C'mon Man.

There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look (Isaiah 53:2 The Message)

Last Wednesday, deemed Ash Wednesday by some denominations, David Sandoval sat down to eat dinner and to his amazement an image of Jesus had been formed in his tortilla. C’mon man! Today is my soapbox day and I would like to publish some of my thoughts about people seeing images of Christ in tortilla shells and some various other things. It is no wonder Christianity has lost its influence in American society and many others for that matter. Mr. Sandoval, how do you know what Jesus looked like? How do you know that image, and yes there is one there, does not look like Peter or Paul or perhaps Judas? Does anyone really know what Jesus looked like? Yep, God and those who lived in that day. The scriptures give us one account of what His physical appearance was like. Isaiah says He was not pretty so these pretty boy paintings are wrong. One translation says He was not a beauty, the King James says He had no comeliness. Meaning there was nothing special about His looks that caused people to come to Him. So why do we think He looked like He does in the paintings? Because some person said He did. Let’s just stick to what the Bible says about Him. Besides, there was one tall, dark handsome dude that became king of Israel, Saul, and you know how that turned out.

We need to focus on who Jesus is rather than what He looked like. Bowing to statues and kissing rings is not what Christ had in mind when He established His church. Elaborate paintings and imprints on shrouds or images on toast and tortillas is not what the Bible teaches we are to worship. It was His inner beauty that He wanted men to see. The Lord Jesus showed men the Father by what He did and He has commanded us to show society Himself by what we do. Mother Teresa was an image of Christ. Read up on what she did. She is an unlikely image of what men would expect. She is not to be worshipped and never asked to be. Jesus can be seen if you know where to look. He is in nature but He is not nature. His invisible attributes can be clearly seen by the things which are made. He can be seen in the nurses and aids in the nursing homes. He can be seen in the homeless shelters helping the residents. He can be seen in the rehab centers hugging and praying with addicts. He can be seen in the hospitals comforting those who are ill. He can be seen in the operating rooms using the hands that repair hearts. He can be seen in the jails and prisons praying with those on death row. He can be seen even in the church when we turn or focus on Him and not the preacher or the choir. Does the world see Christ in you? Are you projecting His image? Statues that cry tears and tortillas with burnt spots will not save mankind. The picture of Christ on the Cross in the Bible is what we need to look at.

Where you at?

And many believed in Him there (John 10:42, New King James Version).

Hey you! Yeah, you, the one that just opened this e-mail message, this blog, or picked up this paper to read it. Did you know that you are in a very special place right at this moment? Well, you are. Where were you this time yesterday? How about the day before? Those were special places too. I bet you did not even realize how special a place can be. Look again at what John said about the people that day. Where was there? John says it was across the Jordan from Jerusalem at the place where John the Baptist had baptized people unto repentance. Fasten your seat belt now as it’s going to get bumpy! The people that were “there” that day, the place they were at, was “here” to them. Where you are right now is there to me! You are there; I am here. Got it? Good. Here comes the point.

You can place your belief in Christ right where you are; now. You do not have to be in church or a tent meeting. Just as Christ went to where those people were, He is where you are right now! Yeah, really! He is where I am and where you are all at the same time. Only God could pull that off. Some of them in Jerusalem, where He was to start with, were getting ready to stone Him to death for what I just wrote! God was with them; in Christ. Because He told them that He was God were grounds enough for them to kill Him. Do you believe He is God? Do you believe He can be in heaven and with you at the same time? Believe it, because He is. He is with me here and now as I type this and He is with you there right now as you read it. WOW! So go ahead, right where you are and believe in Him. After all if you go somewhere else, there you will be.

It's A Love Thing

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1, New King James Version).

Valentines Day 2012 is upon us. Candy and flowers, jewelry and cards line the aisles of local stores. TV commercials bid us warning that if we guys forget to express our love and appreciation to our gals we will end up bunking with the hound. In reality we should express our love and appreciation for them everyday, not just on February 14th.

When I read this verse I take it as saying; I may use eloquent speech so pleasing to the ears that one will think an angel is speaking to them, but if Christ does not dwell in my heart then the best intended words will be just that; words. You do know that is what Paul means, right? Having Christ in our hearts? The word he used for love is agape in Greek. That specific word describes Gods love. The same word that Jesus used in John 3:16. The same word He used when He said, “I want You to love them just as You love Me, and in order to accomplish it, I will be in them.” My own translation of St. John 17:26. We use the English word “love” loosely. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and oh yes; fried chicken! I love my wife and kids too. The word sounds the same when it leaves my lips but in my heart it carries more weight for my wife and kids. If I did not have Christ in my heart to back up my declaration of love for them my words would not carry the same weight. After all I loved my job with my former employer; but I left it. I loved the folk I worked with; but I left them. My mom and dad loved me; but they died and left me. The point here is this: the best love I have for them will never match the love that Christ has for them. My love is temporary because it is human and humans change and die. Gods love never changes and it never dies. Jesus has always been the same and always will be.

So guys let your sweetie know that you love her. Gals, you do the same thing. Because God started this “love thing” and poured Himself into it to the extent that He allowed His heart to be pierced by a spear on a Roman Cross that He may gain yours.

Got Fear?

Even if God kills me, I have hope in him. (Job 13:15 NCV)

The headline in the local paper read At a Loss. A local general store had been destroyed by fire the night before. A picture of an employee standing in the midst of charred debris was on the front page. For a moment I tried to imagine what he must have felt or thought. A day earlier he had been working there and now he was surveying what must have looked like a trash dump. Then I began to think how I would feel if that would have been my house and a picture of me standing there. Scary thought. I immediately prayed for protection for me and my family!

Then this verse of Scripture came to my mind. It was as if the Holy Spirit was reminding me of how temporary earthly things are. Most of you know the story of Job and of all his loss. Job had the right mindset in regards to his catastrophes never losing his trust in God. Oh, he questioned it all as any of us would but in the end came to understand that even if God had told him why, which He did not do, it would have still been more than Job could understand.

What is your greatest fear? Losing your health? Losing your job? Losing your family? Losing your home and property? Losing your life? How about losing your soul? Jesus said we should be more concerned about our soul than anything else we have. Job lost everything but his life and his soul and yet trusted enough in God that even if God killed him, he would still be okay. Can you say that today? If you can than you have peace that surpasses all understanding. Perfect love drives fear out of our minds and God is perfect. His love for us is far above anything we can imagine but His promises in His word are as real as the words on the page. Fear, worry, and doubt are miserable companions. Ditch them; for Jesus!

The Measure Of A Man

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wonder if this is what the Apostle Paul was being inspired to write when he penned these words onto the parchment: Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil
(Ephesians 6:13 NLT).

We all know how easy it is to serve God and be a Christian when everything is going good. We boast about wonderful church services and the moving of the Holy Spirit. We tell everybody at the restaurant what a great time we had in service. Being with Jesus will cause one to feel that way. There is nothing better than basking in the Spirit of God and experiencing His wonderful presence in your very soul. But what about the other times? You know them, the times when you just don’t feel spiritual. Like when that coworker smarts off to you on Monday morning or when your spouse is not in a complimentary mood toward you. When your job is boring, your bank account is overdrawn, your car needs fixing, your roof is leaking, and your teenage daughter has fell in love with a Hells Angel. Yeah, those times.

Neither Dr. King nor the Apostle Paul were inspired to say those times would be easy to endure. What they were inspired to say is the down to earth, rubber meets the road, truth. The same Holy Spirit that was with you last Sunday is still with you. The same Jesus that embraced your heart and whispered encouraging words into your spirit last Sunday is still with you! So how do we stand during the difficult times? The same way we stood in the sanctuary; by immersing ourselves once again in Christ. Putting Him on is simply allowing Him to cover us up. If we leave the Holy Spirit in the sanctuary we are forfeiting the strength and help available to us out here in the world. How do you measure up today? Can you go the distance? If you are in Christ and He is in you, you can!

Stinky Feet

“You shall never wash my feet!” (John 13:8 NKJV)

Dr. Scholl’s was not in existence when Jesus decided to take it upon Himself to do a little foot care unto His disciples. It was not actually about their feet anyway but it would be something they would never forget. From that point onward every time they entered a house and had a servant wash their dirty feet it would be a constant reminder of who Jesus is; and who they were.

The event was a strike against pride, the kind of pride that says that we can wash our own feet. You know what I’m saying. The kind of pride that says we have been saved, washed in the Blood, born again, redeemed, and all the other Christianese phrases you can think of. Christianese? The language of church folk. It is foreign to the unbeliever. They may hear it and have some idea what it means but are not able to connect it with the Gospel. Foot washing is not literally required in order to be saved. Many churches have foot washings and that is fine as long as we realize it is an illustration of servitude. Servitude that starts with letting Christ wash our feet that we may allow Him to wash the feet of others through us. Or did you think it was about you and you serving others? If so, that is the pride Jesus was putting down.

Peter did not consider himself worthy enough to have his feet washed by his Master. Human pride in his heart spoke for him. Jesus came to save sinners and if we think for one minute we are not worthy of His grace and mercy, we will perish being to prideful to submit to One greater than us. “Let Me wash your feet Peter, or you are not My disciple.” That is how I translate what Jesus said to him. Old Pete got the message; “wash all of me then,” he said. You and I are His disciples if we allow Him to do for us what we need done. Church going, Bible reading, foot washing, communion taking, are all good things but do not wash our feet. Only Jesus can cleanse our sin stained bodies. We stick our dirty feet into His pan if we want to be His. We then are to tell others what He has done for us and invite them to have a seat and let Him do it for them.

Feeling stressed? Worried? Sick? Afraid? Have a seat, put your feet in Jesus’ hands, and walk away humbled, refreshed and strengthened having dealt a blow against your pride.

Grace Today

Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26 NIV)

Time was marching on after the murder of Able. God had issued His promises of suffering that mankind would inherit due to the disobedience of Adam. It is evident that Gods presence had not forsaken the first family even though they were defiant. Eve understood that Seth had come by the hand of God.
It is encouraging to me to see that men began to call on the name of the Lord. After all they had been through one would think God would not listen. We could not hold a grudge against God if He had chosen to stop with the murder of Able and allowed Eve, Cain, and the rest of them all to die out. Not giving them anymore children but putting an end to sin at the very out start. “Nipping it in the bud,” as Barney Fife would say. We know now that is not what He did.

You may think you have gone to far in your defiance today. Perhaps someone has even told you that you are an outcast forever. They are wrong and your thinking is wrong. The mercy and grace of God was in the world at the beginning and is still here today. The key to realizing it is to follow the example of the first offspring of sinners; call on the name of the Lord!