Hope in Life

by Scott Foster at http://www.creationswap.com/media/6759

A recent loss in the family has taken me aback.  I find myself sad for various reasons.  I can't say I was personally close to her.  She was my cousin's wife.  But I knew her well enough to know she was hurting and had been hurting for some time.  It has stirred in me a concern for those friends and family she left behind, and in addition for others that are hurting like she was.

This world can be pretty difficult.  Just look around.  People are rising up against their governments in certain countries because of oppression or other harsh conditions.  Others are recovering from devastating losses from tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, massive fires and other such natural disasters.  And that doesn't touch on the personal losses such as close loved ones that die from cancer, heart disease or other such health related issues.

I could go on.  But the fact of the matter is is that there is a lot of pain in this world.  It shouldn't come as a complete surprise, though. We do live in a fallen world.  Sin is real and devastating.  And Satan, who is also very real, is out to kill, steal and destroy.  John 10:10  We have an enemy of our souls, but oddly enough we often do enough damage to ourselves.  We tend to add insult to injury when we are enticed by the evil desires within our own hearts.  James 1:13-15

Like I was saying, my heart goes out to hurting people.  For these folk, it seems pretty apparent that they need help.  Unfortunately, the places they often go to for help either add to their difficulty or do nothing to address the real issue(s).  It seems the world is never short of its offers of pleasure and comfort that lead to self-serving motives and/or desires.  Its promises are fleeting and do more damage than good.  God says that "there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  Proverbs 14:12

As much as I’m concerned for these people, I’m also concerned for my family and friends.  This statement might need some explaining.  Some of them may not believe or think that this could possibly apply to them.  And I understand that.  I understand that growing up doing good things, or going to church, getting baptized or even being religious seems like it’s doing all the things that matter.  It’s even possible that there are some that believe by going to a specific church automatically puts them in God’s good graces.  I even thought at one point in my life that if I do enough good things that outweighed the bad, then I might get to heaven.  (That, however, quickly faded when I was doing nothing but bad things and found myself headed in the wrong direction.)

At some point I realized it really wasn’t about me being good.  Or doing enough good to outweigh the bad for that matter.  I realized it had more to do with Jesus and the cross than it did me.  I prayed that God would forgive me and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.  However, I missed the point.  I obviously wasn’t serious about my commitment to God because for several years after that I still pursued a lifestyle very contrary to God’s ways.  For years, I had believed that I was a Christian.  But I looked back and realized that there wasn’t ever a moment in my life that I could say it really changed.  I still wanted to live life my way.  I still was not serious about submitting to God and seeking to live my life for Him.  Isn’t that what it really means if God is my Lord?

It wasn’t until much, much later after years of bad decision after bad decision that I got serious about the direction my life was headed.  Actually, it was my wife (who was my ex-wife at the time) who called me about her decision to follow Jesus and become a born-again believer that convinced me that I needed a change too.  Maybe a month or two later, I found myself at a church asking God to help me.  To help me and save me.  I wanted to turn my life around and be serious about my commitment to follow Him as Lord and Savior.  At that point, I began to notice changes in my life.  Things didn’t happen right away, but over time I began to realize that I was a “new creation” in Christ, which is the idea of being born-again.  2 Corinthians 5:17

Becoming a Christian is not that difficult.  But often people misunderstand what being a Christian really means.  Jesus says that we must be born-again in order to enter Heaven.  “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”  John 3:1-8  It’s a new life and a new lifestyle.  Does it always happen immediately?  No, but for a true follower and believer of Jesus Christ, there should be an indication of change over the course of his/her life.  This is often referred to as “fruit of the Spirit” in the Bible.  Galatians 5:16-25

This is really the point to this whole letter.  My concern is that there may be family and/or friends who truly don’t know if they are saved, or in other words, true believers.  There was a time that I didn’t.  Truth be told, no one really knows about you either, except for God and yourself.  It’s true that we can look at someone’s life over time and see whether or not that person’s life has been changed by God.  But sometimes I think it’s a mistake to point fingers and make accusations.  No one can see into another person’s heart but God.  It really is up to a person himself to ask the tough questions and go before God and see if they truly are a follower of Jesus Christ.

That brings me back to my cousin’s wife.  Where was she in her life?  How did she get to the point where there seemed to be no hope?  I don’t know all the answers, but I truly believe that if a person is in Christ, that person has hope.  This life doesn’t have anything to offer.  But God offers eternal life.  John 3:36  He offers Himself through His Son.  John 3:16  He offers hope.  Psalm 130

How does this work?  How can someone have this hope?  It all happens through Jesus Christ.  It’s nothing that we can do.  In fact, we’re completely helpless and incompetent to stand before God on our own because He is holy!  Look at what the apostle Paul says in the letter to the Romans:

Romans 3:9-20

No One Is Righteous

9What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

    "None is righteous, no, not one;

 11 no one understands;

   no one seeks for God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

   no one does good,

   not even one."

13 "Their throat is an open grave;

   they use their tongues to deceive."

"The venom of asps is under their lips."

 14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."

15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

 16 in their paths are ruin and misery,

17 and the way of peace they have not known."

 18  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

So what can we do?  If we’re relying on ourselves, like our own goodness, there’s nothing.  But if we put all our hope in the work of the cross that Jesus did for us at Calvary by taking our sins, accepting our punishment for those sins and dying on the cross, thereby exchanging his righteousness for our transgressions, then we have hope.  It’s the Gospel message, which is the Good News.  Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  Romans 1:16  The Gospel message is this:

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.

 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

 That’s where it begins.  By believing that Jesus took on the form of flesh, was born of the virgin Mary, died on the cross for our sins thereby taking on the punishment that we deserved, was dead and buried for three days and rose again.  In the process, he appeared to many who were witnesses of His resurrection and then ascended into Heaven and is at the right hand of God the Father.  Did you get that?  He died for your sins and mine.  He took on God’s wrath for all the bad that we’ve done.  He died in our place.  And in the process He conquered sin, death, and hell itself.

It’s not automatic though.  There is something you need to do.  You need to admit that you’re a sinner in need of a Savior.  You need to confess your sins, repent of them and commit your life to Jesus Christ.  1 John 1:8-10  To commit your life to Him, you need to believe that He came to die in your place and give you eternal life.  John 3:16-21  It’s a life-changing, life-altering decision.    

But how do you believe?  How does that happen?  The Bible says that the emphasis of believing is putting your faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation and not on anything you’ve done yourself.  And faith in itself is also a gift from God.  “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  Romans 10:17  If you’re truly serious about knowing God, draw near to Him by getting to know Him.  Read the Bible and allow His Words to grip your heart.  But also know, that God knows the intents of our hearts.  Hebrews 4:12  He knows whether you’re serious about your commitment to Him.

And pray.  It’s not the words themselves that save you, but it’s a heart that is truly repentant for sinning against God and believes that Jesus’ work on the cross satisfies God’s requirements for you to be saved.  You may say a prayer like this:

"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am sorry. I need a Savior. I know I cannot save myself. I believe by faith that Jesus, your Son, died on the cross to be my Savior. I believe He arose from the grave to live as my Lord. I turn from my sin. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to forgive my sin and come into my heart. I trust you as my Savior and receive you as my Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me."  The Roman Road

 If you have prayed this for real and mean it, please find a church where they teach the Bible and help you to grow in Christ.  If you still have questions, find a Christian friend or even ask me and I’ll try to help.  I may not have all the answers, but I will try to help you get the answers from someone who can.  Ultimately though, it’s my hope and prayer that no one in my family or any of my friends have any doubt in their mind about their own eternal destination.  Make no mistake, this is the most important decision you will ever make.

God bless you! 

Suffering for Jesus

Picture by Travis Silva at http://www.creationswap.com/media/7002

Previously, under the post Heirs of God, I pointed out that there is suffering involved in being co-heirs with Christ.  It sounds like a difficult thing to embrace becoming a Christian, doesn’t it?  I mean, who really looks forward with anticipation to suffering?  But Paul and other early Christians looked at suffering much differently than we do.  I don’t believe for a second it’s something they “enjoyed.”  However, suffering for the name of Jesus motivated them.

Let’s try to put this in perspective.  Think of someone that you love so much that you would lay your life down for them.  Is that your child?  Your spouse?  A parent maybe?  How about a close friend?  Paul put it this way in Romans 5:7:  “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.”  That’s pretty significant, isn’t it?

But how is our love for Jesus?  The same as or slightly better than those close to us?  How about loving Jesus more?  Let’s go a step further.  How about loving Jesus that goes above and beyond anything or anyone here on earth?  How about your own life?  Jesus said, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  That’s raising the bar pretty high, right?  Jesus also said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”

Is Jesus really advocating hating someone?  No, because that’s not consistent with 1 John 2 where John explains that no one can claim to be “in the light” if they hate their brother or sister.  Not only that, but John explains later in the same letter that in 1 John 4 God is the epitome of love.  It would be contrary to His nature to advocate hate toward someone.  1 John 4 also says that, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.”

A better explanation, then, of Jesus’ statement in Luke 14 is to understand that He often used hyperbole to emphasize many of His points.  This is similar to Luke 6 where Jesus tells someone to take a plank out of their eye before taking a look at the speck in their brother’s eye.  Do you think someone really has this huge log sticking out of their eye?  No.  Hyperbole is “an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally.”  So what Jesus is really saying then is that in comparison to your love for Him, your love for anyone else ought to be so insignificant that it appears to be hate toward those that are close to you.

So when we discuss the disciples’ motivation in the early church to suffer, and even die, for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, how much do you believe they loved Jesus?  I would wager a guess that not many Christians in this nation understand this concept.  What amount of persecution have you endured by being a follower of Jesus?  To put it more bluntly, how many people know you’re a Christian?  Are you a closet Christian?  Do you only make it known on Sundays in church?  Jesus had something to say about those who are afraid to acknowledge Him:

Matthew 10:26-33

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (emphasis mine)

Maybe you’re a Christian who is vocal about Jesus.  I would still be surprised, other than a few exceptions, that anyone here in this nation has endured persecution that comes close to other Christians in China, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia to name a few.  But that may change.  Times are changing.  Our culture is changing.

How do you think homosexuals view Christians these days?  Have you read the news recently?  There’s a clear picture of where our nation is headed by looking at the events surrounding homosexual issues in the U.K.  But what about here in the U.S.?  Not surprisingly, circumstances are changing rapidly here as well.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled many prominent Christian organizations as “hate groups.”  Is this point to criticize homosexuals?  Not so much as to point out the fact that there are indeed different forms of persecution and that Christians in the United States should be prepared for this as well.

This is, however, not to compare the struggle of Christianity here in the U.S. to places like Afghanistan.  In Afghanistan, there is a brother who is enduring the worst conditions of any Christian other than being stoned to death or being decapitated.  One paragraph explains it all:

He was forced to appear before a judge without any legal counsel and without knowledge of the charges against him. “Nobody [wanted to be my] defender before the court. When I said ‘I am a Christian man,’ he [a potential lawyer] immediately spat on me and abused me and mocked me… . I am alone between 400 [people with] terrible values in the jail, like a sheep.” He has been beaten, mocked, and subjected to sleep deprivation and sexual abuse while in prison. No Afghan lawyer will defend him and authorities denied him access to a foreign lawyer.

Other real stories of persecution are taking place daily.  Such as in Orissa, India.  Hindu extremists are daily attacking Christians, beating them, and even injuring pregnant Christian women along with their children.  Some Christians are fleeing from their homes and villages for refuge fearing larger-scale violence, such as the kind that took place in 2008 that resulted in 100 deaths in the Kandhamal district.

Then there is the issue of the Book of Revelations, or rather The Revelation to John.  And also Daniel.  The end time prophecies, though they’re difficult to understand, definitely point out that things are going to get pretty bad.  In Revelations 2, there’s this angel saying that the Church in Smyrna will suffer persecution, even to the point of death.  The point is is that we can’t expect things to continue as normal.  The problem for most of us is that we have become complacent to the point where we don’t expect the end times to come during our lifetimes.  But what does Scripture say about this state of mind?  1 Thessalonians 5 says:

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

We really shouldn’t be so complacent.  We need to be alert and aware of the events taking place in our world today.  In Luke 21, Jesus describes what the signs will look like.  One of the things He says is this, “And he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’”  Question.  Are you prepared if that day were to come tomorrow?  How is your faith in Jesus Christ?  If someone were to come into your home tomorrow and say, “Deny Christ or die,” how would you respond?  Are you willing to suffer for the name of Jesus?  Are you willing to confess Him and die for Him?  Or is Jesus someone who just makes you feel good as long as it doesn’t inconvenience you?  Because these events could happen soon.  Maybe in our lifetime.

The real question is:  How much do you love Jesus?  Are you willing to suffer for His name’s sake?  First, you must ask yourself about being willing and able to do what it takes.  Count the cost for being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus said:

Luke 14:27-33

27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Again, emphasis mine.)

There are those who do represent Christ and are willing to give up everything, those who suffer and are persecuted for His name’s sake.  These people don’t take the decision to follow Jesus lightly.  Many of these potential believers know that once they decide to follow Jesus, they could lose everything.  Many are even ostracized from their own families.  It would seem like a slap in the face to forsake the religion or traditions of their ancestors.  But many of them do count the cost knowing these things will happen.  In some parts of the world, making the decision to follow Jesus and identify themselves as Christian means death.  With that in mind, they obviously know what’s at stake, but in their hearts they are deeply in love with Jesus and are willing to go the distance.

Organizations like the Voice of the Martyrs, the Spirit of Martyrdom, International Christian Concern, and Gospel for Asia provide much needed assistance to our brothers and sisters who struggle to share their faith in heavily persecuted areas of the world.  Regularly, Christian brothers and sisters are putting their lives on the line by just sharing the Gospel.  Passing out Bibles, having a Bible study, or holding church in the basement of someone’s home is seen as a crime and is often sought out by local authorities to bring them to “justice.”  Read their stories.  Read about their amazing faith in the midst of some of the most difficult of circumstances.  Then ask yourself, “Can I do this?”  Then ask yourself, “How much do I love Jesus?”  One day you just may have to answer that question as an heir of God.