 Church Clothes
What is your look? By look, I mean what is the style of appearance that you present to the world around you. I suppose this could be broken down in a couple of ways. First, this could refer to the look that we desire to have. For example, someone may want to be skinnier or more muscular or appear older or younger. People in our culture go to great expense and effort to cultivate their desired look. Another way to consider the original question is to think about how we actually look. This refers to the things that are not under our control but do show in our appearance. I think that most of us have a desired look and we use various external factors: diet, exercise, clothing, and even more to make our real look conform to our desired look. My point is that we are trying to cover up some things about ourselves and present only what we want others to see. Just like we do with our outward appearance, we often do this with other parts of our lives. We may attempt to hide our failures and sins so that we will not carry the shame of those moments. The problem with this is that shame and guilt will only intensify as we struggle to maintain the facade of propriety and perfection instead of receiving the relief that comes through confession, repentance, and obedience (Numbers 32:20-23). Love Covers a Multitude of Sins But what if instead of trying to hide the less presentable aspects of our own lives we used our ability to present the best possible version of reality to cover the failures of other people. What if instead of giving ourselves the assumption of innocence and good intention we assumed until proven otherwise that other people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, have the best of intentions in their actions and the purest motivations. I believe that if we desire to enjoy the peace, unity, and harmony that is available for us in Christ it must come from the fruit of the Spirit displayed in our lives through this kind of humble preference given to our fellow believers who we know are of the same Spirit that we are (Galatians 5:22-26). The Apostle Peter tells us that “above all” we should prioritize loving one another because “love covers a multitude of sins”(1 Peter 4:7-9). But how does love cover sins? In the rest of this post, I would like to consider three ways that the love that we have received from God can help us to cover the sins of others, especially our beloved brethren. The first way that love covers sin and sins is that this kind of love proceeds from the humility given to us by Christ. This humility that was modeled for us by Christ causes us “to count others more significant than” ourselves. When we do this the normal priority that we would give to our own preferences and opinions is dissipated and our consideration for the interests of others is increased. This is not a tactic to manipulate the situation to fulfill our own interests but a true desire to seek the good of one another. The second biblical way that love covers sin is through something that love does not do. The Apostle Paul tells us that love “does not insist on its own way” and “does not rejoice in wrongdoing” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Paul’s point is that love does not cause us to track the sins of other believers so as to punish them for those failures. The New International Version translates it as “keeps no record of wrongs.” Of course there is a proper place for us to call brothers and sisters to repentance of willful and unrepentant sin but if possible we ought to extend grace promiscuously (Matthew 18:15-22). We also must remember that this is exactly how God has dealt with our sin. King David proclaimed that because of God’s love for those who fear Him, He has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:10-14). We must understand that this is not some unattainable level of Christian maturity but rather the normal process of spiritual maturity among those who are growing in grace together in Christ Jesus. Finally, love for Jesus causes us to seek the blessing and beautification of His body and bride over our own personal motivations. This means that it is not only the love that we do surely have for one another individually but also the love that we have for the corporate body. Jesus is the perfect husband and He loves His bride some much that He died to save her. Jesus loves me, this I know, is true because the Bible tells me that Jesus loves His church of which I am apart (Ephesians 5:25-32).
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 Current Events
Our modern information age is marked by the 24 hour news cycle and the seemingly infinite barrage of hot takes uploaded and posted to the proliferating plethora of social media platforms. It is difficult to keep up with all the messages, and it is hard to distinguish which things are most important. This matters because so much of our time, energy, and emotional investment can become wasted on those things that do not affect us, can’t be affected by us, or are none of our business anyway. One of the ways that we can be influenced is by the particular information that we do or do not see come across our feeds. The algorithm is of course trying to keep us engaged and to that end is curating the messages, posts, and videos that we see. This means that we are getting a skewed perception of reality. In truth our perception is always limited to the information and understanding that we have and is subject to inaccuracy and manipulation. We must be humble and vigilant against assuming our own conclusion or falsely attributing malicious motives to others. I like to call this having a healthy self suspension which does not forget my own frailty and flaws. I mention these things because in this post I want to examine a couple of trends that I think I am seeing in the larger church culture, at least the American church culture. However, I want to stress that these trends are more drawn for my anecdotal perspective than from any specific scientific or demographic data. Homeostasis One definition of this term is that “Homeostasis is the process by which a living organism maintains a stable internal environment despite external changes.” This basically can be simplified and applied by saying that not only living organisms but organizations, government and other social structures tend to have at least a phase of their existence when the goal is to maintain stability. When this is applied to social or cultural structures this is the phase when one would expect traditions and practices to be developed and solidified into the culture for the maintenance or governance of the group or organization. This phase in most organizations or organisms is the middle life of the entity. In the beginning time span the focus is on growth and development. There is a great need for change and flexibility as obedience, conformity, and maturity are learned and applied. Later toward the end of the existence of the entity there will be decline that cannot be avoided by focusing on either growth or stability. But I would like to point two trends in the American church and culture today that are not a part of maintaining the homeostasis and ask you to determine for yourself if these trends are accurate and whether they point to growth or decline. High Church The first trend is that there seems to be a growing interest in what has historically been called “high church” groups. By high church I simply mean those groups who, regardless of their theological positions, are marked by more formality and have a more rigid structure to their services and governing systems. Some examples would be the Roman Catholic church, Eastern/ Greek Orthodox, Anglican/ Episcopalian, as well as most Lutherians and Presbyterians. Lately there seem to be many who are expressing interest in these forms of religious observance especially in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. From the sources I have heard and seen, the magnetism toward these traditions is because these people have accepted the claim that these churches and their current practices and beliefs are the same as the ancient first century church in the New Testament. Both of these groups would appeal to Scripture and tradition for the apostolic authority that they claim to have. However, I must admit that neither history nor Scripture affirm these practices even though that is the claim of these groups. Low Church The other trend is that many people are now adopting a far less formal and traditional type of Christian meeting. What I find interesting is that it would seem that this group also desires to return to the practices of the early church. The difference is the accepted authority. These believers view the Bible to be the sole authority containing the apostles' teaching (Acts 2:42-47), apostolic tradition (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17), and the practices of the early church along with corrections by the Apostles. This effort is to understand the precepts and principles in the New Testament and then to apply those to the practices in our modern context. The assumption is that the principles of Scripture will ultimately produce better spiritual fruit than any tradition employing rules or requirements not found in the Scripture. One Church I would like to close this blog with a plea for humble unity. Even if we may think that a church or our church is not living up to the pattern of the New Testament whether that be because it is too high church or too low church, division is not the design of the church (Ephesians 4:1-14). We must strive to remain in genuine relational unity and love even if that means we believe that some things could be improved. I also think that we must remain hopeful for the future of the church even if convinced that some things will not change so that we may promote peace, unity, and love (1 Peter 4:8-11).  In the Bible
As I was reading Acts 13:1 where Luke records a list of prophets and teachers in the Antioch church, I noticed the phrase “in the church.” In the context of this specific passage the point is that these servants of the Lord are included among the saints “in the church.” This exact phrase is only in the ESV version of the New Testament five times total. But I think that the concept is prevalent in our own day in both good and bad ways. In this post, I would like to explore many different ways that we as believers could understand our relationship with the church and maybe some ways that we shouldn’t. For example, if we speak about being in the church as a reference to our bodies being in the building where our church meets that would easily be understood today, but it would be foreign to the first century because they did not have special meeting places that were designated for the Christian meeting. In the Old Covenant, the Temple, and before that the Tabernacle, was the special place of meeting, but in the New Covenant we are the temple. Also, many people might use the phrase “in the church” to refer to their formal membership. This is important because it is based on the covenantal promise of the person and the church, However, if someone is not faithful to some of these other ways of being in relationship with the church it probably means that their membership is invalid. In Attendance One more wrong way to account for the phrase is to consider one “in the church” based on mere attendance. The most common text referred to often by christians and even pastors to urge attendance comes from Hebrews 10:24-25, here the writer is encouraging the believers not to stop meeting together. But I think it is very important for us to notice that this is not referring to a passive attendance but active forms of mutual edification. The believers are to consider how to stir each other up, not put each other to sleep. The goal is to help one another to excel in love and good works. In Fellowship Fellowship may be a misunderstood term in our modern context, especially in the Bible belt. We often simply equate it with having a meal together. We should understand that a meal or a cup of coffee or work day are contexts in which fellowship can happen but they are not Christian fellowship itself. Christian fellowship itself is when we share with one another and listen to one another as we discuss God and the things of God especially as they apply to our lives. I think this also includes using our individual spiritual gifts to assist each other in seeking to strive toward the holiness that we have in Christ (Hebrews 12:12-14). In Participation Participation goes along with the idea of fellowship. As a matter of fact, the Greek is often translated as fellowship or participation depending on the context. The point is that the Christian meeting was never meant in the Bible to be a performance or a place for anyone to need to be a spectator. The congregation is not an audience! Instead we should all be contributing participants in the life and activity of the meeting (1 Corinthians 14:26-33a). In Agreement It is a shame that so often in our day Christians are known for strife and contention. This is especially problematic when the ones we are struggling against are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but if we are in Christ we are also indwelt by the same Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-6). If we are believers in Christ we have the same kind of faith. If we are co-heirs with Christ we have the same hope and promises. If we are in Christ then we have the mind of Christ and so we should and must agree by submitting to the teaching of the scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:16). In Love The greatest proof of a genuine relationship with God is not theological acumen or spiritual power or emotional expressions but genuine love for the brethren. Those who love God also love God’s people. There are no exceptions. If we have come to know the God who is love then we must also love one another. Jesus even teaches us to love our enemies (1 John 4:11-21). In Christ Ultimately, to be in the church is the blessing and consequence of being in Christ. Some believe that to be in Christ one must be in the church. These groups usually mean in their church. But it's actually the other way around. To be in the church you must be in Christ because the church is His body (Romans 12:4-5). There simply is no way to truly be in the church without faith in Christ for His the door and the only way (John 10:7-9, 14:1-6)!  Who’s the Boss?
So much of our lives seem to be spent trying to achieve some level of control. We want stability and assurance that everything is going to be ok and leads us to look for ways to seize control. Even many of our dangers and debilitating problems stem from us over emphasizing control in one area because so much of our lives seems out of control. Addictions, compulsive behaviors, even many behavioral disorders are a response to a fear of being vulnerable or abused. The irony is that the only way to truly gain freedom over this kind of devastating anxiety and cultivate true self control is through surrendering to the Lord. There are two sides to this coin. First, each of us must surrender our goals, dreams, plans, and hopes to the sovereign, providential plan of God. He knows our hearts and His own purposes and He will bring about His desired ends. This means that we must trust even when we cannot see or understand the point or advantage in our present circumstances. Faith is defined by God as surety in our hope and certainty without sight (Hebrews 11:1-6). The second point is that this faith is active. We are not supposed to sit by in idleness, awaiting a lightning bolt of holiness. Instead, we should shoot for thriving in active obedience to our king Jesus and in pursuit of holiness provided by Him for us. Our goal is not to possess but to experience (Hebrews 12:12-14). Because of this, we must recognize the Lordship of Jesus and seek to submit ourselves to Him joyfully. The fruit of this glad surrender is received from the Holy Spirit, and one aspect of this fruit is the very self control we need and want (Galatians 5:22-25). Sabaoth Just before Israel was about to go out and defeat Jericho through the miraculous victory provided by the Lord, Joshua had an encounter with an armed man near the doomed city (Joshua 5:13-15). Joshua inquired as to the allegiance of this mighty warrior, whether He was on the side of Israel or their enemies. He answered that He was the commander of the army of the LORD. As I read this passage, I have a couple of questions. First, isn’t Joshua the commander of the LORD’s army? I mean the army of humans known as the Israelites or the Hebrews. But that, of course, would lead us to quickly conclude that this man must be speaking of a greater and higher army. This army is the host of heaven. As this realization comes upon Joshua he falls to the earth and “worships” the man. Both the Hebrew word and the Greek word used in the LXX mean to prostrate oneself or to bow down. The picture here is one of submission, reverence, and humility. The most interesting point though is that at other times when angelic beings show up and the prophets or apostles try to “worship” them, they will immediately tell prophets to get up for only God is worthy of that reverential treatment (Revelation 22:8-9). However, this Man does not reject this humble submission. Instead He tells Joshua to remove his sandals because this is a holy place, which is reminiscent of Yahweh’s personal interaction with Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4-6). All of this leads me to one conclusion, and if you have read this blog carefully you may have noticed that I have been capitalizing the references to this Man, because it seems to me that this commander of the LORD’s army is none other than Jesus Himself. The true deliverer and Savior is here to again win the battle for His people. But notice, Israel still had to go up in active victory over Jericho even though the battle clearly belongs to the LORD. My point is simply this, just as the LORD gave Israel the victory over Jericho they still had an active role to play in obedience as they took the city. For us, even though Jesus gave us victory over sin, self and satan, we must still pursue this holiness not to possess it but to experience it with our whole being. Since Christ is King, let us surely and certainly obey Him!  Old MacDonald
We all know the very famous nursery rhyme recounting the many animals on Old MacDonald’s farm. To our sophisticated, twenty-first century ears the scene probably sounds quite quaint. However, just the other day, my father was reminiscing about how in our small town in the days of his childhood most people had some chickens, a couple of hogs and even a milk cow in their backyard right there in town. Even today, downtown Shirley, Arkansas is about as rural as anywhere that you would consider country or backwoods. But the point is that people once commonly kept a few animals to provide for their own family and maybe share or trade with a few neighbors. Today, a resurgence has risen trying to recapture something of this kind of self reliance. The modern homesteading movement is an example of people wanting both the challenge and the benefits of this way of life that was actually rather common just a few generations ago. Also, remember that before the industrial revolution this lifestyle was almost universal throughout human history and habitation. Because these animals were always so common throughout most people's experience they provide the context for many of the teachings of the Lord Jesus and His apostles. In this post I would like to consider some of the different analogies the Bible uses of animals. Dogs & Hogs First, swine are considered unclean according to the old covenant law (Deuteronomy 14:7-8) and they are mentioned also in the New Testament. One new testament account is of Jesus allowing the demons inhabiting the demoniac to go into the herd of pigs which subsequently ran into the lake and drowned (Matthew 8:28-34). While this is a real story, the point does include the separation under the Old Covenant between the “clean” Jews and the “unclean” gentiles. The Bible also pairs dogs and hogs together in a couple of illustrative examples. In Jesus’ commonly referred to Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:6, He teaches that no one would cast that which is sacred and precious on the ground for dogs and hogs to trample and then turn to attack the person. The context shows that righteous judgment is necessary when dealing with people concerning sacred and precious things of God. The other place is in 2 Peter 2:22. In this example, Peter uses a proverb about pups and pigs to illustrate that what a person truly is will eventually become evident. Sheep & Goats The use of these two animals in just the New Testament is far too vast a survey for this simple post, but Jesus does use these to animals to show the division and distinction between the believers and the unbelievers who are in the world (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus will sort the people of this world as a master herdsman sorts the sheep and the goats into their proper places and for their proper purposes. Sheep are also one of Jesus’ favorite ways of referring to His followers. Jesus is Himself the good Shepherd and His sheep will hear Him and will follow Him (John 10). Sheep were probably the most important animal of all in the Old Covenant context and so Jesus' emphasis on the sheep is essential to help us understand nature and the extent of Jesus' relationship to us as His people. Lion & Lamb But it is not only Jesus’ followers that are metaphorically referred to as sheep. Jesus Himself is called the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). In this context it is important that it is a lamb and not just any sheep because the picture is of the pure and spotless lamb which is innocent and precious but becomes the necessary sacrifice to cover the sins of the family. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice who cleanses by His blood the sins of all the household of God. But Jesus is also pictured as a lion, one who rules with regal authority. In Jesus’ revelation to the Apostle John, He is called “the lion of the tribe of Judah” who is the only one worthy to break the seals on the scroll. What is even more interesting is that while He is called a lion, what John sees in the vision is a lamb that looks like it has already been slain and sacrificed (Revelation 5). Jesus is our King who has purchased by His own sacrificial offering and has secured us through His sovereign authority!  Sharing
What does it mean to “preach” the gospel? This is probably a bigger, more detailed question than I want to tackle in today’s post. Sharing the gospel, or engaging in evangelism, is not simply about communicating facts. Sometimes, we can believe that merely disseminating the contents of the gospel message is the point of evangelism. The content of the message is essential to the work of evangelism. Certainly any gospel message must involve the communication that Jesus Christ, the son of God, who is God in the flesh, came to earth, born of a virgin, to live a sinless and virtuous life on behalf of sinners, and that He died a vicarious death on the cross for our sins, that He was buried in a borrowed tomb, and that He rose by the power of God victorious from the grave to give life to everyone who repents of their sin and trusts in Him (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Without the content of the gospel, it is not evangelism. However, along with the content is the goal and that is what I want to consider today. Convinced The first point that I want us to consider is that the distinction between saved and unsaved people is what they do or do not believe. But believing is not so much about a choice to believe but being convinced of the reality and rightness of a claim. This means that as Christians we should be engaging with people, not simply to give them the content of the gospel message, but to convince them that it is true (2 Corinthians 5:11-20). We must seek to persuade people to believe this good news. I must admit that I believe that I have at times failed to seek to be persuasive because I didn’t want to manipulate. Manipulation will not bring about true salvation, but rather a false sense of having received the fire insurance policy for the lake of fire. But people are going to be judged with Christ and so we must warn them and seek to convince them of the truth so that they can come to genuine faith and freedom through Jesus Christ. Compelled In Jesus’ famous parable about the wedding banquet where those who had first been invited had failed to come to the feast, He then tells His disciples to go to the streets and lanes and bring in the infirmed and the outcast. However, after this there was still room so the Master of the house commanded them to go and compel people to come in so that the house would be full (Luke 14:15-24). In this parable, Jesus is pronouncing judgement on old covenant Israel and specifically those first century leaders who had rejected Him. They are the ones in the parable that refused the first invitation. Then the “poor and crippled and blind and lame” are the believing Jews who were oppressed by their leaders who had rejected Jesus. Then, when the servants are sent out the second time to the highways and hedges, this is talking about the proclamation going to the nations. Now, the gospel is meant not only for the Jews but for everyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior! Notice, Jesus tells them to compel them to come in. This word means to place on them a necessity. We must show people that they must believe in Jesus because everything depends on it. Converted One definition of "converted” provided by the AI Grok says: The term "converted" in the context of religious conversion refers to a person who has undergone a change in their religious beliefs, affiliations, or practices, adopting a new religion or a different form of spirituality. It implies a deliberate shift from one faith (or none) to another, often involving a personal transformation, commitment, or formal acceptance of the new religion’s doctrines, rituals, or community. Isn’t this what we are after when we proclaim Christ’s gospel to people? We don’t just want them to know what the gospel is or to be able to recount the facts, but rather we want them to change their beliefs, affiliations, and their practices. Salvation always brings about transformation in the life of any genuine believer (Romans 12:1-2). This also means the acceptance of new doctrines, rituals, and community. This is also what we want when we tell people about Jesus, because we want them to believe and obey the teachings (doctrines) of King Jesus. We also want them to begin experiencing the practices (rituals) of prayer, study and fellowship. Finally we want them to love and be committed to the community of people who also obey Jesus called the local church (Acts 2:40-44). So as we engage people with the greatest news ever, let’s do so with a commitment to passionately persuade them to believe and know the truth!  Accomplishment
We have again reached the time of year when many people are graduating from high school or college and moving into the next phase of their lives. But I must admit that I am personally invested more this year than other years. My first born son is graduating from our homeschool program this year. This is an amazing accomplishment. I know that it is easy to assume that high school is something that most people finish and therefore must not be a great accomplishment but that is not correct. For every graduate there is a particular path of growth, development, and accomplishment that was necessary for them to reach this point. My son overcame his own learning challenges to reach this goal. Many other students have also worked hard to achieve goals related to certain academic awards or extra curricular goals that are now ready to be celebrated at this point of completion. Today’s post will probably be a little different as I reflect on these days. Appreciation First I want to reflect on all the people who have helped Laura and I in the journey of parenting. These friends, family, influencers, and brethren in Christ are too numerous to mention but I am flooded with thoughts about how so many people have poured into his life and our family over the years. The folks have been used by the Lord to encourage us and to edify us in this important season in our lives. Secondly, I am so thankful for my wife. She has worked, prayed, and done everything possible to meet his educational needs. She had been his champion in more ways than I can count. As a matter of fact I know that even Brady and I do not fully understand everything that she has gone through to reach this goal. Also I am so thankful for my son. He is a tremendous person with the perfect mix of compassion and commitment that I know has come not from us but from the Lord. Or, to put it another way, he is both hardworking and humble in a way that is an inspiration to me. The qualities were not so much cultivated by us. as they have been discovered. But most of all the praise belongs to our great God and Lord Jesus Christ who made my son and made us his parents. These are amazing things and they are marvelous to us (Psalm 118:23-24). As already mentioned, the Lord made our son the man he is and has allowed us the pleasure of parenthood. Achievement I mentioned earlier that Brady faced his own learning challenges. I do not want to dwell on those challenges, but instead focus on all that he has accomplished. Again, his mother worked so hard to help him and he worked hard at things that he found difficult but still learned to have success with. I am amazed especially at his love of books and reading. He has learned to be curious and love learning more than mere education. There has also been a level of achievement on our part. This should certainly be credited more to Laura, but to move from the relatively “safe” social expectations of the public school life that we had grown up in, to the challenges and freedoms of homeschool has proved to be extraordinary. To reach this point of completion is a mixture of excitement and relief to see the man our son has become (Proverbs 22:6). Anticipation As I bring this post to a close I want to think about anticipation in two ways. First, the anticipation leading up to this day. For years,we have been focused on the concepts and skills that he needed to know to reach this point. We have anticipated the smaller steps that bring us to the milestone moments. So in one sense we are at the culmination of a long anticipated point. However, I am gripped by the anticipation now of what he will do and the life he will live. The opportunities that now are unknown but in God’s good providence will appear in due time. I am not at all worried or concerned but rather excited for the good days ahead. I know that the Lord has prepared him for good works and prepared good works for him to do (Ephesians 2:10). Thank you Lord Jesus for your amazing blessings and these great milestones give to us to reflect on your awesome works (Psalm 103)!  The Gospel of The Kingdom
The term “gospel” means good news, but what is the news of the good news? We might say that being rescued from hell and the eternal punishment deserved by our sins is the news (Romans 5:6-11). Another possibility is that the news is that we are not under God’s wrath and are now at peace with God through Jesus (Romans 5:1-5). Or even, the news could be that justice will ultimately be done either through sin punished on the cross or through God judging the unrepentant people. I suppose that I could go on with many more facets of the glories that are true in the gospel. However, maybe they are all captured under the umbrella of the good news that Jesus is King! That we belong to a greater kingdom and have a better king is amazing good news. The many different aspects of salvation and future glory that capture our imagination are in some sense the product of the dominion and jurisdiction of Jesus as King (1 Peter 5:10-11). So in this post as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday, I want to consider three aspects of this good news. Righteous The initial aspect of the good news which I want us to consider is righteousness. In the period of the Old Covenant the righteousness of God, or we could also say the righteousness that pleased God, was reflected in the law He gave to Israel. But Paul revealed to the Romans that the righteousness of God is now made known to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is perfectly righteous and His life is righteousness on display (Romans 3:21-26). Since Jesus lived righteously through His death He causes those who He redeems to become righteous by virtue of His merited righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). So not only is it true that Jesus is Himself righteous but He also makes everyone of us who believe in Him righteous. The people of the family and kingdom of the righteous King are also righteous. But that’s not all! Jesus is also able to rule us righteously. We look at the politicians and the bureaucrats of our time and the corruption and incompetence is truly ridiculous. But Jesus is the perfect ruler who always and only gives right judgement and abundant mercy. Risen I hope that you notice that I have been referring to Jesus in the present tense. It is not just that Jesus was righteous when He walked the dusty trails of Galilee in the first century, but Jesus is that righteous one who lives today. After the Romans brutality and effectively administered unjustified capital punishment, Jesus was definitely dead. God raised Him to life proving Him the Christ, the Son of God (Acts 10:34-43)! The reason that the righteousness of Jesus matters is because He lives today and intercedes on behalf of His people (Romans 8:31-39). He is the great mediator and King over all things who provides blessings for His people. Reigning This righteous and living Lord Jesus is currently reigning at the right hand of God bringing all his enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:20-28). The prophet also told us about the present time in which we live when His government brings about a growing administration of peace for His people (Isaiah 9:6-7). The good news that everyone in the world needs to hear and believe is that Jesus is King and they should surrender their rebellion and gladly follow His righteous commands. So let us reflect on the virtuous life of Christ in the first century, the vicarious death of Christ on the cross in our place and for our sins, the the verified burial of Christ’s lifeless body, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus who is our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and King! As we do let us commit ourselves to humble, joyful, and obedient submission to King Jesus!  Proof
One of the realities that provides great confidence for us about the validity of the apostolic witness is that they faithfully held to their testimony even to the point of death. This does not prove that Jesus’ resurrection or the claims of the Christian faith are true. But it does prove that they believed it was true. Let's call this fact premise A. The second thing that we know for sure about the apostles' testimony to the miracles, ministry, and messiahship of Jesus is that they had to know the truth. What I mean is that they had firsthand knowledge of Jesus’ miracles. They had the front row seat for the many hours of Jesus’ public teaching. They had the backstage pass of three years of Jesus’ personal life in all circumstances. Finally they saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion. Since all of this is true, they could not have been wrong about the facts of their message, so we can call this premise B. What I am proposing is a logical proof. A + B = C. If A is true and B is true, then C must be true. The “C” conclusion is that Jesus is the Christ who rose from the dead and is reigning at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:15-22). Prophecy The disciples of Jesus in the first century, who by virtue of their own eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ resurrection knew that He was the Christ sent by God, had to reevaluate the messages foretold by the prophets in light of the reality of Jesus' advent (Luke 24:13-27). Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of heaven and proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom of God gave them new insight into the revelation that God had given through the prophets. In this way they were able to see how Jesus was not only claiming to be the Messiah who was promised but He also fulfilled the prophecies about the coming Christ. In the same way we must use the record given to us in the New Testament by the apostles to understand the message and ministry of Moses and the Prophets regarding Jesus and His kingdom. In this way we should be even more assured of our hope by recognizing the fulfillment of these things in Christ (2 Peter 3:1-13). Promises The point is that we can trust God who always keeps His promises. As we are coming near to the week when most expressions of the Christian church are focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we should reflect on how in Christ God has kept His promises to us. Going all the way back to the garden of Eden just after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, God made a promise to the serpent (Genesis 3:14-15). We may not usually think about a curse as a promise but it is God promising to send a descendant of the woman to crush the head of the dragon (Revelation 12). In the New Testament, John calls this destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:4-10). Going all the way back to Abraham, God promised to bless all the nations through him (Genesis 12:1-3). However, God also gave Abraham and his descendants conditions that none of them were ever able to perfectly meet until Jesus came to inherit the promises made to Abraham (Galatians 3:15-29). Going all the way back to God’s promise to David that he would have a descendant who would rule over God’s people forever (2 Samuel 7)! Jesus came as the King of kings and Lord of lords to rule not only the physical Israelites but all the nations forever fulfilling God’s promises to the greatest possible degree (Romans 1:1-7). Of course we could go on listing the many promises that God has kept in Christ. But now since the one true God has kept all His promises, will we repent and rest in the work of Christ on our behalf? And also serve in obedience to Christ for His Glory? May it be so!  Howdy Pard
Out west, in the ranching world, it is my understanding that on many ranches the way that they get all the work accomplished on the big days when they are branding, vaccinating, etc. is through practice called neighboring. Neighboring is when the other ranches around come together to help each other get the cows worked and the calves processed. This way, instead of each hiring extra help for a few days of work, they each volunteer so everyone's tasks are finished efficiently. It is a humbling and wholesome idea isn’t it? These friends who are probably more like extended family coming together to commit their hard work and experience to the benefit of their neighbors. Just thinking about this work sharing reminds me of the insightful question that was put to the Lord Jesus. The answer He gave was in the form of the parable that we all know as “The Good Samaritan.” In this blog post I want us to consider this question, this parable, and the many facets of Jesus’ extraordinary answer. Love Your Neighbor A lawyer confronted the Lord Jesus with the intent to put Him to the test by asking how he could inherit eternal life? Jesus referred him to what was written in the Law of God. Of course, since he was a lawyer, he gave the correct answer that a perfect and comprehensive love for God is required, including loving one’s neighbor as much as one’s self. Jesus told him to obey that perfectly and live eternally. However, we all know that no one is able to love God perfectly or even love other people as our own selves without radical salvation, transformation, and new birth through faith in Jesus. The lawyer knew that he could not keep this law and desiring to press his test upon Jesus he asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus answered him with the parable of the good samaritan. The point of Jesus' parable was to demonstrate that it is not cultural, ethnic, political, socio economic, or any other status that defines who our neighbor is because the point of the instruction to love thy neighbor is based on our common humanity as image bearers of God. The lawyer wanted a strict definition by which he could justify his own prejudices and account for righteousness according to his own estimation. But Jesus clearly shows through the parable the neighborliness is not about sharing a property line or a neighborhood street but about mercy and love. Love the Stranger I mentioned above that the lawyer knew the law, but maybe he was not as astute in his application of the Torah as I was giving him credit for. Remember, he asked Jesus who is his neighbor because he wanted to justify himself. But the same chapter of Leviticus which outlines the practical requirements of loving your neighbor, the LORD also calls upon His people to love strangers as themselves (Leviticus 19:9-17;33-34). My point is simple, it has been the consistent witness from Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 to the Law of God given to Moses to the New Covenant law given by Jesus, that love for other people is key to understanding the righteousness of God. Love Your Enemies But we must also remember that Jesus' teaching was even more extreme than to call for love for the stranger or the outcast. Jesus actually commands us to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-47)! Jesus makes His point clear by showing that as believers our love for even our enemies and persecutors demonstrates our distinction from the world and our identification with the Father. Love Your Brothers But ultimately the truest test of the validity of our faith is found in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle whom Jesus loved made this clear is his first letter when he tells us that we cannot love God whom we have not seen if we will not love our brethren whom we can see (1 John 4:18-21). I think it is important to point out at this place that this includes believers who are not in our theological, doctrinal, or practical camps. If they are believers professing a Biblical gospel and hope in Jesus Christ then we must love them. Also, we must love not just as fellow humans and image bearers, not just to give a good witness as we love our enemies, not just to excel in mercy as with the neighbor but we must love them as our own family members of the same body of Jesus to which we also belong! |