A CORRECT EMPHASIS?

This gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world and then Jesus will come.  So says Jesus in Matthew 24:14.  Or does He?  There is no doubt that the text seems to say so, and there is a great emphasis on this understanding in our Seventh-day Adventist church. 

When Jesus came the first time the Jews thought they understood the scriptures.  They had been studying them and knew them forward and backward.  They thought they knew how the Messiah was supposed to come and what He would do when He arrived.  They could quote them and did so on many occasions, including correctly directing the Wise Men to where Jesus was born.

Currently our church is seeking a revival and reformation.  There is an emphasis on "Revival", which is stated as receiving the Holy Spirit so we can give the gospel in all the world and then Jesus can come again and take all who are ready to heaven.

In this chapter, and in other places where Jesus talks about His return to earth, He commands us to "take heed" that we are not deceived.  We are commanded to "watch and pray".  We are warned that love will die out, but that those who "endure" will be saved.

Jesus does not command us to preach the gospel so that the end can come.  Rather we are commanded to Watch, to maintain our Love, and in this way Endure whatever the devil throws at us.  It is in living the life Jesus lived that the gospel is preached.  It is as people see how the kingdom life is lived that they are made aware of God and His plan for them. 

Just as Jesus showed us the character of God, so we are called to show how the children of God live in this world as they prepare for the new world He is preparing for us.

It's A Dog's Life -3

Learning spiritual lessons from events in our daily life is essential to our growth. Jesus constantly taught this way. Thinking about how our animals interact with us and learning something about our own relationship with God is nothing new. In Psalm 73 we see this as we read: “I am as a beast before You.”
Our little dog watches us intently to see what we are doing and will jump at the chance to accompany us in whatever we are doing. Sometimes it seems uncanny how he can know we are getting ready to go somewhere. He begins to jump around our feet and occasionally whines. There have to be certain things we do that tell Porter (our dog) that we are getting ready to leave, yet even when we try and disguise our plans he seems to know.
Of course we are not “just an animal”. We are humans, created in the image of our Creator. We have been given minds capable of understanding and entering into a relationship with Him that is a lot more than a dog can do. However, we must remember that God is so infinitely higher than us that we must keep our entire attention focused on Him in order to successfully follow Him and fulfill His will. Jesus says: “look unto Me and be saved”. As a child learns by watching (imitation), as our dog learns by watching, so we must be quick to pick up on every hint of what He wants us to do. But how?
How do we watch and follow God when we cannot see Him with our physical eyes? This is where the Bible comes in. When we read the Bible we must remember we are not reading a book. Rather we are listening to God's voice. Read as if you were sitting in a room with God as He speaks to you. We all know we can hear someone better when we are looking at them. It seems silly, but watching them talk we see the mouth move and watch the expressions that go with the words. It makes the hearing a lot clearer. We understand so much better what is said.
So it is with God's word. Ask God to help you understand. Then read slowly and let each word sink into your mind. Imagine the setting of the story. See the characters in your mind's eye. Picture yourself listening to what is being said, with the reactions of various others around you. This is how you will find yourself understanding God's voice in a new, clearer way. The nuances will be evident. You will be surprised at the clarity you have in knowing God's will. May your understanding be even better than how your dog understands you.

Hope And Reality

A very sudden and tragic death occurred Thursday.  While he was an older man and suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, he was still a great asset to his wife, children, and church.  This  is not one of those “well, he is finally at rest and his suffering is over” situations.  This is more of a “how are we going to get along without him?”

He was stung by a small wasp or bee, no one is quite sure; and then his heart stopped and would not start again.  Suddenly, no warning, we are stunned and his wife is in shock.

Where is our hope?  When faced with this “reality”, what do we do?  Where is our faith now?  Do we stand firm or crumple?  Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he dies, yet he shall live”. (John 11:25)  Are these  just words to us, or is it a solid rock we can stand on? 

How precious are these words to us right now!  What a guarantee that this is not the end.  Sad? Yes.  Hurting? Yes.  But we do not suffer and sorrow like those who don’t believe in Jesus.

Jesus!  What an assurance is ours!  He has been through all this and knows just how to help.  He died.  Apparently cut down without cause.  But the grave could not hold him.  Death has no fear for those who have linked their life to His life.  We know that when Jesus comes back, then we will be raised to live the life that Christ lives.  (1 John 3:2)  The resurrection of Jesus means everything to us.  WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM! 

But we don’t have to wait till then.  We can live like Him now.  If we will give ourselves to Him now, then He will begin His life in us now.  We cannot wait till after we die, we must begin now.  Jesus triumphed over death just as He triumphed over sin.  Just so He wants to identify with us, live in us so closely, that our life here will be His life here.  And then His resurrection will be our resurrection.  That is hope.  That is reality!

Political Reality

     The attempted murder of the congresswoman in Arizona is another terribly tragic event. The randomness of the murders that did occur at the same event make it all the worse. The horribleness makes us cringe; and of course we want to know WHY! What makes someone do something like this? It doesn't fit with the popular idea that society should be improving. We are supposed to be getting better and better.
     When tragedy happens, the usual "suspects" are talked about and the fingers of blame point everywhere except at the true source. Various humanistic explanations are trotted out and the "experts" are brought out to calm our fears and deaden our consciousness of evil within.
     There is nothing new under the sun. Human nature hasn't changed. It definitely hasn't gotten any better. Whether it can get worse is debatable. When we see a tragedy like this, how many admit this evil exists in the heart of every human being? Jesus says: "you are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning...." John 8:44
     Inside all of us there is only evil and darkness. Again God tells us that there is nothing good in us. If we want to do good, we find we can't. And when we don't want to do evil, we find ourselves doing it anyway. (Romans 7:18-19)
     Only in Jesus Christ is there any hope. Only when a human is born from above is good possible. Anything that is good comes from God, and only from God. There is only one source of improvement and that is from outside of self. This is the reason Jesus came to earth. To bring us salvation from our sinful, evil selves. Only through Jesus is human change possible. Only the life He brings produces real goodness, and lasting change.