Pray for those in High Positions

The United States of America has a new President. This news has met an increasingly sensitive and contentious American culture with either anger or jubilee. Social media is filled with name calling from all sides, and anger has driven crowds to riot in the streets. I am curious of any Bible verses being mentioned in this sort of cultural climate. One that has stood out comes from I Timothy 2:2 which says, "Pray for kings and all who are in high positions."

In verse 1, we read a "therefore," which should tell us that chapter 1 is informing this word from God to pray for those in government power. In chapter 1, Paul urged the young pastor Timothy to "wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience." Don't be like Hymenaeus and Alexander who shipwrecked their faith by not holding the faith in Jesus Christ with a good conscience.

Since pastor Timothy holds the faith with a good conscience, fighting the good fight of the faith, Paul's urgency to pray is then given. We are commanded to pray to keep the faith and a good conscience in our fight for the faith, seeing our dependence on God (faith) as our desperate need, and submitting to God as above all people, including kings and those in high positions.

Paul was writing this letter at a time when people in high positions were hard to pray for. Paul says to pray for Nero, Herod, even Pilate. People in high positions were hostile to the faith, persecutors of Christians, and power hungry individuals. So, the command to pray for government leaders is not based on whether or not we agree with them and their lifestyle.

Jesus told Pilate that the Roman prefect had no authority but what God has given him. Paul says in Romans 13:1 to submit to governing authorities because God put them there. Paul was fully aware of the weight of the command to pray for government leaders. Pray for ALL kings and government leaders. Paul doesn't tell us to pray only for my government leaders, but ALL. Not just the US President and congressperson and mayor, but also for Kim Jong-un, Ayatollah Khamenei, and Chairman Xi Jinping.

Why all leaders around the world? God desires all people from every nation to be saved. The overwhelming majority of Christians on planet earth right now doesn't even speak English, even more is not American. Our prayers are not to be exclusive, nor is the aim a prosperous and comfortable life. The aim is a quiet life that is kept on a global, disciple-making mission.

What specifically are we to be praying for our government leaders? Paul says we pray for government leaders "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." God is sovereign over all government authorities. He has placed all governments on the shoulders of Christ our Lord (Isaiah 9:6), and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to our King Jesus (Matthew 28:18). By His authority, Jesus commands His church to make disciples of all nations. Paul commands to pray for earthly government authorities, both good and evil, to free us to live peacefully and godly. Paul adds that God is pleased by our prayers for earthly government leaders because God is our Savior "who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Paul's focus is on Christ Jesus. We are to pray for government leaders to leave the church free to continue our disciple-making mission on earth, because God desires all nations to be saved.

Do you pray and so speak on social media and in private conversations displaying a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way? I am troubled by comments online, not from unbelievers, but those in the name of Jesus displaying an angry and name calling Christianity. We are to pray for our leaders to free us to live peacefully; this includes our interactions with the culture around us. My fellow Christians, be slow to speak (James 1:19), and when we do speak (James 1:26), let our speech display a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Christian: pray for governing authorities around this world, both good and bad, to free us to live our lives in a godly way and to continue Christ's mission to make disciples of all nations. Continue in your good fight of the faith and celebrate your dependence upon Christ Jesus, the King of kings, Prince of peace. Let us pray and let us labor in His mission knowing we have no abiding city here, but we look to the city yet to come of which God Himself is the Architect and Builder. Meanwhile, let us display for a dark, unbelieving world that a life trusting in King Jesus is a life lived peacefully and quietly, godly and dignified...in every way.

Devoted to a Church that Frustrates You

“They devoted themselves to…the fellowship.” –Acts 2:42

When I attended seminary, I taught Bible classes in a church in the suburbs. Visiting a member's house was like seeing a mansion, in my eyes. One such home had a room near the front of the house the owner called, "The Sitting Room." The room was perfectly set up and dusted. The couches and chairs with accent lights and decorations on a perfectly placed coffee and end tables looked like something staged for a magazine photoshoot. The Sitting Room was very infrequently used. Only on special occasions were people allowed to visit the room and sit. No food or drinks were allowed, so as to not get the room dirty.

This is the draw for many churches. No drama allowed in church, no relationships too close or else our dirtiness will get exposed. We want a church we can simply visit, where everything is nice. Our sentimental ideas of church get ruined by dirty people. We desire to make and attend churches to visit; Jesus wants us to be devoted to one another and love one another.

When folks come over to my family’s house, I tell them, “Excuse the mess; this house is lived in.” That is exactly what our church must be like: lived in. Lived in by sinners saved by grace and on the journey to be more like Jesus. We must understand that the Lord commands us to be a part of a local church that sometimes frustrates us, sometimes disappoints us, and oftentimes requires us to be the initiator of conversations, reconciliation, and service.

When the early church devoted themselves to the fellowship, it was a devotion to biblical teaching, breaking of bread, and prayers. Our flesh desires church to be low maintenance, convincing ourselves that we should expect to leave church always feeling good about ourselves. Truth is, they are sinners…just like you and me. We are commanded to confess our sins to one another, teach and admonish one another, and love and serve one another. This requires closeness. This requires frustration. This requires a house that is lived in.

I am convinced that the best churches have buildings with faded carpet, tattered chairs, and worn Bibles. Evidences of a people devoted to one another and being close to one another as they draw near to God together. Let’s be a house of God, and let this house be a home that is lived in.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for letting our frustrations keep us at enmity with others. Help us by Your steadfast love to display Your love for Your people. Help us by Your Spirit to be a people devoted to the fellowship, not neglecting to meet regularly, and be a home that is lived in by Your mercies. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What to do with negative people this year

Each New Year, we sing the old 18th Century Scottish poem for Hogmanay, "Auld Lang Syne" with these words:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?

This New Year has many people storming to social media with resolutions to keep negative people and negative vibes in 2016, resolved to keep 2017 positive and happy; resolved to forget old acquaintances. This type of self-righteous, judgmental thinking sounds so enticing to us. To think we deserve only comfort and positivity, and that negative people should be ignored and discarded is what our flesh desires, but it goes against walking in the Spirit.

Consider our Lord's words here: "If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" (Matthew 5:46). To only love those who give us positive vibes and positive thoughts is what worldly folks do. The Christian is to love differently than this broken world. We are commanded to love as Jesus loves.

In Matthew 22, our Lord gave a parable. There was once a great king whose son was getting married, so the king organized a great banquet. The king invited many to come to the banquet, but those who got the invite had other plans and refused to come. The king became angry and rejected the people who had turned down his invitation, calling them unworthy. The king sent his servants everywhere and invited everyone, both good and bad, positive and negative. The king's banquet hall was full.

Jesus came to a cold, broken world of sinners. Jesus saves "whosoever comes." Jesus knows our thoughts and our deeds, yet loves us anyway. He dined with sinners while the elites of this world only surrounded themselves with people they chose to make them feel good. The world calls this, "self love;" yet, it involves self-righteous hatred of others. This is how the Bible defines love: loving the unlovable with God's love to God's glory.

Jesus said that tax collectors (you know "bad people") only love those who love them. We are commanded to give the invite to the King's banquet to all (Matthew 28:19-20). There is not one person too ugly, too negative, too sinful to love with God's love. This does not mean accepting their sin, but to love and serve them despite their sin. God's grace has invited ugly, negative, hateful sinners like you and me to this banquet.

If Jesus took the world's advice and discarded negative people or anyone who gave negative vibes, you and I would have no hope. We need to be shown the way to eternal life, we ourselves need an invite to the king's banquet. So does everyone else! They will not know the way to enjoy God forever if we cast off and ignore people we don't like. My beloved, Jesus is the way.

Yes, unlovable people are hard to be around and serve and love and care for. I get that. I know my Savior was a suffering servant for me! But I also see in Matthew 22 that we need clothes to be in the king's banquet (Matthew 22:11-12). We ourselves don't get to come to the banquet just as we are. Whose perfect goodness am I clothed with? Jesus' righteousness alone. Same for all of those negative people out there. They, too, can enjoy God forever if they are clothed in Jesus' wedding garments.

We do not have the authority or the right to declare who is in our life, who we love and serve, who deserves to be around us. That is God's authority and right. Jesus has declared that our loving service and gospel call goes to ALL. To only allow positive people in our lives puts ourselves and our feelings at the center. To cast off negative people makes us the judge. A church that teaches this self-righteousness is unsalty salt.

Let us followers of Jesus be a city on a hill, a light for those in darkness to hear the invitation to the king's wedding banquet, to find sinners saved by grace who love and serve like Jesus. 

If you are reading this and you find God's love contradicting your view of love, but knowing full well that this condemns you as a hate-filled, judgmental, self-righteous, self-worshiping sinner, I have good news for you. Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. Don't cast off negative vibes to feel good about yourself. That's a false peace. Cast off your thinking that you have the self-righteous authority to judge others and compare your goodness to the world. Seek the Lord while He is near. Jesus is Immanuel, "God with Us," and He is near. The "whoever" means you. Jesus invites you to the banquet, and He gives you the wedding clothes of His goodness. Jesus has proven this by taking your cross, dying your death, and defeating death by raising again.

One Day...

One day, I will be able to take a nap in the afternoon. I will be able to enjoy an evening to read a book in peace. I will be able to take my time to quietly shop at the grocery store. I will be able to go out to eat with my wife without having to hire babysitters. I will be able to go to bed and wake up when I want to. I will be able to eat a meal in peace without my children noisily interrupting.

One day, I will not have to fight frustration while I discipline the children. I will not have to clean spilled milk off the floor that my son made while trying to pour his own drink. I will not have to scrub crayon marks off of the walls that my daughter doodled. I will not have to pay so much money to feed growing kids. My wife and I will not have to juggle so much of our crazy busy schedule or have so much laundry and dishes to do.

One day my life will not be so busy and my home will be quiet. I'm not looking forward to that day. I have to ask the Lord for grace to remember this each time I become frustrated or stressed, longing for a peaceful moment.

God says that children are a heritage He gives me, and I am blessed to have many (Psalm 127:3-5). I am often reminded from older Christians that I will one day look back on these days as the best days of my life. I need to hear that encouragement often. I think that this is something we all need to hear.

Dear reader, I don't know what chapter of life you are in. A teenager may think that one day she will be an adult and life will be more fun out from under her parents' house. A stressed out young mother may think that things will be more stable when the kids are a little older. A man may think life will be more enjoyable once he retires. An empty-nester may think his life will be more fun when he has grandchildren. Worse, perhaps you think you have nothing more to look forward to in life.

Truth is, right now is the best day of your life because God has given this day to you to rejoice in and glorify Him. Each morning, He is faithful to give us grace to see His new mercies (Lamentations 3:23). His new mercies are good and perfect gifts for you in this season of your life. We live life now to glorify God, and we also do look forward to one day.

One day, we will not age. We will run and not grow weary. We will not attend any more funerals. We will not long for better days. One day our tears will be wiped away by our Lord for the last time. That is a day I look forward to. That day is what brings me joy today. No matter the stress and noise today may bring, I know today has purpose in the everlasting day that is to come.

Let us rejoice in all things (I Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:4), even the trying things today may bring. Let us not grumble (Philippians 2:14), for today God has given us mercy. Let us not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9), for the everlasting day is coming...one day.

God's Purpose in Christmas

Jesus said, "For this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." - John 12:27-28

Christmas time conjures up so many sentimental images and memories in our minds. A large family meal, red and green sweaters with little white snowflakes on them, and the family gathered in the living room to hear the Christmas story in Scripture. We hear of angels filling the sky singing to God’s glory. God is glorified in sending His Son Jesus into our world as an infant in humble settings on earth.

Jesus came to earth as an infant for God’s glorious purpose. Jesus explains in John 12 that His coming suffering and execution makes God look great: “Father, glorify Your name.” God is glorified in Jesus obeying God’s purpose in sending His Son into the world.

For what purpose did God send Jesus to suffer and die? How did this make God look great?

The Apostle Paul knew our heavenly Father’s purpose to send His Son: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” God is glorified, as the hymn “To God be the Glory” says, in Jesus saving “even the vilest offender.”

Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior, glorified God. Jesus was born for the purpose of the hour of His suffering and death to save sinners. God displays His greatness in saving sinners through Jesus, and by faith in Jesus we receive His peace on earth and goodwill; divine joy forevermore as children in God’s family.

So, as we gather with our families this Christmas, let us remember the purpose of Jesus’ birth: to glorify God by His suffering and death to save sinners that we receive the fullness of joy in God’s family, and life everlasting as Jesus defeated death by His resurrection. Just as the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending Jesus into our world, to bear our guilt and sin to the cross, to die our death. What glorious purpose, and what joy we receive in Your salvation! Glorify Your name in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The kind of negativity you need in your life

Our culture promotes selfish pride to the point that any confrontation of error or wrongdoing is immediately thrown into the category of the unloving, rude, and judgmental. Even non-believers quote, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."

Little do people realize that in Matthew 7, as Jesus is ending His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to judge! Not as hypocrites, but in repentance. "Remove the log in your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of other people's eyes."

This goes with what Paul taught in Galatians. "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." Jesus and Paul taught that Christians confront one another in our sins, both in repenting from sin ourselves AND with the heart of reconciliation, restoring people in error or wrongdoing gently.

When Jesus confronts me in my feeble attempts to manipulate others so I can maintain a sin, He does so out of love. He won't let me get away with living in the comfort of my own make-believe world when He has true happiness in His mercy for me. Sure, my flesh feels the pain and misery of it, but Jesus confronts me for His glorious purpose.

When Jesus sends others to confront me in my error or wrongdoing, I need to remember that I am a sinner, that I don't know everything nor do I have everything figured out, and that Jesus confronts my sin because He loves me.

Why would Jesus and His followers confront me in my error and wrongdoing?

1) That I may have happiness in being conformed to His image.
You will never be satisfied and happy having things your way. You will always want more and more.

True happiness is not found where I naturally look for it: pursuing the endless cravings of my flesh, looking in dark corners for love, peace, and happiness. True happiness is found resting in my Savior, surrendering my all to Him and trusting His steadfast love, peace, and joy.

Being more like Jesus means God confronts our error and wrongdoing so that we turn away from our sin and having things our own way, trusting that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

2) That I may have discernment to see splinters in other sinners' lives; not as a judge, but as a wretch who loves the gospel, the gospel of Jesus who came into the world to save sinners, whom I am the foremost.

The local church is a gospel community to display the love of God as Spirit-filled people. Christian maturity is not a road where it is just me and my Bible. I am confronted by Jesus and His church in my error and wrongdoing, not only for myself, but that I may make mature disciples of others who in turn will also make other mature disciples.

The local church is a family of sinners saved by grace. Jesus made us to need Him and to need one another for encouragement and the building up of one another as mature followers of Jesus.

3) To avoid the negativity of continuing on in sin without repentance, mistaking my comfort for being in God's favor. We find ourselves comfortable away from God's presence when hiding sin, living in a make-believe world we have created for ourselves that tells us that independent strength and words of empowerment is a sign of spiritual maturity. In reality, this isn't strength but a lie.

We broken sinners have the amazing ability to deceive ourselves into comfort with sin. We make-believe that it is strength that we can handle our sin in private, away from God's means of grace in His gospel community of a local church. We hear the echoes of demonic advice from the world: "You don't need that kind of negativity in your life."

We hide our sin, thinking we don't need to learn anything from God nor do we need to be exposed as broken as we truly are. When the prophet Isaiah was confronted by God's awesome presence in Isaiah 6, he immediately yelled out, "I am a man of unclean lips!" When Peter realized that Jesus is the Messiah of God, he cried out, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

We don't want that kind of negativity in our lives! We have enough stress than to be concerned with the holiness of God. We exhaust ourselves by trying to find things in this world to empower us to continue on in life without Jesus, but in the end we are ruined and leave a wake of ruined relationships behind us, including our relationship with God.

Truth is, you do need that kind of negativity in your life. Jesus' exposure of our sin and brokenness is not out of cold rudeness and a strange delight in embarrassing us, but as holy light to reveal who we truly are. Jesus has grace to heal what He exposes in us, with a commitment to love us even though we are unworthy and ugly.

How should we as followers of Jesus handle being confronted in error or wrongdoing?

1) Don't get angry and outraged at the people confronting your sin. Rather, get angry and outraged at sin. In our make-believe world where we have strength and don't need others, we will label the goodness and love of God in a faithful, healthy church that teaches us God's Word which confronts our pride and hidden sin as "church hurt."

I do know "church hurt" is real. Pastors who teach false doctrine, unchallenged sin in churches that feud, gossip, and actively splitting people into groups. People get hurt from such churches. That's not the type of "church hurt" I'm referring to here.

If a Christian gently but firmly tells you the truth of God's Word with a desire to restore you to God and calling for you to turn from your sin, that's love not "church hurt." When our make-believe world gets surrounded by God, we feel threatened and want to get angry and outraged at others in order to justify our sinful life. We don't want God to invade the fortress we have built around our hearts, lest we be exposed as broken and sinful.

Fight for joy by being angry and outraged by your own sin. Be thankful to God for the light of His Word that reveals the dark spots of error and wrongdoing in your heart. Turn from those things to find true happiness in the Lord Jesus.

2) Be teachable. This requires the humility of being a good listener. You don't know everything about God, about holiness, about your own life and what's best for you. God does, and He sends folks in His gospel community to help us for our good and His glory.

Pride is such the evil that in our make-believe world we do not need to be taught or confronted about anything. Our culture says nothing is wrong, so no wisdom is needed and no sin is left to be confronted. Wrongdoing and the lack of wisdom is what other people need.

The follower of Jesus has the humility to realize we lack wisdom and need to be taught God's truth.

3) Remember grace. With new eyes of faith, we see clearly the fierce chaos of life. We must remember that all of life, including our faith in Jesus becoming more and more mature, is in the merciful, sovereign hand of God. Remember His faithfulness when you feel the sorrow and guilt of your faithlessness. Remember His steadfast love when your love is cold and failing.

Dear reader, my prayer is that your heart is pierced by God's Word, not simply for pain, but for the joy of true healing in the good news message of Jesus our Lord. You must be a committed part of the fellowship of a healthy local church, a gospel community. The teaching of God's Word, reminder of His grace and faith to His promises, and yes gently confronting of error and wrongdoing in each others' lives is exactly the kind of negativity you need in your life.

The Church Gathers to be Sent

“I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” –John 17:14

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with evangelist David Burton. I love evangelists! They are gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church. David’s passion and intentional mindset to tell the world of the good news message of Jesus is contagious.

I need to hear what evangelists say to encourage me to do the work of an evangelist (IITimothy 4:5). As a local church pastor, I can easily get swept up into the flow of the river of routine, keeping my mind busy on things internal to the church. I need the constant reminder that we the church, the body of Christ, gather to be sent.

We regularly gather to worship Jesus (Hebrews 10:25), we gather to pray (I Timothy 2:8), gather to encourage one another and build one another up (I Thessalonians 5:11), gather to sing, teach, and be taught God’s Word (Colossians3:16), and gather to display the love of God in us in our love for one another (I John 4:7). Yet, we followers of Jesus gather to be sent into the world, not to be sheltered from the world.

Jesus prays in John 17 that the Father sent Jesus into the world, though He was not of the world. He prays that we, His church which is also not of this world, be sent into the world by the Father the same way. Jesus prays that all of His followers are sent into the world. We who identify with Jesus by denying ourselves, picking up our cross daily, and following Him gather in worship and discipleship to be sent into the world as disciple-makers. We have been rescued from darkness by the Light to take this Light back into the darkness to rescue others.

Having given us God’s Word, we are hated in this world for being born again (John 17:14). This can be discouraging, and we could get swept into the current of our routine, turning discipleship solely into an internal thing in our local church rather than gathering to be sent.

We gather and learn Christ’s teachings together that our joy may be full (John 15:11), and by His rich mercies, sends us with His peace the same way the Father sent our Savior (John 20:21), a peace not of this world that we are not discouraged in heart (John 14:27). We gather to learn the Word that our joy may increase, and we are sent with divine peace. Jesus is with us in our being sent into the world, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Let us remember our mission to make disciples of all people to the glory of God. Let us remember each time we gather to worship that we gather to be sent. Let the nations be glad! Christ our Redeemer has rescued us and He now reigns upon the throne! Jesus saves. Jesus still saves.

Heavenly Father, as our Lord prayed we too pray, that You would not take us out of the world, but send us into the world with the Word that set us apart as lights into the darkness. Give us Your joy, peace, and wisdom as You send us Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.