Jesus Loves the Nations

"And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take up the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to server our God, and they will reign on the earth'" (Rev. 5:9-10).

Delia, Sophia, and I had the opportunity to enjoy the International Festival in Bowling Green today with some friends.  Upon arriving we greeted with a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells.  A miniature world bizarre stretched out before us.  Many of the cultures present in Bowling Green had set up tents to sell food, clothes, trinkets, ect.  There were also many booths that offered the opportunity to learn more about the cultures of our neighbors.

I have always assumed that the goal of such events is to foster tolerance of other cultures by elevating fears of the unknown through education and experience.  We are less likely to distrust someone from another culture, if we have taken the proverbial walk in their shoes.  The sharing of cuisine is often instrumental in building bridges between cultures.  For me, it is enjoyable to experience new foods.  I don't always enjoy what I try, but when I do, I want to go back for more.  A visit to a really good buffet will teach you that the kitchen is often the first place cultures begin to blend.

Tolerance is a noble goal.  The world would be a better place, a safer place, if people were genuinely tolerant.  But tolerance isn't love.  I can tolerate my neighbor without loving him.  I can look at the beautiful clothing that adorns the outward man and marvel at it without ever giving a thought to the inner person.  I can devour their marvelous food and wonder how I had managed to live so many years without it, but never think about the hunger deep within my neighbor.  What does he hope for? What are his dreams?  Will I see him again in heaven? 

I can and must learn how to live alongside of people different than me.  I can learn to move beyond tolerating them to appreciating them.  I can learn to to appreciate pieces of their culture: music, food, dance, poetry, and art.  But Jesus requires more.  He requires that I learn to love them.  I do not mean in some vague, hard-to- define-way, but in the very real, very ordinary way.  We learn to see them as people, like us, although not exactly like us.  They eat, sleep, bath, work, play, etc.  They love and want to be loved.  They have dreams and ambitions.  They have fears and worries.

We must learn to see them as individuals forged in a particular cultural background.  Culture has shaped an molded them (just like our culture has shaped and molded us).  We must learn to assume that they have the best of intentions, until they prove otherwise.  We need to see them as people who have needs, some they are acutely aware of, others they are completely oblivious to.  We need to see them as people, not projects; potential friends, not numbers.

In order to love them, we must seek first to understand them, and then to serve them.  When tolerance is the end goal, then question becomes: "How do we know our culture is any better?" or in a more religious context, "How do we know we are the only ones who are right?".  Questions like these, on their face, seem very difficult to answer.  Why?  Because if you press your own opinion you have failed to achieve tolerance.  Is one culture better than another?  A better question would be, "Is there a perfect culture?"  We all know the answer to that, it's no.  So much of our cultures are relative.  Each culture has different tastes, but most can come to enjoy food from another culture.  Each culture has different music, but most people can learn to appreciate other types of music.

However, it becomes dangerous to assume that all elements of culture are relative.  This is especially true of religions.  The International Festival did have some religious presences, but religion seemed to be on the back burner.  It could be because the organizers wanted to avoid potential hostilities that would have undermined the festival.  It could be that the prevailing cultural wisdom, that all roads lead to heaven, influenced the decision.  It could even be that local religious organizations chose to avoid potential conflicts.

For the Christian to love his neighbor, he must share the gospel with him.  He cannot sit idly by, while his neighbor slips into hell.  The Christian faith is clear: God made all mankind, and thus mankind owes God their obedience.  However, man has rejected God's authority and forged their own path.  This rebellion brings death and judgment.  God in his grace did not will for mankind to die in their rebellion, so he provided a way for them to be at peace with him.  He sent his Son, Jesus the Christ, to die in their place.  As a sinless substitute, Jesus paid the debt we owe.  He was buried and raised to life on the third day.  He ascended into heaven from where he is reigning even now.  For this reason, God commands all mankind, everywhere to repent of their rebellion and to put their trust in Jesus.  We call this the good news.  Those without it live under the bad news of death and judgment.  So we have to share the message.

Further great news, for us, is that Jesus is saving people from among the nations.  Revelation looks down the road into the future.  John, who recorded the Revelation, sees a multitude to large to count made up of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  Each individual purchased by Jesus' blood, for without the shedding of blood sin cannot be forgiven (see Heb. 9:22).

I saw a small sampling of the nations today, several hundred people or maybe as many couple of thousand, from dozens of countries.  I enjoyed many of the sights, sounds, and flavors I experienced today.  I felt that my life had been enriched by the experience.  Yet, I grieved.  I grieved because I came into contact with good people, sincere people, but people who needed Christ, yet knew little or nothing about him.

I can appreciate their culture.  I can enjoy their music and dance.  I can delight in their food.  I can long to know them better.  But I cannot tolerate their lostness.  By lostness, I mean they are like sheep who have gone astray, and need to be brought back into the fold.  They are lost apart from Jesus. The good news is that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes looking for the lost sheep.  The Bible teaches that we all need to turn from wrongdoing and seek forgiveness through Jesus.  As a Christian, I believe this, so it would be act of hatred to withhold the message of Jesus.

I don't mean that we have to jam the message of Jesus down the throats of every person we meet, every time we see them.  We should never try to force-feed people the message of Jesus.  But we do need to live in a winsome way and share what Jesus is doing in our lives today.  When the opportunity arises in conversation, we should share the message of Jesus.  We should be prepared to answer their questions.  We should listen to their stories, and allow them to share their faith with us.  We should ask good questions that reflect a genuine interest in understanding their beliefs and who they are.  In the end, are task is to love them--not as a prospect, but as a person.  We are to love them enough that we share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.  And we are to love them whether or not they accept our testimony.  We love them because Jesus loved them enough to die for them.  We love them because he has purchased the nations to be a kingdom and priests for his Father.  We love them because we have been loved.

Jesus loves the nations.  Do you?  Are you trying to build relationships with non-Christians, so that you can share Jesus? I loved to hear how you are building bridges. 

Out on a Limb

I had a notion back in 2009 to challenge Monticello to baptize 10 people by October 10, 2010 (10-10-10).  However, I let fear creep in and keep me from making the challenge.  Fear came masquerading as a sound advice, but it was still fear.  I told myself, "You know how much we hate gimmicks."  And 10 by 10-10-10, sure sounded like a gimmick (and still does), but it could have also been a rallying point.

I bring all of this up because I blurted out a challenge during my sermon Sunday.  It was one of those moments where my tongue let loose, before my brain could stop it.  I asked, "How many people do you think this church could baptize in a year?  Somebody give me a number."  My heart started beating a mile a minute, but began to slow down when my challenge was greeted by silence.  Then I heard my voice again, "Come on, somebody give me a number."  Silly tongue, what are you doing to me?  Then the silence was broken by one word, "Fifteen."  I got a number just as I requested, it just happen to be higher than I anticipated (after hearing myself ask the question).  Then I heard something else, it was my voice asking, "Do I hear 20?"  Fortunately, there were no takers.

The temptation is to pretend like I didn't throw the question out there; to forget that someone, in good faith, gave an answer; and to assume no one expects me to act on it.  I have been tempted to let it go, but I can't.  The challenge has been issued, and if I walk away it will be a victory for fear.  It would be easy to say, "We can't reach 15 people in a year."  And it might even be true, but we'll never know what God can do through us if we don't try.

Although I am a bit leery of setting a numerical goal for baptisms, I am beginning to see that it is equally dangerous to operate without some sort of goal in mind. So the challenge has been issued.  Now all I can do is labor diligently to see that we succeed.  It means intentionality, prayerfulness, delegation, training, fasting, etc.  It means seeking the face of God. 

Some would say, "It can't be done."  If they mean, we cannot do it in our strength alone, they are right.  However, if they mean that it is beyond what is possible, I would strongly disagree.  With God all things are possible.  We must never forget that truth. 

It seems that I have gone out on a limb.  I could drop the ball, so to speak.  I could fall on my face.  But I would rather run the risk of falling on my face, then fail by not doing anything.  If our church labors at prayer and evangelism, there will be a harvest.  If we do not labor at these tasks, we have no right to expect a harvest anyway. 

So pray for us as we endeavor to answer the challenge.  It is hard to know where the next 51 weeks will take us, but I'm looking forward to finding out.  Do you know anyone who needs the Lord?  If you send me a message, I'll begin praying for them.  Pray that God would bless us with 15 conversions, by his grace and for his glory.

The Doctrine of Election, Pt. 2

When it comes to the doctrine of election, it is important to keep the biblical tension that exists between divine predestination and human responsibility.  Scripture seems to indicate that God desires the salvation of all people (2 Pet. 3:9, John 3:16), but it clearly teaches that not all will be saved (Matt. 7:13-14, John 14:6).  Without God pursuing fallen them, mankind would never look for God.  The word tells us that "there is no one who does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:12, ESV).  We are also told that no one seeks God (Rom. 3:11, see all of Rom. 3).  Left to himself, man in his fallen state would always choose sin over God.  God chose some to salvation, because if he hadn't none would have received it. 

Some might ask the question, "Why didn't God choose everybody?"  This is the wrong question to ask.  We should be asking, "Why did God chose anybody?"  Since God's choice is not based on foreseen merit, how does anyone make the cut.  Quite simple, no one deserves heaven. We all deserve damnation.  Yet, God in his mercy chose some to be saved.  Why he chose them, we cannot say, because he didn't reveal his reasons to us.  We must humbly acknowledge his mercy, and trust his holy wisdom.

Others might ask, "Doesn't the doctrine of election kill missions and evangelism?"  The short answer is no. The apostle Paul makes an interesting statement, "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (2 Tim. 2:10, ESV).  Paul reminds us that God not only appoints the end (salvation), but the means (evangelism/missions), as well.  We must share the gospel, because faith comes by hearing the message of Christ (see Rom. 10:13-17).  Men like William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards held to the doctrine of election and actively shared the gospel.

In his article, "The Doctrine of Salvation--The Work of God" in A Theology for the Church, Kenneth Keathley offers five principles to help guide our thinking on the doctrine of election (page 722-23).  They are:

1. Salvation is a sovereign work of God from beginning to end.
2. In a real and genuine way, God desires the salvation of all humanity.
3. God purposes the salvation of the elect, but only permits the damnation of the unbeliever.
4. Each person has freedom to choose or reject salvation.
5. Election originates, is accomplished, and will be consummated in Jesus Christ.

I think these principles help us to navigate the rocky waters of election.  Election serves as an internal memo, notifying the believer of God's unstoppable love for them.  It reminds them that they didn't pursue God first, but he graciously pursued them and brought them to himself.  What God began in them, he will bring to completion on the day of Christ's appearing.  The doctrine of election should never defined in a way that limits our obedience to the Great Commission.  We are not called to determine who is elect.  We are called to preach the gospel and disciple those who come to faith in Jesus.

What Are These Among So Many?

I read a story, in Saturday's paper, about the recovery of two women trapped in debris from buildings that collapsed during the earthquake that struck Indonesia. The article goes on to state that there are already 715 confirmed dead and nearly 3,000 missing. As I thought about this and other recent natural disasters, my mind kept returning to these two women, and why their recovery is so important. I must admit that I, like the disciple Andrew, began to ask, "But what are these among so many?" Andrew was speaking about five loaves and two fishes and wondering how so little could feed so many (5000 men plus their wives and children). I was speaking about two survivors among possibly thousands of lives lost. Why would two lives spared mean anything in light of the staggering loss?

I can think of at least three reasons why these two lives mean something: they were created in the image of God, God desires that they not perish, but come to repentance, and they restore hope in a devastating situation.

The Bible states that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. While this image has been marred by Adam's sin, it has not be erased. The image of God within humanity is what separates us from the animals. Animals are not people, even if they possess personality. Human beings are not animals, even if modern scientific classification wrongly claims they are. Humans are the image-bearers, created to reflect the glorious image of God, through righteous stewardship and kingly dominion. Our king and ancestor, Adam, and his wife, Eve, however, but ruin to our race, humanity, by rebelling against the Creator.

The image of God reveals itself to us in many ways. It may come through as our conscience pointing us to what we ought to do or pointing us away from what we ought not to do. It is seen in the ability to love. It is often seen actions, often labeled heroic by bystanders, but seen as duty by those who do them. We see it when a firefighter or police officer enters into a dangerous situation to rescue someone. We see it when a neighborhood bands together to find a missing child. When fallen people, who are typically out of sync with God, do the very things God expects them to do, for the very reasons God expects them to be done, even without thinking, "Gee, I wonder what God would have me to do?," that is when we see the image of God revealed in man. Because of that image, every person, no matter how big or small, rich or poor, young or old, deserves to be valued and treated with dignity.

The Bible also teaches that God patient toward us "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). The Lord asks, "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezek. 18:23, ESV). God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to redeem the world, and any who come to Christ in faith, for forgiveness and cleansing, will find it.

The question might be asked, "If God doesn't wish any would perish, why were only two survivors found?" I can't answer that question. I can't even say that these two women will ever come to Christ in faith, and thus, find true deliverance from death. All I can say with certainty is that God delights in bringing himself glory through the redemption of sinners. He rejoices when one sinner repents and comes to him.

Thus, the recovery of these two women is analogous to the redemption of mankind. In one sense, these women were lost. They were as good as dead. Death surrounded them on every side. Yet, someone who they could not contact, who they most like didn't expect to find them, burst into their situation and raised them out of death's clutches. Redemption's story is similar to this situation. Humanity was lost. We were dead in our trespasses. Death surrounded us on every side. We had no hope of escape. And then someone we could not contact for help, and certainly didn't expect, burst into our life and pulled us out of death's hands.

Thus, the recovery of these women bring hope to an otherwise hopeless situation. When few thought that any could still be alive, two were found. Others may be out there awaiting recovery. No doubt word of these survivors energized rescue workers. Now as they search frantically through the rubble of their cities, these individuals will keep reminding themselves it happened once, it may happen again. As they uncover victim after victim, their heart will not allow them to give into despair, because the next body just may have a pulse. The rescue workers will press on, is spite of the growing stench and exhaustion that is creeping into their over-labored limbs. They push on because, they can't rest knowing now that their may be survivors.

Again, we can draw a parallel to the Christian life. Believers are called to be search and rescue workers. We must keep plunging into the dark and stench-filled world, seeking survivors buried under the rubble of sin. When someone else is rescued it motivates us to push on. We continue seek the lost, in order to seem them brought from death to life. We can't rest when we might see one more rescued. We must labor on until every rock is overturned, and everyone has had a chance to be rescued.

Ultimately, the rescue of these two women reminds us that life is a gift. We never know which moment will be our last. These two women have been give a new lease on life, I pray that someday, they can rejoice in the Lord for that. Yet, there are many more who could have a new lease of life, if only we tell them about Jesus before it is too late.

Concern for the Lost

It has been said the Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned. Many historians now consider this saying to be an ancient urban legend. But, even as a legend it captures the popular view of Nero and his politics. The image of Nero fiddling around while the peoples' homes and shops were consumed by fire demonstrates that the people believed Nero to be apathetic toward their plight. Considering the things I have heard about Nero, they were right.

Today, many would suggest the church is fiddling around while the flames of hell are consuming the lives of their lost friends and neighbors. Many view the North American church as apathetic concerning the plight of non-believers. It has been suggested that we American Christians are more concerned with our own comfort, than we are with the eternal destiny of the lost. If this accusation is true, then it is a great sin against God.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). What does it say about us if his mission is not our mission? How can we be Christlike if we are not pursuing the lost? The Pharisees didn't pursue the lost and they hated Jesus, because he did. They just didn't get it. But do we get it? Is the heartbeat of God, as it is demonstrated by sending his Son into the world to redeem it, the driving beat of our life? Are we moved to compassion when we look at sinners, because they are like sheep without a shepherd?

These are very practical questions. Yet, they are questions most of us hope to avoid asking ourselves. However, they are the question Jesus demands us to answer. Speaking to the teachers of the Law Jesus said, "Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers" (Luke 11:46, ESV). Let it not be said of us that we have been unwilling to lift a finger to bring the lost to Christ.

Are we really concerned about the lostness of our family, friends, and neighbors? Are we spending time building relationships and sharing the gospel? Are we discipling those who we lead to the Lord? Or do we waste all of our "free time" on ourselves--watching t.v., playing games, surfing the net, etc.? How much time have you set aside in the last several days to pray for the lost and hurting people you know? When was the last time you picked up the phone and called someone to offer them words of encouragement? Or to offer them a much needed listening ear? Are we pursuing the things Jesus valued (lost sheep) or something else? Friends, are we playing church while the flames of hell burn all around us? Let us be about our Lord's mission.

Evangelism on My Mind

Last night we had a couple of mock evangelism encounters to model sharing the gospel. I have been replaying the scenes over and over in my mind today thinking through some of the turns. I, as the evangelist, felt pretty prepared and confident. However, my "prospects" threw out some questions for which I was not prepared. I don't like it when I don't have the answer, but these encounters taught me some important truths.

Truth one: Evangelism should be done in a spirit of humility. Were it not for the grace of God, we would be no different than the people we witness to. If a question arises that you can't answer, don't be afraid to say, "I don't know the answer, but I will try to find it out and get back to you."

Truth two: If we wait until we can answer every question, we'll never answer any questions. We should seek to be prepared by having a clear understanding of the gospel, but we can't hope to know it all and present it all in every encounter. We need to memorize the gospel, highlight some helpful verses in our Bibles, and continue to study in order to succeed. If you get into a situation where you don't know what to say see truth one.

Truth three: Evangelism is a spiritual task and must be done in power of the Holy Spirit. This means we need to listen to both the prospect and the Spirit. We need to discern if and where the Spirit is working in the life of a person and seek to continue that work. As a spiritual task it must be continually bathed in prayer. The power of our evangelism rests in the message. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit to the heart of an unbeliever that brings about conversion. The smoothness of our speech or weight of our arguments are nothing apart from the work of the Spirit.

Truth four: Evangelism isn't easy, but it is necessary. The gospel is the only means of salvation. Jesus' name is the only name given under heaven, whereby men must be saved (see Acts 4:12). Faith comes by hearing the message of Christ (see Rom. 10:13-17). Unless we sound the trumpet people will perish in their sins. If we believe the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all those who believe (see Rom. 1:16), then we will get out there and spread the good news.

Finally, an important truth to remember is that when it comes to evangelism we can't fail as long as we share the message with love. It doesn't matter how many doors are slammed in our face or how many people refuse to believe. It doesn't even matter how many people pray to receive Jesus. We are successful when we share the message of Christ in love. When the Spirit grants you the opportunity to share the gospel, go for it.