March 31, 2021

Now or Later

On Palm Sunday, the followers of Christ cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The word, hosanna, is a command that means “cause us to be saved now.” Those who cast the palm branches along the road as Jesus traveled to Jerusalem desired Jesus to save them now. Specifically, they wanted the Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne of David, to save them immediately. The salvation that they demanded was a political salvation, not a spiritual one. They wanted Jesus, the King of the Jews, to redeem Israel from the hand of the Romans, not from the bondage of their sinful rebellion against God (Luke 24:21). They wanted a political savior, not a personal savior who would deliver them from their sins. And they wanted Jesus to save them NOW!!

But these followers of Christ were wrong about what was supposed to happen now and what was supposed to happen later. They wanted the glory of Christ’s reign at that moment. They wanted the glory now, but that glory was reserved for later. The Scriptures taught that “now” was the time for Christ’s suffering! “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26) Suffering now; glory later! After the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus taught that He would come again with great glory! (Luke 21:27) But now was the time for the Passover Lamb to be sacrificed. (Luke 22:7)

The first and second comings of Christ, the now and the later, outline a pattern that is wise for all of us to consider as followers of Christ. As followers of Christ, now is a time for suffering, later will be a time for glory. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). “But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13). “That you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1:5). That is the now! “When He comes in that Day to be glorified in His Saints” (2 Thessalonians 1:10). That is the later!

It is important for us to think correctly about what we should expect in both the now and the later. Today, when you live godly in Christ Jesus, you should expect persecution. But it is the glory that will be revealed that allows us to rejoice in partaking in the sufferings of Christ. When we live life in this fallen world we should expect pain and sickness and suffering. But in glory there will be no more pain, sickness or death. The disciples, when they had the wrong expectation concerning the now and later, were full of gloom and sadness (Luke 24:17), but when they understood the necessity of the death and resurrection of Christ for their salvation they were exceedingly glad (Luke24:52). Luke 24 concludes with the disciples walking back to Jerusalem. It is very likely that this road took them past the place of the crucifixion, but they were no longer sad that Jesus didn’t save them now, but they were full of great joy as they fixed their hope on the gospel of Christ and the glory which shall be revealed in them later.

April 1, 2020

The War has been Won: from Virus to Victory!

We are at war with a virus! I am grateful for our federal, state and local leaders who are doing their best to protect our country during this time of war. I am thankful for those on the front lines serving in our hospitals and in the medical realm seeking to provide healing to our wounded. Our citizens are like soldiers exercising great discipline in personal hygiene and social distancing so as not to give the enemy an advantage. And it is to all those who are fighting this war, that I want to provide these words of hope, “the WAR has been WON!”

In war, it is always wise to know as much about the enemy as possible! As we consider COVID-19, we know the medical field has quickly and rapidly learned an abundance of information about this novel virus. We know that this enemy ultimately attacks the respiratory system seeking to inflict pain, damage, suffering and death. Concerning the origin of this virus, our intelligence agencies confirm that the Coronavirus began in China. We know this is a new virus, but we also know it is not the first virus, nor will it be the last! So let us broaden our historical perspective of this enemy by asking where and when did viruses originate? What is the origin of the first virus? Was there ever a time on this earth when viruses did not inflict pain, damage, suffering and death? Every bit of information about this enemy, will equip us to be in a better position to defeat this enemy!

In war, it is also wise to make sure that your intelligence agencies are both resourceful and reliable. Resourceful, in that you will have the necessary information. And reliable, so that you will have accurate information. In every worldview, people have biases towards information sources that they believe to be reliable and resourceful. If you choose the wrong sources, then victory for winning the war is greatly diminished.

The Bible, God’s Holy Word is the most resourceful and reliable information source when it comes to providing a historical perspective on the origin of viruses. You see, God knows everything! God is truth! God has always been! And thankfully God has recorded for us the origin of pain, sickness, suffering and death. Let me provide you a brief perspective of what God tells us in the Bible regarding the origin of sickness, sorrow, suffering and death in this world.

God supernaturally created the world in six days (Genesis 1). When God finished creating the world, He looked at everything He made and declared that it was “very good.” God’s creation was not just good, but very good. If there was sickness and sorrow and suffering in the created world then God would be lying to declare everything “very good.” So when God originally created the world there were no viruses attacking man! So what happened to God’s Creation?

God gave Adam, the first human being that God created, a command! The command was part of God’s owner manual for what would be best for mankind as he lived in this new world. As a just God, He warned man of the penalty for disobedience. The command is recorded in Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” History confirms Adam’s choice, as the mortality rate is still 100%. The New Testament confirms this account, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men for all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

So let us summarize this information in an intelligence briefing. 1. Creation: God created everything very good. 2. Choice: Man’s sin led to God’s just judgment. When man violated God’s operating instructions, sin entered the world and therefore death entered the world. Before Adam sinned there were no viruses inflicting damage, destruction and death upon mankind. Therefore, the ultimate origin of viruses is mankind’s sin and rebellion against a holy and just God. When we see the charts and graphs concerning COVID-19, what alarms us the most is not the virus but it is the high mortality rate that comes from the virus. The ultimate enemy is not the virus, but death. If our battle plan is only to defeat a certain virus, we will not win the war. History shows us that even after a major disease like the Spanish Flu is defeated, the mortality rate remains 100%. Therefore, our intelligence briefing based on the Holy Scriptures reminds us that our enemy is far greater than a virus. Mankind’s enemy is death. And the cause for death is sin.

I so much appreciate God’s reliable and resourceful intelligence, because He not only accurately describes our ultimate enemy and its cause, but He also informs us how this enemy is defeated. God is not only holy and just, but He is also loving and merciful. While God is announcing His judgment on sin in Genesis 3, we see an initial picture of God’s mercy. Genesis 3:15 points us to a seed that will come from the woman. And that offspring or seed is ultimately Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15 confirms, “For if by the one man’s offense (Adam’s sin) many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” This gift of God is described in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As we enter the month of April, we find two historical events that will be celebrated that summarize what Jesus Christ did for us. On Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Then He was buried. But then on the First Day of the week, the enemy of death was defeated as Jesus Christ rose from the grave. It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that secures the victory. His death was absolutely necessary so that the just demands of our holy God could be satisfied. While Jesus was on the earth he went to the funeral service of his good friend Lazarus and this is what He said to comfort Martha, Lazarus’ sister: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus’ resurrection secures the victory. And Jesus tells us how we can participate in that victory and it is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who died for our sins, was buried and rose again.

It is possible to lose a battle to a virus and still win the war over death. Jesus said, “he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live”. On the other hand it is possible to win a battle over a virus and still lose the war. All those that recover from COVID-19 and those that never come down with the virus, still have to deal with the enemy called death. But the good news is the war has been won! God in His great love and mercy invites you to participate in the victory that is found only in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

April 9, 2019

Given to Hospitality

Given to hospitality! That is for people who live in the South where they are known for their Southern hospitality, right? Others might look at the phrase, “given to hospitality” and think that is only for married people who own their own homes. And many times men might be guilty of thinking that hospitality is what ladies do! According to the Word of God, all Christians are to be given to hospitality! In Romans 12, “given to hospitality” is found in a list that has this heading in my Bible, “Behave Like a Christian.” In other words, given to hospitality is what ought to mark all Christians no matter their age, gender, marital status, or where they live.

However, being given to hospitality is a lost pursuit today. Some have no idea what it even means to be hospitable, because they have never seen it modeled or explained. Five different New Testament books address the reality that believers need to be given to hospitality (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 4:9 and Hebrews 13:2). The two related Greek words that are used to describe hospitality is philoxenia or philoxenos. They are compound words; philos meaning love or fondness and xenos meaning stranger. They literally mean a love of strangers. For the believer, this means we love people that we do not yet know and/or we love people who are different, in that they are not yet believers. This love of people means that we are willing to entertain them and welcome them into our lives, homes and gatherings. In Hebrews 13:2, we are commanded to not forget to entertain strangers (philoxenos), for some have unwittingly entertained angels. That is likely a description of Abraham when he welcomed three men (angels) whom he had never met before into his home (Genesis 18:2). Abraham welcomed them into his home and ministered to them so that they were refreshed both in their hearts and in their stomachs. Then Abraham sent them on their way. In other words, Abraham loved them, welcomed them, and ministered to them even though he had never personally met them before.

Our ministry emphasis for the month of April will be hospitality. The reason why you should participate is not because it is the ministry of the month, but rather because this ministry is clearly taught in the Scriptures for all believers. Let me give you two practical ways to fulfill this ministry.

First, when the church gathers consider how you can welcome “strangers” and minister to them. It is easy for us to reach out to those with whom we have things in common, but stretch yourself by reaching out to “strangers.” By strangers, I don’t mean that the people are strange, but rather they are people you do not know yet and, in that sense, are strange to you. Before you talk with whom you are the most comfortable, reach out and introduce yourself to a guest that might be attending for the first time. Or introduce yourself to someone whom you have seen many times, but have not personally met.

Secondly, when the church scatters, consider how you can love strangers. Here the stranger might be the neighbor that you barely know or the new co-worker or student in school. Often times the stranger is an unbeliever. Make it a goal to welcome someone outside of the body of Christ into your home or life so that you can “refresh” them by providing a meal and encouraging their soul. One practical way to do this is to partner with another Christian friend or family and together reach out to an unbeliever as you are given to hospitality!

The church calendar is a little lighter this month, so plan an evening to reach out to an unbeliever and invite them into your life and/or home. Refresh their soul and enjoy a meal together. If you see someone in the church family that you don’t know really, reach out to them as well! 1 Peter 4:9 states, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” And remember Romans 12:13: “be given to hospitality.”