“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:9)
The whole world is “a-twitter” over the coming Royal Wedding in England. I think weddings are pretty cool, and as a pastor, I get to do a few of them every year. I always enjoy them because they carry such majesty and splendor. I get to be a part of the happiest day in people’s lives, and there is a sense of “royalty” to every wedding regardless of the social status of the participants. Of course, there is always something that happens to make each one special and unique, from the little kids acting unexpectedly to the adults themselves having some unique moment, often even planned. It is always a memorable day for all involved.
But with this event in England, I feel quite the opposite. There is so much hype and buzz that I don’t want to even hear about it anymore. I am reminded of that great old country tune that goes, “Here’s a quarter, call someone who cares…” (The younger generation has no idea what that really means. The concept of having to put a coin into a phone to get it to work is foreign to their ears.) Then there is all the hype about who is on the guest list and what the seating arrangements will be. An invitation and a prominent place at the festivities is greatly coveted because it puts people on an elevated status and ego trip. Spare me, please. I can promise you that I will not be glued to the television for this event.
I know the Brits love their royalty, but one of the things that bothers me about all this is the sense of entitlement these people have due to their status. I mean, who are they anyway? They are just flesh and blood human beings like anyone else. Why are they any more special than the people who live in the slums of India? They get their status because of how they were born. Prince William is royalty because his father Prince Charles was and because his father was. So what. What did any of them do to deserve such lofty nobility? Not a blasted thing.
Now it sounds like sour grapes and envy, but I have a point to make here. I really don’t care one way or another about the Royal Family in England. They have no bearing on my life in any way, good or bad, and that is fine with me. They can have all their wealth and pomp; I don’t care. I am part of a greater Royal Family because of my Lord and Saviour. I didn’t do anything to deserve such a status because I am just another human being like anyone else. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That includes me, the bum on the street, the poor children in the ghettos of the third world, and those born into royalty. Just like Prince William, I did nothing to gain my status as a child of the King of glory. He was born into his position by “royal blood”. I was born again into mine by the precious blood of the Lamb. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13).
As a result of my new status as a son of royalty, someday I will be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Not only will I be on the “guest list”, I will be part of the Bride: the body of Christ called the church. My reservation is guaranteed because of the one who secured it for me on the cross. If I tried to attend the celebration in England, I would be turned away because I do not have an invitation. I won’t have to worry about being a “wedding crasher” at the feast of the ages in heaven. I have my “ticket”. It is engraved with the gold of the deity of my Lord and Saviour. It was purchased by his blood on the tree of Calvary, and it has been stamped with the approval of the seal of his Spirit. You can have one as well if you trust him as your Saviour. That party will make the one in England pale in insignificance. See you there soon!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Life is Not Fair
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8)
Last week I wrote about our fantasy baseball league, expecting to drop that topic of discussion until the end of the season when I would report my results and use it as another object lesson of life. But sometimes things happen that are totally out of the blue and totally out of our control. One of the young men in our league, Nick Licata, was involved in a car accident last Friday night and lost his life. He was only 18 years old. His dad, Gino Licata, is in the league as well, and needless to say, none of us really give a flying flip right now about baseball.
I know things like this happen all the time, but it doesn’t make it any easier. There is something inherently unjust about having to bury a child. I have not had to experience that personally, but as a pastor, I have done way too many funerals, and some of them have been for children. It is hard enough to bury a loved one who had a full life, but a child is a thousand times worse. I know there are probably some reading this who have been there, and maybe I am opening an old wound. Something like that just never goes away. No matter how much we “move on”, the memory of burying a child remains. It is times like this when only God can help.
However, many people facing such a tragedy will turn their back on the only real help they can get. God gets blamed for things like this when it is clear that death was not in his original design for mankind. He created man and woman perfect in the Garden of Eden. There was no sickness, pain, suffering or death. He told them to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and there was no indication that it would ever end. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, they would still be with us today fulfilling the mission God had for them. But we know the rest of the story. We know that Satan tempted them to sin, and as a result, brought death to the human race. Unfortunately, young men like Nick partake in that tragedy long before they ever should.
In times like these, families and friends will ask the big “why” question. It is a very legitimate question, and they have every right to ask. But we can never blame God for these things. The very same God who created us came to earth to pay the price for our sins on the cross. God was not asleep at the wheel and taken off guard when Adam and Eve sinned. His provision for man’s sin is found in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in his sacrifice on the cross assures us of a home in heaven when the inevitable happens to us, whether it is at age 18 or at the end of a full and prosperous life. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Death came on mankind because of the deceit of our enemy, Satan. If you want to get mad at someone for this, get mad at him. But don’t get mad at God. He is not the problem, he is the solution.
Some day, God will wipe away all tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). At that time, there will be no more funerals to attend. No one will have to bury any loved one, child or aged. The Bible says, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (I Corinthians 15:26) It is still an enemy that faces each of us, but just like in the movies, good will eventually triumph. By placing our faith in the risen Son of God, we can face that enemy head on, knowing that we will win. The death and resurrection of Christ will, “…deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:15) There is no need to fear if our faith is deposited in him. People believe all sorts of things, but God is not concerned with what you believe as he is with who you believe. Trust his Son. He did what no one else could – he conquered death, and defeated the one who brought it upon us. Pray for the Licata family in their grief and loss.
Last week I wrote about our fantasy baseball league, expecting to drop that topic of discussion until the end of the season when I would report my results and use it as another object lesson of life. But sometimes things happen that are totally out of the blue and totally out of our control. One of the young men in our league, Nick Licata, was involved in a car accident last Friday night and lost his life. He was only 18 years old. His dad, Gino Licata, is in the league as well, and needless to say, none of us really give a flying flip right now about baseball.
I know things like this happen all the time, but it doesn’t make it any easier. There is something inherently unjust about having to bury a child. I have not had to experience that personally, but as a pastor, I have done way too many funerals, and some of them have been for children. It is hard enough to bury a loved one who had a full life, but a child is a thousand times worse. I know there are probably some reading this who have been there, and maybe I am opening an old wound. Something like that just never goes away. No matter how much we “move on”, the memory of burying a child remains. It is times like this when only God can help.
However, many people facing such a tragedy will turn their back on the only real help they can get. God gets blamed for things like this when it is clear that death was not in his original design for mankind. He created man and woman perfect in the Garden of Eden. There was no sickness, pain, suffering or death. He told them to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and there was no indication that it would ever end. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, they would still be with us today fulfilling the mission God had for them. But we know the rest of the story. We know that Satan tempted them to sin, and as a result, brought death to the human race. Unfortunately, young men like Nick partake in that tragedy long before they ever should.
In times like these, families and friends will ask the big “why” question. It is a very legitimate question, and they have every right to ask. But we can never blame God for these things. The very same God who created us came to earth to pay the price for our sins on the cross. God was not asleep at the wheel and taken off guard when Adam and Eve sinned. His provision for man’s sin is found in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in his sacrifice on the cross assures us of a home in heaven when the inevitable happens to us, whether it is at age 18 or at the end of a full and prosperous life. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Death came on mankind because of the deceit of our enemy, Satan. If you want to get mad at someone for this, get mad at him. But don’t get mad at God. He is not the problem, he is the solution.
Some day, God will wipe away all tears from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). At that time, there will be no more funerals to attend. No one will have to bury any loved one, child or aged. The Bible says, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (I Corinthians 15:26) It is still an enemy that faces each of us, but just like in the movies, good will eventually triumph. By placing our faith in the risen Son of God, we can face that enemy head on, knowing that we will win. The death and resurrection of Christ will, “…deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:15) There is no need to fear if our faith is deposited in him. People believe all sorts of things, but God is not concerned with what you believe as he is with who you believe. Trust his Son. He did what no one else could – he conquered death, and defeated the one who brought it upon us. Pray for the Licata family in their grief and loss.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Going Against the Grain
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)
This week we kicked off our annual fantasy baseball league again. I wrote in my blog last year that I had joined a league for the first time in my life. Playing fantasy sports has been a pastime for a lot of people for many years, and I had always resisted the urge. But last year my brother talked me into it, and it was enough fun that I thought I would give it a go again. We held our draft last Sunday afternoon where twelve of us try to outsmart each other and pick the guys we think will score the best in our league system. There are all kinds of “strategies”, but the common thought is to draft offense first and pitching later. Pitchers are “feast or famine”. They give you the most points when they are good, but can easily score negative points if they have a bad game. So most guys fear the volatility of the pitchers and try to build their teams around the hitters.
I took the opposite strategy this year. I looked at last year’s draft and noticed that the guy who won the league built his team on pitching first. While everyone else was drafting hitters, he stocked up on all the best pitchers, and they had a good enough year to give him the title. Since I am naturally a “rebel”, I thought I would also “go against the grain” and take a different strategy into this year’s draft. I have some decent hitters, but I have tried to stock up on relief pitchers first and a few good starters. So let’s see how it works. By the end of baseball season I will update you on how my unorthodox strategy fared. (I know, most of you don’t care. But this is my blog, so you will just have to suffer through it or get your own blog.)
A believer in Jesus Christ is called to “go against the grain” of the philosophies of this world. There is a consistent “strategy” that the world operates by to try to solve its problems and achieve “victory” in the lives of men and women. It always fails. The Bible says that God’s thoughts and his ways are not like ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). God goes against the grain of this world, and the world goes against the grain of God. So if you want to walk with God, you have to walk against the world. Think of the natural illustration of the relationship between the sun and the earth. We know that the reason there is night and day is because the earth spins on its axis and revolves around the sun. That was scientific information that the Bible contains, but astronomers did not catch up to until Galileo and others learned it. But then again, man has always been trying to catch up to the Bible. Now we realize that when we travel west, we actually “gain” time. We can fly to Denver from Kansas City, and land at almost the same time we took off. But think in the larger picture for minute. The reason we can travel west and “gain” time is because the earth is rotating toward the east. Travelling west “gains” time because we are going against the rotation of the earth, and the amount of time we are exposed to sunlight increases. Now “round off” the numbers. The earth is approximately 25,000 miles around its circumference, and there are 24 hours in a day. The earth spins at approximately 1,000 miles per hour. So if you could get in a car and/or boat and travel due west at 1,000 miles per hour, you would stay at the same “time” because you would be under the sun at the same point as the earth’s rotation. Think it through. I hope I don’t have your head “spinning” right now.
Now here is the real lesson of all of that. The earth spins east to west. When you travel west against the world, you stay in the light. I John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” To walk in the light of the Son of God, you have to go against the grain of the world. People say, “That Bible just rubs me the wrong way!” Well, if you will just turn around, it won’t rub you the wrong way anymore! Walk in the light. Be kind and courteous to the lost who are in the world because they need Jesus. But rub this world the wrong way for him!
This week we kicked off our annual fantasy baseball league again. I wrote in my blog last year that I had joined a league for the first time in my life. Playing fantasy sports has been a pastime for a lot of people for many years, and I had always resisted the urge. But last year my brother talked me into it, and it was enough fun that I thought I would give it a go again. We held our draft last Sunday afternoon where twelve of us try to outsmart each other and pick the guys we think will score the best in our league system. There are all kinds of “strategies”, but the common thought is to draft offense first and pitching later. Pitchers are “feast or famine”. They give you the most points when they are good, but can easily score negative points if they have a bad game. So most guys fear the volatility of the pitchers and try to build their teams around the hitters.
I took the opposite strategy this year. I looked at last year’s draft and noticed that the guy who won the league built his team on pitching first. While everyone else was drafting hitters, he stocked up on all the best pitchers, and they had a good enough year to give him the title. Since I am naturally a “rebel”, I thought I would also “go against the grain” and take a different strategy into this year’s draft. I have some decent hitters, but I have tried to stock up on relief pitchers first and a few good starters. So let’s see how it works. By the end of baseball season I will update you on how my unorthodox strategy fared. (I know, most of you don’t care. But this is my blog, so you will just have to suffer through it or get your own blog.)
A believer in Jesus Christ is called to “go against the grain” of the philosophies of this world. There is a consistent “strategy” that the world operates by to try to solve its problems and achieve “victory” in the lives of men and women. It always fails. The Bible says that God’s thoughts and his ways are not like ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). God goes against the grain of this world, and the world goes against the grain of God. So if you want to walk with God, you have to walk against the world. Think of the natural illustration of the relationship between the sun and the earth. We know that the reason there is night and day is because the earth spins on its axis and revolves around the sun. That was scientific information that the Bible contains, but astronomers did not catch up to until Galileo and others learned it. But then again, man has always been trying to catch up to the Bible. Now we realize that when we travel west, we actually “gain” time. We can fly to Denver from Kansas City, and land at almost the same time we took off. But think in the larger picture for minute. The reason we can travel west and “gain” time is because the earth is rotating toward the east. Travelling west “gains” time because we are going against the rotation of the earth, and the amount of time we are exposed to sunlight increases. Now “round off” the numbers. The earth is approximately 25,000 miles around its circumference, and there are 24 hours in a day. The earth spins at approximately 1,000 miles per hour. So if you could get in a car and/or boat and travel due west at 1,000 miles per hour, you would stay at the same “time” because you would be under the sun at the same point as the earth’s rotation. Think it through. I hope I don’t have your head “spinning” right now.
Now here is the real lesson of all of that. The earth spins east to west. When you travel west against the world, you stay in the light. I John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” To walk in the light of the Son of God, you have to go against the grain of the world. People say, “That Bible just rubs me the wrong way!” Well, if you will just turn around, it won’t rub you the wrong way anymore! Walk in the light. Be kind and courteous to the lost who are in the world because they need Jesus. But rub this world the wrong way for him!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Distinct Sounds
“And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (I Corinthians 14:7-8)
The other day I was “toolin’ around” in my car and listening to some great tunes. I like all kinds of music, and my “play list” would be quite diverse. That would not include country music; I just never developed a taste for it. I don’t like rap either. I don’t consider rap to be actual music. It is awesome poetry. The ability of rappers to craft the language is outstanding. But all their “songs” have the same mundane “beat”. You could put any set of words to the same tune and have a rap album. We joke all the time at church about my total and complete lack of music skills, but that does not extend to the ear. I can listen to music, and you might find just about anything in my CD player. The selection of the day was Kenny G. No one can play the saxophone like him. His sound is unique – very distinct. I can pick out a Kenny G. tune in less than six notes. In fact, one time I was in a place when one of his latest CD’s was playing that I had never heard before, and it immediately resonated. I said, “That’s Kenny G.” I was right. I could do the same thing with the guitar of Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin or the voice of Michael McDonald or Whitney Houston. I am sure you could do the same with some of your favorite artists. Many of them have such a distinctive and unique sound that it immediately registers.
The Christian world we live in today is so confused that it is a wonder all of us are not living in one of those nice rooms with padded walls with those really fashionable white coats with the long sleeves. As the verse above tells us, we have a battle to fight. It is not waged with physical guns, but with the “sword of the Spirit”; the word of God. But there is an “uncertain sound” coming out of pulpits and Bible schools. Pastors are not equipping their people for the daily warfare they must fight against sin in their lives. We have found so many diverse and strange doctrines in the body of Christ today. Because everyone wants to stand out as someone special, churches and pastors have gone off the deep end trying to find some new revelation that no one has ever seen before so they can prove that they are smarter than the rest of us. Everyone is looking for that unique “niche” ministry and church that will satisfy every single personal whim they have. The result is no consistency in preparing the troops to “fight the good fight of faith”. No two churches are exactly alike, nor should they try to be, but when we lose our distinction in our sound, the result is a disorientation in the body that robs us of our ability to live as God intended.
Paul said in Ephesians 4 that the church should, “…be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” The body of Christ is like that today. Every group seems to have its own peculiar twist on the truth, and sound doctrine is hard to find. Christians today are tied up with every goofy “ism” under the sun. There needs to be a “certain sound” coming from our pulpits about salvation by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It should be recognizable. The world may not always like us and certainly will not agree with us, but there should never be a time when our message is not recognized. The ear should pick up immediately the sound of a believer in Christ reflecting the life of his Saviour.
Christians sit in the pews today with dozens of different Bible versions. The pastor quotes a verse from his favorite “version du-jour”, and it doesn’t match yours. Then you look at the Bible of the guy sitting next to you and his doesn’t match yours or the one you just heard. And you wonder why we have so many problems in the body of Christ? Where is the “certain sound” preparing us to the battle? I urge you to find a place you can serve, find a Bible you trust (I can tell you which one if you ask), and most importantly, give out the certain sound of the Saviour to a lost and dying world. They need it. You have it. Sound it out!
The other day I was “toolin’ around” in my car and listening to some great tunes. I like all kinds of music, and my “play list” would be quite diverse. That would not include country music; I just never developed a taste for it. I don’t like rap either. I don’t consider rap to be actual music. It is awesome poetry. The ability of rappers to craft the language is outstanding. But all their “songs” have the same mundane “beat”. You could put any set of words to the same tune and have a rap album. We joke all the time at church about my total and complete lack of music skills, but that does not extend to the ear. I can listen to music, and you might find just about anything in my CD player. The selection of the day was Kenny G. No one can play the saxophone like him. His sound is unique – very distinct. I can pick out a Kenny G. tune in less than six notes. In fact, one time I was in a place when one of his latest CD’s was playing that I had never heard before, and it immediately resonated. I said, “That’s Kenny G.” I was right. I could do the same thing with the guitar of Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin or the voice of Michael McDonald or Whitney Houston. I am sure you could do the same with some of your favorite artists. Many of them have such a distinctive and unique sound that it immediately registers.
The Christian world we live in today is so confused that it is a wonder all of us are not living in one of those nice rooms with padded walls with those really fashionable white coats with the long sleeves. As the verse above tells us, we have a battle to fight. It is not waged with physical guns, but with the “sword of the Spirit”; the word of God. But there is an “uncertain sound” coming out of pulpits and Bible schools. Pastors are not equipping their people for the daily warfare they must fight against sin in their lives. We have found so many diverse and strange doctrines in the body of Christ today. Because everyone wants to stand out as someone special, churches and pastors have gone off the deep end trying to find some new revelation that no one has ever seen before so they can prove that they are smarter than the rest of us. Everyone is looking for that unique “niche” ministry and church that will satisfy every single personal whim they have. The result is no consistency in preparing the troops to “fight the good fight of faith”. No two churches are exactly alike, nor should they try to be, but when we lose our distinction in our sound, the result is a disorientation in the body that robs us of our ability to live as God intended.
Paul said in Ephesians 4 that the church should, “…be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” The body of Christ is like that today. Every group seems to have its own peculiar twist on the truth, and sound doctrine is hard to find. Christians today are tied up with every goofy “ism” under the sun. There needs to be a “certain sound” coming from our pulpits about salvation by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It should be recognizable. The world may not always like us and certainly will not agree with us, but there should never be a time when our message is not recognized. The ear should pick up immediately the sound of a believer in Christ reflecting the life of his Saviour.
Christians sit in the pews today with dozens of different Bible versions. The pastor quotes a verse from his favorite “version du-jour”, and it doesn’t match yours. Then you look at the Bible of the guy sitting next to you and his doesn’t match yours or the one you just heard. And you wonder why we have so many problems in the body of Christ? Where is the “certain sound” preparing us to the battle? I urge you to find a place you can serve, find a Bible you trust (I can tell you which one if you ask), and most importantly, give out the certain sound of the Saviour to a lost and dying world. They need it. You have it. Sound it out!
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