June 9
God on Trial Author Unknown
The self-professed Creator of the universe claims to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. For millions of people, it is harder to believe such assertions after the Newtown massacre.
Atheist Sam Harris declares that "the murder of a single little girl—even once in a million years—casts doubt upon the idea of a benevolent God." Now we're facing the killing of 20 children in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. If God is all-knowing, he knew the morning of December 14 that a mass murderer was going to kill 20 children and seven adults before shooting himself. If God is all-powerful, he could have stopped this tragedy. If God is all-loving, he would want to. And yet 28 people were killed on that horrific day.
Every day in America 40 people are murdered. Each death is unspeakably tragic. But when 20 first-graders are killed at their elementary school, something in us rages at such senseless violence. Each child who died left a parent who treasured them above everything else in this world. Each child who survived will be scarred forever by the terror of the morning. The Newtown massacre ripped away the veneer of a joyful holiday season, exposing the ugly cruelty that lies at the heart of this fallen world—a world made by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God.
You don't have to be an atheist like Sam Harris to ask how this can be. Four accusations against God The Newtown tragedy is not an isolated event. In July 2012, suspect James Holmes killed 12 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater. In January 2011, Jared Lee Loughner killed six and injured more than a dozen in Tucson, Arizona. In 2009, suspect Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho murdered 32 people at Virginia Tech before killing himself.
Many of us still remember the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre, where Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and then themselves in Littleton, Colorado. Nothing has changed as a result of Newtown. There is no reason that today could not be another day of senseless death. In a nation similarly fraught with violence and facing an uncertain future, the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk expressed to God our confusion and anger: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do You tolerate the treacherous? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13). Has his last question ever been more appropriate than today?
I am writing this essay on the anniversary of my father's death. He died of a heart attack at the age of 55, when I was in college. Dad left an empty place in our wedding photos, our children's lives, and every Christmas table since. The great tragedy of my life is that my father never met my sons. Soon it will be the one-year anniversary of the horrible day we learned our oldest son had cancer. 2012 will always be remembered by our family as the year of Ryan's diagnosis, surgery, and radiation. Even as I write these words, tears come to my eyes as my stomach knots in pain. Where was God in Newtown? Where was he when my father died? Where was he when my son's malignancy began growing inside his body? Only four options are possible.
Each constitutes an accusation against the God of the Bible. One: He is not omniscient. Perhaps He does not see our problems in time to prevent them. If He is trapped in time as we are, He does not see tragedy until it unfolds. But this is no defense of an all-knowing God. Even if He did not see the Newtown massacre before it happened, He watched Adam Lanza prepare to kill his mother. He then watched Lanza drive to Sandy Hook Elementary, break into the school, and take aim at those inside. He watched my father's heart disease build to the point where it took his life; He watched Ryan's cancer cells begin to multiply inside his body.
We can defend God's power and love at the expense of His omniscience, but we must then wonder how relevant they are. If He doesn't know about our problems, how can He help with them? Two: he is not omnipotent. Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his bestselling When Bad Things Happen to Good People, claimed that God cannot intervene miraculously in our world. He can help us as we grieve, but He cannot prevent our grief. In our scientific age, it is common to ascribe the miracles of the Bible to myth and superstition.
Perhaps God saw and wanted to stop Adam Lanza's violence or my son's cancer, but could not. We can defend God's knowledge and love at the expense of His power. But once again, we must wonder how relevant they are. If He knows about our problems and wants to solve them but cannot, how much help is He?
Three: He is not all-loving. The Greeks pictured their gods atop Mt. Olympus, capricious and uncaring. The fatalistic Stoics described us as dogs tied to carts—we can trot along or be dragged behind, but we're going with the cart. We can defend God's knowledge and power at the expense of His love. But yet again, we must wonder if they are then relevant to us. If He knows about our pain and has the power to prevent it, but He doesn't care about our suffering, why would He help us? Four: God does not exist. David Hume, the 18th-century skeptic, proposed this syllogism:
• If God exists, He must be loving and powerful and thus eradicate evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist. For millions of atheists, including Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris in our day, his argument is theirs.
Is there a way to defend God's omniscience, omnipotence, love, and existence in the aftermath of Newtown? My case for God One of the most famous Christmas texts in Scripture was first delivered to a world filled with "distress and darkness and fearful gloom" (Isaiah 8:22).
In the midst of such suffering, the prophet heard an amazing promise: "There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress" (Isaiah 9:1). Why? Because Unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, Establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (vs. 6-7).
Christians believe this promise to be fulfilled with the Christmas miracle of Jesus' birth. We look to Him as our all-knowing "Wonderful Counselor," our all-powerful "Mighty God," and our all-loving "Everlasting Father." In a violent, destructive world, we believe that He is our only "Prince of Peace." As He stands trial today, I imagine you as the jury and myself as His attorney.
Here's my defense. Consider other suspects First, the Defendant is not the only being capable of committing this crime. If God were the only Person able to instigate the violence at Newtown, it would be difficult to defend His character today. But this is not the case.
Consider the criminal record of another suspect, one who is "a murderer from the beginning" of time (John 8:44). Satan instigated the betrayal of Jesus which led to His execution (Luke 22:3). He has power over unbelievers (Acts 26:18) and blinds their minds (2 Corinthians 4:4). he "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). he is alive and working in our fallen world. Everything about the Newtown massacre is consistent with his character and actions. Another suspect is the Newtown shooter. Adam Lanza was created by God to know and love his Maker (Matthew 22:37). But love requires the ability to choose, so God gave him free will (Genesis 3:15-17; Exodus 32:26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21). Lanza's freedom was intended by God to be used for good and not evil (Matthew 4:10; Proverbs 1:10; Proverbs 4:14; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 6:13; 2 Peter 3:17). Tragically, he used his free will to choose sin and death (James 1:13-15; James 4:1).
In a moment we will ask why God did not prevent his crime or its consequences. For now, it is my intent to show you that Lanza should be considered the perpetrator of Newtown, not my Client. Now examine the character of the Person on trial. He touched leprous bodies and healed them (Matthew 8:3), fed hungry crowds (John 6:1-13), and raised a father's dead daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and a widow's only son (Luke 7:11-15). He forgave the disciples who abandoned Him (John 21:15-19) and even the soldiers who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). How did He feel about the children who were killed at Newtown? He rebuked disciples who kept children from Him and declared, "Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Then He "placed His hands on them" and blessed them (Matthew 19:14-15). Jesus did not cause even a single death during His life and ministry, but grieved for those who died (John 11:35).
Nothing about the Newtown tragedy is consistent with His character or actions. How can He be omniscient and allow evil? Now let's move to the specific charges against my Client. The first is that if He is omnipotent and all-loving, He cannot be omniscient. He could not know about the Newtown tragedy in time to prevent it, or He would have. In response, I'd like you to consider this question: Are knowing and choosing always the same? Does the fact that God knows what we are going to do mean that He makes that decision for us? God is not bound by time. He is the eternal "I Am" (Exodus 3:14). As He is not constrained by the space He created, neither is He confined to the time by which He regulates His creation. As a result, God can "see" my activities in what we call "tomorrow" as though they were "today."
But seeing and choosing may not be the same. I have spoken in churches and classes around the world. In each setting I have watched people take their seats in the sanctuary or classroom. Never have I chosen their seats for them. In the same way, God sees today what I'll eat for breakfast tomorrow, but such knowledge does not mean that He will choose my food for me. The fact that God knew Adam Lanza would kill so many children and adults in Newtown does not mean that He made this murderous choice for him. Can he be omnipotent and allow suffering? The second charge against my Client is that He must not be omnipotent, or He would have prevented the Newtown massacre. His omniscience would have alerted Him to the tragedy before it happened or at least as it began.
His omnipotence would then prevent this calamity from occurring. If God could create the universe with just his spoken word (Genesis 1:3), he could have kept Lanza's guns from firing. If He could make the Red Sea part (Exodus 14:21-22), He could have stopped the bullets before they reached their targets. If He could raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44), He could have brought the Newtown victims back to life. In response, consider this question: once God begins preventing the consequences of misused freedom, where does He stop? We'd all like a world where God prevents every Holocaust or 9/11 or Newtown tragedy.
But once He intervenes to prevent the results of free will, where does He draw the line? I want God to prevent a drunk driver from killing my sons. But I also want Him to prevent someone from injuring them. I want Him to intervene whenever someone is going to lie to them or manipulate them in some way. I have no doubt that He is powerful enough to do all of this and more. But if He uses his omnipotence in this way, is He not violating our freedom?
Imagine that I am keeping a low-carb diet but order a pizza to be delivered. My wife discovers my subterfuge and persuades the delivery service to substitute yogurt for the pizza. When my food arrives, it will be clear that my choice was only apparent, not real. God is powerful enough to have prevented the Newtown massacre. But He would have also prevented Adam Lanza from using his God-given free will. Can He be all-loving and allow innocent suffering? The third charge against my Client is that He must not be all-loving, or He would not have allowed these innocent children and adults to die.
His omniscience would alert Him to the pending tragedy; His omnipotence would enable Him to intervene. The fact that He did not must mean that He lacks the compassion to do so. In response, consider the biblical claims that God hurts as we hurt:
• "When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1).
• "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (Psalm 23:4).
• "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
• "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:2-3).
• "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
He allows us to misuse our free will, refusing to prevent the consequences of our wrong choices, but then He suffers as we suffer. The fact of evil does not disprove the fact of God's love. Rather, the former provides opportunity for the latter. Can He exist and allow a world like this? The final charge against my Client is that He does not exist: He must be omniscient, omnipotent, and all-loving to be the God of Scripture, yet He does not prevent the suffering we experience daily. If we will not abandon one of His biblical traits, their combination in the face of an evil world requires us to reject the existence of such a Being. In response, consider this proposal: God redeems for greater good all He allows or causes. If He is sovereign, He must at least permit all that happens in this life.
If He is holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), He can never make a mistake (Matthew 5:48):
• "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He" (Deuteronomy 32:4).
• "Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me" (Isaiah 45:21).
• "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love" (Psalm 33:4-5).
• "The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice" (Psalm 9:7-8).
• "For the Lord is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face" (Psalm 11:7).
• "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:17). • "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
If this God allows any evil that He does not redeem for a greater good, He has erred in allowing it. Thus, His character requires Him to redeem all that He permits or causes. This assertion does not guarantee that you and I will experience or even understand God's greater good on this side of glory. As Paul said, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
But I do not need to understand something to believe that it is true. I don't understand the physics of air travel, but I board airplanes regularly. I don't understand the techniques involved in knee surgery, but I've experienced them twice. I don't understand how my laptop computer converts my keystrokes into the digital data you are reading, but I use it daily. In the same way, I believe that God is redeeming my father's death and my son's cancer for a greater good. I am convinced that He is already redeeming the Newtown tragedy for a greater good as well.
Some of this good we may see in our lifetime, as when He uses suffering to refine us (Psalm 66:10; Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3), enabling us to share our faith (1 Peter 2:12, 15) and making us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Much of this greater good we will not see until we are in heaven. In the meantime, I choose to agree with Paul: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). I understand the frustration many feel in trying to reconcile an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God with our broken world. But I would ask those who prosecute my Client this question: how would you do better? He created a perfect world in which no Newtown massacres would have occurred, but humans chose to sin against His will and corrupted His creation (Romans 8:22).
He gave us his commandments, principles that would prevent all such tragedies if they were followed (cf. Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder"). He gave us His prophets to interpret and apply His principles to our lives. Then He gave us his Son to teach us His word and to die for our sins. His miracles attested to His omniscience, omnipotence, and love; His resurrection demonstrated His uniqueness and divinity. Now He has given us His trustworthy, authoritative Scriptures by which to know His Son and follow His will. The fact of suffering does not mean that this God is less knowing, powerful, loving, or real. Rather, it proves that He is relevant and essential to our lives and needs.
When we are sick, we can blame medical science for our illness or we can turn to a doctor for our cure. Conclusion Elie Wiesel's books tell the story of the Holocaust through the prism of his personal suffering.
No passage is more horrific than this account of a small boy hanged by the Nazis: For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me, I heard [a] man asking: "Where is God now?" And I heard a voice within me answer him: "Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows."
In the same way, the God who made us entered our fallen world. He chose to come not as a conquering general but as a helpless child. The only baby who determined the circumstances of His birth chose a feed trough in a cow stall, peasants for parents, and grimy field hands for attendants. He chose to walk our planet, breathe our air, face our temptations, feel our pain, and die on our cross. Then He chose to rise from our grave and to prepare our eternal dwelling (John 14:3).
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy, many are questioning the existence, character, and relevance of God. But nothing that happened in Connecticut on December 14 changed His nature. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In fact, He is not on trial—we are. It is not His response to Newtown that is in question, but ours.
It is not His knowledge of us, but our desire to know Him; it is not His power, but our willingness to submit to that power in our lives; it is not His love for us, but our choice to receive His love and share it with all in need. Max Lucado, with his usual sensitivity, offered this prayer after the Newtown shooting: "Oh, Lord Jesus, You entered the dark world of Your day. Won't You enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger. We ask You, to heal us, to help us, to be born anew in us." Amen.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Good News from a Dark Place
An Iranian interrogator involved in the persecution of religious minorities gave his life to Jesus Christ after a Christian woman locked in solitary confinement for three days shared the Gospel with him.
The woman, a house church leader, was arrested for her faith and forced into solitary confinement, according to Open Doors USA, an organization that aids persecuted Christians throughout the world.
"I wasn't ready to go to prison," she said to Open Doors. "I knew it was a dirty place, a place where people are tortured and locked up in solitary confinement. I was afraid that I would be so fearful that I would give up all the names of the members of house church. I even feared that I would deny my faith if they tortured me."
During her imprisonment, however, she shared the Gospel with her interrogator after three days of being locked in solitary confinement.
"We talked about Jesus for hours until finally the interrogator gave his heart to Jesus. We prayed together," said the courageous woman.
"It's an honor for me to talk about Jesus," she told the guard. "You also need Jesus in your life. I cannot be indifferent toward you. I want you to experience the joy and blessing of salvation. I can't keep silent about this."
The preaching of the Gospel is still happening in the predominantly Muslim nation despite immense opposition from the the regime led by President Hassan Rouhani that has imprisoned more religious minorities than previous ones since he was elected in 2013.
The Rouhani regime has led to poor religious freedom conditions and with that has come the imprisonment of various religious minorities, including Christian converts, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shiite Muslims, according to a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
"The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and execution based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused," said the report.
The woman, a house church leader, was arrested for her faith and forced into solitary confinement, according to Open Doors USA, an organization that aids persecuted Christians throughout the world.
"I wasn't ready to go to prison," she said to Open Doors. "I knew it was a dirty place, a place where people are tortured and locked up in solitary confinement. I was afraid that I would be so fearful that I would give up all the names of the members of house church. I even feared that I would deny my faith if they tortured me."
During her imprisonment, however, she shared the Gospel with her interrogator after three days of being locked in solitary confinement.
"We talked about Jesus for hours until finally the interrogator gave his heart to Jesus. We prayed together," said the courageous woman.
"It's an honor for me to talk about Jesus," she told the guard. "You also need Jesus in your life. I cannot be indifferent toward you. I want you to experience the joy and blessing of salvation. I can't keep silent about this."
The preaching of the Gospel is still happening in the predominantly Muslim nation despite immense opposition from the the regime led by President Hassan Rouhani that has imprisoned more religious minorities than previous ones since he was elected in 2013.
The Rouhani regime has led to poor religious freedom conditions and with that has come the imprisonment of various religious minorities, including Christian converts, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shiite Muslims, according to a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
"The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and execution based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused," said the report.
From the Word
June 8
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 15 As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
To What Are Believers Called?
Believers have not been called to a life of luxury. In fact, those who have served the purposes of Christ the most in their lives have been called upon to make great sacrifices in His behalf and in the behalf of His Kingdom's purposes.
The Word says that people of faith are to "count it all joy," James 1:2, when difficulties arise in their lives. A cursory glance at the lives of the twelve Apostles conveys the reality that those who would "live godly for Christ Jesus will suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12, but they endured it with the power of His grace upon them.
1. Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia where he was killed by the sword.
2. Mark met his demise in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was dragged through the streets by horses until he was dead.
3. Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his powerful preaching to the lost.
4. John, the Beloved Apostle, faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos, from which he wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation. John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died an old man, the only apostle to ultimately die a natural death.
5. Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
6. James the Just who had been the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown down over a hundred feet from the southeast pinnacle* of the Temple in Jerusalem because he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When he miraculously survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
7. James the Great, the son of Zebedee, was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
8. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a missionary to Asia. He was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
9. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece after being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
10. Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent
11. Jude was shot with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
12. Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the betrayer Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
13. Paul, was tortured and ultimately beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul had endured a lengthy imprisonment prior to his execution, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which teach many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
How are we doing? How strong is our faith? Would we be willing to endure persecution, torture, and cruel death because we refuse to deny our Savior?
In our own strength, none of us could stand. In His strength, we can. May we live our lives today in the power that raised Jesus from the dead, (see Romans 8:11) so no matter how we might be called upon to die, we will be endued with the same grace that the martyrs of old experienced at the threshold where they crossed from life to LIFE.
The Word says that people of faith are to "count it all joy," James 1:2, when difficulties arise in their lives. A cursory glance at the lives of the twelve Apostles conveys the reality that those who would "live godly for Christ Jesus will suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12, but they endured it with the power of His grace upon them.
1. Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia where he was killed by the sword.
2. Mark met his demise in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was dragged through the streets by horses until he was dead.
3. Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his powerful preaching to the lost.
4. John, the Beloved Apostle, faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos, from which he wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation. John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died an old man, the only apostle to ultimately die a natural death.
5. Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
6. James the Just who had been the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown down over a hundred feet from the southeast pinnacle* of the Temple in Jerusalem because he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When he miraculously survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.
7. James the Great, the son of Zebedee, was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
8. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a missionary to Asia. He was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.
9. Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece after being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
10. Thomas was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent
11. Jude was shot with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
12. Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace the betrayer Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.
13. Paul, was tortured and ultimately beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul had endured a lengthy imprisonment prior to his execution, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which teach many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
How are we doing? How strong is our faith? Would we be willing to endure persecution, torture, and cruel death because we refuse to deny our Savior?
In our own strength, none of us could stand. In His strength, we can. May we live our lives today in the power that raised Jesus from the dead, (see Romans 8:11) so no matter how we might be called upon to die, we will be endued with the same grace that the martyrs of old experienced at the threshold where they crossed from life to LIFE.
Choked by Wealth
June 7
Being Choked by Wealth
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income...." - Ecclesiastes 5:10
Believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives, one to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult—to give away his wealth and follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block . For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Matthew 19:16-30).
In the parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, some a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3b-8).
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).
Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
One day I woke up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God, but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives, much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.
Do you have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering for more of His presence in your life.
Our Brother Hillman has taken several paragraphs to identify our condition, but John D. Rockefeller, who was once the richest man in the world, capsulized our plight by answering when asked, “How much money is enough?” by saying, “Just a little bit more.”
May we be instead like the Apostle Paul who gave up wealth and prestige to follow Christ, “I have resolved that in whatever state I am, I will be content,” Philippians 4:11.
Being Choked by Wealth
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income...." - Ecclesiastes 5:10
Believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives, one to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth.
Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult—to give away his wealth and follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block . For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Matthew 19:16-30).
In the parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, some a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3b-8).
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).
Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.
One day I woke up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God, but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives, much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need.
Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.
Do you have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering for more of His presence in your life.
Our Brother Hillman has taken several paragraphs to identify our condition, but John D. Rockefeller, who was once the richest man in the world, capsulized our plight by answering when asked, “How much money is enough?” by saying, “Just a little bit more.”
May we be instead like the Apostle Paul who gave up wealth and prestige to follow Christ, “I have resolved that in whatever state I am, I will be content,” Philippians 4:11.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Forward!
June 6
Forward!
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’—Exodus 14:15
Have you ever encountered an obstacle so huge, you just didn’t know if you could get around it? Perhaps you are facing one today.
If you need a testimony of victory against tremendous obstacles, read the book of Exodus. The tenth plague had come upon Egypt, striking the firstborn of all the houses of Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Israelites sat terrified in their homes amid the shrieks, wails, moans, and cries of the mourning Egyptians around them. The angel of God had passed through the land, slaying the firstborn of every house that did not have blood upon the doorpost and lintel.
The next day, Pharaoh gave the Israelites permission to leave Egypt, so they headed out of the land. But while Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his men to pursue the Israelites.
As the Israelites looked back from the Red Sea, hundreds of Egyptian chariots bore down on them! They had no place left to go. With the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”
At once the Red Sea parted, and God provided them safe passage.
Forty years later, the Israelites (now under Joshua’s leadership) faced the Jordan River, and it appeared impossible to cross. But God had told them that when they stepped into the water, it would disappear. The river flowed menacingly along, but because of God’s instruction and promise, they went forward. At the moment the Israelites’ feet touched that water, it parted, and the people walked across on dry ground to the Promised Land!
When we face obstacles, God always provides a way. He has promised in His Word that He will make our paths straight. God calls us to go through our obstacles, whatever they may be, because He calls us forward to a glorious destiny, the Promised Land.
So if you face a tremendous obstacle today, wait for God to provide you a way through it, and when He calls you forward, go in the faith that He will fulfill His promise to you.
When the good Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. —THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Forward!
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’—Exodus 14:15
Have you ever encountered an obstacle so huge, you just didn’t know if you could get around it? Perhaps you are facing one today.
If you need a testimony of victory against tremendous obstacles, read the book of Exodus. The tenth plague had come upon Egypt, striking the firstborn of all the houses of Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Israelites sat terrified in their homes amid the shrieks, wails, moans, and cries of the mourning Egyptians around them. The angel of God had passed through the land, slaying the firstborn of every house that did not have blood upon the doorpost and lintel.
The next day, Pharaoh gave the Israelites permission to leave Egypt, so they headed out of the land. But while Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his men to pursue the Israelites.
As the Israelites looked back from the Red Sea, hundreds of Egyptian chariots bore down on them! They had no place left to go. With the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”
At once the Red Sea parted, and God provided them safe passage.
Forty years later, the Israelites (now under Joshua’s leadership) faced the Jordan River, and it appeared impossible to cross. But God had told them that when they stepped into the water, it would disappear. The river flowed menacingly along, but because of God’s instruction and promise, they went forward. At the moment the Israelites’ feet touched that water, it parted, and the people walked across on dry ground to the Promised Land!
When we face obstacles, God always provides a way. He has promised in His Word that He will make our paths straight. God calls us to go through our obstacles, whatever they may be, because He calls us forward to a glorious destiny, the Promised Land.
So if you face a tremendous obstacle today, wait for God to provide you a way through it, and when He calls you forward, go in the faith that He will fulfill His promise to you.
When the good Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. —THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Friday, June 5, 2015
On Assignment
June 5
On Assignment by Mike Evans
One day, several years ago, when I went to the Lord in prayer, God spoke to me; God gave me an assignment to go to what was then the most dangerous place on the planet—Lebanon. I had the opportunity to minister to Palestinians who hated Jews. I took them food and medicine. I was warned by Israeli intelligence not to go because of a threatened terrorist attack.
I also had a trunk full of Gideon Bibles to give to the Marines who were stationed in Beirut. The next morning, I heard the explosion as a Hezbollah terrorist blew up the Marine barracks and killed more than 240 of our brave, young men.
I was driving a rented car with Israeli license plates in the middle of a war zone. In trying to get out of the country and back to Israel, I got lost. I ended up turned around and heading toward Damascus.
We ran out of gas, and the two other members of my team said, "We're dead!"
I said, "No we're not—you're still talking."
A young Arab who looked to be around 18 or 19 stuck his head into the window of the car. My first thought was, "He's going to shoot us." He smiled and held up a can of gasoline. After he put it in the car, he pointed at the door lock. I unlocked the door, and he got in.
For 32 minutes, he never said a single word. He pointed to where we needed to go. Just as we arrived at the border, he put his hand up. We stopped the car, and he got out.
The colonel at the border checkpoint told me he had informed the Prime Minister's office that my team and I had been killed in Lebanon. They thought there was no way I could survive. He said, "How did you make it?"
I started to point toward our guide, but he was gone. I believe it was an angel of the Lord who delivered us from death that day.
We need our angels to be active because we are part of a crucial and mighty battle. Our Jesus will neither fail nor forsake us as we fight the enemy in our daily lives—wherever the Lord may take us in our daily lives.
On Assignment by Mike Evans
One day, several years ago, when I went to the Lord in prayer, God spoke to me; God gave me an assignment to go to what was then the most dangerous place on the planet—Lebanon. I had the opportunity to minister to Palestinians who hated Jews. I took them food and medicine. I was warned by Israeli intelligence not to go because of a threatened terrorist attack.
I also had a trunk full of Gideon Bibles to give to the Marines who were stationed in Beirut. The next morning, I heard the explosion as a Hezbollah terrorist blew up the Marine barracks and killed more than 240 of our brave, young men.
I was driving a rented car with Israeli license plates in the middle of a war zone. In trying to get out of the country and back to Israel, I got lost. I ended up turned around and heading toward Damascus.
We ran out of gas, and the two other members of my team said, "We're dead!"
I said, "No we're not—you're still talking."
A young Arab who looked to be around 18 or 19 stuck his head into the window of the car. My first thought was, "He's going to shoot us." He smiled and held up a can of gasoline. After he put it in the car, he pointed at the door lock. I unlocked the door, and he got in.
For 32 minutes, he never said a single word. He pointed to where we needed to go. Just as we arrived at the border, he put his hand up. We stopped the car, and he got out.
The colonel at the border checkpoint told me he had informed the Prime Minister's office that my team and I had been killed in Lebanon. They thought there was no way I could survive. He said, "How did you make it?"
I started to point toward our guide, but he was gone. I believe it was an angel of the Lord who delivered us from death that day.
We need our angels to be active because we are part of a crucial and mighty battle. Our Jesus will neither fail nor forsake us as we fight the enemy in our daily lives—wherever the Lord may take us in our daily lives.
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