Month: April 2015

Tuesday, April 28, 2015 will be an historic and potentially culture-altering day for the United States.  On that day, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments concerning the issue of same-sex marriage.  The outcome of these hearings, slated to be released in late June, will have tremendous consequences for how churches in America do ministry going forward, and it will have significant impact on issues of religious freedom.  It is IMPOSSIBLE to overstate the importance of this decision.  We must reaffirm some things that do not change:

1. We must affirm the importance of PRAYING FOR OUR LEADERS in America.  While we may not agree with or necessarily affirm the direction they are leading, we must remember that Scripture commands we be faithful in praying for all in authority, and in this instance this means members of the Supreme Court as well.  (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

2. We must remember the foundation on which we stand and that NO COURT OR CONSTITUTION can define what doesn’t belong to it. Marriage is an institution ordained by God and DEFINED BY HIS UNCHANGING WORD, not by the opinions of man no matter how highly placed or intelligent he may seem.  Genesis 2 gives us the precept on which we are to stand regarding Scriptural marriage, and it is clearly a relationship established between male and female.  It is a relationship established and imbedded in the creative order that men and women may become moms and dads.  It is a relationship that clearly portrays a spiritual reality, that of Christ’s relationship with His bride, the church and His death and resurrection that secured that Bride for Him.

3. We must stand apart from the cultural decay that surrounds us.  Though we live in the midst of the cultural ruins of our day, we must continue to shine the light of the Gospel and the hope that Jesus brings to a lost and dying people.  Nothing that happens, no matter how marginalized or discriminated against we may feel, must stop us from being the salt and shining the light of the Gospel.

So on Tuesday, April 28 at 10:00 AM, PRAY for this significant decision placed before the Supreme Court:
Pray that all people everywhere would honor the institution of marriage.
Pray for the Supreme Court justices that they would be receptive to truth when they hear it presented.
Pray for lead attorneys who will be arguing on behalf of states seeking to uphold Biblical marriage
Pray for those who disagree with the Biblical definition of marriage, that God would help them understand and respect the opinions of those arguing for the foundation of marriage grounded in Scripture.
Pray for God’s people to be prepared even in the event of a decision that does not go as we hope.  God is not mocked.  He is sovereign, and His purposes will ultimately prevail!

As Christians, we must walk in confidence that God is in control even of this circumstance.  We live, not in fear or in anger, not in malice or rancor, not in bitterness or wrath but in the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts.

May they know we are Christians by our love!
(adopted from article on http://russellmoore.com)

In the movie, The Mission,  Robert De Niro plays the role of a slave trader-turned Jesuit priest.  Practicing his trade among the Guarani Indians in South America, he is portrayed as a ruthless, cruel man.  Personally, his life was falling apart and this culminated as he caught the love of his life, his fiancé, and his brother, whom he also loved deeply, in bed together.  Enraged, he killed his brother in a duel.

Carrying his guilt to a Jesuit priest, he receives an act of penance to remove it.  The priest prescribes that he drag his armor and weapons of war in a net behind him and go back into the South American jungle to serve and live among the Guarani…the tribe he at one time victimized by his slave trading.

Climbing the Iguazu Falls, Mendoza (the character played by DeNiro) drags his net through the mud and the underbrush to exhaustion. When they reach the top of the falls, the group encounters some warriors from the Guarani tribe.  One of the warriors walks over to Mendoza, draws a long knife blade, and appears to be coming to slit the throat of this slave trader.  Instead, the knife slices through the ropes that held the burden being dragged behind Mendoza, pushing the net over the cliff and setting him free.  In relief and gratitude, Mendoza both weeps and laughs as the burden of his guilt is now gone.

The message portrayed in this moment in the film is powerful.  As Mendoza seeks to enact his own penance and find forgiveness by his own exhausting efforts, he learns that forgiveness comes as a gift…not as the result of our own effort.  We cannot earn our way into God’s favor…we must receive our access humbly as a gift given.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  -Romans 6:23

What do you need to be set free from today?

MAX LUCADO, in his book, Six Hours One Friday, tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. A hospital was not too terribly far away- just across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed it was inhabited by evil spirits. To enter the water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. They were not impressed. He then took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He punched a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke out into a cheer and followed him across.

That’s exactly what Jesus did! He told the people of His day that they need not fear the river of death, but they wouldn’t believe. He touched a dead boy and called him back to life. They still didn’t believe. He whispered life into the body of a dead girl and got the same result. He let a dead man spend 4 days in a tomb and then called him out and the people still didn’t believe Him. Finally, He entered the river of death and came out on the other side. Victory!

And today, you can experience that same victory:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.  (Romans 10:9-10 NLT)

Believe… receive…  and you will know eternal life NOW!

He is Risen!

Those three words have reverberated through time and will continue to do so in eternity. He is Risen!

The hopeless now have hope….the displaced now have a home…the prodigal has a pathway back. He is Risen!

Death has lost its icy grip on the soul of mankind.  Those who “all their lives have lived in captivity to the fear of death” are set free by the power of those three words. He is Risen!

The sinner can be forgiven….the sacrifice has been accepted…the blood has been spilt…sin has been covered. He is Risen!

The failure gets a new beginning.  The blind receive their sight.  The lame can dance.  The deaf can hear…the mute can sing. He is Risen!

Satan has lost to the One Who holds the keys to Hell and Death…and now he will find his destiny in the flame and smoke of the abyss alongside the demonic forces at his command. He is Risen!

In those victorious words lay our victory as well….we are “risen with Christ” to walk in new life.  He is Risen!

And with the saints and the church throughout the ages we agree: Hallelujah!!  He is Risen indeed!