October 2011 – Hope and Passion Ministries

Counting Trials as Joy

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin

Sometimes we mistakenly assume that joy will come to us on a silver platter, plain and understandable. We think joy looks like worldly happiness. However, circumstances we deem favorable are not the source of true joy. Godly joy is not so thin as to come only when “good” things happen. Godly joy is deep, abiding no matter what things happen. In fact, difficulty may cause joy to erupt to the surface of our soul.

God did not tell us to rejoice when all is going our way. We are designed to rejoice when all is going His way, for He alone defines reality and satisfaction. If I limit my rejoicing to the confines of superficial circumstances, I am to be pitied. Conversely, if I expand my rejoicing to the bigness of God’s transcendent plan, I am blessed beyond human measure.

James tells us to take action when times of testing come. He proclaims, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2, NIV). We are to consider – or “reckon” – or “count” – as joy the trials that pervade our comfort zone. To reckon one reality as a completely different concept takes will and action. Times of testing come and I am to count them as pure joy; this is unnatural to me. It goes against the grain for me to not only find hope somewhere in the midst of many trials, but to actually consider my endurance of testing actual joy. I guess this is why so few Christians seem to be joyful. We are not rightly applying the biblical, mathematical equation: Facing trials of many kinds = joy.

And exactly why should we radically equate the endurance of all kinds of trials with joy? God gives a very direct answer, “Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4, NIV). Are you familiar with the word “fulfillment”? The entire world seems to be chasing the elusive feeling of fulfillment in life. Actual fulfillment comes at the end of perseverance’s work in our lives. We will “lack nothing” when we have grown to completion in God by enduring many tests that draw us closer to the only One who can make us who we are supposed to be. I am to count the trials as joy because they strip me of all self-dependence and force me to acknowledge the only One who harnesses all of life and time for His purposes (Ephesians 1:11). Joy is the freedom that comes in recognizing God is in control; I don’t have to fear any person, power, or circumstance because God reigns supreme over all of them. As I come to the end of myself through trials and testing, I come to the beginning of God’s true reign in me.

The word perseverance in this passage comes from the root, “to remain under.” God allows the testing of difficult circumstances to develop in me an ability to bear up under pressing problems with the knowledge that Jesus is completing me. He is whittling away at me, so that I become like Him. He is preparing me for my ultimate destiny – an abiding in righteousness in a place God prepares that delivers us from this broken world. When we endure with a faith in God, we demonstrate our trust in His loving and righteous hand. We show we believe not just in word – but in action – that God delivers on His promises. We trust that being completed by the Perfector of Everything is worth the difficulty. In the accounting system of God’s kingdom, perseverance is highly valued. Remember the words of Jesus to His disciples as He explained the persecution they would encounter, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22, NIV).

When trials come, be reminded that we are on the road to perseverance, and the ultimate end of godly endurance is completion. Therefore, trials ought to be reckoned as joy. God is working in us! He cares enough to continue the process of refining us and making us who we ought to be. Only in being who God designed me to be will I be fulfilled in any real sense. Happiness is defined by the world as favorable circumstances; joy is defined by the Lord as His work of completion in me. Let Him work and let the trials come. All the while, use right mathematics and count the tests as joy.

Truly Wonderful

Posted on October 20, 2011 by admin

Jesus had just finished teaching in the temple about His lordship over all creation, when the disciples exited the grand structure with Him. The temple in the first century was of a quality that is said to have exceeded that of the Seven Wonders of the World. Its stones measured 37′ X 12′ X 18′ and the perimeter of the whole area was nearly one mile. The historian, Josephus, described its magnificence, “The front was all of polished stone, in so much that its fitness, to such as had not seen it, was incredible, and to such as had seen it, was greatly amazing.” The temple was built of white marble – with plates of gold in the front – and its courts were a succession of terraces. Herod the Great had expanded this temple to twice the size of the Solomon’s temple. What an overwhelming edifice it surely was!

With the magnificent nature of the physical structure in mind, we read of the disciples’ reaction as they leave the temple with Jesus, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” (Mark 13:1, ESV) The disciples were focused on what their eyes beheld – to the neglect of what their spirits should have homed in on. The disciples’ recognition of the beauty of the structure is not wrong, but surely Jesus at this particular time desired their hearts be preoccupied with the greater reality.

How quick we are to notice what is outwardly pleasing. How apt we are to acknowledge stylish clothes, beautiful houses, expensive decor, and pretty faces. All the while, the Lord wants us to be quick to focus on inward beauty – the reality of His ultimate reign in every facet of life. What constitutes true excellence is an unbroken connection to Jesus, and acknowledgement of Him – the Maker of all things beautiful. God wants us to see that the preeminence of Jesus in anything is what makes that thing fitting and grand. A homely face or a crippled body is beautiful when Jesus is Lord to the people who view it – when the physical structures and bodies are seen as temporary, yet Jesus is exalted as the eternal Hope of Glory!

The disciples called attention to the stones and building by calling them wonderful, a term with a Greek root meaning, “of what sort or quality.” In other words, they were exclaiming, “What manner of building is this!” The same Greek term is used in Matthew 8:27 (ESV) of Jesus after His disciples had experienced His miraculous calming of the Sea of Galilee when their ship was about to sink. They marveled at Him and said, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him?” How appropriate to marvel at Jesus, who made the wind and sea and, therefore, controls it completely. How fitting to be amazed at Jesus, who is the center of our worship. But does it take a storm to marvel at His power? When surrounded by all that allures, why do we lose our way?

Our Lord was quick to set the disciples straight in drawing their attention away from the temple structure and to a bigger plan. He responded, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 13:2, ESV). The destruction of earthly Jerusalem and the temple would surely come in A.D. 70 under Titus, son of Roman emperor Vespasian. Jesus longed for His disciples to base their lives on the eternal reality of God’s unshakeable kingdom. Temple rituals could not save. All the sacrifices offered through the years only pointed to the ultimate, saving sacrifice of Jesus Himself. He is the temple! He is the center of our worship and adoration! In Him, we enter God’s presence!

Remember Jesus cleansing the temple of the money-changers and all their items? After exhibiting such zeal, the Jews asked Jesus, “What sign do you show us for doing these things” (John 2:18, ESV) His response was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19, ESV). The Jews became confused and could not understand how Jesus could restore a temple in three days that took half a century to build. But, the Bible is clear: Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. (John 2:21) A group of religious people were fixated on tradition, ornate things, and what the eyes could see. Jesus’ focus is salvation – the offering of Himself for sin and His doubtless victory over death. We ought to concentrate on Him and not all that glitters or appears religious or outwardly pleasing.

The culmination of the temple’s purpose is seen unequivocally in the amazing book of Revelation. We gain from this unbelievable future event a clearer understanding of why Jesus is intent on pushing our focus to true, spiritual majesty. The apostle John was given a vision by God of the New Jerusalem, and we rejoice in this truth of Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB):

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer by any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

John then goes on to describe specifics of the city, the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21:10-11,22 (NASB, emphasis mine):

Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple

Did you see it? Eternally, the physical temple is replaced by the One it was pointing to all along, our Jesus! How He must have longed for His dear disciples to be obsessed with His beauty and love instead of the outward appeal of costly structures and rituals. Let us walk with Jesus – and as we do – let us say to Him, “What a wonderful Savior and what a wonderful hope!” Let us fix our eyes on spiritual loveliness – that of a heart fully yielded to the Savior. He is the magnificent temple!

What Fallen Bridges Tell Us About God

Posted on October 11, 2011 by admin

On August 1, 2007, the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing thirteen people and injuring 145 others. This human tragedy is devastating, with consequences of death. Research points to miscalculation of gusset plate width as the reason the bridge collapsed.

Gusset plates are thick sheets of steel that provide strength at the intersection of beams. Apparently, the gusset plates used on the I-35W Bridge were not thick enough to support the added weight of construction vehicles and concrete that would come with time and use. It is essential for engineers to use exact calculations and mathematical formulas when building bridges. The physical universe only accepts true and accurate work; otherwise, disaster ensues. In medicine as well as construction, precision is necessary. Diabetics suffer physically and may die with a miscalculation of insulin dose, for example. The Creator of the universe has chosen to have the physical world operate according to mathematical and physical laws; this situation reflects His unchanging, reliable disposition.

Supernatural God runs the natural world with serious precision. Proper functioning requires uncompromised accuracy. If God has made this true of the natural realm, how much more is it true of the supernatural realm; for, the supernatural is more real than the physical! God Himself is supernatural, and the One from Whom all reality flows. His spiritual working requires exactitude to the same or greater degree than His tangible working. Certainly, the consequences of spiritual errors are infinitely graver than even the catastrophe of inaccuracy in the physical world. Injury and death are horrors, for sure; but the calamity of a lost soul in eternity trumps all earthly afflictions.

And so, with an urgent heart, the Apostle Paul calls to us in Philippians 1:9 (NASB), “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” Do you see the connection here between love and knowledge? To Paul – and to God – love is not a feeling. Love grows in real knowledge. The building of a spiritual life requires unequivocal accuracy. If we think bridge building requires right engineering processes, how much more does soul building require right spiritual processes?

Our relationship to God must be built on truth! We need to study His Word as an engineer studies math and science to ensure design and construction according to reality. Our spiritual lives must be built on right knowledge. This will require sacrifice of time and effort. The risk is not physical injury or death, but spiritual injury and eternal death. The stakes are high, and it is time for Christians to take seriously the call for our love to abound in real knowledge and all discernment.

The church of Jesus Christ seems to be missing the call to methodical, intentional, and precise training in spiritual knowledge. Dean (2010) comments on the problems presented in the National Study of Youth and Religion,

We “teach” young people baseball, but we “expose” them to faith. We provide coaching and opportunities for youth to develop and improve their pitches and SAT scores, but we blithely assume that religious identity will happen by osmosis, emerging “when youth are ready” (a confidence we generally lack when it comes to, say, algebra). (15)

We would not allow our loved ones to drive over bridges that we knew were designed without proper knowledge of or regard for mathematical principles. We trust that bridges are designed by professionals who have invested much time and effort into a solid education in the field of engineering. Here are some pivotal questions: Are we allowing our loved ones to drive over spiritual bridges designed and built on patchwork theology? Are we truly investing in a serious understanding of God as revealed in His Word? How much time do we spend intentionally growing in real knowledge? Do our children know sports better than the revelation of God Almighty? Do we require they know algebra well, but settle for a haphazard understanding of the things of God?

Jesus once said to an earnest inquirer named Nicodemus, “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12, NASB) In other words, the earthly points to the heavenly, which is far deeper and greater. Think bridges – fallen bridges. What is God saying to us through the physical, mathematical knowledge required for safety? He is telling us to get serious about biblical knowledge. Fallen souls are far more costly than fallen bridges.

Reference: Dean, K. C. (2010) Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

A Good Captivity

Posted on October 6, 2011 by admin

How serious is God about the way we think? He is determined enough to inspire the Apostle Paul to proclaim, “We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5, NASB). Captive? Yes, captive. We are to take our thoughts and bring them under the full control of Jesus. Actual obedience does not just automatically happen. We Christians are commanded to be proactive, by forcing our thoughts into submission to Christ.

Let’s be real. Our thoughts can sometimes tend to run wildly. Flashing into my mind like strikes of lightning come angry, fearful, greedy, and selfish thoughts. By the power of God’s Spirit in me, I have the ability to grab those lightning bolts and tell them to submit to Jesus before they ignite a fire of disobedience lived out in the flesh. This is my responsibility – to get deliberate about apprehending my brainwork. For, my outward actions are a direct result of either my obedience or disobedience to this very command. Our behavior is rooted in the life of our minds. Hence, Jesus needs first to be Lord of my mind in order to be the real Master of my behavior.

“What is God’s will for my life?” people often ask. The answer is found not just somewhere down the road, but in each approaching moment. God’s will comes to fruition as we take every thought – one by one – and ensure its submission to Christ. As the day proceeds, this captivity brings results. Allow me to give tangible examples of questions we should be asking in the moments of our hours and days:

What is God’s will for the words that proceed from my mouth immediately following an attack on my character?

What is God’s will for my participation in Thursday’s staff meeting?

What is God’s will for the look on my face when I pass in the hallway the person I like the least?

What is God’s will for how I spend the hour of 7-8 pm this evening?

What is God’s will for my paycheck?

What is God’s will for my conversation at lunch today?

What is God’s will for my reaction to the neighbor I find most annoying?

What is God’s will for the way I conduct myself while standing in line at the grocery store?

What is God’s will for my prayer life today?

What is God’s will for my attitude in this very moment as I read this devotion?

Okay, how do our answers to the aforementioned questions look in light of God’s command to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”? Do you see how this works? It is not simply an ethereal directive. The decree has to do with all of life – at each incremental level.

How different could our lives turn out five years down the road if we obeyed this “thought command” each moment until then? Finding God’s will for your life is not as complicated as it seems. It is the outcome of a life lived according to I Corinthians 10:5. If every thought is under the authority of Jesus, then so, too, will the whole life be.

Will Christians Have Knowledge of the Great White Throne Judgment?

Posted on October 3, 2011 by admin

First, we must understand that God’s judgment of people is right. Unlike human judicial systems which can make mistakes or include corruption, God’s judgment is pure and altogether fitting. We humans know amazingly little compared to God whose understanding is without limit (Isaiah 40:28). And when God takes any action of wrath, that action is centered on His holiness. His anger is right anger, unlike ours. As the Definer of all terms and Creator of all workings, God has the authority to proceed based on truth. Because He offered Himself – in Jesus – as the object of His own wrath, He is altogether right in judging those people who do not accept His sacrifice and choose to carry their guilt on their own (I Corinthians 5:21).

When God carried out the unimaginable deed of having His Son bear our sin on the Cross, the act was public. Both the unbelievers and the believers could witness the divine judgment of God that day, as Jesus took our rightful place. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave – victorious over sin and death – and walked the earth for forty days in the presence of many. God did His work of judgment and salvation publicly on this earth. Similarly, God tells us to confess our own salvation as we believe (Romans 10:9-10).

God never has reason to be ashamed. In fact, God’s final act of judgment against Satan and those who follow him is a day of victory for righteousness. While God loves all people, He must once-and-for-all rid the heavens and earth of sinfulness. If He did not, we would forever suffer in this broken world. Our hope is a place of rightness, where God is truly and fully worshipped. Honoring His creation with dignity, God will give to unbelievers their choice – to be separated from God’s reign and plan.

With all this in mind, I am prone to think that believers will be aware of the Great White Throne Judgment as outlined in Revelation 20:11-15. Justice will be served as all of death and hell – and those whose names are not recorded in the book of life – are thrown into the lake of fire. No more will those opposed to the perfect plan of God be allowed to bring sin to the scene. Satan will have already been deposited in the lake of fire by the time of the final judgment of humans (Revelation 20:10). This ultimate judgment is what allows God to fully usher in the new heaven and new earth; wherein is no sadness, pain, or death (Revelation 21:1-4). Why? Because the source of sadness, pain, and death – sin against God – is consummately removed. For this day, we are thankful. Our true grief over this day ought to be grappled with now. We should be proclaiming the grand, overarching plan of God to every person we can. We need to make known redemption through Jesus Christ.

When we are tempted to believe God’s end plan is unfair, let us fix our perspective. Guilty humans being held accountable for the sin they commit and refuse to place by faith on Jesus is not unfair. Mind-boggling is Jesus, the God-Man, bearing the sin of others even though He had no sin! Jesus faced the wrath of God though He deserved no wrath. His punishment for us sinful people is the experience we should meet with amazement, not the punishment of humans for their own guilt.

Every person has the choice to place his sin on Jesus, rather than to be punished eternally for what we deserve. Our infinite God was able to absorb the payment for all sin in one, finite moment; while finite humans would have to go on forever in punishment for sin against a boundless God. We have the beautiful choice to bear our sin or place our sin on Jesus Christ.

All choices will be honored as God keeps His Word to provide a perfect place for His people one day. That glorious existence requires both the separation of sin and all its adherents from Heaven and justice to be served. Our witness of this will be eclipsed by what comes next, as God wipes our tears away and commences an existence for us so grand we simply cannot imagine.