NarcissUS- bow to JESUS.

(Note: This was written in 2009 for use in a Sunday School lesson but the lesson here is still the same. America is still a very narcissistic place- and so is the rest of the world. Too often we exalt humanity and look to ourselves for answers instead of acknowledging our need for God. Only He can ultimately solve all the problems that still plague us.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20090622043828/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30312181//

Wow! Read this article- it's really eye-opening. And it's so true! America has become incredibly narcissist! The very fact I'm posting this on a social networking site attests to that! (At least this isn't MYSpace- that even has it in the name) But this is evident in reality shows, in Youtube, in people stupidly buying houses and other things they really can't afford and then finding themselves in piles of debt and so many other examples. Everything is such a me-driven society. Man- people called the '70s the "Me Decade"- and some say the '80s carried it even further. No question- the 2000s onward has 'em both beat. This is also why I hate the status thing and I especially hate Twitter- because Twitter expounds on and exacerbates the main feature of Facebook that I hate- the whole status thing- it just seems like there's still this concept of having to share with everyone all that I'm doing every moment of the day because I need attention and hey, I deserve it. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but it is a danger one can fall into. This is also why I pretty much never have any kind of real life update on my status unless it's really something pretty important that I want to share with everyone.

Just look at what God says about this. Pride is the original sin! In Proverbs 6:16-19, where The Lord tells us 7 things that are detestable to Him- haughty eyes are the very first one! "But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' " (James 4:6) Or just read the book of Obadiah. "Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares The Lord. (Obadiah 1:4) 

Here's what Jesus commands us to do instead- "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4) And then keep reading from there about how Jesus, though He was God, didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself of all but love and bled for Adam's helpless race (okay- that last part's from one of my favorite hymns "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley :-)).

But look at what Philippians 2:21 tells us- "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." - WOW. Isn't that true of all of us? This should not be. The interests of Jesus Christ should be our foremost interests- make Him our highest joy and He'll take care of the rest. "Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in The Lord.' " (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Season for the Reason: Riches and Righteousness- Do They Add Up on Earth as it is in Heaven?

(Note: This entry is derived from conversations with a friend about what can seem to be a blind spot for Christianity at times. While the church is always concerned for the spiritual needs of people- and thus makes sharing the love of Jesus top priority- is it always as concerned about the physical needs of people in the here and now? Are we too full of ourselves and our earthly riches and not emptying ourselves enough to help others in the name of Jesus and through His power? We need to be concerned about both physical and spiritual needs because both are important. And people are not going to listen to you much when you're preaching The Gospel to them and they're starving to death. As James 2:14-17 gives us the example, what good does it do to tell someone poorly clothed and lacking food to go in peace and be warm and filled- but not do a thing to help them with those needs? That's why faith without works is dead. Show your faith by your works.)


James 5:1-6

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of The Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you."


         Amen! Important warning here. This passage in James echoes Jesus' warning to those who are rich in this life- don't lay up treasures for yourself on earth but lay up treasures in Heaven instead. (Matthew 6:19-24 talks about this.) In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus says that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will find it. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? You can't serve both God and money. The Bible talks numerous times about money and wealth and how they are a reflection of our hearts.In Matthew 19, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler who refused to give up all his riches and give to the poor and follow Jesus. Jesus then tells His disciples it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
         The disciples then ask who can be saved and Jesus tells them that with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.Of course, we have evidence of this in Luke 19 as a chief tax collector who was rich (as verse 2 plainly says) named Zacchaeus was saved by Jesus. (He is, of course, the short guy who climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus over the crowds). Jesus broke all kinds of rules of the religious Pharisees when He went to stay at the house of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and sinner. (He took taxes from his own people for the Romans and he profited handsomely off his fellow Jews by cheating and charging them way more than they owed.) Zack proved he had truly repented though by pledging to The Lord to give half his goods to the poor and paying back anyone he cheated 4 times over!Then Jesus said salvation had come to his house that day.In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool who stored up things for himself on earth but God crashed his party when He told him his soul was required that night- who gets all his stuff then? Jesus said that's how it is for the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.And all 4 Gospels record Jesus flipping over the tables of the moneylenders at the Temple and chasing them out with a whip He made because they were cheating people and making The Lord's House of prayer for all people into a den of thieves.I think one thing is key in all these verses- we must always be rich toward God. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" but He didn't mean physically poor here. He meant spiritually poor- those who know they have fallen short of God's righteousness because of sin and know they need the Saviour.How we use money is a great indicator of where our heart is- that's for sure.
           1 Timothy 6:10 warns us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils and some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs because of this craving.Verses 17-19 go on to command the rich in this present age as to what they should do with the wealth God blessed them with- first of all, don't be haughty. Second- don't set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God,who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.Third- The rich in this present age are to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, this storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life! Again- another reminder that lasting true treasure is in Heaven, not on earth. Jesus told a parablein Matthew 13 of a hidden treasure in a field. When a man finds it, he sells all he has in order to buy the field with the treasure. That's what the kingdom of Heaven is like. Jesus also used the picture of a merchant in search of fine pearls and when he finds the pearl of great price, he sells all he has and buys it. That's what the kingdom of Heaven is like.That is the call Jesus puts forth to those who would follow Him- forsake all you have in this life and focus on the treasure of Him instead. For those who follow Him, our passion should not be in heaping up stuff on earth that will all burn one day anyway but rather on storing up treasure in Heaven by living for Jesus each day and sharing His love and forgiveness with everyone.That's why I'm not real worried about making a ton of money or if others make lots more than I do. Where people are being cheated and defrauded, I certainly try to help stop that if I can and I definitely don't support corruption. But I can't control what others do- only what I do. So I try to use every good and perfect gift that my Father gives me to help others. And I try to stand up for the poor and those in need. God is the One who provides everything for me and it's all His to begin with and He loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 8 and 9 talk a lot about this.) I definitely need to remind myself of this often and verses like these are a big reason why I try to do a purge of my belongings every so often because I don't them to become an idol before God to me. I want God first and I want to want Him and want nothing else. (Psalms 23:1)
         I appreciate people sharing their views on these issues that can become blind spots for the church. I have said many times that the church sometimes needs to have a mirror held up to itself to really see ourselves and see places where we need to repent and be more Christlike. (Psalms 139:23-24) One place that is often mentioned is the disconnect in the pro-life position that Christians generally hold. I also disdain the hypocrisy of pro-life stances that are really just about unborn children and don't seem to care about others too. As the saying goes, I am concerned about life at all stages- from the womb to the tomb. I'm glad to live in a country that affords us the chance to vote our conscience and advocate for our views with free speech rights. I think it's important to clarify a few terms though on other matters. I get the argument about churches being only concerned with conversion and not with people's physical needs and this is not Biblical- and I'm concerned about that too. Both the spiritual and physical needs are important. And it should be noted that no Christian converts anyone. This is only the work of The Holy Spirit. This is important to note because it changes the approach to missions quite a bit. Yes, I want people to hear the Good News of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, how He paid for all sins by His death and Resurrection and how we can have forgiveness of our sins by faith in Him. But I just present information. Everyone must make their own choices about it.
        People are free to listen, receive, believe and act on it in faith or dismiss it in derision and disgust or maybe store it away to think about later. My job is to be faithful in telling people since Jesus commanded it (Matthew 28:18-20) and to love God with all I've got and to love my neighbour as myself. I have a number of friends of many religious backgrounds and some of none and some agnostic or atheistic- and they are all still friends regardless of their stance on Christ. My care and concern for them doesn't change. While of course there have been examples of the church using friendship evangelism as social control and manipulation, like the papacy did (which is one reason Martin Luther led the Reformation against it), there are lots of examples of Christians who are true friends and evangelists without seeking to manipulate.
         For example, consider Jim Elliott and his team, who gave gifts to the Waodoni of Ecuador to build a friendship. They were eventually killed for their efforts. The work continued though and the children of some of those killed went on to forgive and befriend the very people who had killed their parents when The Gospel changed these murderers into new people who were now friends. Consider also Mother Teresa and Lottie Moon, missionary ladies who lived lives of poverty, serving the poor in Asia, motivated by their faith in Christ. (Lottie Moon gave away her own food to the poor so much so that she starved to death herself as a result!)
       Many churches worldwide, if not all, have ministries to meet people's physical needs along with the spiritual needs. As it's been said, it's hard to tell someone God loves them when they're starving to death. Feed them something nourishing for the body before trying to feed them something nourishing for the soul.
Charities like The Salvation Army, Red Cross, YMCA and YWCA and World Vision were all started by Christians because of their faith in Christ and who seek to help all people. I love how World Vision responds to disasters the world over and helps everyone regardless of religious belief. They are very much concerned about aiding those in need and stopping human suffering because of their faith in Christ. Yes, The Gospel is preached too because sin is the root of the world's problems. Corruption, selfish practices, greed- it all is sin. That's one reason Jesus made clear we can't serve both God and money.
         It's worth noting that Jesus loved His enemies too and healed those who didn't believe in Him. He healed 10 lepers and only 1 foreigner returned to thank Him- the other 9 Jewish guys didn't. Judas Iscariot betrayed Him but he was still one of Jesus' disciples and Jesus still washed his feet. Jesus replaced the ear of Malchus (part of the arresting party) when one of Jesus' disciples cut it off. Luke 9:51-56 relates the account of a time when a Samaritan village did not accept Jesus and in retaliation, James and John asked Jesus if He wanted them to tell fire to come down from Heaven and consume them! I love Jesus' response here! "But He turned and rebuked them. 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people's lives but to save them.' " (Luke 9:55- for translations newer than KJV, make sure to read the footnotes for that verse. Some manuscripts add it, so it's listed that way in many newer translations. And I'm SO glad it was included because I LOVE it!)
         And when the stakes are eternal, it's worth sharing the Gospel for that reason too. As I was saying earlier, I present this information to people about Heaven and Hell and what Jesus did to make sure we could be with Him in Heaven if we'll choose to go. Logically speaking, we can either be in God's presence in eternity or away from Him. As C.S. Lewis said in "The Great Divorce" (I'm paraphrasing here)- In the end, there are two kinds of people. Those who say to God, "Thou will be done" and those to whom God says, "Thy will be done".
Thus, God gives people their choice as to where they want to be. But God always loves them and wants them to be with Him- Jeremiah 31:3 says He loves us with an everlasting love. But Love doesn't insist on its own way- Love bears all things.
          Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame- an excellent magician and noted atheist) said something interesting about proselytizing. He said he has a real beef with religious people who don't do this.

          “I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

           I believe Mr. Jillette is absolutely right. Thus, the eternal stakes motivate me to share my faith in Christ in love because Christ commanded me to do so. Jesus has saved me and changed my life infinitely for the better and I want others to experience that and know that joy for eternity. As Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief (i.e. devil) comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but He's come so that we might have life and life abundantly! I believe that starts now and goes through eternity. And thus, I believe it's important for Christians to be good stewards of the earth God has entrusted us with and to work to alleviate and end human suffering. Christians are the hands and feet of Jesus on earth and a suffering, dying world should see His love in us in practical ways.
C.S. Lewis said in "Mere Christianity"-

      "Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
          The point of Heaven is union with God for eternity, as God intended all along. A belief in Heaven and concern for eternity and faith in Christ is actually what motivates me all the more to actively show Jesus' love to all in need here on earth right now. Heaven will bring the ultimate healing but it also reaches to the world today through Christians as a healing balm to the nations. In a sense, Heaven is only for a few people though, since Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad and many are on it. The road to Life is straight and narrow and hard and only a few ever find it. Yet Heaven is open to whosoever will put their faith in Christ. 
I do hope and pray everyone reading might decide to do so one day but I hope you know that you are eternally loved and infinitely valuable regardless. And I will be your friend and help you in any way I can no matter what you decide to believe about that. 
          I hope that helps some some in any case. I am certainly not the best example and I fully agree with those who point out that the church has often failed miserably at living out Christ's Gospel.  And it is important to keep charities and certainly Christian ones accountable. (https://religionnews.com/2016/11/23/ministries-and-money-christian-charities-that-use-your-money-wisely/) That is one reason I urge people to consider Jesus' perfection and the way that He does work in His followers to do a lot of good in this world when we are obedient to Him. To love one another is a mandate that is always in place regardless of the response. Christians are commanded to love and pray for enemies too, after all. That is always foremost among the commands- love God first with all we've got, love neighbours as ourselves- and speak The Truth in Love. May God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

       I recently saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" again for the millionth time or so. (I love Indiana Jones! :-)) One line I always find interesting is the way Belloq describes the Ark of the Covenant. "Do you realize what the Ark is, Jones? It's a transmitter! It's a radio for speaking to God!" Of course, while it's true the Ark did house The Lord's presence in the Old Testament during Moses' time, it wasn't really how the Israelites prayed to God. They had to go through the High Priest to make sacrifices on their behalf and they would hear what God said to Moses. It was a much different process than the direct access we have today with God through Jesus Christ! As 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, there's one God and one mediator between God and man- Christ Jesus.
         I heard a great sermon at church a few weeks back about the power of prayer and God's ability to do anything! In thinking on that, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 came to mind, wherein we are commanded to "pray without ceasing." 
Of course, the question often arises, "How do we practically obey this verse?" While we may not be able to devote 24 hours a day to praying and nothing else, we can devote every second we're alive to be in a continual mode of prayer. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God- He's always listening and He's always speaking to us when we listen to His Word in The Bible. 
And while we're praying, we should remember that Jesus invites us to ask anything in His Name and He will do it. But there's a caveat to John 14:13- first, it's anything asked in Jesus' Name and also, it's so that The Father may be glorified in The Son. Thus, it must be something that will glorify God and in His Name. (It's not an invitation to bring your Christmas list to Santa Claus or put money into the vending machine to get whatever you desire.)
       And if we do what Jesus said in John 15:7, we'll find our desires matching up to God's desires. So what does a guy like me need to do? The dude abides.  :-)  (And no, I haven't seen the movie that line references- I just knew the line and threw it in for fun.)
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7)       Probably the number one thing I'd say about prayer- be totally honest with God. Jesus already knows all your thoughts anyway. (Psalms 139). 
One of my favorite quotes on prayer from Jimmy Abegg-
"But what God wants most is honesty, for us to open our hearts and come to Him without pretense or posturing. Some of my most powerful prayers aren't even couched in 'proper' language. Many of them I wouldn't dare pray aloud in church. But they are honest cries from my heart. Sometimes the best prayers are something like this: 'Oh my God, Help.' "         
          So don't be afraid to pray big prayers- God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine! (Like Ephesians 3:20 says) It's interesting that we particularly tend to discard modern day examples of healing. (Probably because of some phony faith healers out there who do run scams, sadly.) But this doesn't mean God can't do it and doesn't still do it as He so chooses. (Check 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - The Spirit gives some the gifts of healing and some the working of miracles- among many others. The caveat with that is that these gifts are to be used for the glory of God alone, not man's glory- going back to John 14:13.) 
         Jesus told us that with faith the size of a mustard seed (which is quite tiny indeed), we can speak to a tree and tell it to plant itself in the sea and it would obey us. We can make mountains move- by faith in Jesus' power (not our own power). And it's always according to God's will. He reigns sovereign and supreme. (See Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 17:5-6 and Romans 9)
Psalms 103:3 says that The Lord heals all our diseases. God is plenty capable of bringing physical healing- if He chooses. But we must also remember 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul was tortured with a thorn in his side- three times he pleaded with The Lord to remove it, but God didn't do it. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (And, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 1 and numerous other places in the Bible- check out Gideon's Thermoplyae-style battle in Judges 7 where 300 Jews fought humanly-impossible odds and won with The Lord's help...plenty of other examples- basically, see the entire history of the Jewish people- God loves to take what the world loves to despise and hate and shame the strong and bring to nothing all the puffed up folks- so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.)
As Job reminded us, The Lord gives and He takes- blessed be the Name of The Lord. Ultimately, we trust His will and His eternal love for us above our own feelings and desires. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13, The Lord Jesus gives what we know as The Lord's Prayer. The disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" and He demonstrated a structure for us to follow. In it, we see some important elements of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication and intercession.

(As written in Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
"Pray then like this:
 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
     
         And of course, we have powerful pictures from The Lord Jesus about the way God answers our prayers. No good parent gives their son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he wants an egg. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more will our good Father give good gifts- like the Holy Spirit- to those who ask Him? Be bold and persistent in prayer- knowing that we can be confident in God's goodness. Ask, seek and knock- it will be given, you will find and the door will be opened to you. Persistence pays off, whether it's a friend coming at midnight begging for a loaf of bread or a widow pleading with a wicked judge to grant her justice in a case. Seek the Lord in the prayer closet- not making a big show of it for a reward, so that someone thinks we're oh-so-holy- but in secret where God sees what's done in secret and meets us there. (See all of Matthew 6 and Luke 18.) We have an audience with the God of the universe who is eager to bless us with things we need and answer our prayers according to His will- we only need to come to Him!         
        So, how do we keep praying to Jesus and trusting Him without ceasing? Well, we do sometimes falter in trust and faith and obedience and God is willing to forgive us when we truly repent. (Luke 17:4, 1 John 1:9) But with every breath He lends, we breathe in and keep focusing our mindset on Him (Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:1-11 [particularly verses 5-8]. As Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord formed us and breathed the breath of life into us. We keep breathing that borrowed air and breathe in both life and New Life- physically and spiritually. (Also check Job 33:4 and Isaiah 42:5 and Acts 17:25) "As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit." (Job 27:3-4) "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) 
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) The Spirit of His power strengthens us in our inner being (see Ephesians 3:16) when we let Him. 
Our every breath is a prayer to God- we keep the phone line open and never hang up- we keep a running text message or instant message chain with Him going- we can even communicate telepathically because He knows all our thoughts- and His Spirit brings to mind His Scripture (when we know it and listen to His voice). (Psalms 139, Psalms 94:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, John 16:13-15 and John 17:17 and John 14:6)
"It is The Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." - Jesus Christ in John 6:63