A Life of Obedience

I have been reading some classic works by Andrew Murray lately that have been very edifying. Let me share a thought from his little book on Obedience with you.

The beginning of the Bible has the account of Adam and Eve. Here are the elements: a paradise, a tree, and a command to obey. Man chose to disobey and the effects of sin entered the world. Paradise was lost.

Much of the rest of the story of redemption is how paradise is regained. Revelation tells us that paradise contains a tree - the tree of life.

Listen to what Murray writes, "From beginning to end, from Paradise lost to Paradise regained, the law is unchanged: it is obedience that gives access to the tree of life and the favor of God. How was the change effected? The Cross of Christ. From disobedience at the beginning that closed the way to the tree of life, to obedience at the end that gained entrance to it again, that which stands midway between the beginning and the end is the Cross of Christ. Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

What is the command that we are to obey to regain the favor of God? Repent and believe. Mark 1:15 records the words of Jesus' first sermon, "Repent and believe the gospel." Acts 17:30 says, "But now God commands all people everywhere to repent." It is only when you obey the call of Christ to repent and believe, truly believe, that His blood atones for your sin and Paradise is regained.

A Variety of Outreach

One to one witnessing, handing out tracts, passing out invitations to church, prayer walking, putting fliers on doors, door to door surveys, block parties, VBS...
The list goes on of ways outreach can be done. Sure, some are better than others. Some are more effective, some are less efficient. Some are more direct than others. But, one thing is sure, something is almost always better than nothing. Nothing is the worst form of outreach. Nothing is a terrible way to share the gospel. Doing nothing when God says do something, is a sin.
We should care enough about what God says, what God commands, and about the lost world around us to get out there and do something.
Make an effort this week to reach out.

I - Nothing

One of my favorite chapters of the Bible is John 15.

The last several weeks I have been working my way through this chapter and a little book by Andrew Murray called "The True Vine". I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

John 15:5 says, "I am the Vine, you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Here are some provoking thoughts on these verse.

- I can do nothing. As much as I can raise a man from the dead, can I give myself divine life (A. Murray paraphrase)

- Knowing the truth, that I can do nothing apart from Jesus, results in dependence. It means that my only option is to fully depend on Jesus for everything.

- This does not lead to apathy and resignation. I don't just sit on the couch and do nothing. No. Abiding leads to a fruitful life. A fruitful life is a life lived, a life of action. But the action, the life are lived by the power of the indwelling Spirit who works in and through the one who is abiding in Jesus.

- Abide in Jesus = much fruit
- Apart from Jesus = nothing

At the end A. Murray writes this prayer, "Lord, I gladly accept the arrangement. I-nothing, You-all. My nothingness is my highest blessing, because You are the Vine, that gives and works all. So be it Lord! I nothing, ever waiting on Your Fullness. Lord, reveal to me the glory of this blessed life."

Easter T.V.

(This is a timely repost)

It's getting to be that time of year. As Easter approaches many people try and capitalize on the interest in the holiday. One thing that annoys me is how the media portrays Easter as some controversy about Jesus. Pay attention to some of the major t.v. stations and even some major magazine publications (like Time) in the next several weeks. You will see many shows about Jesus, the Resurrection, or something to do with religion. Most of these shows are more like the "Da Vinci Code" than real journalism.

I have already seen a couple of show titles like "The Real Jesus", "The Fake Jesus" trying to get an audience. I haven't seen all of these shows, but am pretty sure I know what the gist will be. Jesus isn't what the Bible really says He is.

I have seen a few of these done by 20/20 and 60 minutes type t.v. shows in the past. They always have experts on these shows. What is almost humorous is that these so called "experts" are rarely mainstream experts. They almost always represent some fringe element on the liberal side of theological academia. Why? They are more sensational. The more sensational and far fetched the ideas, the better chance of gaining an audience.

The truth of the matter is this: the most reliable and historically credible information about Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, is the Biblical record. So, before you take some phony "experts" da vinci like conspiracy rubbish about Jesus, go to the real source and see what it has to say.

Mardi Gras and Alcohol

O.k. I am about to open a can of worms and see where it leads.

The subject of alcohol is a hot topic and is like wading into a minefield. Let me proceed cautiously.

First of all, I don't drink alcohol. The last time alcohol entered my system must have been through some cough medicine, maybe. I'll explain why in a bit.

Honestly, I just don't get it! What is so appealing about alcohol.

On my flight to Mardi Gras there was a group of women sitting behind me on the plane. They were on their way to party at Mardi Gras. They were giddy with excitement and chatted together the entire flight. They major topic of discussion and laughs was about all the alcohol they were going to consume. They were absolutely bursting with anticipation about alcohol.

Is it really all that? Maybe it is, and I just don't know. That is not what my eyes witnessed with the thousands of people intoxicated at Mardi Gras. They looked miserable to me.

Alcohol at Mardi Gras is like sand on a beach. It is everywhere, comes in every type imaginable, and can be consumed through many odd different contraptions.

At about 11:45 I saw this one guy stumbling towards me. Around his neck was a plastic looking fishbowl. Inside this rather large fishbowl was some type of pink alcoholic concoction. It had a lanyard around it so that the fishbowl hung at the the guys chest. It had a large straw that reached up to the mouth so they guy could drink from the fishbowl hands free. Human ingenuity is so amazing!

He was blitzed and drunk. He started talking to us, and I think he might have been speaking in tongues. He made no sense, his words were not just slurred, they were barely recognizable. There is no way this guy is going to remember what he did the next day. He probably got sick, killed many brain cells, was in serious danger of alcohol poisoning, and could have been easily taken advantage of. That does not sound like fun to me.

I bet he woke up with a hangover, sobered up, and then laughed with his buddies about how much fun he had, even though he couldn't remember any of it. That is either ridiculous, or I am missing something.

Why do people love alcohol so much? Why does our society worship at the alcohol altar? Seriously, alcohol is a god. It is an idol that people worship.

I'd be willing to compare my sober fun to anyone's alcohol fun. I have had more fun with Christ followers, even doing ministry, that I think far surpasses the "fun" people were having at Mardi Gras. I know that following Christ is not about having fun, but it does have moments that are incredibly fun. I don't just mean humorous, I mean that I have been hysterical with laughter and having an absolute blast. And the best part, I remember all of it.

I don't need alcohol, I have the joy of Christ.
I don't need alcohol to unwind from a tough day, I have the peace of Christ.
I don't need alcohol to liven things up, I have abundant life in Christ.
I don't need alcohol to quench my thirst, I'll just drink water.

It's just not necessary!

Need Antibiotics

Just a blog fyi,
My computer is in bed sick with a terrible cold - I have a virus. My computer is in the shop hopefully getting repaired.

It's amazing how attached we can become to technology. It has been weird navigating through life without my laptop - amazingly I am still alive and making it!

By the way, these jokers that create these viruses need to be caught and have needles slowly inserted underneath their finger nails.

I do have some more blogs coming, so stay tuned.