musings:01/31/10,Christians, Do we Suffer? by John

Christians, Do We Suffer?

Romans 8:16, 17 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." I remember pastors when I was small talking about the "vicarious suffering" we were expected to do as a Christian. That bothered me then, and it bothers me now. I'm glad no one has used hat word in any sermon I have heard in many years. Let me explain my thought on this.

As Christians, some non-Christians will persecute us without doubt. We certainly have viewed enough history to know that has happened over and over again. Many people still die in various parts of the world today just because they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, but all of us will not suffer that way, so this Scripture either doesn't apply to us, or it applies in a different way.

Let's take a short detour to illustrate something God does in Scripture. One word in Isaiah 7:14 was translated by scholars from Hebrew to English as "virgin." It did not mean virgin to the Jews. It meant "young woman," but even to them that was one meaning of the word. At the time Isaiah gave that prophecy, they did not think he was speaking of a virgin having a child, yet it was possible for that word to refer to an unmarried young woman, and it did. We sometime refer to the manifold fulfillment of prophecy, and this is an example. The first fulfillment came within three years as prophesied. It was fulfilled again when Jesus was conceived and born. Christian scholars translated that word as virgin because Jesus had no earthly father. Matthew simply says Joseph was the husband of Mary. Mary was in David's bloodline as well as Joseph. Being in David's bloodline was an important part of the Messianic prophecies. Now, back to suffering.

I believe the suffering here is more than vicarious. The word "vicarious" refers to being deputized or even taking someone else's place. We don't suffer in Jesus' place. He took our place. I know many who major on our suffering just as Jesus did. Some Christians do, but in this country we don't. Paul writing in Galatians (1:29) said, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." In that I have to be aware God gives good gifts to His children, not evil. Ergo suffering is a good gift. Hebrews 12:11 says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

The kind of suffering most of us experience is caused by our own inward struggle. The world around us is full of things to sate our appetites for anything we happen to think of. Many of these things have a long, deep-seated background in our society, and it is a struggle to give them up and move away from them. When we do, we discover new battles are constantly appearing on the horizon. As Romans 7 tells us, it doesn't take very long for every Christian to discover we have two natures, one spiritual and one prone to revel in the sins of the world. Paul exclaimed in verses 24,25, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

I think I was about two weeks old when I made my first trip to church and I've been pretty constant in worship and study since then. All of these 82 years are filled with the struggle to be the person God wants me to be. Every day brings new challenges. Every day, Satan approaches with new temptations. My own mind and physical appetites constantly clamor for more attention to things other than Jesus. In Him, I find strength, relief, and forgiveness when I fail. Even in the midst of inward struggle, I have His peace as He promised in John 14:27, "Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." I can always look back at the events of every day, and thank God for His deliverance. I usually follow that by asking Him for strength for the struggle ahead. One day, I'll be so much closer to being like Jesus than I am now. I look forward to that day. What I do with my Heavenly Father is too important to allow any kind of suffering disrupt my peace, or to take me off course. Again, Romans 8:16, 17 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order we may also share in his glory." Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world. If my Lord did that, I should expect to receive the same treatment from the world. I shouldn't try to make it happen, but when it does, I should be able to accept it as part of Christian living! And Jesus will give me strength to do it.

Musings:01/17/10,A Predilection We Can Do Without. by John

A Predilection we could do without.

One of the problems we have today is our personal identification with power figures. I wanted to be like Tarzan when I was a little boy, at least when a Tarzan movie was showing on Saturdays at the local theater. When I read the comics, I wanted to be like Buck Rogers and fly through space performing deeds that would defeat Ming the Merciless. Oh, there was the Green Hornet, then Superman, Captain Marvel, The Phantom and scads of other hero types. I embraced them all hoping I could be like them one day. Yes. I knew none of them was real. They were figments of imagination, and I figured I would grow away from them. I did, but I discovered I tended to adopt new ones like Roy Rogers, "Duke" Wayne and a few others.

Our children today have far more hero types, and like others of us, they grow away from them, but they tend to adopt new ones and sometimes with a vengeance! They would gladly join Carl Perkins and Elvis in singing don't step on my blue suede shoes, but they'd change it to something like, "Don't mess with my religion!" They've fallen in love with forms and figures, and sadly, many have missed Jesus!

Why do you suppose people get angry when someone tells them they believe a false doctrine? It could be because they don't, couldn't it? More likely, they have an underlying fear that they do have flaws in their beliefs. None of us are perfect, are we? The first year I served as pastor, 1947, a middle-aged lady about twice my age told me she had never sinned! I pointed out I John 1:8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." That's strong language, isn't it? John simply reported to do such a thing was to be a liar! She grew angry and expressed her extreme displeasure with me. I showed her I John 1:10, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." She expressed more displeasure. I probably showed little tact, and maybe I didn't reveal to her that Jesus loved her. If so, the only excuse I have is that I was 19 years old.

Sometimes hearing the truth is extremely painful, but there is no substitute for truth. Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32). Truth frees us, and most of us have experienced what lying will do. When we lie, we have to tell others to cover up the first one. It's a never-ending struggle, and eventually we lose the battle, or we confess our sins.
That brings us up to that final predilection we could do without, our tendency to believe that God thinks like we do. Any time we begin to interpret things that happen and say, "God did this," we are in danger of putting ourselves in God's place. I think ministers have a real problem at this point. I've been watching them from outside the ministry and from the inside, so I include myself in this statement. Others also have this problem, and when we put ourselves in God's place, as our pastor said this morning, "That's blasphemy!" We are putting ourselves in the place of the Judge of everything! Years ago, a minister asked me why I left a thriving church to go start a new church, and I said I believed that was what God wanted me to do. He shook his head in disbelief apparently that I could be so mistaken. I asked him, "If God told you He wanted you to leave the church you serve and to take a smaller one, wouldn't you do it?" Without blinking an eye, he said, "God would never ask me to do anything like that." That ended the conversation. Do you suppose he just couldn't hear what God was saying to him? I don't know. I'm not his judge, but neither is he mine.

I believe we need to stick to what the Bible says and leave the judgment to God. He's the only One capable of making a just judgment, and it is so wonderful to realize He is also the One Who loves us more than anyone else.

Romans 2:1 says, "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

Musings:01/16/10,Why,Why,Why? by John

Why? Why? Why?

"Why" is one of the five questioning words newspaper reporters and other writers use. Those words get the salient facts in any situation, but the answers are not always available, are they? My wife and I were just discussing the Haiti earthquake over breakfast. We had just listened to two or three religious leaders comment on this disaster. Ministers frequently feel they have to have an answer for everything that happens. We don't have them much of the time. That's not unusual. Of all the prophets in Israel, there were usually no more than two or three who had messages directly from God as far as Biblical history records. Prophets such as Elijah, Elisha, and those whose names are on books bearing their histories received direct messages from God. They did not have the Book we call the Bible to guide them. It was being written, but it was not complete until quite some time after the resurrection of Jesus. The Bible is our guide now, and we should refer to it constantly. God doesn't contradict Himself in His written word or in His spoken word. We don't usually understand it as well as we should, so we need to consult it regularly in prayer. It tells us that one of the works of God's Spirit is to guide us into truth. We have truth, but every day the body of truth is enlarged.

What (another of those reporter words) does the New Testament of the Bible say in connection with sin and disaster? Well, sin brings disaster, doesn't it? Romans 6:23 tells us sin is followed by death, but even so the "gift of God is eternal life!" In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Personal sin was not the cause of his blindness, and that causes me to remember Job. Even Satan could not find fault with him, and he suffered great loss and pain. Even his wife suggested he curse God and die!

Jump back to the New Testament with me. My wife reminded me at breakfast that Jesus in Matthew 5:44,45 said, "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." That's pretty plain, isn't it? Natural events are not changed by our spiritual lives whether good or bad. It also leaves open the area of God's creativity. Personally, I believe God continues to create. Genesis says He rested on the seventh day, but it does not say He stopped creating forever. Christians tend to look down on scientists as people who have missed the point, and scientists tend to look at those Christians as being both blind and ignorant. What a blessing it is that the majority of both groups are Christians, scientists and well educated!

We shouldn't overlook reality because what God creates is real! Most of us know something about tectonic plates and how they shift. Most of us are aware that volcanoes are real, and that they are involved in the destruction and formation of landmass. Earthquakes may be part of the groaning of creation mentioned in Romans 8:22; "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

I've said these things leading up to this question: Why would anyone think that all of the Haitians, and all of the people who were visiting there when the earthquake struck, could possibly have been in league with the devil? Why would anyone believe that all of the destructive acts of nature are caused by particular individuals' sins? I just cannot understand that. I would be extremely upset if I heard a pastor say that Haiti was hit by such devastation due to a handful of people who chose sin instead of salvation! I would have to address them to Genesis 18,19 to see that God got His people out of Sodom before He destroyed it. I see no reason He wouldn't have done the same thing anywhere and any time He decided to destroy a people.

The Bible, particularly the New Testament, reminds us that God loves each one of us. That would include every person who died in the earthquake. And that He gives us time to repent and make peace with Him. The Bible tells us Jesus saves sinners. If you aren't a sinner, Jesus hasn't saved you. In that case, you have no need of a physician His Word tells us, but that same Word tells us all of us are sinners! (Romans 3:23) And all of us deserve death. (Romans 6:23). That means every one of us, all ministers included, deserve death based on our sinfulness; yet, here we are alive! We are still here because God gives us time to change, and Jesus gives us the opportunity to change. Romans 10:9,10, we often quote, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." The way into the eternal presence of God is Jesus, and the way is open for every one of us. He is the God of Life, and all who come to Him receive life everlasting regardless of their past.

Musings:01/11/10,Humbug to the Humbug! by John

Humbug to the Humbug!

Since early in the Fall our thoughts turned to Christmas, we've found the season refreshing, but some elements we have introduced into it tend to be a little depressing to me, and they make me wonder how God sees it. I can't second-guess God, I have no intention of trying. I just want to point out a few things we don't know. First, we don't know what year He was born. Bishop Usher in Scotland derived a mathematical system based on presumed numbers in the Scripture. I say presumed because we still aren't sure we have a correct interpretation of them. He then applied his numerical system to the Scriptures, and they were put into the King James Version. It took more than 75 years for people to decide that version was really accurate enough to be called God's Word. When they did, those numbers began to take on a life of their own. As I remember, and I may not be too accurate, he said the earth was created in 2004 bc. He also pictured the birth of Jesus at 4 bc. (Since we date our calendars on the birth of Christ, that makes Him born four years before he was born...) I've addressed that problem in an early "musing," so I won't go further with it. Second, there is never snow in Bethlehem, at least, so far as we know. There may have been more than the usual three, or four, magoi (wise men). It would be unusual for those few to travel a long distance alone at that time because of bands of robbers they might encounter. The wording of the Scripture does not indicate they arrived at the birth of Jesus, but when he was a (paideon Matthew 2:8,9), a child rather than a newborn baby. I remember vividly my eldest telling her little sister who was about two at the time that the wise men brought the baby Jesus, gold, French-fries and murder. Both of them seemed happily satisfied with that. Some detractors of our Christmas celebration have concluded our date for Christmas is not based on any real date, but rather to substitute a Christian festival for a pagan one. When I hear that one, my reply is, "So what? The point of Christmas now is to celebrate the birth of Christ. If it wasn't in the past, that was their problem, not ours. I was born October 21, 1927, but if I want to celebrate it on July the 4th with fireworks, who cares? And why should anyone care? We who know Jesus celebrate His birth!"

Another item that bothers me is our emulation of His giving gifts to men. We give gifts to each other, and that's okay, I guess. I love to receive gifts, and I don't know anyone who doesn't, but does it represent the gifts Jesus gave? We try to give special gifts for the poor and needy at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, don't we? That's two days out of 365, isn't it? What do we represent the rest of the year? Maybe Scrooge before he was visited by "ghosts"?

Don't misunderstand me. I am not in favor of forcing anyone to do things differently. I just want to say the way things are bothers me. I hope there are some things that bother you, too. If enough of us get bothered in the Spirit, we may feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, and do it not because they deserve it, but because it is what Jesus told us is the blessed way! And we will begin to make all those things happen all the time. Then when December 25 rolls around again, we can look back at the year's history without being ashamed of the selfish way we've lived.

Just today, I heard of a man who apparently is trying to do just that. The way I heard it, Christmas Eve a knock came at his door. He answered it, and there was a young man standing there. He asked if he could have a glass of water. He was invited in and given a glass of water. He was on his way from college to his home about 70 miles away. His car broke down, and he couldn't get it fixed, so he guessed he wouldn't make it. The homeowner put on his coat, got his own car out and drove the young man to his father's house and returned to celebrate Christmas with his own family. I heard several men say, "I wouldn't have dared do that!" One or two said, "Well, I might have...when I was younger!" Doesn't that remind you of Hebrews 13:2? It says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." The following verses are all good for our daily living, and verse 8 is especially meaningful to me, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." If I can be like Him, and I'm trying, I want that change to last

Musings:12/26/09,So many ideas of Salvation! by John.

So many ideas of Salvation!

Does the Bible tell us what God actually requires for salvation? The answer is yes, but the question is do we understand what He tells us. A little reading shows that the world's religious authors have quite divided opinions. Almost all believe the Bible is always right, but people see things differently, and their interpretation differs.

For instance in Baptist circles much is said about "The plan of salvation." The so-called "Roman road" starts with Romans 3:23, proceeds to Romans 6:23 and then to Romans 10:9,10. For the new believer's assurance, Romans 8:1 is frequently added. Are these verses of Scripture necessary for our salvation? Is there an exact plan we are to follow? I don't think so. If you disagree, bear with me for a few lines. I will not in any way discredit the Bible. I believe it is God's Word, and I believe Jesus is that Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us for a short lifetime as a man. So what am I getting at? Remember the robber on one of the crosses next to Jesus asked Him to remember him when he came into His Own Kingdom, and Jesus said to the man, "Amen, I say to you, today with me you will be in the paradise." (That's my literal translation from Luke 23:43).

Paradise is an oriental word probably brought into Greek by the historian Xenophon according to W.E. Vine's Dictionary. It was used of parks and Persian gardens. I agree with Vine. It must have been of great comfort to that robber for Jesus to say that. I don't believe for a minute Jesus was talking about a physical place, but the word signified a place of peace, comfort and beauty. I'm sure the man understood that. Today we see that statement as important to us, also. That robber certainly was not a disciple of Jesus, or even a Jew who kept the Law. He was being crucified because he did not live the kind of life the Romans expected him to live. He didn't have the Book of Romans to read, so he could not have followed the "Roman Road." At that time, Paul would have been intent on persecuting Christians, instead of writing New Testament Books! That poor robber was not baptized in water unless John did it, and it is extremely doubtful that he did. He never joined any church. He didn't do any good works after his appeal to Jesus. Did he have the faith of a mustard seed? Jesus said that much faith could move a mountain. We don't know. No statement is made about his having any faith at all, and to surmise that he did is reading something into the account that is not there. We do tend to "spiritualize" Bible events, don't we?

So what happened? He admitted he deserved to die. He recognized Jesus as a person who did not deserve to die, perhaps much more since he used the word "kingdom" as he made his plea. We are almost forced to leap across the existing chasm presented by this to say, he had faith, aren't we? Would he have made that plea if he did not believe in life after death? Personally, I believe he had a desperate hope that Jesus was Messiah, God's only born Son. I believe he hoped for something, too. I'm not sure what that something was, but I am certain he received far more than he hoped! That little Greek word we translate as "the" specifies that Jesus spoke of something very real, something wonderful, something every person desires, and He assured this man that he met His requirements to be with Him in His kingdom! I believe Jesus spoke of heaven for He stated He was returning to His Father, and that's where He is.

There are other examples in Scripture of a somewhat similar nature, such as Enoch in Genesis 5:24, but I'll not address them now. The one already examined is enough, isn't it? I will call your attention to what God told Paul when he felt threatened in Corinth. Acts 18:9,10 says, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision; 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent for I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.'" Wow! "Many people!" Corinth was considered an extremely ungodly city at that time! There was no Christian church there, so how did God have "many people" there? Did someone else before Paul deliver the Gospel to them? Arguments from silence are the weakest sort. History does not record anyone delivering the Gospel there before Paul. I don't know how those people belonged to the Father, but these and other things equally beyond my understanding have caused my belief to be reenforced. Our Wonderful God is far beyond our ability to second guess Him, and I believe He has more people than any of us believe He has.

Another instance of God's people unknown to His prophet is in I Kings 19:18. After Elijah fled for his life from Jezebel, God told him He still had seven thousand people who had not bowed to, nor kissed Baal! And Elijah thought he was the only one left who worshiped God!

We sometimes speak of a person having an epiphany, meaning a life changing spiritual experience. The Bible tells us it happens frequently, but not to every person. But it is true that people do come face to face with Jesus today, not physically, but spiritually, and their lives are immediately changed forever! Others may never have one of those spiritual awakenings, but the outcome is the same. They grow up and old trusting the Lord, and that according to the way I read the Bible is sufficient.

If you have additional, or different, thoughts on this subject I will appreciate hearing from you, and I will prayerfully consider what you say.
M