Is There Room in Your Heart?

We all make time for the things that really matter to us.  We find a way to do them.  Take a very common aspect of daily living - sports.  I recently watched the Iowa Hawkeyes march to victory in the Holiday Bowl in California.  They won convincingly, after a respectable college football season to boot.  I was proud to be a Hawkeye fan that day.  

The game lasted about three hours (give or take).  From time to time, one of my children would ask if I could change the channel to something else.  I said "no", and found myself becoming increasingly annoyed.  How could they possibly want to separate me from my beloved sports team bowl game?  Can't they see how important it is?  Can't they tell what's at stake?

After all the excitement was over, I wondered to myself: maybe it would have been okay to change the channel ... at least for a little bit?  It appears that I had make a three hour section of time off limits for anything else in my life.  We make time for the things that we really want to do.

Years ago, I used to play a board game with my family called Trivial Pursuit.  This consisted of moving little plastic "pies" around the game board, based on whether or not I could correctly answer questions about trivia.  One section of the pie was for entertainment, one for history, etc.  If you were able to answer enough questions correctly for a particular subject, you would be rewarded with a slice of uniquely colored pie.  The goal was to fill up your little 'plastic pie' with every slice.  

I believe it stands to reason that if we think of this as an allegory about modern living, then we can assert we all have a "pie chart" that we could draw for our own lives.  Maybe one section is for money, one section for work, one section for God, etc.  In the board game, each section of the pie was the same size.  But not so with real life.  Often, if we are being honest, I think our slice for God is rather small. We might make time to watch every single college football game during the season, but find it difficult to make it to church service on Sunday morning.  All of our slices are not the same size.

If our own personal pie chart corresponds to the alignment of our heart, then the question stands - have we made enough room in our heart for God?  

An easy way to think about this is to address the universal concept of forgiveness.  Why pick this concept instead of something else?  Because I think unforgiveness is as difficult of a subject for Christians as it is for anyone else.  At no point in time, between the beginning of all things until now, has there been a point where man hasn't struggled with this notion.  In fact, I think that if they ever print a version of the Bible without any of the red text (especially the areas that teach on forgiving each other), many would celebrate.  It is so very easy to allow grudges and unforgiveness to dominate our pie chart.

In Matthew 18:22, when Peter comes to Jesus and asks how many times he must forgive someone who has done him wrong, Jesus says, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

The import is obvious, even if you don't know the symbolic meaning of the number seven in Scripture.  Essentially, we must forgive people all the time.  Now I won't dwell too long on whether or not this means we must invite people who have hurt us back into our lives (I don't think this is always wise).  But rather, Jesus is telling us here that it isn't okay to go thirty years holding a grudge against someone.  We must eventually forgive these people from our hearts, and simply wish them well.  I may not invite the person who cheated me out of some money to dinner, but I'm not allowed to be mad at them forever either. 

Sounds simple, right?  Not so much.  If forgiveness was the standard process, then the world would look and act a lot differently.

The Francis Chan book Crazy Love recounts many stories about people who are actually  living out the Christian faith with reckless abandon.  One account in particular struck a chord with me.  It comes in chapter nine, when Chan talks about a woman named Rachel Saint (no pun intended).  She was a missionary who found herself drawn to a tribe of people who lived in Ecuador called the Waorani Indians.  They were a fierce people, known for bloodshed and murder.  Forgiveness had no quarter with this group of indigenous people.  In fact, new visitors didn't always come back alive! 

After many years, the Waorani tribe eventually took Rachel in, and listened to her recount stories about the Gospel in their own language.  Their culture of revenge and hatred was eventually transformed by God's love.  This is the ideal outcome for any mission work I would think.  But it wasn't a group of people or a large church that accomplished this.  It was God, working through one person, over a period of time.  Rachel's pie chart contained only one slice, and that was obedience to God's Word.

Have we made room in our hearts for God's edicts of love, compassion, and obedience?  How many redundant slices have we accumulated in our own personal pie chart?  Is the slice dedicated to God the largest one?  

My heart-felt advice is ultimately to simply toss out the idea that we should put God into one drawer in an overcrowded desk.  Give up your whole heart to Him, and let everything else fall where it may.  This attitude may lead you to Ecuador like Rachel, or it may lead you down the street to a neighbor's house.  Either way, we make time for the things we really love.  Make sure one of those things is God.



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Keepers of the Aquarium

I would like to begin by quoting a Scripture from Matthew 4:18-20.  It says, "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two bothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.  'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.'  At once they left their nets and followed him."

I noticed something in particular about this passage right away.  Namely, that there was an immediacy surrounding the entire situation.  Scripture says these men were fisherman, and we know that this occupation was fairly stable in first century Palestine.  But as soon as Jesus recruited them, it appears they left what they knew at the drop of a hat.  It would be similar to you and I deciding to leave a cushy job with the government maybe, and then cleaning out our desks and following a strange man into the wilderness to spread the Gospel message.  

The fact remains that they responded to God's call, despite the fear and uncertainty that must have been present.  The Bible also says in other areas of the New Testament, that sheep know their Shepherd's voice.  In this metaphor, Jesus is the good shepherd and his followers are the sheep.  Simon Peter and Andrew knew and trusted God's voice when they were called.  

Would we do the same?  Would we leave the comfort of what we know to serve God in this unabashed sort of way?  Or if we are getting down to basics, the question really becomes: do we know His voice well enough to demonstrate the same immediacy that Peter and Andrew did?

I believe that to be fishers of men (and women) often equates to evangelism.  This means going out into the world and talking about Jesus to other people.  Now this can be stressful of course, not only for the person doing the teaching, but also for those listening!  Have you ever been trapped in an elevator for example, with someone who made you feel uncomfortable?  I think this is the feeling we get when evangelism goes poorly.  The recipient cannot wait for the doors to open and the ride to be over.  We must be careful with the methods we choose to employ.

If we are preparing to fish for souls, then it follows we must check our nets as well.  Make sure they are strong and will hold whatever God sends into them.  We must make sure our nets are accomplishing something for the Kingdom of Heaven.  Are they pointing people to Jesus, or are they simply catching and ensnaring people with no further purpose in mind?  The stakes are high on this one.  

A ministry colleague of mine is known for giving the following formula in an effort to test whether or not our fishing nets hold up.  He says you can simply ask the question, 'we do X so that Y will happen.'  It reminds me of one of those algebra equations I had to work through from my high school days.  Remember having to solve for X in math class?

I will give two examples quickly to help illustrate the point.  We do worship service each Sunday morning, so that people can give back to God each week.  Or how about this example ... we hold community dinners occasionally, so that people know the love of Christ through the ministry of local food outreach.  We do X, so that Y will occur.  And "Y" had better be getting us closer to God.

The point is, that if you test a ministry with this formula, and you cannot narrow down how X and Y gets someone closer to Jesus, then you need to re-think your ministry.  It has failed the formula exam.

Now I think it goes without saying unfortunately, that these dead ministries do exist.  From time to time, you will visit a church (or maybe you have one of these ministries in your own church) where you cannot account for X and Y - and neither can the people running the ministry!  They are often programs that were set up years and years ago by people who may no longer be at the church, but they fill some type of tradition or provide a little piece of comfort for a handful of congregants.  But they are not drawing people closer to Jesus.  In fact, they may be doing the exact opposite.

People tend to think of these ministries the same way a toddler thinks about one of his or her toys.  "It's mine", you may hear them say, "... and no one can take it away from me or change it in any way."  The impetus is placed on the leader or the program itself, and not God.

I often hear about a famous story that transpired in a church years ago, where the leadership team was charged with deciding what color to paint the walls of the fellowship hall.  Some wanted to leave them white, others wanted blue, still others wanted light green.  No agreement could be reached, so they called in a mediator; someone with no dog in the hunt.  Someone who could be unbiased and simply help them reach a decision.

By the end of the two hour mediation, not only could no one solve for X and Y, but one woman was actually heard to say, "this decision has nothing to do with God anyway!"  A hush fell upon the entire group ... the truth had come out.

I am hoping the meeting took a sharp U-turn after that declaration.  The point is that weak nets don't usually yield many fish.  We must keep God at the center of whatever it is we are doing.

Now all of this discussion begs the question 'how then do we evangelize successfully?'  I think this is an important thing to think about.  Many have pondered whether or not there is a magic formula, or a certain book we can follow, etc.  But in my experience (both personal and as an observer), the most effective strategy appears to be offering a personal invitation.  Bite the bullet, swallow your pride, and simply ask your friend if they would like to come to church with you some time.  You won't keel over with embarrassment, it will be okay. 

And I might also add, an invitation every once in a while is enough - not over and over again every time you see them (remember the uncomfortable feeling in the elevator)?

In truth, I was caught in a similar net years ago.  When I was much younger, I remember entering into a time in my life where I often felt lost.  I felt like there had to be something better out there, or up there, or whatever.  But I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  Sound familiar?  The existential search for meaning is something that affects everyone at different stages of their life I think.

During this time, one of my wife's friends happened to extend an invitation to us for a small group that met once a week in her home.  I didn't know anyone else in that group, and I had no idea what their church was like.  But it was literally a case of right time, right place, right personal invitation.  We began attending the small group, and within four years I was helping to fill the pulpit when the pastor was gone on vacation.  

It's amazing what God can do with our nets when we are prayerful and courageous enough to leave the stability and comfort of our bubble, and step out to follow Jesus.  We may in fact end up being fishers of men.  Our arms get stronger from casting and hauling in nets full of fish.

Keep testing what you are doing in your life and at your church.  Keep applying the X and Y formula.  Is your ministry catching anyone?  If so, is it pointing people toward a Holy and loving God?  Or are you arguing about what color to paint the fellowship hall walls?

There is an old saying I like quite a bit.  I cannot find the original author, but I've heard it a number of times.  It makes use of a marine life metaphor, so it fits with all this talk about nets and fishing.  It goes something like this: if churches can be thought of as  aquariums, then we are to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.

Maintaining and running a church and it's associated ministries is important, but not if you cannot solve for X.  Not if you aren't pointing people toward God.  We must leave the safety of the aquarium from time to time.  Keep inviting people, keep sewing strong nets, and keep fishing.  And remember always, ultimately you and I don't save people - God does.  So don't take it personally if the aquarium takes a while to become properly stocked.  God often operates on a different time schedule than we do.  So much the better for the fish.




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Multiplying God's Kingdom

I went to school years ago with someone who I consider to be extremely intelligent.  This person lived on the same floor as I did, and our paths crossed often.  He was good at just about any academic subject under the sun.  But I distinctly remember he also spent almost one-hundred percent of his time playing video games and board games.  This isn't immoral of course, only to say that if his school transcripts were based on hours in front of a screen - he would receive straight A's.  As it happened however, he never studied or focused on academics whatsoever.
 

I remember thinking to myself sometimes what a shame it was.  So much potential, and so much wasted talent.  I have no idea what happened to this man after school.  For all I know, he could have turned things around by now; maybe he is a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon.  But for that brief period of time, it appeared he was squandering the intelligence that God had given him.

I think we all know someone like this.  Maybe it is one of your children, your friends, or a co-worker.  Someone for whom if they simply applied themselves a little bit, they could achieve whatever they wanted.

The Bible tells us a story about a master and his servants.  It is known as the parable of the talents, and I want to recount a piece of Scripture from Matthew 25 for you now.  It says this: "... it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey."

The story goes on to say that the master was gone for quite a while, and while away - his servants decided to either invest and multiply his money ... or hide it in the ground.  For the servant who chose to hide what little money he had been given, there was no return on investment.  No multiplying and no growth.  

When the master finally returned, he rewarded those servants who fearlessly expanded his financial wealth.  For the one who did nothing with the talent (gold); it was trouble.

The parable describes Jesus coming back at some future date and taking stock of what His church has accomplished.  He will sort out who did what, and to whom.  The only question that will matter at that time will be, "what have I done with the time and the opportunities that I have been given?"

Let this question resonate for a bit.  What are we doing with what God has given us?  Are we investing it and expanding His kingdom?  Are we evangelizing and multiplying?  Or are we watching television and playing games all the time.  You will note that the Scripture actually refers to the person who hid the money in the ground as lazy and fearful.  And isn't this true sometimes?  An economic market paralyzed with fear and global uncertainty will stop spending and investing.  They will freeze up, until such time as the world scene stabilizes.  

We must take pains not to freeze up and stifle the spirit of God.  I have often stated that there is no such thing as spiritual neutral.  We are either in hot pursuit of Jesus, or we are backsliding.  God's perfect will does not allow for just hanging out and being content with where we are at for too long.  The message of the Gospel compels us to act and to live out our faith.  To do something. 

Get busy investing the talents that the master has gifted to you.  Don't be so fearful that you hide it in the ground, off in a field somewhere and let it collect dust.  At some point in time - whether now or later - Jesus will in fact come back.  All Scripture points inexorably to that fact.  There is no maybe when it comes to the question of God's return in glory for the Second Advent.  There is only the knowledge that it will happen, and on that day, every knee will bow to the King of Kings.  

When He does return, what will He find us doing?  Hiding his investment out of fear or embarrassment?  Or will He find that we have met with the banker, and the banker talked to the investor, and that we became spiritually wealthy?  Put your gifts to work for God.  Capitalize on the opportunities around you to increase His purpose.  Shift the car out of spiritual neutral and into drive.

It brings me comfort to think back to my college days and wonder about my old friend.  I choose to view him now as a successful person out there somewhere.  I choose to think of him as allowing God into his life, and investing the talents that were given to him.  

May all of us be strong enough and driven enough to multiply God's kingdom here on Earth.  What a joy it will be to hear the words 'well done, good and faithful servant.'  It has been two-thousand years since Jesus walked with us; the world has had time to invest in God.  Now let's show Him a return.



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Finish Strong

I'm not sure that I've ever seen a sport quite like cross country running.  It is something that combines the spirit of an athlete with every ounce of physical prowess they can muster.  Two of my children participate in this sport with vigor and joy.  All I can think to myself sometimes is that if it were me running those races, you would need to scoop me up and wheel me into an ambulance each week!  Or maybe I just need to get in better shape?

But still my two young ones persevere;  they practice almost every day.  This particular season my daughter's high school team managed to make it to state competition.  Parents and coaches could not be more proud.  There will be side stitches and no small degree of physical pain, as many of them cross the finish line that day.  But there is also glory in the big finish I think.  Once you cross through the final stretch and get your time, it is almost euphoric.  Your body gets to rest, and your mind resets.  You did it ... you accomplished the goal.

In much the same way, many of the saints that went on before us in the Bible ask you and I to stay the course on our faith journey.  We are to run the race as best as we can - side stitches and all.  

Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

But there are obstacles to our faith that make it easy to give up.  Things that get in the way of us doing our best and finishing the race.  Truth be told, it is a big deal for some of us simply to get up in the morning and make it to church on Sunday.  I want to address three areas that I believe can have an impact on whether or not we continue fighting the good fight.

The first area has to do with church culture.  Does a church truly accept people as they are?  Can someone show up in ripped blue jeans and still be welcomed?  Will a newcomer feel out of place or right at home?  Studies have shown that people make up their mind about a place within the first thirty seconds.  That is a narrow margin for success.  It doesn't give us much time to say or do all the right things.  

The second area that can be a deterrent to our faith walk is the baggage that people around us may be carrying.  Do the people in your life support your belief in God, or do they accuse you of being a 'religious extremist?'  Do you come from a faith friendly  background, or do you have a set of friends or family who has been hurt by someone in the church?  Sometimes, all it takes is to be categorized as Christian, and there will be people in your circle of influence who might seek to undermine your belief system.

Finally, our faith walk can be difficult because of our own baggage.  What weighs on our own consciousness as we attempt to live a godly life?  Do we have more doubts about God than we are letting on?  Do we struggle with things from our own childhood or past that might stand in the way of us accepting Jesus now?  For many of us, coming to God is a matter of stamping out our own pride and ego.  In order to accept forgiveness from sin, we must first acknowledge that we have sinned.  Sound fun?  Not so much.

Now let's visit our example again from cross country a moment ago.  Most of us know that when it comes to any sport, you need a coach or mentor in order to excel.  If coaches weren't pushing the high school team to run faster and harder, then there is little doubt they would not be heading to state competition.  Indeed, without a coach in our corner, we would begin to run slower and slower.  Eventually, maybe our practises would look more like fast walking than it would running.  

I believe it works the same way with spiritual things also.  If we are not going to church regularly, if we don't have a pastor or leader, if we don't attend the occasional small group - we begin to run slower.  It becomes easier to get off track ... to believe things that don't line up with the Bible.  We can begin to assimilate back into popular culture.

Take Hebrews 10:25 for instance.  It says, "do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another..."  Apparently, missing church was a problem even two thousand years ago.  We must continue to come together regularly.  Continue to encourage, build up, and edify each other.  It is so much easier to finish a race when there are other teammates beside you, and a coach that believes in you.  There is no need to go it alone.

But what are the rewards that come from staying in the race?  Again, I will mention three things.  First, if we stay in the race, I believe it strengthens our faith.  We can move from a superficial faith which asks 'what can God do for me', to a mature faith that asks 'what can I do for God?'  The difference is palpable. 

Second, it allows for us to have a deep and intimate connection to God the Father.  This comes into play in both our day to day lives, as well as those occasional desperate  moments when we really need someone in our corner.  Staying in the race means we get to partner with God and other believers, in order to bring a message of saving grace to those we know and love.  It allows us to shine God's light out into the community.

Finally, fighting the good spiritual fight means that we get to have lives full of meaning and eternal weight.  There is simply no comparison between the person who lives the selfish life, and someone walking in the faith who is living according to God's will.  It would be like comparing week old bread to something fresh out of the oven.  One bite of the fresh stuff, and you are hooked!  It is better to serve God than to serve ourselves.

Little doubt there will be a finish line for each of us someday.  God doesn't expect us to  exist in this confusing (and often dark) world forever.  There will be a time for the believer when we leave this world and come into eternal joy.  And it is at this place where we will get to repeat the words of 2 Tim 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

 I pray that each of us can keep fighting the good fight, and not give up.  And in so doing, help to make the world around us just a little bit kinder, a little brighter, and a bit more reflective of Christ's light.  It's so much easier to see the way when the path is well lit.  Keep the lantern burning; keep fighting.  Finish strong.



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Just a Feeling

I think most would agree, there are times in our lives when we feel loved, and times when we don't.  It can all seem very conditional.  Most (if not all) of the relationships we have are predicated on conduct and behavior, aren't they?  We may stay happily married, as long as we treat our spouse well and stay faithful.  We may in fact retain our friendships, as long as we take pains to keep in touch as the years go by.  In other words, if we do this and that, we will get such and such result.  It's based on the fulfillment of conditions. 

I've often noticed that these types of conditional things can be accompanied by a sort of anxiety.  Just a feeling really, something inside of us that occasionally rears up its ugly head and says, "I hope I've successfully met all the necessary pre-requisites in order to keep a relationship going."  It takes work and effort, and can sometimes be quite exhausting.

Is that the way God's promises work in the Bible also?  Do we need to act perfect and say the right things all the time in order to get the approved stamp?  Some people would seem to think so.  Indeed, walk into some churches wearing the wrong clothes, and it's one strike against you from the jump.  

But I would like to contend here, that when it comes to the promises of the Bible, we aren't banking on just a feeling as it pertains to God's love for us.  I would like to further contend, that when it comes to God's covenants, the hard work was already accomplished by Him (and not us).  This changes the balance of things.  It changes the nature of our relationship with God; or at least it should.

Humbling, isn't it?  When we stop to think about it, the Christian faith is a story about a Holy God coming down to man, and not just man trying to work his way up to God.

Honestly, there will be times when we don't 'feel' God's love in our life.  I'm often enthralled with the writings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Everyone knows that there is hardly a greater example of sainthood to be found anywhere in the world.  She took in the poor, the hungry, and the sick.  She gave faithfully of herself, and had scarcely any personal wealth to speak of.  She was God's worker in a time of need.

But yet she often wrote about the 'dark of night.'  A term which describes a certain emptiness of the soul.  It would appear, that even Mother Teresa went through spells here and there when God seemed distant, or not there at all.

I can pretty much guarantee that if Mother Teresa struggled with her faith from time to time, all of us will be in the same boat at some point in our faith journey!

So how do we counteract this darkness of the soul, when God seems distant and our faith seems strained?  I think one of the main things to remember is that we need to stay in the Word (keep reading the Bible).  As we thumb through the pages and read Scriptures like John 3:16, it is difficult to see anything other than a creator who loves us and cares deeply for us.  Go ahead and try it.  Put down this article right now, and open the Bible up and begin reading.  Tell me it doesn't sound like a love letter written to a people in need.

Israel kept messing up, and God forgave them.  King David committed adultery and tried to have his mistress' husband murdered, yet God called him a man after His own heart. The Pharisees insulted and abandoned Jesus on the cross, but he prayed that his heavenly Father might forgive them, as they knew not what they did.

It is good to read these truths over and over again.  Even better to commit them to memory.  

Try this one from Hebrews 13:5 ... it says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  A short verse but a powerful one.  When the God who made everything and everyone says that He will never forsake you, you may count on that statement as true.  As true as the promise that the sun will come up tomorrow.  And it is true, whether or not we feel it.  He loves us whether or not we notice it in our daily lives.  His words are so much more than just a feeling.

Do you believe this?  I hope so.  Salvation is open to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord.  This means that if you repent of sin and trust in Jesus, you have the great privilege and opportunity of spending eternity with the only being who will love you no matter what, all the time, and forever.  

Jesus has already done the heavy lifting.  As Scripture says, his death on the cross finished the atonement for sin once and for all time.  God extends the offer, and we should accept the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.  It is the final chapter in a celestial love letter written to you and I.  A letter that isn't dependent on conditional and temporal demands.  

How long will God's patient love for us endure I wonder?  After all, in a world where over a million unborn children are put to death each year, where the love of many run cold, and where God is often slandered and insulted, and where pornography runs rampant ... when will enough be enough?

Notice what Matthew 28:20 says about God's gracious love.  It reads "... I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  This is part of what is known as the Great Commission - where Jesus instructs his followers to carry on the faith after He is gone. He promises us that he will be with us, even until the end of all things.

This type of love is too good to be ignored.  Even though we don't see it much in today's world, it is still available to anyone who answers God's call by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.  This is just as true today as it was two-thousand years ago.  

Resting on the fact that God loves us is so much more than just a feeling.  Emotions may come and go, but it appears that God remains steadfast in His position.  A position that says we were worth dying for, we are worth forgiving, and that we are worth saving.

In some ways, I believe this truth is the most important thing that anyone can take away from the Christian tradition.  The idea that we are loved, and that it will endure forever. I am afraid however, because there is so much white noise out there today.  So much Godless talk, greed, envy, and strife in our culture.  So many other ideas competing for our time and attention.  

Go back to the Bible and open it up.  Thumb through the pages that record the history of a Holy God who became man, and then went willingly to be crucified so that you and I could be forgiven.  Then look me in the eye, and tell me that you don't feel loved.




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A Welcome Home Christmas

Christmas is truly a wonderful time of the year.  We get to see friends and family if we are lucky.  We take time out to think about and celebrate the arrival of God's son Jesus.  But sometimes, if you look around during this special season, what you find conflicts with the simple message in the Bible.  We visit shopping malls and department stores, looking for the perfect gift.  Quickly we might find ourselves in the middle of what can look like a doomsday apocalypse!  People with shopping carts elbow to elbow, all reaching up to the store shelves to snatch up that last toy or product.  You must have a game plan firmly in place when visiting these locations, as it is often a fight to get where you want to go.

Occasionally the Internet will save us I suppose, and online shopping can sometimes steer the ship into safer waters.  But here you run into the same problems: stock shortages, lengthy delivery times, and the usual stress.  The venue may change, but the seasonal commercialism stays constant.  It is so often all about money.

I remember one season when a local news station ran a story about Black Friday shoppers at a Walmart.  The geographic location escapes me now, but I remember well the video showing people rushing over one another to buy up merchandise at discount prices.  Small children and the elderly were getting knocked over onto the floor.  A mad dash to meet the demand of the Christmas holiday.  But honestly, what type of celebration is this?  I doubt really that it's for God (not the God of the Bible anyhow).  

But rather, our need to acquire things has replaced the spirit of giving, and the dread of having disappointed children or family members on Christmas morning may have replaced reverence and awe for the creator.  So the masses will go to any length to acquire the perfect present, and to keep up with other families during the holiday season.  We must have our new smart phone or pair of shoes at any cost.

So what does the Bible tell us when we look deeper into the Christmas story?  Most of us know about the manger and the wise men.  We have heard about the difficulty that Mary and Joseph had to go through in order to find a place to prepare for the arrival of baby Jesus.  But let's examine together this passage of Scripture from Matthew 1:23.  It says, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means 'God with us')."

You will note that here Matthew is reproducing a portion of Scripture from the book of Isaiah.  We are talking about what it means to have God with us.   The arrival of the perfect penitent two thousand years ago meant that we now had the Son of Man with us on earth, event though just for a short time.  He was able to eat and talk with us, able to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven.  God with us such that Jesus could show us what it means to love one another, to see and experience God's healing touch ... both to wash away Spiritual sin and physical suffering.  His miracles always had layers of meaning.

What a time to be alive for those around him in first century Palestine!  What an honor and a privilege to be one of his followers.  And how far from this we have come, when I watch video of Black Friday shoppers rolling their carts on top of other people, so they can grab up the perfect gift.

We remember also a Scripture from Matthew 27:50-51: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

Now what does this have to do with Christmas you might wonder.  You see, the temple we are referring to here was the center of religious life in Jerusalem at the time.  It housed a thick curtain which separated the inner Holy dwelling place of God from the outside world.  Only the high priest was permitted to enter this place once a year to make atonement for Israel's sins.  This was serious business - you dare not enter unless you were the priest, and unless you went through the proper cleansing rituals first.  It was a matter of life or death.

When Jesus cried out his last breath on the cross, the Bible tells us that this curtain was torn in half by way of a supernatural earthquake.  Early traditions maintain the curtain was up to four inches thick!  This action both symbolically and figuratively dispensed with the barrier between God and man.  Jesus' death on the cross introduced the new covenant ... the idea that we are now saved by faith through grace.  God replaced the rule book with the blood offering of his Son, once and for all time.

Now we are talking about a real gift here folks.  This is the type of Christmas present that only a faithful and loving God could give to the world I think.  You can't buy it on Amazon and you can't race to a store shelf at Walmart for this one.

Friends, this means that God's grace was now available to everyone, from that point forward.  Is this a reason to buy gifts and celebrate giving?  You bet, but so much more than that.  It means 'God with us' ... Emmanuel.   It means grace and life everlasting to those who take God up on his promise to accept Jesus as lord and savior.  It means ... He desperately desires to welcome us home one day to be with Him.  The arrival of Jesus to Joseph and Mary that day changed everything. 

This is good news.  The fact that God has chosen to be with us also means that you and I can enact His holy will in the world today.  We can be obedient and follow His commands to forgive and love each other.  You and I can reflect the Christmas story on a daily basis if we so choose.  The Bible speaks often about the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is both coming, and has come.  If we are born again friends, we need not wait around for life after death.  We get to transact God's goodness to other people here and now on planet earth.  Christianity is a living faith - it does something.  It gets us up and moving around. 

It appears then, that we have the Christmas story, so that we can also have the salvation story!  This is what a loving God does for his children.  This is what all the Christmas season fuss is about.  This is the best gift we could receive from the Father of Lights, wouldn't you agree?

Romans 10:9 is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture in all the Bible because it's just so simple.  It says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."   

Allow this truth to permeate your family this holiday season.  Let the peace and comfort of God welcome you back home and into His open arms.  Let this be a welcome home Christmas.



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The Honeymoon Phase

We have all heard of the infamous 'honeymoon phase' of a relationship.  It's that exciting time right after you meet someone new, when you just can't get enough of them.  Your thoughts point toward that person frequently throughout the day.  You find yourself daydreaming about how good life would be with them.  This type of new couple tends to fawn over each other out in public.  You get the idea.  

According to a recent survey conducted by 'her magazine', this honeymoon period tends to last around 13 months ... give or take.  I've heard some estimates as high as one to three years.  But then, eventually, this euphoric period comes to an end.  It is at this point, that you are left with the real person - warts and all.  The cute little things they used to do when you first met them may now be extremely annoying.  You have awakened from the dream state of slumber, and reality has set in.  

When we discuss spiritual things, I can't help but think of what it's like to be a new Christian.  Everything is so new and exciting.  There is a thirst for Biblical knowledge and existential meaning.  All of a sudden, God shows us this realm of truth that we haven't yet experienced during any other time in our life. 

In some circles, they refer to these folks as 'Baby Christians.'  Though I find this term slightly derogatory, they are most definitely in the honeymoon stage with God.  He is often answering prayers, engaging peoples' hearts and minds, and showing them a whole new world.  Sometimes there is zeal without knowledge, and we might say or do things that offend other people during this time.  Often we cannot blame the baby Christian; they are new at this.  

I remember this phase of my own life.  It was like God gave me two years or so, in order that I might read and research all about Him.  I wasn't necessarily active in the church yet, just a seeker looking for answers.  What an exciting time to be alive!

But the question always looms in the background.  Do we stay Baby Christians forever ... or do we grow up and mature?  After all, the honeymoon stage can't last forever.  We should eventually graduate up to that next thing that God has in store for us.  

Hebrews 5:12 says this about the situation: "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!"

True enough - we cannot stay infants for long; nor should we.  What the author of Hebrews was describing here is exactly what we should guard against.  When it is time for God to grow us, we need to move on to solid food.  We need to gain an understanding about what God has done in our lives, how we are to forgive other people, and the ways in which the Holy Spirit moves throughout the body of the church.

I once preached a sermon about knowing and understanding the 'Big Five' points of the Christian faith.  In that sermon, I touched on things like the resurrection of Jesus, the second coming, the Trinity, repentance, and the atonement for the forgiveness of sins.  All things that I believe a mature Christian needs to be thinking about and applying to their lives.  This is solid food, good for nurturing the soul and evangelizing other people.

But what do we find when we look inside some churches today?  Do we see mature Christians practicing humble repentance, forgiveness, and living in the Spirit?  This is hard to say.  We all know that one person who maybe exhibits these characteristics from that one church we went to a long, long time ago ... right?  But just think how wonderful it would be if we found this to be true most of the time, and in most churches. 

The stakes are high on this one.  In my opinion, it certainly appears that Jesus wants us to switch over to solid food as soon as possible.  According to the Bible, we are to seek his face and his guidance as we pursue the things of God.  We are to 'stay in the vine' as it were (John 15), because without Jesus, we can accomplish nothing.  Nothing that matters in the eternal sense, at any rate.  Money, houses, cars, and status will all be worthless by the time you and I pass away.  In fact, most likely they will be given to someone else after we are gone.  Let that sink in for a moment.

Scripture also says that the mature Christian should stand out in a crowd.  That we should be a lamp on a lamp stand, such that those around us may take notice of the light being generated.  But we dare not become arrogant, as this light is from God.  It was never just us; you know that, don't you?

May God continue to work in our day-to-day lives.  May He bless you and your family, and coax you gently into moving forward with your personal development.  I also pray that each of you reading this have the courage and forethought to recognize when He is leading you toward that plan.  The plan to mold us into disciples of the living Jesus (and not just followers).  A plan to prosper and grow us. 

If you are just beginning to explore God's truth, then relax and enjoy the ride.  In fact, I think God enjoys it also.  If you have been a practicing Christian for several years, then hopefully you are on solid food.  Milk and formula will only sustain us for a short while.  Sooner or later, we must all take a stab at sitting at the grown-up table.  The food is more flavorful there anyway.




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A Still, Small Voice

Who doesn't love a good Old Testament story from the Bible?  I remember one in particular about a prophet named Elijah. You may remember that he went to Mount Horeb (later called Mt. Sinai), to hide in a cave out of fear and desperation.  Something that I think many of us feel like doing from time to time. In this particular case, however, there was a death threat against him and all the prophets of God. He refused to commit idolatry and bow down to Jezebel's false god.  Worship of false gods and idols was very common in those days, and Elijah wasn't the only one affected.  He was the only one left still alive at this point, however, and so he was quite discouraged. 

1 Kings 19:11-13 says this, "Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

I think the first question we can ask from this passage is: what is our proverbial cave?  Where do you and I hide out? Are we too busy with too many extracurricular activities? Do we hide in a relationship, and bounce from mate to mate perhaps?  Or maybe we hide behind religion, attending every church service - but never praying or growing as a Christian. 

It isn't difficult to find a 'cave' every now and then.  An area of our lives where we feel like giving up, or simply running away.  The quintessential 'shelter in the storm.'  

But do we find time to talk to God regardless? To meditate on His Word? In other words, do we take time to listen for that still, small voice of the Lord?  Personally, I want to hear His voice; I never really get tired of it.  It always seems to have that same ring of truth to it.

I believe an example was set in my Bible study group at work years ago.  A collection of us met regularly during lunch, and each week it was someone else's turn to bring a piece of Scripture and a lesson.  A very rewarding experience I would add! 

As it happened, I worked with a lady that was caught in the 'wind and the earthquake and the fire' mentioned in the passage above, for most of her life. We will call her Kim (not her real name). It’s not her fault of course, things happened to her in her life that were out of her control.  Things that would lead any sane person to wonder if God was really up there.  Things that shouldn't be allowed or condoned in our society ... but yet they still occur. 

At one point during one of our lessons, Kim made the decision to accept Jesus and see what all the fuss was about.  We prayed a prayer asking God to come into her heart, and she was actually saved and born again right there in that small office.  You could feel the Holy Spirit in the air.  

I've lost track of Kim over the years, I hope she is doing well.  I hope that she has weathered all of those storms also, and that she continues to search out and learn about God.  Through the driving force of suffering and tragedy, Kim sought out a holy God.  A God who whispered in a still, small voice ... just loud enough for only her to hear.  She counts herself lucky, actually.  So is anyone who hears the voice of the Lord.



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Desiring God

Have you ever watched people rush to eat a free meal?  It can often sound like a herd of antelope crossing the African Savannah.  This is how strong the urge can be to take advantage of food at a bargain basement price.  I witnessed just such a thing recently while my family and I were on vacation at the Gulf Coast.  

We stayed at a nice resort hotel right on the beach in the panhandle of Florida.  One thing that this particular spot is known for, is a free breakfast to anyone who vacations there.  Around eight-o-clock in the morning, you had better already have a spot in line for food.  If not, then you will need to get out of the way.  All of a sudden, the antelope rush in ... hordes of people clamoring to get in line and grab a plate.  Chivalry must truly be dead, because it wasn't always women and children first!

Even if you are lucky enough to get a plate and silverware before the supply runs short, it's still no guarantee that you will find a table to sit down and eat.  Huddled masses of people line the walls and entry way - first the tables fill up, and then the booths.  Pretty soon, it's standing room only.  

I couldn't help but think to myself, what if people rushed to God in the same way?  What if churches were so full that you couldn't find a place to sit?  What if people had that same look of hunger and desperation for the sermon or the music, as they do for a free breakfast?  What if ...

These questions loomed as I watched the food lines ebb and flow throughout the morning.  One person had pancakes stacked so high on their plate that it looked like a Dr. Seuss illustration from the book 'Green Eggs and Ham.'

Listen to how Psalm 73:25 describes how the human heart should focus on God.  It says, "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

Honestly, it's true.  There is nothing here on earth that we can take with us when we pass from this world to the next.  Who else but God should we be seeking?  Why would we want to be anywhere else but His church on Sunday morning?

And again, we read Psalm 119:81 which says, "My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word."

As I watch all the people rushing to the head of the breakfast buffet at the resort, I wonder to myself: what do these folks long for spiritually?  Is it God?  And if so, do they run and seek Him in the same desperate manner?

Nominal Christianity is a big problem today.  If we are to trust those little surveys asking us to check this box or that one, then a good percentage of people are checking the "none" box.  This means that they do not consider themselves Christian, or any other faith.  But rather, their spiritual tradition is simply ... 'none.'  No faith whatsoever.

This of course, doesn't bode well for the twenty-first century church.  Sunday morning is often in stiff competition with sports practices, shopping trips, or the like.  And for many tired people, I suspect it is the only time during the week they get to rest.  

Here is my question for you today.  Do you desire God?  Do you tuck away His word in your heart?  Are you desperate for Him?

Years ago, we went on one of those "free" vacations, where you have to listen to a sales pitch for a time share condominium.  It was on the East Coast that time, and just a short distance from Virginia Beach.  When it came time for my wife and I to visit the sales office, we quickly discovered that our two hour presentation turned into half a day.  A very eager young man was trying to make his commission I think, by selling us a time share package we didn't need.  

At one point, the conversation took an interesting turn as the salesman began to discuss his grandmother's faith.  He said her favorite Scripture was Psalm 91.  My wife and I looked at each other in amazement, as we both realized that only months earlier - she had gone to get a tattoo of this same Biblical passage.  The stars had lined up for us that day I guess, as the Scripture that the young man talked about also graced my wife's left shoulder.

To be exact, it was Psalm 91:1-4.  It says this, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'  Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

We are to trust in God.  He is our refuge and our shield.  And if we need to run anywhere, then run to Him.  

My advice for this generation is to stay desperate for God.  Cultivate that strained look in your eye not for a quick visit to a resort breakfast buffet, but rather to a God that offers the type of water where you will never go thirsty again.  To drink from the spiritual cup of Jesus, and thus stay satiated.  Trust me, this is much more than the world can offer us anyway.

Desire God's word and His presence in your life.  Attend services at His house on Sunday morning; fight the urge to do something else.  How wonderful it would be for God's house here on earth to be standing room only.




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Am I Going to Heaven?

Another great family vacation is in the books.  We traveled to Florida for a week of rest and recreation - one of our favorite destinations.  We decided not to drive this time, as that road trip takes around 20 hours.  With three kids and no guarantee of good weather, I thought it best to fly.  Air travel means airport security of course, and my heart actually goes out to all of the TSA folks that work the gate.  It is their difficult job to assess, search, and double-check each person's luggage and carry-on bag before they can board.

In our situation, we took pains to make certain that anything like liquid or toothpaste was stored in a bag that would be checked in the luggage compartment of the plane.  As we went through the process of taking off our shoes, placing everything we owned in little gray crates on a conveyor belt, and walking through a metal detector ... I noticed that my daughter's bag had been sectioned off for additional hand searching.

She noticed this as well, and immediately began to panic.  She politely pinched the sleeve of my shirt and said, "Ummm Dad, they have my bag."

Sure enough, one of the TSA agents was shuffling through her carry-on.  The item responsible for flagging the X-ray scanner turned out to be a small cylinder of liquid perfume.  This is dangerous for everyone on board the airplane apparently (read into my skepticism here), and so they asked us what we wanted to do.  She could either go back upstairs to the terminal and check the item, or throw it away.  

We told her we would buy her another one when we got home, so the decision was made to discard the perfume.  The agent winged it into the trash can with a loud 'clunk' sound right in front of us.  It was a tense walk to our gate from that point on.

It forced me to think about some things however.  That feeling of wondering whether or not we were 'good enough' to make it through security that day translates well into the spiritual arena I think.  How many people wonder if they are good enough for God?  How many wonder quietly to themselves, "I hope I'm good enough to get into Heaven someday."

It's an honest question for a thoughtful person, and it deserves some attention.  Many groups throughout history have pondered it.  Many have tried to live by what I call the 'Graceless Gospel' for example.  The idea that you must earn your way to heaven based on good works and proper moral living all on your own.  That we have to be continually obedient to God and live relatively good lives, and then God will stamp us with the Approved stamp.

Or how about using grace as fire insurance for salvation?  In other words: I will live however I want to, and then claim the blood of Jesus on my deathbed.  Based on this philosophy, any liar, cheat, or sociopath can be perfectly confident of their salvation - as long as they say the sinner's prayer at the very end, right?  Here there is an overabundance of assurance based on a misunderstanding of how both faith and good works go together.

Some have also claimed holiness by association.  In other words, because they have an uncle, parent, or friend who is a pastor or deacon for example ... God's gift of atonement will somehow rub off on them as well.  They don't need to go to church or accept Jesus personally, but rely solely on the relationship with that other person in order to get the spiritual job done.

And finally there exists a fallacy that we will have 'plenty of time' to decide what to do about Jesus.  The idea that I will live out my twenties or thirties happily doing and living however I want to at the time, and then when I am eighty-five years old and in poor health, then I will come to God.  If only we were all lucky enough to live eighty-five years on this planet, that method might work.  But of course, no one knows how much time they really have.

All of these strategies have one thing in common.  They still allow the seed of doubt to sneak in.  "Am I really good enough?"  "Will God really accept me when it's my time?"  They all neglect the personal component of a relationship with Jesus.

Let us examine for a moment, Philippians 2:12.  It says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

Upon first reading this passage, one might conclude that we should all be scared to death when dealing with God.  But I believe once we rightly divide this Scripture based on other places in the Bible, we can be confident that it really means we ought to simply be mindful and determined when we think about eternal salvation, in a way that shows reverence and awe for God.  Typically in the Bible when Scripture talks about the fear of the Lord, it refers to being respectful and obedient.  Not to be fearful the way that people are afraid of a burglar, or afraid that something bad might happen to them.  

The good news here, is that those sixty-six books in the Bible weave together a poetic story line that shows us exactly how we can have an assurance in our eternal state.  An assurance without having to wonder or be nervous.

Take for example something often known as the Roman Road to Heaven.  It is a simple guide - constructed of short Scripture passages from the book of Romans - that outlines how you and I might become born again.  It goes something like the following.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).  God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us (Rom 5:8).  The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23).  [Therefore] if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9).  [So then] everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom 10:13).

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

Thanks to the apostle Paul, servant of God, for laying this out so succinctly for us.  It applied to people two-thousand years ago, and it applies to us today.  And it leads us inexorably in my opinion, to this fantastic truth from Romans 8:1-2, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

It appears (gratefully), that God no longer holds our sins against us if we have Jesus in our lives.  In fact, if we have traveled the Roman Road to Heaven, we actually can have assurance.  We need not wonder all the time whether or not we are good enough.  The walk through the TSA airport security station will be a piece of cake.  In fact, we can skip that check all together, and take the narrow side door straight onto the concourse.

Later in our vacation, after we got to our resort to check in, I couldn't help but overhear a conversation between a young couple and the front desk attendant.  Apparently the hotel had no record of their reservation.  The computer system wasn't cooperating that day.  I could see the look of desperation on their faces as the clerk tried to assure them that things would probably be okay.  Who knows how many miles they had traveled to get there.  Did they have to go through airport security also?

I would much rather have my Roman Road reservation intact, with an assurance that in Christ Jesus, there is no longer any condemnation.  To be certain that God is there for me, in ways that I cannot understand or quite yet fathom this side of heaven.  In ways that lead me successfully through the confusion of this world, and into His waiting arms on my last day.  Doesn't this sound like a better way to travel?



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Keeping Pace with God

Everyone loves a good story.  Churches especially love a story about a dramatic religious experience I think.  These types of things often sell books, draw crowds, and make for some compelling testimony.  In certain denominations in fact, people have trouble believing you are born again, unless you can recount something dramatic and noteworthy.  

But what about people who have a far less adventurous story to tell about their faith?  What about those of us who haven't had to face the threat of martyrdom, or the dramatic impact of an immediate conversion?

I would like to discuss two kinds of experiences that I think people have when it comes to an interaction with God.  Many have heard the saying that John or Jane Doe had a 'Road to Damascus' conversion when it came to the faith.  But what does this really mean?  If we look at Acts 9, we see the story of Saul's encounter with the real Jesus.

Acts 9:1-7 says, "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything."


We see here that Saul (who would later become the apostle Paul) had a miraculous, dramatic encounter with God's son.  Not only did it blind him for three days, but it forced him to re-think everything he thought he knew about being zealous for God's justice.  We know that later, Paul goes on to become one of the pillars of the church - delivering the Good News to the Gentile nation as an ambassador for the true Jesus.  

His story would have made a great sermon.  It would have drawn crowds ... it would have sold books.  Unfortunately, it also eventually landed him in prison.  Sometimes this is what happens.

Moving back a bit now to the Gospel of Luke, we read about two men who had an entirely different experience when it came to knowing the Lord.  Luke 24 recounts the story which has become familiar to us as the account of the 'Walk to Emmaus.'  

Luke 24:13-19 says, "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”  “What things?” he asked.  "About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people."


So here we have an example of two people with a long trip ahead of them - the seven mile journey gave them plenty of time to think and talk.  Some translations of the Scriptures say that they 'reasoned together.'  Even after Jesus appears to them on the road, it is by way of a soft, inquisitive pronouncement.  No flashes of lightening or deep, booming voices here.  An entirely different experience than Saul had while traveling to Damascus.

I believe many who have come to God, know Him in this manner.  Perhaps they have studied His ways quietly over decades.  Maybe they were raised in the church since they were children.  Whatever the method, it is clear that God's drastic treatment of Saul is not necessary for everyone.  The faith journey can also be contemplative and reflective as well. 

At this point some may feel a question looming.  "So which way is better" they might wonder.  A strange question really, in terms of its content.  It suggests that God's treatment of one person or group of people may be somehow worse than His treatment of another.  As if it were up to you and I to make a proper judgment here regarding the best way to get saved.

I think it is fairly clear, that either way is edifying.  Whichever type of testimony you have to tell (whether it would sell books or sell hearts) is worth telling.  And the fact of the matter is, if God performed a miracle in your life and delivered you from the surrounding world to set you apart for the faith; He probably wants you to repeat it to other people.

Chances are, you will not end up in prison like Paul, and that is okay.  Someone out there still needs to hear what you have to say.  They need to hear your dramatic conversion, or your walk to Emmaus.  

But the last thing I wish to discuss is more disturbing.  What if your experience with God was neither the flash of lightening or the pleasant walk?  What if you are showing up to church out of obligation only?  What if you can recount every piece of local church history, but you don't really know Jesus?

The Bible is clear that in order to enter the narrow gate and become heaven-bound, we must be born again of water and the spirit.  We must be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We must truly know Him ... not just know about Him.  No two conversion experiences are exactly alike, but there must be an experience. 

I am often reminded of John 14:6.  It says, "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So simple, isn't it?  There is no other method of atonement offered to humankind except through the Son of God.  You will not find your salvation in Buddha, Mohammad, Oprah, Dr. Oz, or even the Pope.  It is Jesus only who saves.

I love talking to people about their experiences.  I often hear a version of either the Road to Damascus, or the Walk to Emmaus.  But always, God seems to tailor that experience to be exactly what the person needed at the time they needed it.  God is sovereign, that is what He does.

We need not worry so much about keeping pace with our creator; He will find us when it's time.  But I do think we need to listen for Him, and open ourselves up to what He has to say to us.  And this can be a daily regimen.  It means praying, looking, and hearing what the Spirit has to say to our hearts.  

And when Jesus does speak to you ... please listen.  If you hear that knock on the door, let Him in.  We have the choice not to of course, that is our prerogative.  But what a testimony we end up with when we decide to walk together with the Father of Lights.



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