Easter - The Blood Moon (part 2 of 5)

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.   Joel 2:30-32

 

The verses above were written 800 years prior to the birth and death of Jesus; it would seem that regardless of how hard you press the bible it stands up.  Science thousands of years later brings us a chicken skin moment when science proves the verses above to be a true and accurate description of what was to happen at the crucifixion of Christ.   Which explains how Peter on the day of Pentecost could and did proclaim to all of those present “as you yourselves also know” everyone there had seen and witnessed that first horrible Good Friday.  It also makes it much easier to understand why the Roman Centurions quickly came to understand and admit that “truly this Man was the Son of God!” Boy did they choose the wrong side that day. 

A blood moon, watch the video and if it doesn’t open your eyes to the truth, to God’s pure love for you, that God would write the story in the sky above for those of use two thousand years later to find, so that we might believe.  How we could use a blood moon this Good Friday. God left no doubt to the truth, and He left us markers that point back to Him.  But if it doesn’t change your heart, your own self love, and your love for the things of God instead of God, then you are as lost as the Roman centurions 2,000 years ago.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?”… And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit….When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:45-46, 50,54

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?... And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”  Mark 15:33-34,37-39

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.  For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: …“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— , Acts 2:14-16, 22

Next Post - Easter Betrayal and a Broken Heart (part 3 of 5)

Previous Post - Easter The Truth (Part 1 of 5) 

Easter - The Truth (part 1 of 5)

Okay it is time to put aside all of the other issues, all of the other ideas, thoughts and concerns and address the single most important event in the history of mankind.  This begins the first of a five part series on “Easter the Truth”. each will have a short video to help reach your soul.  The truth of Easter is a story of hope, the promise that people had waited thousands of years for the fulfillment of, and that we today shake our heads in wonder at the terrible, beautiful truth of what God did just so that we might have the choice to be reconciled with Him.  It is a story that God wrote into the heavens at the beginning of time, (and we will look at that in this small series) Odds are that if you are reading this you are not a CEO Christian (Christmas -Easter Only) but if by chance you are, or if you know someone who is, this is the time to stop and take stock of how you are living your life and evaluate it against this one all important fact. 

In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.   God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.  The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.   John 1:1-11

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ Luke 24:5-7

Really think about the above verses, let it sink into you; let them pull at your heart and your soul.  If you choose not to internalize them, to live your life in gratitude of them, then in your heart and life, Easter is just a day that children believe a rabbit bounces all over the world hiding hard-boiled chicken eggs (really??), and you celebrate it by going out and gorging yourself on more food then most people in the world eat in two weeks time.  If however you believe the truth, but are choosing your way, and not following and doing as He instructed, then the question must be asked “How can you continue in your sins and trespasses (they are not the same, there is a significant difference between them and we will look at the difference another day)?  Is the life you are choosing to live worth the price that Jesus paid for it?  

Go back and read those verses again and again… This Easter are you going to celebrate and worship our Lord (A job description not a name) and Savior for the amazing grace and love that he pours out into the world,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 

 Or are you going to go hunting for chicken eggs, left by a rabbit? 

It all begins with waiting, waiting for Him. 

Next Post - Easter (Part 2 of 5)

When the Storm Comes (Faith in times of trouble)

A friend of mine tonight mentioned in passing tonight that I am the type of person that will answer your question truthfully regardless of what answer the person asking the question is looking for.  Which as the night progressed made me reflect on another friend of mine who is currently entering a difficult chapter of her life.  A storm has blow into her life, not one of her own making, but rather one that is the direct result of another un-leasing sin and its terrible consequences into her family. 

These sins and those who choose them are frequently the topic of my posts, these sins are  those that our society has elected to turn a blind eye to, to tolerate; these sins unleash untold destruction, pain, suffering, and evil to those whom God calls His own.  Frequently these sins are committed by those who profess that Jesus is Lord (forgetting that ‘Lord’ is not a name, but rather a job description), but almost as often by those who deny any relationship to Jesus.  In both situations, God has made it perfectly clear that He will deal with those who injure those who have placed their faith in God and God alone.  

Today however I am addressing those who are the recipient, those who are simply collateral damage of another’s sin; those who are suddenly thrust into the darkest night, when dreams, goals, family and life itself is being battered by wave after terrible wave. Each of us at one time or another will enter into one of these storms of unimaginable proportions, in the mist of it you will be presented with one question, the defining moment of your life. That one answer will shape your life; if you are playing attention you will realize the moment as such, because there will not be multiple options to choose from, there will be either A or B, yes or no, right or wrong.  

To my friend, it appears that God is stripping everything from her, that like Abraham and Job, God has singled her out to test her faith.  Nothing could be further from the truth.   It is her moment of truth, God is reaching out to her, and telling her, “Don’t be afraid, take courage.  I am here” 

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.  About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Matthew 14:23-27

The truthful answer to the question, is that you are either going through a storm now, or are headed into the eye of a hurricane that you can not see; in either situation when the storm has come, remember Jesus’  reassuring words, “Don’t be afraid, take courage.  I am here.”

Tolerance and the Christian

Tolerance is the ‘in word’ of our culture; everyone says that they think tolerance is a sign of an educated mind.  In the process the very definition of the word ‘tolerance is being redefined to mean that all views are equally valid and all lifestyles are equally appropriate.  If you were (as I do) to take a stand against same sex marriages,  divorce, open-marriages,  or any number of other  ‘lifestyles’  you would no doubt be accused of being intolerant.  The problem for those who take the view point of being tolerant is where do you draw the line, and if and when you do are you then not being intolerant?  But I will come back to that point later.   Let me begin with the fact that Jesus proclaimed the truth that He is the only way.  As such any person (Christian) is vilified as the epitome of intolerance.   Which leaves each and every individual Christian one of two choices, either capitulate to culture, or become equipped to expose the flaws of today’s tolerance, while simultaneously exemplifying “TRUE” tolerance.

Tolerance??  To begin with, to say that all views are equally valid sounds tolerant but in reality is a contradiction in terms.  If in fact all views are equally valid, then the Christian view must be valid.  The Christian view, however, holds that not all views are equally valid.  Thus the ongoing redefinition of tolerance in our culture is a self-refuting proposition.   Equally important, we do not tolerate people with whom we disagree, we tolerate people with whom we disagree.  If all views were in fact equally valid there would be no need for tolerance.

Perhaps more troubling is that today’s redefinition of tolerance leaves no room for objective moral judgments.  This means that the terrorist who flew the planes into the world trade center could be deemed as virtuous as Mother Teresa.  Without an enduring reference point, societal norms are being reduced to mere matters of preference.  As such, the moral basis for resolving international disputes (we will get to the personal ones) and condemning such intuitively evil practices as genocide, oppression of women, and child prostitution is being seriously compromised.

On the individual level, it is a very slippery slope once you have embraced todays’ definition of tolerance.  Once you sign off on it, you can not draw a line and stand for anything without being a hypocrite, divorce and remarriage is okay, but not same sex marriage, adultery and fornication – no problem, then what of the adult having relations with a child or marry the same child.  As Alexander Hamilton said “Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything”. 

Any reasonable individual thus realizes that the philosophically fatal flaws to our cultures view of tolerance. As such, any Christian must then reject today’s tolerance and revive TRUE tolerance. True tolerance entails that, despite our differences, we will treat every person we meet with dignity and respect due to them as those created in the image of God.  True tolerance does not preclude proclaiming the truth, but it does mandate that we do so with gentleness and with respect.  In a world that is increasingly intolerant of Christianity, Christians must exemplify tolerance without sacrificing truth.  In fact, tolerance when it comes to personal relationships is a virtue; but tolerance when it comes to the truth is a travesty.

“Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh”   

Jude 1:22-23

Pursuing God - A Prayer

If I could only write a prayer such as the one below, but since I do not possess that ability, then if my heart truly seeks God, I can read this prayer out loud to God and mean each and every word.  If not then I am simply playing with religion.   

"Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation.  Lay Thy hand upon me.  Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet.  Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling.  Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism.  Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offerings.  Help me to remember that I am a prophet—not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet.  Let me never become a slave to crowds. 

Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity.  Save me from bondage to things.  Let me not waste my days puttering around the house.  Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world.  Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping.  Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life.  I ask for no easy place.  I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path, I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly.  I shall accept opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes.  Or if, as sometimes it faileth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows.  Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul or diminish my spiritual power."
Amen

A.W. Tozer

Someone Worth Dying For

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you have already figured out that rarely will I pull a punch.  I do not attempt to soften the blow, I deliver the truth - point blank, it is part my personality, but more it is because too many who call themselves Christians will not. Too many just want to be liked, they want to be tolerant, understanding, they want to be popular. 

This post is no difference, I will not pull my punch or soften the blow, here is the simple truth… You do not have to look very deep into the pages of the bible to realize that those who choose God’s way often are not the most popular people around, that applies to Jesus himself.  Rather what you find is a book filled with wicked and sinful people, that regardless of how much God does, their very nature is to turn from the light and embrace the dark.  Nothing has changed, we are the same.   

This is why so many people have such a difficult time truly understanding John 3:16.  How could God so love someone like me that He would send his only son to die a horrible death in my place?  How could Jesus think I was worth going through all that he had to? No maybe others, but not me, I am not worth it….. That is what we tell ourselves.   

When the truth is: God loves you so much that he sent His son to die for YOU, that you are someone worth dying for.   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 (believe means to obey, to follow, it is not just an intellectual acceptance of an idea, but it begins with accepting the idea).

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7

How to Become a Christian

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12–13  (Believed means to do, to follow, to obey; it does not mean to merely intellectually believe)

Being a Christian is not merely following a creed, though it does include that. It is not merely believing certain truths, though it is that, as well.  It is the deliberate and daily choice of receiving Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord, of following, doing, obeying Him.

Becoming a Christian is a lot like having a gift offered to you. God is offering you a gift, but you need to accept it and open it to understand what it is.  But more on that later.

There has to be a point in your life when you realize that there is more then the physical world and you are awakened to your spiritual need and say, "God, I know I am guilty, I know I am a sinner.  I know that I do not measure up to your standard and I never will.  However, your light has penetrated through the cracks of my life, exposing the darkness of my life and my spiritual nakedness. You have shown me my weaknesses, and my complete hopelessness of doing it my way.  At the same time, I know I it is not through my own strength that I can become a Christian.  So I am coming to you on your terms.  I am turning from my sin, for without doing so no forgiveness is granted, and I lie naked and guilty before you.  I believe that your Son, Jesus, whom stood at your right side as all things were created, became a man and walked among us.  I believe that he chose to die on a cross for my sin. I put my trust in you.  I choose to follow you."

Have you noticed that people are funny about opening gifts. There is a very popular book out called ‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus’  Which I think is clearly demonstrated in the way that each views a gift.   Personally, I think it is a complete waste of time to wrap a gift for men.

While a woman will admire the wrapping job and carefully unwrap the gift hoping to use the ribbon or perhaps the paper later, a man will simply rip through the brightly colored paper as an obstacle. To a man, wrapping is in the way.  It's just keeping him from the thing he really wants, which is what's in the box. That's all men generally care about – what’s in the box.

My mother, on the other hand, enjoys - and frequently prolongs - the unwrapping process.  I've never understood it, but when someone gives her a gift, she'll say, "Thank you so much!" Then she'll set the gift aside for a while (which of course drives my brothers and me absolutely crazy at Christmas).   Neither I nor my brothers can do that.  If someone gives me a gift, I am going to open it immediately.  I want everyone else to do the same, so I impatiently ask, "Mom, are you going to open your gift?"

"I'm going to do it later," she'll tell me. "After I eat breakfast."

"The gift?" I remind her when breakfast is over.

"Let me clean the dishes first."

"The gift?" I will ask, as she is stacking the dishes in the sink.

"I need to call your aunt and uncle first."

"Open the gift!" I say, unable to bear it any longer. "How can you just sit there knowing that there is an unopened gift sitting over in the corner?" (Once she actually left a gift unopened for several years)

In the same way, God has given each and every person who has ever lived a gift, and while it may look nice sitting over in the corner, it's not any good until we open it.  The gift is just sitting there and for most of us it remains just sitting there, gathering dust as the days turn into months and the months into years.

Maybe you're thinking like so many do, "I'll get to it later. I know it's there.  I just love the fact that it is there, but I want to do some things first."  However, you are not promised tomorrow, you need to receive it.  You need to open His gift.  Until you have done so you do not possess the gift; you are only experiencing what you want for you, you are not experiencing what God has in store for you.

Most only get as far as saying, "I know Jesus is the Lord. I know He is the Creator of all things. I know He died on the cross. I know He is the answer to all my questions.  I know He can forgive me of my sins. He is there knocking and except for this one little thing I would open the door, but it’s nice to know He is there, when I am want Him “But that's not enough, a gift is only good if it's being used, otherwise it is simply a pretty box in the corner and it will do you no good at all.  So reach out and receive the gift.

Your Christian family can't do it for you. You can't do it for yourself just by saying, "I believe in my own way." You have to say, "Lord, I receive your gift of eternal life, happily and gladly.  I trust in your promises and I choose to follow Jesus."  Then you have to do it. 

Have you done that yet?