Gone Fishing with God

Any serious angler has their own secret fishing hole.  A place where they don't  take their friends (or even family) when they go drop a line in the water.  Maybe it's a private farm pond somewhere, or a hidden bend in a river covered by brush and overgrowth.  A place where we just know "the big one" lurks right under the surface of the water - waiting for us to throw a lure or nightcrawler in front of it.  

My place was called Cottonwood Park, just outside of the Des Moines city limits.  It was part of the spillway system for Saylorville Lake, but it was far enough away from the choppy water that the current in the channel actually slowed to a medium crawl.  I don't fish much anymore, but as a younger man, this was my spot.  I would leave in the morning and fish until early evening.  I knew all the best holes.  I knew exactly where to cast my line and I could just about count backwards from ten before I got a bite.  As it happens, I also preferred to go there alone.  It was almost a sublime, spiritual experience; the kind that wildlife poets often write about.  I sometimes felt like Mark Twain when he described his intimate knowledge of the Mississippi River.  

This concept of getting away from other people and seeking out the solace of nature transfers over quite well to the Bible.  In fact, our lesson today is to talk about something Christians refer to as the prayer closet.   It's a place we go to be alone with God.  No distractions, no traffic sounds, and no television.  Just us and the Creator.  

Jesus tells us how to pray in Matthew 6:6: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen."  Jesus goes on to say that people who pray extravagantly in public often seek the wrong kind of attention, while those who carve out time away for just God will reap the reward.  God wants this kind of alone time with us.  

Jesus spent alone time with God also on more than one occasion.  Mark 1:35 tells us, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."  Furthermore, Luke 6:12 says, "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God."  By modern standards, I picture him sipping coffee next to a fireplace with no one else around.  

I think the lesson here is simple: dedicate time for just you and God.  Be intentional about it every day.  I make time twice a day to send up a prayer (once in the morning and once before bed).  In between, I am reciting small prayers here and there as needed.  Prayers for people who require healing, prayers for those who need peace, etc.  The power of corporate, group prayer during a church service is powerful also of course, but don't neglect the one-on-one relationship building with your Lord and Savior either.  

We may think of this like a friendship.  If both people work hard to keep the relationship going, then the reward is a close and abiding type of companionship that you cannot achieve any other way.  But now consider the reverse … what if only one of you tried to keep in touch?  Every time you called this person, you got voicemail.  Every time you wrote an email or a letter, there was no response.  After six months of this, how would your relationship be with this individual?  Not very good I would say.  It's the same thing with God; we should work to find the time to speak with Him regularly.  

Find a certain area in your house to call your prayer closet and then set up shop.  Or maybe it is your car on the way to work.  Perhaps it is a ten minute devotional each day sitting at the kitchen table - the details don't really matter.  What is important is that you are keeping the personal relationship going.  

Some will take this in the wrong direction I suspect, and use my advice as an excuse to skip formal church.  "I do my own type of church, in my own way.  I don't need to be around other people in a building," they might say.  Quite honestly, I believe we need both of these things to complete our Christian walk.  We need a prayer closet, and we need other believers to help edify and challenge us when needed.  Otherwise, there is a temptation to stay inside the 'bubble' of our own creation.  While it can certainly seem safer this way, the fact is that iron sharpens iron - without other people we often stagnate in our faith walk.  Although the current pandemic makes it difficult for everyone to attend church at the moment, the time will soon come where God calls His children back to corporate worship I think.  The nightmare will be over … and our journey can resume.  

When this time comes (and I think it has already begun in small ways), pray about what God might want from you.  Does He want you to resist fellowship with other Christians, or might He be calling you to come and worship Him together.  People must decide for themselves when this revival should happen.  

I will conclude with a Scripture from Isaiah 65:1, "I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.  To a nation that did not call on my name, I said 'Here am I, here am I.'"  God is seeking us out, whether we listen to His voice or not.  I strongly suggest we answer His call for our lives.  We can do this more easily with a strong, personal relationship formed over many years in our proverbial prayer closet.  It is always easier to get to know someone one-on-one.  

Move closer to Him, and He will draw closer to you.  That offer always stands by the way - rain or shine, happy times or sad times.  We are always only a prayer away from God's immutable and unchanging love.  

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The Current Spiritual Landscape

Our spiritual landscape is changing.  You can feel it in the air, and see it in people’s faces.  What was once familiar and comfortable, is rapidly starting to change and transform into something different.  This new landscape isn’t all negative by the way, God is still doing things today.  People are experiencing an awakening in many respects due to the fact that we are now being forced to examine what we really believe.  The stakes are high.  In fact, I’ve never been more certain that belief can directly impact behavior.  What we once laughed off ten years ago, we may now find deeply offensive, and often this is the result of someone acting out what they deeply believe (it just so happens to be different than what we think and feel).  There has never been more of a need to both stand up for what we believe as Biblical Christians and Methodists, as well as to extend grace to those who don’t espouse the same ideas we do.  The next few years will solidify what role the church will play in our ever changing political and social climate. 

I often find myself repeating the mantra “give God an audience first, before you make up your mind about something.”  Take the time to read what the Bible actually says, prior to forming strong beliefs on certain hot button cultural issues.  Are we taking time to listen to Scripture, or are we collecting our beliefs based mainly on slogans or emotions?  When most people witness change occurring around them at a faster rate than they are comfortable with, the knee-jerk reaction is to resist.  Sometimes this is good, as in the sense that we must cling to Jesus and the Gospel message no matter what.  Sometimes resistance to change can also be detrimental however, such as when we allow conceptual evolution to stop us from growing in our faith. 

Our words also have deep meaning and consequences.  I hear a lot of a priori arguments being made lately.  This term simply means that people hold to a belief that they consider to be true from the beginning, without necessarily backing it up with empirical data or evidence.  For example, we might conclude that a certain person or group of people are automatically ‘Godless’ or foolish, because they don’t hold the same core belief that we do.  

I think this often leads to comments or arguments that begin with the statement ‘can you believe how ignorant so and so is?’  We may be postulating the a priori view that what we hold true, must intrinsically be true for everyone else, and we don’t need to look any further for evidence which may contradict what we already think.  This is a safe place to be philosophically, because it allows us to think that we are always right.  It’s a dangerous place to spend too much time though, because it doesn’t allow for adaptation or growth.  If our spiritual landscape is indeed changing, then we can choose to look at it from the perspective of listening to these groups we don’t agree with first, and then waiting for ways to interject God’s truth into the conversation once an opportunity avails itself.  It is this patient approach that is needed today. 

Christian author and philosopher Greg Koukl is fond of saying that most people aren’t used to having their foundational core beliefs challenged, so when that happens, they react with anger and vitriol.  The conversation typically stops there altogether, or simply turns into more of a debate.  Both of these scenarios do not lend themselves well to changing hearts for Jesus.  

We need not compromise our Christian morals or values, but the current landscape seems to demand a different strategy for evangelism: listen first, speak last, and love regardless.  James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”  In this fashion, I believe we can win the person even if we lose the argument.  We can plant the seed of Christian truth, but then step back and let God do the watering.  

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An End Times Discussion

One thing we can count on when things get chaotic or anxious at a national level, is that people start talking about Biblical end times prophecy.  This is called eschatology, or the study of final things.  There has never been a book more quoted and also more misunderstood than Revelation.  It is John of Patmos' depiction of what Jesus told him regarding the end of time.  Revelation is constructed of some historical accounts, followed by some apocalyptic language, mixed with rich metaphor and symbolism.  Add to this the fact that the text jumps around forward and backward in chronological time, and you have a set of Scriptures that demand faithful study to be able to properly unpack them.  If you read through this book, please do so with an eye toward every other book in the Bible - it cannot be taken out of context or as a standalone text.  

As a result (and as you may have guessed) a good many well-meaning people get these prophecies wrong.  They either attempt to use them to instill fear, or to line up with their political view and agenda.  Some have asked if wearing a facemask is the mark of the beast.  Others have mentioned that getting the new coronavirus vaccine makes them vulnerable to some type of new world order, bent on our destruction.  Though I don't believe either of these statements to be true, they do demonstrate that people are nervous.  They are looking for answers to difficult questions.  Let's take a look at what the Bible actually says about the end times, and then draw some conclusions.  

Revelation 13:16-18 says, "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name."  

Now if you Google "mark of the beast" on the Internet, you will find about half a million results.  You will read people's opinions about microchips, one world governments, and everything in between.  I have a feeling that the deeper you go down this rabbit hole, the further you will get from the truth of Scripture.  But alas, the temptation to compare current events with the book of Revelation is sometimes irresistible, and maybe occasionally warranted.   

We then back up and read Revelation 13:11-13 which says, "Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.  It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.  It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and it's inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.  And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people."  

With these two pieces of Scripture firmly in our mind, we now have a portrait of a king or political leader and a false prophet who will work together.  In other words, imagine the Antichrist as 'Leader X', and his priest who walks beside him directing the world to worship this false messiah.  Every autocrat needs a way into religion in order to really get what he wants.  We saw this with Hitler in the 1940's when he attempted to use the Catholic Church as one of his agents.  We see it in other countries around the world as well.  Leader X will work side by side with his religious icon in order to sway people away from the real God.  He will require you to have his mark in order to go grocery shopping or ride the bus.  If you do not take it willingly, you will be punished or persecuted.  In the days of Jesus, it was not uncommon for governments to require some type of insignia in order to make things official.  The Roman empire for example, used a certain eagle symbol to identify itself.  This mark from Revelation could very well be some type of symbol or insignia denoting this malevolent leader.  

Scripture also says that God will deliver the followers of this Antichrist a 'Great Lie' which will deceive many.  We don't know what this deception will be.  Some have postulated that it might be a false religion, while others say it will come in the guise of a unified international government.  No one really knows of course, but from Scripture we can tell that millions of people will take the bait and sign on.  

It is important to note here that most of the world (along with nominal, lukewarm Christians) will succumb to the lie and take the mark.  They will be excited to do so - encouraging friends and family to go ahead and get the mark.  They will be lost and without salvation at that point.  This period of time will be difficult for the true believer.  They will be hungry, persecuted, and rounded up or even put to death.  My point is this: the only way you will be able to identify this evil person for what he really is, is if you are born again by water and the Spirit through Jesus Christ.  You must also keep careful watch, and be able to align the different signs of the times with what the Bible teaches.  Scripture says that even the religious elect may fall victim to the great lie as well, so simply listening to your priest or pastor may not be sufficient.  You will need to think critically for yourself.    

Scholars have noted that the principalities of evil will use what is known as a false trinity during this time.  Instead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit … you will be witness to Satan, the beast, and his false prophet.  The Bible even mentions that there may be an attempt to mimic the resurrection - that the beast will recover from a mortal physical wound and the world will be mesmerized by this recovery.  There will be false signs and miracles performed for all to see as well; it will be easy to believe what Leader X says.    

Remember that Jesus is the light of the world, so keep your eyes on him.  This is good advice both now, and whenever this tribulation finally comes upon the Earth.  Don't spend so much time worrying about eschatology, we won't be in control anyway.  Much of what we are discussing now will sound crazy to those outside of the church in fact; they put no stock in prophecy or religion.  But to those who have ears, let them hear, and remember always that God lights the path upon which we walk.

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A Permanent Priesthood

I have worked for the same company almost twenty years.  It was my first full time job out of college, and I am still there today.  I find the work rewarding, sometimes challenging, and very stable.  One thing I recall is the fact that over the years, co-workers seem to come and go.  Normal turnover, plus an often unstable economy the last ten years, have both lead to this phenomenon I think.  In particular, it used to bother me that in one of my departments, the senior manager position was in constant flux.  About every two years we would change bosses.  I would just get to know someone and begin to trust them, and all of a sudden they were gone.  It was akin to a shift change at a factory; same job but a different person every so often.  

When I think about spiritual leadership in the Bible, my mind often gravitates back toward the Old Testament Levitical priesthood.  God would select someone and ask them to lead the community.  Much of the time these people weren't very happy about their appointment, often voicing a lack of confidence or ability to do the job.  It didn't matter to God of course, all He wanted was their obedience and faith.  He gave them the rest of what they needed after they said 'yes.'  Throughout the generations, shift changes would occur in the leadership pipeline.  Moses handed leadership over to Joshua.  Aaron's descendants served as priests in Israel at the tabernacle.  One high temple priest hands over the reigns to another, etc.  Some of the priests were Ezra, Eli, and Zechariah for example.

Chapter 7 of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is a 'priest in the order of Melchizedek.'  Who is this Melchizedek fellow, and how does he get the honorary title of being compared to God's son?  We get another curious piece of Scripture in Hebrews 7:23-25.  It says, "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore, he is able to serve completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

The name Melchizedek means literally king of righteousness.  This individual was a priest who showed up after Abraham defeated his enemies in battle to offer Communion.  The historical account goes on to say that Abraham was so taken by this man, he actually gave a tenth of all he had to this priest king!  This was an odd gesture back then, as it would be similar to the IRS today sending you money even if they didn't owe you a return.  I can imagine Abraham got some strange looks from his soldiers that day.  In fact, some scholars consider the person of Melchizedek to be what is called a Christophany (a manifestation of Christ).  In other words, they think that Abraham may have been literally visited by an early representation of Jesus, prior to his physical arrival in Nazareth all those years later.  No matter which explanation you hold, it goes without saying that Melchizedek was a special person.  

This comparison sets Jesus up to act as God's high priest - superior to any other priest because he is eternal.  No more shift changes to deal with, so his followers can relax.  If we serve him, then we serve a Lord who will never get laid off or give a two week notice.  This is an entirely different kind of working relationship than we see today here on planet Earth.  

Think back in your life to someone or something you could always count on.  This is a rare thing mind you, and if you can think of more than one or two people as part of this category … you are lucky.  Maybe it was a parent who was always there for you, or a friend who is only a phone call away.  Whatever the case may be, you know what it's like to have stability in your life.  

Jesus is a righteous leader who never passes the baton.  He will always be there.  It is a permanent priesthood, the likes of which we have never seen.  A direct reflection of the eternal God, the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end).  Jesus can intercede for you and I continuously because he has this eternal quality.  He can represent us before a Holy God without fail, because he will never leave his post.  If Jesus forgives us, then we are forgiven for all time.  If we become born again through baptism and the Spirit, then we are one of God's own forever.  

I think back often about the stable people in my life: my parents or my wife for example.  I am grateful for them, because I realize not everyone can say the same thing.  But Jesus will come to anyone who calls on his name.  He is the one priest for all time.  His kingdom is eternal and permanent, and his mansion has many rooms.  Did you know there is a room for you as well?

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