Is This That?

Read Acts, chapter 2.

Amazing things were happening!  It was the Day of Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago.  The followers of Jesus were so excited about God that the pilgrim visitors to Jerusalem thought they must be drunk.  When Peter got up to speak, the only logical reason he could give why these disciples were not drunk was that it was too early in the day!  He said, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" and then Peter quoted the words that spoke of many signs and wonders taking place(Joel 2:28,29).

Here in this great coming out party the church was born!  When you see the results of the early days of the church of Jesus Christ and look at today's  congregations you have to wonder, "Is this that?"  There are three main elements to to that early church:

1)  Proclamation.   vss. 14-40.  Peter proclaimed Christ.  He spoke of the life of Jesus and his death.  But the Pentecostal Preacher spoke mostly of the resurrection of Christ.  The portions of the message that deal with the history of Jesus have 13 dealing with the resurrection versus 2 dealing with his life and death.  Jesus lived and perfect life and died an agonizing sacrificial death but the thing that sets Christianity apart from other religions and that thrills all who think of death is that he is alive!  He has conquered death!  Peter says that the coming of the Holy Spirit is the proof that Jesus lives and is Lord(vs.33).

2)  Transformation  vss. 1-13, 41   Clearly, people's lives were radically changed!  This miracle, in itself is another proof of Jesus' resurrection.  The followers of Christ went from being cowardly, timid, and silent disciples to being exuberant, enthusiastic, and brave.  And the Holy Spirit anointed message of Peter cause another 3,000 people to do the same.

3)  Dedication.  vss. 42-47     All these on fire servants of Christ now spent the bulk of their free time in dedicated Bible study, prayer, fellowship worship, and evangelism.  There existed among the people of The Way and unity and love that impressed still others to give their lives to Christ!

Again, as I look at churches today, I ask, is this that?  And if this isn't that, then why not?

From Gay to Hero

Announcement by NBA player, Jason Collins that he is gay has been very favorably received.  There is no question in my mind that Jason or any player should have the love and respect of coaches, teammates, opponents, fans, media, and others.  Jason should be treated just like any other pro athlete.

My personal problem comes when people try to make Jason Collins into a hero.  He has been praised as a courageous pioneer who risked everything to tell the world about his sexual orientation and (I assume) his sexual activity with other men.  I will give him the benefit of the doubt about his motives.  However, you have to wonder why he waited until a time when he appeared to be washed up as a player, released by the Washington Wizards.  He is a journeyman player who never played much and is now, at age 34, at or near the end of his career.   He is expected to receive many endorsements  now that he has ":come out" and there will be a lot of pressure for some team to give him a job.  This move may have been courageous or it may have just been smart, but it is hard to see him as a hero.

After having seen and thoroughly enjoyed the movie 42, I am amazed that some are calling Jason Collins another Jackie Robinson.  How dare they!  Jackie was denied a chance to play major league baseball simply because he was black.  When he got the chance to play he put up with insults, name-calling, extreme prejudice, and even violence.  He did not have to come out because he was clearly an African American.
Jason, on the other hand, has  played pro ball for eleven years.  He hid the fact that he was gay.   He came out at a time when his career is almost over and society has a favorable view of homosexuality.  If he plays again, he will, no doubt hear some name-calling but he will not come close to  what Robinson had to endure.

I recall the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 1 as he recounts humankind's fall from God.  "Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.  And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other.  Men did shameful things with other men..."  Paul's closing statement reminds me of all the praises that have been given to Jason Collins by the media, pro athletes, politicians,  and entertainers: "Worse yet, they give hearty approval to those who practice them."

Just Thinking

Questions I often ask myself or God(and sometimes I already know the answer):

Why can't everyone be like me?

Why is English grammar so bad these days(as if I am one to talk!)
 i.e. "We talked about us going to a movie"
      "He likes you and I.".
      "Where is it at?" 

Why do people leave their shopping carts in the parking lot?

Why does God allow Alzheimer's Disease?

What is infinity?

"Saved by grace through faith"  What does that really mean?

Why do people treat the Bible like a cafeteria?

How do astronomers calculate the distances of the universe? (I know it has something to do with math but I still don't understand)

Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?

Did Adam have a belly-button?

Why are restaurants so cold in the summertime?

How can the moon cause the tides of the ocean?

How are our bodies put back together in the resurrection?

Why do movies have so many cuss words in them?(I think I will write a blog on that one)

Can anyone really explain the Trinity?(I can, but it still baffles me)

Why does Jesus love me?(I don't know but He does)

Why can't everyone be like me?(The answer is found in the above questions)

How and why are you still reading this ridiculous stuff?

Should I stop know?

Oh, one more:  Why do some men wear ball caps into nice restaurants?

 

It Was for Our Benefit

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Why was the stone over Jesus' tomb rolled away?  He was already gone.  A mere stone cannot keep the resurrected Lord from escaping the throws of death.  No, He didn't need the stone rolled away.  But we did.  It was for our benefit.  That bolder was dislodged and the grave open so we could look in and see that Jesus was gone.

The angel told the first lookers; "If you're looking for death, you won't find it here.  Jesus, who was crucified is not here, He is risen!  When we look into a dead situation we can trust God that He has the power to bring resurrection out of it.  I believe that He wants us to look at death and see life.  He wants us to understand that "all things" really do "work together for good for those who love Him".

Really, the whole cross event(death, burial, resurrection of Christ) was for our benefit.  God does not need us. He is perfect!  He needs nothing.  From creation to redemption God did it all for us.  He isn't missing anything.  But, since He is love, He has done it all to love us and to show us that love.

Somewhere in eons past--in a time before time--God made a decision that His nature--His character would be love.  He is a giving God.  That's who He is.  He gives because that is what He does.  He doesn't need to give, He just gives.  He doesn't need  our praise and thanksgiving, it just comes naturally to Him when we realize that the stone was rolled away for our benefit.

Hallelujah!

something big

Then Jesus shouted out again and released his spirit.  At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.  The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened.  The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.  They left the cemetery after Jesus' resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
The roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened.  They said, "This man truly was the Son of God!"  __Matthew 27:50-55

It is very difficult to explain and understand all that occurred on the cross but, for sure, it was something big.  It was so big that a gigantic earthquake took place which changed religion and death forever.  And that's awfully big!

That earthquake caused the curtain in the sanctuary to tear in two.  Religion would never be the same!   The curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple and the rest of the world,  That room was where the art of the covenant sat and it was here only the High Priest could go and Him only once a year.  God's presence was so strong there that bells were tied to the priest's robe so people could hear them ringing and know he had not died in the Lord's presence. A rope was tied to his leg so if he did die, the priest could be pulled out without anyone else going in and risking their own lives.

Before this event religion was, well...religion.  It was not personal as much as it was propositional.  Do everythng just the right way, say the right words and hope it mattered to the deity.  The breakdown of the religious barriers was the breakdown of the barriers to knowing God.  Jesus' sacrificial death for us opened up the free access to have a personal relationship with God  It's no longer about how I am doing, it's about how He is doing and He's doing just great! "What a friend we have in Jesus" cause when we are with Him we are talking to God, being forgiven, an receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Just to prove that death was no longer the same, a bunch of dead saints' rotting  remains raised up with full bodies.   What an earthquake!  The Roman soldiers were terrified by this.  Death is as certain as taxes but now it doesn't seem to have the punch it once had.  Death is the debt we all must pay but the big thing Jesus did on the cross was pay that debt for us.   That earthquake and the disruption of death is a demonstration that proves death has lost its power.  Now thats big. 

I suggest we believe it and accept it so we can be called Children of God and live eternally with Him forever,.

doing without

We had a major catastrophe at our church last week!  Our projector broke down.  I had to lead our Wednesday night Bible study without power point.   And on  Sunday we had to sing from our hymnals instead of  from the screen.   It is amazing that the Lord showed up anyway.  We had two very good services and did not seem to miss the technology.

It is interesting to me that churches(and people) start to depend on things that really aren't that important in the overall scheme of things.  Technology is great and it can be used to reach people for Christ but we do not worship it.  We worship the Lord Jesus Christ who must be present for a church to really attract people.  The gospel got along just fine before computers, projectors, the internet, pianos, organs, hymnals, pews, pulpits, and even the printing press.  It is good to have the  latest stuff in proclaiming the gospel but we should remember that the Spirit and the Word operate in a different realm.  God is what counts.  We absolutely need Him!

compromise on abortion

They say that politics is the art of compromise.  If so, how do you compromise on issues that seem so black and white?  Abortion rights is one of those issues that has very little room to give.  The only uncertainties that I can see are in the early days after conception.  When a woman's egg is fertilized it becomes a zygote and travels to the uterus where it becomes a Blastocyst and attaches to the uterus.  After about 3 weeks the blastocyst has become an embryo and the baby has the beginnings of all his or her organs, systems, and brain activity,   So we know there is human life after about 3 weeks but can differ about what point prior to becoming an embryo human life exists.  There is some room for compromise during that 3 week time of early pregnancy,

Is there compromise for cases where you know the child will be severely handicapped?   We all know children with Downs Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, and other severe cases of birth defects who were permitted to live and had much to give to those who loved them.  Just because a child will not be "normal" should not disqualify that person from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Who are we to say that this child of God should not be born?  Though I am against allowing abortion for reasons of severe handicap, I might compromise on the issue if I felt such an exception would result in more stringent laws preventing the vast majority of abortions.

There is also the issue pregnancy as a result of rape or incest.  Tragic as those events are it must be recognized that such babies are lives also.  They deserve to live.  But again, I might be willing to compromise and allow abortion for cases of rape or incest if I could get all other abortions outlawed.  Abortion for rape, incest, or severe handicap is only less than 5% of all procedures done.

Lets get busy and do what we can to limit all abortions and outlaw some. 

These battles are fought on political fronts and political tactics must be used.  We must make some compromises in order to keep public opinion on our side.  We may never get back to the pre-1972 years but we can save thousands of lives.  It is already happening.  Time Magazine recently had a cover story that talked about all the small victories the pro-life forces are having.  Pro-choice is on the run!  The right to choose abortion is a terrible thing.  What choice does the unborn baby have?  We have the high moral ground.  Lets win some battles that will eventually lead to the end of the war.  But we will have to make some compromises along the way.  And we may never get all we want.  But many babies will be spared murder.