The wisest man in the world wrote that there is a season for everything under heaven. "A time to be born and a time to die..." This season of death has come upon my family. At the young age of 73, my dad's life is being snuffed out by asbestosis. This has been a shock to us, and at this point, has caused me to adjust my life a bit. There are still things I must to do keep EMM moving forward; but there are also some things that I can cut back on so I can spend more time in these final days and weeks with my mom and dad. Please pray for both of my parents. Each time hospice comes to their home, they seem to increase my dad's medications, which means he is deteriorating.
For the time being, I will put my devotionals on hold since I will not have a computer with me while visiting my dad. Some have suggested that I take a laptop computer along so that I can write and do other things, but I prefer not to own a laptop. So please forgive me for the break in the devotional schedule. I will get back to it as soon as I can. I do enjoy looking at I John with you, and many of the comments I have read from our readers have been quite rewarding.
Today I am leaving for Peru, along with my son, Ben, and Gary Losey our Festival Director. This will be our last trip before the festival that takes place the end of May. I will be teaching the Christians there on relational evangelism, as well as doing media interviews and speaking with the pastors. Gary will be training the counselors that we will use for all of our events. They are the ones who will pray with those who want to trust in Christ. He will also have numerous committee meetings covering more details than I could ever keep up with. Ben will be going over the many details of our daily ministries and making sure that everything is ready for the 25 team members that will be serving with us. He will be visiting each location for our eye-glass, medical, and dental clinics. It's an important final trip for all three of us and I would so appreciate your prayers. With my dad not doing well, I am finding it a bit difficult right now to concentrate fully on ministry, but I know the Lord will give me grace.
We are also in need of about $6,500 for de-worming medicine for the children and other humanitarian works we are planning to do in Peru. If you feel like you can help or make our need known to others, that would be so appreciated. We know from our past ministry in Peru how much these medicines bring relief to the children and open doors for the Gospel!
Thank you for your prayers during this difficult time. I know that they are making a difference and will continue to do so.
Peace to you,
Dan
P.S. Come visit us on Facebook for the latest on EMM!
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Unity
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:20-23
One of my favorite jokes is of the man who had been shipwrecked on a deserted island. After years of living alone he was finally rescued. One of his rescuers noticed three huts and asked the man what the three huts were for. He replied that the first hut was his home, the second hut was his church, and the third hut was the church he used to go to!
Ah yes, unity is such a dilemma for us. We know that Jesus spoke clearly regarding the subject of unity, but it seems that many times we are so far from His matrix for us. As a very young man coming to the Lord in a separatist kind of church, I did not think much about unity. I was told that we were right and everyone else was wrong and was in danger of going to hell. That made life easy for me, as I could just believe that my own small world was the only way and in it I could feel safe and secure.
As years went by and I started to travel and started working across denominational lines, my world was turned upside down on more than one occasion. Not only did I find people who passionately loved the Lord and lived out their faith in other denominations, but they actually had better arguments for things that my denomination said were wrong. It was unsettling to see that each denomination could argue the finer points of their doctrine from Scripture; once you come to Scripture with a certain bias, then you could make it say just about anything. Each denomination also had its own scholars and universities.
So, in this world in which we live where there have been some 25,000 denominations started since the Reformation, how do we deal with unity? There are those who, like the first church I attended, do not want unity at all. Their minds are made up and everyone else is wrong and they are right. I still come across that type of attitude, but I must say that it is much less than it used to be. Most of the people and churches I get to associate with know that we need to come together in this wicked world and focus on what truly matters so that the world can hear the Easter story.
The Apostle John is dealing with this issue of heresies and schisms and of new churches being planted that went beyond the bounds of apostolic teaching. John calls these leaders the antichrists because they truly delivered a message that was against Christ and His teaching. John gives us the one true way to spot those who are not a part of God’s eternal family; they are the ones who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
John words are quite clear, “No one who denies the Son has the Father.”
On Easter Sunday we read the Apostles Creed in unison at our church. I have no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of churches in our little town would agree with that ancient creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
and on the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
In my early years of working on citywide crusades and festivals with Luis Palau, I discovered a new source of joy. In the inviting city, an organizing committee would be formed, made up of business people and pastors. Often, these pastors had never really worked together before and so they came to the first meetings with suspicions and biases. Over the yearlong process, and culminating in the salvation of many people at the festival, the pastors changed.
There was no greater joy for me than to hear ministers from the Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel, Assembly of God, Lutheran, Christian, Church of God, Christian Missionary Alliance, Covenant, Bible, Independent, Evangelical Free, and scores of others confess that they had no idea how much they had in common with the other pastors. It was a little taste of heaven on earth as these ministers came together with the common goal of lifting up Christ.
That is what we do through Eternity Minded Ministries! We not only bless the poor and preach the Good News of Easter, but we are used of the Lord to bring unity amongst the pastors! I love it. It’s a glorious day when a pastor like me can say to a pastor of another denomination, “Oh my, I was wrong about you, forgive me.” And we see it happen all the time.
We need all who name the Name of Christ to unify together against the spirit of this world! That is where the real battle should be.
With eternity in mind,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
One of my favorite jokes is of the man who had been shipwrecked on a deserted island. After years of living alone he was finally rescued. One of his rescuers noticed three huts and asked the man what the three huts were for. He replied that the first hut was his home, the second hut was his church, and the third hut was the church he used to go to!
Ah yes, unity is such a dilemma for us. We know that Jesus spoke clearly regarding the subject of unity, but it seems that many times we are so far from His matrix for us. As a very young man coming to the Lord in a separatist kind of church, I did not think much about unity. I was told that we were right and everyone else was wrong and was in danger of going to hell. That made life easy for me, as I could just believe that my own small world was the only way and in it I could feel safe and secure.
As years went by and I started to travel and started working across denominational lines, my world was turned upside down on more than one occasion. Not only did I find people who passionately loved the Lord and lived out their faith in other denominations, but they actually had better arguments for things that my denomination said were wrong. It was unsettling to see that each denomination could argue the finer points of their doctrine from Scripture; once you come to Scripture with a certain bias, then you could make it say just about anything. Each denomination also had its own scholars and universities.
So, in this world in which we live where there have been some 25,000 denominations started since the Reformation, how do we deal with unity? There are those who, like the first church I attended, do not want unity at all. Their minds are made up and everyone else is wrong and they are right. I still come across that type of attitude, but I must say that it is much less than it used to be. Most of the people and churches I get to associate with know that we need to come together in this wicked world and focus on what truly matters so that the world can hear the Easter story.
The Apostle John is dealing with this issue of heresies and schisms and of new churches being planted that went beyond the bounds of apostolic teaching. John calls these leaders the antichrists because they truly delivered a message that was against Christ and His teaching. John gives us the one true way to spot those who are not a part of God’s eternal family; they are the ones who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
John words are quite clear, “No one who denies the Son has the Father.”
On Easter Sunday we read the Apostles Creed in unison at our church. I have no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of churches in our little town would agree with that ancient creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
and on the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
In my early years of working on citywide crusades and festivals with Luis Palau, I discovered a new source of joy. In the inviting city, an organizing committee would be formed, made up of business people and pastors. Often, these pastors had never really worked together before and so they came to the first meetings with suspicions and biases. Over the yearlong process, and culminating in the salvation of many people at the festival, the pastors changed.
There was no greater joy for me than to hear ministers from the Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel, Assembly of God, Lutheran, Christian, Church of God, Christian Missionary Alliance, Covenant, Bible, Independent, Evangelical Free, and scores of others confess that they had no idea how much they had in common with the other pastors. It was a little taste of heaven on earth as these ministers came together with the common goal of lifting up Christ.
That is what we do through Eternity Minded Ministries! We not only bless the poor and preach the Good News of Easter, but we are used of the Lord to bring unity amongst the pastors! I love it. It’s a glorious day when a pastor like me can say to a pastor of another denomination, “Oh my, I was wrong about you, forgive me.” And we see it happen all the time.
We need all who name the Name of Christ to unify together against the spirit of this world! That is where the real battle should be.
With eternity in mind,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, March 29, 2010
Celebrating Holy Week
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." I John 2:19
To Christians throughout the world, this week is known as Holy Week. Holy Week lasts from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Since the early church, Holy Week has been the most celebrated time on the Christian calendar. In fact, one can read church history and find that many of the events of Holy Week were being celebrated by the second century. By the fourth century, the week as we know it was certainly defined.
The church has always taught that Holy Week is a time of self reflection, repentance, and renewal in light of the Passion of Christ. It's unfortunate that we have lost much of the solemnity of the week that from earliest days included fasting, prayer, and confession. We tend to want to celebrate without dealing with our own short comings and sin. As Protestants, I know that we may have a resistance to this because it sounds like something from the Catholic Church; yet, history does not lie and to this day, for the most part, they make much more out of Holy Week than we do. (Since writing this I discovered an article in 'Christianity Today' written by Ted Olsen that validates this point.)
John may not have used the words 'Holy Week', but he knew these to be important days. The most important day of the church calendar has always been Resurrection Sunday. God came to earth in the form of a man, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead in order to restore our relationship with the Father. That is the message of Christ and the cross.
Even from the earliest days there were those who tried to deceive the 'sheep' by teaching things contrary to what the apostles had taught. In today's passage John clearly tells his readers that there were anti-christs that started with the church and then broke away. They were, as Jesus would call them, wolves in sheep's clothing. John said they were recognizable by the very fact that they split off from the church to teach a doctrine that was unfamiliar to the church at that time.
As early as the beginning of the second century there were major heresies that were being taught and they had to do with the all important nature of Christ. There were the Docetists who denied the reality of Christ's humanity, the Cerinthians who taught that Jesus was anointed with divinity for a period of time but was not God, and the Gnostics who were a thorn in the church's side for centuries. These people started in the church and left; thus, John calls them anti-christs. They never went away quietly; they always took others with them.
This is the greatest time of the year to ask ourselves these questions: "What do I really believe about Christ?" "Was He truly God in flesh and blood or was He just a good teacher and a moral man?" "What difference does His life and death make in my life and death?" "Do I really follow Him as my Lord or, like so many others, have I not remained?"
As C.S. Lewis wrote regarding the resurrection, "If the thing happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth." It stands to reason, then, that it would be central in my life as well. The resurrection of Christ means that He is alive and, since He is alive and is truly God, then I am accountable to Him. I can worship Him, revere Him, honor Him, and love Him, but I must also trust and obey Him. Easter is not just a nice time for a new dress, an Easter egg hunt, or a family dinner. No, it should be a time for deep reflection of my response to His great love for me!
Augustine put it well:
To my God a heart of flame;
To my fellow man a heart of love;
To myself a heart of steel.
During Holy Week we should examine our hearts in relationship to God, our fellow man, and ourselves. Celebrate Holy Week to the fullest and praise God for sending His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
A Holy Easter to You,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
To Christians throughout the world, this week is known as Holy Week. Holy Week lasts from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Since the early church, Holy Week has been the most celebrated time on the Christian calendar. In fact, one can read church history and find that many of the events of Holy Week were being celebrated by the second century. By the fourth century, the week as we know it was certainly defined.
The church has always taught that Holy Week is a time of self reflection, repentance, and renewal in light of the Passion of Christ. It's unfortunate that we have lost much of the solemnity of the week that from earliest days included fasting, prayer, and confession. We tend to want to celebrate without dealing with our own short comings and sin. As Protestants, I know that we may have a resistance to this because it sounds like something from the Catholic Church; yet, history does not lie and to this day, for the most part, they make much more out of Holy Week than we do. (Since writing this I discovered an article in 'Christianity Today' written by Ted Olsen that validates this point.)
John may not have used the words 'Holy Week', but he knew these to be important days. The most important day of the church calendar has always been Resurrection Sunday. God came to earth in the form of a man, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the dead in order to restore our relationship with the Father. That is the message of Christ and the cross.
Even from the earliest days there were those who tried to deceive the 'sheep' by teaching things contrary to what the apostles had taught. In today's passage John clearly tells his readers that there were anti-christs that started with the church and then broke away. They were, as Jesus would call them, wolves in sheep's clothing. John said they were recognizable by the very fact that they split off from the church to teach a doctrine that was unfamiliar to the church at that time.
As early as the beginning of the second century there were major heresies that were being taught and they had to do with the all important nature of Christ. There were the Docetists who denied the reality of Christ's humanity, the Cerinthians who taught that Jesus was anointed with divinity for a period of time but was not God, and the Gnostics who were a thorn in the church's side for centuries. These people started in the church and left; thus, John calls them anti-christs. They never went away quietly; they always took others with them.
This is the greatest time of the year to ask ourselves these questions: "What do I really believe about Christ?" "Was He truly God in flesh and blood or was He just a good teacher and a moral man?" "What difference does His life and death make in my life and death?" "Do I really follow Him as my Lord or, like so many others, have I not remained?"
As C.S. Lewis wrote regarding the resurrection, "If the thing happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth." It stands to reason, then, that it would be central in my life as well. The resurrection of Christ means that He is alive and, since He is alive and is truly God, then I am accountable to Him. I can worship Him, revere Him, honor Him, and love Him, but I must also trust and obey Him. Easter is not just a nice time for a new dress, an Easter egg hunt, or a family dinner. No, it should be a time for deep reflection of my response to His great love for me!
Augustine put it well:
To my God a heart of flame;
To my fellow man a heart of love;
To myself a heart of steel.
During Holy Week we should examine our hearts in relationship to God, our fellow man, and ourselves. Celebrate Holy Week to the fullest and praise God for sending His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
A Holy Easter to You,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, March 15, 2010
IT’S THE LAST HOUR - DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?
“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” 1 John 2:18
The movie “2012” is now out on DVD. No, I am not going to watch it or buy it. In spite of all the hype on television, I thought it was interesting that the movie did not last long in the theaters. Perhaps it’s because we have heard these ‘end of the world’ stories before.
In the short span of my life, there have been numerous times that I have heard people say the world was coming to an end. Even now, there are prophecy preachers, most notably with their own television shows, also predicting the end of the world in “2012”. They are selling tons of materials, books, DVD’s, and CD’s just like they have been doing for decades. I have no doubt that the world as we know it could come to an end in 2012; but it could also come to an end this year or 200 years from now.
One of the great pleasures of reading history, and more specifically church history, is that one can see how each generation felt like theirs was the last. Even the disciples, who knew Christ better than anyone else on earth, thought that He meant He was coming back in their life time. There have always been Christians whose lives were so persecuted that they knew the return of Christ must be just around the corner.
One thing we do know is that we are in the last age in regards to salvation history. We are now awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. If you think like I do, then you are probably wondering what is taking the Lord so long in light of the chaos in our world. Our world systems are just not working and we need Christ the King! I am reminded of the words of St. Augustine when he wrote, “It is the last hour. It may be an extended one but it is the last hour.”
John had already felt the barbs of persecution as he had been exiled, but not before seeing (or at least hearing of) his friends and fellow disciples killed for their faith. Surely Christ was coming back soon, so he writes, “Dear children this is the last hour…” But alas, it’s been 2,000 years and we still eagerly await His return. Or do we?
When it comes to prophecy and those who teach it, especially those that are profiting by it, I know that I battle cynicism. One guy says this and another says that. Who can you believe? I could well infuriate some folks with this statement, but I think most prophecy conferences are more about entertainment. The men that I heard speak on this subject as a young man would have been stoned already (an Old Testament practice), since they have proven themselves to be false prophets by not getting Christ’s return right. The Lord’s return is not something to make money on or the means to draw a crowd; it’s much, much deeper than that.
By reading through the ages of church history, one can see that whenever there were great persecutions and it felt like the end was near, the Christians focused on two things: personal holiness and the spreading of the Gospel. There were no prophecy conferences during the reign and persecution of Nero or Diocletian; but there was Christianity in its highest form. Even in the reign of terror, people were coming to Christ as they were attracted to the holiness of the Christians.
In 150 A.D. Justin wrote, “He [Christ] has not wished us to imitate the wicked, but rather by our patience and meekness to draw all men from shame and evil desires. This we can show in the case of men who were once on your side but have turned from the ways of violence and tyranny, overcome by observing the consistent lives of their neighbors, or noting the strange patience of their injured acquaintances, or experiencing the way they did business with them.” Justin makes it clear that the Christ-like behavior of the Christians had an evangelistic impact on those outside the church.
I doubt that many of us wake up each morning with the thought that Christ could return today! How would that impact our thoughts and behavior? I would dare to say that we would make a few changes if we got into the habit of sipping that first cup of morning coffee and saying, “This could be the day!”
J.C. Ryle was the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool. I believe it was in 1879 that he wrote a masterpiece called Holiness. He stated that, “Sound Protestant and Evangelical doctrine is useless if it is not accomplished by a holy life.” This makes me think of one prophecy speaker that is now on his fourth or fifth wife! Holiness?! What difference does it make if I am pre-this or post-that if I do not live the life Christ indwelt me for?
Bishop Ryle writes in his book, “True holiness does not consist merely of believing and feeling, but of doing and bearing, and a practical exhibition of active and passive grace.” This comes from what is inside our hearts. Francis of Assisi reminds us, “A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but do nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with no desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit.”
Looking for the return of Christ should be something in our hearts, just like that of the mother who looks for her son to return from war. We should long for our heavenly home as much as we long to return home after a journey. And in our waiting and longing, we should be filled with the desire to be holy, to be Christ-like in our thoughts, affections, and behavior.
With eternity in mind,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
The movie “2012” is now out on DVD. No, I am not going to watch it or buy it. In spite of all the hype on television, I thought it was interesting that the movie did not last long in the theaters. Perhaps it’s because we have heard these ‘end of the world’ stories before.
In the short span of my life, there have been numerous times that I have heard people say the world was coming to an end. Even now, there are prophecy preachers, most notably with their own television shows, also predicting the end of the world in “2012”. They are selling tons of materials, books, DVD’s, and CD’s just like they have been doing for decades. I have no doubt that the world as we know it could come to an end in 2012; but it could also come to an end this year or 200 years from now.
One of the great pleasures of reading history, and more specifically church history, is that one can see how each generation felt like theirs was the last. Even the disciples, who knew Christ better than anyone else on earth, thought that He meant He was coming back in their life time. There have always been Christians whose lives were so persecuted that they knew the return of Christ must be just around the corner.
One thing we do know is that we are in the last age in regards to salvation history. We are now awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. If you think like I do, then you are probably wondering what is taking the Lord so long in light of the chaos in our world. Our world systems are just not working and we need Christ the King! I am reminded of the words of St. Augustine when he wrote, “It is the last hour. It may be an extended one but it is the last hour.”
John had already felt the barbs of persecution as he had been exiled, but not before seeing (or at least hearing of) his friends and fellow disciples killed for their faith. Surely Christ was coming back soon, so he writes, “Dear children this is the last hour…” But alas, it’s been 2,000 years and we still eagerly await His return. Or do we?
When it comes to prophecy and those who teach it, especially those that are profiting by it, I know that I battle cynicism. One guy says this and another says that. Who can you believe? I could well infuriate some folks with this statement, but I think most prophecy conferences are more about entertainment. The men that I heard speak on this subject as a young man would have been stoned already (an Old Testament practice), since they have proven themselves to be false prophets by not getting Christ’s return right. The Lord’s return is not something to make money on or the means to draw a crowd; it’s much, much deeper than that.
By reading through the ages of church history, one can see that whenever there were great persecutions and it felt like the end was near, the Christians focused on two things: personal holiness and the spreading of the Gospel. There were no prophecy conferences during the reign and persecution of Nero or Diocletian; but there was Christianity in its highest form. Even in the reign of terror, people were coming to Christ as they were attracted to the holiness of the Christians.
In 150 A.D. Justin wrote, “He [Christ] has not wished us to imitate the wicked, but rather by our patience and meekness to draw all men from shame and evil desires. This we can show in the case of men who were once on your side but have turned from the ways of violence and tyranny, overcome by observing the consistent lives of their neighbors, or noting the strange patience of their injured acquaintances, or experiencing the way they did business with them.” Justin makes it clear that the Christ-like behavior of the Christians had an evangelistic impact on those outside the church.
I doubt that many of us wake up each morning with the thought that Christ could return today! How would that impact our thoughts and behavior? I would dare to say that we would make a few changes if we got into the habit of sipping that first cup of morning coffee and saying, “This could be the day!”
J.C. Ryle was the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool. I believe it was in 1879 that he wrote a masterpiece called Holiness. He stated that, “Sound Protestant and Evangelical doctrine is useless if it is not accomplished by a holy life.” This makes me think of one prophecy speaker that is now on his fourth or fifth wife! Holiness?! What difference does it make if I am pre-this or post-that if I do not live the life Christ indwelt me for?
Bishop Ryle writes in his book, “True holiness does not consist merely of believing and feeling, but of doing and bearing, and a practical exhibition of active and passive grace.” This comes from what is inside our hearts. Francis of Assisi reminds us, “A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but do nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with no desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit.”
Looking for the return of Christ should be something in our hearts, just like that of the mother who looks for her son to return from war. We should long for our heavenly home as much as we long to return home after a journey. And in our waiting and longing, we should be filled with the desire to be holy, to be Christ-like in our thoughts, affections, and behavior.
With eternity in mind,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, March 1, 2010
Only in His Power
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” I John 2:15-17
These verses are like old friends to me. They have been in and around my life since I first started going to church as a teenager. Whenever I read these verses I am made to pause and to reflect. Yes, I am made to evaluate my affections.
So what do these verses really mean? Is it wrong to enjoy life? Is it sinful to own a car or a home, or to enjoy a family vacation? Well, the answer to those questions is both yes and no. I think most of us already know that intuitively.
The word ‘world’ is used in the true sense here as an enemy of God. It includes everything that is opposed to God. We are not talking about the created world - the flowers, the birds, and the sea; we are talking about the man-made systems of this world. We are talking about man-made comforts, distractions, and sins that turn the heart away from the Father. Jesus said quite clearly, “Man cannot serve two masters” and John brings that teaching into focus in the verses above.
John is telling us that the real Christian will be aware of the triune assault that seeks to destroy our relationship with the Father. From the beginning of time, every generation has had to battle these enemies or be taken captive by them.
1. The lust of the flesh. We are being assaulted every day by the lust for things that bring pleasure to the flesh. We often think of this in terms of sensual enticements, but this word goes far beyond that. The lust of the flesh is anything that brings a disordered amount of pleasure to the flesh. It can be sexual, it can be eating, it can be laziness, it can be a shortcut; it can be anything that is motivated by selfishness that brings us pleasure.
2. The lust of the eyes. We are bombarded almost every minute of the day by advertisements, things that we are told we need. If we are not careful, we begin to believe that we not only need these things, but we are entitled to them. Our eyes tell us that we need something new, even though the old is not worn out. Our eyes tell us to be discontent until we are satisfied with that shiny new thing.
3. The pride of life. We are assailed by feelings of pride when we attain the lust of the flesh and the lust of eyes. We are proud of what we have done and what we have acquired. The pride of life is not meant here as a passing thought, but as a state of general conceit. As one sets himself up as the center of his universe without love for anyone but himself, this sin is the grossest of them all.
Each and every day we are threatened by these three enemies. We are pushed to be consumed by everything that is either against God, or just slowly pushes Him away. God made the world, and we often turn our backs on Him to pursue those very things that are against Him.
The heart is very deceitful and only the Holy Spirit can steer us clear of being just another consumer living on planet earth. Only in His power can we use self control to say ‘no’ to ourselves and to the world that wants to enslave us. I am always amazed by the double talk of our worldly system. We have commercials that help us with credit card debt while at the same time we have commercials that tell us how we should use credit cards because we deserve to buy something that makes us feel good. We hear news stories of people of notoriety having marriage or sexual problems; yet, the world promotes infidelity non-stop through the media and makes it seem as normal as ordering at McDonalds. Only the Spirit of God can break through all of this to help us see the lies, the danger, the prison, and the whole world matrix that would like to destroy us.
Gregory was born in Rome to wealthy parents in 540 A.D. He was of the privileged class and his future was bright. Gregory, however, chose a different path and renounced wealth and class and became a minister instead. Familiar with the three temptations we have looked at, he disciplined his life in such a way that he could continually defeat them. Here are the words of Gregory as he wrote to his people regarding the things of this world:
“I would like to urge you to forsake everything, but that I do not presume to do. Yet, if you cannot give up everything of this world, at least keep what belongs to the world in such a way that you yourself are not kept prisoner by the world. Whatever you possess must not possess you; whatever you own must be under the power of your soul; for if your soul is overpowered by the love of this world’s goods, it will be totally at the mercy of its possessions. In other words, we make use of temporal things, but our hearts are set on what is eternal. Temporal goods help us on our way, but our desire must be for those eternal realities which are our goal.”
May the eyes of our soul not grow dull by the power of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Let us embrace the Father to a much greater degree than we embrace this world!
Running Towards the Father,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
These verses are like old friends to me. They have been in and around my life since I first started going to church as a teenager. Whenever I read these verses I am made to pause and to reflect. Yes, I am made to evaluate my affections.
So what do these verses really mean? Is it wrong to enjoy life? Is it sinful to own a car or a home, or to enjoy a family vacation? Well, the answer to those questions is both yes and no. I think most of us already know that intuitively.
The word ‘world’ is used in the true sense here as an enemy of God. It includes everything that is opposed to God. We are not talking about the created world - the flowers, the birds, and the sea; we are talking about the man-made systems of this world. We are talking about man-made comforts, distractions, and sins that turn the heart away from the Father. Jesus said quite clearly, “Man cannot serve two masters” and John brings that teaching into focus in the verses above.
John is telling us that the real Christian will be aware of the triune assault that seeks to destroy our relationship with the Father. From the beginning of time, every generation has had to battle these enemies or be taken captive by them.
1. The lust of the flesh. We are being assaulted every day by the lust for things that bring pleasure to the flesh. We often think of this in terms of sensual enticements, but this word goes far beyond that. The lust of the flesh is anything that brings a disordered amount of pleasure to the flesh. It can be sexual, it can be eating, it can be laziness, it can be a shortcut; it can be anything that is motivated by selfishness that brings us pleasure.
2. The lust of the eyes. We are bombarded almost every minute of the day by advertisements, things that we are told we need. If we are not careful, we begin to believe that we not only need these things, but we are entitled to them. Our eyes tell us that we need something new, even though the old is not worn out. Our eyes tell us to be discontent until we are satisfied with that shiny new thing.
3. The pride of life. We are assailed by feelings of pride when we attain the lust of the flesh and the lust of eyes. We are proud of what we have done and what we have acquired. The pride of life is not meant here as a passing thought, but as a state of general conceit. As one sets himself up as the center of his universe without love for anyone but himself, this sin is the grossest of them all.
Each and every day we are threatened by these three enemies. We are pushed to be consumed by everything that is either against God, or just slowly pushes Him away. God made the world, and we often turn our backs on Him to pursue those very things that are against Him.
The heart is very deceitful and only the Holy Spirit can steer us clear of being just another consumer living on planet earth. Only in His power can we use self control to say ‘no’ to ourselves and to the world that wants to enslave us. I am always amazed by the double talk of our worldly system. We have commercials that help us with credit card debt while at the same time we have commercials that tell us how we should use credit cards because we deserve to buy something that makes us feel good. We hear news stories of people of notoriety having marriage or sexual problems; yet, the world promotes infidelity non-stop through the media and makes it seem as normal as ordering at McDonalds. Only the Spirit of God can break through all of this to help us see the lies, the danger, the prison, and the whole world matrix that would like to destroy us.
Gregory was born in Rome to wealthy parents in 540 A.D. He was of the privileged class and his future was bright. Gregory, however, chose a different path and renounced wealth and class and became a minister instead. Familiar with the three temptations we have looked at, he disciplined his life in such a way that he could continually defeat them. Here are the words of Gregory as he wrote to his people regarding the things of this world:
“I would like to urge you to forsake everything, but that I do not presume to do. Yet, if you cannot give up everything of this world, at least keep what belongs to the world in such a way that you yourself are not kept prisoner by the world. Whatever you possess must not possess you; whatever you own must be under the power of your soul; for if your soul is overpowered by the love of this world’s goods, it will be totally at the mercy of its possessions. In other words, we make use of temporal things, but our hearts are set on what is eternal. Temporal goods help us on our way, but our desire must be for those eternal realities which are our goal.”
May the eyes of our soul not grow dull by the power of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Let us embrace the Father to a much greater degree than we embrace this world!
Running Towards the Father,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, February 15, 2010
Keep Moving Forward
I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one." 1 John 2:12-14
The USA Today Ad Meter ranked the Betty White Snickers commercial as #1 out of 60 or more Super Bowl commercials. As one of the Ad Meter panelists said, "Betty White is iconic". By this statement we refer to the definition of 'icon' as "an important and enduring symbol". Yes, Betty White is certainly that.
I confess that seeing Betty White in that commercial not only made me laugh, but also made me think of all the places I have seen her on television through the years. It made me realize, once more, that I am getting older and that causes me to stop and reflect.
The question we must ask is this: In spending all this time here on earth have we grown at all? We often hear the expression regarding men, "Oh he is just a big kid!" There is truth in that for most of us, but have we matured along the way? In this most fascinating passage of Scripture we quickly find that John deals with three classes of people. There are many thoughts as to what he meant, but the one thing we can be sure of is that he was writing to different levels of maturity.
As a 'child' we know that our sins are forgiven. As a young 'man' ('woman') we know that we can overcome the world. And as a 'father' ('mother') we know that deep knowledge of God is the greatest joy. These are levels of maturity not actual ages. John is letting us know that there is expected growth in the Christian life. One cannot just rest on the knowledge that Christ died for our sins. We must keep moving forward. We must beat back the evil one and we must come to the place where knowing God is more important than anything this crazy world has to offer, including a Super Bowl trophy.
I have always been challenged by John's use of the word 'know' because it means more than simply head knowledge. John uses that word frequently in this letter and in his Gospel. The word means to know something by experience! That is so convicting to me. There is no knowing of God without doing something, without taking action, without disciplines.
A while back I bought a prayer guide called, 'The Liturgy of the Hours'. I had heard of it for some time but never really knew much about it. I knew that many of the 'high church' denominations such as the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, and Orthodox use it, but it was unfamiliar in my world. I noticed as I sat down to read it that it was based on the Jewish times of prayer for each day; there were morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and nightly prayers. I soon realized that my level of discipline was not going to allow me to start by doing all of it initially, so I started with two and then quickly moved on to three.
It was the discipline of that prayer guide that I needed. I needed help. I needed to be able to hold on to something in prayer. I needed to be able to see where I had been. Yes, I needed the discipline but there was something else calling to me. It was the knowledge that I needed to move forward in the area of prayer in my own life. Jesus is my Savior and I know that by walking in the Spirit, I can defeat the devil and the world as John wrote; but I sensed the need to get better acquainted with the Father.
A.W. Tozer (yes, he is one of my favorite 20th century people) grabbed my attention with these words on spiritual growth:
"How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of 'accepting' Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need to no more seek Him. The experiential heart-theology of a grand army of fragrant saints is rejected in favor of a smug interpretation of Scripture which would certainly have sounded strange to an Augustine, a Rutherford or a Brainard."
To follow up these words of Tozer, let's see what St. Augustine wrote concerning growth and maturity some 1400 years earlier than Tozer's writings:
"If you are pleased with what you are, you have stopped already. If you say, 'It is enough', you are lost. Keep on walking, moving forward, trying for the goal. Don't try to stop on the way, or to go back, or to deviate from it."
The Apostle John, along with these two giants, reminds us that just as we mature in age, we must continue to mature in Christ. We must move from childhood through adolescence to become grown men and women who know God experientially. We cannot stand still or we will begin to slide backwards. As John Henry Newman wrote in the 1800's: "Growth is the only evidence of life".
Your hair may be turning grayer and the wrinkles are more pronounced, but are you growing more comfortable with the reality that to know God is more important than anything else this side of eternity?
Moving ahead,
Dan
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
The USA Today Ad Meter ranked the Betty White Snickers commercial as #1 out of 60 or more Super Bowl commercials. As one of the Ad Meter panelists said, "Betty White is iconic". By this statement we refer to the definition of 'icon' as "an important and enduring symbol". Yes, Betty White is certainly that.
I confess that seeing Betty White in that commercial not only made me laugh, but also made me think of all the places I have seen her on television through the years. It made me realize, once more, that I am getting older and that causes me to stop and reflect.
The question we must ask is this: In spending all this time here on earth have we grown at all? We often hear the expression regarding men, "Oh he is just a big kid!" There is truth in that for most of us, but have we matured along the way? In this most fascinating passage of Scripture we quickly find that John deals with three classes of people. There are many thoughts as to what he meant, but the one thing we can be sure of is that he was writing to different levels of maturity.
As a 'child' we know that our sins are forgiven. As a young 'man' ('woman') we know that we can overcome the world. And as a 'father' ('mother') we know that deep knowledge of God is the greatest joy. These are levels of maturity not actual ages. John is letting us know that there is expected growth in the Christian life. One cannot just rest on the knowledge that Christ died for our sins. We must keep moving forward. We must beat back the evil one and we must come to the place where knowing God is more important than anything this crazy world has to offer, including a Super Bowl trophy.
I have always been challenged by John's use of the word 'know' because it means more than simply head knowledge. John uses that word frequently in this letter and in his Gospel. The word means to know something by experience! That is so convicting to me. There is no knowing of God without doing something, without taking action, without disciplines.
A while back I bought a prayer guide called, 'The Liturgy of the Hours'. I had heard of it for some time but never really knew much about it. I knew that many of the 'high church' denominations such as the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, and Orthodox use it, but it was unfamiliar in my world. I noticed as I sat down to read it that it was based on the Jewish times of prayer for each day; there were morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and nightly prayers. I soon realized that my level of discipline was not going to allow me to start by doing all of it initially, so I started with two and then quickly moved on to three.
It was the discipline of that prayer guide that I needed. I needed help. I needed to be able to hold on to something in prayer. I needed to be able to see where I had been. Yes, I needed the discipline but there was something else calling to me. It was the knowledge that I needed to move forward in the area of prayer in my own life. Jesus is my Savior and I know that by walking in the Spirit, I can defeat the devil and the world as John wrote; but I sensed the need to get better acquainted with the Father.
A.W. Tozer (yes, he is one of my favorite 20th century people) grabbed my attention with these words on spiritual growth:
"How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of 'accepting' Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need to no more seek Him. The experiential heart-theology of a grand army of fragrant saints is rejected in favor of a smug interpretation of Scripture which would certainly have sounded strange to an Augustine, a Rutherford or a Brainard."
To follow up these words of Tozer, let's see what St. Augustine wrote concerning growth and maturity some 1400 years earlier than Tozer's writings:
"If you are pleased with what you are, you have stopped already. If you say, 'It is enough', you are lost. Keep on walking, moving forward, trying for the goal. Don't try to stop on the way, or to go back, or to deviate from it."
The Apostle John, along with these two giants, reminds us that just as we mature in age, we must continue to mature in Christ. We must move from childhood through adolescence to become grown men and women who know God experientially. We cannot stand still or we will begin to slide backwards. As John Henry Newman wrote in the 1800's: "Growth is the only evidence of life".
Your hair may be turning grayer and the wrinkles are more pronounced, but are you growing more comfortable with the reality that to know God is more important than anything else this side of eternity?
Moving ahead,
Dan
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, February 1, 2010
Living in the Light
"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him." I John 2:9-11
There is an old saying that goes, "There is nothing new under the sun". This certainly hold true when it comes to religious wars. We often think of the religious wars in terms of the Crusades or the atrocities of the post-Reformation era, where Protestants and Catholics alike killed each other for the sake of truth. Even Martin Luther said it was legitimate to kill a heretic. Today, I am thinking in micro terms, not in terms of the macro wars of the 12th century crusaders.
From Pentecost to the present, every church (micro) has its religious wars. I have been blessed to have been in churches in over forty countries and have seen the power of love and the power of war. The war can be between groups or individuals within the church or it can be between the clergy and the laity. Destruction is always the outcome. However, the greatest destruction is what comes to the name of the Lord.
John uses the word 'brother' in reference to those who are in the community of Christ. It is true that Christ's love in us can be a powerful draw to the unconverted, as we saw in our last writing. Yet, the lack of that very same love can have devastating consequences within the church. Hatred (let's call it what it really is) in the church is a mystery to me. I don't mean that I am above it; I just mean that it's the one thing that Jesus commanded we do and we just don't do it. Jesus was very clear that we are to "Love one another" and yet we do not do it very well.
This is not just a problem here in the United States where committee meetings in the church often go south. I have seen people in churches in far away countries screaming at each other, hitting each other, and causing incredible pain. I have seen pastors of different denominations sit across the table from each without even a word of greeting or eye contact. How can this be? How can there be hatred in the church in every decade, every year, since the time of Christ?
I am sorry that I don't have a complete answer to those questions. I do know that there are issues in my life that are destructive to the very core of this love that John writes about. I realize that I have had misconceptions that make it easy to attack instead of to love.
First, I have come to realize that people will never make me happy. How many times have we thought about the people at work, the people at church, or even the people in our family as those who make our lives unpleasant? So, we make a change to a new church or a new job and soon find ourselves back in the same place again. As Henri Nouwen wrote, "The stronger our expectation that another human being will fulfill our deepest desires, the greater the pain is when we are confronted with the limitations of human relationships." Once we are disappointed in people we begin to attack.
Second, I have come to realize that love is more than just warm feelings or compatibility. Love is a choice. More than what I feel, it is what I do. I cannot dictate how those around me will act, but I can dictate my response. As rocks were being thrown at the head of Stephen and were killing him, I don't think he felt warm fuzzies for those hurling the rocks. But he did choose to love them and asked the Lord to forgive those who were about to steal his very life.
As one spiritual writer put it, "Some people become bitter as they grow old. Others grow old joyfully. That does not mean that the life of those who become bitter was harder than the life of those who became joyful. It means that different choices were made, inner choices, choices of the heart." In this same way, one chooses to love. I have a long way to go, but I think I am catching on.
The third thing I have discovered is that I cannot love others until I love myself. Our world tells us that we are loved based on what we do, what we have, and what we accomplish. I am what the world says I am. If I do not match up to the standards of the world then I am unhappy because I feel unloved. Yes, appearance, performance, and status rule our lives unless we embrace God's value system. God has chosen me (and you) to be His child. He knows I am not perfect, and yet He knows that I am trying to be because I want to be like His Son. I don't earn His love, pay for His love, or beg for His love. I have it all.
Martin Luther King, Jr. put it so well in one of his sermons:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."
So the question that John raised is this: Are we walking in the light today, or are we walking in darkness? Today's actions will tell us the answer to that question.
Blessings to you,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
There is an old saying that goes, "There is nothing new under the sun". This certainly hold true when it comes to religious wars. We often think of the religious wars in terms of the Crusades or the atrocities of the post-Reformation era, where Protestants and Catholics alike killed each other for the sake of truth. Even Martin Luther said it was legitimate to kill a heretic. Today, I am thinking in micro terms, not in terms of the macro wars of the 12th century crusaders.
From Pentecost to the present, every church (micro) has its religious wars. I have been blessed to have been in churches in over forty countries and have seen the power of love and the power of war. The war can be between groups or individuals within the church or it can be between the clergy and the laity. Destruction is always the outcome. However, the greatest destruction is what comes to the name of the Lord.
John uses the word 'brother' in reference to those who are in the community of Christ. It is true that Christ's love in us can be a powerful draw to the unconverted, as we saw in our last writing. Yet, the lack of that very same love can have devastating consequences within the church. Hatred (let's call it what it really is) in the church is a mystery to me. I don't mean that I am above it; I just mean that it's the one thing that Jesus commanded we do and we just don't do it. Jesus was very clear that we are to "Love one another" and yet we do not do it very well.
This is not just a problem here in the United States where committee meetings in the church often go south. I have seen people in churches in far away countries screaming at each other, hitting each other, and causing incredible pain. I have seen pastors of different denominations sit across the table from each without even a word of greeting or eye contact. How can this be? How can there be hatred in the church in every decade, every year, since the time of Christ?
I am sorry that I don't have a complete answer to those questions. I do know that there are issues in my life that are destructive to the very core of this love that John writes about. I realize that I have had misconceptions that make it easy to attack instead of to love.
First, I have come to realize that people will never make me happy. How many times have we thought about the people at work, the people at church, or even the people in our family as those who make our lives unpleasant? So, we make a change to a new church or a new job and soon find ourselves back in the same place again. As Henri Nouwen wrote, "The stronger our expectation that another human being will fulfill our deepest desires, the greater the pain is when we are confronted with the limitations of human relationships." Once we are disappointed in people we begin to attack.
Second, I have come to realize that love is more than just warm feelings or compatibility. Love is a choice. More than what I feel, it is what I do. I cannot dictate how those around me will act, but I can dictate my response. As rocks were being thrown at the head of Stephen and were killing him, I don't think he felt warm fuzzies for those hurling the rocks. But he did choose to love them and asked the Lord to forgive those who were about to steal his very life.
As one spiritual writer put it, "Some people become bitter as they grow old. Others grow old joyfully. That does not mean that the life of those who become bitter was harder than the life of those who became joyful. It means that different choices were made, inner choices, choices of the heart." In this same way, one chooses to love. I have a long way to go, but I think I am catching on.
The third thing I have discovered is that I cannot love others until I love myself. Our world tells us that we are loved based on what we do, what we have, and what we accomplish. I am what the world says I am. If I do not match up to the standards of the world then I am unhappy because I feel unloved. Yes, appearance, performance, and status rule our lives unless we embrace God's value system. God has chosen me (and you) to be His child. He knows I am not perfect, and yet He knows that I am trying to be because I want to be like His Son. I don't earn His love, pay for His love, or beg for His love. I have it all.
Martin Luther King, Jr. put it so well in one of his sermons:
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."
So the question that John raised is this: Are we walking in the light today, or are we walking in darkness? Today's actions will tell us the answer to that question.
Blessings to you,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, January 18, 2010
An Old Command
“Dear friends, I am not writing to you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” I John 2:7,8
This week my car would not start – again - which got me to thinking about a new car, or should I say a newer car. Yes, both of our vehicles are now 11 years old with well over 100,000 miles on each of them. Ah, a new car sounds so wonderful as I consider calling the tow truck once again. Just the word ‘new’ brings a sense of hope.
Yes, the 2010 models are now for sale, and not just in the automotive arena. There are new models for any and everything that can be purchased. We are a society driven by the mantra that the new is better than the old. This year’s gadgets are superior to last year’s gadgets. This year’s electronics are better than last year’s. This year’s styles of clothing are more needed than last year’s trends. It goes on and on and our economy is fueled by the creed that newer is better.
The Apostle John reminds us that when it comes to spiritual truth, virtuous living, and the society called the Kingdom of God, the old will do just fine. John will later reveal that the command he is speaking of is to love one another. That command, of course, was the theme of Jesus, and John hammered it home until his last days on earth.
John says that the command that needs to be followed is an old one. This old command comes from the Old Testament in which the Jews were taught to love God and to love one another. They were given rules on how to treat the foreigners and aliens of their day with love. They were quite familiar with the rule of love. It was also an old command because, as noted above, Jesus preached that theme as recorded in John chapter 13. Jesus taught that one of the greatest signs of His presence in our lives was love. Yet, it was a new command in that He taught not only to love God, and to love one another, but also to love one’s enemies. That certainly was a new command.
The command that John wrote of here is old, yet new. The command has been around forever; yet it is new each day. It is an old truth, but it becomes new in us each time we live it out in daily life. We may be looking for some new exciting truth to jump-start our spiritual lives in 2010. We might be looking to go on a retreat to hear some speaker or to start some new program that has promised the revitalization of our faith in the coming months. It seems the church is always looking for the next new thing.
Maybe we should take to heart the words of John here and go back to the old. Maybe we should start with something small like love. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “To love is to will the good of another”. Personally, I think that is a great place for me to start. To want the best for someone else no matter if they have wronged us in the past, that is love. That is both the Lord’s Prayer and the Golden Rule.
I have come to realize that to ‘love one another’ is actually a very hard thing to do. It’s a hard thing for me to do. To love in the way that Jesus told us we must was so hard that John had to remind the Christian community living within the same century that Christ spoke those words of how they should live.
The amazing thing is that down through the centuries of church history there have been those who truly believed the words of Jesus and that of John. The command to love was something they not only held to intellectually, but in spirit; which meant it must have come from the Spirit.
The persecution of Christians has been with the church in every century, including our own. There have been times along the way when the intensity of that persecution has risen to horrific heights. In the early third century it truly seemed as if Christianity would be wiped out due to the hatred in which Christians were hunted down. Yet, in the darkness of hatred and murder, the light continued to shine.
In Alexandria in 205 a young woman by the name of Potamiaena was tortured for her faith. A soldier by the name of Basilides was given the duty of torturing and executing her. Her sentence of death was to be dipped into a cauldron of boiling pitch. Finally, as he walked with her on the day of her execution, he protected her from the crazy mobs that wanted to inflict more pain on her. As they walked along, Potamiaena thanked Basilides for the kindness that he showed that day and told him that she would pray for him. This act of love so touched Basilides that several days after she died he also confessed Christ and was baptized. When his superiors asked him if the rumors were true that he had become a Christian he replied that he had, and they in turn cut off his head.
Yes, to love is an old command, but its results are new every day. To love is hard work; but then, so are most of the Lord’s commands, which is why He sent the Holy Spirit to help us.
Peace to you,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
This week my car would not start – again - which got me to thinking about a new car, or should I say a newer car. Yes, both of our vehicles are now 11 years old with well over 100,000 miles on each of them. Ah, a new car sounds so wonderful as I consider calling the tow truck once again. Just the word ‘new’ brings a sense of hope.
Yes, the 2010 models are now for sale, and not just in the automotive arena. There are new models for any and everything that can be purchased. We are a society driven by the mantra that the new is better than the old. This year’s gadgets are superior to last year’s gadgets. This year’s electronics are better than last year’s. This year’s styles of clothing are more needed than last year’s trends. It goes on and on and our economy is fueled by the creed that newer is better.
The Apostle John reminds us that when it comes to spiritual truth, virtuous living, and the society called the Kingdom of God, the old will do just fine. John will later reveal that the command he is speaking of is to love one another. That command, of course, was the theme of Jesus, and John hammered it home until his last days on earth.
John says that the command that needs to be followed is an old one. This old command comes from the Old Testament in which the Jews were taught to love God and to love one another. They were given rules on how to treat the foreigners and aliens of their day with love. They were quite familiar with the rule of love. It was also an old command because, as noted above, Jesus preached that theme as recorded in John chapter 13. Jesus taught that one of the greatest signs of His presence in our lives was love. Yet, it was a new command in that He taught not only to love God, and to love one another, but also to love one’s enemies. That certainly was a new command.
The command that John wrote of here is old, yet new. The command has been around forever; yet it is new each day. It is an old truth, but it becomes new in us each time we live it out in daily life. We may be looking for some new exciting truth to jump-start our spiritual lives in 2010. We might be looking to go on a retreat to hear some speaker or to start some new program that has promised the revitalization of our faith in the coming months. It seems the church is always looking for the next new thing.
Maybe we should take to heart the words of John here and go back to the old. Maybe we should start with something small like love. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “To love is to will the good of another”. Personally, I think that is a great place for me to start. To want the best for someone else no matter if they have wronged us in the past, that is love. That is both the Lord’s Prayer and the Golden Rule.
I have come to realize that to ‘love one another’ is actually a very hard thing to do. It’s a hard thing for me to do. To love in the way that Jesus told us we must was so hard that John had to remind the Christian community living within the same century that Christ spoke those words of how they should live.
The amazing thing is that down through the centuries of church history there have been those who truly believed the words of Jesus and that of John. The command to love was something they not only held to intellectually, but in spirit; which meant it must have come from the Spirit.
The persecution of Christians has been with the church in every century, including our own. There have been times along the way when the intensity of that persecution has risen to horrific heights. In the early third century it truly seemed as if Christianity would be wiped out due to the hatred in which Christians were hunted down. Yet, in the darkness of hatred and murder, the light continued to shine.
In Alexandria in 205 a young woman by the name of Potamiaena was tortured for her faith. A soldier by the name of Basilides was given the duty of torturing and executing her. Her sentence of death was to be dipped into a cauldron of boiling pitch. Finally, as he walked with her on the day of her execution, he protected her from the crazy mobs that wanted to inflict more pain on her. As they walked along, Potamiaena thanked Basilides for the kindness that he showed that day and told him that she would pray for him. This act of love so touched Basilides that several days after she died he also confessed Christ and was baptized. When his superiors asked him if the rumors were true that he had become a Christian he replied that he had, and they in turn cut off his head.
Yes, to love is an old command, but its results are new every day. To love is hard work; but then, so are most of the Lord’s commands, which is why He sent the Holy Spirit to help us.
Peace to you,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, January 4, 2010
Walking With God in 2010
“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says ‘I know Him’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” I John 2:3-6
Yes, it’s time once again for New Year’s resolutions! I am working on mine as I sit here today, trying to decide between a few different ones. At the moment, the front-runner on my list is to become a vegetarian in 2010 and see how I fare. That could pose a problem in some of the far-away countries I go to, but I learned long ago that one could live off Cliff Bars for quite some time.
The Apostle John brings to our attention a resolution that we cannot pass over. It is one that should not, and cannot, be debated-- the resolution of obedience. John quickly informs his readers that one can easily distinguish between doctrinal and moral truth from error. He is building his case that mere intellectual knowledge is not the end-all when it comes to being a true follower of Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ must actually impact our behavior, our morality, and our charity.
Tiro Prosper was a disciple of St. Augustine in the early 5th century. He wrote prolifically; and like the Apostle John, much of his writing was against the heresies of his day. Prosper’s writings were also in letterform, like John’s, as he wrote to those holding heretical views. In one of his writings, or letters, Prosper commented on I John 1:6 and wrote, “Walk as He walked: does that not mean giving up the comforts He gave up, not being afraid of the kind of trials He bore, teaching what He taught, persevering in helping even those who show no appreciation, praying for one’s enemies, being kind to evil doers, serenely tolerating the proud?”
How easy it is to be ‘Christian’ without being Christ-like! How easy it is to believe certain truths without amending our behavior. How easy it is to have faith without following the actual commands of Christ. Even that word ‘commands’ sets us back a bit. We want heaven, we want God’s blessing, we want forgiveness of sin, but we don’t want to put out anything for it. And yes, it’s true; salvation is the free gift of God, but there are some requirements.
The Apostle John, one of the very ones who listened to Jesus non-stop for three years, says that security of salvation can be seen in many ways through our behavior. The true Christian is the one who ‘walks as Jesus did’ in every area of life. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, “…Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”. Paul agrees with John in that every believer is responsible for his or her continual growth in holiness. We are created with a will, and with that will we can choose to keep the commands of Jesus or reject them; and this we do on a daily basis.
Many New Year’s resolutions will encompass the will. The will must be called upon to keep a resolution of reading the Bible every day in 2010. It will be called upon to keep steady attendance at the local gym. The will must be engaged to push away the sweets or second helpings while trying to get to the weight that God designed our frames to carry. Yes, the will must be engaged for resolutions. Therefore, let us exercise our wills in 2010 and purpose to do the things that Prosper wrote about. Let us give up some comforts, cast aside fear, help those who don’t even appreciate it, and love like Christ asked us to love.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will”. Praise the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit of God residing in us to help us activate our will towards those things that bring about holiness. We are not left completely to our own initiative but we have Him helping to move our will forward towards Christian behavior.
We have no idea what the New Year will bring us, but we do know that God will test us and deepen us because He cares. He cares because we are in His family. He cares because He knows there must be a family resemblance for us to be in His family. He cares because He knows there are things more important than houses, cars, accounts, and stuff. I think St. Prosper hit the nail on the head; it really is time to ‘walk as Jesus did’!
Happy New Year!
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
Yes, it’s time once again for New Year’s resolutions! I am working on mine as I sit here today, trying to decide between a few different ones. At the moment, the front-runner on my list is to become a vegetarian in 2010 and see how I fare. That could pose a problem in some of the far-away countries I go to, but I learned long ago that one could live off Cliff Bars for quite some time.
The Apostle John brings to our attention a resolution that we cannot pass over. It is one that should not, and cannot, be debated-- the resolution of obedience. John quickly informs his readers that one can easily distinguish between doctrinal and moral truth from error. He is building his case that mere intellectual knowledge is not the end-all when it comes to being a true follower of Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ must actually impact our behavior, our morality, and our charity.
Tiro Prosper was a disciple of St. Augustine in the early 5th century. He wrote prolifically; and like the Apostle John, much of his writing was against the heresies of his day. Prosper’s writings were also in letterform, like John’s, as he wrote to those holding heretical views. In one of his writings, or letters, Prosper commented on I John 1:6 and wrote, “Walk as He walked: does that not mean giving up the comforts He gave up, not being afraid of the kind of trials He bore, teaching what He taught, persevering in helping even those who show no appreciation, praying for one’s enemies, being kind to evil doers, serenely tolerating the proud?”
How easy it is to be ‘Christian’ without being Christ-like! How easy it is to believe certain truths without amending our behavior. How easy it is to have faith without following the actual commands of Christ. Even that word ‘commands’ sets us back a bit. We want heaven, we want God’s blessing, we want forgiveness of sin, but we don’t want to put out anything for it. And yes, it’s true; salvation is the free gift of God, but there are some requirements.
The Apostle John, one of the very ones who listened to Jesus non-stop for three years, says that security of salvation can be seen in many ways through our behavior. The true Christian is the one who ‘walks as Jesus did’ in every area of life. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, “…Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”. Paul agrees with John in that every believer is responsible for his or her continual growth in holiness. We are created with a will, and with that will we can choose to keep the commands of Jesus or reject them; and this we do on a daily basis.
Many New Year’s resolutions will encompass the will. The will must be called upon to keep a resolution of reading the Bible every day in 2010. It will be called upon to keep steady attendance at the local gym. The will must be engaged to push away the sweets or second helpings while trying to get to the weight that God designed our frames to carry. Yes, the will must be engaged for resolutions. Therefore, let us exercise our wills in 2010 and purpose to do the things that Prosper wrote about. Let us give up some comforts, cast aside fear, help those who don’t even appreciate it, and love like Christ asked us to love.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will”. Praise the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit of God residing in us to help us activate our will towards those things that bring about holiness. We are not left completely to our own initiative but we have Him helping to move our will forward towards Christian behavior.
We have no idea what the New Year will bring us, but we do know that God will test us and deepen us because He cares. He cares because we are in His family. He cares because He knows there must be a family resemblance for us to be in His family. He cares because He knows there are things more important than houses, cars, accounts, and stuff. I think St. Prosper hit the nail on the head; it really is time to ‘walk as Jesus did’!
Happy New Year!
Dan Owens
Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries
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