Is the Belief in the Resurrection an Irrational, Blind Faith? Quite the opposite.

When we say, "He came back to life", we tend to conjure up images in our minds of Frankenstein's Monster or The Walking Dead. And rightfully so ... we've been flooded with these images from Hollywood for decades. We grew up on it. It's been engrained in our psyche and, as a result, we tend to discount the idea of reanimation as crazy, silly, impossible ... maybe even wishful thinking. I tend to agree. The idea of someone coming back to life by natural means - like Frankenstein or brain-eating zombies - is ludicrous. THAT is not possible. But here's the thing: it happened. So, if we know that it's silly to think that something that is fully dead could come back to life by natural means ... AND if we know that it did happen (more than once in the Bible, in fact), then we're left with the supernatural.

A step toward the supernatural, though, is a big leap for the skeptic. I know - I was one. I AM one. But what about all the other big leaps we take? The entire complex and ordered Universe came from nothing. No - thing. Lack of anything. Void. But naturalistic secular scientists take this leap as a presupposition every day. They also take the "life from no life" leap. As well as the"conscience and philosophical thought from none" leap. And DNA (the encyclopedia of life) from nothing. And the list goes on. That's a lot of leaping for a bunch of skeptics.

But when it comes to God raising Himself from death to life? Well, that's just nuts.

There is nothing irrational about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It would only be irrational if He were not, in fact, God. But He is.

• It was also confirmed that He was most certainly dead as a result of beating and crucifixion. 
• It was also confirmed that He was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (part of the Jewish Sanhedrin).
• It was also confirmed that the tomb was guarded because the Jews believed Jesus' followers may try to steal his body.
• It was also confirmed that two women found the empty tomb in a time when women's testimony was not considered at all credible.
• It was also confirmed that 100s of people saw the risen Christ, many of whom interacted with Him.
• These facts were confirmed by both Christians and non-Christians.
• The chief persecutor of Christians became it's most aggressive promotor (Paul).
• 11 of the 12 Apostles were killed brutally, given a chance to renounce what they said they knew for a fact, personally: That Jesus had risen and that they interacted with Him. The 12th was exiled to Patmos and wrote Revelation, etc. (he wasn't killed as the others were). Bottom line - liars make horrible martyrs.

For even more reasons why it's true, feel free to read, "10 Reasons to Accept the Resurrection of Jesus as an Historical Fact".

The bottom line is, it happened. What's really important, though, is what you do with this fact. God sent His son to live a sinless life (a miracle in and of itself), then serve as the final, perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men, both past, present and future, until He comes again. Free will gives us a choice to embrace this, making Jesus our Lord and Savior ... or rejecting it, and rejecting God ... for eternity.

• He will not force us to love Him back. 
• He will not force us to accept His free gift ... the ONLY way to be near him for eternity. 
• He waits patiently for us to get it, then choose. 
• He hopes we choose Him.

Lord, I pray for the lost. I pray for the skeptic, who refuses to step past his or her skepticism for a moment to sincerely seek the Truth. Father, only You can wake them from their sleep, God. Only you can remove their blindness. Only you.

Thank you for even making a way at all. You didn't have to ... but I suppose you did, as you are Love itself. You are good, even when we rebel against you. Amazing.

I pray all of this in Jesus' Holy and precious name. Amen.

The Thin Places, and Our Intended Vocation

We talked at home group recently about the thin places. The places where we feel God is near, where we feel life is effortless, unburden some. This is where God wants us. My thin places are many:

• In community with other believers, or were talking about real things ... no posing, no small talk, no fakeness ... just raw reality, with the failures and flaws exposed and on the table.
• In service, or none of it is about me, but all about others what they need.
• And it's and worship - singing specifically. Worshipping God in thanks and appreciation for how he's done and all he's promised to do. I sing to him, for him, because of him... all day. But mix it with community, and my thin place becomes extra, extra thin. Mix it again with service, and I'm in heaven. No burden, no effort, no apprehension. It's where he wants me. Loving him and loving others, is 

Jesus clearly said and Matthew 22:37-40, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And... Love your neighbor as yourself.' All of the law and Prophets hang on these two Commandments."

These thin places - and they are different for everyone - lead to or intended vocation. God wants us to serve effortlessly. And this effortlessness comes from the simple fact that this is what he intended for us individually all along. No legalism. No treasury. No feelings of unfairness. Are intended vocation should and will bring us the joy God wants for us. But it must be HIS vocation for us, not what we think it should be.

Lord, I ask you to make my vocation abundantly clear - even more so than you already have. Then, give me the courage to pour myself into it, so much so that it's all I do: surf, worship, and be in community. So much of my time is spent with the other things that are not my intended vocation, usually because of a misdirected concern about worldly things like comfort, money, control, etcetera. 

Lord, help me to find and stay in my fin places with you. Help me to embrace my intended vocation and eventually shed all other activities. Help me to be a better husband, a better father, a better neighbor and friend and brother. Let it be about you and others alone. I asked this honestly and with full confidence that you'll deliver in full. You are good. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the cross. In Jesus name. Amen.

Yesterday, we celebrated the humiliation, beating, suffering, suffocating, and ultimate excruciatingly painful death of someone? Weird.

Yesterday, we celebrated the Passion of Jesus. To celebrate it - his humiliation, beating, suffering, piercing, suffocating, and ultimate excruciatingly painful death - seems crazy to the unbeliever, I'm sure. It sounds weird as I write it. But it's the most incredible thing to happen in all of history.

God made a way.

God provided the replacement sacrifice for us. We were to pay the price for eternity, but He loved us so much that He said, "No! I will pay the debt!" A debt owed to Him. He paid it. That is crazy-talk to the world.

But just as God provided a ram at the last minute to Abraham so that Isaac could be spared, God provided the perfect, spotless Lamb to be sacrificed... not just because we were sinners in the past, but while we were still sinners!

This is Amazing Grace.

So we celebrate the brutal death of our Savior, because it is that brutal death, by our hands - as though we whipped him, we beat him, we spit upon him, we drove the nails through his hands and feet, we laughed at him and yelled, "If you are God, save yourself!" - that saved us. If not for the Cross, we are doomed. We are destined for eternity in hell, away from God. Darkness, agony, regret, searing pain... forever.

But God...

God, thank you for the Cross. Thank you, thank you, thank you for Jesus. It is in His perfect name I pray. Amen.

History's greatest investment has zero risk and a greater return than any other

Today, my family will receive a sizeable influx of money: tax return, sales bonus, commission check, then my standard by monthly salary. What we do with that blessing from God is different from what the world would do. The world will buy something nice, like a new car, or they'll put it in a strong investment fund with a nice yield. Will I do any different? Well, ultimately no ... but where specifically will the money go?

We are called to give God of our first fruits to simply acknowledge that it all came from Him, so we give 20% of the gross (not net, but gross, because we're giving of the first fruits, not of the after-tax amount) to our church, who is dedicated to sharing the Gospel, going on Mission, helping our community, and making the world a better place for the glory of God. We then find a brother or sister in need, and give a chunk to them. Then, we invest a portion. And with the balance, we may or may not buy something nice. Less nice by worldly standards, but nice nonetheless.

Why? Because we know it all came from Him. And even if we look at this from a secular standpoint, is it not the best approach to put our money (as well as time and talent) into the investment which promises the greatest yield? Of course. Well, that investment is in the Kingdom! Nothing even comes close to God's promised APR. And there is no risk involved in this investment. Our Treasure will, without any doubt, be stored up for us in heaven.

In short, as for me and my family, we will bank on God's promises.

He has the greatest financial and life advice in both history and non history. The Creator knows best... And besides, I've seen the returns personally, right here on Earth.

Lord thank you for your provision, and for making it so clear. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Grace and mercy. What do they mean, really?

Grace and mercy. We use the terms all the time to reflect God's nature and how we should be: graceful and merciful. But what do these words mean? From a Biblical perspective, what are grace and mercy, respectively?

Sidenote: I tend to get them backwards often. In fact as I was writing in my journal this morning I defined them in exactly the opposite way. Then I corrected after thinking about it.

Mercy is defined as not getting something bad that we really should, if Justice were to prevail.

Grace is defined as getting something good that we don't deserve and have not earned.

God extends Grace to us in that we do not deserve, nor have we earned, what we are to receive... the full inheritance of God, equal to that of Jesus, His only begotten son. Woah. And because this is true, we are to extend Grace to others, giving when others have done nothing for us, nor will they likely.

God extends Mercy to us as we continue to sin, choosing not to extend righteous justice when He has full rights and reason to do so.

Think of the thief on the cross, or the man on death row who accepts Jesus into his heart just before his execution, or a lifelong atheist who wakes to the truth... All find grace and mercy... immediately.

Unfair? Well, that's just it. It isn't fair. That's Grace and Mercy for you. It's God's to give... and He did, through sending His only begotten son to pay for the sins that were primarily against Him!

What? Yeah. Wow.

God, You are love, and Jesus is the greatest representation of that. The cross is the greatest proof of that. You are wonderful, and I love You and trust You fully. Thank you for your infinite grace and mercy.

In Jesus name. Amen.

Rescue Mission

I can be a blunt person at times. Some would call it pushy, but I'll stick with "blunt". It's just that I want so much for them to know that, "I get the skepticism. Really I do. I was that highly skeptical person. And I still am a bit." But once I acknowledged that my constant skepticism was, in effect, blocking my willingness to look further into this "faith" concept, things started popping up out of thin air. 

These "things" were there all along, of course, but I had put up impenetrable blinders that had me, well, blind. The terms "dead in my sin" or "asleep" are often used to describe how I was.

And I was just that: asleep ... with that blurred forward vision you get when driving sometimes. You've experienced what I'm talking about. You get zoned out and do not notice what you've passed, the cars around you, the clouds up ahead, and so forth. That's where I was. Of course, when you're in that zone, anything you're not focused on is blurry at best (completely absent more likely), resulting in an incomplete grasp on reality.

And when I look back on my asleep self, I'm painfully aware of the same blindness in people all around me. I want to shake them awake ... and sometimes that bluntness angers people. That's not my intention, of course, but it is the periodic outcome.

But I know, now awake, that these people and really just the former me. They are zombies who don't know they are zombies. Just like I did, they scoff at the mere idea that they might be entirely blind to what is most definitely there. And that scoffing doesn't offend me at all. Rather it makes me ache for them, as though they literally are the old me. I yearn for them to take a break, a small sabbatical from their pride, to consider ... to just take a naked, vulnerable moment to seek the Truth behind the facade.

This is not an easy thing to do, I know. In fact it's an incredibly hard thing to do. We're all pretty sure we're dead right. To stop in our tracks and consider a possibility that we are the one missing something? That takes extraordinary humility. That takes making oneself fully vulnerable for a moment, which the world teaches us from day one to never, ever do. But that humility is what God is actually waiting for.

God is not looking for pride, ego or an "I'm strong on my own" demeanor. In fact, he hates that. What He is looking for is for us to - in His time - empty ourselves of this delusion that we are all that ... so that He can create in us what He initially intended. The perfect, far far better us.

And this makes me seemingly (sometimes actually) blunt, even pushy sometimes. But it's not in the way I used to be when arguing a topic. Back then, it was all about me winning the argument and being right. Now, it's to draw people to Him, to figure it out on their own, simply pointing out the first step with hope of motivating them to take that step.

Lord, I ask for patience and trust in Your timing. I ask that the seeds I cast take root and blossom under Your care. Thank You for allowing me to be a small part of Your Rescue Mission.

In Jesus name. 

Amen.

You keep saying this word ("faith"). I do not think it means what you think it means.

Faith. In the immortal words of the imminent sage, Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

The word faith has been trampled under foot over the last few decades (perhaps far longer) and ultimately redefined in general culture to mean something far different than what God intended.

What most believe the word faith means:

1. Saying you believe while showing little to no signs that you actually do.
2. Believing something fully while most, if not all, evidence points to the contrary. (a.k.a. blind faith, where the word blind is omitted as though it's understood)
3. Your own personal opinion, or whatever you desire to be true (e.g. "Well, I choose to believe this or that.")

Each of these definitions of the word "faith" are wrong ... 100% false. Faith - TRUE faith - means you are committed to and trust fully in something. And you act accordingly, which demonstrates that you really do believe. For example, a person who says they believe a chair will support their weight, but will not sit in that chair with their full weight without some trepidation, or at all, does not actually have faith in the chair, despite what they've said they believe. Equally, someone who says that they need a parachute before jumping out of a plane at 18,000 feet, but jumps out of the plane without said parachute, does not have faith that the parachute is paramount to their survival.

And a person who says they have faith in Christ (that they are a Christian, or a Catholic, or a Baptist, or a follower of Christ, etc.) and that He is in full control and that His ways are best, but does not seek to understand His Word and then act upon it, trusting in it fully, committing to it ... does NOT have true faith. Not by an infinitely long shot.

Faith results in works. To be clear, works do nothing on their own. Nada. Filthy rags. But, equally, faith without works (per James) is dead. A so-called faith without works is simply not the faith God is talking about in scripture. It's an illusion that the enemy is thrilled that you're fooled by. And that illusion is very, very dangerous. It's the kind of illusion that ends with the words, "I never knew you", directed toward you on the final day. I know this is harsh truth, but it's critical.

Wearing a Harvard sweatshirt and saying you went there, when you were never received an acceptance letter, never went to classes there, never lived in the dorms, never passed your classes, never walked the stage and accepted your diploma ... means nothing more than you are a liar, perhaps mostly to yourself. It only means that you claim something that is an outright untruth about you.

This concept is one of the main misunderstandings between Catholics and Protestants. Catholics complain that Protestants believe that all you must do is say a little sinner's prayer (repeat after me) and then all's well. No change in life necessary after that. Conversely, Protestants complain that Catholics are hyper-focused on the law, on works, but are missing the main point in that they do works in some vain attempt to earn points with God. 

Truth is, both sides of this argument are correct in some sense, about some within the population.

• Many self-labeled Protestants actually do believe that all it takes is some heartfelt prayer stated at the height of emotion in order to be saved, and that no further repentance or action is needed. "Return to your previous life with full assurance." This is equally dead wrong on a fundamental level: If you find yourself to be uncompelled to do things God's way in full faith commitment and total trust in Him, you may not really be saved! Again, you may be shocked when Jesus says, "I never knew you either!" on judgement day. This should terrify you!

• And there are many self-labeled Catholics who are following the rules pretty darn well, but aren't doing it because they trust in Jesus, having a personal relationship with Him. This might be because they were taught the truth incorrectly, or they simply weren't listening very well ... OR they simply can't believe that they are saved by grace through faith ... and still believe that they must continue to strive on their own, on TOP OF what Christ did. 

The unfortunate end result is a boat load of so-called Catholics and Protestants who are not saved. Not by a long shot. Faith is a commitment ... not a feeling nor an accumulation of works. And it's by that commitment and trust ... and subsequent action based upon that belief and thankful appreciation that we are saved. Saved, in short, through an "active faith" - one that is alive, not dead.

So, if you are working hard to earn grace, but have not given your full heart, soul and mind to Him, I urge you to do so as quickly as possible. You have - up until now - misunderstood faith and may not be saved. He has been waiting patiently for you to get it.

And if you continue to float in your own world of preferences and actions, saying you have faith and are a Christian, you are likely not saved either, because your faith is not true. You need to get your heart right with Him through full surrender to Jesus, making him LORD (owner and controller) of your life. Then, and only then, will the fruits begin to surface in your life.

Father, let me be a medium of your truth to the world. Let YOUR thoughts, YOUR desires, YOUR attitudes flow through me without soiling it with my flawed thinking. More of you, less of me. Please, I beg you Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.