Thursday, October 1, 2009
Speaking of Jesus - Oct 2009
Coming off of our summer sermon series on 1 John, it struck me how John so often uses the metaphors of light and darkness. Light refers to truth, the will of God, and of course, Jesus. Then, obviously, darkness refers to those things which oppose all of these: falsehood, sin, and Satan. In the opening of John's Gospel, John says that in Jesus is life "and the life was the light of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:3-4) Jesus came to shed light on our sin and darkness and defeat that with his love and mercy. He shows us the way He has given us to get to heaven. Not by our works (which apart from Him are always in darkness), but through His mercy and grace.
And, as those who have come into the light of God's grace (1 John 1:7), Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world! (Matthew 5:14) In other words, we are to go around embracing people with the love of Jesus, bringing His light into their dark worlds. We do this by telling people the good news that Jesus has forgiven all of their sins by dying on the cross in their place and rising again. This news we shine into their lives will reveal a number of things that were previously hidden in darkness.
First, it will reveal sin and grace. Embracing people with the gospel means that we are giving our friends knowledge of their fallen condition as well as the knowledge of the mercy God has had on them through the cross of Jesus. Sometimes when you wake up at night and turn a light on, it hurts your eyes. But it is necessary to go through that so that you can see where you are going and avoid further danger. Sometimes, this light of knowledge can hurt to hear. But, such a message exposes sin in order to bring about faith and repentance and is ultimately a good thing!
Second, the light will provide security. Many people we know have a hard life or are facing seriously difficult issues. Enlightening them with the love of God in Jesus can provide security in this dark world. Just as it is easier to walk comfortably through a lighted alley than a dark alley, it is more comforting to live in this world knowing that, no matter how rough it is, there is a God whose tender mercy and love is always there for you.
Third, light provides growth. Many people are struggling through life with no hope and no future. Living in darkness makes them feel hopeless. But, just like when you give a dying plant sun, when you give a hopeless person the gospel of Jesus Christ, transformation and growth take place! To see God's purpose and plan for our lives through the light of Jesus Christ gives us excitement and joy amidst this dark world.
John says, "the darkness has not overcome [the light]." We who are in the light and called to be lights to the world cannot be overcome by the darkness that exists all around us. But we can agents of light in these dark places for those who, due to their lack of knowledge, have little comfort and little hope in this world. Let us embrace our loved ones with the light of Christ!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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1:00 AM
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Speaking of Jesus - Sept 2009
I love listening to the White House Press Secretary. These speakers fascinate me. They take a hundred different questions on the same topic so that the American people can hear what their commander and chief is up to. They get so many questions because they are masters at being vague. They say so much without saying anything at all. I love to hear what they say and what they don’t say. I do not envy this job, but I think it is a very important one. And, if nothing else, it is really entertaining! (Please note: I am not saying anything positively or negatively about the Press Secretary, just that this job fascinates me.)
The Press Secretary speaks to the media on behalf of the President. He reveals to them what the President wants them to know. Similarly, (with less coverage on CNN) prophets in the Old Testament spoke on behalf of God. They would reveal to the people what God wanted the people to know, whether it was a word of condemnation for sin or a word of promise for salvation. They spoke for God.
In the book of Hebrews, the author tells us that part of Jesus' purpose in coming was to speak as the final prophet. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." (Hebrews 1:1-2) Just like a Press Secretary comes to speak on behalf of the President, God the Son came to speak on behalf of God the Father. He came to condemn our sin by preaching God's law and He came to forgive those sins.
Jesus just kept forgiving! Its like He couldn't stop! A man can't walk, his friends carry him to Jesus, and Jesus says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:1-12) Another time at dinner a woman came to Jesus, and in an act of worship, washed his feet with perfume. After rebuking the others for not worshipping him in this way (in other words, for not having faith) he turns to the woman and says, "Your sins are forgiven." (Luke 7:36-50). And from the cross, while He is hanging bloody and shamed, mocked and abandoned, "stricken, smitten, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4), He cries out "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus, our prophet, comes not only to tell us of God's forgiveness, but to forgive us Himself.
Jesus just keeps forgiving! Its like He can't stop! When we embrace our friends with the gospel, this is what they need to know. We are sent by this Jesus, our prophet, to tell them the very words this prophet spoke about them. We have friends who are broken and tired, fighting guilt and carrying burdens. They fear that God does not... no... cannot love sinners such as them. You must, MUST, give them this message from God. In these last days, God has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ and has said, "Son, daughter, your sins are forgiven."
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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11:09 AM
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: August 2009
Has anyone ever asked you (or have you ever had the thought yourself), "What is God like?" This is an interesting question and the answers can sometimes be dangerous. Too often, the answers lend themselves to opinions about God formed more by our own hopes and desires (that is, by our idolatry!) than by what God has actually revealed to us about Himself. What God is like is not a matter of opinion, rather, it is a reality that we can only know about through God's revelation of Himself to us. And God's fullest revelation of Himself is found in Jesus Christ whom we meet in the Scriptures!
When embracing someone with the Gospel, we are doing the work of revealing to our non-Christian friends God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. We are pointing them to the image of God. In other words, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus, the scriptures say, is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15). That is, Jesus is the perfect reflection of God. In Hebrews 1:3 it says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being sustaining all things by His powerful word." This is a beautiful way of saying that Jesus, who is God, is the exact replica of God for us to see. All we need to know about God, we know in Jesus Christ who reveals God to us! In John 1:14, Jesus is likened to the tabernacle in the Old Testament where God would come to His people while they were in the desert to reveal His will to them. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
So, if you want to know what God is like, look to God in human flesh, Jesus of Nazareth. And when our friends enquire, "What is God like?" we can respond with some very good news! Jesus reveals to us that God is so in love with us that He will go to the most extreme ends to save us from our sins. Though we have sinned against Him, He has forgiven us by sacrificing His own Son on the cross. Jesus, the Son of God, has taken our sins away and given us His righteousness because He loves us so much. What is God like? Jesus makes it clear: God is gracious and merciful and loving to you and to me. He is a loving Father who graciously takes away our sin and gives us His forgiveness and mercy through Jesus Christ on the cross. As the scriptures say, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Fathers side, has made him known."
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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4:09 PM
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: July 2009
One of the most offensive parts of our faith is that we claim that Jesus is the Lord of all things. It was the claim "Jesus is Lord" that was so infuriating to the opponents of Christianity. To call Jesus "Lord" was angering to the Jewish opponents because that was a term designated for God in the Old Testament. To call a man that is unbearably heinous (unless it is true!). To worship a man and not God was to break the very first and most important of all the commandments. For the Gentile opposition, calling Jesus "Lord" was offensive because it was a name reserved for Caesar. To worship someone over and against Caesar was illegal and, in the wrong company, could get you killed. And, despite such opposition, recognizing they could die for such claims, the early Christians proudly and boldly worshiped Christ as Lord! Thomas has the greatest of all confessions in the Bible when, upon seeing the risen Jesus, he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)
The offense has not left the claim in our day and age. People recoil when we proclaim that Jesus is Lord over all. People do not want a Lord, but would rather be in charge of their own lives. They do not want to be told they are sinful or that they cannot take care of their own lives. The sinful nature is always trying to be the master of its own destiny. When we claim that Jesus is Lord over all creation, which He both brought into existence and redeemed, and the ONLY Lord with no other beside Him, it is a clear reminder that I am not Lord, not even of my own life.
But this is where we are able to offer up Good News about the Lord Jesus! He is not a malicious dictator who cares nothing for you or me, but cares only for His own power and glory. Rather, He is a Lord who loves us and serves us! When we turned against His Lordship in a coup to take over our lives, only to secure our own death, He put His life in our place and died to forgive our rebellion and give us life. Far from pursuing His own self-serving glory, His glory was to shame Himself on a cross for us. He has risen from the dead, thus conquering death for us, and now rules us with love and mercy. He does not rule us to condemn us, but to save us and forgive us. He said, "For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it." (John 12:47) We do not have a Lord who demands we live up to His standards or else..., but one who wants to serve us by loving us, forgiving us, and saving us. He kept His demands for us. There is nothing else He demands that He hasn't given us. And now He wants to continue to love and serve us, to guard and protect us, and to carry us through to salvation on His strong arms of mercy and love!
When we speak of Jesus as Lord to our friends, and they grow uncomfortable with the idea of having a Lord over them, let us be quick to remind them of the nature of Christ's reign. It is not one of laws and demands, but one of love and mercy. As Robert Kolb says, "To unbelievers who bristle at the thought of anyone trying to exercise lordship in a life which they wish to dominate themselves, the Christian presents a fatherly and loving Lord, who provides security because He framed the universe, and who provides meaning because He reclaimed human life by entering into the midst of it. No common Lord is He. He is the Lord!" (Speaking the Gospel Today, 134)
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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7:58 AM
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: June 2009
People are very confused about many things in this world. God is not the least of these things! Many of our friends are unclear about who God is, where He is, what He does, and if He cares. There is a great amount of fear that comes from the confusion when God is taken seriously, because this confusion leads to the truth that we cannot control God and we cannot figure Him out. For our friends who don't know Jesus, this confusion likely leads people to be unnecessarily terrified of God or just to write God off as something unimportant and not worth the worry. Some in their confusion even redefine God by pouring their own ideas into what they think God should be. For us who have been called to spread Good News about God it is important for us to know how to get through the confusion.
This begins when we are able to recognize things about who Jesus is. When we talk about the Gospel we find that it is like a jewel. There is one gospel that can be looked at from many ways and each of those ways is beautiful. And these various ways of looking at and thinking about the Gospel help us answer the various questions and struggles that people have about God and faith. They help us bring clarity to whatever is confusing people about the faith.
One of the ways at looking at Jesus' life (the Gospel) is by looking at Jesus as being the One who reveals God to us. Jesus can be seen as a revealer. When we speak about Jesus to our friends they will come with many questions about God. And, as Christians, we know that Jesus is the answer to all of those questions. For example, they may wonder, if God is so loving, why did He allow for sin and evil in the world? Though we cannot answer that definitively (because we don't know), we do know that God has done something about it in sending His Son to die and rise to start a new heavens and a new earth. This work of Jesus reveals that God is both concerned about the evil down here, He cares enough to endure it for us and to bring us through it with Himself, and that, in raising Jesus from the dead, He is the one who has the power to redeem this world. Jesus' words and life REVEAL God to us.
Or, someone may say, "God doesn't love me, look at how awful my life is!" And again, we respond by going to Christ. In Christ, God entered into our suffering because He knows the pain we endure. He endured the worst pain so that you would not have to face an eternity of that pain. And now, He gives you His Holy Spirit to carry you through the pain and the hurt. And, in saying this, Jesus reveals that God is both incredibly concerned for the life of this person and loves them passionately.
Jesus reveals God to us as He demonstrates and carries out God's love for us by dying and rising. In our conversations with those who are confused about God, let us always return to Christ who is God in human flesh revealing His love and mercy.
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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2:59 PM
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Speaking of Jesus - May 2009
Last time in everyone's favorite newsletter column, Speaking of Jesus, we discussed the importance of presenting who Christ is and what He has done for us in His life, death, and resurrection before we begin to proclaim the benefits of being a Christian. Sticking with this theme, this month we will begin to lay out various ways to do this when we embrace our friends and loved ones with the Gospel of Jesus. Over the next few months we will discuss who Jesus is by showing how He is the one who reveals God to us, what he reveals about God, and why that matters to and benefits us.
People are very curious about God these days. Bookstores are full of books which describe one person's or another's pursuit of God. A broad spectrum of religions will be studied so that a well-rounded view of God can be arrived at. "Seekers" will become disciples, so to speak, of the Dahli Lama or Joel Osteen or Oprah or some enlightened guru who knows the "secret" of the universe in order to better know God or know themselves. ABC Nightly News even hosts debates among influential religious types so we can discern teachings more clearly and understand each other's views of God more fully. Indeed, people are incredibly curious about God these days.
This is nothing new. People have always gone to gurus, practiced rites, and worked hard to find God in the universe. In response to such activity, St. Paul once said in a letter he wrote to the church in Rome, "But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or, 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, " that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming..." (Romans 10:6-8). In other words, Paul says, God is not someone we are to seek out by religiously climbing up to heaven or searching in the depths, no, God reveals himself to us in Jesus Christ, the very one Paul was proclaiming!
The only way we can know God is for God to reveal himself to us, and this is what He does in Jesus Christ. Do you want to fully know God? Read the Gospels. There you will meet Jesus of Nazareth, God in human flesh. When we go out to proclaim Jesus, to embrace others with the Gospel, we don't go out to wax philosophical on our religious opinions. We go out to introduce others to this guy Jesus who is God for us and with us. God reveals himself to us, He does not hide so that we must seek him out (Paul says there is no such thing as a seeker in Romans 3:11 anyhow). God becomes flesh in Jesus Christ. The Father sends the Son to reveal Himself to us. We believe what we do about our salvation because, as Paul says, God is as near to us as the word that was proclaimed to us. This is a fancy way of saying the Holy Spirit gives us Jesus when we hear the gospel. AND, when you share the gospel, the Holy Spirit works through your words to introduce people to Jesus.
All of this is to say that, if you have people in your life who think they are "seeking" God, it is your calling as a Christian to introduce them to Jesus. And when they hear about who Jesus is they will have met God. And they will know that God loves them so much, that He sent His only Son to die for them, to suffer the greatest agony in the history of the world so that they would be saved, and that he conquered death so as to promise them eternal life. They will meet God who loves them and gives Himself to them. It is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, that we proclaim which brings God near, for there He seeks and finds us and reveals Himself to us.
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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1:46 PM
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: The Truth of the Matter!
When you talk about Jesus, how do you present him? Do you talk about Jesus in terms of how helpful he is for life? Do you present Jesus as a great teacher of timeless truths? Or, do you talk about Jesus as a man who lived in Galilee 2000 years ago and died on a cross and actually rose again on the three days later? Perhaps we could word the question this way: When talking about Jesus to our friends, do we present the story of Jesus as helpful OR do we present it as true?
Now, you might be saying to yourself: why does it have to be one or the other? Can't Jesus be both helpful for my life and the truly resurrected God-man? Of course. But when we talk about Jesus, we must keep in mind that if we don't present the account of his life, death, and resurrection as true, then we will help no one and ultimately withhold the good news of Jesus Christ.
It is worth noting that in the New Testament, when the gospel is being presented, Jesus is never talked about in terms of what he can do for us. Rather, he is always talked about as the crucified and risen Lord. The four gospels are all accounts of what he actually did to save sinners. The book of Acts is full of sermons and presentations of the gospel message by the apostles which proclaim the death of Christ for sin and the resurrection of Christ for our justification. Saint Paul goes so far as to say this, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith...And if Christ has not been raised then your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (I Corinthians 15:14, 16, 17). In other words, if it is not true that Christ lived, died and rose, then this whole faith is a sham and we have been woefully misled.
But, Paul says, this is not the case, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead..." (I Corinthians 15:2). This is our hope and our salvation. Only from this core truth can we begin to discuss the results and benefits of faith in Christ and having him watch over us. We must always start with who Christ is and what he has done for us on the cross and from the empty tomb, because if those things aren't true then anything else we say holds no weight. If Jesus did not rise, he cannot save anyone nor be helpful for anything in life because he is still dead. And dead people are never helpful. But, if Jesus is risen, then he is all the help we need and the sure hope we have. As we talk about Christ with our friends, let us deal with the truth of Christ's resurrection before we get to the benefits of faith in Christ.
Now, you might be saying to yourself: why does it have to be one or the other? Can't Jesus be both helpful for my life and the truly resurrected God-man? Of course. But when we talk about Jesus, we must keep in mind that if we don't present the account of his life, death, and resurrection as true, then we will help no one and ultimately withhold the good news of Jesus Christ.
It is worth noting that in the New Testament, when the gospel is being presented, Jesus is never talked about in terms of what he can do for us. Rather, he is always talked about as the crucified and risen Lord. The four gospels are all accounts of what he actually did to save sinners. The book of Acts is full of sermons and presentations of the gospel message by the apostles which proclaim the death of Christ for sin and the resurrection of Christ for our justification. Saint Paul goes so far as to say this, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith...And if Christ has not been raised then your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (I Corinthians 15:14, 16, 17). In other words, if it is not true that Christ lived, died and rose, then this whole faith is a sham and we have been woefully misled.
But, Paul says, this is not the case, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead..." (I Corinthians 15:2). This is our hope and our salvation. Only from this core truth can we begin to discuss the results and benefits of faith in Christ and having him watch over us. We must always start with who Christ is and what he has done for us on the cross and from the empty tomb, because if those things aren't true then anything else we say holds no weight. If Jesus did not rise, he cannot save anyone nor be helpful for anything in life because he is still dead. And dead people are never helpful. But, if Jesus is risen, then he is all the help we need and the sure hope we have. As we talk about Christ with our friends, let us deal with the truth of Christ's resurrection before we get to the benefits of faith in Christ.
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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3:25 PM
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: February 2009
Many times when we talk about Jesus, we find ourselves getting into arguments to prove to our unbelieving friends that Jesus is God or that the Bible is reliable and true. We get into the argument game and we think if we can just "win" the argument, we will "defeat" our opponent and prove God right. Though I firmly am convinced that there is a time for argument and debate when it comes to discussing the faith, we must be careful when we set out to talk about Jesus that we don't set out to prove bad ideas wrong. We have the truth and we know it and that gives us great confidence. But often, confidence in truth can turn into pride in being right. And when this happens, we lose sight of the real purpose in talking about Christ, faith in Jesus.
Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Well, we must ask, what is that message? What is that word? It is the message of forgiveness, the word of salvation. When we set out to talk about Jesus, our end goal is to proclaim that Christ was crucified for and forgives sinners, including the one we are speaking with (that is, from one sinner to another). Such a message creates faith according to our verse. It is through that proclamation of grace that the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces hearts of the gospel.
However, that word is tremendously offensive to some, "a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (I Corinthians 1:23). Some don't believe they are sinners, some don't believe Jesus died and rose again, some don't know if He ever even existed. It is in these situations where we want to be prepared to have an answer to the objections they raise, as St. Peter says, an answer for the hope that is within us (I Peter 3:15)! We want to be able to have informed and intelligent discussions that take the questions and objections of our loved ones seriously. But we must never believe that once we have answered their questions and corrected their misunderstandings that we have done our jobs. We must ultimately proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus name (Luke 24:47). It is in these words that the Holy Spirit works. We don't need fancy arguments or silver-bullet answers to prove anyone into the faith. We simply say what Christ does for sinners, he forgives them. And the Holy Spirit convicts of that truth and turns hearts to Christ! What an awesome and humbling thing to know that we are sent by God to carry that message, to proclaim that good news!
Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Well, we must ask, what is that message? What is that word? It is the message of forgiveness, the word of salvation. When we set out to talk about Jesus, our end goal is to proclaim that Christ was crucified for and forgives sinners, including the one we are speaking with (that is, from one sinner to another). Such a message creates faith according to our verse. It is through that proclamation of grace that the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces hearts of the gospel.
However, that word is tremendously offensive to some, "a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (I Corinthians 1:23). Some don't believe they are sinners, some don't believe Jesus died and rose again, some don't know if He ever even existed. It is in these situations where we want to be prepared to have an answer to the objections they raise, as St. Peter says, an answer for the hope that is within us (I Peter 3:15)! We want to be able to have informed and intelligent discussions that take the questions and objections of our loved ones seriously. But we must never believe that once we have answered their questions and corrected their misunderstandings that we have done our jobs. We must ultimately proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus name (Luke 24:47). It is in these words that the Holy Spirit works. We don't need fancy arguments or silver-bullet answers to prove anyone into the faith. We simply say what Christ does for sinners, he forgives them. And the Holy Spirit convicts of that truth and turns hearts to Christ! What an awesome and humbling thing to know that we are sent by God to carry that message, to proclaim that good news!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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4:32 PM
Monday, January 5, 2009
Speaking of Jesus: The Gospel of Mark and Sharing the Faith
As noted in the Pastor's column, this month we are beginning a long series on the Gospel of Mark. This will be a wonderful series in which we will see the purpose of Christ's coming which we have just finished celebrating at Christmas! This book, I think, can be very helpful for us as we try to find ways to talk about Jesus with our friends. It used to be, when folks would go door-to-door to share the Gospel, they would take little copies of the Gospel of John with them to hand out. This is a great idea with all the right intentions. God's Word is powerful and can change hearts. But, I think, John is a better book to hand out to someone who we are close with so we can sit down with them and work through it. Much of the imagery and language in that book is a bit inaccessible to those who do not know Christ, and so, part of our job as those who have been sent is to explain what it means, for example, for Jesus to be "the bread of life" or "the good shepherd."
However, Mark, I think, is a much more accessible book for those who do not know much about the Christian faith or do not believe at all. The stories are simple and straight forward. Mark likely wrote the book with an evangelistic purpose. He wanted people to know who Jesus was. You will notice as you read through Mark that Jesus will perform miracles or forgive sins and the question will constantly come up, "Who is this man?" Mark includes this question in order to put it in the mouth of the reader, so as we witness Jesus act on the pages of Mark's Gospel we are forced to ask, "Who is this man?" And Mark leaves no doubt in our minds, this man is the Son of God come to save the world from sin and the devil!
Mark's goal is our goal when we set out to share our faith, that is, to introduce people to Jesus so they may know who He is and why He has come for them and believe. That is why this is an ideal book to have your friend read when you are sharing the faith with them. They will be forced to ask (maybe, Lord willing, even ask you!) "Who is this Jesus?" It is my prayer that as we work through this Gospel, we will be so caught up in the life of Christ, that we will not be able to help but bring others along with us for the ride!
However, Mark, I think, is a much more accessible book for those who do not know much about the Christian faith or do not believe at all. The stories are simple and straight forward. Mark likely wrote the book with an evangelistic purpose. He wanted people to know who Jesus was. You will notice as you read through Mark that Jesus will perform miracles or forgive sins and the question will constantly come up, "Who is this man?" Mark includes this question in order to put it in the mouth of the reader, so as we witness Jesus act on the pages of Mark's Gospel we are forced to ask, "Who is this man?" And Mark leaves no doubt in our minds, this man is the Son of God come to save the world from sin and the devil!
Mark's goal is our goal when we set out to share our faith, that is, to introduce people to Jesus so they may know who He is and why He has come for them and believe. That is why this is an ideal book to have your friend read when you are sharing the faith with them. They will be forced to ask (maybe, Lord willing, even ask you!) "Who is this Jesus?" It is my prayer that as we work through this Gospel, we will be so caught up in the life of Christ, that we will not be able to help but bring others along with us for the ride!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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9:04 AM
Friday, December 5, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: Who Was Jesus?
Who was Jesus? This is a question that ranks among the most important in the history of the world (not to oversell it!). When we are telling people the good news about Jesus, we need to be very clear on who Jesus really is! Paul says, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord..." So, if we are talking about Jesus Christ as Lord, it is critical for us to know who He is. So, who was that baby in the manger all those years ago?
It is no small task to tell people who Jesus is because we are telling them something that is counter to the way we think. See, we are going to tell people that Jesus is God. The incarnation, that is, the fact that God took on human flesh in Jesus Christ is one of the most offensive parts of the message we deliver. We are not saying that Jesus was god-like, we are not saying he had a divine knowledge greater than anyone else, we are not even saying he is half God and half man. No, what we are saying (and celebrating at Christmas!) is that Jesus IS God in human flesh!
Most people think Jesus was a great teacher or had a lot of "God-insight." But these are half-truths. He was a great teacher who taught that He was God. He had God-insight because He was the fullest revelation of God. Some will say that He never claimed to be God. But this is simply false. Consider the time in John 8 when the Pharisees were challenging Jesus' authority. Jesus said that Abraham saw His coming and rejoiced. The Pharisees replied, "You aren't even fifty years old. How did you see Abraham?" To which Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!"
Now this is critical. Jesus not only claimed to be around before Abraham, but also gave himself the holiest name of God in all the Old Testament, I AM. This is what God called himself in the burning bush when Moses wondered what to tell Pharaoh when Pharaoh asked who had sent him. God said, "Tell him, I AM sent you." And now, Jesus claims to be the one who said that! He claimed to be God in no uncertain terms. The Pharisees knew it, too. They tried to kill Jesus for committing blasphemy!
Further, when you read the Gospels, you will notice Jesus doing things only God can do. Consider what the Gospel of Mark records Jesus doing: forgiving sins (Mark 2:1-12), controlling the weather (Mark 4:35-41, 6:45-52), providing bread from heaven (Mark 6:30-44, 8:1-13), controlling demons (Mark 1:21-28, 5:1-20), and taking authority over the law (Mark 2:18-3:6, 7:1-23). All of this points to the fact that Jesus is God. The authors of the Scriptures go to great lengths to convince us of this fact. Paul points out that Jesus is both God and man when says that Israel should receive the good news first since Christ is an Israelite. He says, "Theirs (the Israelites) are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen."
When we think about speaking of Jesus to our unbelieving friends this Christmas, let's remember who it is we celebrate, God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. This is the good news, that God comes in Jesus Christ to save sinners. The good news we speak points to the man, Jesus Christ, who is our God and savior! Merry Christmas!
It is no small task to tell people who Jesus is because we are telling them something that is counter to the way we think. See, we are going to tell people that Jesus is God. The incarnation, that is, the fact that God took on human flesh in Jesus Christ is one of the most offensive parts of the message we deliver. We are not saying that Jesus was god-like, we are not saying he had a divine knowledge greater than anyone else, we are not even saying he is half God and half man. No, what we are saying (and celebrating at Christmas!) is that Jesus IS God in human flesh!
Most people think Jesus was a great teacher or had a lot of "God-insight." But these are half-truths. He was a great teacher who taught that He was God. He had God-insight because He was the fullest revelation of God. Some will say that He never claimed to be God. But this is simply false. Consider the time in John 8 when the Pharisees were challenging Jesus' authority. Jesus said that Abraham saw His coming and rejoiced. The Pharisees replied, "You aren't even fifty years old. How did you see Abraham?" To which Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!"
Now this is critical. Jesus not only claimed to be around before Abraham, but also gave himself the holiest name of God in all the Old Testament, I AM. This is what God called himself in the burning bush when Moses wondered what to tell Pharaoh when Pharaoh asked who had sent him. God said, "Tell him, I AM sent you." And now, Jesus claims to be the one who said that! He claimed to be God in no uncertain terms. The Pharisees knew it, too. They tried to kill Jesus for committing blasphemy!
Further, when you read the Gospels, you will notice Jesus doing things only God can do. Consider what the Gospel of Mark records Jesus doing: forgiving sins (Mark 2:1-12), controlling the weather (Mark 4:35-41, 6:45-52), providing bread from heaven (Mark 6:30-44, 8:1-13), controlling demons (Mark 1:21-28, 5:1-20), and taking authority over the law (Mark 2:18-3:6, 7:1-23). All of this points to the fact that Jesus is God. The authors of the Scriptures go to great lengths to convince us of this fact. Paul points out that Jesus is both God and man when says that Israel should receive the good news first since Christ is an Israelite. He says, "Theirs (the Israelites) are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen."
When we think about speaking of Jesus to our unbelieving friends this Christmas, let's remember who it is we celebrate, God in human flesh, Jesus Christ. This is the good news, that God comes in Jesus Christ to save sinners. The good news we speak points to the man, Jesus Christ, who is our God and savior! Merry Christmas!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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9:45 AM
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Speaking of Jesus - August 2008
When Jesus came He was constantly serving. I mean constantly. It is rather a remarkable and mind blowing thing to think that when God incarnated, that is became a man, He did not do so in a way to lord Himself over us. Quite the contrary. He came to serve us. He came to save us.
When you talk about Jesus with your friends, how often do you emphasize the service of Christ? I wonder if we don't try and use Jesus to fix people as opposed to proclaim what He has done to save them. Sometime I wonder if we don't think about evangelism as a means of telling people how to fix themselves so that they make themselves good enough for God. We think we are to say, "He sinner, repent (by which we mean 'fix yourself') or else you'll be in hell." But that is not how we are to speak of Jesus at all!
Rather, when we speak of Jesus, we should speak of the One who came to serve us and save us, not to condemn us unless we "fix ourselves." When we talk about Jesus, we need to be sure we are speaking of a loving God who knows our struggles and our failures. He know our hardships and our sorrows. And, yes, he knows our sins. But this is what is so wonderful about Jesus, he didn't come to fix that stuff. No, far better! He came to redeem us, to declare us righteous even when we are not. He came to conquer our struggles, He came to forgive our sins, He came to pour out all of Himself so that we can have life with Him eternally. This is how we should talk about Jesus!
Make a goal for yourself this month to sit down and read the entire Gospel of Luke. As you read, be caugh up in the wonder of this God who serves the broken, the outcast, and the marginalized. Sit in awe as you see Jesus forgiving sinners. Try to control the joy when you realize that you are among those whom Christ has redeemed and forgiven. And then go out and tell your friends that He has done the same for them. He's not waiting to do it for them, they don't have to be fixed, He has done it for them. Let this Jesus shape the way you speak of God's salvation!
When you talk about Jesus with your friends, how often do you emphasize the service of Christ? I wonder if we don't try and use Jesus to fix people as opposed to proclaim what He has done to save them. Sometime I wonder if we don't think about evangelism as a means of telling people how to fix themselves so that they make themselves good enough for God. We think we are to say, "He sinner, repent (by which we mean 'fix yourself') or else you'll be in hell." But that is not how we are to speak of Jesus at all!
Rather, when we speak of Jesus, we should speak of the One who came to serve us and save us, not to condemn us unless we "fix ourselves." When we talk about Jesus, we need to be sure we are speaking of a loving God who knows our struggles and our failures. He know our hardships and our sorrows. And, yes, he knows our sins. But this is what is so wonderful about Jesus, he didn't come to fix that stuff. No, far better! He came to redeem us, to declare us righteous even when we are not. He came to conquer our struggles, He came to forgive our sins, He came to pour out all of Himself so that we can have life with Him eternally. This is how we should talk about Jesus!
Make a goal for yourself this month to sit down and read the entire Gospel of Luke. As you read, be caugh up in the wonder of this God who serves the broken, the outcast, and the marginalized. Sit in awe as you see Jesus forgiving sinners. Try to control the joy when you realize that you are among those whom Christ has redeemed and forgiven. And then go out and tell your friends that He has done the same for them. He's not waiting to do it for them, they don't have to be fixed, He has done it for them. Let this Jesus shape the way you speak of God's salvation!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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1:49 PM
Monday, June 30, 2008
Speaking of Jesus - July 2008
In a recent Christianity Today interview with Tim Keller, an influential pastor in New York City, he was asked the question "Are doubts that believers face the same doubts that unbelievers face?" I thought his response was interesting. He said,
I think that this answer is incredibly insightful and can be applied to our situations with our friends who don't know Jesus. And, though I think he is absolutely right as to why many Americans do not want to follow Jesus (i.e., His exclusive claims), what we can take from this answer is that the way we talk about our faith is going to be shaped by the objections people raise. So, you are not going to emphasize that Christianity is the only way to people who are upset by the lack or morality a so-called "Christian" nation has produced. That is not their hang-up.
When discussing the faith, we need to make sure we are dealing with the questions people are asking. So, for the American who struggles with whether or not Jesus can really be the ONLY way, it is incumbent upon us to explain why Jesus can be the only way and is the only way. And to the person who is troubled by the moral laxity in America, we agree wholeheartedly with their assessment (we are a pretty sinful nation) and explain God's view on sin and the grace he gives to all of us who have fallen away.
So, to bring this home, find out from your friends and coworkers what is keeping them away from Christianity. Be willing to ask the hard questions, "Why is it that you don't go to church?" "Why don't you believe in Jesus?" and so on. Don't ever anticipate an answer, you never know what someone will say. But, be willing to go home and pray about their answer and seek direction from God and your brothers and sisters here at church as to how to deal with their objections.
Pastor Bob
It's your society that gives you the doubts. If you go to the Middle East and ask people what makes Christianity implausible, they're not going to say, "Because there can't be one true religion." They're going to say, "Because of how oppressive America has been as a Christian nation, and if you look at their culture, it's lascivious and debauched."
If you ask Americans, "What makes Christianity implausible to you?" they're not going to say, "Your popular culture is filled with sex and violence." They will say, "How could there be one true religion?"
Christians are living in the same culture that is blasting unbelievers with this is what is implausible about Christianity. If they lived in another culture, they'd be blasted with something else. So they probably are dealing with the same things [as non-Christians are] intellectually.
Christianity Today v. 52, number 6, June 2008. p. 38.
I think that this answer is incredibly insightful and can be applied to our situations with our friends who don't know Jesus. And, though I think he is absolutely right as to why many Americans do not want to follow Jesus (i.e., His exclusive claims), what we can take from this answer is that the way we talk about our faith is going to be shaped by the objections people raise. So, you are not going to emphasize that Christianity is the only way to people who are upset by the lack or morality a so-called "Christian" nation has produced. That is not their hang-up.
When discussing the faith, we need to make sure we are dealing with the questions people are asking. So, for the American who struggles with whether or not Jesus can really be the ONLY way, it is incumbent upon us to explain why Jesus can be the only way and is the only way. And to the person who is troubled by the moral laxity in America, we agree wholeheartedly with their assessment (we are a pretty sinful nation) and explain God's view on sin and the grace he gives to all of us who have fallen away.
So, to bring this home, find out from your friends and coworkers what is keeping them away from Christianity. Be willing to ask the hard questions, "Why is it that you don't go to church?" "Why don't you believe in Jesus?" and so on. Don't ever anticipate an answer, you never know what someone will say. But, be willing to go home and pray about their answer and seek direction from God and your brothers and sisters here at church as to how to deal with their objections.
Pastor Bob
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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4:55 PM
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: Questions?
As I was contemplating putting together this section of the newsletter, my intended purpose was to help equip you to talk about Jesus with your friends. The last few installments have offered insights on how we are to embrace our non-Christian friends with the Gospel and how we can defend the truth of the resurrection. These are things that I think are very important for us to know as we go out with God's word to enlighten the world about the reality of Jesus' reign. But it struck me as I sat down to put together this month's article, these may not be the questions your friends are asking. My goal is not to equip you to have imaginary conversations, but rather, my goal is to aid you in the conversations you are already having or to deal with the questions you yourself may be struggling to answer. So, this month I am asking for your help. I want you to send me questions that you would like to see answered. This way I am not answering questions no one is asking and we can use this article to be of some real benefit to you. If you would like, please email me, call me (805-532-1049), or ask me a question on Sunday that you would like to see dealt with and I will do my best to answer your questions in this section. If you have heard or had a question, chances are very good that someone else is asking the same thing and by answering it here, we will help equip each other to share Jesus. No question is off limits! This section will become more interactive and useful for us as we set out to tell people the Good News, that Jesus died for the sins of the world and has risen to give us everlasting life!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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2:13 PM
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: The Resurrection Part 2
"Did you see that?" This is a common question we ask those around us when we see something spectacular. Maybe we are at a sports game and a great play takes place, or maybe we see a car accident, or maybe a surfer riding a huge wave. When we see something that is shocking or exciting we ask the question, "Did you see that?" because we want others to be in on what we just witnessed. If the other person missed it, we try to explain what we just saw.
When the apostles wrote the Gospels, they have set out to tell us what they saw, Jesus risen from the dead! They knew he died on the cross and they expected him to stay dead. But then something spectacular happened, he rose again and appeared to them! This convinced them that Jesus was no only their savior, but God in flesh conquering death for sinners, that they set out to tell the world about it. You can read about their experiences with Jesus after his resurrection at the end of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and at the very beginning of the book of Acts. From the Bible we have ten appearances recorded (and there may have been more). He appeared to different people in different places at different times, thus demonstrating to many that he is alive!
But, as with all Biblical truths, people have set out to disprove these appearances. Many people will argue that the disciples and others may have seen Jesus, but these visions were hallucinations. What they were seeing was what they desperately hoped to see and not the resurrected Jesus in the flesh. Paul Little says, "[The Hallucination Theory] is plausible until we remember the common laws observed by modern medicine that apply to such psychological phenomena."
First, it is worth noting that hallucinations usually occur with people who are very imaginative and have a nervous makeup. But Jesus appeared to numerous people, not just imaginative, nervous people. He appeared to Thomas, for example, who, rather than being nervous and imaginative, was completely skeptical and had totally given up on Jesus.
Second, hallucinations are pretty subjective. That is, they are different from person to person. No two people have the same hallucination at the same time. We have accounts of Jesus appearing to two people (Luke 24:13-35), to at least the eleven apostles (Luke 24:36-50), and to 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Third, hallucinations typically take place at certain times and in certain places with ideal hallucination circumstances. These encounters with Christ took place both inside and outside. They happened in the morning, during the day, and at night. There is no real pattern to them. They happen for a while and then just stop taking place, unlike most psychic experiences which are regular and continuous.
Fourth, hallucinations take place in the minds of those who so intensely want something to be a reality that they project that reality into existence. But everyone thought Jesus was done for and no one expected him to walk out of the grave. They were all hiding, trying to save themselves.
Finally, hallucinations don't eat. Jesus is constantly eating and cooking after the resurrection (Luke 24:30,41-43; John 21:10-13).
These were no hallucinations! Jesus actually rose from the dead. As 1 Corinthians 15 says, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" and "But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
When the apostles wrote the Gospels, they have set out to tell us what they saw, Jesus risen from the dead! They knew he died on the cross and they expected him to stay dead. But then something spectacular happened, he rose again and appeared to them! This convinced them that Jesus was no only their savior, but God in flesh conquering death for sinners, that they set out to tell the world about it. You can read about their experiences with Jesus after his resurrection at the end of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and at the very beginning of the book of Acts. From the Bible we have ten appearances recorded (and there may have been more). He appeared to different people in different places at different times, thus demonstrating to many that he is alive!
But, as with all Biblical truths, people have set out to disprove these appearances. Many people will argue that the disciples and others may have seen Jesus, but these visions were hallucinations. What they were seeing was what they desperately hoped to see and not the resurrected Jesus in the flesh. Paul Little says, "[The Hallucination Theory] is plausible until we remember the common laws observed by modern medicine that apply to such psychological phenomena."
First, it is worth noting that hallucinations usually occur with people who are very imaginative and have a nervous makeup. But Jesus appeared to numerous people, not just imaginative, nervous people. He appeared to Thomas, for example, who, rather than being nervous and imaginative, was completely skeptical and had totally given up on Jesus.
Second, hallucinations are pretty subjective. That is, they are different from person to person. No two people have the same hallucination at the same time. We have accounts of Jesus appearing to two people (Luke 24:13-35), to at least the eleven apostles (Luke 24:36-50), and to 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Third, hallucinations typically take place at certain times and in certain places with ideal hallucination circumstances. These encounters with Christ took place both inside and outside. They happened in the morning, during the day, and at night. There is no real pattern to them. They happen for a while and then just stop taking place, unlike most psychic experiences which are regular and continuous.
Fourth, hallucinations take place in the minds of those who so intensely want something to be a reality that they project that reality into existence. But everyone thought Jesus was done for and no one expected him to walk out of the grave. They were all hiding, trying to save themselves.
Finally, hallucinations don't eat. Jesus is constantly eating and cooking after the resurrection (Luke 24:30,41-43; John 21:10-13).
These were no hallucinations! Jesus actually rose from the dead. As 1 Corinthians 15 says, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" and "But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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8:07 AM
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: The Resurrection
According to the Bible, our faith hangs on one central fact of history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In I Corinthians 15:17, St. Paul says, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." That is, if Jesus is dead, there is no reason to be a Christian, there is no reason to go to church, the whole thing is a wash. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die! But Paul goes on in verse 20, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" We are no longer in our sins because Jesus has been raised. Clearly, this is an important issue.
There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection. It is important for us as Christians to be able to explain why we believe in the resurrection. There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection that require us to be able to say why we believe Jesus rose. In this article I want to give you a few good defenses of our faith, so that you can demonstrate to your friends that Jesus has, in fact, been raised, and our sins are forgiven.
There are two facts that must be explained when we deal with the resurrection: the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus after his death. In this article we will deal with the empty tomb, and next month we will examine the post-resurrection appearances. The fact that the tomb was empty has to be explained. Christians claim Jesus was resurrected, but non-Christians may argue one of the following things:
1. The disciples came and stole the body. This is the earliest explanation. Matthew 28:11-15 even records that this was come up with by the Jewish religious leaders to cover their tracks and make Pilate happy. The soldiers were to say that the body was stolen while they slept. But, if they were asleep, how do they know what happened? Furthermore, the disciples were in no place to steal the body. They were hiding after Jesus' death. They were afraid of the same fate for themselves. Why would a bunch of wimps who were scarred of the Romans on Thursday suddenly get gutsy and set out to take them on that Saturday night in front of the tomb? It is inconceivable from what we know of the disciples that they would have stolen the body.
2. The Jewish leaders or the Romans stole the body. But why? They all wanted Jesus dead. What would they gain from moving the body? Further, when the disciples began to preach the resurrection, all these two parties would have had to do to prove them wrong would have been to show everyone where the body was.
3. The women went to the wrong tomb on Sunday. Some claim the tomb was empty because the women arrived at the wrong tomb. Therefore, what they said was false and if they had gone to the right tomb, everyone could have seen the dead Jesus. But no one ever did that. Why? Because the women, who saw where Jesus was buried, returned to the same spot. If the women had gone to the wrong tomb, to prove the resurrection claims wrong, someone just had to go to the right tomb.
4. Jesus didn't die on the cross, he just passed-out, woke up the next Sunday, and walked out of the tomb. This is called the swoon theory. This theory doesn't show up until the Eighteenth Century, most likely because no one around the time of Christ would have conceived of a survival after the beating Jesus had taken. The Romans were killing experts who didn't fail too often. But, let's say for the sake of argument that he didn't die on the cross. How likely is it that Jesus could have been beaten nearly to death, hung on a cross, left for dead in a tomb with no food, water, or care given to him, and then, on Sunday, push a big stone away and walk out of the grave? Not very likely. His feet may have hurt from the holes.
Certainly, there are more arguments out there, but these are the most popular. Our salvation rests on the sure fact that Jesus actually came back to life on the third day after his death on the cross! What a blessing this Easter reality is for us Christians! Remember to tell your friends that Jesus is risen for their salvation! He is risen, indeed!
Book Recommendation:
Paul E Little, Know Why You Believe. Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO. 2003. This book is brilliant in dealing with arguments for the Christian faith!
Pastor Bob
There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection. It is important for us as Christians to be able to explain why we believe in the resurrection. There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection that require us to be able to say why we believe Jesus rose. In this article I want to give you a few good defenses of our faith, so that you can demonstrate to your friends that Jesus has, in fact, been raised, and our sins are forgiven.
There are two facts that must be explained when we deal with the resurrection: the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus after his death. In this article we will deal with the empty tomb, and next month we will examine the post-resurrection appearances. The fact that the tomb was empty has to be explained. Christians claim Jesus was resurrected, but non-Christians may argue one of the following things:
1. The disciples came and stole the body. This is the earliest explanation. Matthew 28:11-15 even records that this was come up with by the Jewish religious leaders to cover their tracks and make Pilate happy. The soldiers were to say that the body was stolen while they slept. But, if they were asleep, how do they know what happened? Furthermore, the disciples were in no place to steal the body. They were hiding after Jesus' death. They were afraid of the same fate for themselves. Why would a bunch of wimps who were scarred of the Romans on Thursday suddenly get gutsy and set out to take them on that Saturday night in front of the tomb? It is inconceivable from what we know of the disciples that they would have stolen the body.
2. The Jewish leaders or the Romans stole the body. But why? They all wanted Jesus dead. What would they gain from moving the body? Further, when the disciples began to preach the resurrection, all these two parties would have had to do to prove them wrong would have been to show everyone where the body was.
3. The women went to the wrong tomb on Sunday. Some claim the tomb was empty because the women arrived at the wrong tomb. Therefore, what they said was false and if they had gone to the right tomb, everyone could have seen the dead Jesus. But no one ever did that. Why? Because the women, who saw where Jesus was buried, returned to the same spot. If the women had gone to the wrong tomb, to prove the resurrection claims wrong, someone just had to go to the right tomb.
4. Jesus didn't die on the cross, he just passed-out, woke up the next Sunday, and walked out of the tomb. This is called the swoon theory. This theory doesn't show up until the Eighteenth Century, most likely because no one around the time of Christ would have conceived of a survival after the beating Jesus had taken. The Romans were killing experts who didn't fail too often. But, let's say for the sake of argument that he didn't die on the cross. How likely is it that Jesus could have been beaten nearly to death, hung on a cross, left for dead in a tomb with no food, water, or care given to him, and then, on Sunday, push a big stone away and walk out of the grave? Not very likely. His feet may have hurt from the holes.
Certainly, there are more arguments out there, but these are the most popular. Our salvation rests on the sure fact that Jesus actually came back to life on the third day after his death on the cross! What a blessing this Easter reality is for us Christians! Remember to tell your friends that Jesus is risen for their salvation! He is risen, indeed!
Book Recommendation:
Paul E Little, Know Why You Believe. Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO. 2003. This book is brilliant in dealing with arguments for the Christian faith!
Pastor Bob
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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10:32 AM
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: The Warm Embrace
Last month in "Speaking of Jesus" we discussed how evangelism is the delivering of good news. You are simply telling people what Jesus has done for them. And that is what evangelism is. Period. However, that is not all we are called to do as Christians when it comes to our relationships. The more and more I think about evangelism (which is derived the Greek word meaning "good news") the more and more I become disenchanted with the way the church has typically done evangelism. Too often we operate with an "I'm right / they're wrong" mentality. Evangelism ceases to be an endeavor to introduce the life saving / changing Gospel of Jesus and an argument over who is right and who is wrong. And, to be honest, this is not an argument we really want to enter into, so we ourselves run from evangelism.
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, wonders if the way we talk about evangelism and mission isn't part of the problem. In his book The Radical Reformission he says we need to leave behind this language of "outreach." That word sounds too much like we are keeping people at an arm's length away from us. We can throw Jesus at them and walk away. Driscoll says we should start seeing our mission in this world as one that doesn't so much "reach out" to it, but one that embraces it. Instead of standing on a soap box and telling the world how to fix itself, we as the church should embrace the world and love our neighbors.
For me, this is a total shift in thinking. And I love it! We are not out to conquer the world and prove ourselves right. This "us who are right vs. they who are wrong" attitude does damage to our attempts at sharing the gospel. Our attitude should be one of sinners loving each other through life's highs and lows and sinners delivering the good news that Jesus has redeemed the highs, the lows, and you, and even me!
Not to go off on too much of a tangent here, but this is one reason why it is so critical for us to have confession on Sunday morning. Obviously, it is important because we need to receive forgiveness from Christ for our own sins. But in a secondary way, it reminds us that we are poor miserable sinners. We are only here by grace. We only know about Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus because God is gracious to us and forgives us. It is not because we are somehow better than non-Christians. Honestly, I see the lives of some non-Christians and am struck by how they really are "better" than I am! But we are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. We all need Jesus. So let's embrace the culture with this redeeming news!
Book Recommendations
Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission. Zondervan Publishing House, 2004.
Mark Driscoll, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. Zondervan Publishing House, 2006.
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, wonders if the way we talk about evangelism and mission isn't part of the problem. In his book The Radical Reformission he says we need to leave behind this language of "outreach." That word sounds too much like we are keeping people at an arm's length away from us. We can throw Jesus at them and walk away. Driscoll says we should start seeing our mission in this world as one that doesn't so much "reach out" to it, but one that embraces it. Instead of standing on a soap box and telling the world how to fix itself, we as the church should embrace the world and love our neighbors.
For me, this is a total shift in thinking. And I love it! We are not out to conquer the world and prove ourselves right. This "us who are right vs. they who are wrong" attitude does damage to our attempts at sharing the gospel. Our attitude should be one of sinners loving each other through life's highs and lows and sinners delivering the good news that Jesus has redeemed the highs, the lows, and you, and even me!
Not to go off on too much of a tangent here, but this is one reason why it is so critical for us to have confession on Sunday morning. Obviously, it is important because we need to receive forgiveness from Christ for our own sins. But in a secondary way, it reminds us that we are poor miserable sinners. We are only here by grace. We only know about Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus because God is gracious to us and forgives us. It is not because we are somehow better than non-Christians. Honestly, I see the lives of some non-Christians and am struck by how they really are "better" than I am! But we are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. We all need Jesus. So let's embrace the culture with this redeeming news!
Book Recommendations
Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission. Zondervan Publishing House, 2004.
Mark Driscoll, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. Zondervan Publishing House, 2006.
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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6:35 PM
Friday, February 8, 2008
Speaking of Jesus: Good News!
We have been brought up to think that there are two topics you don't talk about in public: religion and politics. These topics are divisive and make people uncomfortable. Conversations can escalate pretty quickly when what we believe is put on trial by those we are close to. It is never fun to have these uncomfortable conversations.
And yet we find ourselves in these conversations from time to time. The sudden fascination with spirituality in America has forced the conversations upon us! So how do we respond? Are we going to be prepared to have these conversations when they come up? Are we going to be willing to even maybe start one of these conversations? After all, Christ has called us to tell people the good news about the salvation he has won for us on the cross, but sometimes we just don't feel ready. What if they ask questions I don't know the answer too? What if they corner me or attack my beliefs? How will I respond?
These are all questions we plan on helping you deal with in our new section here in the newsletter called "Speaking of Jesus." It is my hope and prayer that through this series of articles you will begin to feel more equipped to talk about the saving work of Jesus Christ to your friends and family. The goal here is not to teach you how to win arguments, but rather, to help equip you to share good news. After all, that is what Christ has called us to do, deliver news.
Think of evangelism like this: you woke up this morning and made yourself some coffee, walked outside in your robe and slippers and you picked up the paper. The headline read: "Man Rises from the Dead after Three Days" The article reads something like this, "Jesus Christ, a man from Jerusalem who claimed to be God and was crucified 2,000 years ago for his comments, has come back to life! When asked what the meaning of all of this was, he said, 'I came from God to suffer for the sins of the world. If people put their faith in me, they will be forgiven and saved.'" You quickly run inside, "Honey, did you hear? Jesus is risen from the dead! Our sins are forgiven!"
That is all evangelism is. Delivering good news! It is telling people that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day for our salvation. That's it. Period. Now, this will raise questions on the side of the person you inform. They will wonder how reliable the story is, why they need forgiveness in the first place, and why your view on Christ is better than the Mormon's down the street. We will deal with these issues in this section of our newsletter. It is my prayer that God will work through these columns to help you feel more confident in sharing your faith.
Book Recommendation:
Lee Strobel, A Case for Christ. Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
And yet we find ourselves in these conversations from time to time. The sudden fascination with spirituality in America has forced the conversations upon us! So how do we respond? Are we going to be prepared to have these conversations when they come up? Are we going to be willing to even maybe start one of these conversations? After all, Christ has called us to tell people the good news about the salvation he has won for us on the cross, but sometimes we just don't feel ready. What if they ask questions I don't know the answer too? What if they corner me or attack my beliefs? How will I respond?
These are all questions we plan on helping you deal with in our new section here in the newsletter called "Speaking of Jesus." It is my hope and prayer that through this series of articles you will begin to feel more equipped to talk about the saving work of Jesus Christ to your friends and family. The goal here is not to teach you how to win arguments, but rather, to help equip you to share good news. After all, that is what Christ has called us to do, deliver news.
Think of evangelism like this: you woke up this morning and made yourself some coffee, walked outside in your robe and slippers and you picked up the paper. The headline read: "Man Rises from the Dead after Three Days" The article reads something like this, "Jesus Christ, a man from Jerusalem who claimed to be God and was crucified 2,000 years ago for his comments, has come back to life! When asked what the meaning of all of this was, he said, 'I came from God to suffer for the sins of the world. If people put their faith in me, they will be forgiven and saved.'" You quickly run inside, "Honey, did you hear? Jesus is risen from the dead! Our sins are forgiven!"
That is all evangelism is. Delivering good news! It is telling people that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day for our salvation. That's it. Period. Now, this will raise questions on the side of the person you inform. They will wonder how reliable the story is, why they need forgiveness in the first place, and why your view on Christ is better than the Mormon's down the street. We will deal with these issues in this section of our newsletter. It is my prayer that God will work through these columns to help you feel more confident in sharing your faith.
Book Recommendation:
Lee Strobel, A Case for Christ. Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
Labels: speaking-of-jesus
posted by Faith Moorpark
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8:59 AM