Read it Backwards

 

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” John 5:39

I love reading mystery books. The challenge is to try and solve the mystery and maybe find out who is the villain. However, some people cannot wait until the end of the book for answers, so they go to the last chapter and find what's happened. I never figured how they can go back to where they were reading knowing the ending.

The thought occurred to me that if Jesus's Disciples knew the end from the beginning, they would have better understood His teachings. They seemed to always be drawing the wrong conclusions. Jesus told them plainly about His suffering, death, and resurrection but they didn't get it. In fact, Jesus sternly rebuked Peter for his misunderstanding. Mark 8:33 Only AFTER Jesus's resurrection, did the disciples start to understand and put all the pieces together.

I think the church does a disservice to new converts by not telling them that the entire Bible teaches about Christ. From Genesis to Revelation, Christ is revealed. Theologians call this progressive revelation. As one read the Scriptures, more and more is revealed. It is like a photo of a large field with an object clear at the back. At first, you don't recognize what it is but the closer and get, you realize it is a human being. Only as you continue to get close, do you realize it is a man but you don't his identity. Finally, as you get closer can you know who it is.

By starting with Revelation (the back of the Bible) can we fully understand the Person of Christ and His ultimate mission of earth.

Never Ending Journey

The film Never Ending Story (1984) follows a boy who happens upon a magical book that tells of a young warrior who is given the task of stopping the Nothing, a dark force, from engulfing the wonderland world of Fantasia. The film's hero journeys through a cycle of life and destruction again and again in a never-ending journey. While this film is fantasy, real life is a never-ending journey.  Some believe that life ends when we die. 

But the Bible teaches life and death is everlasting. For those who have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are promised everlasting life. John 3:15-16

Eternal death is the fate that awaits all people who ultimately reject Jesus Christ and remain in their sin and obedience. Revelation 20:15 In verse 10, we are told that the Lake of Fire burns "forever and ever."

Any rational being should choose Christ and thereby receive everlasting life. No one plans to be eternally lost, they just postpone making that choice. They plan to make that choice someday.   But while they are waiting to make that decision, death often overtakes them. 

And this is the way to eternal life- to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One you sent earth. John 17:3 

Defense of the Faith

 

 "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in... 1 Peter 3:15

From the time of Jesus, Christianity has been under attack. From the Roman Empire to today's Freedom from religion. The great Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis believed that faith in Christ could stand up to great scrutiny.  Many Christ-followers never share their faith because they feel inadequate. They don't have any theological training or don't know many verses from memory.

But trusting Christ isn't religious escapism or wishful thinking. Our faith is grounded in the facts of history and evidence of the creation bearing witness to its Creator.  People may challenge you on the miracles of the Bible or seeming contradictions but there is one fact they cannot dispute: a changed life. People cannot argue with a changed life.

Jim Cymbala, Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, said, "People pay attention when they see that God actually changes persons and sets them free. When a new Christian stands up and tells how God has revolutionized his or her life, no one dozes off. When someone is healed or released from life-controlling bondage, everyone takes notice."

A transformed life is a fact that cannot be disputed. 

Need More Time?

 

“And there was no day before it or after it...” Joshua 10:14

We have all said it, “I wish I had more time in a day!” Of course it's impossible to add more time to our allotted 24 hrs. but someone actually did add a whole day to his calendar. The Bible records of a battle where Joshua, Israel's leader, had a miraculous victory over his enemies. Joshua pursued the defeated army as they fled but time was running out to completely destroy his enemy.

Joshua then prayed for a miracle. He asked God to stop the sun and moon so he could finish his enemies and God answered his prayer. Joshua 10:13 Don't ask me to explain how God did it but He did. The earth stopped spinning on its axis with a catastrophic effect. All I can say Jehovah reigns outside of the constraints of time, so for Him to stop time is no problem.

Timelessness exists nowhere on the Earth. Timelessness exists nowhere in space. Stars and planets move through space as a constant indicator that time is passing. The only place that timelessness exists is within the heart of God; and because Joshua boldly prayed, God inserted timelessness into the Earth.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones, recorded Time is On Our Side, which became an instant hit. It makes a great love song BUT time is NOT on our side. Job 14:5 says, “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Since we cannot add one minute to our time on earth what should we do? Colossians 4:5 says “...making the most of the time.” Benjamin Franklin said, “Lost time is never found again.”

God Knows You

 It seems mothers can sense trouble from a mile away. Once after a rough day at school, I tried to hide my frustration hoping no one would notice. My mother asked, "What's the matter?" Then she added "Before you tell me it's nothing, remember I'm your mother. I gave you birth and I know you better than you know yourself."  

As believers in Jesus we need to remind ourselves, God knows us intimately. Psalm 139:1-4 says, "You have searched me Lord and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise; you perceive my  thoughts from afar," As a young believer, the concept that God is all-knowing brought a sense of dread in my life.  I could not hide my thoughts, my actions or my words from Him and He was just waiting for me to step out of line. Of course, that's not true. 

Jesus was sent from heaven to become human, so that He could experience everything we experience. No one can say to God, "You don't know what I'm going through. You don't know what I feel." Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus faced every temptation, every emotion, and every struggle you face.

So, be encouraged. God is with you right where you are Psalms 139  and He is ready to help and guide you. 

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Thoughts and prayers

 

Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. Acts 12:5

You’ll be in my thoughts and prayers.” If you hear those words, you might wonder if the person really means it. But you never had to wonder when Edna Davis said them. Everyone in the small, one stoplight town knew of “Ms. Edna’s” yellow legal pad—page after page, lined with name after name. Early each morning the aging woman prayed out loud to God. Not everyone on her list received the answer to prayer they wanted, but several testified at her funeral that something God-sized had happened in their lives, and they credited it to the earnest prayers of Ms. Edna.

God demonstrated the power of prayer in Peter’s prison experience. After the apostle was seized by Herod’s men, thrown into prison, and then “guarded by four squads of four soldiers each” (Acts 12:4), his prospects looked bleak. But “the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (v. 5). They had Peter in their thoughts and prayers. What God did is simply miraculous! An angel appeared to Peter in prison, released him from his chains, and led him to safety beyond the prison gates (vv. 7–10).

It’s possible some may use “thoughts and prayers” without really meaning it. But our Father knows our thoughts, listens to our prayers, and acts on our behalf according to His perfect will. To be prayed for and to pray for others is no small thing when we serve the great and powerful God.