the story 2015

The End

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After journeying for an entire year through Scripture, we’ve finally reached the end of the story, but what we’re looking at today is not another story from history that’s already occurred, but instead the future we look forward. We can look forward to this future with hope because we’ve seen God make good on his promises throughout the entire story found in God’s Word.

Here it is, the end of all things:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.””
-Revelation 21:1-8

Rather than provide a lengthy reflection on this passage, which is my temptation every time I read these incredible words of hope, I want to simply encourage you to reflect upon the implications of our future hope.

-Both heaven and earth are finally made new for eternity.

-Our future home is a dwelling place with God.

-We look forward to a day when suffering and evil cease to exist.

-The experience of this future hope is completely free for any who would take it.

-Those without this hope have a drastically different destiny.

Reflect upon these truths, and ask: How do these truths impact the way you live right now?

The Need for Renewal

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When I was in high school, I ran cross country. Granted, I wasn’t very devoted to it because I could never really understand why people would run for the sake of running, which is why I took up soccer my sophomore year. But still, I ran cross country.

I found one of the keys is discipline and consistency throughout the race. The only problem is I always started way too fast. I jumped off the starting line like the mobs on Black Friday when the doors finally open. I raced hard out of the gate and ended up winded just a half mile in. Slowly but surely, I settled into the middle of the pack as a result.

How many of us have the same experience when it comes to our walk with Jesus? We started like a blazing fire for Jesus, and now we are barely glimmering embers after hitting the realities of the world around us. Temptations and persecutions have slowly worn us down.

This is exactly where many of the early churches found themselves only a few short years after being planted by Paul. In fact, most of these churches begin with incredible faithfulness and passion for Jesus, but it’s not long until Satan begins to attack and the churches need renewal. The letters in Revelation are meant for just this purpose: spiritual renewal and encouragement.

In Revelation 2:1-11, we find Jesus addressing two churches. First, the church at Ephesus has apparently experienced just the issue that we’ve been talking about. They remained doctrinally faithful, but the passion and love that used to flow from that doctrine has slowly died away. They are no longer living lives that are fueled by the Gospel. Their love for Jesus and others has dwindled, and as a result, Jesus is calling for them to return to their love for Him rather than be satisfied merely with right doctrine.

The Ephesian church needed a renewal of the love and practice of their faith through repentance, and Jesus encourages them toward this end through the hope that they have in Jesus: eternal life with God.

The second church is Smyrna. The problem they face is from the outside: persecution. This persecution threatened their spiritual well being, too. Jesus encourages them with promises of the hope that is beyond this present life.

Both these churches were experiencing threats to their spiritual vitality: one from within and the other from without.

Whatever is threatening your spiritual life, you can find hope and renewal in the Gospel. Return to the words of Jesus. They are for you, Christian. Experience the renewal of your passion and burn brightly for Jesus once again.

The Hope for Peace & Reconciliation

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No matter where you are from, what kind of cultural or ethnic background you possess, or what side of hot topics you land on, the lack of peace and reconciliation in our country is obvious. In fact, the distance between people seems to only be growing as sides continue to move to the extremes. The problems we face can be so overwhelming that we begin to feel they are insurmountable.

But, thankfully, we have a hope that can overcome all barriers to peace: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Certainly, in case you think I’m being trite, the problems we face have no easy, overnight solutions. But the truth is that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16), and this extends beyond a mere individual experience.

In the next stage of the story of Scripture, we see this reality come to life. Since the day of Pentecost, the Gospel has been spreading throughout Israel (Judea & Samaria) even to Paul who had been persecuting the Jewish believers. But something new was about to happen: the Gospel was about to exhibit it’s power to overcome barriers between peoples in a way that no one saw coming, not even the apostles.

In Acts 10, God breaks down Peter’s assumptions about who can and who can’t experience God’s salvation. In case you think you’re slow to learn, be encouraged. Peter took three visions to finally be convinced of what God was doing through the Gospel: He was bringing salvation to every single person who would repent and believe in the Gospel no matter their ethnic or cultural background.

In Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul explains that this is possible because of what Jesus did on the cross. He establishes not only peace with God but also peace among humanity because he provides a common bound that supersedes anything in this world. We are all made children of God by grace through faith.

The glorious thing is that the Gospel brings peace in the midst of differences rather than by destroying the differences. Our ethnic and cultural backgrounds uniquely proclaim the glory of God, and the Gospel doesn’t destroy those identities but brings out their beauty even more.

We can enjoy diversity and experience peace because Jesus provides us ultimate unity through our identity in Him as children of God.

Yes, we still have a long way to go in realizing this reality. The church has often represented this reality very poorly to say the least. But as we ground ourselves in our mutual hope and identity in Christ, we can pursue peace and diversity with an expectation that Jesus has enabled our reconciliation.

Beyond Saving? A Look at the Foremost of Sinners

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After the founding of the church on the day of Pentecost, the church begins to provide a vibrant witness to Christ. Unfortunately, with that witness comes a great deal of persecution. Stephen becomes the first martyr due to the leadership of a Pharisee named Saul. Ironically, it’s just this guy who Jesus has picked to be the leader of his mission to the Gentiles, and even though a murderous persecutor of the church, Saul finds himself being overwhelmed by the grace of Jesus.

In Acts 9, Jesus stops Saul in his tracks on the Damascus road with a light so bright that he is immediately blinded bringing his spiritual reality to physical manifestation. Brought to a blubbering mess before Jesus (and who wouldn’t be after persecuting the guy that now has total power over you), Saul recognizes and embraces him as Lord. He humbling submits himself to Jesus, receives the Holy Spirit, and follows in faithful obedience through baptism.

Later, after taking the new name “Paul,” he writes about his salvation in 1 Timothy 1:12-17. He explains that as a blasphemer and persecutor of God and his people, he was the foremost of sinners. He highlights this to draw attention to the amazing, incomprehensible, and unending grace of Jesus. Essentially, Paul is saying, if I can be saved, anyone can!

In his grace, Jesus not only pursues us but he saves us while we are still sinners, no matter how great or small our sins. We all desperately need a Savior, and Jesus died in our place so we could live. So whether you are an axe murderer or a teller of white lies, we all can find our hope and life in Jesus Christ. We must simply repent and trust in Him.

The glorious thing about God’s grace though is that it doesn’t end there. He doesn’t just save Paul on the Damascus road and then leave him there to figure the rest out. Instead, Jesus continued to pour out his grace upon Paul. He gave him a mission, and he produced great results through Paul as a result. What we see in the story of Acts 9 is this:

We are saved by grace, we obey in grace, and we experience fruitful results because of grace.

Gospel Community

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Last week, we read of the Holy Spirit coming in power on Pentecost and essentially creating the church. What happened to all those people after they were saved? Did they just go on living the same lives they always lived? No, something changed. In fact, there whole lives were turned upside down.

Here’s what happened:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the templetogether and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
-Acts 2:42-47

Luke explains that the church was devoting themselves to four things: apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. Some of these are more obvious than others. The apostles teaching is both Old Testament Scriptures and much of what would become our New Testament. The fellowship is the living out of the “one another’s” that we often talk about: love, care for, rejoice with, rebuke… one another. The breaking of bread is gathering for the taking of the Lord’s supper, and of course, prayers meant… praying together.

Essentially, the church can be summed up as devoting themselves to: Scripture, Fellowship, Worship, and Prayer.

Every church will do these things to one degree or another. Some are strong in areas that others are weak. The key is that a healthy church will be pursuing faithfulness in each of these. Certainly, it may look different than the context of Acts 2, but all these things serve as the foundations of a healthy church.

So take some time to reflect on your church or small group community.

How are you living out a devotion to Scripture, fellowship, worship and prayer? How can you begin pursuing these things and leading others to do the same?

Pentecost: The Holy Spirit & His Purpose

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The Holy Spirit is too often left on the sidelines in the circles of the church that I run in. Unlike Jesus, who we can picture in our mind’s eye as he walked the earth in a physical human body, the Holy Spirit is a mysterious being that makes us feel a little uneasy and leaves us confused—kinda like the smoke monster from Lost.

OK, so maybe you don’t picture the smoke monster when you think of the Holy Spirit, but I’m sure each of us has had moments of confusion and unease as people talk about the Holy Spirit. There is a lot of confusion and passion swirling around discussions on the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts, tongues, and baptism in the Spirit each incite passionate debate, but if we jump to these topics, we’ll miss what is absolutely clear concerning the Spirit in Scripture.

He’s the third person of the Trinity, and we certainly shouldn’t ignore Him. In fact, Jesus actually said it was better for him to go away so we could live with the Holy Spirit. So while we may not be able to describe some aspects of the Spirit, God has revealed why the Spirit has come to the earth to fill His people. We can be sure of His purpose, and His mission is incredibly good news for us.

The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us through the Word and empowers our witness for Christ.

Throughout the book of Acts, but especially in this week’s small group passage [Acts 2 – Pentecost], one finds that the Holy Spirit isn’t into doing crazy miraculous things for the WOW factor. Instead, each and every time, His actions are meant to point back to Jesus.

In Acts 2, Peter makes that incredibly clear when he explains in his sermon that the Old Testament told about the day that the Holy Spirit would come upon and save “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” Who is that Lord? Peter quickly transitions from a focus on the Holy Spirit’s work of tongues to WHO that miracle was meant to lead people to call upon: Jesus, the Savior the Jews had been waiting for.

Ultimately, it’s the work of Christ that the Holy Spirit brings attention to and the people find themselves embracing. Sure, they were still amazed by what happened there that day, but they were changed by the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit revealed Christ through the sharing of Scripture, and without His work in the sharing of the Gospel, people will not be “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37), people will not see Jesus for who He really is, and they will not call upon the Lord and be saved.

Paul makes this very clear in the following passage:

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
-1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

We can share the Gospel all we want, but unless the Holy Spirit is with us, we have no hope of anyone responding. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is with every single believer in Jesus Christ. We can share the Gospel confidently, knowing that He is the one that will do the work on people’s hearts. We don’t get people into the Kingdom of God through our charisma or tightly wound intellectual arguments, but rather by simply witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. For, this is the very reason He has come to be with us: empowering us for mission.

So may we go with confidence and witness to our Savior, knowing that we’re united in purpose with the Spirit of the Almighty God.

From Fear to Peace

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Can you imagine what it must have been like? Pouring everything you have for three whole years into one single endeavor and suddenly it all seems to be a wash. Everything you have been working for has just been swept right out from underneath your feet.

Overwhelming angst—emotional numbness—excruciating anxiety—debilitating depression—paralyzing fear.

Right now, I’m working on a PhD, and I don’t say that to brag in any way… I’ve barely hung on most of the way. In fact, exhaustion and many of the above feelings have come and gone through this process, but the reason I bring it up is that if I were to suddenly flunk out, or even worse, if I were to get to the end—defending my dissertation—and I lost the whole thing, I’d be utterly devastated. Every single one of those would crash over me one after another. I wish I could say that wasn’t the case, but after all the work and effort that has gone into this degree, failure would be devastating.

In the whole scheme of things though, a PhD is relatively meaningless compared with what the disciples had been pursuing with Jesus for about three years. They were under the impression—rightfully so—that they were witnessing first hand the setting up of God’s kingdom on earth and the Messiah accomplishing our salvation.

Maybe, you would have been like John sitting at the foot of the cross with some last bit of hope that Jesus would break loose of the nails and finally set up his kingdom in the way you imagined it. But no one, not even John, had a hint of hope after Jesus was shut up in that tomb. Fear overwhelmed each and every one of Jesus’ followers.

All this effort, all this excitement, and all this suffering… for nothing!

BUT THE STORY DOESN’T END THERE!

Praise God, there is more to this story! Jesus defeated death. He overcame the evil one. And He defeated sin once and for all. Jesus rose from the dead, and it’s in the hope of Jesus’ resurrection that we find both the disciples’ fears and ours turned upside down.

In John 20, the fear of the disciples is evident. Peace is nowhere to be found, that is, until Jesus arrives on the scene. Each encounter he has with his followers (Mary, the eleven minus Thomas, and Thomas) comes with profound joy and peace. Jesus proclaims peace over His disciples that is firmly grounded in the clear power of the resurrection.

As we read this story, we find our hope for salvation secure and we can look forward to the day when our bodies are restored to perfection like Jesus’.

But on top of all that, as we face chaos in this world, situations that seem hopeless, adversity that strikes overwhelming fear in our heart, we can look to the resurrection to remind us that Jesus brings us ultimate peace. He has overcome the greatest of obstacles, and we can count on his omnipotent presence with us from now until eternity.

The Cross: Our Hope for Reconciliation

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After three years of teaching and ministry, Jesus heads to the climax of the story: the cross. It’s toward this point that the entire story and most every promise has pointed, and it’s from this point that every blessing flows.

Jesus’ entire life and ministry have headed toward this single work. He would die to bear our sins and God’s just wrath toward us. The gifts that he offers us as a result of his sacrificial death on the cross are beyond compare. Possibly the greatest blessing he provides for us through faith in his work on the cross is a reconciled relationship with God.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
-Romans 5:1-2

Jesus overcame the greatest injustice there ever was: our sin against a holy God. We deserved to be the who experienced God’s punishment for our sins, but instead, Jesus took that on and brought peace to our relationship with God.

Not only does this radically change the way we relate to God, but it also shifts the way we approach relationships. Certainly, we have all been wronged by someone else in our lives. Whether its a simple insult or a significant betrayal, we’ve all experienced this kind of relational pain, and to varying degrees, those relationships are broken once we experience that pain. But this incredible blessing of the Gospel reminds us that there is hope for reconciliation.

If Jesus and his work on the cross can bring us peace between us and God, then certainly He can do the same between two broken human beings. Sure, it will be painful. And it will definitely take time, but the reconciling power of the cross gives us hope for every broken relationship in our lives.

May we seek reconciliation and approach our relationships with the same grace, love, and forgiveness that Jesus did toward us.

Jesus’ Example & Call to Prayer

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After three years of teaching and ministry, Jesus begins the final preparations for the ultimate stage of his life and ministry: his death on the cross. This week we are looking at two evenings that lead up to cross, for these are significant turns in the story.

The focus here, though, will be on Jesus’ interaction with Peter in Matthew 26:30-46.

In the first six verses of this passage, Jesus once again explains what is about to happen: He is going to die and they are going to scatter for a time. But Peter in all his audacity declares, “I will never fall away.”

Unfortunately, Jesus gives Peter a harsh reality check when he explains that Peter will deny Him three times before the night is over.

Peter would have none of it. He adamantly responds, “I will not deny you!”

Jesus knew differently, but he continued with his disciples to Gethsemane where an important moment happens that gives us great insight into why Peter fell to the pressure of the hour as well.

Jesus invites Peter and two others to pray with him in the garden, but instead, they fall asleep. Jesus exhorts the disciples to “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing; but the flesh is weak.”

Coming on the heels of the previous conversation with Peter, Jesus is clearly pointing to the Peter’s one hope of actually remaining true to Christ through the upcoming trials: prayer.

Jesus recognizes Peters passionate desire to be faithful to his Lord, but He also recognizes the immense power of the flesh. While he knows Peter won’t embrace the gift of prayer at this moment, He offers him this gracious gift anyway and shows him a perfect example of what this kind of prayer looks like. In doing so, He points us all to how we can prepare for sufferings, trials, and persecutions.

We are all going to face many of the same kinds of temptations to abandon our Lord. Whether it’s due to persecution from outside of us or desires from within, we will be faced with the temptation to place Christ aside. Apart from his grace and a constant dependence upon him in prayer, we will fall just as Peter did. Thankfully, just as Peter was joyfully welcomed back, we can be confident that Jesus will do the same for us as well. Though we may let go of Him, He will never let go of us!

May we pursue faithfulness at all times by being a people who rely upon the Spirit of God through prayer.

Jesus’ Stories

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I really love a good story, and I’d venture to guess that you do, too. Whether it’s on Netflix or Youtube, our culture loves to binge watch stories. Long before the digital age, Jesus was the master storyteller. He told tons of stories called parables in order to teach his followers about himself, his Father, and the kingdom of heaven. A focus on Jesus’ teaching would not be complete without at least a short look at his parables.

We’re going to focus on one parable today: The Parable of the Sower – Matthew 13:1-23.

In this story, Jesus helps us visualize a farmer that is throwing seed out on his field. This guys field isn’t the best, and so there are lots of different kinds of soil that the seeds are falling on. Some land on the path the farmer is walking on, others on rocks, still some land in the midst of thorns and weeds, but some do end up falling on good, tilled soil.

So why does a story about a farmer have anything relevant for us today?

Jesus explains that the seed is like God’s Word, and the soils like our hearts as we are receiving it. The results of the seed on the first three soils aren’t so great, but the fruit of the final soil is massive. So Jesus is teaching us not only why some people don’t receive the Gospel, but also ways in which we allow obstacles to get in the way of embracing God’s Word and experiencing the blessings He longs to produce within us.

Three specific obstacles to receiving God’s Word:

1. Confusion or Hardness of Heart (v. 19)

The first unfruitful soil is connected to a lack of understanding that Satan takes advantage of. This could certainly come from poor teaching, but it also comes from a hardness of heart and mind resulting from sin. Paul explains that this is a consequence of sin in Romans 1, so we should not be surprised that our sin can get in the way of us receiving the Word of God.

2. Persecution (v. 21)

The second unfruitful soil is connected to persecution. The one who hears the Word initially enjoys it and embraces it, but they have not counted the cost and have not grounded themselves in God’s Word deeply enough to be able to overcome the fear of man that so many of us struggle with.

3. The Distractions & Allure of the World (v. 22)

Finally, lacking long term fruitfulness is directly connected to the distractions and allure of the world around us. Jesus says that the things around us that are constantly calling for our time and desires will “choke the word.” Living in a world full of distractions, we must be careful to cultivate focus and desire upon the things God’s Word points us to.

Let’s fight to avoid these obstacles and allow God’s Word to take deep root in our lives, for the results will be beyond our wildest imaginations.