Brought Near by the Blood of Christ

Recently I found myself dropping off two of my kids at the middle school so they could clean out their lockers.  The semester ended abruptly in March, as fear of the COVID-19 virus began to grip the community.  Schools all across America (and other countries as well) closed down for the rest of the year.  Jackets and books were still in lockers, and everything went on hold.  Finally it had come time to send the young ones back to the school building so they could grab their items.  

As I pulled the car around onto the familiar S-curved side street by the school, my two boys jumped out and ran toward the front door.  All of a sudden, I had this strange pang of emotions run through me.  It was a contrast between joy, irony, and nostalgia.  I realized in an instant that I had taken for granted the simple act of dropping off youngsters at school.  Who would have thought that this little action could have meant so much?  I remember so often lamenting about not really having time to get there and back in the mornings because of my job.  Those complaints seemed silly now.  

The apostle Paul is really good at clarifying things in the New Testament.  In many of his epistles, the reader is left wondering things like, "oh yeah, why didn't I think of it that way?"  He tends to put things in a way that brings silly complaints to light. 

If we look at Ephesians 2:11-13, it says, "Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called 'uncircumcised' by those who call themselves 'the circumcision' (which is done in the body by human hands) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

I believe that Paul here is exhorting the church in Ephesus to remain humble, and not get cocky when it comes to living Godly lives.  And this advice goes for everyone, even two-thousand years later.  We dare not take our salvation or inclusion in the divine family for granted.  If it weren't for God's son coming to Earth on a rescue mission for you and I, we would still be lost in our sins.

Recall that during this time-frame (and prior to the arrival of Jesus) the Jewish religious sect often considered the Gentiles (people of non-Jewish birth) as somehow lower or less pure than themselves.  In the same way that it would be frowned upon for a Samaritan to spend time with a Jew back then, they viewed the Gentile people as lacking the one true faith tradition.  You can imagine what happened when Paul began to argue in the Synagogues that regular people were loved by God just as much as the religious elect.  He wasn't always popular. 

And nowadays, some people have 'paid it forward' with this type of religious aristocracy.  But instead of the traditional religious Jew versus the Gentile, it is now the Christian zealot versus the unbeliever.  In other words, some in the church today flaunt their religious knowledge as a weapon, designed to belittle or talk down to those who don't yet know Jesus.  Same situation, different era.  We must not take the inclusion provided to us by God for granted by holding it over someone else's head.  This doesn't show the love of Jesus, and it isn't what God meant when He said that love sums up all of the prophets and commandments.  We don't deserve God's grace any more than we can earn our own salvation.  Therefore, there is no impetus for arrogance. 

What a world it would be, if we could divorce personal pride and status from religious fortitude.  If we could advertise God by way of a personal relationship with His son, instead of the rule book mentality.  Contained in the pages of the Bible resides both grace and verisimilitude, as well as edicts and commandments.   And I love God for this by the way.  It seems almost as if the Bible was constructed in just such a way so that if anyone reading it began to feel a bit overconfident about obeying the law, then the next page all of a sudden emphasizes faith instead.  Likewise, if we become too conceded about our faith walk, then it won't be long before we stumble across a Scripture that remind us that works matter also.  

Well school will be back in session at some point I would assume, whether that will consist of returning to a physical building or not.  Perhaps it will be half and half - some remote learning and some classroom work also?  At any rate, I will try never again to take for granted the simple act of dropping off my boys at the S-curve again.  Pretty soon they will be in high school anyway, and then before I know it, I will be sitting in the bleachers on graduation day.  

Don't take God for granted, nor your relationship with His son either.  You were purchased at great cost Scripture says, but trust me ... you didn't earn your way into grace (and neither did I).  We are brought near to God by the blood of Christ.  It is a gift, and if we are wise we will accept it.  Things have a tendency to go better when we listen to God, especially in the spiritual sense.  And when we really understand the sacrifice part of our Christian heritage, then pride and arrogance will have no quarter with us.  We will take nothing for granted.



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Six Feet Apart

According to most people, we are living in a time referred to as the 'new normal.'  Due to constraints put on our society from the COVID-19 pandemic, people are strongly encouraged to participate in social distancing.  This term had no meaning six months ago for most of us.  Now it is all over the nightly news.  Churches had to close, at least for a while.  People have begun working from home over the Internet.  And if you don't happen to be computer savvy or Internet wise, then you spend a lot of time at home ... alone.  Sometimes isolated from your family, friends, and even co-workers.  Phone calls and letter writing help, but it has been made clear to me in recent months that people are social creatures.  Even the staunch introvert craves personal interaction from time to time.  And if you do go out in public, the new mantra has become six feet apart.  Supposedly, this is the amount of space that ensures our safety from other people who may be carrying the virus.  

Now I want to mention here, that this feeling of loneliness and hopelessness isn't new, it has happened before in history.  There was the Spanish Flu in 1918, and the Black Plague from the middle ages.  Not to mention the recent splash of smaller pestilences in the last twenty years or so.  But I want to go even further back for a moment.  

Bible historians will recall that Jerusalem in the year 586 B.C. wasn't a pretty sight.  The city walls had been demolished by an invading army, and the town itself had many areas that were leveled.  No doubt God's people also felt alone and afraid.  This was the backdrop for the prophet Jeremiah when he wrote the Book of Lamentations.  

Listen to this piece of Scripture from chapter 3, verses 22-26: "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  'The Lord is my portion', says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.'"

It appears that the people who inhabited Jerusalem at that time were also waiting to come back together again ... to be strong once more.  They were waiting on God to rebuild their culture, infrastructure, and their way of life.  Wanting to live without fear and anxiety again.  Sound familiar?

Many of us today are seeking solace in modern medicine and technological advances.  Who wouldn't be listening to scientists and doctors right now?  But for some, I believe that whether or not we get a vaccine has become the mainstay of their faith.  We know from dealing with other types of coronaviruses (the common cold for example), that it is very difficult to pin down a cure.  These types of bugs change and mutate quickly from one season to the next.  And I know that this reality scares many people to their core.  What if there isn't a successful vaccine?

Now let me interject here that I would be just as happy as anyone else if they rolled out a cure in the next few months.  But my point is this: at the end of the day, who are we relying on to rebuild and renew our society?  I have a feeling that for many, the answer to this question isn't the Christian God.  

Post-virus Earth will survive this crisis; we always do.  Death or sickness may rule for a time, but typically not for long.  God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.  There will be a day when we read the newspaper headline: The Pandemic is Over.  But we must also remember to trust in God during this time.  Not in a superficial way that pushes the idea that He will never let us suffer or die.  But rather, with a more mature faith that says even if the worst happens, Jesus has our soul well fortified.  We will eventually end up in a place where moth and rust do not destroy, and where God is our one true desire.  He will also rebuild us here on Earth, He will restore us ... and then it will be up to us to  obey Him.  Not to walk in fear, but with faith and hope that things will eventually get better.  

Donate money to medical research if you like, stay informed by watching and reading the news, and also trust your eternal well being to God the Father.  

I have often thought of this time as a 'sifting of the saints.'  A period when God is fortifying and rebuilding His church on this planet.  We had it really good for a very long time.  Plenty of food to eat and enough money to thrive as a nation.  But this type of relative contentment doesn't usually lead to spiritual growth.  No, I'm afraid trials and suffering are what build character.  God may not bring on the pain, but He can surely redeem it.  I suspect this is the way it's been for thousands of years.  

I believe we will come out of this crisis stronger, with a faith that was forged in fire and tribulation.  And there will be a time when we no longer need to stand six feet apart from each other ... a time when keeping a safe distance will no longer be the paramount thing on our mind.  Medical cure or not, God will rebuild and redeem His people - the same way He did for the Israelites thousands of years ago.  The challenge will be to keep praising Him in the meantime, when things look scary all around us.  We may stand apart from each other physically for a while, but we can pray together spiritually - as we have always done.  



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Wrong in the Spirit

A great many of us begin the right thing for the wrong reasons.  We may join a health club for the sole purpose of becoming more attractive, when a better reason would probably be simply to get healthy.  We may decide that we want a promotion at our job, but instead of working hard and climbing the success ladder through dedication and work ethic, we ego stroke the boss or try to win recognition through less mainstream  channels.  The point is, sometimes people think the ends justify the means.  

There is often a sort of 'economic transaction' mode of understanding the world that we bring with us to spiritual matters.  It is an easy mistake to make, but when it happens, it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Imagine for a moment an individual who may donate large sums of money so that the church can build something new, but then wants their name to be proudly displayed next to it.  Or maybe they are doing it so that the good work shows up in the media or is visible in front of others.  Even if we aren't talking about money, some can still have the notion that if I do this, then the church should give me that.  

Enter in the curious story of Simon the Sorcerer from the book of Acts.  We remember that Acts outlines the events of the early church, starting immediately after Jesus ascends to Heaven.  Simon was well known by many during this time for being able to practice strange and miraculous things, and he also boasted and bragged about it.  This happens a lot today, by the way.  Psychics and diviners who claim to talk to the dead, for example, are all over our television screens and social media.  For a certain amount of money, psychic so-and-so might claim that they can put you right through to your deceased uncle.  What makes matters worse, is that these folks often do their Internet research on their victims prior to "reading their fortune", and they grab enough of the vital information ahead of time so that it sounds legitimate.  

And we cannot forget that today, just like two-thousand years ago, a portion of these of people actually can tap into the demonic, in order to cause signs and 'miracles' to occur.  This isn't just my opinion, it is also Biblical.  Either way, God warns us to stay away from this crowd.  But it can be very tempting to listen sometimes. 

It just so happened that this particular diviner Simon heard the apostle Philip preaching the word of God one day in Samaria, and was drawn to him.  He watched as other people began converting to the Christian faith, and even watched some of the baptisms.  No doubt some of these people used to follow Simon; now they followed God.  Acts says that Peter and John showed up later, and began laying hands on people so the Holy Spirit could come upon them. 

Acts 8:18-19 goes on to describe Simon's reaction upon witnessing this event.  It says, "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Simon really missed the boat on this one.  He brought that idea of an economic transaction into the kingdom of heaven.  He thought that the ends justified the means, and that money was a good enough bartering tool to procure what the apostles were calling forth from God. 

We cannot buy the spirit of God of course.  In fact, the Bible says that we simply receive God's grace, we receive His spirit, and we accept the gift of salvation.  You can see here, that God is holding all the cards.  It is up to us to simply accept and receive what He is offering ... don't bother trying to buy it like some common financial transaction.  Now this is a difficult concept because the rest of the world operates differently.  Indeed, if we look back throughout history, we may find situations where the church accepted large sums of money or political clout, in exchange for increased blessing.  If it feels like the handiwork of man (and not God), then it probably is.  Most economic transactions operate that way - they have the same slant to them.  

Acts 4:12 tells us clearly regarding Jesus that, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."  Jesus saves us, not money or status.  

Later in the story we find out that Peter quickly admonishes Simon and tells him that his money will perish with him, as he was most definitely wrong in the spirit.  Simon immediately begs the apostles to pray for him, so that his life may be preserved.  At least there is some fear of God present at this point.  

We don't know if Simon went on to actually repent and be saved, the account in Acts doesn't tell us that.  Did he repent of his sins?  Maybe so.  Have you and I repented of our own sins?  Only God the Father knows for certain.  Playing dress up when it comes to religion is a dangerous thing.  We can pass ourselves off as moral, upstanding people for a while in front of others.  But at the end of the day, we either know Jesus personally, or we don't.  We view the things of God as business transactions, or something more special and unique.  

Give your tithes and offerings to the church, give your heart to God, and accept salvation from Jesus.  But don't confuse material wealth for spiritual riches - they aren't the same thing.



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