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.

Seeking God

This morning I commented to my sister about how Islam treats reading the Quran as a religious activity/duty (some professing Christians treat the Bible in this way too), whereas I genuinely desire to read the Bible so I can learn more about God, not to check it off a religious to-do list. I love God because he first loved me (1 John 4:19).  Reading more about this God who loves me increases my knowledge of him, and this has been changing my life considerably.

God says in Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). We know that God exists (the universe and the moral law that exists within us point to this), and the great thing is that he is not distant (it may feel like he is at points, but that's another topic) and that we can learn more about God.

A very important thing to note on seeking God is the attitude in which we seek him. We should not approach or seek God in arrogance or pride. Pride was what first separated us from God. God is not unapproachable, but we must remember who God is and who we are when seeking him. We cannot think that we know better than God. This is what Job thought, and after he was finished asking his questions to God, God responded by "putting him in his place." God humbled Job by reminding him that he is not God. 

In Isaiah, God says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). When seeking God, we can't assume that we are above God and know better than him. Remember that God created billions of galaxies, that he holds everything together (Colossians 1:17), and that he is Lord (ruler/king) of everything. 

Strangely enough, we will only seek God after we fear him, about which I will write more in my next post.

Remain Or Live

I have been following Jesus for about two and a half years now. Best two and a half years of my life. God doesn't speak just through the Bible, but He has been teaching me many things through it. Here's something that he showed me last week.

Don't read this post for the sake of entertainment, especially if you don't know Jesus.

While reading through John, I was struck again by a misconception people have about our natural standing with God since the Fall. I'll mention two passages that reminded me of this. The first verse really stuck out to me; It's from John the Baptist's Testimony about Jesus:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." -John 3:36

The last part struck me: "God's wrath remains on him." That means that from birth, God's wrath is on us until we give our lives to Jesus. God, our Creator, gave mankind the choice to remain or die, and we chose to die. We chose life apart from God, which is death compared to life with God. Disobeying a perfect, holy God resulted in God's wrath, the consequence of sin: eternal death apart from him.

But the whole point of Jesus coming to earth was to provide a way back from death to life. Take a look at what Jesus says in John 5:24:

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."

 Through Jesus we can cross from death to life. The only way to get back to God is through Jesus (John 14:6).

Now here is the misconception: Many people think that we start out innocent, or neutral. John Piper explained it with the analogy of the pendulum of a metronome. Many people think that we begin at the center, and we can swing toward the good side or the bad side. The truth, however, is that we are all completely on the bad side from the start, and there is no way we can change that or earn our way to the good side. Here is the Good News, from Romans 3:23-24:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Through Jesus alone, we can cross over from death to life. But the fact of the matter is this: we all are facing eternal death if we aren't living for Jesus. We have the choice to remain where we are, on the road to death, or to turn to Jesus (called repenting).

If you aren't living with Jesus, you are not on a good path. Don't read this passively. When we stand before our Creator, we won't have an excuse for not following Jesus. He has lovingly and graciously given us a way back to him, and to reject him is foolish and eternally costly.

 Looking back to my life before knowing Jesus, I can see that I was not innocent at all, even though for a long time I appeared to be a Christian, and I would have said I was. No matter how good we appear to be, we know how bent toward evil we are on the inside. We need to be fixed, to be changed, to return to God, and Jesus is the only one who can do it. Our choice is to remain or live. Repent and turn to Jesus, and live.

Changed And Changing

Last week was my final week at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center. I have been processing my time there since my return home, and one thing is certain: I have changed and I am continuing to change.

No, I am not talking about puberty; I am talking about Jesus' work in my life.

Since being back, a couple of people have told me that I have changed so much these past two years. When I hear people say this, I think of 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Now, the changes that have been happening are not surface level; they happen inwardly and work their way out. This, I suppose, is how Jesus works. People may want surface-level change, but Jesus starts at the inward-most point, the heart/spirit (see Ezekiel 36:26). So for me, this change first happened during my senior year of high school. Jesus gave me a new heart and his Spirit.

Looking back at the past two years, I have definitely been changing. The big word for this occurrence is sanctification. It means that Jesus' living in you causes noticeable changes in your life. Jesus has never been such a focus in my life as He has been these past two years, and the changes in my life have come from that focus, or that relationship, or that Jesus. Some things that I have learned from this past year are grace, the importance of John 15, the sovereignty of Jesus, and my passion for discipleship.

So as one season ends and a new one begins, I am excited to see how God will continue to change me, deepen my relationship with Him, and how He will impact others through me.

Christian Fragrance

This is a continuation of my thoughts from my previous post, so if you haven't read it, you should check it out.

A mission re-entry is taking place here at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center, and we have morning devotionals together. Yesterday morning I talked about the picture I took (shown right). Today I brought it up again and we expounded more on my third point. What we discussed is this:

Our attitudes affect our fragrance.

I mentioned how last night I thought about my life apart from Christ, and how there was great evidence I wasn't in a relationship with him. The part of my past life that stuck out was my relationship with my family. I was extremely self-centered back then, and family life was affected from this. I didn't have good interactions with them, and they often got upset with me (understandably so). I treated my sisters terribly and didn't care what they thought of me. We never talked about God or Christianity (at least with me), and I probably would not have had much to say anyway.

But now, having a relationship with God, my family life has changed for the better. I have great times with all my sisters and no longer treat them poorly. We also naturally talk about our relationships with God, something of which we all share.

Thinking back on this change (and others) allowed me to see how God has changed my life by being in relationship with me. This is what our fragrance should be: an overflowing love of God for who he is and for his grace given to us. God gives us this fragrance by making us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and giving us a new heart and his Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

This is crazy love! We can't forget that we were once "cigarette butts." Our new identity in Christ should never get old. His grace in our daily lives continues to give us the "fragrance of the knowledge of [Christ]" (2 Corinthians 2:14). This overflow of love (the fragrance of Christ) is what gets the attention of "cigarette butts." People know crazy love when they see it. When "roses" show love to "cigarette butts," they notice something is different, in a good way.

A friend of mine, who doesn't yet know Jesus relationally, noticed this in my life (remember, by the grace of God). I'll never forget what my friend said after visiting me one weekend: "You make me want to be a better person." My friend could smell the fragrance of Christ in me and my family.  This is how God spreads his love and "fragrance:" through changed "roses."

But back to the point: Our attitudes affect our fragrance. Our motivation for our interactions with those who don't know Christ should never be obligation. You are not indebted to Christ. You could never pay him back if you were, because he gives us his grace in our lives every day. We depend on his love, faithfulness, and character daily. We need to remain in the Living Water (John 4:10, 15:4) to have the fragrance of Christ. If we don't do this, we will start smelling like a "cigarette" again.

So in summation, stay in the Living Water and remember that you once were a "cigarette butt," but now God has given you a new identity. And spread the fragrance of Christ!

A Rose Among Cigarettes

On my way to McBIC this morning, I saw a peculiar thing while waiting for a green light: a rose was on the side of the road among cigarette butts. It caught me and my friends off guard; you usually don't see a rose on the side of the road. It seemed out of place. I had to take a picture of it because it was so peculiar.

My friends and I agreed that this would be good imagery for something. I soon thought of the phrase "aroma of Christ," and  it seemed to fit very well. So after we returned from McBIC, I looked up the passage. Here it is:

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." -2 Corinthians 2:14-15

 A couple things from this image. First, we are like cigarette butts, but God came to us anyway. I think cigarettes are gross, while roses are lovely things. One has a foul fragrance, the other has a pleasant fragrance. Jesus went to those whom people considered "sinners." He didn't mind hanging out with the "unclean" people. When questioned about this, Jesus said in Luke 5:31, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

And we we need to realize that we are all "unclean." Paul told the church in Rome, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) We all are separated from God (at one time, for Jesus followers) and in need of someone to save us from sin and death. "Self-righteous" should be equated with "self-deceived." No one has the capability to be righteous in his own strength. We all are (or were) cigarette butts, and we can't change that reality by ourselves.

Second, God, through a relationship with him, makes us a new creation. Imagine transforming from a cigarette butt to a rose. Talk about an entirely new identity! When we have a relationship with God, we become noticeably different. We have "life to the full." (John 10:10) Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Cigarettes are known to cause death, while roses signify love and life. The difference is significant.

Third, the roses (those with a relationship with God) are to "spread the fragrance of the knowledge of him [Christ]" to the cigarette butts. Roses are fragrant, and fragrance spreads. If you are a follower of Jesus, you can remember those "roses" in your life who spread the fragrance of Christ to you. We need to have "cigarette butts" in our lives so they can smell the fragrance of Christ in our lives.

In summation, the 2 Corinthians 2 passage fits well with this picture. Christ is leading our lives, we are confident and joyful from the transformation in Christ, and we spread the fragrance of Christ to others.

Refocus

During this past winter training at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center, I would, every now and then, remind the team of the reason they were there. In essence, I would remind them of the Good News; that God, through Jesus, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

I was reminded of our need for focus while reading 2 Timothy. I would encourage you to read through it. Paul writes to Timothy in an almost militaristic style. There are many charges throughout the book. But you can see that Paul is not being heartless (he addresses Timothy as "my dear son") but is lovingly stressing the importance of these commands. He is stressing Timothy's need to persevere, stay focused, stand on sound doctrine, and not be distracted or deceived.

(If you aren't a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to examine your life.)

I found myself going back to 2 Corinthians 5 after reading 2 Timothy. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 is an excellent summation of our purpose, our mission. Here's a part of it:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." -2 Corinthians 5:17-19

 God brought us back into a right relationship with him through Jesus' atonement of sins on the cross. We have new life in God. It's so encouraging for me to look back to where I was a couple years ago and see how much has changed through a relationship with God. It really is a Jesus Story; it's not a self-help story. God brings a genuine newness to our lives.

But notice that Paul doesn't stop there while writing to the believers in Corinth; he goes on to say that God "gave us the ministry of reconciliation." God has shown me this truth in recent months: the Good News doesn't end at us. Christianity is not about ourselves; it's about sharing the love and grace that God has given us. It's about God. This is hard to see in America, a place being choked by the thorns of materialism and consumerism, but it's clear to see in places like Asia, where the majority of Christians are. The persecution there forces them to be focused; they need to have the truth constantly on their minds.

This takes us back to 2 Timothy, with Paul telling Timothy to stay focused and not be distracted. His reason for these encouragements is the message of reconciliation that we've received. We're supposed to be sharing this amazing love that we've been given and showing others the new life that's been given to us; because, again, Christianity is about God, not us. It doesn't end with us. We have the joy of sharing to those in our lives this Good News.

But isn't it easy to get distracted? There is an enemy in this world who is perfectly content with us Christians wasting time on Facebook, at the mall, on the computer, in front of the TV, etc. Frankly, we aren't being very effective sharers of God's love when we do stuff that is only temporally significant. But it seems lately that I have been distracted by many little things that aren't terribly important in the long run. By God's grace, he has been refocusing me.

So how about you? Does your life need some more focus (like mine)? Remember the new life that has been given to you, and remember your God-given ministry (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

Examine Your Life

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." -Lamentations 3:40

God showed this verse to me yesterday during a prayer retreat, and it spoke volumes to me. It's a short verse, but full of truth.

We need to slow down our life and take a look at it.  It's so easy to get caught up in daily routine; it's definitely something that's happened to me lately. For the past few weeks, my time spent with God was becoming more and more irregular. This was bugging me; I knew something wasn't right. Then God showed me this verse and the importance of examining life.

An important aspect of this life examination is holding it up to eternity. Do the parts of your life have eternal value, or are they merely temporal and not worthwhile? God has been showing areas in my life that don't have eternal value, one of those areas being my conversations. (Did you know the top conversation topic is sports? How temporal and trivial in light of eternity!) God has shown me that my conversations are mostly about temporal things (a predicament I wrote about in a previous post) instead of the stuff that really matters.

A good question to ask yourself if you're not yet a follower of Jesus (or even if you are) is, "Is what I'm doing really worthwhile?" What do you pursue in life? To what end? Do you pursue things because the world tells you it's worthwhile? What has history shown the outcome of these pursuits to be? Life is so short; there's no guarantee we're going to live till we're 80. We need to examine our ways and test them, because wouldn't it be terrible to live this short life only to find out that you've squandered it on trivial things that, in the end, didn't satisfy? Wealth is so uncertain, so why put your hope in it? (see history and 1 Timothy 6:17) What are your ways, and do they amount to anything? What is temporal and what is eternal?

The second part of the verse is the greatest encouragement: "let us return to the Lord." When you truly examine your ways and test them, it's very possible you will find your life lacking in some way. If you are pursuing something in life, that shows that you need something, but what is it? God shows in this verse that the thing that is missing in our lives is himself, and that we can return to him.

We were made to be in relationship with him. God made the whole universe, galaxies and all, but he only gave one thing the choice to obey him: us! He did this because he wants a genuine relationship with us; it wouldn't be real if it were forced. But isn't it terrifying that we have the ability to say no to an infinite God? All of creation completely obeys God without question, except for us. We are the only ones with the audacity to look in the face of the Creator of the universe and say, "No, your way is not as good as my way." This rebellion is evil in God's sight and deserves just punishment: death. An eternal death without God.
But God provided a way back to him. Jesus bore the punishment and eternal wrath due us on the cross. Through Jesus we can "return to the Lord." The Lord of heaven and earth. We can only have a right relationship with God if we turn to Jesus.

So, having examined your life, what will you do? What needs to change? Is something lacking in your life? I submit to you that what your life needs is the Lord. If you never have done it yet, turn to the Lord. If you have wandered from him (which I have, lately), return to the Lord.

Citizens Of Heaven, Ambassadors Of Christ

Here at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center, we have a devotional every morning, called Start of Mornings. I led today's Start of Morning, and I thought I'd share what we talked about.

Last night, several HDC alumni visited, and we hung out for a good bit. Afterwards, though, it struck me that we did not, as a group, talk about God or anything spiritual-related. Now, I'm not saying that that's a horrible thing, and I'm not condemning us for not talking about God in a group setting; I know that the majority of the group had talked about our spiritual lives in one-on-one settings that evening. But what struck me was the thought, "If an unbeliever were sitting in on our conversation, would he know that we are Christians?"

The passages I brought up this morning were Philippians 3:18-20a, Colossians 3:1-2, and 2 Corinthians 5:20a. Here's the Philippians 3 passage:

"18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven."

 What sticks out to me in this passage is the last part of verse 19: "Their mind is on earthly things." The enemies of Christ (everyone without a relationship with him) have their mind on earthly things, mind being singular. So their communal mind is on earthly things; that's what they talk about when they're together. "But our citizenship is in heaven." Paul says this shouldn't be the case for Christians, because our citizenship is no longer in the world, but in heaven. We've been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), so we are now partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and no longer find our identity in the world but in Christ (Colossians 3:3).

So now we come to the Colossians 3 passage:

"1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

 Because we have been brought to life through Jesus and now have a relationship with God, our hearts and minds should be set on him, not on earthly things. This makes sense, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be strange if you were married but never thought about your spouse or were never compelled to do something for your spouse to show that you love her? Would that relationship be genuine? In the same way, our relationship with Christ affects what our hearts and minds are set on.

And, finally, the passage from 2 Corinthians 5:20a "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." Our role on earth is ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), ambassadors of Christ. The Good News doesn't end with us; we now have the privilege of partaking in God's mission by spreading the Good News to others. This is now what our life on earth is all about.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you are an ambassador of Christ. How are you living as an ambassador? How am I living as an ambassador? Are our lives, even our conversations, showing that we belong to God, that we are no longer citizens of the world, but citizens of heaven? Do our lives show enemies of the cross of Christ (unbelievers) that we are a new creation, that the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Thank God for his grace that we need every day! May his love compel us to be noticeable citizens of heaven and ambassadors of Christ.

The False Hope Of A Holy "Friend With Benefits"

It has taken me a while to decide to write this, because the issue I will be talking about is deep. It has required me to study the Bible considerably, because I didn't want to overlook God's character concerning this. I don't have all the answers; I am a mere jar of clay graced with a relationship with the Creator. But I have observed something that many people do, apply a concept from our culture to spiritual life, which contradicts truth and doesn't line up with God's character.

What I am talking about is the concept of "friends with benefits." This is something our culture (and others, I'm sure) accepts: two strangers will "hook up" and decide that they like each other enough to continue their sexual relationship, but that is the basis for their relationship. It is "casual." The movie Up in the Air conveys this concept well; A frequent flyer for business, played by George Clooney, meets a fellow frequent flyer who shares the same high status as he, and the relationship quickly becomes sexual. Throughout the movie, they find times when their schedules line up and continue their "casual" relationship. George Clooney's character becomes attached to the lady, but at the end of the movie he discovers that the lady is married and has a family. The lady calls her relationship with him a "parenthesis." Strictly casual. An escape from real life. A friend with benefits.

I'm not going discuss why physical friends with benefits aren't a good idea, though it wouldn't take a long look at our society to discover that it doesn't really work in the long run. 

The concept of a friend with benefits has now moved beyond the physical; it has been applied to the spiritual. People now treat God as their holy friend with benefits. They don't have the relationship with Him, but they go to Him in times of trouble or when they need strength or encouragement. Now, the issue is not that they go to God in times of trouble; in fact, He is the best person to go to during those times. The issue is that they don't have the relationship with God, but they think they can still partake in His blessings, provisions, strength, etc.

This concept isn't too far-fetched in light of our culture; I can see how they've taken the concept of a physical "friend with benefits" and applied it to God. But although it is accepted in the world, it is not accepted by God when people just want a "casual" relationship with Him.  Going through the Bible, I found some passages that show why God doesn't allow for this kind of relationship. The first is Matthew 22:11-13:

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. The the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Jesus is telling a parable about the kingdom of heaven, describing the kingdom of heaven as a wedding banquet thrown by a king. One of the guests "was not wearing wedding clothes." As a result, he was thrown into the darkness, also known as hell. Why did the king react like that? Because the man wasn't clothed with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27 says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." 

Here is the truth: in order to partake of the wedding banquet of heaven, and in order to receive the blessings of God, we must be clothed with Christ. The greatest encouragement to be found in the Bible is that Christ died for our sins so that we can enter into a relationship with God. The greatest blessing is that we can be clothed with Christ, that "a righteousness from God has been revealed" (Romans 1:17). This means that we don't have to muster up a righteousness to present to God; anything we do to earn God's acceptance would fall severely short. But redemption is attainable through Jesus alone (Romans 3:23ff). 

So why doesn't God allow us to have a "casual" relationship with him, a holy "friend with benefits"? His reason is love. He offers a relationship with himself, but he requires that people trade in their lives for his. This is an act of love because our lives apart from him will result in damnation. Jesus says in Luke 9:23-24: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Jesus wasn't afraid to lay out what it costs people to have a relationship with him; it costs their entire life. Having a relationship with Christ is transforming; you're not the same afterwards (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

God doesn't bless ones who aren't clothed in Christ because he doesn't want to give them false hope. The gospels make it clear that God wants all or nothing; He wasn't afraid to tell people the cost of not following him. It's because Jesus loves everyone that he doesn't give unbelievers the false hope that they can partake in the blessings of a relationship with Him. He offers himself, nothing less.

For those who are not followers of Christ, take comfort in knowing that God loves you so much that not only did he remove the sin-barrier between him and you, but he also refuses to give you false hope. He knows what you truly need, and that is himself; he offers no less. The cross is the ultimate hope. For those who are followers of Christ, we cannot convey our relationship with God as a "casual" relationship.  We must live out Matthew 5:14-16:

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

All Eyes On Him

A couple of the folks here at HDC were fasting and praying during lunch time. We were reading over a passage in Numbers (chapters 13-14) about the nation of Israel about to enter the Promised Land. Twelve guys had scouted the land and were giving a report. Although they all agreed that it was good land, most of them gave a bad report, saying that the inhabitants were too big and strong for Israel to conquer. But Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, disagreed and said that Israel would be able to overcome them because the Lord would be with them. They were so certain of the Lord's faithfulness that they tore their clothes (a sign of serious grief in that day) in front of the entire Israelite assembly and pleaded with them not to rebel against the Lord.

Imagine the courage that Caleb and Joshua had. They were convinced the land of Canaan was conquerable despite the fact that the majority of the scouts were saying the opposite. What stood out to us was that Caleb and Joshua had their eyes on God, while the others had their eyes on the seemingly indomitable inhabitants of Canaan. They were so quick to doubt God because they weren't focusing on God, they were focusing on the seemingly impossible task at hand.

This brought to our minds several other passages from the Bible. We were reminded of how God told Ezekiel to prophecy to a valley of dry bones, telling them to have life, and God did it (Ezekiel 37). We were also reminded of when Peter began to sink while walking on the water towards Jesus because he had taken his eyes off Jesus and became afraid when he saw the wind (Matthew 14:22ff). And we were reminded of when Jesus told his disciples that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they could move mountains. In fact, Jesus even said that if they had mustard seed faith, "Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).

All this to say, we were reminded that if we are brave and trust in God with the little faith we have, God will show his glory and further his kingdom. Joshua and Caleb said that the Lord would lead them and be with them (Numbers 14:8-9). Jesus said he'd be with us always (Matthew 28:20). God is with his followers, and He's given us a task: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations," (Matthew 28:19). God has done so much for us and has given us a relationship with him, and we are to spread that love and give him glory in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). Nothing will be impossible for us if we trust in Him, and even the gates of hell won't overcome the church he's building (Matthew 16:18).

Like Caleb, Joshua, and Peter, we need to keep our eyes on God. We need to trust in Him to do the impossible. Only our unbelief and fear get in the way. If we take what the Bible says literally, it should be very encouraging to us, because it's God who gives us the strength and works through us (Philippians 2:13). Take God at his word. Keep your eyes on him as you follow him out on the stormy water, as you walk into the indomitable lands, as you speak to a valley of dry bones.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9