Idolotry???

I would like to submit a seemingly outrageous claim. I submit that, of all people, perhaps Christians are the most prone to commit idolatry. I'm not talking about the idolatry that comes in the form of wealth, materials, addictions, or anything like that. I'm talking about an idolatry that comes in the form of one's purpose or fulfillment.

Below are two scenarios demonstrating the idolatry that I continually struggle with.

1) It's my day off. After drifting in and out of lovely sleep for a couple of relaxing hours, I reach back to my headboard and grab my Bible. I read a couple of chapters and am strengthened by the Word of God. I get out of bed and head to the shower. The shower (FYI) is a great place to pray, so I pray and dedicate my day to God. Over the course of the remainder of the day, I encounter temptations and small trials which I prayerfully overcome. At the end of the day I am happy. I feel a sense of fulfillment. My day, though not perfect, was a day of obedience to God. I'm happy today because, all in all, I lived in a godly manner.

2) I wake up at 7:30 on a work day and head to the shower. As per normal, I pray in the shower and surrender my day to God. On the way to work someone pulls out and passes me, only to slow down as soon as the passing lane ends. That person drives slow the rest of the way into town. Chances are, my attitude toward that person was less than godly. Throughout the workday, lots of things go wrong. As things go wrong, my attitude turns lousy and I occasionally curse under my breath. So much for surrendering my day to God. I'm in a bad mood when I get home because it has been a stressful day. As evening draws to a close, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed because of my unchristian behavior. I'm upset because I didn't behave in a godly manner.

As a Christian, I believe that true joy comes from Christ and Christ alone. However, when I reflect on these scenarios, it becomes clear that I often seek to attain joy from my own performance. When I seek joy anywhere else apart from Christ, that is idolatry.

It is vitally important that I receive receive my joy and satisfaction from beholding, enjoying, and worshipping Christ. The only goodness that I am to delight in is the goodness of Christ. Then I can realize that any goodness shining through me is merely an overflow of the perfect goodness of Christ Who, by His Spirit, dwells within those who embrace Him.

I'm Back

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written in this blog. A lot has happened in my life since my last post. Towards the end of 2012, I began questioning my faith. I wasn't seeking to rebel against God; I wasn't wanting to leave God behind. I was seeking to strengthen both my faith and my Christian apologetic. But as I continued down the path of questioning, I began to encounter things that I perceived as troublesome, even fatal, to my faith.

By spring of 2013 I had completely lost my faith. I considered myself an agnostic, and was essentially atheistic in my ideology and worldview. So I embraced the secular life as best I could. It's not a super exciting story. Basically, I lived as an unbeliever for a couple of years. There were a couple times during those years that I really did try to believe again. I wasn't originally looking to become an unbeliever and, in truth, there were times that I really missed my relationship with Christ. But I was convinced that God didn't exist.

In March of 2015, things changed. I began to realize that I had been creating my own criteria for what evidence God needed to provide in order to prove His existence. Up until this point, I had been putting my own conditions on the existence of God and the truth of the Bible. And so, after much wrestling and seeking, I again was able to believe that faith in Christ is reasonable and substantial.

There are some specific issues that I had to work through in order to find my way back; I hope to address those and flesh them out a bit in future posts. For now I just wanted to get back up to date on my blog and give an update of where I'm at.

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

Matthew 6:9-13

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Key verse:

Matthew 6:9b

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

The first portion of this prayer (Hallowed be Your name) is widely misunderstood today. A proper understanding of this phrase is foundational when it comes to praying this prayer. Many people think that the phrase "hallowed be Your name" is merely a definitive statement. When we look into the Greek language, from which this portion of scripture was translated, we find that "hallowed be Your name" is actually a request.

The words "hallowed be" are translated from the Greek verb Hagiazo. Hagiazo is an action word meaning: to make holy, to set apart, to consecrate, or to sanctify. So, when we pray "hallowed be Your name," we should actually be praying that God would make His name holy. We should be praying that God would set His name apart.

When looking at the opening portion of the Lord's prayer, a more understandable translation would be: "Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy."

So, what does all this mean in relation to the rest of the prayer? I believe that each item in the Lord's prayer must be requested out of a desire to see God glorified. This seems to be confirmed in the closing portion of the prayer: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

The closing portion seems to imply that everything prior to it is requested for the sake of God's kingdom, God's power, and God's glory. When we ask God to daily provide us with bread, we must be requesting this need in order that we might see God glorified.

Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.

Do our lives reflect a desire to see the name of God made holy? Do our lives set apart God's name in order that it might be glorified? God, in and of Himself, is already holy. His name is holy. But have we lived our lives in such a way as to reflect the holiness of God? Have we set apart the name of YAHWEH by the way that we live?

A true, born again, blood washed believer WILL live a life that reflects the holiness of God. I'm not talking about a life of sinless perfection- such a life is impossible in mortal flesh. But rather, I'm talking about a life that exhibits evidence of having been transformed through Jesus Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.

The foremost goal of each Christian must be that he or she would seek the glory of God in each and every situation. Many people believe that they are glorifying God in the "big picture" of their lives. My question is this: if God isn't being glorified in the smaller details of my life, is he being glorified at all?

Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.

The implications of this prayer are huge. This prayer, when prayed from an ernest heart, will change everything about your life. It will change the way you talk. It will change the way you treat others. It will change how you dress. It will change what you watch on television. It will change the music you listen to. It will change what you do with your money. It will change what you do with your time. It changes everything.

Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.

What are you willing to abandon in order that your life would reflect the holiness of God?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

Our Father in heaven, make Your name holy.

GOD'S GREAT POWER TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE

EPHESIANS 1: 15-23

(15) Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, (16) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
(22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Key verse:

Ephesians 1: 19

...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...

It is hard to appreciate the greatness of God's power toward us. It is difficult to understand the capacity of the power that He works toward and within the believer. Below are listed a few possible reasons why we have such a hard time understanding this power:

1. The first part of verse 18 is a prayer that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. This must mean that our understanding is naturally darkened and is in need of illumination to understand the things of God.

2. In verse 19, the word "exceeding" is used to describe the greatness of God's power toward us. The word "exceeding" can be used interchangeably with the word "surpassing" or with the word "immeasurable." So if one were to describe the greatness of God's power toward us as immeasurable, it is only natural to realize that, often times, God's power is something beyond human comprehension.

3. Perhaps we don't always come to grips with the magnitude of evil that God's power protects us from. The devil is real and he seeks to utterly destroy us. I don't think that we have any idea how many terrible forces God protects us from. If we could come to grips with the severity and reality of those things that God is daily protecting us from, then we would be that little bit closer to understanding the immeasurable magnitude of God's power toward us, inside us, and around us.

Notice how, in verse 19, the word "power" is used twice. It is, therefore, obvious that the word "power" is an important word in this particular passage. What is not so obvious is the fact that each time the word "power" is used, it has been translated from a different word in the original greek language. The first "power" in the verse is translated from the greek word "dunamis" referring to a violently wonderful, miraculous display of power. The second "power" is translated from the greek word "kratos" and seems to refer to a more general strength or might.

Although each "power" has a slightly different emphasis, the first "power" is said to accord with the second "power". Take a look at verses 19 and 20: ...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, ACCORDING to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...

So the power that God works toward us is the very same power that He worked in Christ when He raised Christ from the dead. God's power toward us is the same power that He worked when He set Christ at His right hand in Heaven, far above all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name in this world and the next. God's power toward us is the same power that He worked when He put all things under the feet of Christ. It is the same power that He worked when He instituted Christ as Head of all things to the church.

Verses 19 and 20 of chapter 1 seem to correspond with Ephesians 2: 4-6, see below:

EPHESIANS 2: 4-6

(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...

In verses 4 through 6 of chapter 2, it is stated that those who come to Christ are brought to life with Christ. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, we are raised with Him! It is also stated that God has made us to sit together with Christ in the heavenly places. These facts seem to correspond with verses 19 and 20 of chapter 1 where it is stated that the power that God is working toward us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God's right hand in Heaven.

The awesome power that raised Christ from the dead is the very same power that God uses to bring new life to all who come to Jesus Christ. Let us pray that God will open our eyes to the reality and immensity of this power.

Do you want to experience this power in your own life? If you do, you must call upon Jesus and trust Him to save you. He died on the cross in order to pay your sin debt in full. He shed His blood to cleanse you from sin. He rose from the grave and conquered evil. Just as Christ rose from the dead, He gives new life to all those who put their faith in Him.

Make your dwelling in Christ

John 15: 4-12: (Jesus speaking) "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."

What does it mean to abide in Christ? First, I think we need to look at the word abide. This portion of scripture was originally published in Greek. Abide comes from the Greek word meno. In the context of this portion of scripture, meno means: to stay, remain, dwell, inhabit, or (perhaps most appropriate) to make one's dwelling place. So when Jesus says, "Abide in Me, and I in you" He is inviting us to make our dwelling place in Him, and is stating that He will make His dwelling place in us!

So how is it that we are able to dwell in Christ? This is perhaps the same question that the original disciples had when Jesus first spoke these words to them. In fact, this whole issue would have been quite confusing to them because Christ had not yet completed the work of Salvation by dying and rising from the dead. Not only that, but the disciples did not yet have the Holy Spirit to open their understanding. The answer, however, eventually did become clear to them.

It was not but hours after He spoke these words that Jesus was taken from the disciples, was falsely accused, was beaten to the point of being unrecognizable as a man, and was killed by being nailed to a Roman crossed shaped pole. Jesus' body was then sealed in a tomb. This, however, was not the end. Jesus rose from the dead and later ascended to Heaven.

What then does any of this mean to us as far as abiding in Christ? The answer: It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for us to abide or dwell in Him.

Before we go any further, let us go over in more detail what the death and resurrection of Jesus really mean: Humans are born sinners. In Romans 5: 12, we learn that we have inherited our sinful nature from our first grandfather, Adam. Because we are his descendants, his sin has been passed down the generations to us. Because God is absolutely perfect and holy, He cannot look upon sin or accept any part of it. This makes it impossible for us to redeem ourselves into a right relationship with God as Romans 3:23 says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." The punishment for sin is death. Romans 6: 23a says: "For the wages of sin is death..." The death spoken of here is not merely physical death, but rather, spiritual death. Spiritual death means to be totally separated and completely shut off from God. Jesus Christ, however, took our place in spiritual death when he willingly laid down His life and was killed. God's wrath and the punishment for our sin was inflicted on Christ. Standing in our place, Jesus paid our sin debt in full, as stated in 1 Peter 2: 24: "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." Jesus is perfect and completely sinless. Because he had no sin of His own to pay for, death could not hold Him; Jesus Christ rose from the dead thus conquering sin.

So, to abide in Christ means to surrender ourselves to Him, trusting that He has saved us through His death and resurrection. The moment that God grants us the faith to embrace Christ as our Savior, we can know that we are saved. We can know that we will forever dwell IN God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. Not only do we abide in God, but in the form of the Holy Spirit, God dwells in us. Remember the words of Christ our God in John 15: 4a? "Abide in Me, and I in you."

John 15: 4b-5: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

What does it mean to bear fruit? Let us take for instance an apple tree: A healthy branch on that tree will bear apples. If, however, that branch is not attached to the tree, it will not produce any apples. In fact, that branch will die. So it is with us. If we refuse to abide in Christ, our lives will produce nothing worthwhile in the end. Sure, a person can attain some measure of happiness for a season. Or perhaps even great happiness for a time. But none of this has eternal value. In Christ Jesus, though, there is eternal and lasting value. It's hard to explain, but there is an indescribable, incomprehensible sense of joy and meaning within those who are in Christ. Why am I not able to fully describe this? Because this this joy and peace comes exclusively from the Holy Spirit Who comes to dwell inside those who surrender to Christ.

Perhaps until now, you haven't made your dwelling place in Christ Jesus. Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that your life up to this moment has been a waste. I'm not saying that everything you've been through has been meaningless. On the contrary: Everything you have done, everything you have been through, everything in your life, God has used it all to bring you to this point. So right here and right now ask yourself, "Is God calling me into Himself?"

John 15: 7: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

When we come to abide in Christ, we have available to us an inexhaustible resource that is vital to our growth and maturity in Him. We have the Bible, that is, the word of God in written form. Not only does the Bible contain the very words of Jesus Christ, but this entire Bible points toward His coming and presents Him to us. The word of God is applicable to any and every situation we could possible find ourselves in; and not just because it is such a huge and complex book (which it is), but rather, because the word of God is alive! Hebrews 4: 12 says this: "For the word of the Lord is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." When we read the words off the pages of this book, the Holy Spirit of God is able to take these words and apply them to whatever our need is. He plants these words in our heart and brings them to life in such a way that they are able to transform our entire being. So it's no wonder that Christ says that if His words abides in us we will receive whatever we ask for. It is again important to remember the meaning in the word abide. If God's word abides in us, we can say that His word lives in us, dwells in us, inhabits us, remains and endures in us. When God brings us to the point where we truly live and breath His word, everything that we ask for will be in accordance with His desires and will therefore be granted to us. When the words of Christ fully make their home in us, it is only natural that we wouldn't ask for things that would fulfill our selfish wants, but rather we will ask for those things that glorify God. It is at this point in our abiding relationship with Christ that we are fulfilling the next verse:

John 15: 8: "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

When our desires match God's desires, it is then that we are bearing fruit. It is then that our lives produce results that glorify and honor God to the fullest. It is then that we truly prove to be disciples of Christ.

John 15: 9: "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

The very love that flows from the Father to Christ, flows from the Christ to us. We are commanded to dwell, or remain in this love; and why would we not want to? This is the love that brought forth our salvation and rescues us from sin and death. So how do we abide in His love? In John 15: 10 Jesus answers: "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." What then, you may ask, is Christ's commandment to us? In John 15: 12, Jesus answers: "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." We are commanded to love one another with the same love that Christ loves us with. Only by dwelling in Christ are we able to share this love with others. The next verse shows us what this love may look like: John 15: 13: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

Here is your invitation: Make your dwelling in Christ, and He will dwell in you.

An Invitation to Live

When I think about my life, my faith, and what I believe, I can't help but wish for some way to convey to those around me the depth of joy, peace, and excitement that I have as I live my life in Christ. I wish that these friends, family, and loved ones could see what they are missing out on. But more than that, I wish they could see the amazing, totally awesome life that is available to them. I want them to have a very real relationship with the Holy, loving, inexpressibly wonderful God of the universe. I wish they could truly know the forgiveness and power that comes through Jesus Christ.

I think when people hear the term Christian, they think "oh, religion..." or they automatically think of rules and regulations. Perhaps they even think "what a bunch of judgmental hypocrites." And guess what? I can't blame anyone for feeling this way. When I look back through the centuries, I see countless people calling themselves Christians and then committing horrendous atrocities. Even today, there are innumerable con-artists and money grabbers masquerading as Christians. Let me make this as clear as possible: THIS IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. Period.

True Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ the Lord. Through Christ, our sins are forgiven and we have access to God the Father. What's more? God, in the form of His Holy Spirit, will come and dwell within all who come to Him.

By the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer, we have the ability to love. We have the ability to love God and love other people. This really is the essence of Christianity. Listen to what Jesus says in the book of Matthew, chapter 22, verses 37-39: "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." These are the words of Jesus Christ Himself.

So it all boils down to this: 1: Love God 2: Love People.

Being a Christian isn't about "being good." Any goodness in my life is a result of the Holy Spirit, that is, the presence of Christ within me. Any truly good works that I do are done as a thankful tribute to Christ, who saved me through His death and resurrection. These good works are done to show the goodness of God.

Many people get the impression that being a Christian means that you cannot have fun (unless it is some sort of corny, Ned Flanders type of fun). Listen to this: God created laughter. God created an amazing planet for us to enjoy. God created other people for us to love, bug, laugh with, and live life with. Sure, there will be rough times. That is part of being human. But it is in these times when we can experience the love, comfort, and power of God.

Here is the Gospel (or Good News): Jesus Christ (God the Son) died, took the penalty for our sins, and conquered evil by rising from the dead. All who trust in Him are forgiven and re-born. When God looks on those who are re-born, He sees in us only the perfection that comes from Christ. He sees us as perfect. Our sins, even though we still bugger up, are erased. Our sin debt is cancelled and paid in full by the blood of Jesus.

So really, the Gospel of Christ is an invitation to live. To live in Christ is to live life to the fullest. Nothing compares to the power and presence of God. Nothing compares to the peace that only Jesus can give.

Again, listen to the words of Jesus: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Will you dare to live???

How do we know that we can trust God? Is He really even interested in us? Does He even care about us? I think the answer to these questions is summed up in the Bible verses below:

Psalm 139, verses 1-18:

1. O LORD, You have searched me and You know me.

2. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.

3. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.

4. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

5. You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand on me.

6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?

8. If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

9. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10. even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.

11. If I say "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"

12. even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You..

13. For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.

14. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

17. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

***

In reading this portion of Scripture, one thing is certain: GOD IS IMMENSELY INTERESTED IN YOU. Not only is He interested in you, but He cares for you beyond imagination. Look again at verse 13, it reads "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb." That's right, the almighty, infinite, awesome Creator of the universe tenderly and carefully constructed you.

So what does this have to do with peace? When I read Psalm 139, I am reminded that no matter where I go, no matter what is happening, GOD IS THERE. We live in a painful world. Bad things happen. But know this: God longs for you to put your trust in Him.

God desires so much for us to trust Him that He sent Jesus to provide our salvation. Jesus suffered the punishment for our sin when He was killed on the cross. He conquered sin by rising from the dead. When we trust Christ and surrender to Him, we have access to God the Father. Not only do we have access to God, but the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us! This is where my peace comes from.

I often find it difficult to trust God when bad things are happening. But this is what I am learning: as God brings me through painful times, He is equipping me, He is sculpting me. Remember the picture of the dove in my last entry? Even in the midst of the storm, the dove seems peaceful. For that dove, peace wasn't the absence of the storm. Rather, peace was a feeling of security within the storm. I suppose it is the same for me. Peace is to know that God has my best in mind. Peace is to know that my sins are forgiven, and that I am washed by the blood of Christ. Peace is to know that I live in the presence of Creator God, now and forevermore.