On your marks, ready, set, .........

Ah, the beginning of a race. The excitement and anticipation that comes with setting out to reach a desired goal. While not all of us have had this experience, I would think that the vast majority of us have. Imagine if you will a person who has been invited to the race, and has accepted that invitation. He lines up, prepares himself, and is ready for the beginning of the race. Then, when he hears the word "GO" shouted at him, he sits down and waits to see if that "GO" was really for him, which direction he should run, and how far. He might even decide that it would be just as valuable if he funded another runner and just watched. Ludicrous...right?

Actually, that depends upon the race. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that we are to set aside any encumbrances we have, and "run with endurance the race that is set before us". Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 encourages us to to run this race as well, and not aimlessly. Our very lives after our conversion are to be lived as a race, seeking that finish which will not leave us ashamed (2 Timothy 4:7).

"On your marks" - Having made confession with our mouths that Christ is our Lord and Savior (not JUST our Savior...the King of our lives as well), and believed in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we are in the proper alignment for our race (Romans 10:9).

"Ready" - Knowing and understand the gospel of peace, we gird ourselves with readiness for our task (Ephesians 6:15).

"Set" - Having set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5), and set our hope on him who will deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:10), we are as prepared as we need to be.

"GO" - Now we RUN !!! We start from wherever we are, and begin to make disciples, immersing all within our spheres of influence in the Triune reality of God, teaching them to observe everything we have been taught (and are learning) (Matthew 28:19-20).

It is now we meet that person we spoke about in the beginning....in fact I heard it just the other day. A person who knew what to do, but instead of just starting, was going to "continue to pray about it", and asked others to pray for him as he did so.

Don't think you're ready...? Neither did Paul really, when he spoke of himself in this way... "And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom..." (1 Corinthians 2:1-4a).

Don't know who to disciple? Why not start in your own neighborhood...like the next door neighbor? Then the person on either side of him or her? We don't usually need to go very far before we start shrinking back. After all, we don't want to be labeled as a "Jesus Freak". Of course, we'll happily discuss with them the weather, or our favorite sports teams and colleges though (NOTE: When talking about things of this world it is often call sharing or a conversation...of course when talking about Christ it is "ramming it down their throats").

Maybe you just aren't that outgoing. Ever thought about simply writing out your personal testimony and mailing it to your neighbors, with a way for them to contact you? That is pretty low-key, and non-threatening.

Christians...you can do this. Just start somewhere, anywhere, and GO. You don't need to pray about it, and you don't need anyone to pray for you as you pray about it. You just need to do it. Sure, it will seem awkward at first. Do it anyway. It wasn't something that our Lord simply suggested...it was his directive for each of us.

So GO. Do it as if it really mattered...because it does. Don't wait for revelation. Start down a path (any path). If God doesn't want you to go down that path, then let Him redirect you....at least you will be moving.

What is the deal with "Sensuality"

I have to admit, I have often read in the scriptures about "sensuality" in a negative sense, and have just as often wondered what was so wrong with sensuality. Oxford's English Dictionary defines sensuality as "gratification of the senses, self-indulgence", and although our western mindset may tend to place a sexual spin on this, the gratification of our senses can be done in any number of ways. From eating a candy bar, to sitting on a beach feeling the breeze, to sleeping late, to taking a hot bath, to even drinking our favorite soft drink...all of these things are done as a self-indulgence and are not strictly necessary for our health.

There are no less than 10 separate scriptures which speak of sensuality in a negative light (Mark 7:22, Romans 13:13, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 4:19, 1 Peter 4:3, 2 Peter 2:2, 2:7, and 2:18, and finally Jude 4). Let's take one for example: Galatians 5:19 lists sensuality as one of the 15 "works of the flesh", later juxtaposing them against the fruits of the Spirit. Further, we are earlier in Galatians 5 told that the desires of the flesh (of which this is one) are against the desires of the Spirit. Sounds like some pretty serious stuff.

So what is the deal? Why is something as seemingly innocuous as drinking a soft drink or taking a hot bath in the same ballpark as idolatry, sexual immorality (which is listed separately in the Galatians passage), sorcery, and fits of anger?

Bible translations other than the ESV list this as debauchery, licentiousness, or lasciviousness. The actual Greek word used here (and in all of the other 9 instances in the New Testatment) is ἀσέλγεια (ah-thel-gay-ah). This word's actual meaning makes it much more clear as to which behavior the scriptures are referring. One of the best definitions for this word I have found lists it as "an absence of restraint and/or an insatiable desire for pleasure, carried to the extreme of complete disregard for the integrity or dignity of oneself or others.".

This is one of those cases in which a word in our time (sensuality) just doesn't carry the meaning very well (and the overwhelming majority of us simply don't use words like licentious or lasciviousness in sentences these days...or even well know what they really mean). Clearly someone who is so completely ruled by their senses is not ruled by the Spirit, and we know that man cannot serve two masters, whether those masters be money or earthly pleasures.

Clearly as God's children we are free to enjoy life's physical pleasures within the confines of God's directions for our lives, so these things are not sinful, and neither is the frequent enjoyment of such things.

But when these become (or remain to be) more important to us than God and his will, it is there that we must test ourselves to see if we are really in the faith. Those reborn by the mercy of God will have a changed heart (and over time, a changed mind as well), and their desires for such things will not rule over them, but these desires will be ruled by them.

Giving an Account

I perhaps "ponder" too much on things, but at times this issue still causes me to pause and wonder. Some might call it a contradiction in the Bible, but I don't personally believe that to be the case...only an apparent hole in my understanding.

In the following verses (all from the ESV), you can see that the Bible indicates that we will all (lost and saved alike) give an account of our lives to God one day….

Matthew 12:36-37 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Romans 14:10-12 "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

…and this is no doubt a sobering thought for all us.

Yet, we (the saved) are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and admitted into God's family based solely upon that...his righteousness and not ours in any measure. As such, the "verdict" (if you will) will all be the same for the saved....You are accounted as if you were innocent based upon the shed blood of Christ, and his perfect life.

However, the following verses seem to say that there will either be no judgment for us…

John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

…or that God will not remember our sins…

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

Hebrews 10:17 "then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

(NOTE: Both of these are quotations from Jeremiah 31:34)

…and even that there is already (now) no condemnation for those who are in Christ

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

…and Paul tells the Christians at Colossae that ALL our trespasses have been forgiven…

Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

…and…

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

…and…

Psalms 103:12 "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."

…so rehashing each and every poor decision and outright rebellion on our part during this life would not seem to be required...or even provide any real value.

Some have suggested that this "rehashing" of our lives will serve to underscore God's mercy in saving us (first look at all the bad things we've done "in front of God and everybody", then praise Him for his mercy), and that is good as far as it goes. However, since the Bible doesn't state this anywhere, that is simply conjecture.

Personally, I've always considered true forgiveness to be of the "forgive and forget" kind (no doubt, the saying was at least in part taken from some of the scriptures above), yet there seems to be a dichotomy here.

While we all like to be forgiven for things, what we REALLY like is to be forgiven for something, and to know that the person offering that forgiveness won't place the forgiven act in a vault of remembrance to be paraded in front of us later.

Anybody care to cast an opinion on this one…?

Resurrection Morning

I was reading along this morning in Mark and came across something that I hadn’t thought a lot about before. I’m sure many have harmonized these passages before, but as an exercise I’m going to see where it leads. All this is from my examination of the Gospels in the English Standard Version (ESV).

Clearly it was on the first day of the week, and after the Sabbath (which would be a Sunday morning). Although each of the gospels tell it differently, it appears that it was some of the women who had come with him from Galilee that initially went to the tomb.

So who was there?

Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (which is probably a reference to Mary the mother of James).

Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome.

Luke mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and “the other women with them”.

John only mentioned Mary Magdalene.

Now when was it more precisely?

Matthew states it was “toward the dawn”, which would indicate that it was still dark, the sun not yet risen.

Mark states that it was “when the sun had risen”.

Luke states that it was “at early dawn”

John states that “it was still dark”

So what happens now?

Matthew says there is a great earthquake, and an angel rolls the stone back and sits on it.

Mark states that by the time they got there, the stone had been rolled back.

Luke also states that “they found the stone rolled away from the tomb”

John also states that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So who is the first to speak to them, to whom does he speak, and what does he direct them to do?

Matthew states that the angel talks to the assembled women, and tells them to go and tell the disciples, and they will see him in Galilee.

Mark states that “a young man sitting on the right side dressed in a robe” tells the three mentioned to tell the disciples (and Peter) that he is going before them to Galilee.

Luke states two men were standing by them in dazzling apparel, and they simply encourage the women to remember Christ’s words about how he would arise. (although in the disputed verses of Mark 16 (9-20) it mentions that Christ appears first to Mary Magdalene).

John states that there was no one initially there, but later Mary Magdalene is spoken to by two angels, then, mistaking him for a gardener, actually speaks with the risen Lord, who instructs her to tell the disciples.

So did the women do as they were instructed?

Matthew says that they ran to tell his disciples.

Mark says they fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone (although in verses 9 & 10 of the disputed verses of Mark 16 (9-20) it mentions that Mary Magdalene went and told “those who had been with him”.

Luke says they told everything they heard to the eleven and to all the rest.

John says that Mary Magdalene told all to the disciples.

Since we know that all scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and that scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), then what we have here is a prismatic view of that event as revealed by the Holy Spirit to us through these writers. After all, none of the human writers of the gospels were present at the tomb initially, so they have no idea themselves. At best, it would be what each of them heard from the women present, but it is more likely that this event was reveal in different ways to provide us with a mosaic of the event.

Certainly we know that Mary Magdalene played a prominent role in this event, and that Christ appeared to her and talked with her first….a women who was previously demon possessed, but had been healed. It was early morning around dawn, and probably dark initially. When Mary first saw Christ, the low light probably was part of the reason she failed to recognize Christ, mistaking him for the gardener.

The shaking of the ground as the stone was removed could well have happened just prior to their arrival at the tomb, since Matthew doesn’t actually say the women witnesses the moving of the stone…only that it had been move and there was an earthquake (probably not what we would consider an earthquake (severe and widespread), but ground movement just the same).

We know from the larger biblical record that angels are not always seen by all, at all, or at all times (i.e. Numbers 22:22 The donkey saw the angel at first, and only later in verse 31 does the Lord open Balaam’s eyes to see the angel.), so the number of angels that were visible to the women may have varied.

It is clear that the women (especially Mary Magdalene) went and told the disciples all they had seen. The statement in Mark that they “said nothing to anyone” is probably more of a reference to anyone other than the disciples…at least that is my interpretation of the text.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful pictures of this event in my opinion occurs in John’s gospel though. In fact, if you want to be truly blessed, I would suggest that you navigate to the following link Beth Moore Videos and view the Beth Moore videos (there are three of them) in the Mercy Seat series. Her telling of the story is priceless, and will give you food for thought you might not have considered.

The beauty and power of this one event, provides for everyone who believes in Christ that hope that sets us apart from the rest of mankind. We have our sin debt paid, his righteousness transferred to our account. Our Lord has defeated death and Hell, to reign forever in Heaven and is coming again in power to gather his own to himself, that where he is, there we will be also.

Amen and Amen !!!