God's Supreme Revelation

The desire of God to reveal Himself to humanity takes many forms. One is His creation. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) Another is the person of Jesus-  God made flesh. (1 John 1: 1-4). God also works through dreams and visions and prophecy. "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17 NIV)
     But I submit to my readers that the supreme revelation of God in this age is His Word, the Bible. Note that the supporting evidence that was given for each of the assertions in the first paragraph came from the Scripture. I know that God created the world because of Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." I know that Jesus is God because His Word attests to this. (John 1:1, 14,18/ Romans 9:5, John 10:30, John 5:18, 2 Peter 1:1 et. al). My understanding of visions, dreams and prophecy come from the Scriptural witness. (1 Corinthians 12, 14 etc.)
     Jesus says that the entire creation (heaven and earth) will pass away but His words will never pass away. (Mark 13:31) Peter, referring to seeing Jesus transfigured on the mountain (Matthew 17:1-13 cf. Mark 9:2-13) says that he has a more sure word of prophecy than what he saw with his own eyes. (2 Peter 1:16-21) And the prophecy he refers to is the Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 refers to the word of God as able to divide between soul and spirit, and to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart. Ordinary words and books cannot do this. The Bible is uniquely inspired ( breathed out) by God. ( 2 Timothy 3:16) And this is not theoretical.
     We must reflect and ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word to us. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things (John 14:26), and lead us into all truth. ( John 16:13) Now many believe that they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Yes, Amen. Let us consider that the Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself. He does not say one thing in the Bible that He divinely inspired, and something completely different to you or me. Others maintain that the Lord told them to do this or that. Let us note again the incredibly close identification between Jesus and the Word of God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 cf. vv. 14, 18) Jesus does not contradict Himself either. He does not say one thing in His Word, and something different to you or me.

Luke 6

As I reflect on discipleship, and learning to obey the commands of Jesus, the first place I am drawn to is the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew's gospel gives us a long version in chapters 5,6 and 7 while Luke offers a condensed view in chapter six. In verse 17 Luke writes of the large numbers of people who heard Jesus. The Lord gives a stunning contrast to our normal thinking. He says blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated, excluded, and rejected. Woe to the rich, the well fed, the happy, and the well spoken of. We (I) look at the poor, hungry, mourning etc. as objects of compassion at best, not as blessed. We work hard to be rich, well fed, happy and spoken well of. What are we missing here in the words of Jesus? It seems heavily ironic that impoverished, illiterate people that live in villages without electricity, potable water, health care etc. are coming to Jesus while affluent, educated people with everything they need (although always desiring more) deny Him.
     Starting in verse 27, Jesus commands His disciples to love their enemies, bless them, give to them, lend without expecting repayment. We are not to condemn and to give with the measure we would hope for in return. We are to look at ourselves and address our issues before presuming to think we can correct others. Jesus says that what we speak reflect what is in our hearts. Then he asks a penetrating question. "Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46 NIV) Lord is not just a title like mayor or governor, but a enduring truth and reality. Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. ( Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:9-11 NIV) We cannot call Him Lord if we don't do what He says.
   Finally Jesus gives the often misunderstood example of the house builders. Building one's house on the rock or on the sand is the illustration, NOT the principle. The principle is to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice, the definition of discipleship.
     Father, may we call out to you to enable us to follow Jesus.

Matthew 28:16-20

     As I am trying to follow Jesus, He is repeatedly and forcibly sending me back to Matthew 28:16-20. He tells the disciples to meet Him on the mountain in Galilee. They travel from Jerusalem, the place of his betrayal, arrest, torture, crucifying, and resurrection northwards. They know that He died yet they see Him alive. They worship but some doubt. How human they are. Jesus speaks to them. What we have recorded is a very short but very strong message. Jesus has received ALL authority in heaven and earth. This is the basis and foundation of what He then tells them, and us, to do. GO!  Make Disciples! Baptize them! Teach them to OBEY everything He has commanded.
     So don't sit around waiting for something to happen. Go.
Make disciples. This is action, purpose, intentionality. It means that those who are disciples are to make others.
Baptize them. Unregenerated, unsaved, unconverted people cannot be disciples. Baptism is the first act of obedience.
Teach them everything. Don't expect people to learn by osmosis. If someone had personally discipled me, and I had been willing to receive it, I would have been spared decades of pain and suffering. As humans we tend to learn things the hard way through prolonged, painful personal experience. Be humble and teachable so God can use you to give to others.
     Obey. This is the ultimate test of whether we are truly a follower of Jesus Christ. Are we willing to learn the commands of Jesus and obey them? This seems like an impossible standard to follow. As with things like husbands loving their wives like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25) how can anyone do this? The promise lies in the last sentence of Matthew 28. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV) Only through the immediate and ongoing help, grace, and strength of Christ is it possible to be a true disciple of His.

Brother's Retreat

          

This past weekend I had the pleasure of participating in a Christian men's retreat that I did not have to organize or host. Since 1993 God has given me the opportunity to coordinate at least forty small scale men's retreats. While I thank Him for the privilege, and thank the many brothers who have joined with me in them, it was nice to simply enjoy the time. Our brother Nathan did an excellent job of hosting despite this being his first brother's retreat. There were six of us in all, a blend of younger and older men, introverts and extroverts. Sanford shared a solid message on the dangers of falling away, concentrating on 2 Thessalonians 2, while I spoke on the challenge of following Jesus in discipleship.

We had times of prayer and fellowship. One brother, Mark, has a gift of asking edifying questions that others might wish to ask but don't. Late Saturday evening we watched a film by Voice of the Martyrs, about eight teenagers from the US and Australia who visited the persecuted church in an Asian country. They were decisively impacted by their experience there, so radically different from our comfortable western form of Christianity. As Sanford and I returned home I said, “We may not ever go to a place like that; at least we need to pray for and supply them with Bibles.

One situation which particularly struck the teens was the exuberant worship that they discovered among people who could be arrested, beaten and imprisoned for their faith. I have observed similar enthusiastic expression of worship in both Brazil and Ghana.

Making Friends ?

As I reflect on the fruit or lack thereof in my walk with Christ over the past few years, one realization is that I have not been making disciples in the sense that Jesus commands. He said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:18-20a) A disciple is a learner, one who follows Jesus, and one who obeys Him. The disciple abides in the Word (John 8:31-32), loves others (John 13:34-35), bears much fruit (John 15:8), and denies himself. (Luke 14:26-33)

Although I have spent considerable time with a number of people with the intent to disciple them, I recognize that my underlying goal was to become friends with them. This was in response to my own needs for relationship. Although friendship is a wonderful thing, it should be a by product of the discipleship, not the purpose. We are not truly doing the Lord's will if we make friends but do not produce disciples for the simple reason that Jesus never tells us to make friends. In fact, the concept comes up only on rare occasions.

In John 15, Jesus refers to believers as friends of his but couches this in terms that do not resemble human friendship. He says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14) As humans we do not think of friends as those who command and we obey them.

The reality is that far more Christians desire friendship than discipleship. May we become true disciples, and may God provide us with those who truly desire to follow Jesus.

Anarchy & Rebellion

    One of the major cultural beliefs in American society is the importance of individualism. No one tells me (or anyone) what to do. We are the captain of our ship, the master of our fate. We are against any kind of authority. When we come to Christ we bring this mindset with us. A wise mature brother who served as a life long missionary said to me many years ago that the last thing that Christians accepted was the Lordship of Christ. At the time I thought he was nuts. Everyone knows that. But how many actually practice it? How many truly submit to His Lordship? As Jesus asked, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord but you don't do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) How many times can we as Christians rationalize or justify not doing what the Bible says before Jesus is no longer Lord of our lives? And if He is not Lord how can we truly be His followers? "That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9)
     I have come to believe that the origin (naturally speaking) of this anarchy and rebellion in American culture and much of the American church lies in the founding of the country. Romans 13 makes clear that "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except what God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." (Verses 1,2)
    The colonists rebelled against the authority of England which God had established. Their independence was won through a bloody war. The government subsequently established which allowed slavery led to a far greater and bloodier war. In contrast Canada did not rebel against Great Britain. They were spared the punishment for rebellion and won their independence peacefully in 1867. Slavery was outlawed there along with the rest of the British Empire in a peaceful manner in 1838, in large part due to the efforts of a British Christian Parliamentarian named William Wilberforce. And six trips to Canada in 2012 persuades me that they are a much more irenic culture than that south of the border. The difference is palpable.

Where does culture come from?

Culture can be defined simply as the beliefs and behaviors of a particular group. Where do these come from? Naturally speaking we could say that some come from academia, others from media, others from people that we know. But what is the origin of these thoughts and ideas? I believe the Bible provides an answer to this question. 1 John 5:19 states, "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (ESV) Galatians 1:4 speaks of "this present evil age." (ESV) 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god (little g) of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ..." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 reads, "The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them strong delusion, so that they may be believe what is false..."
    What is the activity of Satan? In John 8:44 Jesus calls him the "father of lies." Earlier in 8:32 Jesus says that it is the truth that sets people free. So we live in a world filled with people who are under the power of Satan, blinded in their minds, and under strong delusion in this present evil age. So cultural beliefs and behaviors are ultimately determined by the god of this world, the devil. This is why I am so concerned about culturally based thinking and acting. What is the antidote? To be filled with and put into practice the truth of the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in Luke 4, He responds with Scripture. Satan was tempting Jesus with power, authority, glory, and pride- all culturally valuable. Jesus did not succumb.

The Only Hope for the Church is Jesus

As I reflect on the events of the past two months I am struck again by how difficult it is to live in a way that is pleasing to Jesus. "So whether we are are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." (2 Corinthians 5:9) I should not be surprised because He said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5b) We are so feeling driven, and culturally bound. I look at the crashing and burning of home based groups in the region in which I live. I see the lack of true discipleship- the kind that turned the ancient world upside down. The only hope for the Church is Jesus.
   May the Holy Spirit give us a balanced perspective of who He is. Many people like what He says to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:20. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." What a wonderful promise. The same Jesus says in Revelation 3:19, the verse immediately preceding, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent." Are we willing to accept both?
   I am no longer a "house church" guy. I want to be a disciple and to disciple others.
Finished reading the Old Testament in Portuguese. Am now starting on the NT for the fourth time. Have also begun a new computer program (Pimsleur) that concentrates on speaking and listening.
    The only hope for the Church is Jesus.