Tag: Jesus

Living Life

Within the past few days I had a conversation with someone who was sharing about someone who had just passed away.  When asked if the person died knowing Christ, the person I was talking to didn’t know but had sufficient reason to be concerned for this person’s salvation.  He further went on to share what this person was like and how much the lifestyle of socializing and partying was in their life.  For the rest of the day I found myself thinking about this person and the life they lived, and how so many find themselves living the same type of lifestyle this person did.

 

In Matthew 24:36-44, and also in Luke 17:26-36, in describing what the days of His return would look like, Jesus likened them to the days of Noah and Lot.  In both passages He indicates that people will basically be caught up with life itself and its many different pleasures, a description we can easily make for the times we are now living in.  As I pondered these things I found myself asking a simple question, what does it mean to live life, and to live life more abundantly?  In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that He came so that we can have life, and life more abundantly, but what does that mean?

 

I’ve talked to many a person over the years who have shared with me what living life looks like to them.  Some of the people were Christians, and some were not, but I would have to say the majority of those who were Christians seemed to say the same thing that non-Christians would say.  They would talk of their embracing and enthusiastically pursuing some of the pleasures this world has to offer them, and in some cases would note how they enjoyed themselves so much that they couldn’t remember what they did.  While there is nothing necessarily wrong with enjoying some of the pleasures this life affords us, I can’t help but wonder if this is what Christ was talking about.  Did Jesus come so that we could enjoy and find pleasure in the things the world offers us, and all the more abundantly?  Or are we missing what it was He was talking about?

 

If what Jesus was referring to was our ability to participate in and enjoy the different pleasures of this life, then why did He come and die for us?  After all, we can clearly see that the world has more than mastered that, enjoying the various pleasures of this life in passion, fervor, and enthusiasm.  Everywhere we look we see people enjoying and loving “life” with everything within themselves, even to the point of living their life for the pleasures awaiting them.  Some of these people live it in various forms of recreation, whether it is a weekend on the lake, a game of soccer with the guys, a day of shopping with the girls, various social activities and parties, or the tinkering on of an old car or scrapbooking, many are living for the recreation and enjoying it immensely.  Some people live it in entertaining others, or by being entertained by music, TV, sports, videos or movies.  And others live life in the pursuit of riches, fame, material possessions and power.  And still others find it in the passionate pursuit of what we sometimes call “vices”.  You know what I mean, for some it is the pursuit of the pleasures they receive from alcohol, drugs, and various sexual conquests and experiences.  No matter the form, everywhere we look we see people living life, and living it with gusto, but is that what Jesus came to give us?

 

The other thing that comes to my mind stems from the fact that we are spiritually dead apart from Christ and the sacrifice He made for us.  How can we identify what life is and what it means to live it based on people who are spiritually dead?  That doesn’t make sense, yet so many times that is exactly what we do.  That’s like a doctor walking up to a dead corpse and saying life is where one doesn’t breathe because that is what the corpse is doing.  There is something definitely wrong with this picture.  Jesus said He came to give us life, why, because we were dead.  We can read the New Testament, especially the writings of Paul, and we will see that we were dead because of sin, but that through Christ we were made alive.  Paul even breaks down the differences in our behavior between when we were dead and now that we have become alive in and through Christ.  What was characteristic in our life before Christ in how we lived and what our priorities were should not be the same now that we’ve given our lives to Him and subsequently made alive.

 

I think often times we determine what it means to live life, and more abundantly, based on what we see in the lives of people living without Christ.  Some may argue that they are looking at how other Christians are doing so, but even then it often times mirrors what the world is already doing.  We tend to think that because we see other Christians doing the same things then it must be the way it should be, but is that deception at its best?  I heard that a minister once said that one of the greatest weapons the enemy of our souls has leveled against is if found in one word, entertainment.  We live in a society that is addicted to entertainment and recreation, and if they don’t have it they go into withdrawals becoming depressed and grumpy if they don’t have it to partake in.  Many times people even become quite demanding in order to fulfill these desires, and that isn’t pretty.  In the passages mentioned in the second paragraph, it is evident that people are caught up in living life, and Jesus doesn’t refer to this as a good thing.  In fact, Jesus views it as a bad thing in that these people will not be aware of His return and be caught off guard and left behind.

 

So, the question remains, what does it mean for Christ to bring us life, and life more abundantly?  Obviously, to answer that question based on how the world lives life will give us the wrong answer, and it would imply that Jesus didn’t really know what He was talking about if it was nothing different than what the world was already living.  Some would argue that it is the ability to live in the moment without fear of eternal consequences because Christ died so that we could have the forgiveness of sins, but that is really no different from how the world lives.  People in the world live for the moment with no regard for any consequences, much less eternal.  So, that can’t be what Jesus is talking about either.

 

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they lost relationship with God and spiritually died.  It could be argued this was because they were being self-centered thinking to please themselves more than God, but it could also be argued that they were thinking of others more than God as well.  Yes, Eve was deceived into thinking that God was holding out on them, which is where we can find the self-centeredness, but Adam knew what he was doing and it could be argued that he was thinking of Eve more than being obedient to God.  I think either argument could be summed up with one thing, that they lost relationship with God and died spiritually because they didn’t seek to please and honor God first and foremost in their lives, no matter how it played out.

 

So, when Jesus talks of giving us life, He’s talking about bringing us from spiritual death unto spiritual life and restored relationship with God, and when He’s saying life more abundantly I believe He’s talking of a life with God over and above anything Adam could ever dream of having.  But what does that mean, and what does that look like?  Again, many think it is the ability to live in the moment enjoying the pleasures this world has to offer, but that isn’t what we see in scripture.  After all, does that mean those mentioned in the later part of Hebrews 11 were not experiencing the life Jesus came to give each of us?  Or, what about the Apostle Paul who was routinely beaten, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked and imprisoned for the Gospel, and subsequently beheaded for Christ?  Does this mean he was not experiencing the life Jesus came to give us, and more abundantly?  What about Peter and the other apostles who were later martyred for the Gospel?  And the saints in the early church who suffered and endured various persecutions for the faith, often times leading to brutal deaths of various sorts?  If the life Jesus came to give us and more abundantly is mirrored in how the world lives life, then those I just mentioned fell tragically short of it.  The people I just mentioned were not concerned about living for the moment and the pleasures the world has to offer them, but instead they were more concerned about living for Christ no matter the cost, knowing that they now had a relationship with God that would give them life eternal in heaven with Him.  This was the blessed hope they each lived for and clinged to in the midst of certain death.  They understood that life apart from Christ and living for Him is not really life, and they understood that life with Christ and living to please Him in all they do, fulfilling God’s will for them, in that there was the most fulfilling life one could ever seek to have.  When we allow God to breathe into us the breath of life, we become energized in our being for Him.  We begin to realize that the value and purpose of our life goes beyond ourselves or the person next door, and that our value is now based on our relationship with Him and our purpose is locked up with being His ambassadors to a lost and dying world.  To be His ambassador may look different from one person to another, but the idea is that our life is now centered on His will for us and what pleases Him.  It’s not based on what we do or where we go, or even who we’re with, but it’s based on Jesus and His will for us.  This doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy some of the pleasures this world has to offer, but if we are basing what it is to have life and to live it abundantly on how the world lives life, then we are greatly missing what it is that Jesus came to give us.

 

Someone once said that the God we follow should be simple, and that is very true.  Our life as a Christian should be very simple, yet so many times we make it complicated.  I’m not saying we make it more complicated, I’m saying we make it complicated, period.  How do we complicate it?  We complicate it when we begin to compartmentalize our lives and what parts Christ has any access or say over.  We complicate it when we choose to push Him aside and what He’s called us to for a period of time that we want to set apart for our own desires and will.  We complicate it when we try to live for Him with anything less than 100% of ourselves, our time, our resources, our energies, or anything else you can think of.  Jesus wants us to live totally and completely for Him, 100%, and that means placing each and every area of our lives under His leadership 100% of the time, and that is very, very simple though difficult to do at times when our flesh struggles for control in this area or another.  It could be said that the life we live, and the abundance of it, is directly proportional to how much of our life we allow the Spirit of God to breathe into, which requires daily denying ourselves, taking up ones cross and following Him.

 

How much of the life Jesus came to give each of us are you living and experiencing for yourself?  Or, are you struggling to live for Him and living according to the desires of your flesh at the same time, trying to have “the best of both worlds”?  Some people argue that there has to be a balance between the two, but in this area the only balance is one where we are 100% serving and living for Him.  Jesus, Himself, said we can’t serve two masters, yet many times we do just that when we try to live for Him but hang onto the desires of the flesh.  Many are afraid if they sell out to Christ 100% they will have a boring life, but then again we have to ask ourselves, much like we did regarding what it means to have life and live it abundantly, if we are basing what is boring on what the world considers to be boring.  Jesus said that for those who seek to save their life they will lose it, but for those who choose to lose their life for His sake will assuredly find life.  What do you want more, life as portrayed by those in the world, or life as Jesus will give those who live for Him?  These are just some things to think about.

 

John Johansson

What’s In Your Heart?

Two men have been lost and walking through the woods for a number of days.  They’ve run out of food a few days ago and they drank the last of their water 18 hours ago.  Both men are tired from the ordeal wondering if they will ever find their way back or at least get rescued.  Having gone so long without water all the while traipsing up and down the hills has made both of them really thirsty.  As they try to get their bearings and figure out where they need to go they stumble upon an old hunters shack nestled among the trees along the side of a hill.  They hurry inside hoping to find some food and water only to find an old gallon jar ¾ full of water.  One man is very excited because they now have some water to drink that could help sustain them a couple more days, but the other man doesn’t see it the same way.  He finds himself wondering how stale the water is, whether or not there is any bacteria in it that could cause them to get sick, and concerned that it’s not full.

 

For one man, he just naturally sees the positive in the situation and rejoices in it, recognizing the big blessing this ¾ full jar is, not thinking about how it could be bad.  The second man realizes the water is a blessing, but he’s more concerned about how that water could negatively impact them if they drink it.  One man is excited that his life can be sustained a little longer as they try to get back to home base, but the second man is more concerned that his life might be shortened if he drinks the only thing that could possibly sustain them.  Two men in exactly the same predicament, but two men with vastly different ways of viewing their situation and life itself.

 

I think about the Christians in the early church and the persecution they had to endure for the sake of Jesus, persecution that at times inflicted great pain to them physically and often times even cost them their lives.  I wonder how they looked at their situations.  Did they look at them the way the first man in our story did, or did they look at them the way the second man did?  Personally, I think the second man would have had a very hard time going through that persecution because his focus was more on the “what if’s”.  The first person would probably be stronger because he focused on the positives, knowing that as Christ suffered for us he would consider it an honor to suffer for Him, and also because he would know that in a short while he would finally be with Jesus.

 

Christians have been persecuted for their faith ever since its inception on the Day of Pentecost.  This is nothing new, though it may be new for us in America where we once were known as a Christian nation.  Even Jesus was persecuted for the message He brought to humanity, a message of hope, love, grace, forgiveness and life eternal.  As we see our country distancing itself more and more from Biblical Christianity, and even becoming more and more hostile towards Christians and the Biblical standards we seek to adhere to, Christians are coming under fire here unlike any other time in this nation’s history.  As Christians we are faced with a situation where our response is very important, and our perception to these times will play a significant part in how we deal with them.  Are we concerned about how people will view us or what they may do?  Are we focusing on how others may take advantage of us or turn what we think is good into something that will end up being bad for us?  Or do we trust God that He has us covered and will take care of us no matter what may or may not happen?

 

As we watch and prepare for the very soon return of Christ for the Church, we need to be mindful of what way in which we view the situations in our life and the world around us.  While we may know that things are only going to get worse until the tribulation period comes to an end, we need to make sure our perception of things and how we respond to them will strengthen us and not sap us of our strength and energy.  One way of knowing the condition of your heart is to ask yourself what your initial response to the above story was, not the response after your initial response.  It’s important to note your initial responses to situations as that often times reveals what is truly in your heart.  A lot of times we can have our initial response within ourselves only to quickly change that once our mind engages and takes another look at things, but what is in our heart is usually seen in our initial responses.

 

If you find that your initial responses tend to be more like the second man in our story than the first man, then you really need to ask God to help change your heart more into what the first man in our story portrays.  In fact, you’ll find that life is much more relaxed and enjoyable when you do than if your heart and initial responses are like the second man.  The second man is caught up in “what if’s”, worry and doubt, bound up such that he will miss the blessings and joys of life God is trying to bless him with.  God doesn’t want you to be like the second man, so He’s more than willing and able to help change that in your heart, if you will allow Him to and follow His lead no matter what that might entail.

 

There’s a popular commercial on TV that asks a simple question, “what’s in your wallet?”  Similar to this question I have to ask you this, “what’s in your heart?”  It’s a simple question that packs quite a punch when carefully and honestly considered.

 

John Johansson

Weakening of the Fibers

Last Sunday our pastor preached a good message on being thankful, and in his message he commented on the different types of root systems different kinds of trees have.  He noted that some trees like oaks and walnuts have deep roots, and then trees like the pines and redwoods of California have very shallow roots but find their strength in intertwining with the roots of other trees.  As I thought about that another thought crossed my mind.

 

Up until a few months ago we lived in the beautiful Sierra Foothills, also known as “the mother lode”.  To give you a better idea of where we were at, we were so close to Yosemite National Park we often times referred to it as being in our backyard.

 

Well, about a year ago we had the third largest wildfire in California’s recorded history, known as the “Rim Fire”.  The fire was so close to us that relatives was ordered to evacuate, and we were waiting to receive evacuation orders ourselves. We even had a family in the church staying with us because they had also been evacuated.  Because of my job I was involved with the evacuation of residents directly impacted by the fire, taking them to shelters setup by the Red Cross.

 

The smoke from the fire was pretty bad for weeks, and people were being told not to go outside unless necessary, and if so they needed to wear a specialized dust mask to filter the air.  People usually didn’t wear the masks though the air quality was terrible and pretty toxic.  One of the things I learned from this experience involved the smoke and the trees.

 

I don’t remember what it was called, but one of the main elements of the smoke was pretty toxic to the trees.  You would think these towering trees would be impervious to the smoke, but that wasn’t the case.  Apparently the effect this smoke had on the trees was significant because it weakened the trees fibers.  This would then make the trees susceptible to falling over or breaking apart.  Because of this there was concern both of the trees just falling over, and whether or not they would be able to withstand the winds, rain, and snow from the coming winter.

 

This reminds me of what we face spiritually and the importance of being well rooted in the faith.  As Christians, we are continually bombarded by the allure of sin in its many forms, a poisonous toxin to a Christian.  If we have strong, established roots, deep in the Word and tightly intertwined with fellow believers who are both a support and an encouragement to us spiritually, the easier it will be to stand.  However, if we absorb what the world is bombarding us with, our backbone to stand will be weakened and we’ll become more apt to fall in the storms of life.

 

How do we absorb that which the world is bombarding us with?  We absorb it through what we listen to, the things that we see and read, the places we go to and the people we hang around with.  The more we allow ourselves to be exposed to the temptations of the world, the more apt we are to absorb those things.  Is it just in the “big” sins everyone talks about, or does it go beyond that?  It involves, not just the “big” sins, but also mindsets and attitudes that are unbiblical and conflict with the Word, as well as the heart and mind of God.  These could be seen in misplaced priorities, the greed for power, fame, prestige and financial and material gain.  It could be attitudes of superiority and pride, attitudes that express a mindset absent and independent of Christ.  It could be self-centeredness and selfishness, and the idea of “whatever feels good” is right and good and living for the moment.  It could also be mindsets that have little or no problem with spreading gossip and slander, having little regard for confidentiality and the best interests of the other person you’re talking about.

 

So, the question is asked, are your fibers getting weakened?  Or, are you having little or less backbone to stick with the moral standards found in the Bible, or to remain loyal to your commitment to Christ and His Kingdom?  If this is you, then I challenge you to take a step back and re-evaluate your life, and to begin taking steps to change this in you.  Only you can determine what you absorb into your heart, mind and life, and it is you with the help of the Holy Spirit that can make the necessary steps to minimize your absorption of what the world throws your way, and to strengthen your “fibers” and backbone for the glory of God and your spiritual health.

 

By John Johansson

Attitude Is Key

The other day I was watching someone on TV that made an interesting comment. In his attempt to describe the relationship Christ calls us to with Him, he indicated that once we receive salvation anything that is done in the body is pretty much meaningless, good or bad.  He went on to say that if a person receives salvation, they could go out and sleep around to their hearts delight and it would have no bearing on their relationship and position with Christ.  He did say that to do so would be simple stupidity, but he reiterated that it would not change their relationship with Christ and also implied that their eternal destination is secured.  There is something definitely wrong with this picture, and the Apostle Paul had something to say about this type of mentality.

In the time of Christ and the Apostle Paul, the city of Corinth was the bustling place to be, a trade center it was also a place of much moral depravity and was well known for it. It was in this setting that the Apostle Paul went there and started a church with the good news of the Gospel.  We have two of the three letters Paul wrote to this church in Corinth, letters that brought encouragement and direction as well as strong judgment and corrections regarding some of the behaviors of this church.  One area that he addressed in his first letter to them involved a mentality that is shared by the minister I mentioned in the first paragraph.  It is in I Corinthians 6:12-20 that we see Paul’s position regarding sexual immorality.

To make his point Paul starts off by reminding us of the liberty we now have in Christ, a liberty he cautions us about in Galatians 5:13 where he tells us not to use our liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. The Apostle Peter also gives the same instruction in I Peter 2:16, telling us not to use the liberty we have in Christ as a cloak for wickedness.  Both Paul and Peter acknowledge the liberty we now have in Christ, but they also tell us not to use it for the benefit of our flesh or as an excuse or covering of wickedness in our life.

Later in the sixth chapter of I Corinthians Paul begins to address the sexual immorality that was prevalent in Corinth, specifically within the church in Corinth. The Christians in Corinth had adopted a view, the same as what the minister I was watching the other day is embracing, that their salvation was spiritual and what they did in and with their bodies had no effect or bearing on their relationship with Christ.  As a result, the Christians in Corinth were involved in a variety of sexual immorality and thinking nothing wrong with it in regards to their relationship with God.  So, Paul needed to set things straight by letting them know that their thinking was all wrong, and that in fact what they did sexually with their bodies did have an effect on their relationship with Christ.  Paul goes on to say that our physical bodies are members of Christ, and that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  He then reminds us in verse 20 that we were bought with a price, and that we are to glorify God in both our body and in our spirit.

In Romans 6, Paul talks about our relationship to Christ and the place our bodies have in it. In I Corinthians 6 Paul mentions giving our members to a “harlot”, and how that should not be so, but in Romans 6 Paul takes a more general approach to this subject.  To keep this in context, we need to remember that Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome, and as such tells us that it applies to us as well.  In this chapter in Romans, Paul starts off with a couple of questions, “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 NKJV).  He goes on in this chapter talking about yielding our members to sin or to righteousness, and that we become slaves to whatever we yield to.  As Christians it is our responsibility to yield our members to righteousness and not sin.  That doesn’t mean we will never sin again, but it means that we are now free to not sin if we are led by, walk in, and live in the Spirit.  Just because we become a Christian doesn’t mean we’ve lost our free will to choose who or what we will yield to, it’s just that we are now able through the Spirit to resist sin and not walk or live in it anymore.

Paul continues in Romans 8 talking about two different kinds of Christians, those who are led by the Spirit and those who are led by the flesh. A popular verse, Romans 8:1, while I realize that some translations of the Bible omit part of it, many read and cling to the first part of that verse, and forget about or give little heed to the remaining part.  Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 NKJV).  As you read through this chapter you will see how Paul is comparing both the life and end results of both types of Christians.  Some try to argue that those that Paul refer to as walking and living in the flesh are not Christians, but if we are raised to life with Christ because we were originally dead in our sins, how can a non-Christian die if they were never given life to begin with.  The end result of a life led and lived according the flesh is that they will not be called the children of God and will die.

I admit, I am someone who tries to live and do things right, described by some as someone who is “by the book”, but I will be the first to say that I’m not perfect and have on many an occasion blown it either knowingly or otherwise. I am well aware of God’s grace and forgiveness and seek to extend it towards others, and I’m okay with that.  I’m not perfect and sinless, and I don’t expect others to be either, but there is something that concerns me.  It’s not so much that someone has blown it, or even if it was in a big way or not, but it’s the attitude of the person that can be very telling and disconcerting.  It’s one thing for someone to stumble or fall in their walk with Christ only to get back up and “brush themselves off”, asking and being grateful for God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness with a genuine desire to not do it again, whatever “it” is.  What is disconcerting is when someone that knows they’ve said or done something they know is wrong only tries to make excuses for it, adopting some type of rationalizing that “makes it okay” to blow it.  These are people that need to take a real attitude check for themselves as it becomes an issue of attitude and motivations, specifically in regards to their own walk with Christ.  Are they serving God because they want to, or are they doing so out of obligation or because it’s the way they were raised?  When a person wants to serve God first and foremost simply because of who He is and what He’s done in their life, they’re not looking for ways to justify or rationalize wrong behavior.  Instead, they’re looking with gratitude for how they can please Him in all they do, simply because they love Him and want to.  When we try to make excuses and try to rationalize what we’ve said or done, that sends the message that we’re still being very self-centered, looking more to please ourselves than the One who made salvation available to each of us.  It’s is during these times that we are actually being led by our flesh and not by His Spirit, which Paul addresses in Romans 8.  Do we want to live being led by our flesh, or by His Spirit?  It’s all in the attitude and motivations.  Even I have to check my attitudes and motivations at times, making sure it’s pleasing and acceptable to Him.  How about you?

The return of Christ for His bride is so close that we could say it’s imminent, and that stands to reason all the more why we should take an inventory of our attitudes and motivations regarding our walk and relationship with Christ. Are we truly living for Him, or for ourselves?  Just because we get our attitudes and motivations right doesn’t mean that we will have “obtained”, as we should continually be looking to become more like Christ.  How do we do that?  We do that like the Apostle Paul instructs us in Romans 6, yield ourselves and the members of our bodies for righteousness and not for sin and the flesh, an ongoing task.  When we talk of our members, it’s not just our hands, arms and legs, but it’s also our eyes, ears and mouth, as well as our thought life.  Are we more concerned about pleasing Him or more concerned about pleasing ourselves and others?

It’s in the attitude. Maybe it’s time to do an inventory of your attitudes and motivations for living for and serving Him?

It’s In The Oil

I know I’ve written about the parable of the ten virgins located in Matthew 25:1-13 in previous blogs, but today I want to focus on a particular aspect of this parable. Just as a reminder, this parable speaks of ten virgins, five who were foolish and five who were wise.  The setting, or the picture you can say, comes from the wedding customs of the ancient Jews.  In this setting, the bride and groom have already entered into a marriage contract with each other, and before the consummation of this process the groom leaves the bride to prepare a place for her.  During this time they don’t have any contact with each other.  While the groom is away at his father’s house preparing a place for his bride, the bride is identified and set apart as one who is spoken for and already married, and her time is to be spent preparing herself with diligence for her groom, not knowing when he will return for her.  While it is the groom’s responsibility to prepare a place for his bride, the bride’s responsibility is to diligently prepare herself for him by the time he returns for her.  During this time she is to be watching with anticipation for her grooms return, and this is because she knows that if he finds her not watching with anticipation, he will return to his father’s house without her and will subsequently give her a letter of divorcement.  It is a shameful thing for a bride to get left behind because she wasn’t watching for her grooms return, but if she is found watching the groom will take her back to his father’s house where they will finally consummate their marriage.

 

In this parable, the virgins represent Christians, those who have entered into a saving relationship with Christ. Just as these virgins are waiting for the return of the groom, even so we are waiting for the return of our groom, Jesus.  At midnight the cry is sounded indicating the imminent return of the groom, and for us as Christians the cry of Christ’s return for us has been sounding through the explosive rate in which end-time Bible prophecy has been getting fulfilled right before our eyes.  As the virgins awoke from the sounding cry announcing the return of the bridegroom, even so we need to awaken to the cry of our grooms soon and imminent return for us, His bride.  When the virgins awoke to the cry, they immediately began to make final preparations for the grooms return.  So, seeing the fulfillment of end-times Bible prophecy indicating Jesus’ imminent return, are we making final preparations for Him?

 

When the virgins awoke they began to check and to trim their lamps, and it wasn’t until this point in the parable that it became evident who were wise and who were foolish. Those who were foolish were identified by their lack of oil, and when they asked the wise for some of theirs they were told to go to those who sell to buy their own.  It was during this time that the bridegroom returned and took the wise back to his father’s house, and when the foolish returned they were denied entrance to the wedding.  What does the oil represent in the life of a Christian, and how does one obtain it?

 

Over the years I have heard two arguments as to what the oil represents, but I want to propose a third argument of what it represents. Based on the fact that the Holy Spirit is sometimes represented in scripture as oil, some have argued that the oil in this parable also represents the Holy Spirit.  The problem I have with this argument is that we cannot buy the Holy Spirit.  In Acts 8:9-25, we have someone that tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he was rebuked for it by the Apostles.  The second argument is that the oil represents ones works, and while I do believe there is some basis for this view I do disagree with that one.  Our salvation is not a result of works, but scripture does point to works resulting from and because of our salvation and relationship with Christ.  Some would argue that we are free from having to do any works because of the grace by which we are saved, but this isn’t so.  In Philippians 2:12-13, we are told by the Apostle Paul to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling”, and that we are “to do” for His good pleasure.  In other instances of Paul’s writing’s, when he mentions “fear and trembling”, it is connected to obedience which implies works on our part.  In James 2:14-26, James the brother of Jesus tells us that faith without works is dead, and that our faith is made perfect by our works.  Okay, I got onto a bit of a rabbit trail with that, but I do not believe the oil entirely represents our works.

 

The third argument I would like to suggest for what the oil represents is based on the comments of the wise virgins to the foolish, specifically that they were to go and buy from those who sell. As was mentioned previously, you can’t buy and sell the Holy Spirit, so what does this mean?  I realize this is a parable, but I believe Jesus is trying to tell us something with that statement.  In fact, does Jesus make any reference anywhere else about buying or costs?  Yes, He does in fact.  In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus talks about the cost of following Him.  In this passage He talks of one seeking to build and that a wise builder counts whether or not he has enough to finish building, and in the same way talks of a king seeking to go to war and that a good king will count the cost of whether or not he has enough to win the war.  Jesus goes on to say we need to count the cost of following Him, and that anything less than totally surrendering to Him and dying to self is not enough.  While some may argue there is no cost in following Jesus, Jesus makes it very clear that there is a very significant cost to following after Him.  The cost He is requiring of us is a New Testament version of the first commandment of the Old Testament, to love the Lord our God with all our strength, mind, heart and soul.  Where the Old Testament laws focused on words and actions, the two New Testament commandments Jesus gave us in Matthew 22:34-40 not only encapsulated the ten into two, but also enhanced them by focusing on the heart and our motivations and attitudes.  Jesus’ teachings reinforced by the rest of the New Testament writings, requires us to check our heart condition by the motivations, attitudes, and priorities of our heart.  To follow after Jesus and to be His disciples requires us to die to self, to deny ourselves and carry our cross to follow Him.  To do so means we place our goals, our agendas, our selfish desires, our likes and dislikes, our successes and failures, our friends and family, and even our reputations on the cross and let Him live through us.  The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 that we need to die to self so that Christ will live through us.

 

So, I believe the oil in this parable represents the cost of following Christ, and how much or how little we paid that price. This would also explain why it was it took the foolish virgin’s time to acquire more oil as this is something that takes time.  It isn’t based on our words but on our priorities and the actions or works we do that reflect them.  So, it’s in the oil.  Is our life one where we’ve been paying the price of following Him, or did our relationship with Him start correctly at the time we said “I do” to Him only to fade as we allowed the cares of life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life to take precedence in our life.  Depending on the translation of the Bible you use, either the foolish virgins lamps had already gone out, or they were in the process of going out.  In either case, they didn’t have enough oil to keep their lamps burning and were in dire need of getting more oil.

 

In this parable, the five foolish virgins got more oil, missed the grooms return and went to the groom’s house, but the door was shut and they were denied entrance. The parable doesn’t indicate what happened to them beyond their being denied entrance, but one thing for sure is that they were no longer the bride.  In regards to the rapture of the church, the bride of Christ, there will be some who are left behind and no longer considered the bride.  In Luke 14:29, Jesus said the builder who didn’t have enough to finish would be mocked by those who see it, and in Revelation 16:15 Jesus tells us in the midst of the judgments that those who had not watched and kept their garments (of righteousness) would be seen naked and ashamed.  I don’t know about you, but I have no intentions of being left behind to be seen as naked and ashamed.

 

Where does it leave those who weren’t prepared for Jesus’ return and was left behind? In previous blogs I have written about the seven feasts God established to show us His plan of redemption for all mankind.  The first four have already been fulfilled with three remaining.  The next feast to be fulfilled is the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah.  This feast represents what we know to be the rapture of the church, where as the Jews understand it is when God separates the wholly righteous from the wholly unrighteous and those in between.  It is the period of time between this feast and the following feast called Yom Kippur that we have an idea of what awaits those who don’t go up in the rapture.  The dispensation of grace ends with the rapture of the bride, Rosh Hashanah, and afterwards people will solidify their eternal destination based on their works.  Either they will do works that will reinforce their desire to spend eternity in heaven, or they will do works that will reinforce their decision to reject God and His only begotten Son, Jesus.  If this understanding is accurate, then those who are left behind will have to prove by their works that they desire to spend eternity in Heaven, even if it means giving their own life for the sake of Jesus.  They might not enter Heaven as the bride of Christ, but they could possibly enter as the friend of the bride and groom.

 

So, it’s in the oil. Do you have enough oil to last until He returns, or should you go and buy some more?  I hope you have enough, and I hope you are watching for Christ’s return.  I also encourage you to read the words of Jesus found in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, words that Jesus gave the Apostle John about 60 years after His ascension, words that each of us who take on the name of Christian must heed and take seriously and to heart.  Again, it’s in the oil.

Is It That Important?

In my last blog we took a look at whether or not scripture supports the view of a rapture, or a catching away of the church, Christ’s bride. I believe we successfully showed that scripture does in fact support the rapture theory, and that the argument opposed to that view is very weak.  So, where do we go from there?

Over the years I have heard people who believe in the rapture argue about the need to be watching for the time of Christ’s return for His bride. Some have argued that there is no need for Christians to be concerned about it, citing that “when it happens it happens”.  They generally have the idea, as I did until recent years, that every Christian will automatically be caught up when He returns, which lends itself to a false sense of security when it comes to the rapture.  After all, isn’t salvation a free ticket to the rapture?  Well, not necessarily.

While it is nice and feels good to believe that all Christians will go up in the rapture, scripture points out, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, that this isn’t necessarily the case. Some have concluded based on Jesus’ parable of the sower that only 25% of Christians will make it to heaven, and that based on His parable of the ten virgins only 50% of Christians will go up in the rapture.  Only God knows the percentage of those who call themselves Christians will actually make it, but the scriptures are very clear that just because one believes themselves to be a Christian isn’t enough.  Jesus, Himself, tells us in Matthew 7:13-14 that broad is the gate that leads to destruction, and narrow the gate and difficult the way that leads to eternal life.  In Luke 13:24-30, Jesus also tells us to strive to enter in through the narrow gate for many will seek to enter but will not be able to.  In Philippians 2:12-16, the Apostle Paul tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and then goes on to mention how we need to become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the crooked world we now live in.  Did you catch that?  Paul is telling us to become blameless, and in Ephesians 5:25-28, we’re told that Christ is coming back for a church without spot, wrinkle or blemish.

Does this tell us whether or not it is important for us to believe in the rapture, much less whether or not we as Christians need to even prepare for it? I think it safe to say it is important for us to believe in a rapture, not only because the Bible points to one but also because a person can’t watch or prepare for one if they don’t believe in it.  And, as we can see from the above scripture, it is important for us to be prepared for it when it happens, which could be at any moment.

On a number of occasions Jesus tells everyone who follows Him, to “watch and pray”, and in one instance, Luke 21:34-36, Jesus even tells us to “pray that you’re counted worthy to escape” all the things that will come to pass in the last of the last days. Why would Jesus tell us that if we will automatically be raptured up because we are Christians?  In Revelation 16:15, in the midst of the judgments being poured out on mankind during the tribulation period, in what could be a “news flash” Jesus blesses those who watch for His return and keeps their garments.

In Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus tells us in relation to His return to watch, citing that the good master of the house would be watching and would not allow his house to be broken into. In Luke 12:35-40, we see Luke addressing the same thing that Matthew did, indicating that the master of the house would be watching to prevent the thief from breaking into the house.  In both passages, in reference to His return for His bride, Jesus tells us to be watching for His return, and that it is a good master of the house that watches to prevent the house from being broken into by a thief.  In Mark 13:32-36, Mark recounts the same words but adds emphasis to them at the end when he shows that Jesus said “watch!”.  Apparently it is very important to Jesus to command us, His followers, to be watching.  The difference between the good master and the bad one was the watching.

I mentioned that some believe all Christians will go up in the rapture, and that is a scary thing to believe. Some don’t take the rapture very seriously because they believe they will have another opportunity after the rapture to get to heaven.  The problem with this way of thinking is that Jesus apparently knows it is not a time we are going to want to be here for, the tribulation period that is.  Not only that, but what guarantee do you have that you would be able to or even have that opportunity?  Jesus commented a few times that there would be those who “missed it” that would try and enter into heaven after the door had been shut, and that they were denied entrance.  This leaves a lot of questions for those Christians that were like the foolish virgins and unprepared when Christ returns, questions that I would prefer not waiting to get an answer for.  I say we just plan on making sure we’re prepared for His return and not gamble with eternity.  How about you?

What does it mean to be watching and praying? I’ve written a number of blogs on the subject that I’m not going to get into right now, but let me briefly address that.  Jesus indicated that we need to be watching for the signs of His coming for His bride, and that is essential.  When writing on the parable of the ten virgins, I indicated that I believe the “midnight cry” mentioned in the parable is the fulfillment of the prophetic signs of His return and the end.  Are you paying attention to the fulfillment of Biblical end time prophecies that point to His return, or are you just busy living life with the idea that it will happen when it happens?  Also, when you’re watching for something, you are making sure you’re ready when that thing arrives.  If you’re waiting and watching for someone to come pick you up to go somewhere, you’re making sure you are ready when they arrive, right?  If you were not watching for them to arrive, you would probably be too relaxed to be ready on time, and if you were not ready they might have to leave you behind.  While watching means to be watching, watching also means to make sure we are prepared for Him.  Are we striving to become more like Christ in every area of our life?  Are we learning to live by the Spirit, to die to the flesh and its many desires and cravings, and to allow Jesus to live in and through us?  Are we seeking the forgiveness of others when needed, and are we forgiving others as He has forgiven us, which was unconditional and non-negotiable in His eyes?  Are we guarding ourselves from sin and the worlds influence on us?

When Jesus tells us, in conjunction to watching, to pray and to pray that we’re counted worthy to escape that which is coming to the earth, I believe that humility has to be key. None of us are, or will ever be on this side of eternity, perfect.  I may be wrong, but I believe what goes into us being worthy hinges on our heart and pursuit to please Him in every area of our lives.  That doesn’t mean that we will have it all together and be perfect examples and witnesses of Him, especially since we are all at different levels of maturity and growth in our walk with Him.  I believe the key is our desire and efforts to live for Him, doing what He’s called us to, taking the unpopular stands for Him, righteousness and the Kingdom, and sharing the Gospel with others.  The fact is there is no “formula” for being worthy to escape that which is coming to the earth, but it instead rests on Him to make that determination, and it is up to us to pursue that in our lives with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

So, in conclusion, I believe it is very important for us to not only believe in a rapture, but also that we live our lives preparing for it as a bride prepares for her wedding day. I’ve seen many a bride as she’s approaching the day of her wedding, no matter where she is at or who she is with, become almost obsessed with pleasing her groom and trying to prepare herself to be as pleasing to him as she can possibly be for that day.  We are the bride of Christ, and are we just as driven to please and prepare ourselves for Him as a bride does for her groom?  Just something to think about.

Rapture or No Rapture

I grew up in church and with the awareness of a soon coming rapture of the church, the bride of Christ. The only argument I ever heard never questioned if there would be a rapture, but rather when the rapture would take place, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I had even heard of those who don’t believe in the rapture.  I have heard some of the arguments used in defense of their assertions for there being no rapture, but it’s hard for me to find much substance to them.  It’s not like they have a lot of scripture to support their views with, because they don’t, but it seems that in order for them to take the position that they do requires them to discount other scriptures which would support the rapture position.

Those who don’t believe the Bible speaks of a rapture are of the opinion that the rapture is a fairly new line of thought, and that it originates from the early 1800’s. This is not so.  According to Chuck Missler, if we were to look outside of the scriptures found in the Bible, we would find that the earliest writings referring to a rapture, especially a pre-tribulation rapture, were as early as A.D. 100 in the epistle of Barnabas.  This is followed by four other writings leading up to the fourth century writing of Ephraem, the Syrian.

It is believed by some that the basis for the idea of a rapture hinges upon two scriptures, I Thessalonians 4:15-17 and I Corinthians 15:51-53. While it is true that these are well used scriptures in defending the position of a rapture, we can find that the Bible has a lot more to say on the subject than just that.  We see it not only in the words of the Apostle Paul, but also in the words of Jesus.  We see it in the Jewish feasts, the marriage customs of the ancient Jews, and in some of the historical records found in the Old Testament.  As I mentioned earlier, to discount the idea of the rapture as from God requires one to discount various aspects and sections of the Bible.  I know that none of us truly want to do that, so let’s take a quick look at some of what I just mentioned.

To begin with we need to see that the idea of a rapture is seen in the seven feasts God gave the Jews to observe each year. It is commonly believed that the feasts were only for the Jews, but that is not the case.  In Leviticus 23:2, God makes it very clear that these are His feasts that they are to observe.  That same passage refers to these feasts as convocations, also translated as “rehearsals”.  In other words, God established these feasts as rehearsals for an appointed time to come.  Many believe that with Jesus and the subsequent dispensation of grace, the Old Testament has no real value to a Christian outside of historical information and to help us understand the plan of God leading to salvation through Jesus.  Seeing how that none of the feasts were fulfilled until Jesus came, and that there are still three of the seven feasts left unfulfilled, it could be argued that the Old Testament is still very relevant to us as Christians in this day and age.

When we look at the Jewish feasts, Jesus fulfilled the first three and the birth of the Church fulfilled the fourth feast on the day of Pentecost. The next feast to be fulfilled is Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, a feast that very closely parallels our understanding of the rapture.  When we take a close look at this feast, there is a lot about it that screams out that it represents the rapture of the church.  This fifth feast is next on God’s prophetic timetable yet to be fulfilled, and when we look at the final two feasts we see that they closely resemble the end of the tribulation period and the start of the 1000 year reign of Christ here on earth.  In addition to that, the period of time between the fifth and sixth feasts is known as the “Days of Awe”, a period of time that appears to represent the seven-year tribulation period.

The Apostle Paul alludes to the Jewish feast Rosh Hashanah when he mentions the “last trump” in conjunction with the “catching away” of the Church. The “last trump” Paul talks about is not the seventh trumpet sound mentioned in the book of Revelation.  How can we know that?  To begin with, the way Paul mentions the “last trump” indicates that the Jews were well acquainted with it and what it was, and that there was no need for him to explain himself.  Also, Paul’s mention of the “last trump” was about 40 years before the Apostle John’s revelation of end time events and the seven trumpet blasts of judgment, therefore Paul could not be referring to John’s revelation.  The “last trump” he was referring to was the last of 100 blasts of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, a blast that all Jews knew as the “last trump”.

When speaking of His return, Jesus made the statement that it would be at a day and hour no man knows. The phrase “day and hour no man knows” refers to the Jewish feast, Rosh Hashanah.  Ancient Jews referred to this feast with that phrase because it was the only one of seven that they never knew when it would begin, but they knew it would be within a 48 hour time frame.  When a Jew made this statement, or used it themselves, they were referring to this feast, the same feast that is symbolic of the rapture.  In this way it can be argued that Jesus was letting us know His return for the Church would be on this day, though we don’t know which year, day or hour it would take place.

When we look at the marriage customs of the ancient Jews, we see a number of things that closely resemble the rapture and the events surrounding it, including the time of the 7-year tribulation period and the following millennium reign of Christ. In order for us to seriously look at these, we need to first remember that the Apostle Paul tells us that the Church is betrothed and espoused to Christ (I Corinthians 11:2), and that the relationship between a husband and wife models the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).  In the process of an ancient wedding, the bride and the bridegroom enter into a marriage relationship, but they don’t consummate it until later.  After entering into the marriage, the groom departs to prepare a place for his bride at his father’s house.  During this period of time, the bride has no idea of when the groom will return for her, but her responsibility during this time is to prepare herself for his return and to eagerly anticipate his return at any moment.  If she fails to do so, the marriage process will be cancelled with a letter of divorcement and he will return to his father’s house without her.  If she has done what is expected of a new bride, the groom will take her back to his father’s house and consummate the marriage, and this will be the start of a 7-day period of time known as the marriage feast.  After the marriage feast is concluded, the husband and wife will re-enter public life.

When Jesus told us that He was going to prepare a place for us, and that in His Father’s house are many rooms, He was talking as a groom to His new bride. The fact that we don’t know when He will return is locked up in both the marriage customs of ancient Jews and the Feast of Trumpets.  The rapture is Christ’s return for His bride, another piece of the puzzle found in the Feast of Trumpets.  Many times Jesus told us He would return as a thief in the night for those who are not watching for Him, and that only those who are watching will not be caught off guard.  It is because of that, and because of the example we see in the ancient Jews marriage customs, that we understand why it is so important to be watching and prepared for Him when He returns.

Some argue that no one has ever been raptured up, or caught up, before, but that isn’t true either. Not only can we say it did happen before, but we can also say it happened in the Old Testament.  We know that Enoch just disappeared and was never seen or heard of again because God took him (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5).  Elijah was another one that was “caught up” to heaven (2 Kings 2:11) as a whirlwind pulled him up.

What about the belief of a pre-tribulation rapture? One aspect of the pre-tribulation position is that the rapture keeps us from the judgments to come, and we see this in the lives of both Noah and Lot.  God withheld the judgment of total destruction until His people were safe.  Noah found his safety in a boat God commanded him to build, also known as the ark, and Lot found safety when he left Sodom and Gomorrah and went to Zoar.  If that wasn’t enough, Isaiah 26:20-21 speaks of the rapture of the church, the Bride of Christ, and that God calls her up to be hidden from the judgments He’s about to pour out upon the earth.

As we can see, the argument opposing the rapture position, especially the pre-tribulation rapture, doesn’t have much to stand on, and the argument for a pre-tribulation rapture is pretty strong. So, is there a rapture to come or not?  I think it is a very risky thing for someone to argue against the rapture position.  In my next blog I will be answering the question, “Does it really make a difference whether or not someone believes in the rapture?”  In the meantime, watch and pray so that you are not caught off guard and left behind.

Are You Ready

There has been a lot of talk lately about four blood moons and their connection to the Jewish feasts, also referred to as a “Tetrad”. The talk says history shows that each time there is a tetrad of four blood moons, all of which land on a Jewish feast day, something major happens with Israel.  Well, we’re in the middle of another tetrad of blood moons landing on Jewish feast days, and so a lot of eyes are on Israel at this time to see what may or may not happen.

 

In light of all we are seeing in the news at this time, there is little doubt that something big could easily happen at any time with Israel. Israel has just entered into a ceasefire after several weeks of fighting with Hamas in Gaza.  They are also closely monitoring their borders with Syria as ongoing fighting continues between both Syrian and rebel forces.  Also, there is the ever increasing emergence of ISIS, now known as IS, a group of radical Islamist terrorists seeking to expand their territory and influence as far as possible with Israel and the west in their sights.

 

Something else that is unique at this point in time, especially during this tetrad, is the presence of a Shabbat year and the end of a 50 year Jubilee cycle. What is also unique during this period of time, based on the “Creation Calendar”, something that will only happen one time in the history of mankind is the beginning of the seventh millennium of mankind’s existence.  There is a belief based on scripture that mankind as we know it will only last 7000 years, the last 1000 of which will be the 1000 year reign of Christ following the 7-year tribulation period.  I realize that we are not in the tribulation period at this time, but with the way things are happening it is evident that the final steps leading up to it are currently taking place, but it’s hard to see the 1000 year reign of Christ beginning any sooner than seven years from now since it’s supposed to be preceded by the 7-year tribulation period.  What this means for us as we enter into the 6001 year of creation, especially since it’s in the middle of the current tetrad, only time will tell but it is definitely something for us to keep in mind for the next several months.

 

During this tetrad of blood moons, as well as during other tetrad’s of blood moons, is the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah. For me personally, I have a big interest in this particular feast as there seems to be indications within scripture that the rapture of the church, the bride of Christ, will happen on this feast day.  I realize that we are told that the rapture will be on a day or hour no man knows, but that is exactly what Jews in Jesus’ day called Rosh Hashanah.  Also, the “last trump” the Apostle Paul mentioned regarding the rapture is a direct reference to the last trumpet blast on Rosh Hashanah, also known and identified by Jews of that day as the “last trump”.  I don’t know about you, but that definitely peaks my interest in this feast.  Even if there can be a good argument for the rapture taking place on Rosh Hashanah, which Rosh Hashanah it would take place on is something we do not know.

 

As I’ve alluded to we stand to see a lot of things happen within this tetrad of blood moons, a period of time which will last until September 2015. Whether or not the rapture of the church takes place sometime within the next several months or so only God knows, but there is more than sufficient reason for us to be prepared in case it does happen.  There were times that Jesus spoke of His return, sometimes in parables, where He told us to watch for His return, the rapture of the bride.  Those who were watching for His return for His church, they would not be caught off guard, but it was for those who were not watching that His return would be like a thief in the night and caught off guard.  I hear many say it isn’t important for them to be watching as long as they are living and evangelizing as God would have them, but many times Jesus stressed with great emphasis for His followers to be watching.  Why do so many take that command of Jesus so lightly?  Do they think they are too secure to worry about it?

 

I recently spoke with a pastor that doesn’t believe in the rapture of the church or the tribulation period. His sales pitch to persuade me to see things as he does was accompanied with scripture that was either taken out of context or was interpreted far differently than the original text.  It was also very evident that he wasn’t open to any view different than his own, whether or not there was supporting scripture.  I’m concerned about Christians who choose to not believe in the rapture, especially when they discount or twist scripture that would point to one.  A person that does so cannot claim that they believe the whole Bible and that it is from God.  I’m glad I’m not the one who will determine who will and will not be caught up to meet Jesus in the air through the rapture, or go to heaven for that matter, but I get concerned about the potential danger that lies in wait for those who either deny this reality or discount the need to be watching for it.

 

For those who choose to believe there will be no rapture something comes to mind. For those who deny a soon coming rapture, if they are right they have everything to gain, but if they are wrong then they potentially have everything to lose.  However, for those of us who do believe in a soon coming rapture, if we are right we have everything to gain, and if we are wrong we still have everything to gain.  I like the odds for one who believes in the rapture, content that there is more than sufficient evidence in it.

 

At the end of the day the question to be asked is “are you ready?” Just because you may want to deny that there will be a rapture of the church, that doesn’t mean there won’t be.  Are you ready for the soon return of Christ for His Church, His bride?  If you are, are you watching for Him?  This is the time to not only be sure we are ready for His return, but also to be watching for Him.  We’re told and commanded by Jesus, as His followers, to be watching for His return, and that to me is very sobering.  I definitely do not want to be caught off guard and/or unprepared for Him when He does return.

 

Are you ready? Are you watching?  If you’re not ready, or you haven’t been watching, perhaps today is the day to get ready and to start watching?  Jesus gave a stark warning to us in Revelation 16:15, stressing the need to be watching for Him.

Let It Go

Prior to making our recent big move out of state, my wife and I would get together with two other couples to play some games and fellowship with each other. These would be times filled with a lot of laughter, talking, and joking around.  At times someone would share an experience that was or could be hurtful to them, experiences by people within our little group or by others we would cross paths with from day to day.  As time went by a particular catch phrase began to be echoed more and more amongst us, and that catch phrase was “let it go”.  The idea behind this little phrase was simple, let go of that hurt or hurtful situation before it has a chance to breed bitterness and resentment.  The last thing any of us wanted for ourselves or each other was to be hurt and offended in any way that could harden our hearts and hurt the witness of Christ in our lives towards others.

 

What a phrase! Recently, while preparing to teach an adult Sunday school class before our big move, I was remembering this phrase in light of our relationship with Christ.  More specifically, our relationship with Christ as we see the day of His return for His bride approaching more and more closely each day.  In my preparations I was specifically looking at the Jewish feast, Rosh Hashanah, or as some know it the Feast of Trumpets, and the 30 day period of time that precedes this feast each year.  For those who are not aware of it, Rosh Hashanah for the Christian represents the rapture of the church, the bride of Christ.  A lot can be said of this feast and also of the rapture of the church, but that is not the focus of this post.  What I want to focus on is the period of time that precedes this feast and how it relates to the Christian.

 

The 30 day period of time that precedes Rosh Hashanah is called Teshuvah. Actually, this period of time actually lasts for 40 days, but the last ten days follow Rosh Hashanah and end on the next Jewish feast, Yom Kippur.  The word Teshuvah is often times translated as repentance, and while repentance is the theme of this 40 day period of time, the tone changes significantly after Rosh Hashanah.

 

The first 30 days of Teshuvah is a time when people are to re-evaluate their lives, repent and turn from sin and wrong living, forgive and seek forgiveness from others, all in preparation for the judgment that was to come on Rosh Hashanah. Judgment on Rosh Hashanah?  Yes.  For the Jew, Rosh Hashanah is when God separates the wholly righteous from the wholly wicked and the intermediates, or those who are lukewarm and on the fence.  The idea of the first 30 days of repentance was to be judged worthy to escape the remaining 10 days of Teshuvah, days that no one would want to willingly go through if they really knew what was in store for those who remained.  Jesus tells us as His followers to do the same thing in Luke 21:34-36, to watch and pray that we are counted worthy to escape that which is coming.  On several occasions Jesus tells us to watch and pray, and in Revelation 16:15, right in the middle of John’s account of the judgments of the tribulation period, Jesus tells us that those who watch are blessed and not ashamed and found naked.  As Christians we are to be making sure we are ready for when Jesus comes for His bride, which is imminent and can happen any day.  When I think of this I am reminded of the parable of the 10 virgins, where five were foolish and five were wise.  In this parable it is mentioned that there was a time when the 10 virgins needed to trim their lamps.  This trimming of the lamps is closely associated with this first 30 days of Teshuvah, and because the five foolish were not prepared they were left behind and denied entrance to the wedding.

 

The remaining 10 days of Teshuvah, known also as the “days of awe”, for the Jew is a time when people through their works can either get their names changed and entered into the book of life, or seal up their fate of eternal death and damnation. For the Christian, this is a time when those who want to have relationship with God and spend eternity with Him in heaven must literally give their lives unto death for Jesus and His kingdom.  The parallels between the Jews observance of these feast days and the Christians view of end time events is amazing.

 

Okay, back to the phrase “let it go”. In looking at the first 30 days of Teshuvah, a period of time when we are to prepare for Rosh Hashanah or for the Christian the rapture of the church, I’m reminded of the words of the writer of Hebrews.  In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Basically, he is telling us to “let it go”.  As we prepare for the return of Christ for His bride, we need to let go of anything that weighs us down and the sin that so easily trips us up.  We all have areas that we struggle with.  It could be areas that are easily seen by others, or it could be the secret sins we hide.  It could be misplaced priorities and loyalties in life, or it could be the hidden attitudes of hatred, prejudice, and jealousy.  It could be critical and judgmental attitudes, or the “big” sins of alcoholism, drugs, and sexual immorality.  It could be that of complaining, murmuring and gossip, or it could be attitudes of greed, self-centeredness, and pride.  Whatever it is, as we see the ever approaching time of His return it is vitally important for us to “let it go”, whatever that “it” is in our lives.

 

For the Jew, the 40 days of Teshuvah begins in just a few days, but for the Christian we are in that period of time now. This isn’t the time to be playing Russian roulette with eternity by not taking this seriously and risk being unprepared for His return.  Even the Jews recognize they need to be prepared so that they will not have to experience the remaining 10 days of Teshuvah, and like them we don’t want to be left to go through the tribulation period that is soon to come.  The theme scripture the Jews have for these 40 days of Teshuvah is found in Isaiah 55:6.

 

 

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

 

Isa 55:6 (NKJV)

Power To Be Witnesses

I recently heard someone share on what the phrase “power to be witnesses” found in Acts 1:8 means. As he spoke I began to ponder within myself what that actually means as I’ve never really given it much thought in the past.  As I asked the Holy Spirit to direct my thoughts on this He pointed me in two directions to look.  No, these two directions do not conflict with each other, but instead confirm and validate the other.  Follow with me as we take a brief look at what it means to have power to be witnesses for Him.

 

The Spirit first directed me to look at the life and ministry of Jesus while He was here on earth. He reminded me that Jesus did not live His life here according to His own deity, something that would have both negated the sacrifice of His life for our sins as well as negated His example of how we should live.  In Philippians 2:5 we are told to have the same mindset as Christ, and in the subsequent verses were shown the example Christ left us to follow.  In 1 Peter 2:21 we are told that Jesus left us an example for us to follow.  Even though the passage in 1 Peter refers to suffering, we have to remember that to be a disciple of someone means we are to be like them in all ways, and so being a disciple of Christ means being like Him in more ways than just how He handled suffering.  In John 5 Jesus tells us that He only did what the Father showed Him, and what the Father was doing.  In Matthew 4:1 we see that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, and that is what we need to do as well.

 

The Holy Spirit then directed me to look at the early church and not just the apostles. The lives of those in the early church after Pentecost should give us a good picture of what it means for the power of God to make us His witnesses.  Just in case people want to argue that what Jesus did was done out of His own deity and not by the leading of the Holy Spirit and what the Father showed Him, what we see from the early church should silence any argument of how the Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses as none of them had any deity to fall upon.  Yet, what we see in the lives of the early church are very similar to what we see in the ministry of Jesus, and therefore what we see in both should give us a clear indication of what it means for the Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses of Christ.

 

There are four characteristics found in both Jesus’ ministry and the lives of those in the early church that we can attribute to the empowering of the Holy Spirit. There may be more, but these were the ones I believe the Holy Spirit showed me as I pondered the above question, what does it mean to have the power to be witnesses of Jesus?

 

 

Four elements of a person empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a witness;

 

  1. Boldness to “proclaim the gospel”

 

The first element was the boldness to proclaim the gospel. In Acts 4:23-31, after being commanded by the religious leaders to no longer proclaim the name of Jesus, Peter and John went back to their companions explaining all that was said to them.  It is believed that while their companions may have included some of the other apostles, it no doubt included those who were not.  After sharing with their companions all that was said to them, they immediately went to prayer asking Jesus for boldness to speak His word.  What was God’s response to this prayer?  The place where they had assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, after which they spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

Just in case you’re thinking it was just the apostles, we have to remember Stephen in Acts 6-7. Stephen was not an apostle, but the Spirit of God gave him boldness to proclaim God’s word with authority, and the religious leaders did not like that.  We, too, should have this kind of boldness to proclaim Christ to those around us.  It’s not just the commitment to share the gospel whenever the opportunity presents itself, as we can see anybody can do that, but there is a boldness that goes over and above just a commitment to share.

 

  1. Leads us to speak to the heart of an individual

 

The underlining point in all of this is that we are to be led by the Spirit of God in all that we say and do. As we are open and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and grow in that, there will be times when we will speak right to the heart of an individual.  We see many instances when Jesus did that with others, including the Samaritan woman, but we can also see multiple instances in the book of Acts and other parts of the New Testament.  While it is true that Stephen was not talking to an individual in Acts 6-7, the things he spoke did pierce the heart of individuals as he spoke.

 

There were times when Jesus or those in the early church spoke to the heart of an individual bringing them hope and deliverance, among other things, but they also spoke to the heart of individuals whose hearts were wrong and wanted nothing to do with the truth. The Spirit of God leads us to speak to the heart of individuals in ways that only He can, as He is the only one that truly knows the heart of each person.  He can reveal things to us about someone that only that person knows, and that in itself shows that God is acutely interested in them.

 

  1. To do signs, wonders, and the supernatural

 

The third point that the Holy Spirit showed me was that a life that has been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ will do signs, wonders, and the supernatural. If we want to truly be His witnesses then we need to be open to allow Him to do these things in and through our lives for the benefit of the Kingdom of Christ.  A person that is closed off to that being a part of being His witnesses is limiting God in their own lives, and are presenting Christ as someone less than all-powerful to those who we are reaching out to.

 

The apostle Paul, who was very learned being a Pharisee, in I Corinthians 2:1-5 indicated that he did not seek to reach people through his excellent words and speech, but instead through the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Many times we limit ourselves to proclaiming the gospel through our words and intellect, but Paul who was well trained chose instead to proclaim the gospel through the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.

 

When we go back to when Peter and John, and those who were with them, prayed for boldness, we see that they also prayed that God would stretch out His hand to heal, and that they would do signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. This was something they recognized as essential to being His witnesses to a lost and dying world.

 

Now before you think that was limited to the apostles, let’s go back to Stephen. In Acts 6:8, we see that Stephen, who was not an apostle, was full of faith AND power, and that he did great wonders and signs among the people.  This is something that should be a part of every believer that has been baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire as John the Baptist said Jesus would do in both Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16.  If the early church, both apostles and those who were not, prayed that they would do signs and wonders to proclaim the gospel in demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, then who are we to say that we shouldn’t do the same thing?

 

When Jesus sent out the disciples to preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 10 to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and to cast out demons”.  In Mark 16:15-18, Jesus told them not only to go and preach the gospel to everyone, but He also told them that signs would follow those who believe.

 

There is nothing wrong with asking God to do signs and wonders to validate and promote the gospel He’s called us to share with others. It’s part of being His witnesses, ambassadors of His eternal kingdom.  Many are closed off to this aspect of being His witnesses, but as we see in scripture not only should it be a part of our life, but just as the early church did we must also be open to and asking God for this to be evident in our lives for Him.  To deny this element, or any other for that matter, basically expresses an attitude and mindset making ourselves superior to Christ and the early church, when in reality they should be an example to us of what it means to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Jesus.

 

  1. To be martyrs for Christ and the kingdom

 

Finally, to be His witnesses means that we are willing and ready to die a martyr’s death for Him. All the apostles except for John are believed to have been martyrs for Christ.  One of the signs that we have been empowered by His Holy Spirit is that we’re willing and able to be martyrs for Him.  The word translated as witnesses in this passage means to be martyrs, so this is important for us to understand.  There are many people in the world who are willing to die for a cause, but this goes beyond that.  We are willing to be a martyr for Christ, the gospel, and for the Kingdom of God.  We’re not trying to make a statement as many martyrs do, but instead we are willing to die for the one who gave His life for each of us, knowing that eternity with Jesus is far greater than anything we may ever experience in this life.

 

The apostle Paul in Romans 8:18 tells us that the sufferings of this present life are not even worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. And, it is the empowering of the Holy Spirit that enables us to have the ability and resolve to give our lives for Him no matter what the cost.  Not only is it believed that the apostles died a martyr’s death for Christ, but history shows that countless numbers of believers in the early church died a martyr’s death for Christ, some of which were even thrown to the lions in the Roman coliseums.  Even in the day we live in now we hear of Christians who are dying a martyr’s death for Christ, something that requires the empowering of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

 

Have you received the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Jesus? Do you see the above elements active in your life as a disciple and witness of Him to a lost and dying world around you?  I have to admit that in looking at the above attributes of one empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to be witnesses, I find myself falling short.  Just as the church in Acts 4 asked God for boldness and to perform signs and wonders in His name, I need to seek Him more to fill and empower me to be the witness of Him He’s called each and every one of us to be.  How about you?  Are each of these elements an active part of your life as a witness of Him, or do you need to seek God for more of that empowering in your life.  If you find that you lack in any of these above areas, then I encourage you to begin seeking and asking God to manifest each of these in your life in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Time is short and the world needs to know and see that the power of God is more than sufficient to meet their every need.

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