Title Or Treasure?

In an amazing act of God, people who turn to Christ realize the objective lordship of Jesus and become a new creation, having a new heart, spirit, and desires (Ezekiel 36:26ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation is not the end goal of a relationship with Christ; followers of Jesus are now ambassadors of Christ, spreading the good news of reconciliation to God through Jesus.

But is this "ministry of reconciliation" a reality in your life? Or does your Christianity end with yourself?

This identity of an ambassador of Christ seems foreign for many Americans who consider themselves Christians. The alarming reason for this issue is that many Americans have taken the treasure of Christianity and made it merely a title for themselves that has no effect in their lives. Earlier this year, Pastor David Platt wrote Follow Me to address this issue in the American church. He states,

Somewhere along the way, amid varying cultural tides and popular church trends, it seems that we have minimized Jesus' summons to total abandonment. Churches are filled with supposed Christians who seem content to have casual association with Christ while giving nominal adherence to Christianity. Scores of men, women, and children have been told that becoming a follower of Jesus simply involves acknowledging certain facts or saying certain words. But that is not true.

 If one is not biblically and personally following Jesus, the call to make disciples as Christ's ambassadors will appear burdensome. This is because the person is still holding on to lesser treasure. Conversion requires a person to abandon all earthly and unfulfilling treasure in order to fully embrace the Treasure of the person of Jesus. Disciple-making then becomes a source of joy. Platt writes, "There is an indescribable joy to be found, deep satisfaction to be felt, and an eternal purpose to be fulfilled in dying to ourselves and living for him."

A miracle (described in the first paragraph) must first occur for Jesus to be your treasure. Otherwise, Christianity is merely a title.

(Buy Platt's book Follow Me here; short video about the book here)

Ambassadors

In my last post, I concluded by saying that life is good because my life is wrapped up in my identity in Christ, a reality which perfectly introduces this post. I hope here to expound on the reality of a believer's identity as an ambassador of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 provides an excellent description of this identity. Take some time to read the passage:

"14For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Paul Tripp, author of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, says that "the job of an ambassador is to represent someone or something. Everything he does and says must intentionally represent a leader who is not physically present" (104). Christians are ambassadors, or representatives, of Christ. We have died to ourselves to live for Him who died for us (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This identity touches every aspect of a Christian's life; believers cannot choose to stop representing Christ. Even Jesus affirmed this reality in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Tripp describes this reality as a lifestyle, not a part-time calling: "When an ambassador assumes his responsibilities, his life ceases to be his own. Everything he says and does has import because of the king he represents" (104).

Last year when I was finishing my term as volunteer staff at HDC, I began praying for a summer job. One night while praying, I suddenly became excited at the thought of being a missionary to my local McDonald's as a summer job. I can only explain that experience as a God-given desire to be an ambassador to a place in need of a representative of Christ. I continue to work for a McDonald's, and I still consider my workplace as my mission field. As Christians, our workplaces are not exempt from our identity as an ambassador.

Have you ever considered yourself an ambassador of Christ towards a fellow Christian? Tripp describes Christians as "people in need of change helping people in need of change." The Church is to build up and encourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I need fellow believers to be ambassadors of Christ to me, and I need to be one to them as well. Not even our relationships with fellow believers are exempt from our identity as an ambassador. This identity is intended to be pervasive in a Christian's life.

Does this identity as an ambassador of Christ seem like a burden? Is this lifestyle not a reality in your life? People may struggle with this "ministry of reconciliation" due to another reality, which will be discussed in the next post.

Good Life

This is the first of several blog posts I intend to write before the coming semester begins. Since I have not written a blog post for some time, I hope to fill in some details on how life has been lately here in California.

I have now finished my first year at Eternity Bible College. This past school year was challenging, but extremely helpful. I gained a greater understanding of the redemptive story in the Bible, and I now have a greater appreciation of the Old Testament, which before seemed strange and irrelevant at points. I'm grateful for learning about Church history and different religions and worldviews. I'm also glad that my college does not function inside a Christian bubble, separated from the rest of the world. However, I acknowledge that more knowledge does not mean more wisdom, and that I cannot presume to be a know-it-all, because I am certainly not one after just one year at college.

To summarize how my life has been, I would have to say that life is good. When I tell people how I've been doing the past few months, I take a step back and see that life is good and that God has been working in me and through me. However, this summary does not mean that every day is easy and happy. The past few months seem like a roller coaster.

At times I am filled with an inexpressible joy from the knowledge of what God has done in me and that he is choosing to use me to spread the gospel message of his coming kingdom, which brings people out of darkness into light and heals brokenness.

At times I am crushed with the reality of brokenness in the world and deception of sin. I have been brought to tears praying for those in my life who don't have the love, joy, and peace from knowing God, and are in "the snare of the devil...being captured by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:26).

At times I am struck with the radical grace of God. Nothing I have ever done in my life has earned me this relationship with God. My relationship with God has always been unilateral, which amazes and humbles me. I follow a God of amazing grace and unfailing love.

At times I forget the simple truth that God is my treasure, and I go to other things (like news, technology, clothes, looks) to find satisfaction.

At times I am amazed at the beauty of the Church. When believers function as a body, Church is encouraging, life-giving, and awesome.

So my life has ups and downs. But by taking a bird's eye view of life, I can clearly see that God is in control, that he is growing me closer to himself, and that he is actively using me as an ambassador of Christ. My life is wrapped up in my identity in Christ, and because of that, life is good.

The Closed New Testament Canon

Greetings, readers! This is a research paper that I had to write for my one class at Eternity Bible College. In the paper, I discuss how the New Testament was formed and why no more Scripture can be added. Here are some of my thoughts having finished the paper:

Firstly, seeing the formation of the New Testament in the context of redemptive history was huge for me. God was clearly building up to the Messiah, Jesus. Revealing more Scripture after the apostolic writings would undermine the centrality of Christ in redemptive history.

Secondly, the truth that the Word became flesh struck me afresh (John 1:14). God has always desired to be in relationship with people. He entered into a covenant relationship with his chosen people in the Old Testament; and when they broke that covenant, he sends his Son. He sends his Word made flesh. The ultimate way that God communicated to mankind was to send his Word in human form, who then gave the apostles the authority to teach and write about Christ.

So with that said, here is the paper. I'm sure that it is not the best paper you'll ever read, but I hope it helps show the early church history of the formation of the New Testament and show why no more Scripture can be given.

The Closed New Testament Canon

My Jesus Story - A Video

One of my first posts was a telling of my Jesus story. The crazy thing about these stories is that they never get old; Revelation 12:11 shows that the accuser Satan will be silenced by the blood of Christ's sacrifice and the testimony of His followers. Stories have power and can change lives, and God has, through history, used the testimonies of Christians to draw others into a relationship with Christ.

With this in mind, I humbly present my Jesus story. Every Jesus story is a miracle which can only be explained by God's work in the lives of His followers. My hope is that this encourages and strengthens other brothers and sisters in Christ, and that God uses it to be a witness to those who don't know Christ.

This video is in a contest, which has been a great vehicle to spread this Jesus story. If you are encouraged by this video, click the "like" button on its YouTube site (you'll have to click the YouTube icon to view it on YouTube) and share it with your friends. Through this, others may be encouraged, and you could help me win a year's tuition at Eternity Bible College. The contest ends at the end of February, so use the pressure of the contest to further spread the story!

Blessed To Be A Blessing

Having returned from an amazing first semester at Eternity Bible College, I am overwhelmed with God's grace and blessings. John 1:16 has become one of my favorite verses: "From the fulness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" (NIV).  In looking back at the ways God provided for me, sustained me, and gave me joy in serving, God's blessings can be clearly seen.

 A major truth I have learned during my time at EBC is that God's people are blessed to be a blessing. God tells Abraham in Genesis 12:2, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (ESV).  Throughout the biblical history of God's chosen nation Israel, this verse was their main calling. God blessed Israel so that other nations would know that God is LORD. This calling continues from the Old Testament into the New Testament; followers of Jesus have been transformed by a relationship with God for the purpose of making His name known to others (Ezekiel 36:22ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

One of the greatest parts of my first semester at EBC was being able to live out this calling and have this mindset of being blessed to be a blessing in a secular workplace. During my time working at a McDonalds in Simi, I prayed that God would bless my work so that I would be a blessing to the restaurant.  And that prayer was answered.  I continually had a joy while working there because I knew I was serving God and being a blessing to those around me.  This mindset is completely strange to those who don't know God, but it is completely in agreement with biblical truth.

Looking ahead, I still do not know what I will be doing after my time at Eternity Bible College. However, I do know that I am where God wants me, that God is gracious and that he is blessing me to be a blessing. Being able to live this calling out during the past few months was amazing, fulfilling, and life-giving.  As I continue to learn at EBC, I know that this season in life will be preparation for a life characterized by being blessed to be a blessing.

Living With A Mission

I have been in California for a little over two weeks now. One thing I have been told several times is that there is much diversity here. I have been able to observe this, mainly among the believers. There are many different walks of life, which is a beautiful thing because we have all been adopted into God's family.

But one thing that has been bothering me is the same thing I wrote about in the spring. If someone who didn't know Christ sat in on my roomies' and my typical conversation, he probably wouldn't know that we claim to be ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I have been studying Colossians 2 and 3. Take a look at Colossians 3:1-3:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

 Is this something that we as believers should occasionally do, or is this a daily charge? Shouldn't we always live like we are strangers to this world? The apostle Peter says that we should live like this because we have been redeemed "not with perishable things such as silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19). This redemption should transform the way we think, speak, and live.

To put this in other terms, there is no such thing as a part-time Christian. Followers of Jesus are full-time ambassadors of Christ to the lost and broken. We need to view other believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to daily encourage each other (Hebrews 3:13) and remind each other that we're living with a mission. Jesus should permeate through our thoughts and conversations.

I am not exempt from my frustration; I am in need of God's grace in this area. Christians, let's live as the Body of Christ. Let's live with a mission. 

What SoCal And Milton's McDonalds Have In Common

This is something that I've been wanting to communicate for a while now but haven't had a chance. As most of you know, I am about to leave central PA and move to Southern California for college. The response I usually receive from people is excitement about me moving to SoCal. While Southern California is an exciting place to move, I haven't been sucked in to the hype of moving there.

The reason for that is because my motives for going there are the same as my motives for working at my town's McDonalds: God told me to go there. There weren't many people excited about my choice to work at the local McDonalds instead of a higher paying summer job. But I decided, with joy, to apply and work there because I knew that that is where God wanted me and that he was with me while I worked there. Most people would probably become sick of working at a McDonalds, but I find myself wishing I could stay and work longer there because I don't think God's work there is done.

So it's due to my motives for going that I am not filled with the hype of going to Southern California, although I am excited to be going where God has called me. The verse that comes to mind is Colossians 3:15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." The word "rule" is a strong word, literally meaning to let Christ's peace govern your life. To let God be the Lord of your life. God has been the Lord of my life, and the same God who called me to Southern California to attend Eternity Bible College called me to work at Milton's McDonalds. God filled me with peace and joy (Romans 15:13) as I worked there, and I know he will fill me with that peace and joy as I move to California. So know that I am excited not to be moving to SoCal for it's location and popularity and fame, but to be going (again) where God has called me.

Strangers

I've been meditating (a fancy way of saying I've only been reading one thing over and over) on 1 Peter for the most part of this summer. Reading it several times has reminded me of one of my least favorite aspects of my eight months in Albania, which I will now share.

While Albania was a great experience, the one thing that always bothered me was how my team and I stuck out in the village and received a lot of attention, mostly unflattering. I loved it when we made trips to the city because I did not stick out as much. I like fitting in, but in the village there was no way I could fit in, even if I dressed like an Albanian or spoke in Albanian (both of which I did). I was a stranger to that village in Albania, and I couldn't change that because I couldn't change the fact that I was an American. I'm sure missionaries to Asia or Africa can relate even more to this aspect of mission life.

I also think followers of Jesus can relate to this aspect of life.

Two themes of 1 Peter are suffering for doing good and being strangers to the world. The verse that has stuck out to me is 1:17, "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." Peter calls the believers, in light of their salvation, to live like strangers, since they have become strangers to the world, "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (2:9).

Since followers of Jesus are "aliens and strangers in the world" (2:11), they will stand out, and it won't be easy for them (though it will be worth it). The world will press them to look like itself. I watched a Cornerstone podcast last night in which the pastor preached on Romans 12:1-2, and I felt that it fit well with the themes of 1 Peter. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

The world wants believers to be pressed into its mold, to look like itself. But those who have turned to Jesus are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must, on a daily basis, recognize the war we are in and choose to die to ourselves and live for Jesus (Romans 6). We need people around us who are also new creations. We must remember Jesus' words in Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it," and that "in his great mercy he (God) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." -1 Peter 2:11-12

Viewing God And Yourself

When spirituality becomes focused on feeling and experience rather than truth, everyone's view of God becomes valid. Sadly, we see this in our culture. Everyone has a view of who God is, but many have an inaccurate view. In America, many people have the viewpoint called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: there is a god who just wants you to be nice and will help you out when you need it but is ok with you being distant from him and living your own life. With this view of God, it's understandable why many Americans don't fear God. This was my viewpoint for most of my life.

Obviously, our view of God will impact how we respond to God. When I started following Jesus, the changes that took place were brought about from an accurate view of God. My view of God (and myself) changed, and I started changing. God used certain people and the Bible to give me an accurate view of God. The following is one of the things that got me to view God, and myself, more accurately.

A great teacher and pastor (Francis Chan) talks about how when people were (and will be) in the presence of God and his glory, they were terrified. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees the Lord on his throne and angelic beings who never stop praising God, and his response was utter terror. He says in verse 5, "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.'"

It's interesting that Isaiah's response is, "I'm going to die, because I am unclean and I have seen God." It's a response we don't often see when talking about God. But that makes sense. If God really is like that (read Isaiah 6:1-7), then our response wouldn't be mere acknowledgement. If we compare ourselves with something that awesome and holy, we recognize our shortcomings and our unworthiness to be in his presence (Romans 3:23). This is what happened when I started following Jesus; I began seeing God for who he really is, and God used that to show me how hypocritical I was for saying that I knew God and was a Christian.

This should also happen when people interact with Christians. Our lives, which are shaped by knowing, loving, and following Christ, should point people to an accurate view of God and should cause them to question their inaccurate view of God.

People will not seek after God if they don't have an accurate view of him. They need Jesus followers around them, showing them God's love, giving them an accurate view of God (Romans 10:14-15), and then praying that God will show himself to them and draw them to himself. Getting an accurate view of God will change people, as it did me, because God is not the god of Monotheistic Therapeutic Deism, and Jesus was not just a good teacher or a prophet. Christians are Christians because they have an accurate view of God, which by God's grace moves them to trust in Christ and truly know and follow him.