Posts Tagged ‘faithfulness’

Signs of the Times: Counter-productive

Posted: December 8, 2010 in Christ, church, community, culture
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What does this sign tell you about the Thai Pepper Restaurant?

If your answer has anything to do with their grand opening or the price of the buffet, please slap yourself on my behalf.

This sign tells me they don’t care about quality and they don’t understand our culture.

This sign tells me I do NOT want to eat there.

In a digital age filled with HD everything, this type of advertising is absolutely unacceptable. For $20 they could’ve had a similar sign professionally made (at the graphics design shop located 100-feet down the street).

Do you think they would’ve gotten their money back (by gaining 4 customers)?

I do!

This sign is costing them more business than it’s creating by repelling potential customers. It is counterproductive.

The same thing happens through misguided evangelism attempts.

I know that people mean well, but honestly, some people would serve Christ better by keeping their mouths shut.

News Flash: This is not 1950.

Effective evangelism in the 21st century requires authentic relationships based upon genuine concern and heartfelt compassion for people who don’t know Christ. It requires love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

Any other approach is counterproductive.

Please, on behalf of the Christ, I’m begging you to throw away your Bible tract and sandwich board and just love people into the Kingdom.

Jeremiah (part 3: Complaint Department)

Posted: October 20, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, culture, faith, prophecy
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Yes, I know you have it bad.

Yes, you should’ve gotten that promotion, or raise, or pat on the back, or new car, or whatever.

Yes, people are mean.

No, it’s not fair.

No, God isn’t picking on you.

Yes, you can complain about it (if you must).

No, God won’t be mad.

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s complaint to the Lord as he mourned the fall of Judah. It gives us insight into the soul of the prophet and an unfiltered glimpse at his personal anguish.

Before you lament your own circumstances & join Jeremiah’s pity party, you should know that:

  • Jeremiah was accused of being a false prophet and a pro-Babylonian traitor (37:13).
  • He was ridiculed and ignored (26:7-9), his prophecies were cut-up & burned (36:20-24).
  • He was betrayed by his own family (12:6), intensely persecuted (15:15-18), plotted against (11:18-23; 18:18), beaten and imprisoned (20:2), and he faced hostility from the masses (26:10-11).
  • He was thrown into a dungeon (37:16) and a cistern (38:1-13), and was locked up in the guardhouse (37:21).
  • He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem under the heavy hand of a cruel foreign regime (2 Kings 24:10-14; 39:1-10; 52:1-11), saw the destruction of the Temple (52:12-27) and tells about the bloodshed in the streets (39:6-7).
  • As if that wasn’t enough, he was taken hostage by rebels and forced to live in Egypt (43:1-7).

 

Although Jeremiah never understood why he had to personally suffer while faithfully serving the Lord, he demonstrated fortitude of character and commitment–without compromising his faith–regardless of popular opinion, long-term persecution, and the apparent futility of his efforts.

Through it all, he clung to hope in the faithfulness of God:

Lamentations 3 (NLT)
19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

Now what was that you were complaining about?

Micah (part 6: Promise)

Posted: August 17, 2010 in Bible, Christ, Christianity, church, culture, prophecy
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About 100 years after Micah’s death, the Jews were exiled to Babylon in three waves (605 B.C., 598 B.C. and 586 B.C.), then eventually released by Cyrus the Great in 538 B.C. (more on all that in future posts).

Although Micah specifically condemned the corruption of Samaria and Jerusalem in his day, his words serve as a stark warning to any culture whose economic and political systems run counter to God’s kingdom.

Is America any less immoral; syncretic; idolatrous; indifferent to the poor, weak, and powerless; self-serving; corrupt; or apathetic toward God than Israel was during the time of Micah’s ministry?

I think not.

Yet in the middle of all of this, Micah offers comfort to those who act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Micah promises a new era of God’s presence, blessing and protection under the dominion of a Davidic King (see 4:1-5:15).

When the Jews finally returned to rebuild Jerusalem and re-establish their national identity, they looked to Micah’s prophecies and were disappointed to discover that things were not as great as Micah had promised.

Many Christians today feel the same frustration:

“Jesus died for our sins, yet still we struggle. Evil still permeates the earth and the ungodly still prosper. Where is the Lord??”

My friends, don’t lose heart because things aren’t happening as quickly as you’d like. If Jesus had returned 20 years ago, I would not have been counted among His faithful remnant! I thank God for His patient endurance which gave me the grace and time I needed to come to Christ in faith.

What about you?

What if Christ had returned 20 years ago…10 years ago…or yesterday? Would you have been ready? What about your friends, family and loved ones?

Does God’s patience nullify His faithfulness or demonstrate it?

Know this: In the end, every promise God has made will be fulfilled.

Check out Micah’s prayer (7:14), God’s reply (7:15), and the prophetic promise to God’s people (7:16-20):

14 O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff;
      lead your flock, your special possession.
   Though they live alone in a thicket
      on the heights of Mount Carmel,
   let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead
      as they did long ago.

 15 “Yes,” says the Lord,
      “I will do mighty miracles for you,
   like those I did when I rescued you
      from slavery in Egypt.”

 16 All the nations of the world will stand amazed
      at what the Lord will do for you.
   They will be embarrassed
      at their feeble power.
   They will cover their mouths in silent awe,
      deaf to everything around them.
 17 Like snakes crawling from their holes,
      they will come out to meet the Lord our God.
   They will fear him greatly,
      trembling in terror at his presence.

 18 Where is another God like you,
      who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
      overlooking the sins of his special people?
   You will not stay angry with your people forever,
      because you delight in showing unfailing love.
 19 Once again you will have compassion on us.
      You will trample our sins under your feet
      and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
 20 You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love
      as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.

A promise like that is worth waiting for…

Hosea (part 4: Renewal)

Posted: July 28, 2010 in Christ, Christianity, prophecy
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Hosea was God’s spokesman to the last generation of Israel (the northern kingdom). He spoke to a people who were still enjoying the benefits of God’s blessing but were about to experience rapid destruction when Assyria would finally turn its attention toward Israel.

Many passages drip with grief as God weeps over His people: “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel?” (11:8; see 6:4-6; 11:1-4, 7-8).

In the midst of all of this, the Lord promised the faithful remnant a day of restoration: ”I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” (2:23)

He wanted them to know that despite their perilous circumstances, He still loved them.

God, the faithful lover (2:13-14; 14:5-8), would one day renew His love for His people with even greater zeal and commitment than before:

The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever.” (14:4)

Hosea’s prophecy uses marriage as a metaphor for the relationship between God and His people (2:16-23) and thus their restoration becomes a kind of covenant renewal.

Perhaps in this light we can appreciate the New Testament imagery of the church being the bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-27; Rev 21:2, 9; 22:17). As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the recipients of the restoration promises made through Hosea.

The big question is, will we finally love Him in return or will we fall into the same sins as Gomer, Israel and Judah?

“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” (1 John 5:2-3, NLT).

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