Of Rats And Men…

I must say rats have to be one of the most misrepresented animals out there. Ever since I rescued a baby squirrel that fell out of a tree I have developed a great love for God’s creatures and I’ve prayed about what pet to get apart from a dog or cat. I ended up looking after a rabbit for while, no offence to rabbit lovers but I think they are the most boring and unrewarding things to look after. It is funny, on one hand, rabbits are so often portrayed as cuddly, affectionate, and fun when in reality they hate to be picked up and held, and all they do is poop and sleep. On the other hand everyone’s first reaction to a rat is utter disgust when in reality they are incredibly intelligent, clean, social and affectionate. When a lost person hears the word “Christianity”, the immediate thoughts and perceptions that enter into their minds are just as far off from the truth as the perceptions of the rat and rabbit. What saddens me is that any time Christianity makes the headlines in media, it is for all the wrong reasons. Everytime a Christian man or woman receives attention they are presented as someone who would  be too much even for the likes of the Jerry Springer Show. What is poorly portrayed is unfortunately what shapes people’s understanding of who Jesus is and what Christianity is about. What I often ask people though is if they watched one bad football game would they then conclude that the sport of football is terrible? Of course not! You cannot judge the sport of football based on how the game is played out by individuals, in the same way you cannot judge Christianity based on how it is played out by individuals, especially those that claim to be followers of Christ and use the banner of Christianity for their own selfish and personal gain.  Those that do this really aren’t ambassadors as the Bible has called us to be,

 “namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” -2 Corinthians 5:19-21

As though God were making an appeal through us, powerful words of Scripture, surely if it were as if God were making an appeal through us then our words, actions, and presentation to the world of what Christianity is about should be reflective of the truth as it is layed out in Scripture. Recently you may have heard about the pastor that made headlines with predicting the return of Christ and end of the world to be May 21 of this year, sadly but not surprisingly, it goes against what Scripture has clearly declared that no one knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36). The pastor went against the authority of the Bible and what God has made clear, giving a distorted presentation of God’s Word. “But that’s just a harmless prediction” some may say, but Jesus is quick to point out that our attitude toward little things will parrallel how we approach bigger things- it is a domino/snowball effect. What he has also done in his 15 minutes of worldwide fame is put Jesus and Christianity right there next to the tooth fairy and unicorns. Adding fuel to the never-ending fire of misunderstood Christianity. The hope however, is that while the Bible warns repeatedly against false teachers; against wolves that present themselves in sheeps clothing (Matthew 7:15), God also tells us in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) that the seed that falls on good soil goes on to produce up to a hundredfold; that as long as we pursue God and seek to live fruitful lives then the lost will be brought to Christ with a genuine portrayal of what Christianity is all about.

Think Why? Then How.

When looking at the Parable of the Sower -Luke 8:4-21, it is concerning to hear that many believers would identify with the third soil and not the fourth, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” -Lk 8:14-15. Listen to the imagery that Jesus uses, He doesn’t say that the person that identifies with the third soil does not bear fruit, but that their fruit does not mature. Fruit that does not mature is useless to eat, it doesn’t reach what it is supposed to be. Why is it that so many of us relate to this? How do we break free from the thorns and being choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life?

Going through the epistles of the New Testament, particularly the writings of Paul and Peter, we see a clear structure and flow in their letters to the churches. The first few chapters are always focusing on who Jesus is and what He saved us from. The hopelessness of the human condition-being slaves to sin but  God in His grace sent Jesus to die on the cross so that we would be redeemed and forgiven. The later chapters then jump into application and how we are to repsond to God’s grace and grow in our faith. How to pray, how to love, how to serve others, how to seek the will of God. The “how to’s” of the faith are clear and we all know how to go about doing these things but for some reason we struggle to, we struggle to spend time with God in prayer and reading His Word being more worried about the cares of the world. However if are to follow in the examples of the the Apostles and their writings, then we need to take note that the “how to’s” are always preceeded by the “whys.” We need to focus on why it is so important that we do these things- why should I spend time in the Word with God?, Why should I repent and confess my sins? Why should I go out and love on other people?

“And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” -Colossians 2:13

Do we realize that at one point we were treading a path toward an eternity separated from God, headed toward Hell, but God, being love, displayed that love in saving us through Christ? That is WHY we do the HOW’S. It gives us the zeal to follow through and produce the fruit of the fourth soil. Realizing the magnitude of the love of God and being so overwhelmed that we can’t help but to commit every ounce of our life to Him.

My prayer is that we would begin each day with dwelling on why we live for Christ- because He died so that we would live- it is that truth that transforms us in the fourth soil that produces fruit.

Everyone Did What Was Right In Their Own Eyes

Throughout the book of Judges we see a tragic time in Israel’s history where disorder, injustice, wickedness, idolatry was rampant among the people. The root of the problem is found within the recurring phrase throughout the book, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” -Judges 17:6.

It was time where there was no accountability, God’s objective truths and commandments became subjective and relative…the book of Judges was written over 3000 years ago; time has not changed anything, the human heart is just as wretched and rebellious today as it was then. People continue to do what is right in their own eyes- it is “my” way and “your” way,”my” truth and “your” truth,  “my” life and “your” life. But what does Jesus say?

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, noone come to the Father except through me.” -John 14:6

These words continue to be the most controversial words ever spoken, by the most controversial man who ever lived, a man who claimed to be God. C.S. Lewis’ came up with the well known Trilemma of Jesus being a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Those that say Jesus was not God and no more than a good man; a good teacher, would have to hold to shallow morals and ethic because they would be calling a liar a good man, ignoring all his claims to be God in human form. Others would put him in the lunatic box- that he was just a delusional madman, they would be ignorant to the prophesies of the Scriptures. However, if he isn’t a liar, or a lunatic, and he is really who he says he is, who Scripture says he is, then He is the Messiah, the Lord, the one that was promised by God ever since the fall of man. If His claims are true, which many have confidently come to believe, then His words can be trusted, when he declares that He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, we should whole-heartedly believe His words.

It is a declaration of objectivity in a continually subjective culture. A culture that says there are many ways to God, many different paths up the mountain. But as we look at society and culture today, we see the same things that plagued the people of Israel when they all did what was right in their own eyes. When there are on hundred different paths; there really is no path, when there are one hundred different directions, there really is no direction, when there are one hundred different truths, there really is no truth. Disorder, confusion, chaos, rebellion are the only things you can be sure of.

The good news is that there is one God, and he has revealed Himself clearly in the person of Jesus Christ, and we don’t have to try and figure out how to do things as we would see fit, we have been given the perfect example in Jesus and we are called to be imitators of Jesus, not followers of our own ways.

And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

The World’s Most Overpaid Athletes.

One of the largest sport contracts signed was between the New York Yankees and Alex Rodriguez, guaranteeing him at least 27.5 million dollars per year. Incredible. I’m sure the Yankees expect quite the performance from him. We all know what happens to players who don’t perform. When Forbes magazine puts together their Top 10 Overpaid Athletes list they compare the salary of the player with their statistics, which do not match up.

In the Parable of the Talents- Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus tells the story of a man who travels to a far country and leaves  his servants in charge of his possessions. To one he gives 5 talents/portions (a talent was an ancient unit of mass, used to measure gold, silver, goods, possesions), to another he gives 2 talents and to another he gave 1. In the long period of time that the man was away, the first servant doubles the 5 portions he was given, the second servant doing the same, doubling his 2 portions. However the third servant went and dug a hole and hid the man’s treasures. When the man finally returns he commends the two servants that doubled what they were left with, “Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” (25:21;23.) The attention is then upon the one that dug and hid the treasures; immediately he starts firing off excuses for his laziness and his unfaithfulness over what he was left with, “Lord I knew you to be a hard man…and I was afraid.” The man sees right through the servants lame excuses and calls him out for what he truly is, “You wicked and lazy servant.” The man points out that if the reasons and excuses the servant came up with were true, then he would have at least put the money with the bankers so that he would get some interest. The lazy servant is then cast away, whereas the other two enter into the joy of their lord.

In any field; sport, business, manufacturing, hospitatality. If expectations are not met, people will begin to call for the sack; your fellow workers, your customers, your paying fans want you out. Things are supposed to work according to how things are planned. God has left us with the greatest talent you could think of; salvation/redemption/forgiveness- Jesus Christ. Just as the servants multiplied the talents they were left with, Jesus has given all Christians this commandement, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” -Mark 16:15. We see the parrallel verse in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Our lives are to be a living billboard that is painted with the love of Christ, that is evident to the world and all the people that God has brought into our lives, bringing people to come to know this love. If you were to ask the people that are in your lives to describe you, would the love of Christ be in that description? Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” -Matthew 7:16-19

Are we like the first two servants that were able to double the talents that they were left with? Have we been able to pour out the love and blessings that have freely been given to us? Freely we have been given and so freely we should give! Or are we like the third servant that has taken the free gifts that God has blessed us with and dug a hole and burried it? Are our lives like the tree that bears good fruit or the tree that bears bad fruit?

Are we just another overpaid athlete? Look at all the gifts that God has given us, the greatest being salvation, listen to the words of Jesus who has called us to spread this love, calling people to repent from their old selfish ways and to turn to Him. I pray that we would not be overpaid athletes, but rather we would be one of those servants that will hear those beautiful words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Did You Forget To Leave A Tip?

I went and ate at a chinese buffet today. I love buffets, they are so cheap here compared to Australia. After I paid for my meal, I took the change and went over to leave the tip for the waitress, she was cleaning the table and said thanks as I left it on the table. It wasn’t until later that day when I went to pay for some groceries that I realized I was missing some money. Recounting the events of the day to figure out where it may have gone, I realized that when the cashier gave me a eleven dollars in change, I thought he had given me two one dollar bills and so I left that on the table as a tip. I chuckled to myself because I’m sure that surprised the waitress. The incident evoked some thoughts in my head regarding our relationship with God. Though I got some interesting reactions from others of sympathy and sadness about “losing” that money, I was reminded that nothing belongs to us. Nothing.

 Everything that is in our possession belongs to the Lord, gifts from God, and we are to be good stewards and be responsible over what God has given us- money, material possessions, clothes, a car, a house. If our own very lives belong to Christ then how can we think anything that is in our possession belongs to us? Paul reminds us, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” Though the context of this verse  in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 adresses specifically the issue of sexual immorality, it is an appropriate truth declaring to us that our lives do not belong to ourselves, and neither our possessions. One of the ideas of tithing is to acknowledge this truth, that God is our provider of all things, the tithe is to recognize this, that nothing belongs to us. So needless to say, I wasn’t saddened at all by my mistake in over-tipping the waitress. My unintentional grace was nothing compared to God’s intentional grace. That was my disappointment- I had not shared with her that the excessive tip I left was nothing compared to what Jesus Christ did for us.

While what I did was an accident, what Jesus did was completely intentional, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8. I know unlike Australia,  in America it is customary to tip- I left more than what was expected and deserved. Jesus did far greater than what was expected and deserved. If we were waiting on tables, an excess tip would certainly not be what we deserve considering the sins that we commit, we wouldn’t even deserve a standard tip, we wouldn’t even deserve to have a job!

But when we realize the mess we have made of our lives and we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, and we surrender our lives to God and take on the righteousness of Christ as He forgives our sin. God not only employs us (makes us ambassadors- the greatest job with the greatest Boss), He not only tips us with the joy that is inexpressible and peace that is beyond all understanding, but He goes beyond all expectation with the eternal security and confidence in knowing that we will see Him face to face and enjoy forever being in His presence. Believer, are you living in this peace and confidence. Do you realize that nothing belongs to you and that every resource God has put into your life is to be used for His glory? For those that are not believers, are you chasing after that excess tip from the world that just never comes? There is someone who has already tipped you in a way that simply cannot be measured, His name is Jesus Christ.

Southwestern Seminary: Testimony Video

I am blessed that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have put together a video on their website telling of how the grace of God can truly turn anyone’s life upside-down. Reminds us all of the importance of sharing the love of Christ.

http://www.swbts.edu/thai

Start Swinging That Sword Christian!!

The walk of the Christian is far from easy. Many of you will agree that the battle begins once you become a Christian, and the truth is while you are lost and not serving God, then Satan has no desire to mess with you- you are already where he wants you to be- lost. But the minute you become a child of God, the minute your life falls into the hands of Jesus, you become a servant of the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords and your life is pitted against the evil one. In as much as we are both body and soul, so too is there the visible and invisible element to life; the physical and spiritual, and the reality is, we are caught in a spiritual battle with those that are against God.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

This recognition of spirits and a spiritual realm is not confined to Christian circles either. This isn’t just a “weird” Christian thing. Ghosts? Aliens? Haunted Houses? Humans are intrigued by this unseen world because of the reality of its existence. How then as Christians are we to  live in light of this? Paul often uses athletic and physical analogies; to run the race, to fight the good fight,to wrestle, to box as one not beating the air, as a soldier of Christ. The Christian walk is played out on a battlefield and God has equipped us.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. -Ephesians 6:13-18

After everything is listed of, Paul calls us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Prayer is what binds together the armor of God and puts it all into action. Prayer is the spark that sets of the power of protection that God has given us. When difficulty and trials come, are we coming to God in prayer? And what does it mean to pray in the Spirit? We can see here that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, so to pray in the Spirit is to pray in the word of God, to pray through Scripture! There is incredible power in the word of God, 2 Timothy 3:16 describes the words of the Bible as the very breath of God. Hebrews 4:12 describes, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

I have no doubt that if you were walking down a dark alley, you would feel much safer and be more confident if you were carrying a sword….the word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword…and we wonder what should we do in times that we feel under spiritual attack? Start swinging that sword!!

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

I’ve been having an ongoing conversation with someone discussing the exclusivity of Jesus. This person has shared with me that they pray to Jesus but they also pray to Buddha. What’s wrong with this picture? I was able to explain to them that praying to Buddha is like trying to make a phonecall to a number that does not exist. Buddha was nothing more than a man with no authority or power over any aspect of life.

The act of prayer is a deeply spiritual connection with the God that has spoken the universe into existence. It is intimate communication with God; giving thanks for all the grace He continually pours into our lives, praising Him for His goodness, His power, His majesty, His holiness, His forgiveness. We come to God in prayer to rejoice with Him in the joys that He brings into our lives, to lay the sorrows and burdens of life at His feet, to ask for guidance through trials, to confess sins so that we may be cleansed from all unrighteousness, and to let our request be made known to Him.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

We pray to the God that declares,“For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.” -Psalm 50:10-12. We pray to the God that has placed the stars in the sky, that tells the wind which direction to blow in, that directs every aspect of the universe. That is why we have confidence that our prayers will be answered, becuase He is God. He created, He owns, He directs EVERYTHING. If you would like to borrow something from a friend, their car, or visit their home, you make the request toward your friend, you ask your friend because it is their car and their house and they have the authority to make it possible. God owns everything and only He has the authority to allow anything to happen. Praying to anyone else for anything is futile and useless.

 

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5

 

The only bridge that connects sinful man with holy God is Jesus Christ, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12. Forgiveness is what every human being is searching for- that emptyness and void within every person is the God-shaped hole that can only be filled by a relationship with Jesus, and one of the foundations of that relationship is our prayer, our communication with God.

 

For the believer, how often are we in prayer to God? If you want to get to know someone, what do you do? You communicate with them. If we want to deepen our relationship with God we have to be in constant communication with God- through prayer, and through reading and following His Word, the Bible. And keep in mind prayer is more than being on our knees to Him, the Bible says to pray continually- does that mean we must be on our knees continually? That would be impossible. To pray is to shut out all distractions, to set our mind and focus on Him, to think of God,  to communicate, to speak to Him- this is something that can and should be done continuously.

For those that are searching, are you asking things from someone, that cannot provide you with what you are looking for? Are you searching from somehwere that does not have the authority to give what it is you are seeking? Ask and seek from the one that has authority over everything; God, Jesus.

 

Relationships Continued…

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing 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. -Colossians 3:15-17

The next aspect we looked at in our Relationships/Connections series  was the idea of teaching and admonishing each other, as we have been called in one body. One thing that continues to amaze me as I travel around the world, is the unity of the body of believers in Christ. There is nothing more special than to be able to sing and hear “How Great is Our God” in ten different languages. This is part of what it means to be called in one body, and enjoying the peace that we have in Christ, letting that fill our hearts. Paul calls for accountability amongst the body of believers; to teach and admonish each other, to admonish means to counsel, to advise, to gently rebuke, or to reprove and to caution. If we are to function as one body, we need to make sure that one part of the body does not stumble or falter. Paul illustrates this point further in 1 Corinthians 15:25-26,

So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

But what is it that we are to teach and admonish each other with? “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.”  We are to meditate on the Word of God, it is to live in us and direct every part of our life. Any appliance or piece of equipment comes with an instruction manual explaining exactly how to operate the thing; the Bible is the inspired word of God that gives us instructions and explains everything we need to know about God and how we are to live for God.

When you are driving in your car and listening to your favourite music album or cd, how many songs do you know by heart? Compare that with the amount of Scripture verses you have memorized…if you are like me, this is the part where you feel conviction…you realize that there are song lyrics that dwell in you richly, but not the Word of Christ.

Let’s admonish one another to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, as we have been called in one body.

Relationships- Loving God, Loving Others.

Thank you to Pastor Dan and all those that were praying for me last weekend as I spoke for a D-Now youth event at Southside Baptist Church in Bowie, Texas. It was an incredible weekend spending time with a great bunch of young men and women deeply desiring to seek more of God and deepen their relationship with Him. Please join me in adding the youth group to your prayer list and pray that God would keep them from falling into the temptations of the world and that they would all develop into strong godly men and women.

The theme for the weekend was Connections/Relationships…

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Mt. 22:36-40.

Our upward relationship with God will dictate our outward relationships with everyone else. It is the foundation that holds together all of our other relationships- with our parents, with our brothers and sisters, with our friends, with our school-mates, with our work-mates, with all our mates! As with anything, there is a good way and bad way to go about doing things, a right way and a wrong way, and in all things we do as Christians, we want to do things Biblically! As the word of God calls us to do.

Much of our focus came from the book of Colossians which gives some very practical ways to approach relationships. The first evening we looked at some key words that came from Colossians 3:12-17…

 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

To bear with someone means to be humble, to realize that we have all fallen, that we are all imperfect and that we are all in the process of sanctification. That means I don’t immediate try and kick down the door of the bathroom when my room-mate is singing in the shower at 3am in the morning, I bear with it (though it does drive me crazy), I try and show him the same patience that God has shown all of us. True forgiveness comes with difficulty, it comes with confrontation. You cannot just go out to a friend and say “hey, I forgave you ten times today, you’re welcome.” They would respond with, what on earth did I do???” We need to step over the awkwardness and uncomfortableness of being confrontational- ever gone out to eat and found something stuck in your teeth? You walk around all day and speak to about 10 different people and it is not until you get home and look in the mirror that you see it, don’t you wish someone told you about it?! Of course. And so before we forgive one another we have to point out what areas we are forgiving them for, give them a chance to respond, and help point out areas in their life that they may want to focus on becoming more Christ-like about. Then to forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. How many time have you sinned today? Nobody wants to reveal that do they? Think then how often God has forgiven us, every single sin- in the same manner, we are to forgive others.

Blessings,

Thai Nguyen.