That Which Reminds Us

 

And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me" 

1 Corinthians 11: 24 NKJV 

Those little sticky notes are a good thing.  Many times, half of my day is looking at these little reminders to remind me what not to forget.  Sooner or later, however, I need to tear down all of those reminders in order to make space for a new batch of what not to forget.  And the cycle continues.  I was thinking the other day of our lives in Christianity and how we have those little reminders of things we need to remember.  Consider the cross for example.  For thousands of years the cross has been a symbol of Christianity.  You see a cross on the side of the road, and you immediately know that a church must be nearby.  I always found this a bit disconcerting.  Consider if you were Jesus (yes, as believers of Christ in us we proclaim that we are, in essence, Jesus), would you desire to memorialize your own death?  I don't believe that the symbol of the cross is meant to remind us of Jesus as much as what was done to Him.  When we gaze upon that cross in the church sanctuary, and we do well to recall the insults, the scourging and the nails in his flesh.  Yes, the cross is a reminder for us, but only if we see it in the right context.  The early followers of Jesus viewed the cross with fear.  Good thing to, because most of the time the Roman authorities were looking to put more followers of Jesus on more crosses.  It was the job of men like Saul (yes, the same Damascus Road experience Saul) to seek out and punish these followers of Jesus {Acts 9:1}.  As a result of this, I don't see the cross as a good symbol of Christianity.  Of course, the man-made Christian religion has developed plenty of symbols through the years.  Unfortunately, for someone who has been in the church for quite a while, these symbols are hard to see and have become commonplace.  

Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Ephesians 2: 3 - 5 NKJV 

More than a few of the symbols of Christianity are disguised as the rituals we follow.  The holy communion, the offering (although I question this tradition) and baptism just to name a few.  Now, I know that I will catch some flack over any criticism of these seemingly Godly traditions, but it's ok.  I ask you only to look upon yourself and your own knowing of what it is that reminds you of Jesus.  For myself, I am reminded of Jesus whenever I think of that man I used to be.  That man who stood outside a strip club one night with the sudden knowing that I didn't belong there after all.  That is what reminds me of Jesus.  The fact that He first loved me in spite of myself {1 John 4:19}.  I don't need the symbol of a cross to remind me of Him.  I will go a step further and say that when we reduce our memory of Christ to that of a symbol, we lose the relationship we could have had with Him.  The apostle Paul didn't need a cross to remind him of that which Jesus had done in his life.  How He saved him from a life of persecuting Jesus to a life of speaking to His love and grace.  So intimate was Paul's relationship with Christ that he spoke to how his old man had been replaced by Jesus Himself {Galatians 2:20}.  For Paul, he lived only through Christ in him.  We do well to realize that despite all of the symbols and rituals, it is Jesus who never changes {Hebrews 13:8}.  

~Scott~ 

A Knock At The Door

 

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" 

Revelation 3: 20 NKJV 

I have heard and read about Jesus, so I wanted to hear about Him for myself.  But where should I go?  The bible?  Aren't they just simple words translated by men of the church?  The church?  God's house?  This seemed to be a good start, so one Sunday morning I halfheartedly walked into a bustling local church.  There was a lot of activity in the sanctuary, with people making final preparations, I assumed, for the main service which was about to come.  As people settled in, the ushers greeted familiar faces and friends.  Funny, nobody came forward to welcome me on this day.  Yet I still longed to hear about Jesus, so I stayed.  In a few moments the opening music began, with a new age band doing their best to put a new spin on Amazing Grace.  I knew the words, but I couldn't sing.  I didn't feel welcome.  Still, I stayed, waiting to hear about Jesus.  After the music died down, an associate pastor led the congregation in prayer for a newer and better church home.  It seems that this had been in the works for a while, with the congregation lifting prayers for the beginning of the project.  After morning prayer, the pastor spoke a few words about the morning offering, offering an update on the finances of the new church home.  For a moment I wondered, where was it that Jesus spoke to those who followed Him?  Was it in a big fancy synagogue?  As the collection plates were passed around, I felt somewhat guilty.  I dug through my wallet and took out five dollars, wondering if it was at all acceptable to God.  I got a strange look from the usher, but I pretended not to notice.  I was here to hear about Jesus.   As the offering winded down, the head pastor urged his congregation to continue in prayer for the new church home.  He spent a few moments describing how old this building was, and how a newer facility would certainly usher in a new generation of Christians.  But what about Jesus?  

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14: 6 NKJV 

I didn't hear about Jesus that day, just a puffy sermon on how God answers the prayers of His people.  But I still felt empty, I wanted to hear about Jesus.  I decided to attend a mid-week gathering at the church where more than a few small group meetings and classes were being offered.  Surely, one of these could tell me more about Jesus.  I received a strange look when I asked a young man which class was speaking about Jesus.  He directed me to a class for new members and said, "It's better if you start there."  I nervously made my way to the classroom, grabbed a cup of coffee and found a chair.  Before long, a husband-and-wife team began talking about what was expected of new members.  Regular attendance, serving in the congregation and being in prayer for the strength and stability of the church.  Someone asked what they could do to serve, and the husband listed off a few things from volunteering in Sunday school classes to ushering during church services.  I wanted to ask how I could learn more about Jesus, but I felt out place.  Our instructors informed us that once we completed the six week new members class that we would be introduced during a Sunday morning service as new members of the congregation.  But what if I somehow didn't finish the class?  Would I be allowed back in?  Still, I wanted to hear more about Jesus.  We were given a good-sized workbook with different exercises and bible verses to memorize each week until our "Graduation."  As I scanned through the material, the only mention of the name of Jesus that I noticed was in the congregation's core beliefs.  "We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ."  That seemed like a good thing, provided I was good enough to pass the new member class.  Provided that I was somehow accepted by the congregation.  When I left the church that night, I was on the fence about ever returning.  I came looking to hear more about Jesus, but all I had heard so far was how to be a good church member.  As I drove home, I prayed, hoping that He would hear and deem me worthy of His love.  "Jesus, I'm in need of you, where are you?"

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:  44 - 47 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Knowing Who I Am

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise  you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

Lately I've noticed a few different personalities of more than a few members of the gym which has become my second home.  Sure, you still have the traditional muscle heads who repeatedly flex their own muscles in front of every mirror they can find.  Then you have the rappers, those who don a pair of headphones that probably cost more than their car and go through their workouts chanting the lyrics to whatever obnoxious song that they're listening to at the moment.  Then you have the alphas, who have it in their mind that they are the most important people in the gym bar none.  Last, but certainly not least...you have me.  See, before I even step foot inside of this haven of pain and sweat, I know who I am.  My identity is not based upon how much I lift that day.  Nor on how much my muscles have grown.  No, the man that I am depends more on who is in me than anything I have, or will, ever do myself.  There is a well-known verse which I learned well in a small discipleship class in church some years ago which speaks to the man I am.  This verse proclaims that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me {Philippians 4:13}.  However, over time I have heard a bit of a different translation to this verse.  CHRIST JESUS IS my strength.  The best way to explain this truth is to turn to the apostle Paul, who himself knew who he was.  Was Paul the same persecuting Pharisee he was before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus?  No, something had changed.  As Christians, we have come to accept that Saul, the persecutor, suddenly was transformed into Paul the follower of Christ.  That's not the way it went down at all.  For after His encounter with Jesus on that dusty road, Saul was sent on a journey to discover the man he really was.  After a few years in the desert, Paul emerged with a better knowing of who he was.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

It is Paul who speaks to us the truth of Christ Jesus in us in Galatians.  We have his experiences documented through scripture.  Yet, all too often when I have broached the subject among believers about the meaning of Galatians 2:20, I'm told that this was unique to Paul himself.  Weird.  So, what does this all have to do with my assurance of the man that I am?  The same assurance which Paul himself had.  Not only can I do all things by Christ who strengthens me...Christ Jesus who is in me IS MY STRENGTH.  There is no small group class or video series where we will come to this knowledge for ourselves.  Again, we turn to the apostle Paul for guidance.  Paul tells us that it is only through the Lord's timing, when it pleases Him, that we come to the realization of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 1:15-16}.  So, yes, I walked into that gym many a time without the realization of the man I was.  I felt as if I somehow needed to justify myself for everyone who was there.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We are not under man's approval, but the grace and love of Christ.  If more believers were blessed with this knowing, we would have less of an identity crisis in this society.  

~Scott~ 

Unlikely Suspects

 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient form you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore, most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10 NKJV 

I figure I could have walked away with $2500.  The 1987 Minnesota Twins were 500-1 favorites to win the world series.  Nobody thought much of them in the preseason.  Sparky Andersons Detroit Tigers were the odds-on favorite to win the American League pennant.  Yet something funny happened once the regular season started; the Twins refused to go away quietly.  In fact, they ended up winning their division and defeating the Tigers in the playoffs to reach the World Series.  There, they outlasted Whitey Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series ever.  Not bad for a 500-1 long shot.  What got me thinking of these Twins?  All of the times when we ourselves, or someone we know, has been convinced that they are an underdog.  That they simply cannot, no, WILL NOT, succeed.  We've all had those moments where we feel defeated even before we began.  The odds makers don't seem to be in our favor.  The crowd favorite seems set for yet another win.  But then something interesting happens.  The breeze blows just right to left field.  The ball travels a bit further until what seemed like another loss turns out in our favor.  The guys who make the odds call them underdogs.  Those who took it upon themselves to push a little harder.  To talk a bit louder in their quest for a win.  I know that I've had plenty of those underdog moments in my own life.  Moments where the power of Christ in me overpowers all which the oddsmakers said were against me.  So how is it that we could ever be seen as an underdog when we have the presence of Christ Jesus within us?  Probably because the guys who make the odds don't see Jesus as one who could make a difference.  I know better.  Then again, back in the day Jesus was seen as an underdog as well.  

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" 

Matthew 7: 13 - 14 NKJV 

How would you have seen a career Pharisee prone to persecuting the followers of Jesus?  What odds would you have given him to convert to himself being a follower of Christ?  Personally, I would have wagered at least 500-1 odds that the man Saul would come anywhere close to embracing the knowing of Jesus.  Well, as it turns out, I would have lost a bit of money there.  For on a dusty road to Damascus, everything fell into place as Saul was introduced to Christ Jesus, the very one he had persecuted for so long.  Had Saul somehow changed his view of Jesus?  No, but as with all underdogs, the Lord's timing played a crucial role.  Paul proclaims that his conversion only occurred when it pleased God {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Paul didn't work the odds in his favor.  There was nothing about his situation which was not entirely in the Lord's control.  Of course, this is the way it is with each and every underdog moment we will ever encounter.  In the background is the voice of Jesus proclaiming, "We got this."  You will have more than your share of negativity preaching souls in your lifetime.  The choice we have is whether to give them the time of day or listen to the voice of Christ in us.  His voice will be the one encouraging you and not placing odds against you.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Name Of Jesus

 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" 

John 15: 16 NKJV 

How powerful is the name Jesus?  We're told that if we ask for anything in Jesus' name that our request will be granted {John 14:14}.  Yet, we're also told that we will have our request granted if we simply have faith that it will be {Matthew 21: 22}.  This has led to some hand wringing within the Christian community as far as which is the correct way to pray.  Jesus went so far in His sermon on the Mount as to give an example of the correct way to pray.  This "Lord's prayer" is demonstrated by Jesus in Matthew {Matthew 6:9-13}.  However, He is careful to tell those gathered on the hillside that the Father already knew what their needs were before they asked {Matthew 6:8}.  But is the Lord's prayer a true model prayer for us to follow?  I don't think so.  What we see in Jesus' sermon on the mount is Jesus speaking to the crowds in a way which they could understand what He was trying to teach them.  This is exactly why He chose to teach in parables at times as well.  So how is it that we incorporate the model prayer of Jesus we find in Matthew with the reality of asking in the name of Jesus?  That is the question I was asked by a friend this week.  In order to shed some light on how I see Jesus, it's important to visit how the apostle Paul saw Jesus as well.  It is Paul who spoke to the idea of Christ Jesus in him.  Paul speaks to this in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing the truth of Galatians 2:20, I know that I, as an individual, no longer exist.  My "old man" was crucified on that cross next to Christ.  All that remains is the vessel which is my body, which is now inhabited by Christ Jesus.  Knowing this truth makes all of my prayers uniquely personal.  I have opened up many a prayer with the phrase, "Jesus, you know who I am."  Would you treat a conversation with a close friend in a distant manner?  No, you would be very personal with them.  So is our relationship with Jesus.  I believe using the name of Jesus in our own prayers not only acknowledges who we truly are but how close we are to Christ as well.  

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it"

John 14: 13 - 14 NKJV 

When it comes to our prayers, is Jesus speaking to us to ask in His name for His own honor?  No!  This is evident as Jesus speaks to the Father being glorified in the Son {John 14:13}.  This has never been about Jesus taking credit for our mere mention of His name.  It is the Father who gives the Son His glory {John 17:22}.  God, for His part, simply wants to be known by His children.  He desires to be one with Christ and His creation {John 17:21}.  So how does this enter into our prayers?  How powerful is this name of Jesus?  Consider the words of James, that even the demons believe that there is a God...and tremble at that thought {James 2:19}.  The very name of Jesus is a powerful spoken word, and we are to recognize it as such when we pray.  When we pray in Jesus' name, we understand the authority which He has been given {Matthew 28:18-20}.  We understand that there is nothing we will ever ask which Jesus is not capable of delivering.  We also understand that there is no situation we will ever face which Jesus has not faced Himself.  He is our advocate {John 21:1-2}.  He is also our access to the presence of the Father {John 14:6}.  It is but through Christ Jesus that we have access to the Father.  If we seek an audience with the Father, it is through the name of Jesus which we are welcomed.  This is the name of Jesus. 

Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" 

John 14: 16 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Storehouses

 

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 1: 4 NKJV 

I recall a radio pulpit pounder some time ago claiming that if we were ever in need that we simply needed to ask in the name of Christ Jesus {John 14:13}.  I will agree with this.  However, in John 14 Jesus explains that whatever we ask in His name that He will do.  Why?  That the FATHER would be glorified in the Son.  I thought about all of this this week as we spiraled into yet another Thanksgiving holiday.  Now, it seems that whenever we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, we instinctively begin to rattle off a grocery list of things for which we ought to be thankful.  I get it.  We are thankful for our jobs.  We are thankful for the income we have to provide for our families.  All very much needed items we should indeed be thankful for.  Yet all too often we miss the mark on just where our appreciation is handed out.  We thank our boss for the income producing job.  Really?  Even a non-Christian has to realize that there is a higher power out there that plays a huge part in our circumstances.  Call it fate or karma, we are certainly not alone when it comes to our life provisions.  The Pilgrims, for long the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving holiday, understood the divine nature of their survival.  Many a early settler knew that it was only by God's grace that they endured the voyage to a strange new land as well as living on that land.  Yes, there were already native tribes here when they arrived.  What is interesting is that the native Indian tribes of North America also attributed their survival to a higher power.  Coincidence?  Knowing this, was it perhaps easier for the early Pilgrims to describe their own faith to the tribes?  Perhaps.  We do know that there were indeed converts to Christianity among the tribal people.  According to the Thanksgiving story, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with their tribal neighbors in an act of giving thanks for their provision.  Yes, the tribes had similar traditions a swell.  So it was that the earliest Americans praised God and gave thanks for His providence.  

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of Thanksgiving"

H.U. Westermayer

That the early Pilgrims had it tough is beyond a doubt.  That we ourselves may have had rough times as well is also not without a doubt.   Many people cannot fathom the fact that the very same Spirit we embrace for our provision is also the same Spirit we humbly see as the provider of our dark times as well.  God is not all smiles and sunshine.  If you're looking for a creator that allows only good into your life and prohibits the bad things, then just maybe you might want to follow one of those Native American tribal spirits instead.  As Christians, we have become accustomed to accepting the good as well as the difficulties in our lives.  Jesus, in fact, speaks to us that in our lives we should expect difficulty and tough times {John 16:33}.  We can accept this with gladness because Jesus has overcome the world.  Whatever toil, difficulty and sadness we might endure in this life, it is but a passing thing.  As believers, we can be assured that our true life lies with Christ Jesus who is in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, on this Thanksgiving, we have a one stop shop for our thankfulness for all which life has given us.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has not only blessed us with our provisions, but has also embraced us that we should endure the difficulties of the world as well.  He is our One and only. 

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

1 John 4: 4 NKJV 

~Scott~   

Among The Chosen

 

"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

John 17: 23 NKJV 

I can recall making my share of bad choices.  Choosing to race my bike downhill without brakes was a bad choice.  Choosing to get between two fighting cats...another bad choice.  Many of us have a history of making bad choices, some more than others.  Recently I thought of some of the choices which Jesus needed to make in His life.  I came across many a difficult decision, but no decisions which we would clarify as bad ones.  Was choosing His path to the cross a bad decision?  I would say no.  For Jesus knew His path before He embarked on it.  He chose the Fathers will over His own {Luke 22:42}.  So, I present to you another question, did Jesus choose you or did you choose Jesus?   Did I choose Christ when I accepted Him into my heart?  Or, did Jesus make that choice Himself long before I was even born?  I know that I am created in the Lords image {Genesis 1:27}.  Knowing this, I realize that I have an intimate connection with the Father.  However, Jesus also speaks to us that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.  Therefore, I can be assured that if I am created in the Fathers own image, that I bear the image of the Son as well.  I also know that each and every detail of my life was chronicled by the Father before I was born {Psalm 139:16}.  So once again I will pose the question, did I choose Christ or did He choose to be in me?  Well, I will take a step out of traditional institutional Christianity and say that Jesus...became me.  Yes, I took the initiative to accept Him into my heart, but by that time He was already in me.  How do I know this?  The apostle Paul speaks to the reality of Christ in us in Galatians.  Paul had experienced Jesus first-hand on that road to Damascus.  It was here where Jesus introduced Himself to Paul.  Of course, I'm of the mind that the Father had been in Saul from the beginning, yet Saul only finally came to the realization that day.  So it is with us. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

So, in answer to my inquiry, it is Christ Jesus who chose us long ago.  Long before we even were able to identify who Jesus even was, He was in us.  We know this from scripture.  So, why is it that I took so long to come to my senses and accept the Lord Jesus into my heart?  I'll put it to you another way, what took me so long to realize that Jesus was in me?  Far too many Christians spend a lot of time on that spinning hamster wheel in their attempts to measure up to "being like" Jesus.  When in reality, all we need to do is come to that realization that Jesus has been there all along.  If we have the Lord, we have Jesus as well.  If we have been created in the Fathers image, then we have the image of His Son as well.  But don't be discouraged, because Saul didn't come to the realization of the Lord in him right away either.  Paul himself tells us that his own realization of Christ Jesus in him came in the Fathers own timing {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Why did it take me so long to realize the truth of Christ in me?  My own realization of the truth of Christ came upon me when it pleased the Lord.  This is indeed why so many Christians still have not known the truth of Christ in them, their time has not yet come.  I believe that the Lord chooses the appropriate time to introduce to each of us the truth of His Son.  Our choice comes when we choose to accept Him or not.  Choose wisely.  

~Scott~