The Lovely Bride

You probably are acutely aware of all the pink and red decorating many of our stores. Yes, Valentine's Day is upon us yet again. I have been thinking a lot about what it represents, and what we can learn. It occurred to me that many of us preachers will preach timely messages on Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, and even Christmas. Yet, when it come to Valentine's Day, we usually pass that one over. I had to ask myself the question, "why?"

I can't speak for others, but I think the answer for myself is that this seems too worldly to merit preaching a message related to it. But is God completely silent on the themes this day brings to us? You can't avoid it. The commercials, the decorations in the stores, the parties in school, the gifts at the office, and many other things confront us whether we like it or not.

We are talking about romantic love. Why do we Christians avoid that topic so much at church and in religious settings? Is it completely worldly? Is it ungodly? Does the Bible condemn it? Maybe the Bible ignores it? I think what we will find it that it is far from worldly. In fact, it is a reflection of our God. God is love. When I say love, I am not talking about the little miniature fat guy that goes around shooting people with arrows. That is almost too cute for my taste. In fact, it can make romantic love seem almost silly or frivolous. What I am talking about is the special love a man and a woman have for each other. The love a man and woman have for each other is part of God's design from the very beginning when he saw that it was not good for man to be alone.

If you have never read the Song of Solomon, which is really titled the "Song of Songs" in the first chapter, which means "The Best of Songs," then you are missing out on the best love poetry ever written. The whole book is a love poem between a betrothed couple, who later appear to have gotten married. It is romantic, sensual and is part of the word of God. The couple refers to each other as the "one whom my soul loves." It speaks of being faint with love. It describes the admiration for and the delight they have in each other. In poetically describes the precious beauty that they see in each other. Some people have had a real problem with taking this book literally, as if romantic love poetry is not worthy of scripture. As a result, they interpret it as an allegory of God's love for his bride Israel or as an allegory of Christ's love for the church. But that doesn't eliminate the fact that it is still romantic love poetry. If it were merely figurative of God's love for us, the conclusion is still the same. Romantic love is not worldly but comes from God. In fact, if it were figurative, then the case is even stronger that romantic love is godly, good, and beautiful. It is a reflection of the love that God has for us. Imagine that! God describing is love for his people in romantic love poetry! However, I think we should take it as what it is. It is simply beautiful and romantic love poetry.

Romantic love does not originate from the world. It comes from the God of love. In fact, all throughout the Bible, God presents himself as the greatest lover of all. God fondly recalls the early days of his marriage to his bride, Israel. Look at this scripture:

"Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine," declares the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD" (Ezek 16:8-14).

God loves his bride passionately. He showered all of the symbols of his love on her. Nothing was too good for her. God is the lover of lovers. When God loves, he loves passionately, and with passionate love can come intense anger, fury, and pain when the one whom your soul loves is unfaithful to you. Notice what happens next in this passage:

"But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing. You took some of your clothes, made for yourself high places of various colors and played the harlot on them, which should never come about nor happen. You also took your beautiful jewels {made} of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images that you might play the harlot with them..." (Ezek 16:15-17).

And God continues for many more verses describing how his bride was unfaithful to him using the very jewels, clothes, and other things God gave to her. It was as if his bride had committed adultery in their own bed! After going into more details about how he beloved was unfaithful to him, he concludes:

"Thus I will judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy. I will also give you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take away your jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. They will incite a crowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. They will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will stop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay your lovers" (Ezek 16:38-41).

Do you think God is angry? Of course! Wouldn't you be angry and hurt if the one your soul loves cheated on you? In fact, many of us would divorce our spouse in a heartbeat. But God does no such thing. In his passionate, relentless, undying love, God does not close the book on his beloved bride. His love never dies. Notice:

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her (or "woo" her), Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. It will come about in that day," declares the LORD, "That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali" (Hos 2:14-16).

Maybe some of the flavor of this is lost in translation. God woos his bride back to him after a period of anger and wrath. He puts a song in her heart again. In that day, she will no longer call him "Ba-ali," which translated means "my Lord." No longer will God be "my Lord," but "Ishi," which means "my husband." Do you see the kind of love that God has for his bride?

In fact, one of the final pictures we have in scripture of the consummation of God's plan is that of a marriage feast. In Revelation 19:7-9, God uses the image of a wedding to describe the time when his heart's desire will be fulfilled. We, God's people, are the bride, and he is eagerly anticipating that wedding day when we will be together forever.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are true words of God'" (Rev 19:7-9).

In the next scene is the arrival of the groom. But it is unlike anything you have ever seen. Notice:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev 19:11-16).

The groom comes riding in on a white horse. His robe is dipped in blood, his own blood. Jesus died and was willing to go to Hades and back for his bride. Even though she has been unfaithful, he will come riding in, swoop her up on his steed and ride off into Heaven with her arms around his waist. Yes, Jesus loves his bride with an undying love.

You know, love does strange things. It makes people look past the warts and the rough edges. Sometimes people will say, "I just don't understand what he sees in her!" Maybe she is a "Plain Jane" with several flaws. Maybe she is overweight. Maybe her hair is stringy. Maybe her clothes are out of style. Maybe she is mismatched. Maybe her nose is too big. Maybe she is nothing to look at. Maybe she is a mess. But to her man she is the most beautiful thing in the world. Love causes him to look past those things to see who she really is.

Isn't that what God does? He looks past all of our rough edges, all of our filth, all of the ugliness in us. He sees what we can truly become. They say that "true love is blind." I disagree with this. Oh, I know that there can be the star struck person who is no longer capable of thinking with good judgment, but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about true love. True love is not unaware of the flaws, the warts, and the dirt. Instead, true love looks beyond these things. Listen carefully to this passage:

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also {does} the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church" (Eph 5:25-32).

You see, our Savior's love for us was anything but blind. Jesus was acutely aware of the blemishes in us. He didn't turn away. He dealt with it. Why? Because of his unfailing love for us. He looked past those things to see how precious you are. You, who have been created in the image of God, are the crown of God's creation. You are his jewel and his joy. You were created as a thing of beauty and glory. Sin corrupted it, but he looked past the corruption to see you. He sanctified and cleansed you by the washing of water with the word. He purified you with his own blood. Now, you have no spot, or wrinkle, or any other such thing. He gave you a spiritual makeover.

If someone says, "I just don't understand what he sees in her," then consider what we have just looked at in this reflection. What he sees is the beauty of God in her. There is no greater beauty that this. In fact, there is no beauty other than this. The love that God has for us is the model for the love that a husband and a wife have for each other.

All of this is simply to point out that romantic love does not come from Hallmark. It does not belong to Hollywood or anything else of the world. In fact, the world usually twists and distorts the beauty of true romantic love. Romantic love comes ultimately from the God of love. We need to discard the attitude that romantic love is something worldly and not worthy of scripture.

Christians are not frigid prudes that do not know what love is. Christians are passionate people full of life that comes from the giver of life. Remember this, the next time your anniversary comes up, or the next time your beloved's birthday comes, or just when you are on your way home. We serve a God full of passionate love, and nothing is godlier when you display the same passionate love of God toward the one whom your soul loves.

We will conclude with a story that appeared in the newspapers a few years ago.

Early in 2005, John Phipps got called to work early. He boarded a train to work and went to sleep. He was jerked awake and saw smashed bits of train all over the place and a mist falling on his face. It dawned in him that he had just been in a bad train wreck. He touched the back of his head and found it bloodied. He was also bleeding below the waist. He called out for help, but no one was there. He reached out and felt a chair and saw his bloody handprint he left behind. The realization hit him: he was going to die. Without thinking, he scrawled a message on the back of that chair with his own blood. It read, "I (heart) Leslie." There was more room, so he wrote, "I (heart) my kids."

When rescuers arrived, they saw the message. Fire Captain Robert Rosario said, "I have seen some gruesome things on this job, but that moved me." Phipps was rescued and taken to the hospital. Leslie Phipps said she does not remember how she first learned about the message, but a nurse gave the family a photo that appeared in the paper. "Hallmark is never going to top this," she said. "It's moving, it's thoughtful and it's chilling all at the same time."

A dying man writing a message of love with blood is a moving one. But there is another moving love story written in blood. Jesus expressed his love for a lost world in blood. You see, due to sin, we were separated from God. But God didn't close the book on you. Jesus came and died on a cross to take away that sin, and rose from the grave to take away the power of death (2 Cor 5:15; 1 Thess 4:14). Imagine, Jesus, the creator and sustainer of the world (Col 1:15-17), became a man, became flesh like us (Jn 1:1-3; 1:14; Heb 2:14). He was able to bleed. He died a painful, humiliating death on a cross as a common criminal. His blood drained from his body. His very life left his body. He died for our sins (1 Cor 15:1-4). Sins are what has come between us and God (Isa 59:2). Sin has affected all of us. None of us are without sin (Rom 3:23). Because of sin, all of us were separated from God and at the mercy of death (James 1:15). But Jesus defeated sin by dying for our sins on the cross (1 Pet 2:24). He defeated death by raising from the grave (Rom 6:9; 1 Cor 15:20-23).

Now, the only thing that can stand between you and God is you. God wants you to believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess your faith in Jesus as your risen Lord (Rom 10:9). He wants you to turn your life around serve him and no one else. He wants you to be godly in all things, to change. The Bible calls this reprentance (2 Pet 3:9; Rom 2:4-5; Luke 13:3). He wants you to be baptized (Acts 2:38). Notice this passage:

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;for he who has died is freed from sin" (Rom 6:3-7).

According to this, when you are baptized, you are baptized into his death, you are buried with him, and raised to walk in a new life. His death is where he shed his blood and died. When we are baptized into his death, his death becomes our own death. His blood becomes ours and it washes away our sins. According to what the passage says, that body of sin is done away with. That sin that separates you from God is destroyed. You are freed from it.

If you have not done these things, you are still separated from God and are lost. If the Lord were to come right now, or if you were to die to today, you would not go to be with the Lord but be in complete misery in Hell. God doesn't want that for you. So, if you need to do any of these things, then don't wait.

The Emperor Has No Clothes: The Truth About the Gospel

About this time last week I was absolutely exhausted, but it a great sort of way. There is nothing more precious that being able to share the Gospel with someone and to witness how God works on their hearts, bringing them into his grace and into the family of God. There is no greater joy than to share in the joy of a new birth into Christ. There is no greater satisfaction than to welcome a new brother and sister into the family of God. Is it possible to be exhausted and energized at the same time? Last week proved that it is.

I would like to share some insights I have from the campaign. It was wonderful to see more and more younger cadre involved than in the past, especially teenagers.

You know, it has been said that human nature is a web of contradictions. This is so true. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that "The heart is more deceitful that all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" This seems to suggest that we can deceive ourselves into accepting blatant contradictions and yet feel okay about it. We have the capacity to feel secure, at peace, and all right even when it is clearly evident that everything is not all right.

Why can't you follow your heart? Why can't you trust it? The reason is that it has been corrupted by sin. According to this verse, you cannot trust your heart. It can deceive you.

Prov 3:5-8 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones."

Prov 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

We need to evaluate our heart according to the word of God. We need to be honest with ourselves about ourselves. In thinking about this, I am reminded of the story of the Emperor's New Clothes.

Most of us have heard the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes. The arrogant Emperor wanted the finest clothes possible and hired some renowned fashion designers to work on his new clothes. But these designers were con-men. They didn't know anything about making clothes, but they knew something about getting people to part with their money.

They pretended to get to work. Time began to drag on and the emperor became impatient. He demanded to see what they had done so far. Before showing the emperor what they had so far, they assured him that only the truly noble, wise, and best of people could see and appreciate the fine clothes.

When the king looked at the material on the loom, he saw nothing. When the con-men held up the "clothes," he saw only air. But, everyone else was saying how beautiful and elegant the clothes looked. Even the king's counselors agreed they clothes were fantastic because they did not want to look unwise. The king did not want to appear unwise either, so he entered into the self-deception. This process of deceit continued until the money was in the pocket of the so-called tailors and the king was marching down the street with great pomp and nothing else.

Finally, someone blew the whistle. A little boy said, “The Emperor has no clothes!” At this moment, when the truth was spoken, everyone knew what was happening. The veil was lifted. The kingdom-wide denial and deceit was replaced with clarity and truth. The Emperor indeed was buck-naked.

This story illustrates how even a group of people can buy into deceit. In fact, there is a lie that has been sold to Christians all over the world. It has been repeated by many people who seem to know what they are talking about so that many subjects of the kingdom are afraid to say, "The Emperor has no Clothes!"

What is this message, this lie, this deceit that so many followers of Jesus hear and accept?

Here it is: “Christians are too forceful and blunt with their faith and we need to settle down, back off, and be more subtle.”

Tell me you haven't heard that message preached with passion! Over and over we hear this message from speakers, articles, teachers, and many others. According to this message, Christians are scaring people off with our bold and pushy evangelism methods. Therefore, we need to cool off, back off, and settle down. We are offending people who would otherwise accept Jesus. If we would back off, then people would start coming to Christ again.

I want to tell you that this is a lie. I don't think most of those who have bought into this lie and has passed in on has done so maliciously. I myself used to be one of those people. I used to read articles and hear speakers talk about all of the damage done by Bible-thumpers. A few years ago, I saw a Nooma video that portrayed a guy on a busy city street with a bull horn blasting a Christian message into the faces of pedestrians and driving them away. The message of this video seemed to be that there is a huge problem of Christians driving people away by blasting them with the message and scaring them away. I said to myself, "Boy, I sure don't want to be like that guy, so I'd better back off and quiet down. I don't want to offend anyone."

But you know what? That bullhorn guy is nothing more than a caricature. He is a myth. This does not characterize the typical disciple of Christ. That guy is a rare exception. The typical Christian is NOT like that guy. The typical Christian is not overzealous, loud, invasive, and offensive with the message. The typical Christian is usually just the opposite. So, the message that the typical Christian needs is not that they need to back off.

What I have found is that being overzealous and too forceful with the Gospel is not a problem in ANY congregation that I have been at. The majority of those I have met do not believe their church members are too forceful and driving people away and need to back off. In fact, most believe that they need to have more passion, boldness and commitment to evangelism, not the other way around.

So, here is what I am saying - "The Emperor has no clothes!"

The message that "Christians are too bold and need to back off because we are driving people away" is a lie! The last couple of weeks in Mesa Arizona, I once again witnessed Christians who were both bold and compassionate in taking the Gospel to those who needed to hear it.

Let me tell you some of my personal stories and observations.

The day after we arrived in Mesa, I knocked on the door of a Hispanic family. They had come on hard times and were in need of some food, which we provided. They invited us in and we got to get acquainted. I indicated that we were also concerned about their spiritual needs and asked them how they and the Lord were doing, and if they knew for sure without a doubt they would go to Heaven if the Lord were to come right then. They said they had hoped so. We were there for about another hour, showing them how they could know for sure through the scriptures. Just as we were about to get started, their son in law, Troy, walked in. He sat down in the corner, and I asked him if he would like to follow along too. He didn't seem real interested, but went ahead and took a Bible and followed along. The Father spoke very little English, and left about part way through the study. When we got to the end, the mother said she just wasn't ready yet. Troy looked over at us, his eyes were wide open and this point. He said, "I am ready." I asked, "Ready for what? To obey the Gospel?" He nodded vigorously. That was the first one to obey the Gospel after the campaign had gotten started. There had already been one before the campaign officially got started. Troy was there every time we had a meeting or a meal. He said, "This is my family, this is where I belong."

Then there was Rich. He had walked in on Wednesday evening. Us Cadre had all assumed that he was a member there. The members probably assumed he was Cadre. We were doing training that night and had split up into groups for it. We were going through the approach and the study itself. It became evident that he was not a Christian because he had not obeyed the Gospel. He had just moved to the area and had attended some other churches. He had been reading his Bible and had wanted to be baptized, but he could not find any ministers who would baptize him. He knew he needed to do it, but he did not know why. It wasn't until going through this "training" that he finally understood why. Afterward, he also obeyed the Gospel.

Then there was a young woman named Ashley whom we met the last day we were there. After knocking on her door, we learned that her hours had been cut at work and she was really hurting financially. We gave her a food box and she got excited because it had bathroom tissues in it. She said that she was just about out. She told us that we had made her day. We were not able to study with her because she was in the process of getting ready for work. She asked if we could come back on Monday. I told her that I would be leaving the following morning, but that the other two team members, one of which was a member there, would be back.

That afternoon we met a young man named Andrew. He had a very rough life. He was impressed that we took the time to bring help and to listen to him and pray for him. We were not able to get to the study because he had to go get his wife and they had errands to run. He wanted us to come back tomorrow. I told him I would be leaving, and before I could explain that the other team members could come, he was already begging us to send someone else.

I did not see anyone with a bull horn driving people away. I didn't see anyone get offended that we came to their door. More often than not, we were greeted in a positive way, even by those who were not interested in talking to us.

As I reflect on all that happened on this campaign, I realized that this one was a little different. Not as many were obeying the Gospel…at first. Several who obeyed were the results of following up with them after we had the initial study with them. Many were cautious. It wasn't until we found out a little more about the area that we understood why. That area is repeatedly bombarded by cults. We were in the heart of Mormon country. There was a temple, and the place was saturated with Mormon missionaries who were out in force constantly. This, in addition to heavy activity by Jehovah's Witnesses made people cautious. However, this did not mean that they were not open to the truth. After a week, only ten had obeyed the Gospel. Then in one day, there were four. The following day there were five. There were seventeen who had obeyed the Gospel on Friday night, the last full day of the campaign. By the time the campaign was fully over, 26 people had obeyed the Gospel. The last couple days, many of us focused on going back to those whom we had studies with, especially those who were uneasy, fidgeting, or as one lady put it, "this is sending chills all over my body." It was obvious that God was working on their hearts, so we followed up on them, and many responded after a repeat visit.

Was this bold? Of course it was! Did it drive people away? Not in the least. In fact, my Dad was involved in a study that demonstrates that sharing the Gospel with boldness and compassion does not drive people away.

A young couple came to the Revival one evening, Alex and Joni. They said that some stranger had come into the beauty supply where she worked. The lady invited them to come, so they did. One of the members invited them to come and sit with them. Everyone was friendly to this couple and several visited with them awhile after it was over. They were headed for the door, and my Dad wondered if anyone had asked them the question. So he got to them while they were still in the auditorium and asked them the question. This led to a study in the church library there. Dad grabbed a couple from the church to join them in the study. After about an hour, most of the people were gone. I was in the auditorium visiting with some other folks, when they all came in the auditorium and Dad announced that they were going to obey the Gospel. Someone went out to the RV's in the parking lot, and some of the Cadre came back into the building. Dad baptized Alex, then Alex baptized his wife. Dad told me later that it looked like no one had asked them the question, and he didn't want them to leave without having been asked the question. They might have never come back! They are now our brother and sister and are a part of the family. They were so excited, and they said that had no idea when they showed up that all these good things would happen.

Was it forward for Dad to ask them the question? Yes it was. Was it bold? Certainly. Did it drive them away? No. In fact it was because he asked the question that Dad was able to share the Gospel with them.

These stories demonstrate that what we have been hearing is a lie! I have decided no longer to believe nor promote this lie. I have decided to say, "The Emperor has no clothes!"

Let me ask you, when you hear these real life stories, doesn't that excite you? It occurs to me that it excites those in my home congregation not only because of what God is doing, but because they have participated in an indirect way. I was doing the work of an evangelist, but my financial support was coming from my home congregation. Because of this, their presence was felt in Mesa. There were several preachers in the cadre just like myself. So, there were a lot of people who had a part in this effort. Our brothers and sisters in Mesa were so grateful that so many brethren came from all over the country to help them. Not all of them came in RVs, and not all were retired. Several came from West Virginia, and one college aged girl came from Queens. There were also a group that came from California. So people came from all over. I was thrilled to see what God could do even in the heart of Mormon country.

What was the purpose of this message? To encourage you in two ways.

1. Don't be afraid to say that the emperor has no clothes. The bull horn guy is for the most part a myth. I am sure there are probably a couple out there somewhere. But for every one bull horn guy, there are probably a few thousand Christians who are way too timid with the Gospel. The next time someone says we need to back off and settle down, politely tell them that the emperor has no clothes.

Rom 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." The power is not in being good yet timid and quiet about the Gospel so that people are "attracted" to our goodness and will eventually figure out that they need to obey the Gospel. The power is not in a finely crafted worship service that will attract outsiders. In fact, if people are looking for a good show, they are not going to go to church to find it. The power is not in having a nice yard or an impressive looking church building. The power is not even in having a dynamic preacher in the pulpit every week. The power of salvation is in the Gospel. 1 Cor 15:1-4 reminds us of what this Gospel, what this "good news" is. Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose from the third day. Why is this good news? It is because sin has separated us from God. Isaiah 59:2 says that our iniquities have separated us from God and our sins have hidden his face from us so that he will not hear. Therefore we need a mediator to bring us and God together. 1 Tim 2:5 says there is one God and one mediator between men and God, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus became a mediator by becoming a man and dying for our sins. He rose from the grave and through his resurrection, we also can have life and immortality. He defeated sin at the cross and defeated death when he rose from the grave. He is coming back and will bring us into his eternal kingdom, into Heaven, and into the very presence of God himself. This is the Gospel! This is the good news! This is the power of salvation to everyone who believes.

With the Gospel comes a call to action. If this is what our Lord did, what is it that we are to do? 2 Thessalonians 1:8 indicates that we are to obey the Gospel. Remember that the Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We are also to "die with him, be buried with him, and to be raised with him."

Rom 6:3-8 says, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him"

When we are baptized, we die with him we are buried with him, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life. Our old self with all its sin is crucified with him and that body of sin is done away with. Remember that it was sin that separated us from God. We die with him, and we are freed from sin. We are raised him, therefore we will live with him. This is how we obey the Gospel. This is when Jesus washes away our sins.

2. The second reason I brought you this message is to encourage us to share the Gospel in the manner of Christ and in the manner of his Apostles. They preached it with confidence and compassion. If you don't preach it with confidence, you may wind up leaving part of it out, or watering it down to keep from possible offending people. Don't buy into the lie that says Christians needs to back off. We need to preach it with confidence, and compassion. If you don't preach it with compassion, then part of the message is missing. The Gospel is by nature a compassionate message. This is why ministries of compassion accompanied the Gospel of the kingdom in the ministry of Christ. This is why early Christians were hospitable, taking care of not only of their own poor in the household of faith, but others as well. This is why they demonstrated the love of God even to the least of these. Ministries of compassion must always be hand in hand with the preaching of the Gospel. You notice this even in the ministry of Christ. He fed their bellies with bread, then he fed their souls with the bread of life. It is God's plan that the church preaches the Gospel with confidence and compassion.

This is why compassion, benevolence, and hospitality are integral parts of kingdom activity. Not that we are trying to solve the world's problems, because only God can and will do that. Rather it is demonstrating the very character of God who is gracious and compassionate and is the very definition of love. This is why we were giving away food, clothing, and in many cases just listening to people, praying for them, and making a friend.

Matthew 9:35-38 says this, "Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He *said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.' "

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. What I have been seeing is that the harvest is still plentiful. In spite of the fact that this country has become more secular, more pagan, more antagonistic toward Christianity, more embracing of eastern religions, the harvest is STILL plentiful. People are hungry for God and are hungry for his spiritual truth, yet many of them are not sure where to look. This is where the church comes in. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are God's ambassadors. We are the pillar and support of truth. We are God's spiritual house sent to proclaim the excellencies of God. We are the kingdom of God placed alongside the kingdom of this world.

We have what the world needs. The world needs the Gospel. It is the power of salvation. When one obeys the Gospel, he receives the Holy Spirit, the helper that transforms him into the image of Christ. A lot of people talk about the need for things to change in this country. There can be no real and lasting change without the power of God through the Gospel.

What about you? How are you and the Lord doing? Do you know for sure and without a doubt that if the Lord were to come right now, you would go to Heaven to be with him? However you answer that question, whether it is yes, no, or I am not sure, do not rely on the feeling of your heart. 1 John 5:13 says we can know that we have eternal life through what has been written. It is not by your feelings. If your answer is "yes," and the reason is because you know in your heart, then we need to talk. If you answer is no I would not go to Heaven, then we need to talk. If you answer is "I am not sure," then we need to talk. I can show you what has been written, what God has done, and what God wants you to do.

If you have already obeyed the Gospel, then you are a Christian whose sins have been washed away. Part of your mission is to share the Gospel with confidence and compassion. If someone tells you that you are overconfident, that you need to settle down and back off, that you just need only to "attract" people to Christ and wait for them to come to you, then it is time to politely say, "The emperor has no clothes."

Outside of the Box?

In a conversation, someone posed an interesting and much needed question to me. "Is it wise to think outside of the box?" There are many, including myself, who have used this phrase. Wisdom would seem to dictate that this, like many other things, should have a caveat to it. Many things pressed to the extreme can be self-defeating and have just the opposite effect we desire. As I reflect on this question, I am not thinking of things such as science, medicine, and technology. We all can readily see the great progress and improvements we have had in these areas due to "outside the box" thinking. Of course, there are some serious caveats, such as the issues associated with cloning, abortion, and other things that "outside the box" thinking has brought. There still has to be some sort of limitation when you go outside the box, especially in the area of ethics. But this is not what I am thinking about.

I am thinking about our faith in God as we live it out in our daily life. Is it wise to "think outside the box" as it relates to my faith? As I reflect on this, I need to back up and ask myself the question, "What does this phrase mean?" The idea of a "box" suggests limitation. Limitation is not inherently a bad thing. God placed bounds on the sea so that it would not inundate the dry land. This is a limitation that is a blessing to us land-lovers. God also set a boundary between night and day. Without this limitation, our world would either freeze to death or burn up. God gave the Torah to his people, which also had limitations. It would be similar to putting a fence around the yard to keep the children from wandering out into traffic. Keeping the Torah was a limitation that God gave for the good of his people. God has limited even our life span. In the beginning, it appears that humans lived nearly a thousand years. During that time, the world became very wicked, and God was grieved about what had happened to man. Imagine the amount of knowledge, wisdom, and technical expertise you could amass if you could live that long! Since sin had corrupted mankind, imagine the amount of godless pride you could also amass as well! God decided to limit man's years. Though the text does not say whether this was a punishment or gift, this limitation can be seen as a blessing by limiting the amount of pride we could amass in a lifetime. So, a box is not inherently a bad thing.

On the other had, a box is not inherently a good thing either. If the box means falling short of God's will, it is actually a bad thing. Those who think outside of the box cast off whatever falls short of God's will. Some examples include people like Hezekiah who did not accept the status quo and enacted reforms in order to be more faithful to Yahweh. He broke down the high places, which had been around for so long, the people accepted them as a part of life. He also destroyed the bronze serpent that God had instructed Moses to build because Israel began to venerate it and burn incense to it. Then there was Josiah, who also enacted reforms that not only included destroying the high places, but also destroyed the first shrine that Jereboam ben Nebat had built at the beginning of his reign 300 years earlier. He even went so far as disinterring the graves associated with the high places and burning the bones on their altars in order to defile them. This was definitely "outside of the box." For the Jews, especially the Pharisees, Jesus himself was way outside of the box. His actions on the Sabbath, his revolutionary teachings about the nature of greatness, mercy, and justice were all outside of the box. The inclusion of the Gentiles into the Kingdom was way outside the box for many Jews, including Peter the Apostle. He had a lot of trouble with accepting this to be the new norm. Throughout history, there have been others who have went outside the box, such as John Wycliff, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, John Wesley, Alexander Campbell and Pardee Butler. Going outside of the box resulted in death threats for people like these. One translated the Bible into a language all people would be able to read and not just those with advanced degrees and training. Another was very innovative and used the printing press to distribute scriptures to the common man. One was a professor of theology that dared to question the doctrines, practices, and beliefs of the church. Another taught that as God's people, we are not of the world; therefore there is no such thing as a "state church." God's people are citizens of Heaven. One decided to preach the Gospel outside in the open air to the lowliest classes of people who did not attend a Cathedral, and then enrolled them in classes dealing with holy living after their conversion. Before this, preaching was confined to the cathedral to those acceptable classes of people who attended. Another taught that we should discard all creeds because they tend to be divisive, and that our only authority should be the word of God, and that all who claim to be Christians should unite rather than divide into various sects. Then there were those who made moves to abolish slavery, speaking out against those brethren who waffled on the issue and those who supported slavery. Many brethren not only accepted, but actively promoted slavery. For many Americans, including Christians, the rejecting of slavery was most definitely outside of the box. These ideas were revolutionary. They were outside the box. So, a box is not inherently a good thing either.

So, what of the question? Is it wise to think outside the box? I suppose it depends on what you mean by the "box." By itself, this is a nebulous question.

As I reflect further, it occurs to me that we all have a "box." It is our way of understanding the nature of our world, our humanity, and the nature of the God who created it. It consists of what we think is right, good, and proper. Fifteen hundred years ago, the "box" included the belief in "Christian" monarchies, and that the government and God's kingdom were one and the same. Since the time of the reformation, especially the Anabaptists, that has changed. This is one example of something in the box that did not belong there.

I remember putting together some toolboxes at one of my jobs. Everyone's toolbox had to be identical to the master toolbox, which was the standard. There was the master toolbox, and there was my toolbox. They had to match. Once put together, everyone was issued one of these toolboxes to go out and do their jobs. If something was missing from the box, no one could check out until the missing tool was found. I remember one time when no one could go home for a couple of hours because someone on the shift did not account for all his tools and we all wound up having to go look for it. This was not just an issue about missing tools, but about tools being left in equipment that could cause damage, dollars, or even death. Tools left in running machinery can be disastrous. Each tools was shadowed, which made it easy to identify what was supposed to be in that particular spot in the toolbox. This was a reflection of the "standard" of what was supposed to be in the toolbox.

It occurs to me as I think about our "box," the question should not merely be one of whether we are thinking inside or outside the box, but what is the standard for the box? What is in the box may not belong there, and thinking outside the box may be correct or better depending on what is inside the box. Without a standard, it merely becomes a subjective enterprise - "My box is better than your box."

God is a God of both freedom and limits. When God freed Israel from slavery, he brought them to Sinai and gave them the Torah, which included the limits and boundaries for their daily lives. When God created the world, he set limits for the day and night, for the land and the sea, so that they would not transgress and bring chaos and disorder to the order and beauty of the world that he had created. Limits and order go together. Limits and beauty are cousins to each other.

Unrestrained freedom brings gross distortions to what God has created. One well-known example of this is Joseph Smith and his Mormon Church with all its strange teachings. The teaching that humans become God, that Jesus and Satan were at one time brothers, that blackness of the skin is God's curse, and other such teachings are fabrications of an imaginative mind and not from the true word of God. This manufactured religion is just one example of unrestrained freedom.

On the other hand, unrestrained restrictions can also bring gross distortions to what God has created. An example is the medieval church with its inquisitions. Religious inquiry, questioning the status quo, reading the Bible for yourself, and forming your own conclusions, and things of this nature were ruthlessly suppressed. This is an example of unrestrained restriction.

What is inside the box in each of these cases? What is outside the box? It depends on your perspective. Once again, the question should not merely be whether we think and operate in the box our outside the box, but what is the standard? Going with the standard may mean going "outside the box." From God's perspective, our going "outside the box" may be getting back in the box.

The most basic questions should consist of things such as, "What is the nature of God?" "What is the nature of man?" "What is God's desire?" "How has God instructed us to serve him?" "What are my presuppositions?" "How does my background color my understanding of the world, of myself, my God, and his will for me?" "How does God guide us through these questions?" "How much time do I spend in reading his word, in prayer, in inquiry, in confession and prayer?" And the questions go on. That we should "examine ourselves" is an imperative given to us by God. The answers, as they come from God, gives us a picture of the "standard" for the box.

So, is it wise to think outside the box? If our beliefs, practices, and attitudes fall short, and "outside the box" entails a change of practice, beliefs and attitudes that are more inline with what God has set as the standard, then the answer is clearly "yes." Not only is it wise, it is mandated. Without this sort of thing, there would have been no reformation, and no restoration movement, and no back to the Bible movements. We would still be trapped in the dark ages. God has given us a "box," so to speak. He has painted a picture of what goes in the box and what does not belong in the box. It takes commitment, courage, and a humble, repentant heart to make needed changes, especially when we become so comfortable with the box that we think that this is inherently the way it is supposed to be, as many did in the dark ages.

How about some specific issues? Does evangelism happen through building church buildings? What does God's word say about this? How does the character of God illuminate this question? God modeled evangelism through the incarnation, and its implications are far reaching. In fact, any reflection on evangelism, methods, etc. should begin with a theological reflection on the incarnation and its implications (Jn 1:1-14; 14:7-11; 15:15-16; 20:21). The example in Christ, passed on to his Apostles, and to the Apostolic church, are all connected to this. Incarnation means "fleshing out" the message in such a way that it can be heard, understood, and even identified with (Acts 2:14-39; 17:22-31). It is not tied to a culture, language, or place (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). As many cross-cultural missionaries learning in past decades, it speaks the language of the people, uses analogies of the people, and in turn transforms people through the power of the Gospel which can be communicated in any language and in any culture. Is evangelism cross-cultural right here in our own country? Since the Christian faith is not tied to any culture, language, or people, then any evangelism is inherently cross-cultural. Evangelism in the USA is every bit as cross-cultural as evangelism any place else. Perhaps this is why more new congregations that are effective are less concerned about owning a building, and more concerned about being transformed into the image of Christ. Maybe this is why some Christian assemblies are happening in homes, coffee-shops, rented halls, and other conventional places. Maybe this is why many are seeing Christian faith as not tied to a "place," like a church building, but tied to a people who are tied to Christ. Maybe this is why some have determined to "be" the church rather than "go" to church. Is this outside the box? It depends on the nature of your box.

What about the nature of a Christian assembly? What is the thrust, the emphasis. Is it worship? Is it evangelism? Is it to put on a production? Is it edification? There are some more specific instructions concerning assemblies than there are methods of evangelism. The underlying theological foundation for Christian assemblies has to do with love not only for God, but love for God expresses as love for one another. The "body of Christ" (1 Cor 12) has a focus on edification in Christian assemblies (1 Cor 14; Eph 4). This makes worship distinct. It is not merely a performance by some professional worshippers to God as in the Old Testament, but a participatory event where everyone sings and worships not only to God, be especially "to one another" to edify and build up in the name of Christ (1 Cor 14:26). In Christian assemblies, there should be "mutual edification." A Cappella congregational singing to "one another" is the music of mutual edification (Eph 5:19). It is something all can participate in. It is not the time to put on a Christian production for an audience, nor is it a time for evangelism. It is a time for mutual edification even in the actions of worship. Praise bands, professional musicians, orchestras, etc., while they can be glorious in the sounds they produce for God, are not appropriate for a time where there needs to be "mutual edification," which entails participation from the whole congregation. This is why the synagogue service entailed congregational A Cappella singing. The focus there was on mutual edification. It was not like temple worship where the focus was on worship to God by the best professional musicians who were able to make beautiful music for God. Even though God approved of (Ps 150), and in one case even commanded such worship in the Old Testament (2 Chr 29:25), this is not the focus of Christian worship in the New Testament. Since we ourselves are temples of God, we ourselves make melody in our heart and we each sing to one another in worship for mutual edification. Is this outside the box? Once again, it depends on your box. For many, doing away with the choir, the band, etc. would definitely be outside the box. Or, since it is in harmony with what we see in scripture and with the practice of the Apostolic church, perhaps it is a return to "inside the box."

What about something as basic as conversion? There are a variety of ways people say it happens. Nearly all agree it involves faith. There is no question about this. Jesus is God who came to earth in the flesh (Jn 1:14), died on the cross for the remission of our sins, was buried, and raised on the third day (1 Cor 15:1-4), and ascended to the right hand of God and reigns as Lord in his spiritual kingdom (1 Pet 3:22) where he has given the Spirit (Acts 2:38) and will one day return to resurrect humanity (1 Thess 4:9-5:11), some to a resurrection of eternal life, and others to a resurrection of judgment (Jn 5:29). Most agree that this is the object of our faith, what is central to it. However, how is faith to be initially expressed? Has God given any instruction on this? In the New Testament examples in the book of Acts, conversion involved a faith that included the following: repentance, confession, baptism, and reception of the Holy Spirit. Many disagree on the place of baptism. Some relegate it to a sacrament, others dismiss it as unnecessary, and some claim that if it is performed as a part of the salvation process, then in invalidates your salvation since you are trying to be saved by works. However, God has clearly revealed that baptism is rich with meaning and is intimately tied to your salvation. As an expression of faith and conversion, it is a dying to your self (Rom 6:1-8). You are passive as you are lowered into the watery grave and raised to walk in newness of life. You become a new person. Jesus washes away all your sins as you express your faith. In fact, you cannot express your faith without action. Faith without action is no faith at all (James 2:14-24). Even the demons "believe" and shudder. In baptism we are buried with him and are raised to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4). As Noah was saved through the water, we are also saved through the water by the resurrection of Christ and the power of his blood he shed on the cross (1 Pet 3:20-22). Baptism is like the Christian's wedding ceremony to Christ (Eph 5:25-27). This is where you are united with him and start your new life in him. Bottom line is that we do not save ourselves, Christ saves us when we express our faith in him in the way he has prescribed. So, baptism (as an expression of faith) is intimately tied to our salvation. Is this outside the box? Once again, it depends on what is in your box. To practice Christian conversion in this way may seem outside the box, but in reality, it may be a return back into the box.

And the list goes on and on. So, is it wise to think outside the box? Perhaps this long reflection will help you to better answer this question.