Theology

“Which Way Did He Go George?”

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I loved Saturday morning cartoons when I was growing up as a kid. I always beat mom and dad out of bed on Saturday and ran in to pull the on button on our T.V. I’m not that old, we just had a very old T.V. for a very long time when I was growing up.  We actually had to get out of our seat, walk to the T.V., and turn a knob to change the channel.  Then came our VCR.  It had a remote and it revolutionized our lives!

Well, enough of that. Back to the cartoons. My favorite cartoon of them all was The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show™. There were at least a couple of characters that used the line, “which way did he go George, which way did he go?” They were always talking about Bugs of course.  As a matter of fact, someone was always looking for that rabbit.

They had just witnessed something otherworldly. Jesus had just levitated before their very eyes. Up, up, up He went until He disappeared into a cloud. Had there been a disciple named George, I am quite certain that there would have been a chorus of “which way did He go, George? Which way did He go?” He was there…then, He was gone. The narrative that Luke recorded in Acts 1:11 tells us that they were all “gazing” up at the sky. Well, the KJV says “gazing” while the more modern translations simply says “looking.” I like “gazing” better because it better captures what they were doing. I imagine with their chins resting comfortably on the ground, they could not take their eyes off of the sky in disbelief.

Enter the angels. “Guys, why are you gazing up into the sky?” they said. “Jesus, yes, this very same Jesus, will come again in the same way that you have seen Him go away.” I don’t know about you but in 2017 those are some AWESOME words of hope!

In John 14 Jesus told His disciples that this was going to happen.  He told them that He was going to go away for a little while and prepare a place for them. Good ole Thomas even asked for directions on how to get where He was going and Jesus assured them that He, in fact, was The Way, The Truth, and The Life and that no one would come to see the Father unless they came through Him, the Son. He gave them a promise…”If I go, I will come again.”  Now, we know He went, so, it stands to reason that if He went as He said He would, why should we doubt that He will return as He said He would.

Sometimes its easy to look at our life situation and say to one another, “which way did He go, George, which way did He go?” Because in those moments, He feels like He is gone and is nowhere to be found. He promised that when He left, He’d send a comforter in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Well the comforter has come and I pray that He will comfort your heart today and remind you to keep looking up because, “this same Jesus who was taken up from you will also come again in the same manner as you have seen Him go.”

 

Times are a Changin…

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Unless you live under a rock…an exceptionally large rock, you are aware that there was yet another terrorist bombing over the weekend in New York.  This time, the bombs were located in pressure cookers, of all things. I can’t wait to hear what the President and Presidential hopefuls have to say about this latest incident. New York…that’s quite a distance from me.  Here in my neighborhood just this weekend, a small 9 month old baby was stabbed along with a few adults.

Whew…when will it ever end?

Well, that’s just it…it won’t end.  The results of this coming election will not remedy the problem of uncontrollable craziness that is going on in our nation and around the world. So, what’s gotta change?  What has got to happen in this nation for things to turn around? Can I tell you that the necessary changes have little, if anything, to do with who stands or who does not stand when the national anthem is played.  Nope.  While that might get your blood pressure rising as an American Patriot, getting athletes to stand isn’t going to fix the problem.  Here’s the problem.  Now, before I continue, please understand that my diagnosis of the issue is going to be so simple that it will not reflect the fact that I have spent the last three years in a seminary and am getting closer to earning a MDiv. This diagnosis is so simple that you might be tempted to chuckle when you read how simple and direct it is.  However, I will go ahead and offer it regardless. Here I go.

The problem in our nation and, therefore, the main thing that must change is found in Scripture in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” (ESV)

Now, before you post comments about this verse applying to the nation of Israel in its original context, let me stop you and tell you that I am completely aware of that fact. However, the truth of this verse is applicable to any nation which recognizes יהוה (Jehovah) for its אלהים (Elohim).

Simple reasoning will allow one to ascertain that if the above statement is true, and I certainly believe that it is because I believe His Word is true, then, it stands to reason that the opposite of the conditions presented and, therefore the ensuing results from those reversed conditions would be true as well.  In other words, if a nation’s blessing or happiness is based upon their acknowledgment of God as their LORD, then, if a nation fails to acknowledge God as their LORD, those blessings will be minimized.

News Flash!!!!

Jehovah has not been recognized as the Elohim of the USA long before people started standing or failing to stand for our flag or anthem.  We are now a nation that values tolerance above truth, acceptance above accountability, and personal preference above prescribed practices.  We are a “if it feels good, do it” society now and God is nowhere to be found.  Are we really surprised?!  Are we really daring enough to ask, “where is God?!?”

What Do We Do Now?

Remember this…

Psalm 46:9-11

“He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.…

It may not be today or tomorrow.  You and I may not live to see it happen in this nation, but rest assured friends that His Word is true and one day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.…

Be Blessed!

“Perilous Times?” Part Two

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Perilous Times

The Presidential Race.

Target.

Bathrooms.

Police Shootings.

Rioting.

Terrorists.

Floods.

It’s everywhere we look.  T.V., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the news, the paper, magazines, etc.  

I have heard more than one person ask the question as to where God is when all of this madness is taking place. Is this the proper question for us to be asking?  If I remember correctly, David felt as if he could not escape the presence of God in Psalms 139

Psalm 139:8-10 English Standard Version (ESV)

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
 9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.

I think a better question is this: “Where is the church?”

Where are you Christian in the midst of all of this?  How do your friends, neighbors, and co-workers see you respond to the news each and every day that seems to pour from the media?  Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:6 and Luke 21:9 provide a hint as to how we should respond when a sense of chaos is surrounding us.

“When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” (NIV)

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (ESV)

In these texts, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the coming end of the world. His main point here is that His followers should not be shaken when these things begin to transpire. We shouldn’t freak out!  When our friends and neighbors see and hear us as Christians raising a ruckus over the events surrounding us, it can easily be interpreted as fear or a lack of faith.  If our faith does not provide comfort in times like these then why would a world without it ever desire to possess it?

Are you afraid?  Ask Him to calm your heart and help you control your emotions in the face of uncertainty.  For, in the midst of an uncertain world, we still stand upon the solid rock of our faith: Jesus Christ.  As the old hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

“All We Can Do is Pray”

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New PicOkay, let’s be honest.  When is the last time that you said something like, “all we can do now is pray?” A statement such as this usually comes in the midst of an excruciating circumstance such as a bad diagnosis from the doctor, a pending foreclosure on your home, or perhaps a potential layoff from your employer.  Of course there are a myriad of other possibilities that cause us to do all that we can to make the situation better.  Then, after we have exhausted our resources, our strength, our talent, our time, and our ingenuity, we pray.

What would happen if we prayed first?  Or, better yet, how different would our lives be if we lived with prayer and utilized prayer as much as we do our smart phones?  I’m determined to find the answer to that question this year and I invite you to join me.

“We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.”Andrew Murray

The disciples, who walked with Jesus on a daily basis in the flesh, didn’t have the whole prayer thing figured out perfectly.  If you recall, they asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-13). I will commit a later post to the Lord’s prayer.  Here, however, let’s just establish the fact that we need to pray and we need to do it a lot more than we do.

Centuries ago, the early church fathers felt it necessary to have structured times of prayer throughout the day.  The number of times and the names given to them have changed throughout the years.  Interestingly, there are Christian monks who still practice these structured prayer times throughout the day.  Well, here is your invitation to enter into a long tradition of prayer throughout your day.  Here’s the plan:

  1. Dawn Prayer                                               5 a.m.
  2. Early Morning Prayer                              7 a.m.
  3. Mid Morning Prayer                                 9 a.m.
  4. Mid Day Prayer                                         12 p.m.
  5. Mid Afternoon Prayer                              3 p.m.
  6. Evening Prayer                                           6 p.m.
  7. Night Prayer                                                9 p.m.
  8. During the Night Prayers                       Varies (these are the times you wake up during                                                                             the night to get a drink or use the restroom)

Change the times to fit your schedule.  The point here is to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:16-18).  Feel free to encourage your friends, small group Bible study, church, neighbor, children, husband, wife, mom, dad, or anyone else you feel might need a boost in their prayer life to join you in this journey.

You are probably wondering how long you should pray.  I believe Spurgeon offers a sufficient answer when he says,

“…True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.” C. H. Spurgeon

While this is true, I don’t think we should worry about praying too long either.

“Prayer can never be in excess.” C. H. Spurgeon

I don’t know what you are going through as you are reading this blog.  You may feel like you have exhausted all options for improving the situation.  Can I encourage you instead of having an attitude of “all I can do is pray,” have an attitude that says, “I get to pray!”  And then, GO DO IT!  You and I, fallen, imperfect created beings GET TO TALK TO THE CREATOR DIRECTLY!!  Let’s take advantage of this privilege.

 

 

 

A New Adventure!

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“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Romans 11:33

I’m not sure if anyone will read it or follow it, but I hope that those who do will be encouraged and challenged to go devote the rest of their lives to mining the depths with me.

My purpose is just as the title suggests; to get my readers to venture into the depths of their faith. I’m convinced that the majority of us are only scratching the surface when it comes to our walk with the Lord.  I’m tire of the routine, the mundane, the expected.  Paul suggests in Romans 11:33 that we will never exhaust the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge.  So, the focus of my blog will be just that; the richness and fullness of God.

An old hymn might serve us well here.  It says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth, will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” Helen H. Lemmel