What Do You Do When Life Feels Hopeless

 This post is now two and a half weeks late. Oops.

As I wasn't the speaker for this message, you get the super-condensed version that I can glean from the notes. ;) You're welcome.

    This is part 3 of a series of messages which build on each other. You can look back at previous posts to go in-depth, but so far we have talked about our dependency on God, that we all must rely on Him for life and salvation, and that we also have each other to lean on in times of trouble and strife.

    Life comes with a lot of struggles. Whatever phase of life you are in, I guarantee you're facing some kind of struggle, anxiety, or stress. When things get really bad, it can feel awful to need to rely on others for support, but it is important for us to remember that as a church, we are a support network for each other.

    The thing is, a support network can only get us so far. Ultimately, we have to go back to the first lesson and remember that we all must rely on God. When things get dark, look to the Light.

James 5:13 - "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray."

Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Matthew 6:7-8 - "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

    When we are facing darkness, in the midst of darkness, or overwhelmed by darkness, we are told to look to the Lord in prayer. He is there for you, just as He was there for the people we read about in the Bible.

    As you read through the Psalms of David, you will see him over and over crying out to the Lord in desperation, in anguish, in darkness. And often he doesn't get the answer he was looking for, but he is reminded of the steadfast love of the Lord and all the good He has done in his life, and his anguish turns to praise.

    Jesus promised all those who follow Him that He would always be with them. And that doesn't mean He will deliver us from every situation or circumstance, but it does mean He will be there with us through those situations and circumstances as a support and a comfort.

    So, if you're struggling, if life is hard right now, or you are just feeling down, I have two encouragements for you. First, share your burden with some other believers. Find a community of Christians you can trust and share your struggles with them, let them be a support for you. Second, look to the Lord in prayer. Bring your struggles, bring your sorrows, bring your anxieties, bring your strife, bring your darkness to Him and let Him comfort and guide you through. Let Him be the lamp to your feet and the light to your path.

When life feels hopeless, look to the One who gives hope to all who believe.

Christians and the Call for Encouragement

    Have you ever been feeling down, and then someone says just the right thing to cheer you up? I feel like this usually happens with people who know you well, because those are the people who tend to know what you need to hear.

    Have you ever been in a tight spot, then someone seems to come out of nowhere and help you out? For a short person, this could be as small an act as a tall person coming into your aisle at the grocery store and reaching the top shelf for you. Or it could be if you're lost on your first day at a new school and a random student notices and helps you find where you're supposed to go. Or perhaps you've tripped and fallen running from zombies in the zombie apocalypse (someone always trips) and a stranger rushes in to help you escape the clutches of the undead.

    How do you feel after these experiences? Relieved? Sure, I know I would be in that last situation. But I think you know the word we're looking for here: encouraged. When someone lifts your spirits, or steps in to help or support you, it encourages you.

    While it is awesome to be on the receiving end of this, as Christians we are called to be an encouragement to others. Encouragement is defined as "the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope". This can take the form of words, actions, or sometimes just being present. 

    We're going to be looking at the example of a man from the early church who was so known for his encouragement skills that he literally earned the nickname "Son of Encouragement". His birth name is Joseph, and he is a Jewish man from a place called Cyprus.

Acts 4:32-37 - "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet."

    A couple of things are going on here: the early church was made up of wealthy and not-so-wealthy people, but their community was so strong and connected that everyone shared what they had with everyone else. This made it so that no one in the Christian community went hungry or without a place to stay. The apostles, those who were Jesus' disciples during His earthly ministry and had witnessed His resurrection, were testifying to the truth of the gospel, and as they did this they made sure that the shared possessions and money from the people got distributed properly to everyone who had need. Could you imagine a community like this? It sounds like they were a real family, with everyone taking care of the needs of everyone else.

    Joseph, called Barnabas, was one of those wealthier members of the community and he participated in sharing what he had to make sure everyone was taken care of. This is our introduction to this man. It was the apostles who called him a "son of encouragement", which tells us that his generosity and support of other believers was above and beyond most of the others in the community.

Now, in this first example, what did Barnabas say or do to be an encouragement to his fellow believers?

    We aren't told that he said anything, only that he sold a field and gave the money from the sale to the apostles to give to whoever needed it. His actions were an encouragement because he was providing for needs. This could be like if you sold your PS5 to help a friend pay for summer camp, or if you offered to pay for a friend's lunch, or in that early example, if you were the tall person who stepped in to help a short person reach something on the top shelf in the grocery store. It's the idea of stepping in to offer help to someone in need. And Barnabas earned his nickname because he was so good at doing this.

Acts 11:19-24 - "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord."

    In case you are unfamiliar with the history of the early church, after Jesus rose from the dead He spent about 40 days with His disciples before ascending into Heaven. Shortly after He ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit down to fill His disciples and empower them for ministry, so that they would be able to spread the good news of His resurrection and the salvation He offers to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth. Acts chapter 2 shows the coming of the Holy Spirit and Peter's first sermon - in Jerusalem. Literally thousands of people hear his message and believe in Jesus, and that's when the church really kicked off. Unfortunately, the news about Jesus was offensive to the religious leaders of that time, and they started to persecute the church. It started with imprisonments, but eventually escalated to executions by stoning (a large crowd surrounding someone and throwing big stones at them until they were unalived). Stephen, who is mentioned at the start of the last passage, was the first Christian to get stoned to death, and the persecution of the church got really bad after that.

    The persecution forced Christians to spread out away from Jerusalem, which brought the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the areas around Jerusalem (Judea and Samaria), but as we see above, they were only preaching to other Jews. That is, until some of them decided to start preaching to non-Jews (the Hellenists / Greeks / Gentiles), and those non-Jews GOT SAVED! This is where Jesus' plan for the gospel to reach the ends of the earth gets some traction.

    If you recall, Barnabas is originally from Cyprus, right next to Antioch where this is going down. The church catches wind of these non-Jews coming to faith, and they decide to send Barnabas there to check it out. He shows up, his heart leaps as he sees more and more people coming to faith in the Lord. He was encouraged by what God was doing. Having been encouraged by God, he steps in to encourage the new believers.

    How does he do it this time? This time he's not using money. This time he uses his words. The word used above is "exhort", which means to "strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something". So Barnabas strongly encouraged the new believers to remain faithful to the Lord. Likely, he taught them more about Jesus and how to live by the Spirit, and his encouragement served to point them toward the next step in their relationship with Jesus through faith. For us this might be talking to a friend about their faith, what they believe and why they believe it. It might be urging them to trust in God when they're feeling persecuted or down. Or it might be as simple as sharing a Bible verse with someone who just seems a little off. The goal is to lift their spirits and point them to Jesus.

Acts 14:19-23 - "But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

    We haven't talked about Paul yet in this post, but I'm sure you know at least a little bit about him. He has written almost half of the New Testament, and he is a major player in the book of Acts. In this passage he and Barnabas are traveling together on their first missionary journey, spreading the gospel to as many cities as they can. Unfortunately, that persecution we were talking about before was still happening, and we see that Paul gets stoned for his preaching. Unlike Stephen, however, he survived the stoning, and we are told that he gets up and goes back into the city.

    If I were to get surrounded by a crowd of people and stoned half to death, I don't think I would have the guts to go back into the same city and keep preaching. If I did, that would have to be the power of God at work within me. And I think that is what Paul had going for him here. The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to keep going.

    Then we are told that he and Barnabas moved on to the next city and continued to preach the gospel, making many disciples, and then returned to the places where people had just tried to stone them to the death. The passage says that they returned, "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith". We know that there was teaching and words being shared here, but I think there is a more important element at play in their encouragement to the disciples. It was their presence and their perseverance in the face of persecution.

    Paul and Barnabas were unphased by the stoning. They didn't let it stop them from spreading the gospel and they didn't let it affect their faith in the Lord. They set an example for the other believers to see and follow. And then they urged them to remain faithful in the Lord, and appointed leaders in the churches to make sure they would have the leadership they needed to persevere in the face of persecution.

    Words and actions can go a long way to encourage someone, but sometimes all you need is to be present with them. When someone is sad, perhaps mourning the loss of a pet or a family member, sitting with them can mean much more than anything you could say or do. Just being there is the encouragement, so they know they are not alone.

    Spoiler alert if you haven't seen "A Bug's Life", but there is a scene toward the end where Flik stands up to Hopper. He gets beaten down and tossed around, but he refuses to back down. He challenges Hopper, and in so doing inspires the other ants to follow his lead. He realizes that together, the ants are actually stronger than the grasshoppers (because of their numbers). In the scene, it's a combination of his words, his actions, and his presence that encourages the other ants.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

    Encouragement isn't just for some Christians. Barnabas may have been known for his encouragement, but he was not the only Christian offering encouragement to others. We are all called to be encouragers, and particularly toward each other. With the way our culture is leaning, it is going to become tougher to be a Christian in America than it was even a few years ago. We will face more persecution and more rejection, and that can really take a toll on our faith. Now more than ever we need to encourage each other in the faith, spurring each other on to love and good works.

We can do this through our words, sharing God's Word and what He has done in our lives with others.

We can do this through our actions, stepping in to help when others need it and doing our best to meet the needs of others.

We can do this through our presence, just being there for people when they need support.

You are called to encourage.

So, is there someone in your life right now who needs to make the next step in their faith?

What could you do to meet their needs and move them closer to Jesus?

What Are the Wages of Sin?

    I used to work as a facilities assistant at a bio-analytical company. It sounds fancy, but really I just managed a stockroom of chemical supplies and moved chemicals around. Due to the potentially dangerous nature of the work (some of those chemicals were quite dangerous) I got paid well. At the time I was working part-time there and part-time at the church, but my real passion was the church. So, when they offered to hire me full-time I had to say no. I stayed on as a contract worker for about a year and a half, which meant that I got paid by the hour. If I worked a lot of hours, I got paid a lot, and if I worked only a few hours, I got paid less. If I wanted to get paid, I had to earn it - that's what we call a wage. A wage is a fixed, regular payment that is made to compensate someone for their work.

    The focus of this post is addressing the "wages of sin". Well, we now know what wages are, but what is sin?

    Literally translated, "sin" is "missing the mark". If you think in terms of archery, sin is when I miss the bullseye. I have not hit the mark I was aiming for, so I have sinned. In the Bible, this word is always used to describe disobedience or rebellion against God. You see, God has set the "mark" for us. What we are aiming for is perfection according to His Law and what He says is right. Anytime we miss that mark, anytime we fall short of perfection, we are sinning against God. It is anything we think, say, or do that goes against God.

    Now that we understand these two terms, let's get into the answer for the question. What are the wages of sin?

Paul makes it very clear in the first part of Romans 6:23:

"For the wages of sin is death..."

    When we sin, we earn death. Death is our fixed, regular payment for our sin. Before Adam and Eve had ever sinned, God warned them that this would be the result.

Genesis 2:17 - "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

    He set a simple mark for them - just don't eat the fruit of one particular tree. As we know, they missed that mark. For those of you who know the story, they didn't die immediately - the fruit wasn't poisoned or anything. But because of their sin death entered into the world. Paul explains this very quickly in Romans 5:12:

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned..."

    If Adam and Eve had not sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then death would not have entered the world. They would have been able to stay in the Garden of Eden, eaten the fruit of the Tree of Life (which was not off-limits) and lived forever.

But they did sin. And as a result death entered the world and now everyone deserves death.

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."

    Everyone has earned death for themselves. You, me, our friends, our families, our neighbors, our coworkers (if we have any), everyone. For Adam and Eve, the immediate consequence was separation from God, removal from the Garden of Eden and a loss of access to the Tree of Life. We are currently living in those consequences, with death in our future. What happens when someone dies while separated from God?

    There are several names used in the Bible to describe the destination of sinners: Hell, Hades, Sheol, Gehenna... and according to Revelation all these will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire (or as Jesus sometimes describes it, the fiery furnace or outer darkness). In His teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives us a consistent picture of what the Lake of Fire will be like for sinners who go there:

Matthew 8:12 - "While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13:42 - "And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13:50 - "And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 22:13 - "Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Matthew 24:51 - "And will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:30 - "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 25:41 - "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

Matthew 25:46 - "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

    In each of the passages above, those who are cast out are those who are against God. They are those who do not belong to Jesus, who are disconnected from Him, and who have set themselves up against Him. Those who do not belong to God, who remain separated from Him, are cast out into this place described as an eternal fire or punishment, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

    The idea of weeping seems pretty straightforward. In some translations, the word "wailing" is used. From this we can understand that there will be great and overwhelming sorrow, anguish, despair, and hopelessness.

    "Gnashing of teeth" is a phrase used to show either intense pain, or anger and disrespect, or both. If you imagine being filled with rage at someone, you might grind your teeth together at them. It is an expression of hate, anger, disrespect, and usually results from experiencing great pain.

    When you put these together, you get a picture of desperation, hopelessness, pain, and anger. These are the feelings and experiences that characterize the Lake of Fire. What makes it worse is that it is eternal - it will last forever. There is no end to it. Imagine being constantly overwhelmed by hopelessness, despair, pain and anger forever and not being able to do anything about it. That's Hell. That's the Lake of Fire.

Hell is not some kind of "afterparty" where sinners all gather and continue in their sin. It is a dark place of loneliness, hopelessness, anguish, bitterness, sorrow and anger that lasts forever.

    Because of sin, this is the default destination for everyone. We have all earned death which leads to the Lake of Fire for all eternity. It is where we belong, it is where we deserve to go because we have all rebelled against the one and only Holy God.

BUT - yes, there is a but! Let's read the rest of Romans 6:23:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

    I used to be headed for Hell. That's where I deserved to go. But then I put my faith in Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross.

Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

    When Jesus died on the cross over 2,000 years ago, He took on all the sins of the world and paid the penalty for our sin. The death that we earned - He took it on Himself. And He did it out of love for us, so that we could be reunited with God and have life everlasting.

The best part is - IT'S FREE!

    While we earned death, life is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. We don't deserve it at all, but by His grace He offers it to us freely, should we choose to accept it. When I put my faith in Jesus Christ and accepted this free gift, my sins were forgiven and I was made right with God. He no longer holds my sin against me because the penalty has been paid by Jesus! He turned me around so that I no longer belong in Hell, but rather I am welcomed into His Presence and will spend eternity with Him!

    We know that this hope is real because Jesus didn't stay dead. He did something that we could never have done. He took death in our place on the cross, and then 3 days later He rose from the dead. He demonstrated that He has power even over death, and it is proof that what He did on the cross was sufficient to save us from our sin. This is the God we worship and we will get to raise Him forever!

    Those of us who have believed in Jesus are no longer destined for Hell. We belong to Jesus and we have the hope of of living with Him forever. God saved us.

    But I know that many of your friends, your families, your coworkers, your teachers, and others in your life have not believed in Jesus. They either have not heard or have not accepted God's free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. That means they are still destined for Hell. They have sinned, and they have earned death.

YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THEY NEED.

    You have the good news they need to hear about Jesus. You know about the free gift that God has offered to all people. Don't leave them on their path to Hell when you have what they need to hear! Go tell them about Jesus!

    When I worked at that bio-analytical company, one of the highlights of the day was when someone brought in donuts or pizza and left it in the breakroom for anyone to come and take. One of my coworkers was always on the lookout for these, and whenever someone would bring something in, he made sure to tell me about it. The free food was there, but if I didn't know about it I couldn't get it. Someone had to tell me.

    God's free gift of salvation is there for everyone. He has commanded those of us who know about it to share the news with others. He has put you where you are so you can tell the people in your life about Jesus. Tell them about this free gift that God has offered them. Let them know about the life they can have with God forever, and don't leave them on their path to Hell. You know what they need, so tell them about it. Get the conversation started. Invite them to church or youth group. Bring a friend with you and start talking about Jesus. You could save their life.

His gift is there for anyone to accept, but someone has to tell them about it. Let that "someone" be you. Amen.

How to Speak the Truth in Love

 Ephesians 4:15 says, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." Then, in 1 Peter 3:15 the author writes, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect". Throughout the New Testament, Christians are given the command to go out and speak the truth to the world. And every time, Christians are called to do this in a loving way, with gentleness and respect. So the question for today is: how do we speak the truth in love?

Whenever we ask this question, we have to consider who it is that we are speaking to. How we go about speaking the truth in love will be different if we are speaking to fellow Christians versus speaking to non-Christians.

Christians:

Let's first look at how we are to speak the truth in love with fellow believers. To do this, let's take a deeper look into Ephesians 4. For the sake of space, I was going to ask you to go read the chapter for yourself then come back, but then I figured I might as well just share it here:

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,

    he took many captives

    and gave gifts to his people.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 Whew, that's a lot. Let's break it down.

Those who are "in Christ" (Christians) are called to live together in unity and maturity, and we accomplish this by being humble, gentle, patient, and loving toward each other. We are able to be this way with each other because we are all one in Jesus Christ - we hope in the same salvation, follow the same God, and live by the same Spirit which allows us to look past our differences. And we all have a role to fulfill within the community which, when everyone is doing their part, brings us together in unity and helps us all to grow in maturity.

When this is all done well, we are able to constantly look back to the Bible for answers and truth, and call each other out when we start to go astray - which prevents false teaching and wrong ideas from gaining a foothold in the church. This is why it is so important for each of us to read and know the Bible, so that we can point ourselves and others to the truth.

In order for this kind of community and life to be firmly established, each person in the community has to choose to put aside the ways and the thinking of the world. Instead, we choose to follow Jesus and His Word (the Bible). Anyone who claims to be a Christian is making the claim that they have made this choice. "Christian" means "little Christ" and we use the term to designate those who choose to follow Him.

Finally, at the end of the chapter, Paul gets specific with the kinds of behaviors we should or should not have toward each other. Speak truth, work diligently, be generous, speak only what is going to build others up. Get rid of unwholesome talk, bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Instead, be kind and compassionate, and forgive each other in the same way that Jesus has forgiven you.

All of this is directed at those who believe in Jesus as they interact with others who also believe in Jesus. This is for those who are within the church, that we should hold each other accountable in a loving way. When people claim to be Christians but go against what the Bible teaches, we are called to challenge them on it. Why? Because in claiming to be a Christian, they are claiming to follow His Word (a.k.a. the Bible). Our challenge is meant to bring them back to the Bible, and show them how what they're doing or teaching goes against what the Bible says.

For example, we have been talking about biblical sexuality and identity in the last two posts (go read them if you haven't already). We have established that in the Bible, God instituted that sex is to be between a man and a woman in marriage. That is what He ordained when He created the world. Any deviation from God's design, from His order, is sin.

So, when someone comes along claiming to be a Christian and also claiming that homosexuality is not sinful, we are called to challenge them on it. Why are we called to do this? Because they claim to follow Jesus but also teach against what the Bible says. There is a disconnect between what they claim to believe and what they're teaching. Now, how do we challenge them?

First, we have a private conversation with them. We take them aside, asking questions to make sure we understand what they're saying. Then we point them to the Bible, like the passages I talked about in the post "Biblical Sexuality: Setting the Foundation". The goal is to show them the truth as found in the Bible, and the disconnect with what they're teaching. If, after this conversation, they refuse to accept what the Bible teaches, then we go and bring someone else with us, preferably someone with higher authority (like an Elder or Pastor). If they still won't listen, then we bring it to the church as a whole. Again, the goal in each of these conversations is to show them the truth of God's Word, and how they have gone away from that truth. If, after all of this, they still will not listen or accept the Bible's teaching, we are called to exclude them from the church.

Why is this? Some kind of punishment? No, net really. Essentially, what they have done is claimed to follow Jesus but rejected His teaching. That doesn't work, logically. You can't both follow and reject Jesus. The purpose of excluding them from the church is to demonstrate how serious this matter is: a Christian who will not submit to God's Word has a serious heart issue, and until they are able to recognize that and humble themselves and submit to God, their continued participation in worship and fellowship with other believers will cause a lot of damage. Not to mention that their beliefs will open up a pathway for false teaching to enter the church. This cannot be allowed to happen, which is why we are called to remove them from the church.

But, remember how Paul says we are to go about this: with love and gentleness, without unwholesome speech, slander, or rage. That means we don't yell, put them down, or curse them at any point in these conversations. Even at the point where we need to exclude someone from our fellowship, we aren't supposed to do it with violence or malice. Our goal, even in exclusion, is to bring them to a knowledge and acceptance of the truth.

Non-Christians:

But what about those who don't believe? What about people who are not Christians?

Romans 10:9-17:

“⁹ If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ ¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ ¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Those who are outside the faith are not going to accept Jesus' teaching until they have accepted Jesus.

Read that again.

Our goal, first and foremost, is to share the gospel with non-believers. That's the truth they need to hear. If they haven't heard the gospel or haven't put their faith in Jesus, then nothing else the Bible says will mean anything to them. So, what is the gospel?

There is a God who created the whole universe, including you and me.

He established everything perfect and good.

But we rebelled against Him. This rebellion is called sin. We are sinners.

Sin separates us from God and will ultimately bring us death. There is nothing we can do to fix this problem on our own.

God loves us, even though we are sinners. He came to the earth as a man, Jesus Christ, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

He took our deaths on Himself, so that by believing in Him, we could have eternal life and be reunited with God forever.

This is where Paul's statement comes in - anyone who declares with their mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead will be saved. Everyone who follows Jesus will be forgiven for their sin and made right with God.

Our mission, as given to us directly by Jesus, is to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus taught. We "make disciples" by sharing the gospel with people and calling them to repent (turn from their sin) and believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. When someone comes to Christ, they cast off who they used to be and become made new in Jesus. They are called to let go of their old way of thinking and grab hold of the truth of God's Word.

People need to know that they are sinners, and they need to know that salvation can be found in Jesus Christ. Too often we see the church spreading a message of hate toward the LGBTQ+ community, focusing so heavily on the fact that they are sinners that we forget to share the good news - that Jesus has paid for their sin on the cross, just as He paid for our sin.

But, as Paul asked in Romans, how are they going to call on the name of Jesus if no one has proclaimed the good news of the gospel to them?

Now, not everyone is going to believe. Paul mentions how some of the people of Israel rejected Jesus. As we go about this, sharing the gospel, we have to expect that people are going to reject Jesus, and, consequently, reject us. But we still have to tell them about Jesus, because if we won't, who will? Each of you reading this have friends or coworkers who don't know Jesus. If you don't tell them about Him, who will?

The most important truth non-believers need to hear is that Jesus Christ came and died for their sin, and that He rose again to bring them eternal life with God. Everything else comes after that essential truth. If they won't accept that, they won't accept anything else God has to say through the Bible.

But again, how are we to do this? With love, gentleness, patience, kindness, compassion and respect. Without yelling, anger, slander, malice or cursing.

Anytime we are going to speak the truth to someone, here are some basic guidelines to make sure we are going about it the right way and with the right motives:

1. Listen before you speak. Try to understand where they're coming from as best as you can - don't just assume you know their perspective. Ask questions, let them clarify, and seek to understand.

2. Check yourself. Make sure your intentions are good - are you starting this conversation for their benefit or is there some other motivation under the surface?

3. Watch your words. Keep it simple and calm. Remember, you can't "unsay" anything. Your words can either bring them to a knowledge and understanding of the truth or they can tear them down and cause lasting damage to their life and faith.

4. Pray before, during, and after the conversation. Ultimately, God is the one who is going to work in their lives, so ask Him for guidance throughout the whole situation.

5. Trust in God. Trust that His Word is true, trust that He will help you, and trust that He will care for this other person.

Christian or non-Christian, we are called to speak the truth in love to others. This takes intentionality, it takes practice, and it takes trusting God in everything we say and do. Ultimately, our goal is always to bring people closer to God and to His Word.

No More Excuses - The Good Samaritan

 If you had to condense all of the commands of God throughout the Bible into just 2 commands, what would they be?

Most of you probably already know that the Bible has done this for us, and you jumped right into "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." If that's where your mind went, excellent, we are on the same page. These two commands basically sum up everything has commanded of us. Everything we do ought to come out of loving God with all our being and loving others.

Now, how many of you obey these two commands all of the time?

That's a harder question. It is one thing to know what God commands, and it is another thing to actually obey those commands on a daily basis.

It's probably safe to say there are some people in your life that you don't like very much. Maybe it is someone from school, a family member, or some internet troll. What does it mean for us to love these people as ourselves? I mean, what about someone we absolutely despise, or someone who is actively trying to hurt us? Are we supposed to love them, too? How do we do with that command to love our neighbor when the "neighbor" in question is an enemy?

Our passage today is Luke 10:25-37 - the parable of the Good Samaritan.

“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A wise man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go and do likewise.’"

There are two basic parts to this passage; two major questions from the lawyer which get addressed. 

1. What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?

2. Who is my neighbor?

For both questions, Jesus responds with a question. In the first question, a lawyer (an expert in the Law of Moses) wants to know what he has to do to inherit eternal life. We might instinctively reply saying something like "There's nothing you can do to inherit eternal life. We're stuck in sin and there's nothing we can do on our own to earn forgiveness become right with God."

What is surprising to many people today is that Jesus doesn't go this way in His response. Instead, He asks the lawyer to look to the Scriptures. We see the lawyer respond with the two greatest commands, which sum up the whole Law, and says that if one follows these he can inherit eternal life. And Jesus once again doesn't reply with "Trick question, you actually can't do anything..." Instead, He says "Great, so go do it. Go and love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus agrees with the lawyer's interpretation. Perfect obedience to the Law of Moses would bring about eternal life.

The problem is, nobody can obey God's Law perfectly. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all mess up at some point. And that's why the apostle Paul, elsewhere in the New Testament, says that the Law of God shows us our sin - when we fall short it shows us how much we need Jesus. And here with this lawyer, Jesus is trying to show the lawyer his shortcomings.

So then we get to the lawyer's follow-up question, and it shows us where his heart is at: "And who is my neighbor?" The passage tells us he is trying to justify himself. He is trying to set a limitation on who actually counts as his neighbor, because if it just the people who live next door to him, then perhaps this guy really has followed the whole Law. Maybe he has a shot at inheriting eternal life. If it includes more than just the people living next door, though, well then he might be in trouble.

We like to put addendums and caveats on the rules because it makes us feel better. Think about a "speed limit" for a moment. Unpack those words - speed limit. Its a limit on how fast you are allowed to go on a road. According to the law, you are not allowed to go any faster than that limit. And yet most drivers treat is as a suggestion, a general guideline. As long as you're within 5 mph of the limit you're good, right? Wrong. That's not what the law says, and anyone who goes above the limit is technically breaking the law.

Now, I know what you're going to say, "Michael, everyone drives a little over the limit, I'm just following the flow of traffic. A cop isn't going to pull me over if I'm only going a few miles over the limit. As long as I'm not being reckless the cops aren't going to care." We make all these excuses so we can feel better about the fact that we're breaking the law. A small infraction is still an infraction. Maybe you make these kinds of excuses for copying a friend's HW, or cheating on a test. Maybe you make them for other rules in your life. Why do we do this?

Because it makes us feel better. It makes us feel as if we are not actually doing anything wrong. But Jesus' reply breaks through all of that. The lawyer wanted to justify himself by putting a limit on who counted as his neighbor, but Jesus didn't let him get away with it.

In the parable we find this ambiguous man beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. The first two people to come across him are religious leaders. A priest and Levite would have known the Law, and that they were commanded to love this man and care for him. As leaders they were meant to set an example for others of obeying God's commands. But what do they do? They walk around him and continue on their way. They leave him for dead. Where is their compassion? Where is their love for this man?

Then a Samaritan shows up. For context, Samaritans were half-breeds in the eyes of the Jews. They were half-Jewish and half-something else. Their ancestors had married non-Jews and for that they were looked down upon by "full-blooded" Jews. In addition, they didn't practice all the same things the Jews did from the Law of Moses (partly because they weren't allowed in the Temple), which made the Jews look down on them even more. So, racially and religiously, the Samaritans were hated by the Jews. And likewise, the Samaritans hated the Jews back. There was a lot hatred between the two groups.

Yet what does this Samaritan do? Does he walk on by? No. He stops and shows compassion and love to this beaten man. He makes tremendous sacrifice to go out of his way to make sure this man is cared for. He sacrifices his time, his money, and his resources. The "half-breed heretic" demonstrates what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

So, Jesus asks the lawyer, "who was a good neighbor to this beaten man?" The lawyer has to respond with "the one who showed mercy" - the Samaritan. So Jesus reaffirms his earlier command: "Go and do likewise." Go and show mercy to those who need it.

The application from this is simple. We should follow the example of the Samaritan. He came across someone in need, and he sacrificed his time and resources to care for him. How often do we come across people in need and make excuses as to why we don't need to help them?

We come across a homeless person and assume they will just use our money for drugs or alcohol, so we don't need to give them money.

We come across a kid getting harassed in school, but we don't know them very well so we don't need to step in and help. Its not our business anyway.

We see another student struggling with a class, but we don't have much free time anyway so we don't have time to help them.

The point of this parable is to show us that excuses don't work with God. If we know the good we ought to do, but do not do it, then for us it is sin. We need to stop making excuses for not having compassion on people. Everyone is our neighbor - our family, our friends, our actual neighbors, every other student and all the teachers and faculty at school, the baristas at Starbucks, and even the trolls on the internet.

Jesus' command at the end of this parable is to show compassion to the people we encounter in our everyday lives, even if it means we have to make sacrifices to help them. It's a hard command, but it's the right thing to do. It is the righteous thing to do. And it is what God wants us to do.

So, go and do likewise.

Read the Bible Yo

 Let's start with a little game. Below are 10 statements. As you read each one, write down whether you think its a true biblical teaching or false teaching. You don't have to explain why you think its true or false, just determine which it is.

Things the Bible Teaches...??

1. Most people are basically good.

2. God accepts the worship of all religions.

3. The OT Law (Law of Moses) condemns children to death for cursing their parents.

4. Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father.

5. Sin entered the world when Eve ate an apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

6. All people are created in the image of God and He loves them as His children.

7. Money is the root of all evil.

8. All you have to do to be saved is ask Jesus into your heart.

9. God will never give you more than you can handle.

10. God helps those who helps themselves.

Did you figure out which ones are true and which are false? What if I told you that only ONE of those statements is a true biblical teaching, and its not the one you think it is. The answer key (with an explanation for each) is in the comment section if you're curious.

If you got a bunch of them wrong, don't feel too bad, the wording got a little tricky and I even tricked some of the leaders last night with those statements. If you somehow got them all right, or came close, I am willing to bet that you were able to figure it out based on one thing: you've read the Bible.

Answer me this: have you ever felt like you can't talk about God because you don't know enough? Or have you felt like you can't talk about God because someone may ask you a question that you don't know how to answer? Or because you just don't know what to say?

How do we fix this? How can we know more? Where can we find answers? How can we know what to say?

The answer is simple: by reading the Bible. If you take nothing else away from any of my messages, take this: READ THE BIBLE. Know what it says. Consume it like New England Clam Chowder from the Cheesecake Factory after a 5-day fast (there's a story there). Take it in like cool water after a long summer day in the hot sun. Get lost in the Word of God like when you get stuck scrolling through TikTok until 4 in the morning.

Read.

The.

Bible.

Why is it so important for Christian's to read and know the Bible? Some of you know that I've recently gotten really into TikTok (my wife tells me I'm obsessed). Over the last month I've been interacting with a lot of false teaching (FROM CHRISTIANS) that has come across my For You page. I never knew how bad it was out there, even just within Christian circles. People who have a very poor understanding of the Bible are teaching whatever they want and calling it biblical. Then, people who don't know the Bible very well are believing them! This is a problem. When we don't know the Bible very well, we are going to fall into a lot of false teaching.

In Psalm 1, David talks about the blessing that comes to those who meditate on God's Word every day - it leads us to righteousness and keeps us close to God. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells Timothy "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

This letter, naturally, comes after 1 Timothy 4:8, where Paul tells Timothy "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

We can see benefits to physical training. It keeps our body in good shape, allowing us to have a higher quality of life and live longer. There is value to that. But Paul here is saying that training in godliness has MUCH GREATER VALUE, holding promise both for this life, and the life we will spend in eternity with God. And how do we train in godliness? By reading Scripture. By spending time in the Word of God. It is what trains us to live as God wants us to live, and to draw near to Him in all things.

When we invest our time in the Bible like we are commanded to do, our minds are changed, our behaviors change, our lives change, our words change, our understanding is changed, and we are better able to identify false teaching. These are amazing benefits for this life, and as we draw near to God, these hold benefits for eternity as well.

So read the Bible. Meditate on it. Think about it. Memorize it. Act on it. The more we read the Bible, the more we will know what to say when people ask us questions. The more we read the Bible, the more we will know and be able to identify false teachings. The more we read the Bible, the more we will talk to people about the Gospel and faith in Jesus. This is because it is "out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). What we put into our hearts and minds is what is going to come out of it. So the more time we spend in the Word of God, the more the Word of God will come out in our daily lives.

If you want to grow in your faith, to grow closer to God, and to have everlasting benefits in both this life and the life to come: Read the Bible.

There's No Time

 This one is coming out a bit later than usual, but that's ok, because the important thing is that you are able to look back and see what we've talked about this year. Our group is still recovering from all the sickness we experienced over Christmas Break, and Omicron is just sweeping across America faster than the latest broom. lease stay safe out there yall. Also, get a sense of humor because I'm going to guess that you aren't laughing and that joke was literal gold.

So last week we looked at a simple passage (super well-known, too) within the context of a story I shared. So about 6 years ago I worked at a bio-analytical lab as a kind of hyped up stockboy (no, I didn't do any bio-analyzing). While there I met a guy we'll call Eddy, who was about the same age as me. I was one of a few Christians in the workplace, but only two of us spent much time talking about our faith. Well, Eddy was what the church might call a seeker. He would regularly ask questions about our faith and about the Bible, and we would talk to him about those questions. But, I never took the opportunity to unpack the Gospel. 1. He never directly asked about it, 2. I didn't want to be accused of imposing my faith on him and making future conversations awkward, and 3. I always assumed I would have an opportunity in the future. One Monday morning I came in to work and Eddy wasn't there. No one knew why, and honestly we didn't think much of it because people miss a day of work all the time (sickness, emergencies, etc.). It wasn't until a couple days later that we found out the sad truth - Eddy had been killed in a car accident over the weekend. Just like that, he was gone. He knew a little bit about the Bible from our conversations, and he knew a little bit about God, but I don't think he ever heard the Gospel message about Jesus.

At the end of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says this to His 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)

The will of God, for me and for you, is to go and make disciples. Breaking that down: we are to tell people about their need for a Savior and about Jesus, the Savior. Those who repent and believe we are to baptize into the church and teach them to obey what God commands in the Bible.

These are some simple bullet points for sharing the Gospel:

1. People are stuck in sin and are destined for death.

2. Jesus (who is God in the flesh) came and died for our sin so that we could be forgiven.

3. When we believe in Jesus, we repent (turn away from) of our sin and follow Him.

4. All those who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead will be saved.

5. Stuck in sin - sin earns death - Jesus died for sin - we believe in Him and are saved

I never gave Eddy a chance to believe and follow Jesus. Is it possible someone else told him about Jesus? Yes, it is possible. But I didn't follow the mission I've been given by Jesus - which is to make disciples.

The truth is, we have no idea what tomorrow holds. We don't know how much time we have left and we certainly don't know how much time our friends have left. SO LET US NOT WASTE OUR TIME.

I have two questions for you:

1. If you died tonight, do you know where you're going?

Take a long second to think about that. If you were to die tonight, do you truly believe that you're going to be with God forever?

2. If your friends died tonight, do you know where they're going?

I am willing to bet that all of you have some non-Christians friends or family. The Bible teaches us that those who do not believe in Jesus will be separated from God forever. So, what is keeping you from talking to them about Jesus? Is it fear that they will stop being your friend? Worry that it will be awkward? Uncertainty about what to say or how to start the conversation?

We can't let these things get in the way of talking to people about Jesus. He is their only hope, and God has placed YOU in their lives to share the Gospel with them. Our mission is urgent, because we just do not know how much time anyone has left. If you know that your friends or family are not believers, you have to at least give them a chance to believe. Below are just a few suggestions for ways to start the conversation or prepare for a conversation about faith in Jesus:

1. Ask what the other person believes. This gets a spiritual conversation going, and can very easily lead to you sharing what you believe. The bonus of this is you get to see their perspective and their response can show you how much they've thought about this kind of thing.

2. Ask "What do you think happens when we die?" Once again, it gets the conversation started with their perspective, opening up opportunities for you to respond with your perspective.

3. Ask them if there is anything you can pray for them for. This doesn't always go well, but most people are willing to accept prayer. This can also be a subtle way of letting them know that you have faith in a higher power, even they don't explicitly know Who you are praying to at first.

4. The blunt approach: Ask if they would be willing to hear about Jesus, or just jump right in to talking through the Gospel.

5. Share your testimony, your story of believing in Jesus. Try to keep it shorter than about 5 minutes if you can, and then as they ask questions (and hopefully they do) you can go deeper into certain areas. Always bring it back to salvation through faith in Jesus.

6. Ask if they would be willing to read the Bible with you. I've seen some people in our church do this with great success - people might be more willing than you give them credit. The cool thing about this approach is that you get to read the Bible alongside them, and they might ask questions that you had never even considered - leading to a pursuit of the truth and discovery of knowledge about God. This approach allows the Word of God to speak for itself.

7. Pray continually for opportunities to talk about Jesus (especially with specific people in mind), then look for those opportunities and DO NOT IGNORE THEM. When we pray about it, our eyes are more open to see opportunities as God brings them to us.

8. Look for different illustrations to use in explaining the Gospel (Romans Road, The Chasm, The Judge, CRU has some great illustrations to use). These can help you to know what to say or to better explain what you're trying to say in a conversation.

9. Bring someone with you. Making disciples is not a solo-mission. We don't have to do it by ourselves, and we're actually not even called to do it alone! The example set for us by Jesus was to go in pairs and work together. So find another Christian to go with you and work together in making disciples.

10. Read the Bible. The more we know about God and His Word, the easier it is to talk about Jesus with others. Start small, just share a verse you were reading recently and talk about how God impacted your life through that verse. It doesn't need to be an hour-long conversation for it to have a lasting impact on your friends and family.

I am praying for you all and my hope is that you will be steadfast in your faith and diligent in the mission we have all been given.

New Year, Same Questions

 Hey yall, so we just started the new year (2022 woot woot) and we had our first Summit of the year last night. As I expected, attendance was low. Omicron is running rampant through our area (my wife and I both had it through Christmas break and now the rest of my family has it) and I even advised yall that if you weren't feeling well you shouldn't come. This is okay. We missed you and we pray that God restores your health and well-being, if it be His will.

So, since we had such a small group, I decided to change up the message. Rather than sharing the message I had prepared (which was an awesome message I think and you'll get to hear it next week) I decided to engage in an interactive discussion. I opened it up to those who were there to ask the questions they had related to faith and the Bible. Of course, there were some jokes, we laughed, we had fun with it. Some of the questions asked were:

1. Are there aliens and would their existence debunk the Bible? We talked about this and concluded that it is totally within God's power to have created aliens. The Bible makes no mention of extra-terrestrial life, and we run into some theological problems if there is intelligent life out there. For example, that would mean they are stuck in a sin-filled and decaying universe because of Adam and Eve's sin, even though they have absolutely no connection to or knowledge of our planet. On top of this, part of what makes Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross work for us is that He was a man. If there are aliens, they would not be able to find salvation through Jesus Christ. All of this being said, I think it is entirely possible that there could be life out there in the universe, but I do not believe there is intelligent life. If I'm wrong, and there are intelligent aliens out there, that doesn't mean the Bible is wrong, it just means there are things we didn't know before and things that God did not reveal to us through the Bible. Don't let aliens shake your faith. =)

2. How tall was Jesus? Apparently, the average height of Jews 2,000 years ago was around 5'5". We don't know exactly what Jesus looked like, and its really not important, but He isn't described as being particularly taller or shorter than others, so He was probably between 5'3" and 5'7". Again, we don't know so don't let that shake your faith.

3. Are there animals in Heaven (and specifically pets)? This actually got asked a couple of months ago, but we talked through it again. The short answer is, we don't know. God doesn't take the time to lay out exactly how everything is going to be when we are with Him for eternity, so we can only speculate. In Revelation John describes the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. We think this will probably be a restored and perfected version of the original creation, and since that one included animals, it would make sense that there would be animals in the new earth. However, I agree with something Dr. Jason Lisle talked about, which is that it won't be the same animals that we have today. The reason for this is that the animals we see today are all part of the decaying world we live in (just like us). Since we, who are made in the image of God, will be resurrected with new glorified bodies, it would make sense that the animals in the new earth would be restored to a perfect state. To make that simpler, I believe there will be animals in the new earth, but I don't believe any of our pets will be there. Now, Dr. Lisle also shared that he believes it is within God's power to bring our pets to the new earth, so if you asked God to bring your pet back, He could do that. At the end of the day, we don't know, so as I have been saying - don't let this shake your faith.

4. The last question was one that I asked: what is the purpose of church? I was amazed and extremely encouraged to hear some of you recall what we had talked almost two years ago from Acts 2:42-47.

"42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

These were the practices of the early church. The main part of our discussion was about what would happen if a Christian became separated from the church. They would be more easily tempted away from their faith, they would be more easily discouraged and overwhelmed by the world, and they would find it much harder to keep following Jesus. Being a part of a local church allows us to have community with fellow believers, to learn more about our faith, the Bible, and God, and to be encouraged in our walk and in obedience to God. It is easier and more fulfilling to live the Christian life in community with other Christians than it is to try to go it alone. So, if you are reading this and you are not a part of a local church, please please please go and be a part of one. Our church is open to you.

The 4 Loves

 SO, our last post covered a discussion on what it means to truly love God, but based on the feedback I got from each of the Family Groups it seems like a lot of yall got hung up on the idea of love. What even is love? And when we talk about love in the Bible, what do we mean? This can be really hard to understand sometimes because in English, we use love in a variety of ways. For example, the following statements are all 100% true:

I love coffee.

I love my mom.

I love my wife.

I love God.

Those are all true statements, but when you think about it, I don't love coffee the same way I love my mom, and I don't love my mom the same way I love my wife, and I don't love any of them the same way I love God. So, even though I am using the same word in all of those statements (love), I mean different things each time. This is why it can be so confusing for us when we are talking about "love" in the Bible. With that in mind, let's look at the four primary words for love in Greek (Greek is the language that the New Testament was originally written in, and these four words all get translated into English as "love").

1. Storge.

Storge is best described as a "fondness of familiarity". It is a bond that comes from shared experiences and circumstances, like being in the same family. You don't get to choose your biological family, but they are still your family. Even if you don't always like them, if they come under threat most of the time you will come to their defense. So, you might call this family devotion. A common trope in media is how siblings will hate each other and get on each others nerves, but when someone else shows up and starts messing around, the siblings immediately defend each other. You might hear the phrase, "Nobody gets to mess with my little brother but me." That's the idea of storge love.

2. Eros.

This is probably the most familiar kind of love for you, because it is what we might think of as "romantic" love. This is a physical, intimate love between a husband and wife, and it is also the idea of "being in love". Eros love is the most prevalent kind of love portrayed in media, although they usually reduce it to more of a lust/passion than actual love. Regardless, most of the time when we use the word "love" in English, this is the kind of love we think about. This is also the closest we get to love being a feeling, since there is an element of feeling involved with this.

Here is the interesting part, just like we use this version of love all the time in our culture today, so too did the culture in Jesus' day when the New Testament was written. Eros love was used and talked about all the time. HOWEVER, this word doesn't get used once in the whole New Testament. Whenever the New Testament authors talk about love, they are never referring to eros love. They DO address the idea of sexuality and passion, but almost always in a context of setting proper boundaries.

3. Philos.

Philos love is the warm affection found between good friends and family members. This is an essential love for the human experience, as we are created as social beings. We need friends and positive relationships in our lives, and philos love is the expression of those relationships. Philos love goes a lot deeper than what we might call friendship, because when we think of our friendships a lot of times they are built around common interests or settings but don't go very deep. Philos-level friendships are very deep and strong bonds that hold people together. Jesus had a philos love friendship with Lazarus and His disciples. David (from the Old Testament) and Jonathan also had this kind of friendship.

Romans 12:10 - "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

The underlined part there, "brotherly affection" is actually a combination of storge and philos. Paul took these two forms of love and mashed them together to describe the kind of bonds we should have with fellow believers. This is because we are not only bonded together through the shared circumstance of being part of the family of God, but we are also bonded through our shared faith in Christ and call to obedience. Its a powerful family-friendship love that we are called to have for each other as Christians. Do you love your fellow believers like this?

4. Agape.

The pinnacle of biblical love, agape love is an unconditional love. No matter the circumstances, experiences, values, behaviors, actions, words, or anything else, agape love perseveres. In the Bible, this stands out as the highest form of love. Agape love is the kind of love that God has for us. When Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for the sins of the world, He demonstrated agape love. No matter what we do, God still loves us (and good thing, too). We sin? God loves us. We fight against God? He still loves us. We decide to start hating God? God still loves us. No matter what the conditions are, God continues and will always love us.

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Guess which Greek word is used in John 3:16? That's right, agape. It doesn't say "For God was so devoted to His family..." or "For God was so in love with the world..." or "For God was such good friends with the world..." No. It says "For God so unconditionally loved the world..." He put us first, even though we didn't deserve it.

Matthew 22:37 - "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"

Once again, Jesus uses "agape" for the kind of love we are to have for God. We should unconditionally love God with all of our being (heart, soul, and mind). In the Mark version of this statement, Jesus includes our strength, and if you recall our discussion from last week, He set up a totem pole of priorities for us: God > everyone else > me. We are to unconditionally love God with everything we have, and then love others as well.

When we read through 1 Corinthians 13 (the famous love chapter), Paul uses agape for love throughout that passage. He isn't talking about romantic love, or friendship love, but unconditional love, and the kind of love that we are to have for others because that is the kind of love God has for us.

Now, I want to make sure we are all clear on this: when we talk about loving God, loving fellow believers, and loving those out in the world, we are not talking about eros love - the idea of being in love with someone. Biblical love has nothing to do with romance. Instead, when we talk about biblical love, we are talking about the choice we make to put others first unconditionally.

I can love others (and you) unconditionally because that is the kind of love God has for me. With my sin I have hated God, spat at Him, made fun of Him, and my sin was part of what put Him on the cross. And yet, He still loves me. Jesus still died for me. He gave me the example of what true agape love looks like, and He has called each of us to have that same kind of love for Him and for each other.

What would it look like for you to love God the way He has loved you?

What would it look like for you to love other believers unconditionally?

What would it look like for you to truly put the needs of others before your own and live like Jesus lived?

Do You Love God?

 Before you read any further into this post, answer this question with a simple "yes" or "no": Do you love God?

Okay, now that you've answered the question, let's talk about what it means to love someone.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes some of the primary characteristics of love. And before we go into the verses, I need to make sure we are all on the same page here. We are NOT talking about romantic love, dating relationships, or marriage (although this passage is often read at weddings). We are talking about the attitude and behaviors that God calls us to have for others, whether we are particularly fond of them or not. Okay, so here are the verses:

        “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not                 dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6                 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always          hopes, always perseveres.”

Patient, kind, protecting, trusting, persevering. None of these describe a gushy feeling toward someone. Instead, they are all practical and, dare I say, quantifiable. Someone can look at how you are treating someone else and determine if these things are present in that relationship. People can tell when you are patient or kind. They can also usually tell when you are envious, boastful, prideful, dishonoring, self-seeking, easily angered, etc. Do you see where I am going with this? When Paul (the author of 1 Corinthians) describes love, he describes in a very practical way. In one of his other letters, Paul gives us some more direct insight into what it means to love someone else:

        Philippians 2:3-4 - “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility                 value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests          of the others.”

Selfish ambition is when we are willing to hurt others and throw them to the side in order to get ahead. The business world is full of selfish ambition - some describe it as cutthroat. It happens when you decide to put yourself first and everyone else last. Only you matter, and you will do whatever it takes to get ahead - that's selfish ambition. Vain conceit is similar, because it also elevates you above others. It is this idea that you are more important than anyone else and you deserve more than anyone else. Love cannot co-exist with these two mentalities. A selfishly ambitious person cannot truly love others, and here is why: to love someone, based on Paul's letters here, means that you put others first. It's not emotional, but rather a choice that you make to humble yourself and value others above yourself. They come first, not you. That is what it means to love someone.

This is how love works in friendships, with brothers/sisters/parents/children, in dating relationships and marriages, and in general in our interactions with people on the street. When we choose to put the needs or desires of someone else ahead of our own, we are demonstrating love for that person. On the flipside, if we claim to love someone, but only ever put ourselves first, then our "love" for them is just empty words. If I say "I love you" but then spread rumors about you around the church, I don't really love you, do I? Paul says that love is demonstrated by action.

Okay, so that's an overview of what it means to love others, but what about God? What does it mean to love God?

In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus shares the first and greatest commandment:

        “29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.             30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all             your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as                 yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

There is so much to unpack from these verses and we do not have the space to do it in this post. Basically, Jesus has taken all of the laws of the Old Testament and boiled them down to two main points: Love God above literally everything else, and love others. I mean, think about it, if you are loving God (putting Him first) with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, what's left? Nothing. That's everything that you have and covers every aspect of your life. So, in everything, God comes first. These commandments create a bit of an awkward hierarchy of priorities for us, because according to this, our priorities should be structured as: God, literally everyone else, and then us at the bottom. God is first, then everyone else, then me. I'm last. It doesn't sound right, but this what the Bible tells us. In fact, this is the exact set of priorities Jesus demonstrated in His life here on Earth. Paul shares about it in Philippians 2:5-8:

        “5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in         very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7         rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human                likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to         death—even death on a cross!”

God came to the Earth in the form of a man (Jesus) out of love for us, so in coming, Jesus put God first (it was the will of God that He come). Then, in becoming obedient to death (and paying for our sins), Jesus put literally everyone else above Himself. He gave His life for ours. His example for us was: God, everyone else, Him. This is the mentality that we, as Christians, need to have. God, everyone else, me.

So, how do we love God?

Jesus tells us exactly how to love God in John 14:23-24 and John himself elaborates in 1 John 5:3:

        23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we         will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey         my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

        “3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not            burdensome.”

Anyone who truly loves God will obey Him. That's it. That's how we do it. We obey Him. We already talked about the fact that love is an action, and really, it is a choice that we make to put others first. When it comes to loving God, we have to choose to obey what He has told us to do. Love for God is characterized by obedience. So then, if we say that we love God then there ought to be evidence in our lives. People ought to be able to look at the things I do and say, "Yeah, Mike definitely loves God." After all, how do we know that God loves us? Because He put it into action. He sent Jesus and died to save us from our sins. We can look at what God has done and say with confidence, "Yeah, God definitely loves us."

What does that look like?

What does God want us to do? What has He commanded? Well, we have Jesus' summary of the OT Law: Love God and love others. But what else? For the Christian, Jesus has given some very specific commands which can be found in Matthew 28. Right before He ascends into Heaven Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize those disciples, and to teach them everything Jesus had taught. This means that every Christian is commanded to be baptized, to make disciples, to baptize those disciples, and to help them learn God's Word (the Bible). If you are reading this and you claim to be a Christian (or you answered "yes" at the beginning of this post), have you been baptized? Have you shared the Gospel with anyone? Have you participated in someone else's baptism? Have you helped someone study the Bible?

These are just some of the things God has commanded us to do, and as Jesus said, those who love Him will obey His commands. These are the things which demonstrate our love for God. If we are not doing these things, not obeying God's commands, then how can we honestly claim to love Him?

If you read those things and you felt unqualified to do them, what can you do to prepare?

 - Read and study the Bible (by yourself and with other believers)

 - Spend time in prayer talking to God and asking Him to equip you

 - Find ways to serve others, both in the church and outside it

When we serve, especially alongside other Christians, we learn how to do it better and we learn from their example. Reading the Bible and praying puts God first and choosing to serve puts others above ourselves. These choices put us in line with God's totem pole of priorities: God, others, me.

Now, let's go back to the original question. With all of this in mind, as you examine your day-to-day to life (not just your feelings, what the things you choose to do): Do you love God?

If your answer changed to a "no" (or remained as a "no"), that's okay. I'm not here to judge or condemn you. BUT, don't stay there. Remember that love is a choice that we make, not a feeling that comes and goes. We have to choose to read the Bible, choose to pray, choose to share the Gospel, and choose to serve others. Every time we choose these things we are demonstrating our love for God. My prayer for you is that you will take these things to heart and change the way you live so that your life demonstrates a love for God. Amen.