It's a Treasure

Proverbs 13:7 (New International Version)

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
    another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

That gem of wisdom is part of a larger list Solomon penned in Proverbs 13.  There are other translations of Scripture which can shed a little more understanding on the verse. Here are a couple:

(New Century Version)

Some people pretend to be rich but really have nothing.
    Others pretend to be poor but really are wealthy.

(The Message)

A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;
    a plain and simple life is a full life.

Mr. Jones met Mr. Smith on the street on day. "Why Mr. Smith, I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you and how are things going with your business?"  Mr. Smith was quick to respond. "My business failed and the doors are now closed, but now I am rich!"

Before you jump to the conclusion that Mr. Smith had juggled the books and closed his business while lining his pockets at the expense of others, that wasn't the case. In fact, Mr. Smith told the story of his business failure, reaching rock bottom, and realizing he was completely broke.  He continued to relate how, during his distress he had turned to God and found that his previous experience of having millions in the bank, was an existence of spiritual poverty. 

His life had been pretentious and showy, like the Proverb describes, but now he realizes how empty life could be. When Jesus became the Lord of his life, and he yielded to the call of God, he found the things that bring real value to living. 

It's a hard lesson to learn, but one that is aimed at us all. Jesus himself encourages us in the Sermon on the Mount, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Jesus wants us to know that life's value is not based on the riches with a dollar sign, but the riches we have in knowing we are bound for the promised land. Paul even wrote about these thoughts in 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."  May we seek that life, real life, in which we lay up our treasure in heaven. 

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Churches, Then and Now

Following the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost. People responded to Peter's message and became followers and disciples of Jesus. The majority of the remaining New Testament writings describe the spread of Christianity as messengers like Paul traveled throughout the known world spreading the good news. Paul's letters to churches he worked to establish and nurture, as well as messages to individuals, contain the descriptions and information about the Christian life. The communities of believers were known as the church. Other New Testament writers like Peter, James and John added more to the encouragement for Christians to maintain and share their faith. 

This week I picked up a booklet, written in 1938, in which the leaders of a church were giving their members some areas of importance pertaining to church life, and especially as it led to church growth. I want to share the list with you, especially for us to see if we have the same purpose and intent enriching the lives of church members today, and promoting spiritual growth within the body of Christ. Here is the list, and a brief explanation. 

1.  Personal discipleship to Christ. The most important ingredient to any church is the loyal devotion to Jesus Christ from its members. They are people who have renounced self and chosen to place themselves under the disciplines of Jesus Christ. 

2.  Renewed strength  through prayer, closeness to the Scripture, and association with the church family. The church, the body of Christ, is composed of sinners, forgiven and aware of the strength that comes from the risen Lord who resides inside them. 

3.  Obedience to the Great Commission.  As the love of God has been made real in the life of the Christian, so the love that Christians have for others, leads them to be interested and active in spreading the gospel of salvation to all mankind. 

4.  An anticipation of the coming Lord. After the resurrection of Jesus, as he ascended in the clouds, he promised his return. Christians are encouraged to constantly be ready for Jesus to come again, and even anxious for the eternal life to which he leads us.

Perhaps these as well as other suggestions would be made for the church you attend. I have given you these to show you what seemed to be of greatest importance for a church back in 1938. Those people were struggling in that day. Living lives between two world wars and trying to survive during the great depression caused hardships to everyone. Yet, God's people were encouraged to be strong, to grow individually and collectively, and to be instrumental in spreading the gospel. 

We have struggles, too. Sometimes they are used as excuses to keep us away from the Lord and absent from church. I confess to you, the more I think about the above list from 1938, it contains the same things we need in our lives and churches today. 

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Whose fault is it?

John 9:1-7

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

The number one question asked of ministers and Bible scholars is something similar to this, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?"  Do you have an answer? While there have been answers given to that question by some very intelligent scholars, I hope we can understand there are some of those situations which seem to have no answer. 

For the person who is not close to God or accustomed to his ways, the question is always perplexing. I have known of those whose lives have been centered around alcoholism and drug addiction, and when having to face jail time, try to put the blame for their problems on God. Why did he let this happen to me?

That brings us to one answer for the question at hand. Bad things happen to us because of our own choices and lifestyle which is contrary to that for which we were designed. Many of our troubles which we blame on God, are really our fault. 

In the story above, Jesus and his disciples encountered a man who was born blind. Notice, it was the disciples that questioned Jesus about whose sin had brought about the man's blindness, his or his parents?  The disciples' thinking was a lot like ours. If this man is blind, it must mean that God is getting even with either this man or his parents for some huge sin in their lives.  Jesus set them straight and probably surprised everyone involved when he told them the man isn't blind because of his or his parent's sin.  The real reason he is suffering from blindness is so the works of God could be displayed in him. After saying that, Jesus healed the man. 

I do not have all the answers concerning human suffering, and especially why some families seem to have more suffering than others. I do know this....Whatever bad thing has brought about suffering in your life, caused by sin or any number or reasons, or no detectable reason at all, our hearts must continue to be inclined toward God and his way of dealing with these things.  The joy of suffering in this life is seen in God's willingness to use our suffering to display his love for us, his willingness to make us whole again, and above all, a witness of the good things God can bring about in our broken lives. 

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A self-examination

1 John 2:1-2

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

John is writing with great aspirations. He writes a message to his readers with the hopes that they, in reading his message, will not sin.  Anyone who puts his ideas and thoughts in writing could similarly aspire the same thing,  What a powerful message that would be. 

But even John, in writing under the inspiration of God knew his readers would sin. John knew that because he himself was also a sinner. You are a sinner, I am a sinner, and aren't we glad John kept on writing  and says, "But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the Righteous One."

So here we are, reading the words of one who wants us to never sin again, knowing that we probably will, and happy that we have Jesus as our advocate because He and only He is the Righteous One. We have great aspirations of being exactly what God wants us to be, but then we slip and find our lives the source of disappointment and hurt and negligence and any number of things which God calls sin. 

Allow me to examine this from another angle, this time in the form of asking ourselves, "What does it really mean to me to be a Christian?" That question was asked by conference speaker several years ago, and the answer of the majority was quite interesting. A large number of those responding to the question found some way to give an answer which included the name of the denomination of their home church.  That's like answering, "For me to be a Christian, it means I belong to the Lutheran Church."  Or another might answer, "The Baptists preach and practice the Bible so that's where I hang my hat."  One answer from the conference was even more revealing, " I am fourth generation in the same Methodist church and therein lies my spiritual security."  My purpose is not to take pot shots at any particular church, but to show you there is a tendency for us to place so much confidence in a church name, we become more attached to that name than the name of Jesus! No church is going to be your advocate before the Father when you commit sin. Remember what John says. Jesus is our advocate. He alone is the one that pleads our case before the Father. 

This weekend, today being Friday, then Saturday, and then Sunday, I want to challenge you to ask yourself again, "What does it mean to me to be a Christian?"  Be truthful with yourself and with God in your answers. Regardless of where you are or what you are doing, examine your thoughts, you actions, your words on each day of the weekend, and actually question yourself to see if you are involved in things which would identify you as a Christian.

You might also wish to read a little further in 1 John 2, because there are some powerful words in verse 6 which will help you when you question yourself. "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."  That, my friends, is the only answer we will need as we spend the weekend in self-examination. 

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Some Ran

I have kept a close eye on the news of the past several days, especially the events happening in Boston during the marathon. Every time I see the videos on the news, I try to focus on a different individual, wondering about their survival and current condition, and my wondering also leads me to a desire to hear their story and the effect on their lives which the terrorist bombing has played. 

In the video accounts it seems like everyone is running. Of course there are those running in the race, but there were others running as well. It brought back memories of people running in the streets on September 11, 2001 in New York City. 

When such an attack occurs, the natural instinct is to run!  Run to a safer place, away from the turmoil and danger. In the Boston bombing this week, you could see that fear on the faces of those running away from the explosions. Some were not only trying to protect themselves, but their families. They were in small groups huddled together, making their way quickly out of the target area. 

There were others running in those videos, too. These were not running away from the danger, but were actually running toward it.  Some wore the uniform of law enforcement, some were firemen and paramedics, all running to see if they could help.  Then there were those not as easily detectable, running toward the danger, not wearing any specific uniform, but street clothes. They are the people I salute today. The common civilian with enough bravery inside, and concern for others motivating him to go see if he can do anything to help someone in trouble. 

All that running.....each one motivated by something associated with the disaster of which they were instantly made a part. There are things that do motivate us, sometimes to the point of urgency and we cannot rest until we accomplish that which we are motivated to do. 

It makes me remember a story from the gospels about a young man who demanded his share of the inheritance from his father, while the father was still alive. The young man took the money and wasted it in what the Bible calls "wild living." When his lack of morals had taken their toll, he was penniless, feeding hogs, and even having to eat hog food.  He decided to return to his father and beg his way back into the family. The father saw him coming a long way off. And the father RAN to meet his son, preparing a feast to celebrate his return.  I am glad that Bible story tells me of the Heavenly Father who runs to welcome me into the family, even when I don't deserve such a blessing. 

It was the writer of Hebrews who said, "let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."  That is talking about your Christian life and mine. We have some running to do. Will you run next door with a plate of cookies, to welcome your new neighbor and invite them to church?  Will you run to that coworker's home, the one who lost his son in an accident, to be a shoulder for him to lean on?  Will you run to the nursing home and be an encouragement to a lonely older person?  Will you run to a baseball practice to be present for your kids?  I repeat, we have some running to do.

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