Christmas Generosity

Selfless Generosity- God’s people reflecting the very heart and character of God, is never more powerfully displayed than that first Christmas; when God took on flesh and moved into our neighborhood; we call it the incarnation.

Chip Ingram calls the Incarnation “a graduate course in generosity. The incarnation tells the story of a radically loving, generous God. He came into a hostile world to offer us gifts that are too great for words.” God became ordinary for us, so that we could understand the extraordinary offer of His generosity.

 Notice how each Christmas participant generously offers their “gift” to the Lord-

 The Wise men/magi were generous with money-

“They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Generously relinquished the personal use of their money, their economic resources and used them to honor King Jesus.

 What if we began to live with the idea “I have enough Lord, how can I use this for You.”

 The shepherds also participated in Christmas Generosity

 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night…

The shepherds were generous with time-

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…”

 The shepherds offered their time (one of our most precious commodities)

Generously offered their time to honor the Savior and share the good news- A Savior is born- Christ the Lord, and they did it with Joy not fear.

 Too often we hold our time with a clenched fist, begrudgingly offering God our time; afraid we might not have time to do what we want.

Joseph is another character in the Christmas event; he was generous with his reputation-
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly…

Obviously his fiancé had been unfaithful; right? He had to do something to protect his reputation, so people didn’t think he committed adultery and thus tarnish his reputation. If he says the child is his, he lies and will be considered an adulterer. If he goes ahead with this it will mark him for life. Yet, Joseph releases his reputation to the Lord.  

 “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took Mary as his wife.”

Joseph released his reputation- what people would think and say. He generously entrusted his reputation to God.

 Mary was generous with her future-

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus… Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God…

Mary could have said- “Wait a minute, what’s this gonna mean for me, for my future? This isn’t exactly what I had planned.” Yet- Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

Mary surrendered her future- the known (being an unwed pregnant teenager); and the unknown (How would this play out? What would this mean for her and the child?) With faith and hope she surrendered her future to God’s will; she was generous with the unknown expanse of her life.

What would become of her? All the possibilities and potentials surrendered. Generously offering her future to God and His plans.

 Two more generous participants that 1^st Christmas

 Jesus is generous with His life- He left heaven with a purpose-

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus laid aside His divine rights as God (Philippians 2:6-8)
He laid down His very life, fulfilling the very purpose for which His Father sent Him.

 The Father is generous with His most prized possession-

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

 The Father gave freely, His most prized possession- His Son. He says to all creation for all time, “they’re worth it; I love them. I want them back, I want them with Me”. So the Father sent His Son, His most prized possession, away- on mission, into hostile territory, b/c of love.

 Love leads us to abandon it all for what we love. For love we’ll abandon everything- our self, our wants, our stuff, all that we thought was of value, for the sake of what we truly love.

The Father freely offered His Son, His most prize possession, to bring us back; because of His love for you and me- “they’re worth it”. The generosity of God the Father provided you and me with life and love and forgiveness so we might live lives of love. Christmas reveals the great generosity of God.

The Christmas participants model a commitment to generosity; God invites His children to live generously and experience the abundant life Jesus died for. 

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9  

A life lived with Christmas generosity, is a life well lived.

This Christmas, celebrate God’s generosity; wrap yourself in the Christmas generosity of God. Enjoy His grace and His goodness. Then, enter the hostile world around you to hand out gifts of love and generosity.  Live a life of Christmas Generosity; experience the abundant life Jesus came to give you by living, generously, not just for a season, for a lifetime.

 “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” 2 Corinthians 9:11

“Unrelenting opposition-Unstoppable expansion”

Opposition to the gospel and to God’s people is common in the book of Acts. The gospel and God’s truth are so radically different to the thinking of the world that those who follow Him should expect opposition.

The big deal in Acts is this-God’s Kingdom moves forward despite unrelenting opposition.

Luke, the writer of Acts makes it clear throughout the book- Nothing, no one; no people groups, no spiritual forces, no events, nothing can hinder the forward movement of God’s Story; the establishing of His church and the expansion of His Kingdom.  Jesus said; “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” “Will not prevail against” means= “will not overcome”, “will not prove stronger than”. His church moves forward, His Kingdom cannot, will not be stopped.

 Unrelenting opposition would not stop God’s activity.  “But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.” Acts 4:4 The message was unstoppable; God was undeterred, His Kingdom would expand. The core of the message that fuels the unrelenting opposition yet empowers the unstoppable expansion of God’s Kingdom is “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

 How does God expand His Kingdom today? Just as He did in the beginning, in the book of Acts- “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 God used ordinary people who were with Jesus, who were led and empowered by His Spirit to expand His Kingdom.

They were “unschooled and ordinary”-   The principle- “God uses ordinary people”; real, ordinary, everyday folks. Ordinary people, living and responding with extraordinary faith, courage, boldness, simply because they had been with Jesus. The principle- “being with Jesus empowers ordinary people for extraordinary lives and service”. If you’re ordinary and unschooled God wants to move His story forward through you and your life.

 God’s church will not be stopped. The church built by Jesus, empowered by His Spirit is always moving forward; driving back the enemy and setting people free. And God has always used ordinary people- people who have been with Jesus and are filled with His Spirit; Here’s the Big Deal- “God’s Kingdom moves forward through the lives of Spirit led, Spirit empowered followers.” God’s engine is Holy Spirit and the wheels are the Spirit filled lives of His people.

Throughout history God has been moving His Story forward, expanding His Kingdom; He will do it from here to the ends of the earth; and from now until eternity; and we can participate with Him. We can be part of His Kingdom generation to expand His Kingdom under our watch. It will happen, God will complete what He started, He will expand His Kingdom. Only question is- will you be a part? Will you be one of those ordinary men and women who were with Jesus, led and empowered by His Spirit, and used by God to expand His Kingdom?

"The Force is not with you"

May the Force be with you;" Is a popular quote from the Star Wars movies.

If you asked the average Christian how they think about the Holy Spirit, most of them would say they think of the Holy Spirit much like the “Force” in Star Wars. They believe that the Holy Spirit is some sort of neutral, invisible spiritual power or energy somehow working in the world, or as a force that did something a long time ago. But the Holy Spirit is so much more. Friends, if you’re a Christ follower the force is not with you- God the Holy Spirit is; He’s not a force.

So what or who is the Holy Spirit?

 First, the Holy Spirit is not a “force” or energy or an “it,” He’s a Person. He has characteristics of a person. The Holy Spirit  is a Person, with mind, intellect, will and emotions.

He’s intelligent and has an intellect. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says, “No one knows the mind of God except the Spirit of God who searches all things.”

He has feelings. Just like when someone does something that causes us sadness and grief, we produce a similar emotional response in the Holy Spirit when we disobey Him or reject Him or refuse His leading. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” He has a will. In 1 Cor. 12, the Apostle Paul describes the Holy Spirit as the One who wills, or determines, how He distributes spiritual gifts to Christ followers. He does so by an act of His will.

 He’s a Person and He’s God; the Holy Spirit has the attributes of God. He is all-powerful, all present, and all-knowing. He has the very mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit is God; He is co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. (1 John 5) I Corinthians 3 it says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” So the Holy Spirit is a person and He is God. He’s the person of God without a physical being.

 But here’s the most amazing part of all of this: The Father and Son in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells inside of every Christ follower. The moment we confess our sin and ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we, become members of God’s family and the Spirit immediately takes up residence inside of our bodies. You become a living, walking, breathing temple and the Spirit of God dwells inside of you. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

 So what does this mean to us as Christ followers? Plenty, everything; it means we have 24/7 unlimited access to the Father and Jesus. It means we have the power of the living Christ dwelling inside of us. The point of the Christian life is not about us following all the rules or trying hard to “be good.” The Christ life is about Jesus living in and through us by His Spirit and us becoming more and more like Jesus. And the Holy Spirit wants to produce inside of us the very life, heart, personality and character of Jesus. J.B. Phillips writes, “Every time we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”  WOW!

Promise fulfilled- Gift given-Adventure begins

In Acts 2 the promise is fulfilled, the gift is given, and the adventure begins. The gift of God’s Spirit is given to His followers and the promise of power is fulfilled, so the adventure of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth can begin.  The Acts 2 Pentecost event makes faith personal through the inhabiting of the Holy Spirit; we can have intimacy with God and power for ministry. The Spirit provides new power for ministry, to proclaim the gospel message- to point people to the Person of Jesus. Point people to Jesus not religion, rules or rituals

Like Peter in Acts 2, we present the truth of His life, death and resurrection. The resurrection is the cornerstone upon which the gospel rests. Christ’s resurrection was verified by witnesses, established by Old Testament prophecies, and confirmed by the coming of His promised Holy Spirit. The cross is the greatest triumph in the history of the human race

Acts makes it clear; our God-given mission can only be achieved by the outpouring of His Spirit. You and I are part of God’s plan; your story fits into His story. God has always used His people to move His story forward, bringing His gospel to the ends of the earth. We are an integral part of the achievement of God’s mission. He calls us to His mission; we’re part of His plan; He wants your life and your story to move His story forward in the lives of others and His Spirit makes it possible for each of us.

What are you standing here for?

On our Acts adventure it’s imperative that we walk in their world- go back to the life of the early church for a fresh look at what happened.

To understand Acts we need to be present in their reality; back to the year 60 AD. To see with 60 AD eyes and hear with 60 AD ears; We need to think like a small Jewish sect obediently walking out the life and teaching of their Master; committed to passing on His teaching and continuing His ministry to the ends of the earth; in a political, social and religious culture that is antagonistic to their Master and opposed to His teachings. That’s their reality. We need to remove our 21^st century, Western, middle class glasses and set aside our white evangelical mindset, if we are to understand what God is doing and saying in Acts.

Acts 1 begins with the disciples early steps of obedience; as they follow the instructions of their Master, Jesus;

In Acts 1:1-3, Luke summarizes volume 1 (his gospel- see vs.1-3)
In vs. 4-7 Luke sets the stage for volume 2 (the book of Acts)
And in vs 8 he reveals the focus of vol. 2 (what the book is about) his focus throughout the book of Acts
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses  in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

This promise of power raises a question for the disciples- “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” Acts 1:6 They hear the word power and they think earthly kingdom, freedom from Roman oppression, our way of life returned to us.

We have similar issues today. We think God, His Spirit, His Word are for us, our needs, our wants, our comfort. Jesus refocuses them on what’s important. Be my witnesses from here to the very ends of the earth; keep the main thing the main thing; e.g. the expansion of My Kingdom, My church to the very ends of the earth.

With that, Jesus leaves them to fulfill His plan.“After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 Jesus leaves just as He said He would.

“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11

 What are you standing here for?”Why did Luke include this? Why say it this way?

Why not say something like- “looking with amazement, they said wow, let’s go tell the others” or “shocked the disciples wandered back to the upper room”. Or like he did in his gospel (Luke 24:51-52…) “While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

 Why include- “What are you standing here for?”-  “Why do you stand here looking up into the sky?” Luke’s making a point- “Hey guys, He’ll return, just like He said, when He returns it’ll be like this, but until He returns- get on with it. Do what He told you to do. The angels and Luke refocus on the main thing- fulfilling the great commission; the responsibility of His followers to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Don’t stand around looking for My return-go make disciples. I’ll be with you to the end of the age, by My Spirit, so get on with it. And the result is the book of Acts and the ever expanding, triumphant church of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be standing around.

“Keys to our Acts Adventure”

As we begin our Acts adventure, there are some things to watch for- How do we see Jesus in Acts? Watch for Jesus in Acts; how much is He the focus?

Notice who God uses in this book (periodic biographies of characters from Acts)
How did His disciples see the Great Commission? The gospels end with and Acts begins with the great commission (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8)

The foundation for our Acts Adventure, what we must always keep before us as we journey through this book is-The author’s intent; what did Luke intend by what he wrote? What was he trying to communicate? What was the Spirit communicating?

Why did Luke write what he wrote the way he wrote it? What was he trying to tell his first readers? It cannot mean to me what it did not mean to them. So we want to be clear about what Luke is saying by understanding why he’s saying it; what’s his purpose, his intent? That’s what gives everything else meaning/understanding.

Luke’s intent in Acts is to describe the continual forward movement of God’s story (His Kingdom, His church); from its Jewish setting and roots, based in Jerusalem with Peter as the lead figure to a primarily Gentile church touching the entire world, with Paul as the lead figure and Rome as the goal (entire world can be reached from Rome) 

The key to understanding Acts is Luke’s interest in the movement of the Gospel (the fulfillment of the Great Commission) orchestrated by the Holy Spirit; Luke sees a global agenda (from Jerusalem to the ends of the world). The gospel moving from its Jerusalem based, Jewish beginnings to becoming a global Gentile dominant phenomenon.

Key purpose- movement from commission to mission by the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit

The fulfillment of God’s plan, entrusted to the disciples by Jesus, is completely dependent on the Holy Spirit not the disciple’s strength.

“…any statement of purpose that does not include the Gentile mission and the Holy Spirit’s role in that mission will surely have missed the point of the book.” (Acts) How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth

Acts shows us how the disciples went about fulfilling Jesus’ instructions; what they saw the great commission to be. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 In preparation for the fulfilling of God’s plan, Jesus gave them very specific instructions. And these are important to understanding Acts

“wait for the promised Holy Spirit” the Holy Spirit is crucial, essential to the ongoing, fulfillment of what Jesus started; so wait for the promised Spirit

“you will receive power” to complete your assignment (the Great Commission) you will need the Holy Spirit’s power

“you will be my witnesses”- tell what Jesus did and taught

“And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in…”- would not be able without the Spirit

They would be His witnesses from here to the entire world only after the Holy Spirit came on them- not before.This is the next step of completing what Jesus started; they were empowered by His Spirit to finish what Jesus began to do and to teach.

We clearly see God’s agenda: First, that his apostles would finish what Jesus began to do and teach on earth. Second, the apostles’ focus would be a global agenda. And third, the assurance of their success wouldn’t depend on their strength, but on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the certainty of Jesus’ return.

If there’s one thing we see in Acts, it’s the indispensible necessity of the Holy Spirit throughout.

 Acts reveals for us God’s intent for His church; the triumphant, joyful, forward-moving expansion of the gospel- empowered by the Holy Spirit and resulting in changed lives and changed communities.

Discipleship- be with and become like

In the New Testament we see the primacy of discipleship- beginning with Christ’s commission to His first disciples. “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus lays out His mission for His church; make disciples.

Disciple is used 269 times in the NT, Christian 3 times. Two main ideas in the term disciple; a follower, an adherent and a pupil, an apprentice. A disciple is follower of a person, an adherent of His teaching, 2ndly, a disciple is one who is learning the teaching and the ways of the Master.

A disciple of Jesus is an apprentice who by following Jesus learns to live out His teachings in a manner consistent with the Master; consistent with the life and teachings of His Master.

I think Eugene Peterson gets at the heart of it with his translation of Matthew 28:18-20. “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.”

“train in His way of life…instruct them in the practice of..”
Carefully apprentice them in the life and teachings of Jesus. The teaching wasn’t just to be learned, it was intended to shape and transform the disciple’s life, so that they resembled the Master; reflected His life, teaching and character. Lived like He did.

 The mission of Christ’s church set forth from the beginning was to use His all encompassing power and authority to make disciples, apprentices of Jesus. The first century church followed His plan and turned the world upside down.

 In the first century, when a rabbi called a disciple, he simply said follow me; be with me, learn from me watch how I do it, then do it. A rabbi’s disciple was a reflection of the rabbi. When Jesus called His disciples He said “Come follow Me” and “I will make you fishers of men. Follow me and you’ll become like me, you’ll fish for men; you’ll do what I do. Be with Him, and they would do what He did; that’s what happens to disciples they become like their teacher, their Master. Be with and learn from

Matthew 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? (P) Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace…” from The Message

 Be with and become like. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus- to be like, a disciple needs to be with; if he is with, he’ll become like; that’s the process of discipleship. “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40

Not simply know what the teacher knows; be like, reflect, imitate.

In the heart of a disciple there is a desire to be like Jesus and a commitment to be with Him. So a disciple frames his life around being with and becoming like, Jesus. Out of the desire to be like Jesus, a disciple rearranges the affairs of his life toward the end of resembling the Master; reflecting His life, teaching and character. Decisions and choices are made with that in mind; practices are engaged in that will enhance my being with Him, learning from Him and following Him.

“On Mission with God”

God is on mission and He has called people to be on mission with Him. To be on mission we must be clear about His mission- “He came to seek and to save the lost”. Luke 19:10
Our Creator God came to earth on a search and rescue mission
God is on mission- a mission to redeem a lost world, to call people into relationship with Himself.

God has a people, His church, you and me, and He is at work through His people to accomplish His redemptive mission. Being on mission with God necessitates that we be clear about my orders- to make disciples.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

 Making disciples begins with sharing His message- the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4…“…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”

 Jesus, God’s Son, Himself God, came in human form, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as payment for humanity’s sin. He was raised on the 3^rd day securing eternal life for all who believed in Him; who place their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Trusting Him resulted in forgiveness of sin and eternal life, a forever, living relationship with God.

 Be clear about His mission- search and recue

Be clear about my orders- make disciples

And be clear about your appointment from God

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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 people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

 He has committed to every Christ follower the message and ministry of reconciliation. How do I join Him in His mission; how do I participate in the message and ministry He has given me?

Pray- “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Colossians 4:3-4

Pray- pray daily for an opening to share God’s message- you’re on mission. Pray for:

●an open door- a door is a natural opportunity to bring up your relationship with Jesus in conversation with those who need Him; a natural opportunity- something that’s naturally going on in your life, in their life or in the world.

●an open heart- ask God to get the person ready to hear what He’s getting you ready to share.

●an open mouth- trust God to give you the courage, the words and the approach.

 As you consistently pray this open prayer be ready, God loves to answer those kinds of prayers.

Next time we’ll talk about what to share.

Do you need to get away?

Some days are hard. Some days are so full of stress and anxiety and fear and heartache that you long to get away.

 And perhaps you have done just that. Maybe you went to an all-inclusive resort in paradise where you lounged on the beach all day. Or maybe your choice was a cozy ski resort in the mountains where you slalomed up and down the slopes and sipped on hot chocolate as the sun set. Like any good vacation, it was probably a time filled with delicious food, beautiful sky and laughter. Vacations are suspended spans of time where stress is left behind. No bills to pay. No deadlines to meet, just an opportunity to commune with God, nature, and loved ones.

 But then the week ends and reality returns. As soon as you arrive back home you can feel it again. The things that need to be done. The concern about projects. The relational tensions. Back to a world where it seems as if Satan might be winning. But for a moment, you had a tiny taste of what could be.

 The Book of Revelation is an authentic taste of what will be. It is the promise that in the end God wins. Life may be hard now. Life may be unfair now. There may be challenges now. But in the end, God will demonstrate he is the Victor. And he will give us a life in Paradise.

 The Apostle John was given a vision of the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. It is an immense place. Some get caught up in the dimensions outlined in Scripture. But I believe the reason we are told of the size of heaven is to give us the assurance that there is room for everyone. “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

 The end will be much like the beginning. The God who shaped Eden out of chaos will take the chaos of our world and shape it into something new. A New Heaven and a New Earth- where we can be with Him forever.

So call on his name and make your reservation. It’s all inclusive.

Fight the fight

One day in the late Spring they came to his cell in the Mamertine Prison in Rome and opened the door. His executioners led him out of the city on the Ostian Road. As they were walking out, other travelers would have been walking into Rome. They would have paid him little attention. No one would have recognized his face. No one would have known his crime. He was just another prisoner, just another “dead man walking.”

After traveling a few miles out, the executioners would have stopped. A block would be laid down. His head would be placed upon it. A sword would be raised. And in an instant the head of the most influential writer of all times would roll upon the ground.

Paul had known his share of suffering, but he did not shrink back from his calling. If we could look closer, we would see how scars spread across his back like a windshield crack and how wounds stiffened his joints. His own account of his hardships included floggings, lashings, beatings with rods, pelting with stones, shipwrecks, dangers from rivers and bandits and Jews and Gentiles, danger in the city and in the country, danger at sea and from false believers. He knew hard labor, lack of sleep, hunger, thirst, cold and nakedness (2 Cor. 11:23-29).

It’s a wonder that he could move at all, but move he did. From Corinth to Ephesus, from Thessalonica to Colossae, he left his footprints all over the known world of his day. His visits to these cities were not for sightseeing. He worked. Long days of preaching and establishing churches.

When he wasn’t walking he was writing. He wrote letters to the church in Rome and Corinth and Galatia nd Ephesus. He wrote to Titus and he wrote to Timothy. Letters that continue to bless. God’s grace turned his world upside down and his life was spent telling others about it. Until that day on the Ostian Road, when he drew his last breath.

When you face struggles because of your faith, remember Paul. He anchored himself to a purpose that was higher and greater than his life. There are many fights you can fight, but Paul trained himself for the “good fight” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

His fight did not end at death. His writings have encouraged, exhorted, and educated followers of Christ till today and for all the tomorrows to come. He gave himself totally to eternal things.

So can you. Fight the good fight. And like Paul, finish the race well.

God Chooses Unlikely Candidates to be His Messengers

If you saw her backstage you never would have imagined what fame was soon to come her way. She walked out on the stage in a frumpy dress. Slightly mussed up hair. Bushy eyebrows. Seemingly a bit old and odd for the competition. But the moment she began to sing on Britain’s Got Talent she took the world by storm. By the final note she was receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and a broad smile from Simon Cowell. The video of her performance immediately hit YouTube and within a week had been viewed 66 million times. She eventually won second place in the competition but that did not stop her. An album was released in November of 2009 and by the end of the year she had the top selling record world wide of any releases, selling a total of 8.3 million copies.

 You probably would never have picked him either. One first century writing describes him this way:“Bald-headed, bowlegged, strongly built, a man small in size, with meeting eyebrows, and a rather large nose.” 1 Appearances aside, he had been spending his days with a singular purpose: persecuting Christians. Pulling them from their houses. Throwing them in prison. Even having some killed. And yet God chose him to take his story to the Gentiles.

Jesus arranged a face-to-face meeting with Saul while he was on his way to Damascus to persecute his followers (Acts 9). Jesus slammed on the stadium lights and Saul began to see the light. And by the end of the encounter his name is changed from Saul to Paul as he is given a new purpose and a new lease on life. The rest is history. This persecutor of God’s church becomes God’s primary messenger. “Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.” Acts 9:15 Paul, a Jew, took the gospel message to the Gentiles. Paul, the “chief of sinners”spoke as a gracious firsthand recipient of God’s mercy. Paul, the well-schooled expert on the Law, became the most outspoken voice for the principle of grace.

And aren’t you glad he did? Most of us would not know Christ had Paul not traveled the world telling others about him. And most of us would not know Christ if some modern-day “Paul” had not walked across the cul-de-sac or the cubicle or the classroom to introduce him to us.

Now the question is who is going to take the message of Jesus to your world? God is always moving His story forward and you are His plan for telling your friends and family His Story. God wants to use you to take his message to your world. Your street. Your workplace. Your school. You might not think he’d choose you either. But you might just need to think again.

1 The Acts of Paul and Thecla, written in the 2nd century

You are God’s Search and Rescue Plan

Plan William Pilkenton was one month away from turning eight years old. His family had traveled from Bellingham, Washington, to Tofino, British Columbia for a vacation. He and his father were walking up from the beach when his father turned to look for him and realized he was gone. When children go missing, fathers start looking. And so did this one. Before long, the entire community was helping him search for this missing child. Search and rescue crews scoured the area. Search coordinator Garth Cameron said, “I don’t think there’s a square foot in this town that doesn’t have footprints.” 1

 When children go missing, parents go looking. And that’s what God has done. There’s not a square

foot on earth that doesn’t have His footprints. He began searching for them the moment Adam and Eve made a choice and lost their way. His search and rescue plan had three stages. First He sent the nation of Israel looking. They were His chosen people; chosen to accurately reflect Him in their world and to reveal His plan to rescue the lost. His second stage involved His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent his Son to “seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10) and “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

 The third stage involves His church- you and me. Before Jesus returned to heaven He laid out Hs search and rescue plan (Acts 1:8) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus sent the disciples into the middle of Jerusalem and told them to wait- to wait for the gift promised by His Father; the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 While they were waiting a crowd gathered for Pentecost. Some estimate Jerusalem swelled to over one million people during this time. The Holy Spirit came on them, Peter preached, and the church swelled from 120 to over three thousand. It didn’t stop there. The devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). That first church in Jerusalem grounded its people in the Word, in deep community, to sharing meals and sharing Christ, and to prayer. They had to. The task at hand was too big for them to accomplish on their own. They needed each other. Mostly they needed God, they needed His promised gift, His Holy Spirit.

 That hasn’t changed, has it? We still have the same commission to be witnesses for Jesus in our world, our circle of influence. We are still called to the Word, to love each other, to share life, and to prayer. And we are still searching for those who have lost their way. We are called to accurately reflect Jesus and to reveal His plan for rescuing lost people. We are still searching because the Father still has children who are missing. So live it and share it and God will bring you power as you do. Let’s not leave a square foot without our footprints.

1 Official search for missing 7-year-old ends in Tofino, B.C. at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/18/bc-missing-boy-tofino.html

“Risen or Stolen?”

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and Easter Sunday the resurrection. What about the Saturday in between? Well, the Saturday in between commemorates desperation. On that Saturday it seems that Christ was totally defeated as his body lay utterly dead in a rock tomb. Death was absolute. No one was betting on a resurrection. That first Easter the followers of Jesus were confused, sad, disappointed, desperate-

Desperation Saturday-the day before the resurrection was a no courage day.  The disciples hid in every corner in Jerusalem for fear of a cross that would bear their name. Saturday was a no hope day. It could have been a day of hope, considering all the times Jesus promised big things would happen on the third day. But the disciples did not trust Jesus’ promises of a resurrection. Saturday was a no plans day. They didn’t plan on seeing a Risen Savior on Sunday morning. They didn’t plan to talk to him – they planned to embalm him.

Mark 16:1-3 “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"

In their lower story, it may have been Sunday morning, but the disciples were in a Saturday state of mind. They were stuck on Saturday.

Sunday—resurrection day—is a day of eternal love, life and hope. But it didn’t start out that way. There was some serious concern over the body being stolen. His enemies feared His followers would steal the body and His followers feared His enemies had stolen the body.

His followers had no expectation of a resurrection; so when they discovered the body missing, they thought it had been stolen.
John 20:1-2 “Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Stolen not risen.
No hope, no courage, no plans- in their lower story, He’s gone, the body has been stolen; they were looking for a body not a Savior.

But the Upper Story reality is His Risen not stolen.
Matthew 28:5-6 “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where His body was lying” NIV

The empty tomb points to a Risen Savior not a stolen body. A risen Savior; a body alive not missing. It makes all the difference. The disciples had a Risen Savior but they were living life with a missing body; for them the tomb was empty and the body stolen; no courage, no hope, no plans.

Risen or stolen? It determines how you live life; how you face life’s challenges, how you walk out the desperation Saturdays of your life. It affects how or if you share His life giving truth with others.

Empty tomb- no courage, no hope, no plans, no power. It all changes with a Risen Savior. Fear filled cowards, cowering in the Upper Room became courageous witnesses; disappointed, grief stricken disciples, became dynamic missionaries of their Risen Master; doubters of His promises became declarers of His truth.

Risen not stolen!

Risen not stolen changed their entire life. Fifty days after the resurrection, Peter, the same Peter who had denied even knowing Jesus, stood in the public square and risked his life preaching boldly in Jesus’ name. No stolen body could have caused that; no stolen body could have led the disciples to be tragically martyred for their faith.

Don’t let Easter be a religious ritual, don’t commemorate an empty tomb. He’s risen not stolen; Let the reality of a Risen Savior change your life. Live the Easter Sunday reality every day. Every day you can do life with a Risen Savior; every day the life giving promises of God are yours; every day the indwelling Spirit of the Risen Lord empowers you for everything and anything He has for you.

We all have Saturdays in our life; desperation Saturday is sure to show up. But, for Jesus followers, Saturday will always be followed by Sunday. Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5)

Saturday was the last day of death- Sunday was the first day of life- which day are you living in? It makes all the difference- now and forever.

Eliminate the Shanks From Your Life Swing

Butch Harmon, who has instructed professional golfers from Fred Couples to Tiger Woods, tells the story of the club member who was having problems with the shanks. That is, a poorly played golf shot. He spent 20 minutes trying to get him to work his stance, his weight transfer, his wrists, his arms and shoulders, his chin. He tried everything but the man still shanked every shot. He went into the pro shop and told his father the problem. Claude Harmon went out to the man, watched him swing one time, and told him to keep his clubface square. Five minutes later the guy was hitting the ball down the middle of the fairway.

Butch asked him how he knew what the problem was after one swing. Claude said, “I knew what he was doing before I stood up from behind my desk. . . . A shank is a shank. I knew the guy was hitting it with a shut clubface before I walked out here. The only question left was, what did I need to tell him to get him to stop?” 1

Jesus already knows what is causing the “shanks” in your life. He knows why your life “swing” is off. And he knows the solution before you even know to ask for help. He knows because he corrected your problem on the cross. It is there he uttered these words: “It is finished!” “With that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

 On the cross Jesus paid a debt that was owed by those (us) who were unable to pay it. He finished the work of satisfying both the holiness of God and the love of God. The fact that God is holy is foundational to Scripture. Holy means he is “above,” he is “higher than.” He is not just better. He is not just an improved version of us, but that he is “set apart.” Way apart. “Holy” means something that is set apart from us. And this difference is manifested in the way he views sin. He sees it differently than we do. He can have nothing to do with sin. It has to be punished.

 But God also loves. The fact that God is love is foundational to Scripture. So he put our sin on his Son and punished it there. In doing so, he took care of sin and he took care of you and me when we embrace him as Savior. And with the “shanks” eliminated, your swing should be full of new life.

1 The greatest father: Claude Harmon wisdom and lessons still show the way, Golf Digest, June, 2006 by Butch Harmon at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_6_57/ai_n26885507/?tag=content;col1

The Greatest Question of All Time- chapter 25

A BBC magazine answered the “101 greatest questions of all time.” 1 What did they include? Well,
questions like “What is OK short for?” Answer? “OK comes from ‘oll korrect’, a deliberately misspelled writing of ‘all correct.’ It was popularized in Boston newspapers around the 1840s when it was fashionable to go around spelling things incorrectly for humorous effect.” The #1 “greatest question” was “Where is the safest place to stand outside in a thunderstorm?” And, in case you must know the answer, it is “A car or other enclosed metal structure is the safest place to be in a thunderstorm.”

Jesus asked a question that should have been first on the list. He and the disciples were in Caesarea
Philippi. Call it the shopping mall of religion. It was located in a region known as Paneon, or the home of the Greek god Pan. Once it had been a center of Baal worship. A temple was located there dedicated to the godhead of Caesar. And other temples of Syrian gods dotted the landscape. Plenty of gods to choose from in Caesarea Philippi.

 So Jesus asks his disciples this question: “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). The answers came back in rapid fire: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” But Jesus was more concerned with their answer to his question, so he asked, “Who do you say I am?” They all looked at this homeless carpenter and thought about that question. We don’t know how long they thought before Peter replied, “You are the Christ.”

 Who do you say He is? Have you given it much thought? It’s one of the most important questions any of us can ask. Once you know who Jesus is it demands a response,  it defines who you are in relation to Jesus and it determines how you are to live.

 Some say he was crazy, claiming to be God but just a man like everyone else. Some say he was a liar; that he knew exactly what he was saying but was deviously misleading those around him.

But there are those who have said, along with Peter, that Jesus is the Christ. He is “God in the flesh.” He is the King. He is the Savior, He is Lord. Liar, lunatic or Lord- “who do you say He is?”

You may know where to stand in a thunderstorm. And you may think your life is OK. But if you have not answered this question from Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” then do it. Read what He said, look at what He did, evaluate how He lived and decide. Who do you say He is? Liar, lunatic or Lord.

1 “Greatest 101 questions of all time: 1-20” found at www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/

4696372/Greatest-101-questions-of-all-time-1-20.html