As In a Mirror

Every day, thousands of Christians die violent deaths. They are being harassed, driven from their homes, rejected by their families and society, arrested, beaten in the streets and even their churches and homes, tortured, and killed.

Something worth noting: most of these believers are not persecuted because they believe in Jesus. No, that is not a crime worthy of death. Their crime is that they share. Dear friends, what is holding you and I back from sharing with the same tenacity that our brethren are in third world countries? Why do we wait till there is a high price to pay before we even consider sharing the Gospel? How do we know that we will share it in the hard times if we don’t take advantage of the good times? I know, we get so caught up in our own lives, I know we do. But maybe in our daily Scripture reading, we should be like the writers of the epistles. Have you noticed how everything is told in light of the Gospel, and ultimately brought back to that point? Maybe we should be daily reminding ourselves of the wonder of the Gospel.

Maybe, instead of constantly trying to improve ourselves and make ourselves “better Christians,” we should take heed to Christ’s warning to the Ephesian church, and remember our first love. Did you notice that in Hebrews 6, after it says “moving on from the foundation,” it goes on into a deeper exposition of the Gospel? Maybe we’re never supposed to get past the Gospel, but deeper into it. Maybe that’s what the Ephesian church missed, and possibly us, too.

I heard Todd Friel say something not too long ago, and would like to share it, because there’s a lot of wisdom in it: “The Gospel isn’t the thing that just gets us saved, it’s the thing that grows us in sanctification. And the more we dwell on that, and the more we ponder that, and the more we think about that, the more it is going to cause us to have joy, and then it is gonna be demonstrated on the outside, with things like confession of sin, being and encourager, and forgiving others even when they have sinned against us even in the worst way imaginable.” That’s profound, isn’t it? And you know what? It’s true!

So why do I read about the sufferings of the church around the world? I tell you, sometimes they are really, really hard to read, and they often seem like the same things over and over, but they are so real to those experiencing them! But why should I read them, as someone on the other side of the world? For one thing, to obey Hebrews 13:3 and remember my brethren and lift them up in prayer. For another thing, it brings me back to something…

When I read their stories, I am struck that in the midst of our greatest sufferings, God is still sovereign. He has supreme and independent power; nothing can stop Him, and nothing is too difficult for Him. Knowing that He is with His children when they suffer makes me think of each individual’s suffering in light of this fact. All heirs of Christ are appointed to afflictions (1 Thessalonians 3:3, Romans 8:17), but surely, just as we partake of His sufferings, we will partake of His resurrection (Philippians 3:9-11). God’s ways are so far above ours, that it is difficult at first for us to comprehend how He can be glorified in our weaknesses and sufferings. But a relatively new lesson for me is that when a wretch such as I has assurance that Christ’s completed work has made me righteous before God, and this standing before God does not go away in suffering, I become a greater display of God’s grace. This glorifies God in the presence of believers and unbelievers, and of angels and demons; they see that nothing separates me from God, that God works His will through the worst of my circumstances, and that Christ’s sacrifice does not cease to be sufficient for me. “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15) As I read these stories of precious brothers and sisters, I see that not only have they learned to trust God in a fuller sense through their sufferings, but that each of their trials was something that God trusted them with. They are counted worthy, of whom the world is not worthy, to share in the sufferings of Christ (Hebrews 11 and Philippians 1:29).

God is sovereign through the suffering of His children. He works not merely in spite of evil, but through it. He does not orchestrate the evils that cause us suffering, but He planned that He would be glorified through things we never imagined a holy, loving God could be glorified through. The more I observe His character, the more I see that He will display His glory, in any way He wills. Just when Satan thinks he has hindered God’s will, God reveals a greater plan that no man could have ever thought of. It is cases like these that replicate, in small ways, Christ’s ultimate victory.

Unlike any other worldview in the world, I can look at suffering and see the hand of a Good and Mighty God. How ironic is that? How phenomenal it is!

Only the Lord knows how many souls are impacted by His work in all of these believers, but we do know that their lives are never out of His hand. When God said in Isaiah 41:10, “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand,” He really meant it. Even if we are confused and downcast at first when the storms of life come, we soon see, along with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world, that God is never helpless. He is with us, even when we suffer, and He is always working all things in our lives out for His glory. One thing is for sure: when He opens a door, no one can shut it, and when He shuts a door, no one can open it (Revelation 3:7). I pray that in everything, even the inevitable sufferings and persecutions for every child of God, we would come to know more and more the truth of this Scripture:

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NLT)

Filed under : Discipleship, Gospel, Missions

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If I were to look around me and see all the natural disasters, the conflicts, poverty, abortion, and taxes– the things in life that are wrong, and be worried and concerned that things were not all that they should be, and then try to find a solution, I would be just like every other religion or movement in the world, because I’m trying to improve a fallen world.

If I were to see how human love is not what it should be, that life is bitter and full of frustration, that everything we build to last does wears down, that even if you eat healthy and stay fit, you still die– and worry about it and try to think of what I or others were doing wrong, what we should do to make it perfect, then it would just prove that I am like everyone else on this earth, wrapped up in the flesh and the temporary.

And so I do. Time and again. It just shows that this world really isn’t all that there is. It just shows that there was a really good reason for Jesus to come down and live in our shoes, then suffer and die to pay our penalty. The fact that I am concerned with the state of this world shows that so often my eyes are full of the temporary. It just shows that though I am perfected forever, I’m still being sanctified, not yet glorified. I am still in this flesh, waiting to be with the Lord. It just shows that there is more than all of this. It proves that I am not home yet.

It proves that God is the one who fills all in all; Christ is the bodily fullness of the Godhead; He is the image of the invisible God. This dissatisfaction with life just shows that I am in need of a Savior, and it shows that all these things are here to point us back to Christ, that our thirst is meant to be fulfilled in pursuit of Him. Do I seek the blessings or the One from whom these blessings come? Do I strive for more health and wealth or do I just sit at His feet out of love for Him? Do I pester Him for blessings or do I rejoice that He is my portion?

I need to remember these things in my day-by-day activities so that I don’t get weary or distracted.

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I remember about a year ago I had exhausted (or so I thought) all our books. That is, more than half of them, excluding the various math books, art books, and home improvement manuals. I guess it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to read the latter, but I mean… those are things you read when you are trying to build or fix something, not the thing you’ll hunker down and read for enjoyment’s sake.

The type of books I’ve always liked to read are missionary biographies; favorites over the years are the whole series for teenagers by Geoff and Janet Benge, A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot, Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot, Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt, Rescue the Captors by Russell Stendall, God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew, The Hiding Place by Corrie tenBoom, Tramp for the Lord by Corrie tenBoom, and Give Me This Mountain by Helen Roseveare.

Lately I’ve also been getting into some apologetics and theological books. I’ve read a lot of them through our homeschool program, and a few we’ve read together at home. Books by Dr. D. James Kennedy, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Ray Comfort, Gary Habermas and Michael Licona are great.

So not too long ago we got The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, and I got about halfway through it. Ehe, at some point I just got to another of those points in life where I just got exhausted, and didn’t get back to reading it. I liked the book because it was addressed to believers and unbelievers alike, not just a how-to for Christian students. Keller’s philosophical and logical approach was something I also appreciated; that kind of reasoning I favor as opposed to material evidence, just because that is more subject to interpretation. However, the book fell short in the scientific realm, partially because science can’t always be approached the same way life issues and history are. In that chapter, Keller exposes the godless view and makes his case for believing in God, but thinks that God could have created the world through a guided natural selection. This was a bummer; it seemed weak to me to make a case for the inspiration of Scripture and then suggest that the historical records in Scripture don’t mean what they say. Anyway, for some reason I didn’t get back to reading it…

Maybe it’s because I helped my brothers clean out their rooms, and found under the mounds of old socks, cardboard outfits, music CDs, toy guns, and unsung works of art, books that I didn’t realize we had! So my brother graciously loaned them out to me. One of them I finished , the other three I started. One is a short biography on D. L. Moody, the other is an 1800s novel by R. M. Ballantyne (booooring), and an older biography on D. James Kennedy. Have you noticed with old books that they talk an awful lot about finances? I noticed this in Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery. It was a great book; his own story and the story of Tuskeegee Institute were captivating. But then for several chapters he talked about financial support for the Institute. Buuuuuh… does anybody read those chapters? So I just let my brother re-tell the best stories from the Kennedy biography.

Anywho, I’ve got a few more books on my reading list now, some are the above, and more recently I got Ray Comfort’s latest book, The Defender’s Guide for Life’s Toughest Questions. This book answers arguments and accusations from atheists creatively, simply, according to topic: humanity, the Bible, science, philosophy, and religion. Right now I’m in chapter 3; so far, as can be expected, it is awesome– both thorough and easy to read. Hopefully I’ll finish soon and write up a review.

Also, I recently won a copy of R. C. Sproul’s Defending Your Faith from Christiana at In Defense of the Christian Faith. Being in the middle of a bunch of other books at this point, I haven’t started it, but I took a sneak peak into it and it looks cool! I intend to start that book right after I finish the other book with “Defense” in the title.

I also got that great big book from Living Waters, The School of Biblical Evangelism: 101 Lessons on How to share your faith simply, effectively, biblically… the way Jesus did. I’m only on Lesson 19 right now, but let me tell you, this thing is a TREASURE CHEST. I hope to share my thoughts on it in another post sometime soon.

In addition… ehe… two other Kindle books were on sale, “Has Christianity Failed You?” by Ravi Zacharias and “The Rage Against God” by Peter Hitchens (he’s the Christian brother of atheist spokesman Christopher Hitchens), so Mom got them and downloaded them to the iPod. I’m on page 81 of 210 in the Ravi Zacharias book. Part of the reason I’m so slow with that one is a competition issue with the boys… who’da thunk we’d even have an iPod, let alone brothers who get to it more often, lol. Anywho, Zacharias is great with logic, so the book is good so far. I haven’t even started the other book!

So what have y’all been reading?

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We may know Psalm 22 as that prophetic Psalm that relates Jesus’ experience on the cross. He cried out the first verse while He hung on the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It tells that He was despised and rejected by men, how those who passed by shook their heads and said, “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” It tells that all His bones were out of joint, His heart melted like wax (when blood and water flowed), His tongue clung to His jaws, His hands and feet were pierced, His executors divided His garments among themselves and cast lots for His tunic. But, the story would be retold to generations afterward in the context of God’s faithfulness.

I want to quickly cover two facets of this Psalm, the first being what Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It seems we usually read this and somehow just focus on the idea that Jesus knew He was quoting this prophecy, and not consider that Jesus cried these words out from the depth of His soul, and that was the fulfillment of prophecy. This was Jesus, who had always been assured that His Father was with Him, the same Jesus who had the Spirit of God descend on Him like a dove, while hearing, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased!” This was the One who said, “I and the Father are One.” Think about it!

A question often asked by the deep sufferer is this: Lord Jesus, when You were on this earth, did You ever wonder what Your Father was doing? Did You ever wonder why? Were You ever left there in the dark without an answer, only sharp criticism and ridicule?

Yes, He did. On the cross He cried out so that the crowds could hear Him, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” We all know this is a verse in Psalm 22, a prophetic passage about the Messiah, and sort of assume Jesus was simply quoting it as He hung there. But it was a cry of despair from the depths of His heart; He asked why; He wondered. And they mocked Him.

He bore the sins of the world! We ask if He ever felt guilty and wondered what He did wrong. He bore the sins of you and I! He suffered God’s wrath on our behalf! He was counted guilty for us, and His Father had to look away! And the people mocked Him! How our Savior suffered for us! Yes, He truly suffered with us in many ways. Think of the wonder! He was equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and became obedient to the point of death… even such a death as this! He cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane three times: “If it’s possible, Father, deliver Me! BUT… Your will be done, not Mine.” He suffered. He died. But now He’s alive! He has made us right with God, and now lives to make intercession for us!

I also think of this passage from the perspective of the human writer. Yes, this is a prophetic passage inspired verbatim by the Holy Spirit, covering in shocking detail what happened to Jesus when He was crucified, but think of it… it was written by David for a reason. He most likely wasn’t just spontaneously writing stuff that he’d never thought of before. He penned these words in the midst of his own suffering! I mean, take a look at the way this chapter reads:
David says,

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.

3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”

9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11 Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.

I mean, take a look at the pattern here: David cries out, “Lord, why have You left me alone, why don’t You hear me?” But in the same breath he says, “Yet You are Holy.” David is very up-front about his suffering, but still praises God for His holiness! David recounts how God delivered people in the past, then continues to pour out his heart about his own suffering. Then he says that He knows that God has always been good in his own life, and pleads again for help. He continues to cry out to the Lord, and then says this:

22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help….

30 Our children will also serve him.
Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done.

Check it out! David, in the midst of his sufferings, even though he is not yet delivered, praises the Lord! He may not have been doing it with nearly as much energy as he did in Psalm 150, but maybe that makes it more beautiful. Real faith is praising the Lord and declaring His goodness even when we are in deep darkness, wrenched by suffering! Yes, we cry out and detail our suffering to the Lord. Yes, we ask to be delivered. Yes, we ask why He has left us all alone. But we still declare His goodness and His faithfulness, and know that someday, all suffering will be over, and we will finally understand.

Closing thought: here is a reason to give thanks to God in the midst of our suffering when we don’t understand; it’s a confirmation we’re on the narrow road.

I read a fantastic article on suffering today, and would like to pass it on. Check it out:

If God, Why Evil? at In Defense of the Christian Faith.

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I had heard Ray Comfort and Tony Miano talk about the comedy/drama on evangelism made by Greg Elsasser, Dru Morgan, and the Last Words Ministry gang a few times, and their positive comments sparked my interest. My interest was further sparked by the times that Greg was a guest host on their On the Box show. They showed the trailer and gave the film an honorable mention, and Greg shared some “Behind the Story” insight that made it seem very interesting. As he and friends would evangelize, and awkward though humorous things would happen, Greg would think to himself, “Why isn’t anybody writing all this down? This stuff would be great to incorporate into a fictionalized story!” That got him thinking, as to how some people won’t watch how-to’s on evangelism, but they would watch a drama or comedy about average folks evangelizing. So the Last Words Ministry folks put three television-type episodes together. Here’s the description for the first three episodes:

Lifelong friends become bungling partners in an adventure toward deeper Christianity that you won’t soon forget. After the gangly, socially awkward Roman decides to actually put into practice some teaching he heard on evangelism, comedy ensues as his street-wise, church-going co-worker, Jorge, tries to get him to settle down and stop taking the Bible so literally.

Amidst the laughs, serious moments will surprise you with their depth. So if you’ve ever thrown your family to the ground to avoid the Jehovah’s Witness at your door or been heckled by a ventriloquist and his dummy… this is a series for you!

Our family got a chance to watch all three episodes in one sitting just the other night, and we loved it! From the start, it gets your attention because it’s on the average church-goer’s level. A middle-aged church-goer, who has known that he should share his faith with others, hears a practical message on why we should share our faith and how. This new realization gives his life a new focus, and he sets out to learn more, practice, and encourage other Christians to share their faith. His best friend, Jorge, is at first ticked off by the message, but in a short time gets totally on board with Roman, and they start to get into evangelizing together. As one who has heard some stories from the Greg and the guys at Living Waters, it was especially funny to see some of their humorous real-life experiences incorporated into the film.

The first three episodes of this series did a great job of not of not only telling a story from an accessible setting, but it creatively addresses common oppositions to average Christians evangelizing strangers using the Law to bring an awareness of sin, then introducing Grace and preaching repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It addresses circumstances in life that get us thinking more about what our priorities are and how we are taking the responsibilities Christ left us with. Each of the three episodes ended with a powerful Gospel presentation from one of the Living Waters team, each with their own style and signature, similar to what they use in open-air settings.

Being produced “non-professionally,” I found this DVD to actually be quite impressive. It didn’t come off cheesy, and the setting and humor made it accessible to average folks. I know that when I watched Roman and Jorge bumble through some of their “first-timers,” I thought, “Now I can identify with this.” Hence, I was encouraged that I, too could do it, and I think my family was, too. They all made positive comments throughout and after watching it. I totally look forward to the next episodes of The Adventures of Roman and Jorge, and fully recommend it to any Christian family.

Check out the teaser! You can also visit the website here, and purchase a copy from Living Waters here.

Filed under : Gospel, Querky, Reviews

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