Hope for Life Blog

I have to confess: I like looking at extravagant Christmas gifts. Not out of any desire to give or receive them. I just like to marvel at what’s available.

Some of them are amazingly expensive. Like the Ferrari FF listed at Neiman Marcus; it can be yours for only $390,000. You may want to hurry. They only have 10 available.

For mom, Amazon lists a black pearl necklace for a mere $76,500 dollars. Don’t worry… the item ships for free.

Another option is a gift card from Halcyon jets. A $5 million gift card! Actually, it’s called a Dream Card, and it gives you full access to their complete fleet of jets, as well as a private aviation specialist and a personal concierge.

For the truly discriminating, might I suggest you consider purchasing an island? You can get a lovely 20-acre island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro for a mere $8 million. Sorry… only one per customer.

Most of us won’t be spending quite as much on Christmas gifts, though many will spend more than they should. There’s something about the Christmas season that makes us want to give gifts in a big way.

However, we know that the greatest gift has already been given. No one can match the extravagance of our Heavenly Father, who gave us what the apostle Paul calls an “indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15) God gave us His own Son, not as a Christmas gift, but as the gift that never stops giving. God’s Son, Jesus, came and died, to give us all the right to claim the gift of eternal life.

The apostle John famously wrote, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16–17)

In this season of giving and receiving, let’s take time to remember the greatest gift of all: God’s Son. And let’s make sure that we’ve claimed the gift He offers each of us: the gift of eternal life.

It’s awkward isn’t it? “Happy Thanksgiving” no longer applies. “Survive Black Friday” doesn’t seem appropriate because you did. And since it’s the last day of November it’s a bit early to say “Merry Christmas”. So we’re stuck with “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”.

Historically the busiest day for buying Christmas presents is the Saturday before Christmas and the second is Christmas Eve. This year both of those fall on Saturday, December 24.

So my suggestion is that we greet each other with “Survive Christmas Frenzy time”.

It seems easy to lose Jesus amid the hurry and scurry of finding that perfect present and the varied activities of celebrating the season. It’s easy to reduce Him to a catch phrase, “the reason for the season!!”

Yet, He IS the reason for the season. His birth was heralded as welcome to the Savior of the world. And through Him we have the promise of life forever with God Almighty.

For there’s born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Luke 2:11-14

So maybe we should say to each other, “Thank God for Jesus.”

So what do you think?

It’s said that the opening of a book is extremely important. The writer needs to engage his readers from the outset, filling them with a desire to read more.

When the apostle Matthew sat down to write the story of Jesus, I’m not sure that he was thinking about that. The first 14 verses of his book are a genealogy. This man was the father of that man, who was the father of some other guy. It’s not the most exciting reading for most of us.

As we read through this list of fathers and sons, there are four names that ought to catch our attention. Four women made this list: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bath-Sheba. Over forty men are listed and only four women.

So these women must be especially righteous, especially virtuous women, right? They are included in the genealogy of Jesus, showing the people God used to bring His Son into the world. We would expect these women to be the examples of what women should be.

But that’s not the case. One of them dressed up as a prostitute and seduced her own father-in-law. One of them WAS a prostitute. Another committed adultery, got pregnant, and married the father of that child after her own husband was murdered. The other was fairly righteous, but she was also a foreigner. The Jews weren’t supposed to marry foreigners, so she shouldn’t even be on this list.

But these names are here. These women are remembered, while other women have been long forgotten. Matthew had his reasons, and I won’t pretend to know exactly what they were.

But I know that there is a lesson here: God can use anybody. Even when they’ve made mistakes. Even when they’ve been taken advantage of. Even when they don’t come from the right family. God can use anybody.

That message is fitting for the story of Jesus. Jesus came and made it possible for everyone to be acceptable to God. He broke down barriers, creating a new nation made up of people from every nation of this world. The story of Jesus is a story of inclusion.

I can be a part. You can be a part. Everyone who is willing to truly put their faith in Jesus can be a part.

He asked it! It was a startling question for a preacher to make to our sophisticated and technologically advanced congregation.  I admired his courage and wondered if he would be marginalized for being “out of touch” with the 21^st century.  He asked something like this:

“We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but

   have we lost the connection to the I AM?”

God says:

“I am your shield, your exceeding great reward.”

Gen. 15:1

“I am Almighty God, walk before me and be blameless.”

Gen. 17:1

“I am the God of your father Abraham…for I am with you.”

Gen. 26:24

“I am the Lord, that is My name.”

Is. 42:8

“For I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me.”

Is. 46:9

“I am who I AM, thus you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”

Ex. 3:14

“I am with you.”

Jer. 1:14

“I am merciful.”

Jer. 3:12

Jesus says:

“I am the living bread which came down from Heaven.”

John 6:51

“I am from Him and He sent me.”

John 7:29

“I am the light of the world.”

John 8:12

“I am the door.”

John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd.”

John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

John 14:6

“I am the vine, you are the branches.”

John 15:5

“I am Jesus….”

Acts 9:5

So the question awaits your answer.  Are you more connected to your idevice or the I AM?

If so what can you and I do about that? Or should we?

We had been talking about Jesus when he asked me this question.  At first, I thought he wanted to know what to do to become a Jesus follower.  But that was not what he meant.  He was concerned to know what following Jesus meant in terms of his daily lifestyle.  He was convinced that Christians spent most of their time consulting a massive list of do’s and don’ts.  That was his experience and he was wondering if that was how he would have to live.

I explained that being a Christian was not about following a long list of right and wrong actions.  Instead, living a Christian life is about being in a relationship.  The relationship with Jesus is what determines how you live your life.  Christians act and think in certain ways because of our connection with a real and personal Savior.  But he insisted I tell him what it meant in terms of life choices he would have to make every day.  So here is what I told him.  Three things.

1.  Do what Jesus did.  Treat people the way Jesus treated them.  Connect to God like Jesus did.  Live like Jesus lived.  Walk in his steps. 
2. Don’t do what Jesus did not do.  Get the things out of your life that are not like Jesus.  Wrong relationships, damaging attitudes, and hurtful actions.  If Jesus would not be that way, don’t do it.
3. Tell everyone about Jesus.  Share the story of what God has done thru Jesus.  Tell how he has changed your life.  Invite them into a relationship with him.

That’s it.  That was my list.  I told him that was exactly how I thought Christians decided how to live their lives.  We make a series of choices every day based on the relationship we have with Jesus.    

I assured him that he would get lots of help in figuring all this out.  God left a book that has lots of examples about how to do this.  Christians live in community as family to help each other live this way.  And God gives His people His Holy Spirit to help them live these things out.

It is really not that complicated.

Blessings,

steve

On a recent trip to Florida, I heard someone commenting on the traffic problems in Orlando. This person cited a study which indicated that the congestion was caused by the number of people who aren’t sure where they’re going.

This is an apt description of the world in general. I would say that many problems arise because people don’t know where they are going. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere, but few seem to know where they are headed.

In a story about Jesus, recorded by one of his apostles named John, we read this: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:3-5)

In Jesus’ day, people traveled largely by foot on dusty roads and dirty city streets. They wore open-toed footwear. When they ate, they often reclined around low tables, with one person’s feet near another person’s head. Foot washing wasn’t a luxury; it was part of basic hygiene.

It was also a task that was performed by the lowest of the low, the slaves who did the dirtiest deeds. How could Jesus bring himself to perform such a filthy, humiliating task?

He knew where he was going. He knew who he was, where he had come from and where he was going. He wasn’t defined by that task nor any of the tasks that he performed while on this earth. He was going somewhere.

We can be like Jesus in that regard. We can know who we are. We can know where we are going. And that knowledge can free us to do whatever needs doing in this world.

Let me tell you more. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org. Or check out the four numbered steps on the www.hopeforlife.org website. Life is so much better when we know where we are going.

I was helping clean up my sister-in-law’s yard after a recent wind storm when it happened.  The neighbor’s dog got me.  I knew he was not happy with the chain saw, the activity, and the work going on.  After all, he kept barking at us.  I was carrying a load of wood to the back gate, walking about one foot inside the fence.  All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of this dog trying to jump over the fence.  As I jumped sideways, he managed to extend his head over the fence and catch my arm.

There was not any lasting damage.  My arm was swollen and stayed bruised for a couple of weeks.  The dog was as surprised as I was.  My father-in-law worried about whether the dog should have gotten shots.  Ha, ha.  The neighbors were apologetic.  The yard got cleaned up, and we all stayed several feet away from the fence.

And I thought about how much like life this was.

We all know there are dangerous things in this world.  There is war, crime, and evil.  People steal, lie, gossip, and murder in our world.  We just do not expect it to happen to us.  Until it does.  Tornados, fires, hurricanes, and tsunamis occur around the globe.  We assume those things happen to other people, not us.  Until it does.  We even know intellectually that people get sick, sometimes even sick enough that they die.  We just do not think it will happen to us.  Until it does.

Hard things, bad things, tough things happen.  They happen unexpectedly.  Sometime it is our fault.  Sometimes it is someone else’s fault.  Sometimes it is no one’s fault.  Life happens.  Life goes on.  So how do we cope?  How do we survive?  How do we find hope, peace, joy, and purpose in a world like this?

I have found the answer in God, and so have millions of others throughout the ages.  He will get me through anything this life throws at me.  He has, and He will.  He gives my life hope, peace, joy, and purpose.  And He gives me life forever.  He has done this through His Son Jesus. 

Blessings,

steve

Forty days after being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ was taken to heaven. At that time, his followers were told, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Christians have been waiting for His return ever since.

Some people think they have figured out exactly when that will be. You may have seen the billboards along the side of the road. I don’t question the sincerity of the people who put those signs up, but I’m convinced they’re wrong.

Years ago, a man of God felt the need to comfort some of his friends. People around them were talking about the timing of the end of the world, and he wanted to reassure them that the rumors they were hearing were not true. This man, named Paul, wrote: “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)

Paul had just written to these believers about Jesus’ return, but he didn’t want them worrying about when that would be. He didn’t want them trying to calculate dates nor decipher times. So he tells them: It will be like a thief in the night.

There will be no billboards along the highway. There will be no Mayan calendars announcing the end of the world. Just as thieves arrive unexpectedly, Jesus will return without warning.

For early Christians, the idea that their Lord was coming back was an exciting one. They wanted to be prepared when He came. In that same letter, Paul said, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6) If we’re awake, we won’t be surprised by a thief in the night.

We should be watching. There should be an expectant edge to our lives, as we wait for the day when our hopes are realized. We don’t know if that will be today or a thousand years from now. But we know that it will be a wonderful time for those longing to see Jesus. As Paul wrote to his friend Timothy: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Jesus is coming back. We don’t know when. But we know it will be a great day.

This is a statement I often hear in conversations with people who are not Christians.  And I sometimes hear this from those who are trying to live the Jesus lifestyle.  I am a preacher and I have this feeling sometimes.  So if you have been afraid to start reading God’s Word because you have trouble understanding it, or you are afraid you will not understand it, let me share some ideas that have been helpful to me.

First of all, it is true that some parts of the Holy Bible are difficult.  Peter and Paul were two of the most active preachers in the early history of the church.  Both of them wrote letters that are in the Bible.  Peter said that some of Paul’s writings are hard to understand.  He also warned us that there are people who will distort these and other Scriptures in a way that leads to their destruction.  So I know there are some things in Scripture I may not understand.  It is okay to not understand everything. 

Remember that the Bible was written for one main purpose:  to help you know Jesus.  The gospel of John explains that it was written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing that we can have life in his name.  Jesus did many things that are not recorded in the Bible.  In fact, if everything Jesus did was written down, the whole world would not have room for the books it would take.  But what is written is so we can know Jesus.  So we can believe in Jesus.  So we can live like Jesus.  So we can live forever with Jesus.  When I have trouble understanding the Bible, I try to remember that the focus is Jesus.  He is the important thing to learn from the Bible.  God gave us the Bible so we could know his Son.

Finally, you need to know that there is help for understanding the Bible.  There is a story in the book of Acts about a man who was reading his Bible but did not understand it.  God had a Jesus disciple connect with him to explain the Scripture.  When they began to talk about the Scripture being read, the Christian told him the good news of Jesus.  The Ethiopian believed it, acted on it, and found life in Jesus. 

We can too.

Blessings,

steve

What do you think of when you hear the word “church”? Do you think of a grand cathedral with awe-inspiring architecture? Do you picture a quaint white country structure with a bell in the steeple?

Or does “church” for you mean something that a group of Christians do when they get together? Phrases like “Church is at ten” or “We had church under a tree” come to mind. For some of us, that’s what we think of when we say “church.”

Maybe you tend to hear “church” with a capital C, imagining a large bureaucratic organization with a central headquarters and representatives in countries around the world.

Or do you think about a group of people? The Bible never uses the word “church” to refer to a building or an activity; it’s always talking about a gathering of Christians. “The church in Ephesus.” (Revelation 2:1) The church that meets in your home. (Philemon 2) Those are the sorts of phrases we read in the Bible.

Whereas “church” is something of a contrived word for us, it wasn’t that way in Bible times. It was a common word to refer to a gathering. In the New Testament book of Acts, we find the same word being used to describe a gathering of citizens in Ephesus. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, merely means assembly. It comes from two words meaning “called” and “out,” with the thought of people called out for a purpose.

So, in its truest sense, “church” merely refers to a group of people. That’s why the Bible often adds a descriptive, like “church of God” (Acts 20:28), “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16), or “church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23). These phrases aren’t used as names; they are merely descriptions of who the assembly belongs to.

In the end, the church is the group of people that belong to God. Other meanings may cloud our understanding, but we need to see that that’s what the church is. That’s why we can’t talk about loving God and not loving the church, or being a Christian but not being a member of the church. Those things make no sense. God called his people to be together, to be a part of something larger than themselves: the church.

If you’re not part of a gathering of Christians, I’d like to help you find a place to belong. Contact me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or click on “Contact Us” in the top menu and mark that you’d like help finding a church when you fill out the form.