Category Archives: 2014

Resurrection Today

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I have followed Christ for about 15 years now, but in the last few years I have gained a better understanding of one of the dichotomous tenets of Christianity: the idea that sometimes death is a good thing.

I have not been around for long, but I have been around (followed Christ) long enough to know that death is not the end. Death is not always a bad thing. This is one of the core tenets of the Christian faith. In fact, our faith is based on Christ, a man that died.

Good news: God resurrects routinely.

In John 11 we see an example of physical death and resurrection. The story of Lazarus is familiar for most people raised in the Church (this guy, *raises hand*).

Here are the highlights:

  • Lazarus becomes sick.
  • Jesus is informed, and He proclaims that this illness will not result in death, but will be used for the glory of God.
  • Lazarus dies.
  • Jesus waits a few days, then returns to Bethany (where Lazarus and Co are).
  • Mary and Martha express faith that if Jesus had been there, He could have prevented the death of Lazarus.
  • Jesus is moved, because He loves them.
  • Jesus asks to see the tomb.
  • Jesus asks them to open the tomb.
  • Martha objects due to odor.
  • Jesus responds with this question – “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
  • The people open the tomb.
  • Jesus commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb.
  • Lazarus comes out, a resurrected man.

Good news (for Lazarus especially): God resurrects routinely.

Like many of you reading this, I have witnessed death in the physical sense. Certainly more in the non physical sense though. We have all seen hopes, dreams, friendships, and relationships die. This happens quite a bit it seems. Not surprising since we are called to die to ourselves daily. Still, it is tough to see things die.

As I reflect on the story of Lazarus, I recognize a few principles that have carried me through deaths I have endured in the past –

  1. Jesus loves you –
    1. This cannot be overstated and we cannot be reminded of this enough. Jesus loves you and sometimes that means withholding from us what we think is best.
  1. He can and does resurrect –
    1. He has the power to resurrect and redeem any situation. Your hopes, dreams, and desires may need to die so that He can resurrect them for His purposes and in His time. Notice in the story of Lazarus, Jesus waited before He went. Those days must have been agonizing for Mary and Martha. For us, the period could be years or decades even. In that time, flex your faith muscle. Wait well, and believe.
  1. For His glory –
    1. Know this, the act of the Lord bringing the dead back to life is most certainly for His glory. When it happens in your life, make sure you give thanks!

You will face death in all areas of your life, just remember the good news (for all of us!) –

God resurrects routinely.

The Lie We Believe

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I have heard it said that the most dangerous lie is the one that most closely resembles the truth. I believe this to be true, because these kinds of lies go undetected. They rest on our minds and hearts and we rarely consider the impact they may have. They are like a sickness that goes undiagnosed for many years, and once discovered, the damage is quite significant.

I believe one of these lies has permeated the Church.

What lie am I talking about? Well it goes something like this:

“Tell me your testimony, how did you come to know Jesus?”

John Doe: “Well, for the longest time I was living in sin. Steeped in drugs and depression. I slept with women to numb the pain. Then finally this guy just kept nagging me to go to church. I finally did and after a while Jesus just showed up and became very real to me. I accepted Christ and have followed Him since then.”

Jane Doe: “Well, I was raised in the church and accepted Christ at a young age. My conversion story is not that radical.”

Do you see that?!

My conversion story is not that radical.

 Listen friends, this is a lie. This is a lie that I have believed and repeated countless times.

Let me prove it to you-

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,  in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2: 1-6

You were DEAD.
Done.
Finished.
Helpless.

And now you are ALIVE.
New.
Holy.
Redeemed.

What once was dead, is now alive.

What is more radical than that?! In both cases, each person was DEAD in their sin, and now they are ALIVE in Jesus.

So here is another question:

WHY do we believe this lie? WHY was this lie even told in the first place?

Here is why:

 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
 and the kingdom of our God,
 and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
 who accuses them before our God day and night,
 has been hurled down.

They triumphed over him
 by the blood of the Lamb
 and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much  as to shrink from death.

 Revelation 12:10-11a

 Just pause and let that sink in. The accuser is defeated by the Blood of the Lamb AND the word of our testimony.

 Well of course he wants our testimony to be diminished, it is a tremendous weapon!

We are in a battle, and the enemy is spewing lies at us left and right. I pray that you would be bold in sharing your testimony, recognizing that Jesus redeeming your soul is radical no matter what the circumstances were.

This is good news. This is the Gospel. Go tell the world.

 

 

 

Friendly Fire

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Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman, professional athlete turned Army Ranger, died 10 years ago in an attack in Afghanistan. The worst part about this attack is that enemy forces did not carry it out, it was carried out by friendly forces AKA Friendly Fire.

Friendly fire is loosely defined as “an attack by a military force on friendly forces while attempting to attack the enemy, either misidentifying the target as hostile, or due to errors or inaccuracy. Such attacks often cause injury or death.”

This was a terrible tragedy resulting in loss of life, a decrease in combat effectiveness, and utter embarrassment for the US Armed Forces.

This incident was a completely preventable occurrence. Of course in the course of battle it is sometimes difficult to discern what exactly is going on, where the enemy is located, where friendly forces are located, etc.

Here’s the thing though, friendly fire is not only occurring overseas during war. It is alive and well within the church.

Just think about it, we have a very real enemy that is out to “steal, kill, and destroy” and we have Christians battling each other over meaningless things.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a place for debate within the church. Always has been and always will be. People have deeply held convictions and God is beyond our comprehension. There will be differences within the church.

What I am saying, is that we need to be careful that we don’t forget our primary mission when we engage in these debates with fellow Christians. Our mission is not to win debates against fellow believers. It is not to be right all the time. It is not to be a theological mastermind. And honestly, from personal experience, I can tell you that most of these debates are a waste of time.

Hear me on this, truly hear me on this and think about it:

The world is full of dying people that need the hope of Jesus.

 Question- how effective are you going to be at 1) battling the enemy and 2) reaching the lost if you are engaged in a battle with your buddy in the trenches next to you?

Answer- Not as effective as you could be.

I pray that we would embrace this reality, and devote our full energy to the mission of Jesus Christ.

 

The Measure of a Man

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What is the Measure of a Man?

What is the Measure of a Man?

What is the measure of a Man? Is it his bank account? His job title? His athletic prowess? His sexual conquests? His impact on the world?

It is all of these things, according to the world at least.

Heck, even in the church we are guilty of measuring men based on worldly criteria. I know I am guilty of it all the time. We measure men based on their involvement in the church, the size of their family, their leadership, their gifts.

Now don’t get me wrong, all of those things are valuable traits and I am not diminishing them at all. But they are not how we should measure men.

So what is the measure of a Man?

 The degree to which his heart is devoted to the Lord.

This is the only measure that God uses.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

“I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 17:10

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

2 Kings 23:25

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

2 Chronicles 16:9

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Matthew 22:36-37

Clearly the Lord sees things differently than we do. He searches our hearts and knows our thoughts. Josiah was recognized for his total devotion to the Lord, and Asa was disciplined for his failure to rely on the Lord in that particular instance. Other translations of 2 Chronicles 16:9 say that the eyes of the Lord “run to and fro throughout the whole earth”.

Just stop and think about that for a moment… God is looking for men with hearts wholly devoted to Him, so he can give them strength!!

And finally we see Jesus affirm that the greatest commandment is to completely devote our hearts (along with soul and mind) to the Lord.

Men in Scripture were measured by the condition of their hearts before the Lord.

And we, men of today, are measured by the same standard.

I pray for you and I pray for myself, I pray for all of us as men- May our hearts be wholly devoted to the Lord today. Amen.

Recapturing Today

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I often find that my day is consumed with thoughts of the future. In my weakest moments I become a slave to tomorrow. Worries and fears come to the forefront and I am paralyzed. Growing up and even to this day, Matthew 6:25-34 brought me comfort. 

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In this passage we witness Jesus free us from worry. 

 You see, Jesus knew we would worry. He revealed that the root issue is our lack of faith.  He also revealed something that we all know from experience- worrying doesn’t solve anything. Pagans worry, followers of Jesus do not.

And why should we worry? He promises that God will meet those needs

Jesus also tells us about tomorrow. And what does He say? Focus on today! Today is challenging. Today is tough. Today is all you can handle! Tomorrow may come, and if it does, then handle it then. 

I tell you this because this is such a struggle for me. I desire to live each day for the glory of God, but as I said, I become a slave to tomorrow. How do we combat this?

The answer is simple- Faith.

If worry is the result of a lack of Faith, then the presence of Faith will squash worry. We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is in order to recapture today.

I pray that it would be so in my life and in yours. 

– B