NEW BOOK by Jon Klaus

I am proud to announce that as of today, my new book 'A Deep and Abiding Faith' is available on Amazon and LuLu.com for purchase!  

I believe faith is the cornerstone of the modern church, and how we express that faith is inexorably linked to whether or not others see Jesus when they look at us.  It is basically a guide for living out your Christian faith in a practical and effective manner.  It is a paperback format, 110 pages.  I hope you will join me on this journey by reading through the ten chapters, and then applying the lessons to your life.  

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Hope for the New Year

What a year 2020 has been, and how grateful most of us probably are that we are entering into the New Year.  I am hoping the world may open up again soon, and people can get back to a relatively normal lifestyle.  We may get back to “normal,” but we will never be the same.  Some of us have lost loved ones or business ventures due to COVID-19.  Others have lost friendships or family bonds due to the contentious presidential election and political climate.  Still others may never quite feel comfortable going back to large indoor gatherings ever again. 

Some of you, however, can see the bigger picture as well.  This last year has forced us to take stock of what we have, and what is actually important.  It has prompted a spiritual awakening of sorts - it has forced us to ask “So what then, is the purpose of it all?”  What does this grand design that we are all a part of actually mean?  It becomes a matter of finding purpose.  We exist now in a world experiencing a pandemic and civil unrest.  I really thought we would be finished fighting COVID-19 by now.  Surely there is more to life than this.  And so the thought creeps into our minds again ... always there, never really going away for very long:  what is the meaning of my life, and what do I do with this life in a post-pandemic America?  

Bear with me now, as I want to pass along something that has helped guide me up to this point.  I believe it speaks directly to the question of purpose and meaning.  It isn't a self-help tip or some piece of biased opinion.  It comes to us by way of an ancient proverb (or saying) found in the Old Testament.  Proverbs 9:10 tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

I believe that this fear (which really means respect and obedience) for God, and a pursuit of His knowledge will lead us directly to faith and purpose.  If we follow this path to fruition, mankind cannot help but end up exactly where God wants him to be; cultivating a healthy respect and awe for His creative existence.  It trumps all other forms of fruitless gain.  In fact, wise King Solomon goes on to list off ten things that seem like they matter on the surface, but have no lasting impact without God's involvement.  Things like work, wealth, competition, power, etc.  All of these things will be here today, and eventually, gone tomorrow.  At some point in the future, even your own family line may not know that you existed.  Humbling, isn't it?  And also cause for sorrow, if it weren't for God and His eternal qualities.

2020 has shown us who we really are in some ways.  Are we scared, nervous, angry, or frustrated?  If so, what do we do about it over the course of the next twelve months?  My advice is this: “baptize” everything you do for the sake of God's goodness.  Are you a writer?  Then write books and articles for Him.  Are you a coach?  Then lead your athletes to be Godly competitors.  Any talent you happen to possess is from God anyway ... you know that don't you? 

So in this New Year, I would encourage you to seek God and love Him, and this will sustain you in ways that defy imagination.  You will have gained more grace than any of us deserve, and you will then be able to pass it on to other people.  You can get rid of that helpless feeling forever.  Fear and worry can then be placed in check.  You are called to so much more than that anyway.  Let us give ourselves permission to hope again.  

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An Advent Season of Hope - sermon

I hope everyone's Christmas season is moving along well.  Feel free to take some time out and listen to this video sermon from Sunday.  May God find you happy and healthy this holiday season.  Click the link below to view the sermon message:

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Is the Old Testament God Oppressive?

Many have argued that we get two different versions of God in the Bible: the Old Testament harsh version, and the New Testament gentler version.  It's the difference between the rule-driven diety that shows up in books like Deuteronomy and Numbers, versus the meek and mild depiction of Jesus in the Gospels.  The problem with this argument is that Jesus Himself states he did not come to abolish the old laws and prophets, but rather to fulfill them.  This means that we must push forward a bit more, and investigate what all of this really means, because Jesus and the Father are one (John 14:11).  There is no separating the Trinity into separate beings that act in conflict with each other; it doesn't work that way when it comes to Scriptural revelation.  

I believe we can break down the purpose of following a set of rules into two broad categories.  The first I will call 'annoying legalism', and the second I will term 'staying safe.'  When I reference legalism here, I am intending to paint a picture that has to do with the type of mentality where someone throws the "law" in your face.  I went to high school years ago with a young lady who would often try to run the classroom.  Now mind you, she wasn't the teacher - but rather, just a student who had decided she wasn't going to let any assignment escape her sphere of awareness.  The rest of us would occasionally celebrate when the class came to an end, and the teacher was getting ready to dismiss us without assigning homework.  But then a hand would inevitably go up toward the back of room, and this young lady would ask, "is there any homework for tomorrow?"  

You could hear audible gasps from the other students.  This was to say the least, very unpopular.  She was wanting to make sure she didn't miss any assignments, she wanted to tick every box as 'complete' on her mental checklist.  In short, she made sure no one in that class could skirt by on any of the rules.  Definitely an annoying type of legalism.  

By contrast, we have what I like to call staying safe.  It's a way of viewing rules as a way to preserve peace and prosperity.  I will explain further.  Often times when I was a younger man, my friends would apply just the right amount of peer pressure in order to encourage me to do something dangerous or foolish.  No doubt this is what teen-agers do sometimes, but on several occasions the "rule-book" actually worked in my favor.  I would place a phone call to my mother or father in front of the other kids, and just by my tone of voice, my parents could tell if they should tell me "no."  This served to quiet my unruly accomplices, as well as keep me from entering into a dangrous or harmful situation.  You see, the rules kept me safe.

I would like to argue today, that God's rules are designed to keep us safe.  They are not for Him - He can manage along just fine.  God's rules are actually for our own benefit.  Take for example the ten commandments.  Let's look at just a few of them, and talk about whether or not they are oppressive.  You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal.  Which of these do you find oppressive?  I would argue that if these rules seem too strict, then you may have some personal issues of your own that need addressed.  These important laws (and others like them) were designed to keep you and I safe and prosperous.  

What happens when we don't provide rules for our own family or our children?  Place a handful of kids in a room for a few hours, and it will become clear very soon, which ones grew up with discipline and which ones did not.  The children who were never governed are often quite spoiled.  Spoiled kids can grow up to be spoiled adults, who act out in the workplace or other areas of life.  They tend not to prosper or stay safe, at least not in the typical sense.  They can even struggle to make and keep friends.  

1 John 5:2-3 says, "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world."  It is true, following God isn't burdensome, at least not in the same way as having one of your classmates remind the teacher about homework.  

Following God's law is challenging in a different sense, because it demands that we push back against our natural willingness to sin.  In fact, the ten commandments are indeed oppressive, if we desire in our hearts to sin and keep sinning.  This is why our culture so often pushes back against the church with this concept of a harsh and controlling God.  They don't want to be judged for their sin, nor do they want that sin to be brought into the light either.  The idea of confession and repentance is completely foreign to those who are far from God's heart.  

"Don't tell me I'm a sinner," you might hear someone say.  Sure it would be easier to do whatever we want to do, at least at first.  Dark thoughts give way to dangerous actions, which often lead to mature sin over time.  Perhaps it seemed like a good idea to flirt with a married person at work in the beginning, but as action gave way to full-fledged sin, it becomes immediately clear that such things contain a host of consequences.  Now, not only do you need God to get you out of trouble, you need Him to keep you out of future problems regarding that original mistake.  You can see how things get complicated very quickly when people don't abide by what God says and does.  

I want to be clear also, that we are not saved by following the rule-book.  The things we do (or abstain from doing) are only one part of the larger notion of repentance.  Remember repentance means simply to change your path, and become holier over time.  The rules alone cannot accomplish this by themselves.  If you are obedient to the law and the commandments, that is great - but understand that you only have one half of the Gospel message.

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.  Our relationship with him is what guides our spirit through the other, more difficult steps of repentance and sanctification.  In fact, the Bible says we cannot do it alone anyway.  We need God's help to be Holy and to follow His rules.  And if we do, they will keep us safe. 

We are not saved by legalism, only Jesus saves.  But I do believe we are still called to be good, and this means adhering to certain rules that the rest of our culture may not consider valuable.  All disobedience has both natural and spiritual consequences, and God has warned us about all of this through Scripture.  The rest is up to us to call on Him when we need help, and to remember that He catches us and restores us whenever we fall.  We need not be perfect, just born again.  Does this really sound like some kind of cruel or oppressive Father?  

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