When, Not If

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.  But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names! “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you." Matthew 10:16-26

These are some of the first words Jesus shared with His newly recruited followers. I want you to try and put yourself in the place of these new recruits early in their indoctrination. How would you have been thinking as you listened to these dire predictions from Jesus?

1) "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves."

Okay, so what happens when a sheep is turned loose into a pack of wolves?

Carnage happens. The defenseless sheep will be savagely seized upon and torn to shreds.

2) "For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues"

Notice, Jesus does not say, "If you are arrested or if you are flogged" but rather, He says, "when you are arrested and flogged".

Being arrested was a bad thing. No one wants to end up on the wrong side of the law. But being flogged is far worse than being arrested. Flogging tore flesh from the back, or the shoulders or the thighs and left life-long scars. Occasionally a person would die from the flogging.

Jesus frankly informed them that as they followed Him there would arrests and floggings in their future.

3) "You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers"

As a result of choosing to follow Christ these disciples would find themselves arrested and brought before very powerful and corrupt officials.

How fair do you suppose that trial might be?

4) "When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say"

Notice, Jesus didn't say "if" you are arrested He says, "when" you are arrested.

Wow! They are being told one of the results of following Jesus will be ending up on the wrong side of the ruling officials.

5) Family members and friends will turn against you and turn you into the officials seeking to arrest you for following Jesus.

How would you feel about the prospect of your family turning against you OR even turning you in to the authorities just because you have chosen to follow Jesus?

Would this make you reconsider your decision to follow Jesus? Would you begin to worry? Would you find yourself becoming fearful? Would you ask to be excused?

Were these the things you signed up for when you decided to follow Jesus? How do you feel about your decision to follow Him if this is where it leads?

Jesus must have sensed their growing apprehension or more likely, He saw it on their faces when He continued, “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you."

Say, what? Have no fear?

So, how do I do that?

How can a follower of Christ be made fully aware of the potential perils of following Him and have no fear?

You can start by remembering WHO it is you are following.

You can remember all the promises made to those who follow faithfully until the end.

You can continue to follow the blog this week as I lead you to Jesus' answer.

July 5, 2016

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." Proverbs 14:34

Much is wrong with America but - there is plenty right about America, too! In fact, I contend that there is nothing wrong with America that a good dose of righteousness couldn't fix.

Do you believe that?

Do you still hold out hope for America?

I do!

I believe there is hope for America because I believe in a God of hope and I still believe in the people of America - like you!

What will restore the greatness of America? To answer that you must remember what it was that first made America great - RIGHTEOUSNESS! Yes, righteousness! That means knowing what is right and doing what is right and doing your best to stand against wrong.

If you do that, and if I do that and if we each get a few of our best friends to do that, don't you think that will make a difference?

Indeed, it will! That is how our nation got started! 56 men who were seriously committed to righteousness and even more committed to freedom came together to commit to each other and a bold new idea - a nation founded upon Biblical principles that would honor God!

Those 56 men already had their fortunes. They were wealthy people who were comfortable and secure with possessions and land. But their passion for righteousness overcame their personal interest and coming together they pledged to one another their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. 52 of these 56 signers were righteous men who professed Christ as their Lord. They proved that it doesn't take a lot of people or powerful people to change the moral tide of a nation. It just takes fully committed people who love righteousness more than life.

I urge you not to underestimate the power of your influence. Your example matters! Your words matter!

There is still a lot that is right about America. But the things that are wrong with America are killing us!

If you want to get America right, begin with you! And then use your influence and impact for good! 

Let's fix America one person at a time!

July 4, 2016

“remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”  Ephesians 2:12-14

Today as we celebrate the blessings of freedom for the 240th time, we are soberly and humbly grateful for those who have shed their life-blood on battlefields world-wise to earn and protect our freedom. Since the Revolutionary War, 1.2 millions of our finest young men and women have been lost in wars. Freedom is one of the few things worth dying for because it adds so much to living. The Bible says, “The life is in the blood” and certainly, our lives are blessed because they bled away their life’s blood for us. Be mindful of that at your picnics and fireworks and other festivities.

For those of us who are believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are doubly blessed! We have benefited from the blood of brave patriots but even more so from the blood of Jesus! His torturous death on the cross won us spiritual freedom. We are free to enjoy the good life and the better life while looking forward to eternal life!

All because of the blood that was shed! Be very mindful of that today as you celebrate. In the words of the great Andre Crouch song:

The blood that Jesus shed for me,

way back on Calvary;

the blood that gives me strength

from day to day,

it will never lose its power.

It reaches to the highest mountain,

it flows to the lowest valley;

the blood that gives me strength

from day to day,

It will never lose its power.

It soothes my doubts and calms my fears,

and it dries all my tears;

the blood that gives me strength

from day to day,

it will never lose its power.

Freedom isn’t free.

Celebrate it accordingly today.

July 3, 2016

Several examples of civil disobedience are found in the New Testament. When Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish authorities and commanded not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they answered:

"Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19

So they went on teaching in public and were arrested again. The high priest said to them:

"'We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.' But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men."' Acts 5:28

It was a brazen statement before a hostile crowd. But to fully understand what was happening here, we have to look at what took place just hours before this meeting.

But a curious thing happened that night which delivered a very clear theological statement to the early Christians.

“But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.” Acts 5:19-21

After Peter was arrested and jailed (again) for preaching about Jesus this happened:

“The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.  Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” Acts 12:5-17

When Paul and Silas persisted in preaching the Gospel they were arrested, beaten badly and thrown into prison. But they didn't stay there long:

“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.  They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!  The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” Acts 16:22-28

Now if you and I tried to spring someone from jail, we would be breaking the law and end up in prison ourselves.

But here we have God doing exactly that.

The jail break in Acts 5 left a very clear message to the early church — when it came to preaching the gospel they were not subject to human laws — which led the Apostle Peter to say Christians must “obey God, rather than men.”

But the Apostle Paul is adamant in issues not pertaining to this exemption; the early Christians were subject to those in authority unless they put restrictions on their freedom to worship, freedom to witness or their freedom to enjoy His Word.

July 2, 2016

Are you frequently frustrated with the leaders of your government?

Do you get discouraged as you look and listen at the next slate of candidates promising to make it all better if they get elected?

Is it tempting to just drop out of the system? Or opt out of voting? Or strike out in anger?

Me, too, at times. But as Christ-followers we must be careful. Jesus has commanded His followers to be "salt and light" in the world He has strategically placed us. That demands involvement and impact from us.

In my last post I shared Paul's admonition to the Romans to obey their laws and be subject to the authority of their government. We are cautioned and counselled to find ways to be submissive not subversive, but the Bible records several exceptions to that admonition.

I will share them briefly with you over the next couple of posts so you can study them in greater depth.

In Exodus 1, after the Pharaoh decreed that all Hebrew baby boys were to be killed at their birth the mid-wives disregarded his edict and continued delivering them. 

Of course, this was blatant defiance of governmental authority but the Scripture records that God blessed the Hebrews with a surge of healthy, robust baby boys, therefore honoring the civil disobedience of these Jewish women.

That is one example of God showing favor those who broke Egyptian law.

In Daniel 3, the three young Hebrew men living under captivity in Babylon very but respectfully defied a royal decree when they refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar's large graven image.

For this bold stand honoring God over the king, God delivered them from the fiery furnace, thus vindicating them and validating their rebellion, as respectful as it was.

Over in Daniel 6, the King urged by his devious counselors, issued a decree that would be punishable by death if anyone was caught praying. 

Even though Daniel heard the King's decree he continued his daily practice of three prayer sessions. It was a trap set by these jealous and hateful men who were out to get Daniel. He knew what they were up to and he knew it was against the law but he chose to pray to his God.

It is obvious that Daniel was a law-breaker but we all know the rest of the story. God shut the mouths of the lions when he was sentenced to death in the lion's den. Daniel's God rescued him from the punishment of the King thereby sanctioning Daniel's act of civil disobedience.

So, there are three Old Testament stories that chronicle God's exceptions to His general rule of living under the authority of the state and by extension the sovereignty of God.

Prayerfully see what you can learn from these three inspiring accounts of courageous faith contrary to the law of the land.

As a rule, Christ followers are to be exemplary citizens so if they ever make an exception there better be a very good reason.

In these three instances the exception had to do with obeying God's will above the royal directives to the contrary.

Read. Pray. Tread cautiously.

Law Abiding Citizens

The Apostle Paul is adamant that the early Christians were to be subject to those in authority.

Remember, he was writing this to Christians in Rome while he was locked on in a Corinthian jail for the "crime" of preaching the gospel.

So, despite the injustice he was suffering and the corruption rampant in the Roman Empire Paul told the Christ followers to make every effort to be law abiding citizens.

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.  So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.” Romans 13:1-7

Far from urging or inciting civil resistance or revolt, I think it is clear God holds Christ-followers responsible to obey every civil law they can for as long as they can, in good conscience.

Let’s review Paul’s godly admonition to the believers in Rome living under the ruthless rule of the Roman Emperors.

1) The government you have is the government God gave you. He is SOVEREIGN over earthly rulers.

• and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God
• so anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted
• and they will be punished. 

2) Do right and you will not have to fear government.

• Do what is right, and they will honor you.
• The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good
• But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid
• they have the power to punish you

3) Government is God’s servant

·  To maintain law and order

4) Submit to government officials

• To avoid punishment
• To keep a clear conscience

5) Pay your taxes and fees

6) Give respect and honor to those who are in authority

Wow, this is hard isn’t it?

But those who follow Christ must also follow the laws of the land.

The Standard Of Citizenship

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, he who resists the authorities, resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be subject not only to avoid wrath but also for the sake of conscience." Romans 13:1-7

This clear and compelling portion of Scripture is about the standard of citizenship for Christ-followers but even more so it is a statement about the Sovereignty of God.

Paul makes three arguments why followers of Christ are to be subject to the authorities:

1) all governing authority has been ordained or instituted by God. If there is a government, God put it there, V. 1b

2) therefore, a person who resists or opposes governing authorities experiences two things: one is pangs of conscience that he is really opposing God, and the other is punishment that the authorities mete out to those who oppose them, Vv. 2-4

To avoid these two experiences, verse 5 concludes with:

3) to avoid wrath and a bad conscience, therefore, be subject to the governing authorities. In summary then, governing authorities are appointed by God; therefore, to oppose them is to oppose God and to incur punishment; therefore, do not oppose them, but be subject to them.

So, if you are following Christ you are expected to understand God's sovereignty over nations and government, to keep a good conscience and avoid punishment. When you are subject to the authority of the state it is evidence you are under submission to Christ.

In the previous chapter, Paul has given a description of what the surrendered and Spirit-filled life should look like. He concludes that by living this Spirit-filled Christ-led life will overcome evil.

It is within that context that Chapter 13 begins with the emphasis on the sovereignty of God in world leadership. Living under the sovereignty of God is much easier when led by the Spirit of God.

You are called to follow Christ. A question you should continually ask yourself is "am I following"? One way to be sure is to live as a good citizen of your world.