Big muscles like Daddy

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We all love this verse, don't we?  But check out the context and think about what this means for us.

If we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us, we can...
reconcile broken relationships and resolve interpersonal conflicts (4:2-3),
choose joy even when life hurts (4:4),
overcome anxiety with peaceful prayer (4:5-7),
change our attitudes and transform our thought patterns (4:8-9),
and finally,
learn how to be content in every circumstance (4:10-19).

Think about it:  What are we saying about Jesus and His Spirit if we declare, "I can't forgive that person, I can't endure this trial, I can't stop worrying, I can't get victory in my thought life, I can't survive without my (______)"?

The apostle Paul never accomplished anything for the kingdom in his own strength.  Instead, he knew how to live in Jesus' strength by...
thanking God for His grace and mercy (1:3-8),
praying in Jesus' name (1:9-11),
relying on the Spirit (1:19),
treasuring Jesus more than life (1:20-26),
putting on the mind of Jesus (2:5-11),
counting all things loss for the excellence of knowing Jesus (3:7-11),
and eagerly waiting for the return of Jesus (3:20-21).

That's how we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us!

Jesus washed Judas' feet

I found this painting on a church in a little village in Mexico.  The text is from Jesus in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve."  Then Jesus continues, "and to give His life a ransom for many."  But the image is from John 13 where Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

Can you imagine Jesus washing his disciples' feet?  Can imagine the eternal Son of God kneeling down and scrubbing the disciples' stinky toes? 

Jesus loved his disciples.  Jesus demonstrated to them that real leadership requires deep humility, real love requires sacrifice, and the only way for them to be cleansed from their sins is to have their hearts washed by the Holy Spirit.

Now think about this...Jesus even washed Judas' feet.

Jesus knew what Judas was about to do.  Jesus knew that Judas would lead the soldiers right to him and that he would be arrested, tried, and murdered.  And yet, Jesus washed Judas' feet.

Why?

Because Jesus loved his enemies.  Jesus did good to those who hated him, blessed those who cursed him, and prayed for those who spitefully used him (Luke 6:27-28). 

Also, Jesus washed Judas' feet to show that the good news of forgiveness and salvation and everlasting joy should be offered to all people, but tragically some will reject Jesus and the gospel.

And finally, Jesus treasured the glory of God and the will of God higher than anything else.  Jesus knew that the Scriptures must be fulfilled (Mark 14:49).  Jesus surrendered to the plan of his Father.  Jesus knew that he would be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again (Matthew 20:18-19).  Jesus was obedient to his Father to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Jesus washed Judas' feet to give us an example, that we should go and do likewise (John 13:15).

Transylvania, Tasmania, Tanzania

When we tell people we will be translating the Bible in Tanzania, we get curious responses.  One sweet older woman asked, "Where are you going?  Europe?"  After a little while I figured out what she was thinking.  She thought we were going to Transylvania.  No, actually, that's a province of Romania.


Transylvania, Romania

 Another time a young man said, "Say hi to the Tasmanian Devil for me!"  No, actually, Tasmania is an island off the coast of Australia.


Tasmania, Australia



Tasmanian Devil

I'm sure those are all nice places, with people who need the gospel, but God has called us to Tanzania, Africa.

God has already given us such a love for the people of Tanzania.  We can't wait to get there and start meeting people!

Which of God's commands is repeated most often in the Bible?



Moses and the Ten
Commandments
by Rembrandt 1659

Clues: 
NOT one of the ten commandments
NOT love your neighbor
NOT be holy

Answer:  Do not fear, don't be afraid!
(of course, this is only based on my personal study, please check for yourself and let me know what you find)

Why does God repeat this command so often?  Maybe because we really need to listen.  Maybe because we are all addicted to fear.  Maybe because we are all enslaved to fear.  {think about it...be honest}

Many times, when God commands his people, "Do not fear," he backs it up with the promise, "I am with you."

 

The Prophet Isaiah
by Rembrandt 1639

Isaiah 41:10, Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

 Isaiah 43:1-3, But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.  For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.'

Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Jeremiah Lamenting the
Destruction of Jerusalem
by Rembrandt 1630

Jeremiah 1:7-8, But the LORD said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD.

Acts 18:9-10, Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.'

One of my favorite names of Jesus is Emmanuel:  God With Us (Matthew 1:23).  If Christ is living in us then God is with us all the time, everywhere we go, everything we do.  We can't get away from God.  And more than that, God has sent his own Spirit to dwell in us (John 14:17).  God is with us personally, permanently, and powerfully. 

Therefore, do not fear, God is with us.  Don't be afraid, God will never leave us.

As we celebrate Easter, let's celebrate Jesus who rose again from the dead victorious over sin, Satan, and death.  Let's celebrate Jesus who rose again from the dead and now lives in us.  Let's celebrate Jesus who rose again from the dead and now sent his Spirit to dwell in us.

$45,000 Cheesecake

We are praying that God will provide $45,000 in one-time gifts to get us to Tanzania.  (if that sounds like a lot to you then join us in praying fervently in the name of Jesus without doubting Luke 18:1; John 15:16)  This is in addition to our regular, monthly support need.  One-time expenses include airfare for 6 people to Tanzania, shipping costs, Africa orientation, Swahili language school, a vehicle, and housing set-up.

Some of our partners have invented very creative fundraisers for us.  One woman is selling homemade cheesecakes and giving us the proceeds.  One family has had numerous garage sales and shared the profits with us and two more families are organizing their own yard sale this month.  An elementary school is taking us on as their "project" for the year.  One man is planning a benefit concert for us in Indiana and another is working on a coffee shop idea here in Michigan. 

We are so encouraged that God has ignited a passion in people's hearts for the souls in Tanzania.  This truly is a partnership for the gospel.

If you would like more details or if you have an idea of your own, please email us.

Life Together

Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood the value of authentic Christian community. 

Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who dearly loved his flock.  Ever since Hitler's rise to power in 1933 Bonhoeffer was on the run.  In 1938 he was banned from his home town of Berlin.  During this season of persecution he wrote a book called Life Together. 

He begins with Psalm 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

Bonhoeffer believed that authentic Christian community is a gift from God the Father and we should thank him for his grace. 

Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart.  Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren. (20)

If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ. (29)

Bonhoeffer also believed that authentic Christian community exists through and in Jesus.  Real community revolves around Jesus.

Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. (21)
Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together. (24) 
The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. (26) 
For Jesus Christ alone is our unity. (39)

Bonhoeffer believed that authentic Christian community is held together by the Holy Spirit.  He referred to "the community of the Spirit."

The basis of the community of the Spirit is truth.  The essence of the community of the Spirit is light.  The community of the Spirit is the fellowship of those who are called by Christ. (31)

Authentic Christian community must be built on the Word of God.

The Christian lives wholly by the truth of God's Word.  And that also clarifies the goal of all Christian community: they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation.  When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others. (22-23)

Authentic Christian community is just weak, ordinary sinners who become brothers forever.

He who looks upon his brother should know that he will be eternally united with him in Jesus Christ. (24)

We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness, and His promise.  We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what He does give us daily.  And is not what has been given us enough: brothers, who will go on living with us through sin and need under the blessing of His grace?  Even when sin and misunderstanding burden the communal life, is not the sinning brother still a brother, with whom I, too, stand under the Word of Christ?  Will not his sin be a constant occasion for me to give thanks that both of us may live in the forgiving love of God in Jesus Christ? (28)

*all quotes taken from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper, 1954)

A Hero's Hanging

This month we remember the life and death of one my heroes: Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging in a Nazi concentration camp on April 9, 1945.

Bonhoeffer was a good man who loved Jesus, loved the Word of God, loved the gospel, and loved the church.  He's an example to me of Jesus' invitation in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

Church
On a holiday trip to Rome, Bonhoeffer experienced church like never before.  It was Palm Sunday and he worshipped at a church with people of other races and cultures.  He said, “The universality of the church was illustrated in a marvelously effective manner.  White, black, yellow members of religious orders – united under the church.  It truly seems ideal.” (53)*

On a trip to Paris he attended church with a bunch of prostitutes and pimps who were grieved over their sins and he realized that these people must be very close to the heart of the gospel.  “I have long thought that Berlin’s red light district would be an extremely fruitful field for church work.  It’s much easier for me to imagine a praying murderer, a praying prostitute, than a vain person praying.” (72) 

The Word
Bonhoeffer submitted to the Bible as his highest authority in life and the highest authority for the church.  “The church still has the Bible, and as long as she has it we can still believe in the holy Christian church.  God’s word will never be denied (Isa. 55:11).” (57)  “The Bible alone is the answer to all our questions.” (136) 

The Gospel
Bonhoeffer took a trip to the United States in 1930 and was deeply grieved by the shallow Christian theology that he saw.  As he observed professing Christians he said, “they do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives.” (104)  In fundamental churches, all he heard were sermons bashing the liberals.  And in liberal churches all he heard were sermons about politics and social gospel.  “In New York they preach about virtually everything; only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin and forgiveness, death and life.” (106) 

Jesus
“I have long thought that sermons had a center that, if you hit it, would move anyone or confront them with a decision.  I no longer believe that.  First of all, a sermon can never grasp the center, but can only itself be grasped by it, by Christ.” (81)  Jesus was always at the center of Bonhoeffer’s thinking.  While observing that most Christians have exiled Christ from their lives he said, “One admires Christ as a genius, calls him the greatest ethicist, one admires his going to his death as a heroic sacrifice for his ideas.  Only one thing one doesn’t do: one doesn’t take him seriously.  That is, one doesn’t bring the center of his or her own life into contact with the claim of Christ to speak the revelation of God and to be that revelation.  One maintains a distance between himself or herself and the word of Christ, and allows no serious encounter to take place.  I can doubtless live with or without Jesus as a religious genius, as an ethicist, as a gentleman.  Should however, there be something in Christ that claims my life entirely with the full seriousness that here God himself speaks, then Christ has not only relative but absolute, urgent significance for me.  Understanding Christ means taking Christ seriously.” (82-83)

In 1934 Bonhoeffer and a group of pastors who resisted Hitler and the Nazis became known as the Confessing Church.  This was part of their confession:

Try the spirits whether they are of God! Prove also the words of the Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church to see whether they agree with Holy Scripture and with the Confessions of the Fathers. If you find that we are speaking contrary to Scripture, then do not listen to us! But if you find that we are taking our stand upon Scripture, then let no fear or temptation keep you from treading with us the path of faith and obedience to the Word of God, in order that God's people be of one mind upon earth and that we in faith experience what he himself has said: 'I will never leave you, nor forsake you.'

The inviolable foundation of the German Evangelical Church is the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is attested for us in Holy Scripture.

Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.

We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords--areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.

The Christian Church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ [is] Lord through the Holy Spirit. As the Church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

The Church's commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people. (222-226)

Bonhoeffer was arrested on April 5, 1943 for trying to smuggle Jews out of Germany.  He was ripped away from his family, friends, students, and fiancee and thrown into prison.  Eventually, the Nazis discovered Bonhoeffer's involvement in the plot to assasinate Hitler.  His execution was scheduled for April 9, 1945.  After he was hanged his body was burned in a pile with other "traitors." 

Two weeks later the concentration camp where Bonhoeffer was executed was liberated by Allied forces.  At Bonhoeffer's memorial, the pastor read Matthew 10,

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

The question for us is this: Do we take Christ seriously? Do we love Jesus passionately? Will we follow our Lord obediently?




*all quotes are taken from Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010)

A home of shalom (part 5 & final)

One last time...
Colossians 3:12-17 (RSV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In our quest for peace...true peace...in marriage, parenting, ministry and life, God first reminds us of who we are in Jesus.  In Jesus we are chosen, holy, and dearly loved.  Our new identity in Jesus compels us to clothe ourselves with the attributes of Jesus like humility and compassion.  Then, when we realize how much we have been forgiven by Jesus and the cost of our forgiveness, we humbly grant forgiveness to those who sin against us.  But by far the most significant step toward peace has been LOVE.  Love is a choice to joyfully and sacrificially give what is best for another. 

Those are the prerequisites for peace.  That is the foundation for peace.

Now, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Allow the shalom of Jesus to govern your thinking, your emotions, your affections, and your will.

Do you feel like life is crazy, spinning out of control?
Do you feel like you don't control your schedule, your schedule controls you?
Do you lie awake in bed at night fretting, fearing, worrying, shaking with anxiety?
Do you feel like you are so busy you don't have time to think?

Stop!  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
Allow the shalom of Jesus to govern your thinking, your emotions, your affections, and your will.

Shalom is the Old Testament Hebrew word for peace.  Shalom means completeness, wholeness, quiet, tranquility, contentment.

Psalm 29:11  The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.
Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 26:3  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Ezekiel 37:26  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

Then in the New Testament we find the fulfillment of God's promises for peace centered around Jesus.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 16:33  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Romans 5:1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:14  For Jesus Himself is our peace.
Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Peace means harmony, security, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is." (Thayer)  Peace is calm, quiet confidence in the power of God.  Peace is calm, quiet dependence on the Spirit.  Peace is calm, quiet contentment in Jesus.

But this verse is not a magic formula for peace.  This verse is a command: let the peace of Christ rule, allow the peace of Christ to rule.  The word "rule" means govern, direct, put in order, control.  Our hearts are always controlled by something or someone.  Our hearts are never neutral.  Our hearts are controlled by what we love most -- self or Jesus.  The command in this verse is a call to choose Christ.  Surrender control of your heart to Christ!  The reason we do not enjoy peace is because we allow our hearts to be ruled and delighted by something other than Jesus and His Spirit.

But maybe this sounds a little too abstract.  "What does it look like to surrender my heart to Christ?"  "How do I know my heart is controlled by Christ?"

The answer is the very next verse.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
These verses are in parallel.  We let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts by letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.  We know our hearts are controlled by Jesus if His Word is our delight and His Word saturates and guides our thinking.

I love John Wycliffe's translation of these verses from 1388, "And the peace of Christ enjoy in your hearts... The word of Christ dwell in you plenteously."

Enjoy Jesus, through His Word, by His Spirit and we will enjoy peace.