December 1, 2010

"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

Much of the lore and legend surrounding Christmas centers around impossible things happening.

For example, the story of a benign and jolly man who lives around the North Pole with a large population of highly skilled elves and a herd of flying reindeer. This industrious bunch craft a wide variety of toys to distribute to every child in the world during the night-time hours of Christmas Eve. Sound impossible? Ah, but don't forget that he has the benefit of the supersonic flying reindeer to propel his sleigh!

In fact, the REAL story of Christmas featured some fairly fantastic unfolding of events.

For example, the birth of John the Baptist. Consider this account from Luke 1:11-25

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

When God needed a prophet to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, He did it in an impossible way! Out of the weakness of an elderly priest and his barren wife, came John the Baptist. These good and faithful people had borne the shame of infertility their entire married life. Having a son was a sign of God's sanction and blessing upon your life and marriage. So, here is a highly spiritual couple having to live under the shadow of doubt regarding their lack of a son. It was a burden that they had suffered together through the years. I am sure they had lost count of the times they had cried out to God, apparently to no avail.

Don't you think they struggled through some faith issues? You have had enough disappointments with God that you can identify with their heartaches. But in the end, as all people of faith do, they came to grips with the will of God for their lives.

After all that, and now that conception was a physical impossibility for this aged couple, they impossible announcement comes to Zechariah from no less that Gabriel himself! Their prayers had been heard, their faith had been honored and their dreams would come true. What had been impossible to them was about to happen for them! Why? How?

Because "nothing is impossible with God"!

The good news of Christmas is that God is not limited by our weakness! He is not diminished by our humanity!

Because of Christmas - because of Christ - everything is possible! Miracles can happen! Through Christ, God can bring wins out your your weaknesses! Through Christ, God can bring fulfillment out of your futility. Because of Christmas your dreams can arise amid your doubts! Because of Christ there are no dead ends in your life!

As you gear up for your celebration of Christmas - celebrate this - Christmas proves that "nothing is impossible with God!"

November 30, 2010

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:26-35

A teen-age virgin was to become the mother of the Messiah!

What a strange and amazing way to save the world! Who would have thought of such a plan?

Only God! And only God could pull it off! It is ingenious and it is supernatural.

No man could have dreamed this up! Humanism wants us to believe that men are intrinsically good. If they can be provided with the right education and right environment they can grow and develop into god-like beings living in a man-made utopia. The Tower of Babel is the symbol of their vanity. That was their idea of saving the world.

God knows better. He was in the Garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed and lost their true utopia. Their sin activation a sinful will within the human nature. Your battle with sin originates with the original sin. You and I sin because we are sinners. It is our nature. And it is what alienates us from a relationship with a Holy God. One of the most heart-breaking stories in the Bible is when God came looking for Adam and Eve but found them hiding because of their shame. No longer could they walk with Him. No longer could they dwell in a perfect place.

Being created to be in fellowship with Him, He is the Source of spiritual life. He is the Source of all truth. He is the only hope for moral restoration and transformation. God would not stand for His Creatures being separated from Him. But He had a problem. Actually, we had the problem and only He could come up with the solution. How could a Holy God restore fellowship with a sinful and rebellious race? It was impossible for Him to become "unholy" and equally impossible for man to become "unsinful". How could this gap be bridged? Was their an answer for this spiritual and moral dilemma?

Jesus became the Bridge! Christmas became the solution. Young Mary became the vessel. The Angel's announcement revealed the genious of God's plan. God would send His Own Son, born of a human but conceived by the Holy Spirit! He would be born without the sin nature by virtue of His immaculate conception, but He would also human! Because He was born without sin and if He would live a sinless life through the power of the same Holy Spirit that concieved Him, He could become the sarifical Lamb Who could die for our sins! He was and He did!

What a strangely amazing way to save the world! It was first revealed to a young teen girl named Mary. And strange as it was, she embraced it and executed it.

The miracle of Christmas is the virgin birth of Jesus! The motive of Christmas is the incredible love of a Holy God for a fallen world! The message of Christmas is that salvation is come!

No greater gift has ever been given! No more brilliant plan has ever been formulated! But a gift must be received and a plan must be believed if it is to mean something.

Will you believe it? Will you receive it?

November 29, 2010

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:1-7

Heading into this 2010 Christmas Season one of the big national concerns is what will happen with the income tax rates. The current tax cut bill that was passed under President Bush is due to expire at the end of the year and that will cause a significant increase in tax bills that will be sent to the American people. Will Congress act on this before the Christmas recess or not?

In a time of economic recession it doesn't seem like a good idea to impose a greater burden on already stressed American households. Taxes have always been a big issue with Americans because it takes their hard earned money and puts it in the hands of the government which becomes makes people a little less powerful and government more powerful. Over human history that scenario has never ended well.

Why do I mention this?

Because as I was reading over the Christmas story from Luke 2, I was reminded that Christmas happened because of a tax increase! Yes, that's right, God used a tax increase to accomplish His purpose and fulfill the prophecy of Micah. Christmas was the original tax break!

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel" Micah 5:2

Among the many wonders of the Christmas Story perhaps this is the most incredible! Something wonderful resulted from a tax increase! God certainly does work in mysterious ways! He can use the greed of a goverment to accomplish the goodness of His grace! He orchestrated events to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David, the "house of bread" to be born to become the Savior of the world!

I guess that is one aspect of the joy of Christmas isn't it? God is greater than any power on earth! His love is greater than our greed and our sin. His will is more powerful than all the schemes of all the rulers and governments of all the ages on earth!

So, as we head into this Christmas Season, what is taxing you? What is robbing you of your power and your freedom? What is oppressing your spirit? Will you see those things as God hand at work in your life? Will you understand that God is using the events of your life to bring Jesus to you? Will you allow Him to be born anew in your spirit? Will you invite God's powerful love to invade your life?

That is true tax relief!

November 28, 2010

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:23-26

“GETTING INTO SHIP SHAPE”

“Stewardship Is Discipleship” Luke 9:23-26

“Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Eugene Peterson, in his book by the same name called discipleship, “A long obedience in the same direction.”

From time to time, lobsters have to leave their shells in order to grow. They need the shell to protect them from being torn apart, yet when they grow, the old shell must be abandoned. If they did not abandon it, the old shell would soon become their prison--and finally their casket. The tricky part for the lobster is the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed. During that terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster. Currents gleefully cartwheel them from coral to kelp. Hungry schools of fish are ready to make them a part of their food chain. For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good. We are not so different from lobsters. To change and grow, we must sometimes shed our shells--a structure, a framework--we’ve depended on. Discipleship means being so committed to Christ that when he bids us to follow, we will change, risk, grow, and leave our "shells" behind.

I. Discipleship Is Choosing Relationship Over Religion, “Whoever wants to be my disciple…..”

a. Knowing Him vs. Knowing About Him – Psalms 103:7
b. Enjoying Him vs. Earning Him – “Want to” vs. “Ought to”
c. Walking With Him vs. Working For Him – Love not labor
d. Surrendering To Him vs. Satisfying Him – Faith Not Phonyness
e. Being Righteous vs. Being Religious – TRANSformed not Reformed

(Father Mulcahy)

What’s the difference? How can I tell when I am in relationship with God?

THERE IS JOY! THERE IS FREEDOM! THERE IS ENERGY

II. Discipleship Is Choosing Responsibility Over Rights, “must deny themselves…….”

Our Seven Membership Commitments:

1. Give Up Your Rights
2. Cheer Up You Brothers
3. Pick Up Your Ministry
4. Back Up Your Pastor
5. Pay Up Your Tithe
6. Show Up To Church
7. Listen Up To God

Why do we do this? Why do we make these demands of our new members?

Because we want to produce disciples!

III. Discipleship Is Choosing to Risk Your Reputation, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words….”

We fear looking foolish by making a radical stand for Christ……….

We fear what people will think about us if we take a radical stand for Him……

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -- A human rights group has expressed concern about reports of wide spread persecution of Christians in rural Ethiopia where at least one evangelist has been killed "for refusing" to abandon his Christian faith, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, September 22.

Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which has close contacts in the region, said it has learned that 34-year old Estifanos Abate, an evangelist of the Assemblies of God church in the town of Jijiga "was shot and killed July 19 for refusing to deny his faith in Christ."

In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, VOMC said news of the killing had been slow to emerge as "communication is difficult and reports of their courage often take several weeks to reach the outside world."

The incident allegedly happened when the evangelist was traveling from Degahabour to Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia where his passenger bus was stopped by Islamic militants. "The militants boarded the bus, demanding to know the religion of each traveler. Of the 45 passengers, five were Orthodox and four were evangelical Christians. The gunmen ordered these nine [Christians] to be separated from the Muslim passengers," VOMC claimed, citing sources in the area."The Christians were then ordered to repeat the Islamic creed and to bow three times toward Mecca. Everyone but Estifanos complied with the order and was allowed back on the bus. The gunmen threatened Estifanos, who calmly began to tell his attackers about Jesus, while his fellow travelers begged him to save his life by obeying their demands," VOMC said.

"The Muslim leader then ordered the bus to continue on its way, without Estifanos. As the bus pulled away, Estifanos was executed," VOMC added. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that "his body was left on the side of the road for most of the day, presumably as a warning to others."

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” - Dietrich Bonhoffer "The Cost of Discipleship"

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have to problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear!

Three Commitments:

1) Dying for Christ Is Better Than Living Without Him
2) Dying to Christ Gives Boldness For Living For Him
3) Living In Christ Gives Boldness To Die For Him


I PREACH ON STEWARDSHIP EVERY YEAR BUT THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME I PREACHED ON STEWARDSHIP WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT MONEY.

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN MONEY!

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT LORDSHIP!

STEWARDSHIP IS ABOUT MANAGING YOUR HEAD, HEART, HANDS, AND HABITS SO THAT:

WORSHIP IS REAL!
FELLOWSHIP IS RICH!
DISCIPLESHIP IS RADICAL!

How is your discipleship?

RELATIONSHIP? RELIGION?

RESPONSIBILITIES? RIGHTS?

REPUTATION?

November 27, 2010

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:24-26

A disciple is one who is melding his life into Christ's. Or, more accurately, He is allowing Christ to live His life through him. You never know where that will lead. Consider this account that I discovered this week:

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA -- A human rights group has expressed concern about reports of wide spread persecution of Christians in rural Ethiopia where at least one evangelist has been killed "for refusing" to abandon his Christian faith, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, September 22.

Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which has close contacts in the region, said it has learned that 34-year old Estifanos Abate, an evangelist of the Assemblies of God church in the town of Jijiga "was shot and killed July 19 for refusing to deny his faith in Christ."

In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, VOMC said news of the killing had been slow to emerge as "communication is difficult and reports of their courage often take several weeks to reach the outside world."

The incident allegedly happened when the evangelist was traveling from Degahabour to Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia where his passenger bus was stopped by Islamic militants. "The militants boarded the bus, demanding to know the religion of each traveler. Of the 45 passengers, five were Orthodox and four were evangelical Christians. The gunmen ordered these nine [Christians] to be separated from the Muslim passengers," VOMC claimed, citing sources in the area."The Christians were then ordered to repeat the Islamic creed and to bow three times toward Mecca. Everyone but Estifanos complied with the order and was allowed back on the bus. The gunmen threatened Estifanos, who calmly began to tell his attackers about Jesus, while his fellow travelers begged him to save his life by obeying their demands," VOMC said.

"The Muslim leader then ordered the bus to continue on its way, without Estifanos. As the bus pulled away, Estifanos was executed," VOMC added. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that "his body was left on the side of the road for most of the day, presumably as a warning to others."

Let me ask you this, "Which of these Christians were disciples?"

Let me ask you also, "What would you have done?"

You might be thinking, "Gosh, Brad, I don't know what I would do. How can I know?"

Here are three commitments Jesus asks us to make that I believe this brother made:

1) Dying for Christ Is Better Than Living Without Him

Have you made that commitment? Will you?

2) Dying to Christ Gives Boldness For Living For Him

This is the key commitment! Have you made it? Will you?

3) Living In Christ Gives Boldness To Die For Him

This is what unlocks God's power within you because it unleashes His Spirit! Will you commit to this?

The contrast between our martyred brother and those "believers" who got back on the bus is the crux of the issue in this thing called "discipleship". And, if you are not following Him whole-heartedly in life, you will not follow Him to your death.

November 26, 2010

"And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

Based on some conversations I had last night with some family members I came back to a fundamental question of "why be a disciple of Jesus Christ?"

Why not be a disciple of Karl Marx or Moa Tse-Tung or Saul Alinsky? Or, why be a disciple at all? Why not just do what seems right to me?

I believe Jesus provides some solid answers to that vitally important question in this challenge to those who had been following. Will you consider those with me?

Everyone has to decide who or what they will follow. And everyone does follow something. It is impossible not to. If life matters to you then how you spend it should matter to you.

It matters to Jesus!

Everyone must make decisions. It is unavoidable! Even the decision to avoid deciding is a decision!

Jesus says, "If any man will come after me...."

What Jesus is saying is, "You guys need to decide if you are going to follow me or not." Nothing pushy about that. Nothing threatening, just a call to be intentional and deliberate about their decision. He left it up to them what to decide but they must decide.

You must decide. I must decide. We must be intentional about how we decide and be responsible for what we decide. Decisions have consequences and those should be weighed before making the decision. So, since decisions are important and inevitable decide wisely. Decide intentionally.

For me, that decision was to follow Christ. He is the only One Who has been to Heaven and to earth and even, hell. So if you are looking for someone to follow Who know the way, I'd recommend Him. He IS the way!

Which decision has the greatest potential for your life on earth and for eternity? If you decide to follow Marx, where will that take you? What about a decision to follow Moa or the Alinsky way? Where will lead your life and your soul?

Secondly, Jesus says everyone must devote to something.

".....let him deny himself........"

Deciding to follow someone necessarily excludes following anyone else. Or, everyone else. That is what it means to devote yourself. A disciple of Jesus devotes himself to Jesus.

How will devoting your life to Jesus enrich, enable or enlarge my life? How will it add value to your life? What will it do for your eternity? How will it impact those you love? Those are key questions to consider before you devote to someone or something.

To be fair, you must weigh the benefits of devoting yourself to Jesus as opposed to devoting your life to a demanding doctrine such a that promoted by Marx or Moa or even, Alinsky. Which has the greatest potential for your future development through time and eternity? Which will be maximize your life?

If you decide but you do not devote, your decision doesn't mean much.

The result of deciding and devoting results in a direction!

".......and follow me."

Once you have decided to follow Jesus and become a devoted follower, there is only one direction that is appropriate - the way of righteousness and holiness, the way of the cross, walking with Jesus.

When you find one who has decided to follow Jesus and who has devoted his life to Jesus and is clear and confident in his direction, you will know why it pays to follow Jesus.

Have you made a decision to follow Him?

Everyone follows someone somewhere. Decide carefull because your decision determines your destination!

Are you wholly devoted to Him? You can only devote yourself to one person or one philosophy. If you devote yourself to more than one thing, you devote yourself to nothing. Devote yourself to that which best shapes your life and your future.

Do you have a clear direction? Where will that direction lead you? Will you end up in a good place if you decide and devote to this direction? It this the best possible direction you can follow? Where have others ended who chose this direction?

November 25, 2010

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

The best definition of discipleship that I have heard comes from Eugene Peterson, a prolific Christian writer and author of The Message translation of the Bible. He describes discipleship as "a long obedience in the same direction". Isn't that good? A long obedience in the direction of God and His Word and His will!

It sure fits with Jesus' call to His disciples here in this verse!

A disciple decides every day to aim his desires at God and shape his feelings, emotions and decisions around obeying Him. And then, the next day he awakes and does the same thing - and the next and the next and, well, you know. That is a "long obedience" in that direction.

A disciple daily chooses to deny himself of any desire, thought or habit that would tug the disciple in an opposite direction. Moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, he guards every thought and reigns in every action. And then the next day he awakes and does the same - and the next and the next and, well, you know. That is a "long discipline" in God's direction.

A disciple takes up his cross daily - not the necklace or the bracelet or the lapel pin - the one that hurts, the one that demands him to die to self and sin. The disciple doesn't actually carry his cross, he lays down on it and dies. He dies to self so Christ can live through him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And then the next day he awakes and does it again. And the next day! And the day after that! That is what it means to die daily - a long obedience in God's direction!

As you begin this Thanksgiving Day, where will you aim your life? How will you direct your way? Who will you follow? Who will you please? What will you serve? Will you have to get back on course? Have you back tracked or strayed in another direction? Will you aim yourself in God's direction - again?