Archive - Faith RSS Feed

Is He Serious? (1)

July 23, 2009 in Christian Life, Faith, Jesus with 5 Comments

The Sermon on the Mount, I believe, is both loved by us and in ways lost to us. We need it in more than we can imagine. From it we understand our roles as “salt” and “light” (5:13-16). Deep-seated convictions are carved from it (cf. Matthew 5:31-32). Without question, from both the remote and specific contexts of Matthew, The Sermon on the Mount is the essence of living in God’s kingdom.

But I’ve noticed the tendency to be very selective with where we tread in The Sermon, as well as with how hard we push its precepts. In our world especially, it’s hard to push too hard and remain consistent. Take for instance, Matthew 6:19-34.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth…” Here we have verb action that is Greek present tense and in the imperative mood. Jesus is being very specific here. Essentially, he is saying, “You must not lay up stores of treasures here on the earth.” But we do. All of us. And we will go to great lengths to justify it. But is he serious?

Later he says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (vv. 25-26). The key word throughout the remainder of the section is anxious. He reiterates and reinforces his point. But when are we not thinking about these kinds of things? People experience tons of anxiety over these matters. But is he serious?

Are we really supposed to “not worry” about our lives (v. 25, NKJV)? Is he serious? Have we sinned if we do? Before responding, remember that he offers no caveats whatsoever. If he didn’t want them to get the wrong impression, I think he would have issued a caveat.

Is He Serious?

July 21, 2009 in Faith, Jesus with 1 Comment

Scripture humbles us. It shows us how little we know and how little we are. Believe it or not, I’ve grown to love Scripture for that reason.

Those for whom Scripture is important have their favorite passages, and our fidelity to the text is important to us. And it should be. But before we emphasize this over that, we need to be certain that there is a certain level of consistency to our treatment of God’s Holy Word.

An honest consideration of the sayings of Jesus should leave us frequently asking, “Is he serious?”  His message was that hard-hitting. It was radical in so many ways. But before we label some of his statements as hyperbolic, let’s think about them.

So I’d like to look at a few and discuss them. I hope you’ll join me.

Moving Forward

July 14, 2009 in Christian Life, Evangelism, Faith with 1 Comment

It’s time to move forward. As God told Moses and the Israelites at Horeb, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. Resume your journey…” (Deuteronomy 1:6-7, HCSB), so also is it time to move on and away from what’s gone on here for the last several days.

This morning I was reading through Acts 6 and I was struck by the life of Stephen. He was one of the “seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom” selected to tend to the Grecian widows who’d been neglected in the daily distribution. He was also described as “full of faith” (v. 5). Still later, we read of Stephen as “full of grace and power…performing great wonders and signs among the people” (v. 8). He met formidable opposition from those of the Freedman’s Synagogue, but “they were not able to stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (v. 10). Ultimately, his history lesson of Israel’s rejections of God’s prophets over the years, which culminated in the rejection of the Messiah, got him killed. But what a compelling argument he was for the faith of Christ!

The guy chosen to “wait on tables” (v. 2) apparently had much more to offer. And he did. Inside of him was a heart for souls. His ministry was about meeting the needs of others. If by food distribution, so be it. He offered food that met physical needs, but he was also willing to serve food “that lasts for eternal life” (John 6:27).

Service, in whatever form, is mighty ministry. Jesus boldly proclaimed the “living word” with passion and urgency; yet, washing his disciples’s feet was no less ministry, and no less significant.

Like Jesus, Stephen wasn’t a one talent man. His selection for a specific work didn’t mean he wasn’t fit for anything else. In a sense, I think it helped groom him for more. Unfortunately, it seems to have been a life cut short, but like others who have gone on before, “though he is dead, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).

Absurd

March 12, 2009 in Faith with 0 Comments

Absurd: “Opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with reason, or the plain dictates of common sense.” (American Dictionary of the English Language)

Outside magazine has a The North Face ad for its CHINSCRAPER shoe and AGILITY shorts, as used by The North Face Endurance Athlete Joe Kulak. The ad reads,

You drink gallons of coffee on Monday because…

? Mondays are Mondays.
? You didn’t get much sleep over the weekend while completing one of your 29 100-mile races, each in under 24 hours, just like Joe Kulak.

There are a lot of things that to us seem absurd, but running for 100 miles seems patently absurd. It’s the equivalent of me running from my home to Atoka, OK. It’s almost inconceivable to me, but people do it more often than you’d think.

For some, the story of Jesus is absurd. For others, the story isn’t beyond belief, but the thought of living for him accord to the Way is. Even his own disciples struggled to grasp they Way Jesus was laying down for them to live, along with the things they would be able to accomplish through faith. Even a “mustard seed” faith could move mountains (Matthew 17:20). But what’s impossible for mortals is possible for God (Matthew 19:26).

Mankind is blessed with immense talent and ability, focus and drive, strength and courage, but think of what can be accomplished spiritually with a power that is of God! “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly hat all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

With God, can we do what to us seems absurd?

A Centurion’s Faith

March 5, 2009 in Faith, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Humility is instilled in us through the realization of having our expectations and notions crumble before us. Why is it, at times, we are most surprised by the people we least expect?

In Jesus’ day, if there were a people who should’ve had faith, it was Jesus’ own people, yet they were lost and in need of rescue (Matthew 9:36). Ironically, on one occasion, a Centurion seeks out Jesus that he might heal his servant. On the way to the Centurion’s home, Jesus is told, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof… but only speak the word, and let my servant be healed” (Luke 7:6-7). Even Jesus is surprised by the Centurion’s faith, saying, “not even in Israel have I found such faith” (v. 9).

While many of his own were only trying to put him to a test, others from outside Israel’s fold were putting their utmost faith in him. The barriers that separated Jesus’ heritage from the rest of the known world weren’t insurmountable to Jesus. What he was doing in his earthly ministry, when observed without prejudice, produced genuine faith in him. Faith was fostered by those one might least expect. That’s the amazing power of Jesus!
Page 2 of 2«12