crabby, complaining, and rudely mocking these things.. I'm not being a good picture of Christ. I'm showing people that they were right about Christianity being closed-off, judgmental, and angry. We don't have to compromise our theology. But we can discussing these movies in a friendly way.

"Oh yeah I saw that Noah movie, it was fun and engaging, but let me tell you about how it really happened in the Bible. This, this, and this were great from the movie! But this, this and that actually happened this way. But isn't it great to see elements of what it might've really been like?"

See how we can be polite and courteous, while engaging their interest in the movie, and applauding certain parts of the movie? We can then lovingly share the truth.

Again and again I read these blog posts from others, and I'm thinking my goodness, is the purpose to share Christ and be a good Christian, or to self righteously condemn everything around us, put our opinions out there no matter what?

In any case the point is, God is working in the United States. When you see three movies in rapid succession on the national level, being seen at theatres everywhere, well wow. That's really something. Millions of people who would never, ever think to walk into a church; but when we meet them where their interest is, like television, movies, movie theatres, and the internet (we're really a media addicted culture at this point) then we're meeting them on their terms; just like Paul did on Mars Hill, when he engaged the culturally religious beliefs of the Greeks and found a place to interject the truth of Jesus Christ. And some heard him and believed as a result.

The debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye recently is also encouraging, see we're claiming the front stage for a renewed interest in Christianity. We're reaching far beyond the borders of our church walls to relevant levels of interaction.

It's the same with the Veritas forum visiting major colleges across the country with the message of Jesus Christ. It's the same with Christian apologists debating the new atheists on campuses around the country as well. And it's missionary organizations sending to countries in the 10/40 window, countries like India, Pakistan, China, Iran, and Syria.

This is wonderful, keep praying for non-believers and the renewal of the church body. Keep working hard at your evangelism efforts whether it be at home, in the streets, on the internet or at the pulpit. We're starting to move in the right direction, but it will take long and hard sustained work, by a very dedicated body of Christ. Keep sharing Bible verses on social media, keep talking to friends, keep inviting, even when turned down, or yelled at, or mocked, keep going friends. The riches of eternal life await us all. I can see the ball beginning to roll, for another great awakening for Jesus. Keep it up, God be with you. Amen.

Father, Comforter & Savior

Loving God for the sake of His holiness is a perfect form of love. Loving God for who he is, because he is worthy. And in practice this makes perfect sense to me, because I have always longed for justice in politics, and even my heroes in politics are flawed. My heart aches for true justice in world poverty, in the abused under classes, the minimum wagers. My heart aches when I see a prideful but just leader, because they have succeeded in one area but failed in another. But when I look to the life of Jesus I adore, because of his perfect holiness, humbly serving, and despite all the lies about Christianity and Jesus, none can take away from me what the Bible actually says, and when it's objectively inspected, there is no sin in the life of Jesus, perfection. Unheard of, truly. At that moment I am adoring God for the sake of his holiness. That is worship. I can also love God for the sake of his love. But that's another direction entirely.

There are three areas that God provides for us, as his children.  He comes to us as the loving parent, the Father.  The Father who throws a party when we stumble into his arms.  The Father who keeps us safe, who shields us and protects us.  The Father we take refuge in.  The Father who raises his anger at those who hurt us.  The Father is the sovereign role, the sun to my earth as it were.  I revolve around the Father, his sovereignty, his desires for me.  He is the ruler.  He is the God, I am the servant.

Another role is that of the comforter.  God comes to us as the friend, the encourager.  He comes as the changing spirit within us.  He comes as the face to face companion in day to day life.  He speaks through us in very personal ways.  He hears our prayers even when we whisper them, or say them in our heads.  God the sovereign sun in my sky, yet he is also the light in my heart.  He is also the presence next to me, encouraging me, comforting me, loving me, and filling me with all joy.

Then there is the wonderful role of God, the Savior.  He comes as my hero, as my king, as my wonderful redeemer.  He is the source of all my inspiration.  His life is the perfect example for me to follow.  He makes a way for me, when there was no way at all.  He removes my sin, on the cross.  He saves all humanity, all across time itself.  Jesus Christ is the completion.  He is the finished work.  He comes as the suffering servant, providing the example, but much more, he provides the removal of my sins.  There is no role like this, in any other religion, nothing touches the life, death, resurrection, and heavenly ministry of Jesus Christ.  Jesus washes away my sins on the cross, and gifts to me a coat of perfect righteousness.  

Without Jesus, there is no Father in my life, and there is no changing Spirit.  

Together these roles of God make up the Christian understanding of the trinity, which I hesitantly accept.  Very simply, it's like this, there is one God and he has three hats, sometimes he has his Father hat on, then sometimes his Spirit hat on, and sometimes his Savior hat on.  That's as simple as I can put it, one God, three hats.  (I heard that from Tim Keller, I know, I'm just borrowing the analogy.)

I was praying the other night, you know, just my nightly prayer before bed.. and something happened.  I'm not sure exactly what.  But I felt a powerful presence in the room with me, and the most vague outline.  I don't know exactly what happened, but it was like my Lord was in the room with me.  And.. you know I thought about it.  That's what I believe, whenever I pray, anywhere, God is hearing, God is near, God is listening intently.  The powerful presence though, wow.  I trembled at it..

Becoming a Christian has been the most wonderful and trans-formative journey I've ever been on.  It's also been the hardest thing I've ever done.  But a strength comes that just wasn't there before.  I'm doubly challenged, yet I can also feel the strength given from God to complete every task.  He is that kind of provider.  His only requirement is that I dedicate myself entirely to him. 

I feel special.  Often challenged.  Sometimes lucky, other times blessed.  Sometimes I'm angry, other times.. tired.  Being human is odd like that.  We have victory, yet paradoxically the evil seems to grow.  The church grows as well in the world, stride for stride, matching move for move against the kingdom of Satan.  It's mysterious.  I wonder, when will it finally end?  When will we finally have the renewal of the natural world, and the renewal of our physical bodies? 

I often struggle to understand the mysterious words of the book of Revelation.  It really ought to be known.  The issue comes for me in Revelation chapter 20.  I don't understand the timeline, the progression of events.  I don't trust interpretations I've read, so I'm waiting until I have the chance in my studies to go through Revelation extremely carefully to best understand things after death.  That's the focus, after death, and the idea of the 1st death, and the 2nd death.  The city of New Jerusalem, with walls and gates, and some sort of darkness outside the gates... so incredibly mysterious.

We tend to get it wrong as humans.  When Jesus came two thousand years ago the Jews thought the coming messiah would restore Israel, and bring the kingdom by military conquest.  These people, the religious leaders of that day would routinely memorize the entire Old Testament.  And they got it that wrong.  I don't trust the evangelical books and established ideas too well, unless I've also put my hand in and actually read the scriptures.  I watch diligently now as well for anything the modern church is doing that is not biblical, but culturally based.  The oppression comes when old non-biblical traditions are forced onto people as law.  

There is so much failure, mis-allocation of funds, corruption, greedy mega-churches, division, condemnation, foolish decisions, selfishness..  I feel like I always have to be on guard.  

The situation today, reminds me of the situation in the movie the Lord of the Rings, the fellowship of the Ring.  The kingdoms of men are divided and leaderless.  There is corruption everywhere.  Everyone is kind of half asleep at the wheel.  The church can't seem to hold the evil at bay anymore.  

Compare Gondor to America, kind of past it's prime, spread too thin, becoming corrupt, poor leadership, and it's armies of Christians can't hold the evil orc hoards at bay much longer.  If Rohan is Europe, they're kind of scattered about, unprepared, way past it's prime of living Christianity.  Their leadership is corrupted and ineffective.  Compare Isengard to the Vatican, extremely corrupt, about to join the enemy.. it's just a ripe situation for evil to prosper and grow exponentially.  

I guess that's just how it is.  Christianity since it's very beginning has been rejected and hated.  It's always been on the very edge of destruction.  Whether after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Or later during the Roman persecution of the church in the 1st and 2nd century.  At the time of the fall of Rome to the barbarian tribes.  And again, when the Muslims invaded Europe.  Yet again as the Catholic church became corrupt, all the way up to the reformation and the divide of the universal church.  It's just been one desperate situation after another.

But God always shines through.  Jesus always makes a way.  Just like Gandalf, riding about between Rohan and Gondor, here and there gathering up the strength of humanity to face evil.  In the same way we're always facing destruction, desperate odds as Christians.  Always a new evil overruns, splashes across the gates in flood fashion.  Yet we can always rely on our wonderful risen Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the returning King.  Jesus is always there to gather the church into unity, at the last moment, to face down endless millions, hoards of darkness, with just a few hundred brave Christians, just a few obedient servants.  

He is our light and our salvation.  No matter how dark and twisted the evil on Earth becomes, in Jesus our victory is complete.  Our work of obedience to him in these dark days, unconditionally, is what brings glory on us, and more so, on him.