Taking a Leap

I am reminded today (Leap Day) how the “earthlings” are trying to keep time from getting away from them. The expression “time flies” is apparently not just an idiom, but a scientific fact. Thus, every four years they attempt to slow it down. In a few weeks, there will be another attempt to tinker with time, as 'they' try to get more sunlight out of a day by turning the clock forward (daylight savings).

Messing with time is not entirely without reason. Who has not wished, when he is going through hard times, he could just speed it up. Or, conversely, when life is sweet, who has not wished he could just stop the clock, and stay there indefinitely. But of course ‘time’ is out of our control, and entirely under God’s. The One who created time uses it very deliberately to accomplish his purposes, e.g., "in the fullness of time, God sent His son" (Gal. 4:4).

By way of time, faith grows in us—by “faith and patience, we receive God’s promises” (Heb. 6:12, 15). I guess you could say that when we submit to God’s work in us, “time is on our side.” Of course that is not easy to believe. It requires faith to trust His timing when it looks like time is running out. Perhaps at those times (hopefully not once every four years), we will need to take a leap of faith.

How Are You Managing Your Wealth?

I read an article yesterday about about managing your wealth. “Wealth management” is the strategic process of investing your money to get a good return and obtain your life dreams. But before you can manage your wealth, you have to have it!  You have to wonder, do the people in Guatemala or Ghana worry how they will manage their wealth!?  In the U.S., we are the top 10% of income earners in the world. Using the Occupy movements’ class warfare paradigm (99% vs. 1%) we are the 10% vs. the 90%.

Moreover, we who are born-again believers are not only materially wealthy, we are spiritually wealthy in a nation that is spiritual impoverished.  (That guy at work who drives a Mercedes Benz and lives in a million-dollar house may be dying from spiritual malnutrition.)

When people get to my age, they start paying more attention to managing their material wealth. But Christians of every age should be thinking how to manage their spiritual wealth—“our rich and glorious inheritance” (Eph. 1:18). The best spiritual wealth management strategy promises to lay up treasures in heaven.  And what is your spiritual currency? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, compassion, grace—and the “good works that will glorify our Father in Heaven” (Matt. 5:16). And here’s the ultimate blessing: we will never run out of God’s riches because “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).  Share the wealth!

Should Satan be a Campaign Issue?

I’m going to depart from my usual spiritually-focused message to political commentary for your weekend reading pleasure. If you don’t care to hear my opinion, hit that “delete” button—now!

In 2008, Rick Santorum warned, “Satan has his sights on the United States of America and has been attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that have so deeply rooted in the American tradition.” Now, as he surges to lead the Republican pack of nominee-seekers, his words have come under attack.

Should he be talking about Satan?  Well, according to a 2007 Gallop poll, 70% of Americans agree that there is some kind of satanic reality. So the issue goes beyond belief in Satan: his words have elevated the culture war to spiritual warfare. Talking about the seduction of "pride, vanity, and sensuality" makes him sound more like a preacher than a politician.

The irony is that while most Christians have been concerned about Romney’s Mormon beliefs, Franklin Graham and other evangelical spokespersons have assured us it would be OK to vote for a Mormon because we are not voting for America’s “pastor” but for America’s “president.” But if Romney began injecting his religious beliefs into his speeches, you can be sure, he’d be out the door faster than you can say “LDS.” What Santorum is saying isn’t wrong. But it may be political suicide. “People who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them…” (1 Cor. 2:14)

1948

Jesus said we should learn a lesson from the fig tree: when its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.  And when that happens, you would know that His return is right at the door. Then Jesus made the mystifying statement: this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place (Mark 13:28-30).

Many scholars believe the fig tree represents Israel, and the restoration of Israel in 1948 was like the budding of a fig tree in the springtime.  During my generation (I was born in 1948), the Jews have been returning from all over the world to their homeland.  Is the gathering almost complete?  Did this mark the beginning of the last generation?

Maybe it will help if we look at what else was happening in 1948.  At the end of World War II, six European nations began a process of unification that led to the European Union, thought to be the reunited Roman Empire. The World Council of Churches was established, opening the door to worldwide pluralism. The World Trade Organization was conceived as an organization to regulate the global economy. And finally, the transistor chip was patented, signaling the official birth of world-wide connectivity, paving the way for a one-world currency. If 1948 was the year of the bud, maybe 2012 is the year of the bloom.

Get Your Ashes in a Flash!

After I had written my post yesterday about Ash Wednesday, I read the following story: Episcopalians are administering Ash Wednesday at train stations, bus stops and subways. “Five years ago,” reports the Rev. Teresa Danieley, “I had an epiphany of sorts. If people can grab breakfast on the go, why shouldn’t they be able to get their ashes in a flash?" Her idea grew into the “Ashes to Go” program—now bicyclists, drivers and bus passengers have a convenient way to be smudged by the sign of the cross. 

While I can't fault the Episcopalians for taking their ministry to the streets (after all, Jesus didn't confine Himself to the Temple), it seems strangely incongruent with Jesus' message to “COME! Pick up your cross.” Is it possible "Ashes to Go" trivializes the meaning of the Cross?  A.W. Tozer's words of 50 years ago are very relevant today.

“The new cross says ‘come and get.’ Whereas the old rugged Cross says, “Come and give.” Whereas the old Cross was meant by God to be the symbol of death and detachment from the old Adam life, this new substitute cross does not intend to slay the sinner but just redirect him. The new cross lets Adam live without interference [or interruption]. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for himself."  Smudging people with the sign of the cross on Main Street may be one more sign of the times.

It's not just any Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, which begins the 40-day discipline of Lent for many Christians (more common to Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans): a time of fasting, prayer, and self-examination before Resurrection Sunday. While the “holiday” is not to be found in the Bible (neither is Christmas or Easter), it seems to me the sentiment it carries is cross-centered: a time for Christians to identify with the sufferings of Christ.

Unfortunately, the day before Ash Wednesday is “Fat Tuesday,” the last day of Mardi Gras—an oddly pagan celebration devoted to overindulgence and revelry before the days of deprivation begin. For those who practice such licentiousness leading up to Lent, it is the greatest of hypocrisies. And perhaps for that reason, many of us who grew up non-Catholic never participated in Lent. But I think we may have “thrown out the baby with the bathwater” [forgive the expression].

The basic idea of Lent is rooted in the Lord's 40 days in the wilderness and temptation by Satan.  So Lent reminds us how Jesus was tempted in all ways like as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). Now who can fault that! And what better time than these days leading up to Easter to examine ourselves to see if we are being faithful to His calling (2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Pe. 1:10).  It seems to me that Lent is not an event as much as it is a state of mind to be cultivated—on any Wednesday.

A Linderella Story

No doubt some of you would be surprised if I didn't comment on the Jeremy Lin phenomenon. For those of you who don’t read newspapers or watch TV news, you might have missed this. But Jeremy Lin's is the story of an underdog basketball player who jumped out of obscurity to take the NBA by storm and become a record-smashing star of the New York Knicks.  And, he is a born again believer.

The fact that he credits God for his success is drawing comparisons to quarterback Tim Tebow who, as we all know, “wears his religion on his sleeve.” Now, Lin has taken the “wearing it on your sleeve” thing quite literally, sporting a wristband that reads "In Jesus Name I Play." 

What is the significance of this?  First, it looks to me like God has raised up these young men to be like Daniel's friends (the ones thrown in the fiery furnace): they are taking heat for declaring their faith in Jesus; and in so doing, challenging the rest of us to be more bold.  And second, by their message, they have transcended the game of wins and losses for the greater gain of winning the hearts of the lost (who are seeing two strong and powerful, yet sensitive, young men unashamed to tell you they love Jesus).

Do LITTLE churches have a Prayer?

When I saw this article "Is Walmart Killing Small Businesses?" it occurred to me that BIG churches are not  unlike BIG Box stores. Both are forcing the LITTLE guys out of business!  Half the churches in America are under 75 members.  But as the BIG Box church movement grows, LITTLE churches are disappearing (nearly 4000 close their doors each year), while the number of megachurches is doubling every 5 years.

Is Bigger Better?  One can argue the pros and cons, but BIG or LITTLE, the question is: are they just filling seats or growing people into Christ's fulness? Watchman Nee said 'church' is what happens in between Sundays, when members love and serve one another, stimulate one another, confess sins to one another, forgive and bear with one another, and build up one another.  Let's call  them the "one-another" ministries!

The closest Jesus ever came to defining the Church was in this statement, “where two or three are gathered in My name” (Matt. 18:20). If you think about it, the “one another” ministries are most effective when they happen between two or three at a time: in LITTLE groups. With so much pressure on pastors to make their LITTLE churches BIG, maybe the attention should be on how to make our BIG churches more LITTLE!

Close the door behind you

We used to take our kids to a water theme park in San Jose called “Raging Waters”—replete with towering slides and ‘white-water’ rapids. I strongly doubt it would have drawn many crowds if it had been a place of quiet reflection pools. 

In the 21st century, we are (metaphorically speaking) bombarded by a cacophony of crashing waterfalls and raging waters! And not just external, the noise is inside our heads. If we can’t hear ourselves think, how will we ever hear the voice of God? Have the words, “be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10) ever been more relevant?

Even a casual survey of God’s men and women in the Bible reveals that all were alone in quiet places when they heard God. And of course Jesus’ sought out “solitary places” (Mark 1:35) to be alone and quiet with His Father.

Perhaps knowing that his 21st century followers might not find that kind of solitude, Jesus said, “when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you [shut off your digital connectors], and pray to your Father in private” (Matt. 6:6). In today's parlance, “Let’s get out of this noisy place and go somewhere quiet where we can talk.”

She is Not the Antichrist

Yesterday, I spoke NOT of THE antichrist, but of the SPIRIT of antichrist in the world today. I am sure you can all think of examples of those who embody the spirit of antichrist.  But in my opinion, there is no one who does so more than Oprah Winfrey. Alarmingly, USA Today has called her a “spiritual leader for the new millennium, a moral voice of authority for the nation, one of the world's most influential spiritual leaders.”

In 2008, she began a radio program, “Oprah & Friends,” offering a year-long Course in Miracles, a spiritual journey that says: there are many paths to whatever-you-call God; all religions are equally false and equally true; God is in everything we see; each of us is the light of the world; and our salvation comes from us.  Hers is a religion of affirmation, toleration, and no absolutes (and of course, no cross).

Is Oprah an instrument of Satan to bring in a new religion that fits the new world order?  When Oprah visited Joel Osteen's church last year, he praised her: "We're honored to have you here; we celebrate you for what God is doing in your life." I'm sure he meant her humanitarian projects. Yes, she does great things. But these dare not be attributed to God ("for Satan disguises himself as an angel of light") because "every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is God is the spirit of antichrist." (2 Cor 11:14; 1 Jn 4:3)

The spirit of antichrist is already here

"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come... the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world" (1 John 2:18; 4:3).

We all know about the Holy Spirit’s work in the world to draw people to Jesus. And we are also aware of His work in our hearts—convicting, cleansing and perfecting us (John 16:8; 2 Cor. 7:1). The Holy Spirit is guiding us to God's truth, and preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord.

But there is another spirit at work in the world—the spirit of antichrist is preparing hearts for the antichrist's arrival. Though we know the antichrist will come in the last days, the spirit of antichrist is already here—working to set up things for his kingdom by lying to and deceiving people.  So when the antichrist makes his public appearance, millions will have already been prepared for him; he already has their hearts and minds. 

“False messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!” (Mar 13:21-23)

What Makes Life Better?

Fifty years ago the marketers of Coca Cola cashed in on the American ethos: the pursuit of better. Four years ago, Joel Osteen made a fortune with his book, “Become a Better You.” While studying the book of Hebrews, I was struck by how many times the author uses the word “better”—better country, better covenant, better hope. Had I missed something? Is there a doctrine of “better?”

As I dove into the study of “better,” I found that each reference had something to do with making our relationship with God better. None of the words “better” had to do with self-improvement—none of them was self-oriented. Then it struck me: that’s what Satan told Eve in the Garden—that he could give them something better than what they currently had. Satan was marketing self-improvement long before psychologist Carl Rogers invented 'person-centered' therapy!

Jeremiah said the heart is desperately sick and cannot be cured (17:9; 30:5). “Better” is simply not an option. You won’t be surprised that I love this quote by Professor Dr. Michael Horton: “He doesn’t come to improve us; he comes to kill us, in order to raise us to newness of life.” God doesn’t want to give you a better life—He wants to give you a brand new life. Why settle for "better" when you can have "best!"

Is the Glass Half-full or Half-empty?

According to a recent Super Bowl add, it’s half-time in America, a rather ambiguous appellation. Will America's 'game' be finished in another 200 years? 

 The answer to the question “do you see the glass half-full or half-empty?” purportedly reveals a person's optimism or pessimism. Neither is biblical. Using this metaphor, we'd have to say Jesus was a "glass full" Person. 

Do you know how some single persons will say they are looking for their “other half” or a how a married man (a smart one) will introduce his spouse as his “better half?” Those notions are only half right.  Each of us is whole and complete in Christ. When Jesus was on earth, He was fully human, but full of God's fullness. And now that He is “in us,” we have received His fullness (Col.2:9-10).

Sure, there is a process whereby our fullness is becoming more experiential. But knowing that you are full of Christ is half the battle. How unfortunate that too many of us spend only half our time, and even then only half-trying to experience Jesus' fullness. I think we haven't learned the half of what it means to be “filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:19)

“The Perfect Storm” edited from an article by prophetic scholar Jack Kelley

What we are seeing in the world is a perfect storm for regional war in the Middle East.

1) Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei wants to put an end to Israel and the U.S.( the Great Satan), thereby accelerating the return of Islam’s messiah to Earth.
2) Israel is deciding whether to attack Iran or not.
3) Syria’s President Assad has repeatedly said if the international community interferes with his government, he’ll start a regional war that will put all of the Middle East in flames.
4) Russia is sending weapons to Syria and has its own contingency of military forces in the area.
5) The U.S. has several aircraft carriers in, and is moving  100,000 ground troops to, the Persian Gulf.
6) Various political analysts (and Leon Panetta) are speculating that Iran could be at war with Europe, Israel, the US or some combination this Spring.

If this is God’s timing, the world will soon suffer through a brief but intense regional war in the Middle East. And after it ends, while they’re saying “Peace and Safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman… (1 Thess. 5:3). The sudden destruction to which Paul referred will signal the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.

Fasting or Feasting

“To eat or not to eat” is a major theme threaded throughout the Scriptures. For example, Adam lost his kingdom because of eating; Esau lost his birthright over a single meal; some of the Israelites forfeited Canaan after rejecting a meatless diet; and by refusing to eat, Jesus regained the kingdom.

Throughout His life, Jesus fasted.  And on one such occasion, the disciples brought him food, and were surprised when He said: “I have food to eat that you don’t know about,” explaining, “My food is to do the will of my father in heaven.” (John 4:34) At that moment, Jesus re-defined fasting.

Frankly, we think of fasting as a deprivation. But while Jesus was fasting, He was actually feasting on His Father's fare! Pleasing His Father, doing His work is what sustained and nourished Jesus. Centuries earlier, God said, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deut 8:3). Paul said, The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).  Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt. 5:6). This certainly changes my view of fasting, or should I say "feasting!"

I can’t stop thinking about “nothing.”

We talk about giving “everything” to the Lord. But how often do we speak of giving Him “nothing.” Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you.” If we look under the words, we’ll see that the net result of giving everything is having nothing. That's just what Jesus wanted from them!  The Son of God does His best work with nothing. He created the heavens and the earth from nothing.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrates the “nothing” principle. Early on, his mother came to Him with a request for help—their host has run out of wine; they have nothing.  Having nothing to work with, Jesus makes mature wine. There are many examples of this “nothingness”: the woman at the well has nothing, symbolically, but empty water pots; Jesus feeds 5,000 who have no food—nothing; Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind, who could see nothing; and what about the rich young man who comes to Jesus and is told, “go away and come back when you have nothing.”

Even in writing this post, the Lord has shown me how much of my esteem is related to "doing" things . “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). Yikes! Jesus repeatedly said, “I do nothing on my own initiative” (John 5:19; 5:30; 8:28).  I think I'm getting it: we think God needs "something" from us to work with.  But God wants “nothing” from us.

What’s Holding You Up?

After writing yesterday’s post about ‘things,’ it occurred to me that if you let go of your things, if you had no thing, you would have “nothing.” It’s not easy letting go of our things, because we think the things we possess and the things we do are who we are. Without these things, we believe we are nothings!  That's what holds up our progress in faith.

We hold tightly the belief that our things are what holds us together.  So God holds up His Son as an example of one who wouldn't be held back, by things of the world.  It behooves us to consider what things are holding our attention, and may be holding us down.  We need to make an honest assessment of what prevents us from laying hold of the very truth that holds the key to life.  In the following verses, look at how Paul approached his holdings.

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. That means I examine every "thing" carefully, holding fast to that which is good (godliness) since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (Phil. 3:12; 1Thess. 5:21; 1 Tim 4:8). Paul would let nothing (no thing) hold him up.

When Things Don't Work Out

A.W. Tozer said: “Before God made man, He first prepared a world of useful and pleasant things for him. But in the deep heart of man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come, until sin entered, and God was forced out of His shrine, as things were allowed to enter, and take over.”

“Thing” is such an odd word—meaning nothing and everything at once. Miriam Webster says a “thing” is property and belongings, but also ideas and activities. We all have things occupying us.  And more to the point, we are painfully aware of the things that force God out of the shrine of our hearts.

We live in a world where we measure our worth by how many things we have and how well we get things done. We value making things or collecting things, but are not shy about throwing things away. We like shiny things and tiny things. We despise useless things. We like to allow things to happen, try new things, shake things up, and set things straight. And we hate it when things fall apart.

When Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha, He gave them a lesson on “things.” While Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to Him, Martha was distracted by her preparations. Telling Him about the “things” she had to do, Jesus said, "you are worried and bothered about too many “things,” when only one “thing” matters; and that's the “thing” Mary has chosen.  While Martha was busy doing her thing, Mary had set her mind on things above. Now that is some thing to think about.

The President and the Pill: Declaring War on the Church

Last week, the White House announced that the final rule on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates coverage of birth control even if the employer happens to be a religious institution that objects to it.  This will be a particular issue for the Roman Catholic Church which employs 1,000's in its 600 hospitals (Catholics and non-Catholics alike), and does not offer such coverage to any of  them.

Ironically, the Catholic Church was one of Obama’s strongest allies in his health care initiatives. But now they are angry.  The Obama administration has no plans to reverse its decision even though the Bishops have signaled their intention to defy the law rather than to violate their conscience.

What is the significance of this for us? Well, beyond the obvious First Amendment issue, it is an example of the secularization of America. Secularization neutralizes religious ideas and institutions until they have lost their social and moral significance, and have no influence on society. (Europe has been secularized.)  Scripture says the true Church will decline in influence at the last days, as apostasy increases.  Who can argue that the Church no longer has the influence it once did. The Obama ruling is a test of that influence; we should pay attention to how this plays out.  Something is going on here between the President and the Church that is more important than the pill.

Is He The Beast or The Lion?

Last August, Turkey’s Foreign Minister warned Syrian President Assad that if he didn't stop the slaughter of his people, NATO would intercede. Assad retorted: "Six hours after the first shot is fired against Syria, we will destroy Tel Aviv and set the entire Middle East on fire. God help you if anything befalls this regime."

Iran (Syria's ally) also has plans to "wipe Israel off the map." Last Sunday on "60 Minutes,” Leon Panetta, expressing concern about Iran’s nuclear program, said "we will take whatever steps are necessary to stop it."  And considering Russia's economic and military assistance to both countries, you can't help but see a 'time bomb' ready for detonation. Some political analysts say war is inevitable. And I agree.

Even the U.S. , which has been reluctant to get involved, is speaking out. This week Hillary Clinton, on route to NY to meet with the UN Security Council, said: "The status quo is unsustainable and the resulting instability could spill over throughout the region." (Tel Aviv is only 50 miles from Damascus.)

While I don't believe Assad is the antichrist, I find it fascinating that Assad’s family name used to be Wahash, which means "beast," until they changed it to Assad, which means "lion." Therefore, Assad was a “Beast," and is now a "Lion" (Rev. 13:5-6).  The Bible says in the last days the “king of the north" will attack Israel (Ez. 38:10-12); and the "beast" will take part in it (Rev. 19:19).  I think we better keep our eyes on Syria.

DON’T PUT ME ON HOLD!

Yesterday I had a long-winded conversation with a phone answering robot before hearing those dreaded words: "PLEASE HOLD.”  Lately, it seems many of them have been re-programmed with a courtesy chip that says, “The approximate waiting time for the next representative will be __ minutes.”  I really like that feature because it allows me to adjust my expectations.

To say I get disappointed when a service provider tells me he will arrive at my home in 30 minutes, but doesn't for 2 hours, is an understatement. If they would just tell me the truth, it would prevent so much frustration: the stronger the expectation, the greater the disappointment. As long as I am given realistic expectations, I can contentedly occupy myself until he arrives.

Isaiah tells us “God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him” (Is. 64:4). That means that while I am waiting, He is acting. That gives me a peace of mind, knowing He is working ‘behind the scenes,’ and will respond to me when He is finished doing whatever it is He needs to do before He speaks.  Being “on hold” with God is not frustrating if I know He is going to answer me in His time. Whenever I start to become impatient, I remind myself: “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Rom. 10:11).

Are You Ready for the Rapture?

The passengers on the Costa Concordia were given a safety briefing within 24 hours of leaving port. But most did not attend. Lulled by two decades of accident-free cruising, the majority gave little thought to disaster preparedness.  It reminds me of how few airline passengers pay any attention to the flight attendants as they give safety instructions!  Or similarly, how many Americans are unprepared for disaster despite repeated FEMA warnings.

The parallel of course is the apathy by all too many Christians toward the return of the Lord. Perhaps 20 centuries of waiting has lulled them into apathy. "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Peter 3:4). Perhaps too many false alarms have turned them into skeptics.

As foolish as it is to be unprepared for a natural disaster, how much more for the Bride of Christ NOT to be eagerly anticipating, and ready for, the return of her Groom! (Matthew 25: the 10 virgins) No one knows when Christ will return, but when He does, John says there will be those who will "shrink away from Him in shame" (Jn. 2:28) for lack of readiness. Christ’s return is a reason for rejoicing, so I certainly do not mean to compare it to a disaster. But I am afraid it will be for those who are unprepared.