Learning From the Little Ones

 

This coming Sunday we will continue our study of Luke 18 at Grace Point Church. The passage we are looking at is a beautiful teaching moment Jesus has with His disciples. Some parents were bringing their children to be blessed by Jesus, but His disciples stopped them from coming, thinking they would be bothering the Master. But Jesus corrects them and tells them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children." (v.16). And then He makes this powerful statement, "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (v.17)

Wow, that is a pretty significant statement: Unless you receive the Kingdom of God like a child, you aren't getting in. What is it about children that would cause Jesus to make a statement like that? What is He wanting us to learn from the little ones? 

In thinking about this passage, I think there are Four Childlike Characteristics that are important to Jesus, and He wants us to know: 

1. Total Dependence - The word that is used in v.15 for "children" is "brephos" and refers to a very young child, typically an infant or newborn. It can also refer to a pre-born baby in it's mother's womb. Luke uses the term for Elizabeth's unborn baby that leaps within her womb when the expecting Mary comes to her. In the Greco-Roman world, infants were often seen as the most vulnerable members of society, dependent entirely on their parents or guardians for survival. 

The point here is that entrance into God's Kingdom means that we are totally dependent on Him for our salvation. As Paul writes in Ephesians, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." (Ephesians 2:8-9).

B. Fearless Faith - Scientist tell us that we are all born with only two fears - the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. All other fears are learned as we grow, and sometimes the learning comes from hard experiences. Kids seem to have a fearless faith that they can do anything their minds imagine - anything from flying by jumping off a rooftop, or running across the road before the car can hit them. Parents have to teach kids safe boundaries, but in doing so, sometimes we instill a fear of failure or adventure into their lives. 

It is interesting that when Jesus called His first disciples, He didn't call them to develop a systematic theology, or a Robert's Rules of Order for obedience. He didn't even ask them to believe in Him in the beginning. He just said, "Come, follow Me ..." By nature, faith requires risk, and following Jesus implies movement. As Henry Blackaby says in his book Experiencing God, “You cannot stay the way you are and go with God.” We are called to follow Jesus with fearless faith. 

C. Innocent Optimism - I've never met a kid who was afraid to ask for what he/she really wanted. Infants have a way of letting their parents know when they need something even before they can talk. And once they start talking, they have no fear in asking for anything and everything. It comes natural to them. As they grow, they learn they can't have everything on the toy aisle, or everything in the commercials on TV and that life is hard and sometimes (most times) things don't go the way we think they should. It is easy to become jaded and lose our optimism. 

But Jesus tells us that our hope is not in the things of this world, but in Him. Jesus once told His disciples that it is hard for a rich person to get into heaven and His disciples were amazed and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27) We worship and serve the God who can do anything, therefore we shouldn't be afraid to trust Him to do great things. As William Carey said, "Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God."

D. Infectious Enthusiasm - This may be what I love most about kids - when something catches their attention, they act like it is the greatest thing in the world. I love Christmas because I get to see the wonder and amazement on the faces of my kids and grandkids. My grandkids are excited about their presents and gifts, and my kids are excited that their children are excited, and that excites me. It's infectious. When I see my grandkids playing enthusiastically with their toys, I want to join them (even if I don't understand the game, lol). 

Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and glorify your Heavenly Father." Letting our light shine means serving God with enthusiasm and joy, so that others can see God in us. Perhaps the worst witness for the Lord in world is a "Christian" who has lost his/her enthusiasm for the Lord and for His Kingdom. 

I'm sure there are more characteristics of children Jesus had in mind when He was teaching His disciples. These are just the ones that He brought to my mind. Feel free to share yours in the comments section below. 

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas: A Call to Boldness

 

Christmas is a time of joy, celebration, and reflection. As Christians, we have the unique opportunity to share the true meaning of this season with those around us. Luke 2:17 tells us, "Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child." This verse inspires us to spread the Good News of Christ's birth and the hope it brings.

1. Be Prepared to Share Your Testimony

The shepherds in the Christmas story had a personal encounter with the newborn Jesus. Their experience transformed them, and they couldn't help but share what they had seen and heard. Similarly, our own experiences with Christ should shape our witness. Be ready to share your personal testimony of how Christ has impacted your life. God can use your story to be a powerful tool to draw others to Him, but you have to be prepared to share it. 

2. Seize Opportunities to Share the Gospel

Christmas provides many opportunities to share the gospel. Whether it's through casual conversations with friends and family, volunteering at a local charity, or participating in church events, be intentional about looking for ways to share the love of Christ. Remember, every interaction is a potential moment to plant a seed of faith.

3. Use Creative Ways to Share the Gospel

In today's digital age, there are countless creative ways to share the gospel. Consider using social media to share inspiring Christmas messages, create personalized Christmas cards with a gospel message, or organize a Christmas party with a gospel theme. Get creative and find ways to share the Good News that resonate with people's hearts.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas, let us be inspired by the shepherds' example and share the Good News with those around us. May our words and actions point others to the true meaning of Christmas – the love and salvation offered by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Contending with the Dark Side

Wednesday evening we began a new Bible study on forgiveness. To guide us in our study, we are using a book written by a friend of mine, Dr. Randall O'Brien, (who graciously provided the books for us). I had read the book several years ago, and was helped and encouraged by it.

The first chapter is "Understanding our Dark Side." By "dark side" Dr. O'Brien is referring to the carnal, sinful nature ingrained in every human being. The Bible calls it our "old man" and we all have one. Even those of us who have been saved still have to deal with the old nature. Even the Apostle Paul recognized he had dark side. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul declares, "This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'—and I am the worst of them all." (NLT) Notice Paul doesn't say, "I USED to be the worst of them all," or "I WAS the worst of them all." He said "I AM the worst of them all" - present tense, active verb.

Paul also reveals his battle with his dark side in Romans 7:15-23. He wanted to do right, but didn't; he didn't want to do wrong, but he did. He even says there was a war going on within him (v.23).

The reality is saved sinners still sin. Though we should sin less, we aren't sinless (only Jesus achieved that status). So what do we do when our dark side flairs up and gets the best of us from time-to-time? How do we contend with our dark side? A few suggestions ...

1. Run to Jesus. Sin has separating effect on our relationship with God and the old man wants to run and hide when we've sinned and messed up. This has been true from the beginning (see Genesis 3). But don't do it; don't run from Jesus, run TO Him. Paul knew this. At the end of the confession of his battle with his dark side, Paul writes - "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 7:24-25 NLT) Even though his old man was undoubtedly wanting to run and hide like Adam and Eve in the garden, Paul knew that he had an advocate with the Father who had atoned for his sins, and he could run to Jesus knowing that he was forgiven.

The Apostle John writes: "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins..." (1 John 2:1-2a NLT) Jesus knows we will sin, He's accounted for it and He's already taken care of it. That's not a license to sin (note the first line of the above verse, "I'm writing this to you so that you will not sin"), but it is a recognition that the sovereign Lord of the universe isn't surprised by our sin, and He isn't discouraged by it, because He has already dealt with it. You can run to Him because He loves you, forgives you and restores you.

2. Give yourself some grace. I'm always harder on myself than anyone else. I don't know about you but I tend to dwell on my failures. I can still remember striking out in a Little League baseball game with two outs and two runners on base and the game on the line ... and I still feel bad about it. (I even remember the name of the guy who struck me out ... 44 years ago.) I also tend to dwell on my spiritual failures, and not only do I feel bad about them, I usually beat myself up over them.  I also have an accomplice that helps me with my self-abuse - the devil who is the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:9-11). He likes to help me beat myself up and tries to convince me that God is mad at me, and that I'll never change, and God could never love me or use me. None of that is true, of course, but it hurts.

In times like these when I get down on myself I have to remind myself that I am loved by God. And though He doesn't approve of my sinful behavior, He has already proven His love for me, and He has already forgiven me through His grace (see Romans 5:8). If God has forgiven me, and has shown me grace, I can have grace for myself ... and you can too. There is nothing you have done that would ever cause God to love you less. Your sin is dealt with on the cross and your forgiveness is secured by Christ ... so give yourself some grace. What happened has happened, and there is nothing you can do to change it, but you can move on from it in His grace.

3. Give grace to others also. Everyone has a dark side - that means every person you meet every day has the nature of sin and the potential for their sin to hurt you. When my "old man" slips out and I sin, it doesn't affect just me, it affects those around me as well ... and vice-a-versa. And just as I need grace from God, I need grace from others, and they need grace from me. If we aren't gracious toward others who have a dark side, we haven't fully understood the gospel. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We can love those who hurt us because we have been loved by the One we hurt the most. His grace is sufficient ...

Contending with our dark side is an ongoing war. Through Christ we will overcome and experience ultimate victory over the dark side (ours and THE dark side).  Even if we lose a battle every-once-in-a-while, don't give up, don't give in, and don't stop fighting the good fight of faith and grace. Contend with the dark side knowing that the outcome of victory is already secured.

Remembering Billy Graham

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. Matthew 7:24-25 (NLT)

This week our world lost an amazing person; Rev. Billy Graham was/is a man respected and honored throughout the world. As an evangelist Rev. Graham preached more than 400 crusades in 178 countries to more than 2.15 million people in person (and numberless others through radio, TV, print media, Internet and more). In the history of our world, no one has touched more lives with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ than Billy Graham, and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people are following the Lord today because of his ministry and the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

"Billy Frank" as he was called by family and friends, grew up on a dairy farm near Charlotte, NC. His parents were devout followers of Christ, but Billy showed little interest in the Lord early on. When he was 15, the churches of Charlotte hosted a city-wide tent revival with evangelist Mordecai Ham. Billy hadn't planned on attending the meetings but a friend offered to let young Billy drive his truck to pick up kids for the crusade. During the week, Billy heard the gospel and responded in repentance and faith. Soon he felt the call to preach and left Charlotte to gain an education with stops at Bob Jones University, the Florida Bible Institute and finally graduating from Wheaton College.

In 1945 Billy was hired as an evangelist for a fledgling ministry, Youth for Christ. He joined fellow evangelist Chuck Templeton, traveling the country and eastern Europe preaching the gospel at revivals and crusades on college campuses. Templeton was an excellent communicator and some believe, a more effective evangelist than Graham. But as time went on, Templeton began to experience doubts about the gospel and questions about the authority of Scripture. Templeton would eventually leave the ministry and the faith for a career in broadcasting, but his doubts and questions began to affect Billy as well. Graham began to struggle in his faith and preaching.

In 1949, a few weeks prior to a scheduled crusade in Los Angeles, Graham was staying at the Forest Home Christian Camp in the Big Bear area of Southern California. He would take walks in the woods and mountains praying yet struggling with his faith. Finally, one day while Graham was in the woods, he laid his Bible on a tree stump, fell to his knees and cried out to God and committed himself to preaching the Bible as the infallible word of God. He acknowledged there were some things in the Bible he did not understand, but he would accept them by faith and build his life and ministry on the authority of God's word.

The rest, as they say, is history. His 1949 Los Angeles Crusade launched Graham into the national spotlight. A tent revival that was scheduled to run three weeks lasted eight weeks. More than 350,000 people attended and more than 3,000 made professions of faith in Christ, including Stuart Hamblen, an entertainer and radio personality. Hamblen told of his conversion on his radio program and it caught the attention of William Randolph Hearst, newspaper tycoon who sent news of Graham's crusade across the nation. It was also during this crusade that Olympian and former prisoner of war Louis Zamperini came to Christ (watch the movie "Unbroken" to learn Louis' story). Graham would go on to found the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to further spread the good news of the gospel of Christ. Billy Graham's work and ministry will continue for many more years to come.

Billy Graham made a crucial decision in 1949, to build his life and ministry by faith on the word of God. And because of that decision his "house" still stands and will be standing for generations to come. God's word is true and powerful ... are you building your life on His word?

Response to the School Shooting in Florida

Like you, I am heartbroken over the news of another school shooting; this one in Florida and 17 people are dead, 14 injured and the shooter is a 19 year old former student with a history of troubling behavior. And, as usual, some are politicizing the tragedy to pressure politicians to change laws and come up with some way to stop this senseless violence.

Browsing Facebook this morning I saw a post from Daryl Fulp, a friend we met and served with in Guatemala this past Summer. We worked with Hope for Home Ministries which was founded by he and his family and serves the very least in Guatemala. They minister to the mentally and physically challenged and their families in Guatemala. Visit their website here to learn more about their amazing ministry.  

Daryl posted an incredible response to the tragedy in Florida:

To my brothers and sisters in Christ:
Like you, my heart is broken by the events in Florida today. And I want to remind us all of the truth that we should already know: There is no political cure. The crisis our nation faces is a crisis of the heart. And our only hope is the One who can transform hearts.

Let others argue over politics. Let others pursue dead end roads. And let us focus on the One True Cure that they all seek without realizing. Instead of arguing, let’s love. Instead of shaking angry fists, let’s reach out our hands to those with whom we disagree. Let us spread the Gospel instead of adding to the overwhelming noise that threatens to consume. And let us share Jesus as we live and speak. We have the only Hope within us. Let’s go spread Him around.

 Someone commented on his post and made reference to how Jesus would respond to such a situation. The gist of the response is that Jesus would take action to enact change. In his words, the responder said that Jesus would " be raising hell for situations like these. right? when it wasn’t right, he took action." Daryl then responded to the responder with, what I think is the most powerful statement on the real problem in our world to day - and it's not "the world" it's the church:

 Daryl Fulp: I am not sure what “raising hell“would accomplish? Do you mean getting angry? At whom? Angry at the government? Angry at a young man who was so broken by sin that he did something like this? While it is true that Jesus got angry at times and would speak hard words, those words were never directed at politics or those who were dead in their own sins. Jesus reserved his anger for those who used God’s name, but failed to represent Him correctly. So, if Jesus were on the earth right now as a man, I believe he would likely have some hard words. But I believe those words would be directed at his church. We have failed to live out his most important instructions. We have failed to love God. We have failed to love each other. And we have certainly failed to love those that we consider our “enemies.“ And we are failing horribly at the great commission. As the culture deteriorates, we love to look around at the decline and pretend it is not our fault. It is obviously those lousy politicians or those jerks on the other side of the aisle. And yet, we claim to have the secret of true hope, love, peace and fulfillment. We claim to have relationship with the only One who can truly transform, a heart. So, if we really believe that, we shouldn’t be blasting sinners, we should be loving them and reaching them. We should be their friends. They should be our golfing and hunting buddies. They should be a part of our Super Bowl parties and book clubs. We should be seeking out the lost and hurting and eating lunch with them. Instead of blasting those with whom we disagree we should be loving them and hanging out with them. And if they are the famous and powerful to whom we have no access, we should be praying for believers around them to do the same. The world needs salt and light now. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

"For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household." (1 Peter 4:17) Please, let us read and heed these powerful words from Daryl. If we, the Body of Christ,  are to resolve the real problem in the world today, we have to begin by looking in the mirror; we have to change and truly begin living out the gospel. Let it begin with me...

Everyone has a story - Sharing yours

 "... if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." 1 Peter 3:15

On Sunday mornings we have been studying through Acts 13-28 in a series called "Always on Mission." We've been following the life of the apostle Paul, a man who fully lived his life on mission for the Lord. Yesterday, (Feb 12) we looked at Acts 22 where Paul gives tells his savlation story before an angry mob who wanted to execute him. He also gives his testimony in Acts 26 before Herod Agrippa and Festus.

When Paul tells his story, he follows a distinct pattern: what his life was like before he met Christ, how he encountered Christ, how Christ changed his life, and what Christ has been doing in his life recently. It is a great pattern to follow to learn how to share your testimony.

CRU Ministries (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) has a worksheet to help Christians develop their testimony. Take a few minutes to work through these questions so you can tell others what God has done in your life:

My Life Before Christ

• What about my life before Christ will relate most to the non-Christians I know?
• What did my life revolve around? Where did I get my security, identity or happiness from?  
• How did those things begin to let me down?

How I Came to Christ

• When was the first time I heard the gospel? What were my initial reactions?
• When and why did my perspective begin to change toward Christ?
• What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Him? Why did I finally decide to accept Christ (or give Him complete control of my life)?

My Life After Coming to Christ

• How is my life different now? List some specific changes in your character, attitude and perspective on life.
• What motivates me now? What do I live for?
• Even though my life still isn’t perfect, how does knowing Christ help me deal with that fact?

I would add What Christ is Doing in My Life Today as a conclusion to your testimony. Having a relationship with the Lord means we should be able to give evidence of that relationship in our day to day lives.

Take a few minutes to write out your story as if you were telling it to someone, and then pray for opportunities to share your story.

Share the Word

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

     Writer Robert Morgan tells the story of Dr. Doren Edwards, a surgeon in Franklin, Tennessee. Dr. Edwards is a devout Christian and is involved in the Gideons International. Several years ago he had a patient whose alcoholic husband had died. Her two children were giving her problems, finances were tight, and life was very hard. She wasn’t a Christian.

One day she came to see Dr. Edwards after she had been diagnosed cancer, with multiple organs involved. No treatment was available, and she was very bitter about it; life had been very hard and now she was dying. Dr. Edwards wanted to talk with her about the Lord, but she wouldn’t allow him to share his witness. She did, however, accept a small New Testament that he kept in his office.

 A few weeks later, Doctor Edwards learned from the newspaper obituary that she had died. He sent a card to the family, telling them he had donated Bibles in her memory to the Gideons. 

A few days later the woman’s daughter called Dr. Edwards. “Could you please send us a Bible like the ones you donated in memory of our mother,” she asked. “We don’t have a Bible in our home. The last six days she was alive, Mama's whole life changed. She was no longer bitter, she was at peace and she wasn’t afraid to die. She said something about knowing Jesus, but she asked that her Bible be buried in her hand, and we couldn’t keep it. Would you please send us a Bible so that we can find what Mama found in that book?” 

Dr. Edwards sent them all Bibles, and soon afterwards the daughter, the son, and one of the woman's sisters were saved as a result. 

There are many ways to share the Gospel: Bibles, cards, letters, text messages, personal testimony, etc. Think about a person you could give the gift of the Gospel to, and then do it.

In the wake of tragedy...

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21 (NLT)

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." Luke 6:27-28 (NLT)

Yesterday morning we woke to the news of another horrible tragedy in our nation. A gunman opened fire on a crowd at a musical festival, from his room on the 32nd floor of a hotel in Las Vegas. The last report I read said that 58 were confirmed dead and more than 500 were injured. Police investigations so far have not found any motive to the shooter's actions. This seems to be just a horrible, random act of violence.

My first thought is "What is wrong with people?" How can you just open fire and kill people that you don't know and have never done anything to you? This just doesn't make sense...

Evil doesn't make sense, but it is real. People do terrible things; they hurt others for no apparent reason. They kill without cause, steal for personal gain, and destroy without thought to the consequences on themselves or others.... that sounded familiar... "The thief comes only to kill, steal and destroy..." (John 10:10). The "thief" is the enemy, Satan, the personification of evil. His goal is to kill, steal and destroy, and he does it through the evil acts of human beings. I'm not suggesting we alleviate personal responsibility, the Las Vegas shooter chose to do what he did, and he could have chosen not to do it. He could have resisted those impulses to plan and carry out this murderous act, but he didn't. And behind every horrible act such as this, there is an evil one that is encouraging it. The enemy is real, and he is active.

So how do we respond in the wake of such evil. Politicians and pundits will argue for stricter gun laws, and various political measures to try to prevent mass killings. While laws and regulations can sometimes make it more difficult to carry out such violent acts, the real problem is evil in the human heart, and until that is eliminated, we will continue to experience these violent acts in our world. How, then, do we eliminate evil in the human heart? It is only through the love of God expressed through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our response to horrific events such as what happened in Vegas is to boldly and consistently share the good news of Jesus, and live out the gospel in our homes, communities and the world. We overcome evil with good; we triumph over tragedy with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pray for those who lost loved ones in Las Vegas. Pray for the police, first responders and care givers that are working in the midst of this tragedy. But also pray for the Church to be the Church, to do what God has instructed us to do - overcome evil with good, pray for those who commit such horrible acts, and pray for ourselves to be salt and light in the world and boldly share the gospel through word and deed. In the wake of such tragedy and evil, BE the Church...