On December 9, 1965 our family sat around the television in Concord, California and watched the airing of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. It was at that time that we were introduced to the wonderful characters of Lucy, Linus, Sally, Charlie, and a crazy dog named Snoopy. It's hard to imagine that 44 years later I am still drawn to that cartoon each Christmas. I know the story, I know the lines, I know the music, and I still want to see it - and I am 53 years old! All I know is that I thank God that Charles Shultz never listened to the television executives back in 1965.
It only took Charles Shultz and his illustrator Bill Melendez a few hours to lie out the sketch. Shultz knew that he wanted to have a pageant, ice-skating, carols, and jazz in his animated special. It was the television executives that had a problem with Shultz's concepts. They criticized everything about the show. They did not like the fact that Linus was reading from the Bible; they said it was too religious. They criticized Charles for using contemporary jazz. They were appalled that no laugh track was going to be added. They even hated the fact that children's voices were going to be used and not professional actors. It was doomed, they said.
On that cold night in December back in 1965, 15 million homes tuned in to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. It went on to win both Emmy and Peabody awards for its excellence. Coca-Cola, the main sponsor who shared the same reservations as the television executives, was the big winner because the Coca-Cola logo showed up several times in the show. But Charles Shultz was not as concerned about making money as he was about the message of Christmas.
During the planning stages of the show, Charles took a lot of heat. Even his agent wondered if Charles was taking the right approach. However, Charles Shultz held his ground and said, "If we don't do this, who else will?" He was speaking specifically of the religious tone of the show. How can one ever forget the hoarse little voice of Linus reading the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, thereby bringing the cast of the little pageant back to the center of Christmas? And 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' never sounded so angelic as it did with those little characters bringing the show to a close.
It truly was that famous Christmas carol that brought the clarity of the Gospel into those 15 million homes that evening. The song is filled with life-transforming theology and puts God's salvation plan into beautiful music. Right from the start of this carol one is brought face to face with the weightiest issue of all - God and sinners reconciled.
Hark! The herald angels sing
glory to the newborn king.
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled.
This is one of the doctrines that John reminds his readers of in I John. As we saw last time, he writes: "He (Christ) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our's but also for the sins of the whole world." We have exchanged our old relationship with God for a new one. We were alienated from our Creator because of sin; but because of Christ, we are brought into a new relationship - a family relationship - with God Almighty.
I am reminded here of the words of Professor Peter Kreeft, "We are so good that God thought us worthy of dying for, and so bad that God had to die to save us." Jesus was, and is, our atoning sacrifice.
Channel surfing for any sporting event to watch on TV the other night, I stumbled upon PBS and a Christmas special with Andrea Bocelli. For some reason, my soul informed me that it needed that music much more than some sporting event. So there I landed, listening to this man sing for the first time. He sang the songs of the season, both religious and secular. When I heard him sing, 'Our Father' with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir I found I had tears in my eyes. I found my soul was filled with joy. Yes, bless God, we have been reconciled. Jesus is our atoning sacrifice, and therefore we can call God - 'Our Father'!
Music is a powerful and glorious gift. Whether it's Charlie Brown and the gang singing 'Hark The Herald Angels Sing' or Andrea Bocelli singing 'What Child Is This?' it reminds us of our need for Christmas. During this busy Christmas Season let the words of the carols bring you back to the center - to what is truly important and eternal.
Merry Christmas!
Dan Owens
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
My Little Children
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous one. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our’s but also for the sins of the whole world.” I John 2:1-2
When it comes to the elderly, America is unique amongst most countries. We seem to worship youth and only tolerate the aged. Even our churches tend to push aside those who have paved the way while catering to the ‘needs’ of the younger generation. I am always impressed when I visit countries where those with gray hair and wrinkles are revered. In most countries, youth is not trusted and age is valued. America seems to be one of the few countries where the Bible is not taken literally when it speaks of the glory and wisdom of those who are older. Maybe we are not so Biblically literate after all.
It’s easy for me to speculate that if John were living in our day, he would be seen as a relic, out of touch, and probably relegated to being a church usher. After all, who wants someone in his nineties leading the spiritual direction of a ‘cutting edge’ church? Yet, at the end of the first century John meant the world to the church. Everyone wanted to hear and read what this man had to say.
John was quite old when he penned this letter to the churches in Asia around 95 A.D. His tone of writing is that of a loving father, pastor, shepherd, and friend. Yes, as old as John was everyone seemed like ‘little children’ to him; and they respected him because he spoke the very truth of Jesus Christ. John was not just a person of notoriety; he was a man who walked as Jesus walked, a man of holiness, prayer, dedication, and service.
The phrase “my little children” is a term of endearment. It expresses his deep love and concern for those who were also following in the footsteps of Jesus. John will use this same phrase six more times in his letter as he admonishes those he loves. Letters were one of the most common ways to communicate with the multitudes and John knew that his ‘little children’ would read his words over and over again, mostly in public worship.
The words of John carried weight. In fact, the words of this apostle, along with the words of all the Bishops, were to be taken as if coming from Christ himself. One can easily find that teaching from the early church leaders like Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenaeus. Those faithful would not debate about the meaning of John’s words, the sentence structure, or the context of his writing; they would just obey it. They knew that John understood better than anyone alive what the Son of God said and meant.
So, what urgent message, words of life, and wisdom of the ages did John want to communicate to those whom he loved? He urged them not to sin! Did not Jesus say the same thing so often when he said, “go and sin no more”? As John saw the dark clouds of persecution forming once again and as he heard all kinds of new heresies that were tickling people’s ears, his greatest concern was sin. Why was he so concerned about sin?
In our day, sin is permitted in the Christian community. Now we scoff at some sins that we might deem as abnormal but let’s face it, we are not so uncomfortable with sin. We have gossip, gluttony, pride, perversion, anger, adultery, fornication, foul mouths, rebellion, resentment, hatred, hording, indifference, and idolatry--just to name a few. In all of these sins no one gets too riled up about them, and a call for repentance and change is seldom. The early church was different, however, even though one could still find sinners in the church.
If you will take the time to read the history of the first few hundred years of Christianity, you will find that holiness, not sin, ruled the church. In fact, purity of life was one of the greatest tools for evangelism! Holiness is what drew thousands to Christ. Personal purity was expected of those who followed in the footsteps of Jesus the Savior.
Justin Martyr wrote in 150 A.D. “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 many who were once on your [pagan] side but have turned from the ways of violence and tyranny, overcome by observing the consistent lives of their neighbors, noting the strange patience of their injured acquaintances, or experiencing the way they did business with them.”
The non-Christian physician Galen also wrote of the Christians during the same time, “…and further that they are led by modesty to shrink from carnal lusts; for there are among them men and women who have maintained unbroken chastity throughout their lives. There are even those who, by their self-discipline and self-control, and by their ardent desire for virtue, have advanced so far that they are not in any way inferior to the genuine philosophers.”
Holiness, purity, virtue, integrity, and piety--such were the marks of true believers. One can understand why John spoke about sin to his ‘little children’ and why we should model our lives after those early Christians and even more so, after Christ.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
When it comes to the elderly, America is unique amongst most countries. We seem to worship youth and only tolerate the aged. Even our churches tend to push aside those who have paved the way while catering to the ‘needs’ of the younger generation. I am always impressed when I visit countries where those with gray hair and wrinkles are revered. In most countries, youth is not trusted and age is valued. America seems to be one of the few countries where the Bible is not taken literally when it speaks of the glory and wisdom of those who are older. Maybe we are not so Biblically literate after all.
It’s easy for me to speculate that if John were living in our day, he would be seen as a relic, out of touch, and probably relegated to being a church usher. After all, who wants someone in his nineties leading the spiritual direction of a ‘cutting edge’ church? Yet, at the end of the first century John meant the world to the church. Everyone wanted to hear and read what this man had to say.
John was quite old when he penned this letter to the churches in Asia around 95 A.D. His tone of writing is that of a loving father, pastor, shepherd, and friend. Yes, as old as John was everyone seemed like ‘little children’ to him; and they respected him because he spoke the very truth of Jesus Christ. John was not just a person of notoriety; he was a man who walked as Jesus walked, a man of holiness, prayer, dedication, and service.
The phrase “my little children” is a term of endearment. It expresses his deep love and concern for those who were also following in the footsteps of Jesus. John will use this same phrase six more times in his letter as he admonishes those he loves. Letters were one of the most common ways to communicate with the multitudes and John knew that his ‘little children’ would read his words over and over again, mostly in public worship.
The words of John carried weight. In fact, the words of this apostle, along with the words of all the Bishops, were to be taken as if coming from Christ himself. One can easily find that teaching from the early church leaders like Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenaeus. Those faithful would not debate about the meaning of John’s words, the sentence structure, or the context of his writing; they would just obey it. They knew that John understood better than anyone alive what the Son of God said and meant.
So, what urgent message, words of life, and wisdom of the ages did John want to communicate to those whom he loved? He urged them not to sin! Did not Jesus say the same thing so often when he said, “go and sin no more”? As John saw the dark clouds of persecution forming once again and as he heard all kinds of new heresies that were tickling people’s ears, his greatest concern was sin. Why was he so concerned about sin?
In our day, sin is permitted in the Christian community. Now we scoff at some sins that we might deem as abnormal but let’s face it, we are not so uncomfortable with sin. We have gossip, gluttony, pride, perversion, anger, adultery, fornication, foul mouths, rebellion, resentment, hatred, hording, indifference, and idolatry--just to name a few. In all of these sins no one gets too riled up about them, and a call for repentance and change is seldom. The early church was different, however, even though one could still find sinners in the church.
If you will take the time to read the history of the first few hundred years of Christianity, you will find that holiness, not sin, ruled the church. In fact, purity of life was one of the greatest tools for evangelism! Holiness is what drew thousands to Christ. Personal purity was expected of those who followed in the footsteps of Jesus the Savior.
Justin Martyr wrote in 150 A.D. “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 many who were once on your [pagan] side but have turned from the ways of violence and tyranny, overcome by observing the consistent lives of their neighbors, noting the strange patience of their injured acquaintances, or experiencing the way they did business with them.”
The non-Christian physician Galen also wrote of the Christians during the same time, “…and further that they are led by modesty to shrink from carnal lusts; for there are among them men and women who have maintained unbroken chastity throughout their lives. There are even those who, by their self-discipline and self-control, and by their ardent desire for virtue, have advanced so far that they are not in any way inferior to the genuine philosophers.”
Holiness, purity, virtue, integrity, and piety--such were the marks of true believers. One can understand why John spoke about sin to his ‘little children’ and why we should model our lives after those early Christians and even more so, after Christ.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, November 16, 2009
Living Truth
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” I John 1:10
While speaking at a church recently, I think I shocked them when I said that, at this stage in my life, I do not need any more Bible studies to attend or small group gatherings to banter about the Bible. Yes, the room went quiet as they tried to understand why those words would come out of my mouth. My answer to their mental rhetorical question was that I don’t need any more information; I don’t need some new thought or inspiration – I need to DO what I already know to be the truth.
This phrase of John’s sticks in my mind today: “His word has no place in our lives”. I can stuff a lot of information in my brain but that does not mean that it becomes a part of my life. I have heard both Catholic and Protestant teachers say that the Bible was never meant to be dissected the way we are taught to do so in our seminaries. Jesus wasn’t really an expository preacher, so many ‘scholars’ would look down on Him today.
In his moving book, Jesus the Pastor, John Frye reminds us that the Bible is not the end, but only a means to an end:
“…just as in any exciting trip, the thrill is not in getting to know the map. This seems to be the primary goal of much evangelical teaching, with the map being the Bible. An exciting trip means more than reading the map; it means enjoying the sights and sounds of the places along the way. For the Christian, the destination is always God, and who will ever be able to fully explore him?”
Jesus did not teach seminary courses. He taught life as lived through the power of God. He got so excited about this new possibility with God the Father that He called it the ‘abundant life’. Jesus told stories, painted word pictures, and used common items and events to teach the most important spiritual truths. He wanted to make it so clear that everyone could grasp these life-giving truths and, as a result, transformation could occur.
I was talking to a pastor by phone one day and I told him that I could not remember what I had preached on the last time I was at his church. He quickly set me straight by telling me it did not matter because even if I preached the same message again no one would remember. I accepted that truth, but only partially. I said to my friend, they may not remember what I preached on, but they will remember the stories.
I have had people come up to me and tell me that they heard me ten years earlier and they remember a story I told about my dad, or my son, or my wife. They will even remember jokes that I tell. Jesus knew that the human mind may not hold on to systematic theology, but it will hold on to stories that illustrate a spiritual truth.
It is this living truth, or should I say, the Truth living in us that brings about change. So you must stop and ask yourself, “Have all of the sermons I have heard, all the Bible studies I have been in, and all of the conferences I have attended changed any one thing about my behavior that I can identify?” The way that you and I answer that question is of extreme importance.
John indicates that the ‘Word of God’ must indeed have a place in our lives, meaning it should transform the way that we live. Eugene Peterson wrote “All truth must be experienced personally before it is complete, before it is authentic.” We must return to the Gospels often to read the words of Jesus to find out how we are to live. His parables, illustrations, and stories are there for us to integrate into our very way of living. The story of the Good Samaritan is not just a nice bedtime story; it is meant to be lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit.
No, I don’t need to hear another sermon on the Good Samaritan; I need to become the Good Samaritan. I am not anti-church or anti-sermon at all. I just believe that most of our churches are filled with people who really don’t need more information; they need a model of how you live Christ in the world. As one pastor recently told me, “If I don’t model this behavior of working with the down-and-out then I can’t expect my church to become involved with these people on the street.”
Find a teaching of Jesus this week and live it out. As Eugene Peterson said - Experience it personally”.
Peace to you,
Dan
P.S. By the time you receive this devotion I will be well on my way to Rwanda with a team of 25 people. Can I ask you to stop for a moment and pray for us as we go to bless the poor and share Jesus Christ with the multitudes? I would sure appreciate your prayers. Thank you!
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
While speaking at a church recently, I think I shocked them when I said that, at this stage in my life, I do not need any more Bible studies to attend or small group gatherings to banter about the Bible. Yes, the room went quiet as they tried to understand why those words would come out of my mouth. My answer to their mental rhetorical question was that I don’t need any more information; I don’t need some new thought or inspiration – I need to DO what I already know to be the truth.
This phrase of John’s sticks in my mind today: “His word has no place in our lives”. I can stuff a lot of information in my brain but that does not mean that it becomes a part of my life. I have heard both Catholic and Protestant teachers say that the Bible was never meant to be dissected the way we are taught to do so in our seminaries. Jesus wasn’t really an expository preacher, so many ‘scholars’ would look down on Him today.
In his moving book, Jesus the Pastor, John Frye reminds us that the Bible is not the end, but only a means to an end:
“…just as in any exciting trip, the thrill is not in getting to know the map. This seems to be the primary goal of much evangelical teaching, with the map being the Bible. An exciting trip means more than reading the map; it means enjoying the sights and sounds of the places along the way. For the Christian, the destination is always God, and who will ever be able to fully explore him?”
Jesus did not teach seminary courses. He taught life as lived through the power of God. He got so excited about this new possibility with God the Father that He called it the ‘abundant life’. Jesus told stories, painted word pictures, and used common items and events to teach the most important spiritual truths. He wanted to make it so clear that everyone could grasp these life-giving truths and, as a result, transformation could occur.
I was talking to a pastor by phone one day and I told him that I could not remember what I had preached on the last time I was at his church. He quickly set me straight by telling me it did not matter because even if I preached the same message again no one would remember. I accepted that truth, but only partially. I said to my friend, they may not remember what I preached on, but they will remember the stories.
I have had people come up to me and tell me that they heard me ten years earlier and they remember a story I told about my dad, or my son, or my wife. They will even remember jokes that I tell. Jesus knew that the human mind may not hold on to systematic theology, but it will hold on to stories that illustrate a spiritual truth.
It is this living truth, or should I say, the Truth living in us that brings about change. So you must stop and ask yourself, “Have all of the sermons I have heard, all the Bible studies I have been in, and all of the conferences I have attended changed any one thing about my behavior that I can identify?” The way that you and I answer that question is of extreme importance.
John indicates that the ‘Word of God’ must indeed have a place in our lives, meaning it should transform the way that we live. Eugene Peterson wrote “All truth must be experienced personally before it is complete, before it is authentic.” We must return to the Gospels often to read the words of Jesus to find out how we are to live. His parables, illustrations, and stories are there for us to integrate into our very way of living. The story of the Good Samaritan is not just a nice bedtime story; it is meant to be lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit.
No, I don’t need to hear another sermon on the Good Samaritan; I need to become the Good Samaritan. I am not anti-church or anti-sermon at all. I just believe that most of our churches are filled with people who really don’t need more information; they need a model of how you live Christ in the world. As one pastor recently told me, “If I don’t model this behavior of working with the down-and-out then I can’t expect my church to become involved with these people on the street.”
Find a teaching of Jesus this week and live it out. As Eugene Peterson said - Experience it personally”.
Peace to you,
Dan
P.S. By the time you receive this devotion I will be well on my way to Rwanda with a team of 25 people. Can I ask you to stop for a moment and pray for us as we go to bless the poor and share Jesus Christ with the multitudes? I would sure appreciate your prayers. Thank you!
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, November 2, 2009
"I Gotta Confess Something"
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9
I can still hear that verse in my mind being screamed from the pulpit by a fire breathing, manipulating evangelist back in the early '70's. It was a verse that I heard so many times that I memorized it, not out of desire, but by the repetition of its use. It was always used in the same context of bringing people to the point of conversion. Although it certainly contains truth regarding confession and salvation, that is not what the verse was or is referring to.
We have to remember that John was writing against heresies in the embryonic church. One sect in particular taught that Christ's death on the cross had no impact on salvation. John is saying that it is exactly the blood of Christ that "purifies us from all sin" (vs. 7). Since he is writing to the Christian community, we can see that confession of sin should be more than just a one-time act that puts us on our journey of faith with the Lord.
John uses the plural word 'sins' in verse 9 as a reminder that we have been forgiven of the sin that is inherent in our human nature, as well as the sins that we continue to commit because we are either weak, rebellious, or indifferent to God's will. We are called upon in this verse to continually confess our sins to the Lord.
Confession is a discipline that was not modeled for me in my young Christian experience. I heard about it and people made jokes about confessing sin, but I did not see it lived out in life. Yes, every once in a while there would be some big emotional display at the front of the altar which would get the rumor mill churning, but that was rare. The continual confession of sins just did not seem that important. The argument was always, "O God knows that I am sorry" meaning that there was no need to really do anything.
It does not take much research to find that, in the early church, confession of sins was a continual discipline. There are clear instructions from the second century onward as to how and why a Christian should continue to confess their sins to the Lord and to others. Even in the earliest writings regarding the act of confessing sin, repentance was always called for. I see repentance as what I feel inside regarding the ugliness and offensiveness of my sin, and confession as the verbal expression of what is in my heart.
The word 'confess' in 1 John 1:9 means to speak with the lips. In other words, true confession is not an inward dialogue you have with yourself or even with the Lord; it is a verbal statement of what you have done wrong against a Holy God. It is more than just saying, "Lord forgive me of the sins I have committed today". It is allowing the Holy Spirit to bring to light those things that should not be a part of our lives. As we stop and meditate on our awful thoughts, attitudes, and actions, we feel remorse and sadness that we have acted so contrary to the will of our Father. This in turn causes us to repent, to turn aside from those things, and to confess with our mouths the sins we have committed.
Personally, I see the lack of this discipline of meditation, reflection, conviction, repentance, and finally confession as one of the greatest weaknesses in the American church today. No one is telling us that our un-confessed sins matter. We are made to think that only the most visible sins like murder or adultery should be confessed. John tells us that all sins need to be confessed as the Holy Spirit brings them to our attention. Now whether we can hear the Holy Spirit's voice telling us of our sin is another topic altogether.
This past week one of my idols from the tennis world confessed his sin publicly. Andre Agassi shocked the tennis world by confessing that he had taken drugs for a short period of time during his professional career. Agassi's need for confession was not because he took the drugs, but because he lied about it to the ATP when confronted with it. There is something in us that tells us we need to confess. We need to tell others of the things we have done wrong because confession brings healing.
I was a Psychology major in college. We studied both secular and Christian schools of psychology. I remember studying the works of William James who was not overtly Christian, but one who understood the need for confession. He wrote, "For him who confesses, shams are over and realities have begun." He understood the healing power of confession even if he did not understand the need to confess to God.
Confession starts with our awareness of God’s holy nature and what He and He alone determines as sinful. This brings us back to the discipline of silence, of reflection, and of meditation on God’s word. These the Lord will use to convict for the purpose of cleansing, and we in turn will confess, which will bring healing. With this I challenge you for one week to confess your sins at the end of each day and see what spiritual energy you will gain and what peace will fill your soul.
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
I can still hear that verse in my mind being screamed from the pulpit by a fire breathing, manipulating evangelist back in the early '70's. It was a verse that I heard so many times that I memorized it, not out of desire, but by the repetition of its use. It was always used in the same context of bringing people to the point of conversion. Although it certainly contains truth regarding confession and salvation, that is not what the verse was or is referring to.
We have to remember that John was writing against heresies in the embryonic church. One sect in particular taught that Christ's death on the cross had no impact on salvation. John is saying that it is exactly the blood of Christ that "purifies us from all sin" (vs. 7). Since he is writing to the Christian community, we can see that confession of sin should be more than just a one-time act that puts us on our journey of faith with the Lord.
John uses the plural word 'sins' in verse 9 as a reminder that we have been forgiven of the sin that is inherent in our human nature, as well as the sins that we continue to commit because we are either weak, rebellious, or indifferent to God's will. We are called upon in this verse to continually confess our sins to the Lord.
Confession is a discipline that was not modeled for me in my young Christian experience. I heard about it and people made jokes about confessing sin, but I did not see it lived out in life. Yes, every once in a while there would be some big emotional display at the front of the altar which would get the rumor mill churning, but that was rare. The continual confession of sins just did not seem that important. The argument was always, "O God knows that I am sorry" meaning that there was no need to really do anything.
It does not take much research to find that, in the early church, confession of sins was a continual discipline. There are clear instructions from the second century onward as to how and why a Christian should continue to confess their sins to the Lord and to others. Even in the earliest writings regarding the act of confessing sin, repentance was always called for. I see repentance as what I feel inside regarding the ugliness and offensiveness of my sin, and confession as the verbal expression of what is in my heart.
The word 'confess' in 1 John 1:9 means to speak with the lips. In other words, true confession is not an inward dialogue you have with yourself or even with the Lord; it is a verbal statement of what you have done wrong against a Holy God. It is more than just saying, "Lord forgive me of the sins I have committed today". It is allowing the Holy Spirit to bring to light those things that should not be a part of our lives. As we stop and meditate on our awful thoughts, attitudes, and actions, we feel remorse and sadness that we have acted so contrary to the will of our Father. This in turn causes us to repent, to turn aside from those things, and to confess with our mouths the sins we have committed.
Personally, I see the lack of this discipline of meditation, reflection, conviction, repentance, and finally confession as one of the greatest weaknesses in the American church today. No one is telling us that our un-confessed sins matter. We are made to think that only the most visible sins like murder or adultery should be confessed. John tells us that all sins need to be confessed as the Holy Spirit brings them to our attention. Now whether we can hear the Holy Spirit's voice telling us of our sin is another topic altogether.
This past week one of my idols from the tennis world confessed his sin publicly. Andre Agassi shocked the tennis world by confessing that he had taken drugs for a short period of time during his professional career. Agassi's need for confession was not because he took the drugs, but because he lied about it to the ATP when confronted with it. There is something in us that tells us we need to confess. We need to tell others of the things we have done wrong because confession brings healing.
I was a Psychology major in college. We studied both secular and Christian schools of psychology. I remember studying the works of William James who was not overtly Christian, but one who understood the need for confession. He wrote, "For him who confesses, shams are over and realities have begun." He understood the healing power of confession even if he did not understand the need to confess to God.
Confession starts with our awareness of God’s holy nature and what He and He alone determines as sinful. This brings us back to the discipline of silence, of reflection, and of meditation on God’s word. These the Lord will use to convict for the purpose of cleansing, and we in turn will confess, which will bring healing. With this I challenge you for one week to confess your sins at the end of each day and see what spiritual energy you will gain and what peace will fill your soul.
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hard Habit to Break
“If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” I John 1:6
Since college, my wife has been a big fan of the group ‘Chicago’, and more precisely, a big Peter Cetera fan. In fact, one of our wedding songs was Chicago’s “Color My World”. For her birthday just recently, I bought her Chicago’s 40th Anniversary CD. The sounds of Peter Cetera and Chicago have been filling our home the past several weeks.
One thing about pop music that always intrigues me is the way they come up with catchy phrases to describe love, life, and relationships. One phrase that I find compelling in a Chicago love song is the phrase “you’re a hard habit to break”; thus the title of the song, “Hard Habit to Break”.
Habits are truly hard to break. Someone has said that a bad habit is like a comfortable bed--easy to get into but hard to get out of. Habits are very important because they define who we are in so many ways. John is reminding his readers of this extremely important truth.
One of the heresies that John was dealing with was the teaching by some that said one could know God so well that sinning was not possible. They did not mean perfection in holiness; they meant that sin did not matter at all. They did not even hold to the Ten Commandments because they were above those things, above the law, so to speak. John is dealing with these folks straight up when he writes, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie. . .”
Walking in light/darkness is a very clear description of holy conduct versus sinful conduct. John says that there is self-deception if a person is walking in darkness, yet claims to be in close communion with God. The word ‘walking’ speaks of habit. It conveys the thought of doing something continually. So John says that by continually living in sin, and by that he means by doing sinful things, one cannot possibility be in a right relationship with God.
I think we have lost this truth somewhere along the way. Mere confession of truth is not the same as truth being lived out. We are all very aware of our own sinfulness. We know that we think, do, and say things that would cause us to melt in shame if done in the presence of God on His holy throne. When we err we cry out to the Lord for forgiveness, just as David and so many others did as recorded in Scripture. God forgives, but we often fail to stop the behavior that we asked forgiveness for.
It is one thing to sin, but quite another to live a life of sin. When sin becomes a habit, then more serious spiritual ramifications occur. All sin is serious because all sin leads to more sin. Thomas a Kempis, author of the Christian classic, Imitation of Christ wrote, “If you do not shun small defects, bit by bit you will fall into greater ones”. Sin truly is a hard habit to break!
God offers us forgiveness but He expects our repentance and our effort through His Spirit to avoid the same sin so that it does not become a habit. David was forgiven of his adultery but he did not make the same mistake twice. When Jesus forgave a repentant soul He would say to them, “Go and sin no more”. Yes, we live in God’s grace and His all-forgiving mercy, but habitual sin cannot peacefully coexist there. John speaks the truth to us here and most of the time we don’t like it or want to hear it.
We love our pet sins. They are our friends. They bring us comfort. They are familiar to us. And, oh yes, we could give them up if we wanted to, or so we think; but why do so since no harm is done. John tells us that if this is our mentality then we are basically crazy to think that all is well with God and that God is pleased with us. John actually uses the word ‘deceived’ a couple of verses down, but I think ‘crazy’ translates it well.
If we have a habitual sin then we should first admit it. Call it what it is and be honest. Then we must confess that we have no power within ourselves to rid this sin that has become so entrenched. When a sin becomes a habit, it is wise to rebuke the spirit or demon of that sin that may have become a part of your life by your behavior. I often rebuke the spirit of fear or spirit of discouragement because I know these spirits are real. There are spirits of anger, of lust, of resentment, of greed. Yes, name the sin and there is darkness behind it.
We need to call upon the Lord for help, and we need to start developing new habits to replace the ones we must drop. Thomas a Kempis also wrote, “Habit is overcome by habit”. When there is truly a destructive habit that seems insurmountable we need to seek help and accountability. There are those who are truly gifted in counseling and even in spiritual warfare that can be used of the Lord to help set us free.
If it’s a hard habit to break, then most likely it is a habit that should be broken at all cost. If you have a bad, sinful habit that God has convicted you of, then the worst thing you can do is nothing.
Breaking Habits Together,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Since college, my wife has been a big fan of the group ‘Chicago’, and more precisely, a big Peter Cetera fan. In fact, one of our wedding songs was Chicago’s “Color My World”. For her birthday just recently, I bought her Chicago’s 40th Anniversary CD. The sounds of Peter Cetera and Chicago have been filling our home the past several weeks.
One thing about pop music that always intrigues me is the way they come up with catchy phrases to describe love, life, and relationships. One phrase that I find compelling in a Chicago love song is the phrase “you’re a hard habit to break”; thus the title of the song, “Hard Habit to Break”.
Habits are truly hard to break. Someone has said that a bad habit is like a comfortable bed--easy to get into but hard to get out of. Habits are very important because they define who we are in so many ways. John is reminding his readers of this extremely important truth.
One of the heresies that John was dealing with was the teaching by some that said one could know God so well that sinning was not possible. They did not mean perfection in holiness; they meant that sin did not matter at all. They did not even hold to the Ten Commandments because they were above those things, above the law, so to speak. John is dealing with these folks straight up when he writes, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie. . .”
Walking in light/darkness is a very clear description of holy conduct versus sinful conduct. John says that there is self-deception if a person is walking in darkness, yet claims to be in close communion with God. The word ‘walking’ speaks of habit. It conveys the thought of doing something continually. So John says that by continually living in sin, and by that he means by doing sinful things, one cannot possibility be in a right relationship with God.
I think we have lost this truth somewhere along the way. Mere confession of truth is not the same as truth being lived out. We are all very aware of our own sinfulness. We know that we think, do, and say things that would cause us to melt in shame if done in the presence of God on His holy throne. When we err we cry out to the Lord for forgiveness, just as David and so many others did as recorded in Scripture. God forgives, but we often fail to stop the behavior that we asked forgiveness for.
It is one thing to sin, but quite another to live a life of sin. When sin becomes a habit, then more serious spiritual ramifications occur. All sin is serious because all sin leads to more sin. Thomas a Kempis, author of the Christian classic, Imitation of Christ wrote, “If you do not shun small defects, bit by bit you will fall into greater ones”. Sin truly is a hard habit to break!
God offers us forgiveness but He expects our repentance and our effort through His Spirit to avoid the same sin so that it does not become a habit. David was forgiven of his adultery but he did not make the same mistake twice. When Jesus forgave a repentant soul He would say to them, “Go and sin no more”. Yes, we live in God’s grace and His all-forgiving mercy, but habitual sin cannot peacefully coexist there. John speaks the truth to us here and most of the time we don’t like it or want to hear it.
We love our pet sins. They are our friends. They bring us comfort. They are familiar to us. And, oh yes, we could give them up if we wanted to, or so we think; but why do so since no harm is done. John tells us that if this is our mentality then we are basically crazy to think that all is well with God and that God is pleased with us. John actually uses the word ‘deceived’ a couple of verses down, but I think ‘crazy’ translates it well.
If we have a habitual sin then we should first admit it. Call it what it is and be honest. Then we must confess that we have no power within ourselves to rid this sin that has become so entrenched. When a sin becomes a habit, it is wise to rebuke the spirit or demon of that sin that may have become a part of your life by your behavior. I often rebuke the spirit of fear or spirit of discouragement because I know these spirits are real. There are spirits of anger, of lust, of resentment, of greed. Yes, name the sin and there is darkness behind it.
We need to call upon the Lord for help, and we need to start developing new habits to replace the ones we must drop. Thomas a Kempis also wrote, “Habit is overcome by habit”. When there is truly a destructive habit that seems insurmountable we need to seek help and accountability. There are those who are truly gifted in counseling and even in spiritual warfare that can be used of the Lord to help set us free.
If it’s a hard habit to break, then most likely it is a habit that should be broken at all cost. If you have a bad, sinful habit that God has convicted you of, then the worst thing you can do is nothing.
Breaking Habits Together,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, October 5, 2009
God is Light
This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5
It is said that the Luxor Sky Light in Las Vegas is the most powerful light in the world. I mention this technological marvel in my book, “Who Is This Jesus” in the chapter dealing with Jesus as The Light of the World. The Luxor Sky Light shines from the top of the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel and its beam is so bright that pilots going in and out of LAX 275 miles away can see it! Each of the thirty-nine light bulbs that make up the beam cost $1,200, which means you can’t buy them at your local Wal-mart. You would not want to lick your fingers and try to unscrew one of them, since each bulb rises to 800 degrees Fahrenheit!
Yes, the Luxor Sky Light may be the most powerful light in the world, but it is not the most powerful light in the universe. That glorious distinction is reserved for our Lord God. Remember, Paul wrote in I Timothy 6:15 that God lives in “unapproachable light” that no one can look at. John tells us in Revelation that heaven will not need a sun or a moon or any other kind of light because, “The glory of God gives it light”. All of heaven is lit up by the presence of God!
John had already seen his heavenly vision as recorded in the book of Revelation. He had seen the glory of the Lord and the brightness of heaven. Now the words of Jesus were even more powerfully engraved in his mind and he could emphatically state, “God is light”. This reminds me of the words of Job where he says at the end of his trials, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you”. John had not only heard Jesus speak of God as light, he had actually seen The Light!
God is light and as light He does several things for humanity. Time and space do not allow me to be extensive here, so let me make just a couple of observations. Again, we must be mindful of the heresies that John was attempting to thwart. John makes it clear that he is passing on to them what he was taught by Jesus himself. As light, God illuminates our hearts to understand who He is and who His Son is. How many times have I heard people say that when they heard the Gospel it was like a light switch went on? That is exactly right. As light, God illuminates our hearts and minds to understand things of the Spirit. Our entire worldview changes as He enters our lives.
As light, God is our moral compass in all that we do. We will see this as we read through the letter and see the language of “darkness and light”. The darkness will represent sin and the light will represent moral purity. The light of God shows us how dark we really are inside. Now there are those who would say otherwise. Remember the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre who is hailed as a great philosopher in our colleges and universities today. He wrote, “If God exists man cannot be free. But man is free; therefore God cannot exist. Since God does not exist all things are morally permissible.” Talk about scary!
C.S. Lewis would then write, “If no set of moral ideas were truer or better than any other, there would be no sense in preferring civilized morality to savage morality, or Christian morality to Nazi morality”. C.S. Lewis knew that Sartre’s way of thinking would bring total anarchy to the world as everyone would do whatever they wanted.
As light, God is also our source of safety. Who has not longed to see the dawn after a fearful night? The light of day brings the joy of being able to fully see what otherwise we might have tripped over in the dark. As Ecclesiastes 11:7 says, “Light is sweet and it pleases the eyes to see the sun”. The light of God shows us the way to go, the paths to take, and perils to avoid. We can stumble around in the dark or we can yield to the light of the Lord in every area of our lives.
As light, God is our warmth! So as the sun warms the earth, God’s light warms our hearts. It is His love that fills us with warmth. Julian of Norwich is credited with being the first woman to write a book in the English language. Her book, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, was written in the late 14th century. To this day, I am not sure anyone has captured in words the mysteries of God’s love for us any better:
“In His love he clothes us, enfolds us and embraces us; that tender love completely surrounds us, never to leave us. Some of us believe that God is almighty and may do everything, and that he is all-wisdom and can do everything-there we stop short. It is this ignorance, it seems to me, that hinders most of God’s lovers.”
Yes, many people are fascinated with the Luxor Sky Light; but for you and me, we are fascinated with The Light! We have The Light of the World living in our very souls, illuminating our minds and hearts, leading us to purity of life, protecting us along our journey, and warming us with His eternal love.
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, September 21, 2009
Are You With Us?
"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." 1 John 1:3,4
The bumper sticker reads, 'The Army Way'. The U.S. Army is traditionally considered the oldest branch of the armed forces, and they are proud of their heritage. There is the old slogan that even we civilians understand, "There is the right way, the wrong way, and the army way". Yes, to be in the Army or any other branch of service requires that you do things their way. All good organizations have protocol and procedures that keep the intended mission in focus.
The church is more than an organization; it's an organism but it does have structure. The Apostle John shows his hand here in this sleepy little verse to tell us why he is writing this letter. John says that he is writing "so that you may have fellowship with us". If John had a bumper sticker his would say, "The Apostles Way." Yes, he is writing to make it very clear that to be a part of the organism and organization of the church then they had to follow the teachings of the apostles.
Those teachings were passed on orally and in letters. At the time of John's letter the church was over 50 years old and yet there was no New Testament as we know it. The bishop's main function was to keep the doctrine of the apostles pure, and 1 John will show us what some of the heresies of the day were. We can know through study that the early church was fighting those who taught that Jesus was not truly divine. There were others who taught that He spoke the divine word but he himself was not God. There were those that taught that His shed blood did nothing to bring salvation to man. And there were some who said that only their sect had special knowledge and revelation from God and Jesus was not part of that revelation. Amazingly, it is the stuff that we still hear today.
One can clearly understand why the Apostle's Creed came into existence very early on so that one could succinctly say what the true fundamentals of Christianity were. Just as a reminder, here is The Apostles Creed:
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy Catholic Church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
11. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
John was writing this letter from the city of Ephesus after his return from exile on Patmos where he penned Revelation. As the only living original disciple one can only imagine the sense of ownership and concern that he felt for all the churches. John had walked and talked with Jesus. He understood better than anyone else what doctrines were correct regarding Christ and the church.
As I have mentioned in other musings that when one followed Jesus Christ in the "Apostles Way" it could have very well been a death sentence for them. The Creed is recited in numerous denominations on Sundays across America and no harm comes to us, no death threats; but not so in the time of John. The heretics of John's day were not in danger of losing their lives because their teaching was not a threat. To them Jesus was a nice man who taught good things, but not THE Son of God so no one got riled up over that.
Jesus once said to His disciples "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." Now we do want people to speak well of us when it comes to our integrity, kindness, love, honesty, and morality. Yet we know that just as in John's day Jesus Christ is offensive to some and we should not hide our faith. We do not have to be combative, pushy or arrogant, but we should be quick to give the true answer when someone asks us what we believe.
The great British scholar N.T. Wright tells us the essence of our call; "Evangelism is not simply a matter of bringing individuals to personal faith, though of course that remains central to the whole enterprise. It is a matter of confronting the world with the good, but deeply disturbing news of a different way of living . . . the way of love." And yes John will bring us to the same conclusion, that the Apostle's Way and Christ's Way is ultimately the way of love.
I will gladly, but sadly, confess that I come up short in the area of love again and again; yet I am more committed than ever to assist the Holy Spirit through my obedience to help love reign supreme in me. John, the apostle of love tells us that to have fellowship with him, the church, and the Lord, then correct doctrine lived through a life of love is truly required.
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
The bumper sticker reads, 'The Army Way'. The U.S. Army is traditionally considered the oldest branch of the armed forces, and they are proud of their heritage. There is the old slogan that even we civilians understand, "There is the right way, the wrong way, and the army way". Yes, to be in the Army or any other branch of service requires that you do things their way. All good organizations have protocol and procedures that keep the intended mission in focus.
The church is more than an organization; it's an organism but it does have structure. The Apostle John shows his hand here in this sleepy little verse to tell us why he is writing this letter. John says that he is writing "so that you may have fellowship with us". If John had a bumper sticker his would say, "The Apostles Way." Yes, he is writing to make it very clear that to be a part of the organism and organization of the church then they had to follow the teachings of the apostles.
Those teachings were passed on orally and in letters. At the time of John's letter the church was over 50 years old and yet there was no New Testament as we know it. The bishop's main function was to keep the doctrine of the apostles pure, and 1 John will show us what some of the heresies of the day were. We can know through study that the early church was fighting those who taught that Jesus was not truly divine. There were others who taught that He spoke the divine word but he himself was not God. There were those that taught that His shed blood did nothing to bring salvation to man. And there were some who said that only their sect had special knowledge and revelation from God and Jesus was not part of that revelation. Amazingly, it is the stuff that we still hear today.
One can clearly understand why the Apostle's Creed came into existence very early on so that one could succinctly say what the true fundamentals of Christianity were. Just as a reminder, here is The Apostles Creed:
1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy Catholic Church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
11. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
John was writing this letter from the city of Ephesus after his return from exile on Patmos where he penned Revelation. As the only living original disciple one can only imagine the sense of ownership and concern that he felt for all the churches. John had walked and talked with Jesus. He understood better than anyone else what doctrines were correct regarding Christ and the church.
As I have mentioned in other musings that when one followed Jesus Christ in the "Apostles Way" it could have very well been a death sentence for them. The Creed is recited in numerous denominations on Sundays across America and no harm comes to us, no death threats; but not so in the time of John. The heretics of John's day were not in danger of losing their lives because their teaching was not a threat. To them Jesus was a nice man who taught good things, but not THE Son of God so no one got riled up over that.
Jesus once said to His disciples "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." Now we do want people to speak well of us when it comes to our integrity, kindness, love, honesty, and morality. Yet we know that just as in John's day Jesus Christ is offensive to some and we should not hide our faith. We do not have to be combative, pushy or arrogant, but we should be quick to give the true answer when someone asks us what we believe.
The great British scholar N.T. Wright tells us the essence of our call; "Evangelism is not simply a matter of bringing individuals to personal faith, though of course that remains central to the whole enterprise. It is a matter of confronting the world with the good, but deeply disturbing news of a different way of living . . . the way of love." And yes John will bring us to the same conclusion, that the Apostle's Way and Christ's Way is ultimately the way of love.
I will gladly, but sadly, confess that I come up short in the area of love again and again; yet I am more committed than ever to assist the Holy Spirit through my obedience to help love reign supreme in me. John, the apostle of love tells us that to have fellowship with him, the church, and the Lord, then correct doctrine lived through a life of love is truly required.
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, September 7, 2009
Name Dropper Extraordinaire
“That which as from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” I John 1:1,2
Find any gathering of people that lasts more than a few minutes and you are sure to hear someone name drop. That is the phrase we use to accuse someone of boasting that they know or have been with someone of importance. The value of the name is determined by the topic of discussion and those participating in it. I think most of us are guilty of doing this in order to validate a point we are making or to make ourselves feel a little more significant.
John, now writing over 60 years after the death of Jesus, the last of the original twelve, drops the ultimate name. What was his motivation? Remember, all letters and emails have a purpose and John’s purpose was to correct and encourage. John was writing to refute those who said that Jesus was not divine; a heresy that has never gone away. He is making clear the incarnation of Jesus Christ in the first couple of sentences that he writes. His words sound much like the beginning of the Gospel which also bears his name.
In order to validate this doctrine, John reminds his audience that he heard Jesus, saw Jesus, and touched Jesus. He is basically saying, “Hey, I was with him and saw those things that you have heard and read about. I saw the miracles and heard His teaching. I saw Him die and I saw His resurrected body. I was there and I am telling you that this is how it was.” Yes, John could truthfully say, “I walked with Jesus and knew Him well.”
In my Bible, which I have had for some twenty plus years now, I have underlined the words, heard, seen and touched in the opening paragraph of I John. For some reason those three words have been important to me through the years. To me, those words represent the senses that God in His goodness has given to us to interact with our world. We enjoy sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing; and for the most part, we take them for granted on most days.
We can also be assured that God has given to us those senses to interact with Him. God placed us in a physical world; He placed His Son in a physical body so we know that God works through the physical, not just the spiritual. I have said it before that cathedrals move me towards prayer as I see the beauty of the stories told by colored glass, the sounds of chants that remind me to be still, the smell of candles that tell me this should be a sacred place, and even the taste of wine during communion that brings me right to Christ Himself. Our senses help us acquire a readiness for God. Music, communion, flowers, the cross, the candles, and the water of the baptismal; all physical realities that help us cross into the realm of the spiritual.
Even though John is very old, you can almost hear his excitement when he writes, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” To John, Christ was a physical reality and he held on to those memories and shared them with anyone who would listen. It was this reality that propelled him to share God’s plan of salvation with others. John said that “we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us”.
The church grew as people heard the message and experienced the reality of knowing God through His Son. The eyewitness accounts, the proof of the resurrection, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the oneness of the church stirred thousands to become followers of Jesus. The most effective evangelism today is still the same as it was in John’s time – the telling of our story!
Thomas Aquinas wrote, “To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer”. We are preparing to take 29 people with us to Rwanda this fall to proclaim Christ. It my prayer that those people are already proclaiming Christ in their daily lives just as the Apostle John did.
We are so quick to tell people of a celebrity that we have met. My wife Deb loves to tell the story of meeting Clint Eastwood years ago when we were in a restaurant in California. I pride myself in telling people that I had dinner with the late coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry. Oh how fun it is to be a namedropper, but when was the last time we “dropped” the name of Jesus? Are we following in the footsteps of John, proclaiming eternal life to those who will listen?
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Find any gathering of people that lasts more than a few minutes and you are sure to hear someone name drop. That is the phrase we use to accuse someone of boasting that they know or have been with someone of importance. The value of the name is determined by the topic of discussion and those participating in it. I think most of us are guilty of doing this in order to validate a point we are making or to make ourselves feel a little more significant.
John, now writing over 60 years after the death of Jesus, the last of the original twelve, drops the ultimate name. What was his motivation? Remember, all letters and emails have a purpose and John’s purpose was to correct and encourage. John was writing to refute those who said that Jesus was not divine; a heresy that has never gone away. He is making clear the incarnation of Jesus Christ in the first couple of sentences that he writes. His words sound much like the beginning of the Gospel which also bears his name.
In order to validate this doctrine, John reminds his audience that he heard Jesus, saw Jesus, and touched Jesus. He is basically saying, “Hey, I was with him and saw those things that you have heard and read about. I saw the miracles and heard His teaching. I saw Him die and I saw His resurrected body. I was there and I am telling you that this is how it was.” Yes, John could truthfully say, “I walked with Jesus and knew Him well.”
In my Bible, which I have had for some twenty plus years now, I have underlined the words, heard, seen and touched in the opening paragraph of I John. For some reason those three words have been important to me through the years. To me, those words represent the senses that God in His goodness has given to us to interact with our world. We enjoy sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing; and for the most part, we take them for granted on most days.
We can also be assured that God has given to us those senses to interact with Him. God placed us in a physical world; He placed His Son in a physical body so we know that God works through the physical, not just the spiritual. I have said it before that cathedrals move me towards prayer as I see the beauty of the stories told by colored glass, the sounds of chants that remind me to be still, the smell of candles that tell me this should be a sacred place, and even the taste of wine during communion that brings me right to Christ Himself. Our senses help us acquire a readiness for God. Music, communion, flowers, the cross, the candles, and the water of the baptismal; all physical realities that help us cross into the realm of the spiritual.
Even though John is very old, you can almost hear his excitement when he writes, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.” To John, Christ was a physical reality and he held on to those memories and shared them with anyone who would listen. It was this reality that propelled him to share God’s plan of salvation with others. John said that “we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us”.
The church grew as people heard the message and experienced the reality of knowing God through His Son. The eyewitness accounts, the proof of the resurrection, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the oneness of the church stirred thousands to become followers of Jesus. The most effective evangelism today is still the same as it was in John’s time – the telling of our story!
Thomas Aquinas wrote, “To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer”. We are preparing to take 29 people with us to Rwanda this fall to proclaim Christ. It my prayer that those people are already proclaiming Christ in their daily lives just as the Apostle John did.
We are so quick to tell people of a celebrity that we have met. My wife Deb loves to tell the story of meeting Clint Eastwood years ago when we were in a restaurant in California. I pride myself in telling people that I had dinner with the late coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry. Oh how fun it is to be a namedropper, but when was the last time we “dropped” the name of Jesus? Are we following in the footsteps of John, proclaiming eternal life to those who will listen?
Peace to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Sunday, August 23, 2009
You’ve Got Mail
I am a confessed email junkie. It’s fast, it’s to the point, it’s portable, and it’s highly efficient. Between my computer at home, at work, and my iPhone, I can keep in touch with more people than I ever could by phone.
Whether you are addicted to email like me, or still gravitate to snail mail, the question is always the same: Who is it from and what do they want? There is always a purpose behind a letter or an email, or even a text message, for that matter.
So you are sitting at home and you decide to grab the Bible and read it for a bit. You thumb through until you find the book of I John and you camp out on the first page. I John is actually a letter, not a book. Because it’s a letter we must ask the same question: Who wrote it and what did the writer want? You might say, well that first question is a stupid one because I John is written across the top of the letter. Yes, but the author did not put it there and the author’s name never appears in the letter. The Gospel of Luke has the same problem; the author’s name is nowhere to be found.
The short answer to the question of who wrote I John and how do we know, is tradition. It is true that in studying the writing style of I John one can see incredible similarities with the Gospel of John. The word usage and sentence structures are very much alike and would tend to make one think that they, indeed, had the same author. However, it is the tradition of the early church that cements this answer for most of us.
This letter by John was probably written around the year 95-96 and circulated throughout Asia Minor, which is now modern day Turkey. The first reference in history that the letter was written by John comes in the year 140 by Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons. Irenaeus was a friend of Polycarp and Polycarp was a direct disciple of John himself. In his writings called Against Heresies, Irenaeus says he is quoting John the disciple of the Lord. Those quotes can be found in John’s Gospel and his first letter, soon to be known as I John.
Later on, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen all attribute that letter to John. From the outset, I John was considered anointed and sacred. When in history the church began to form the New Testament, the book of I John was never in question as to being inspired and sacred. It was Jerome who wrote that I John’s authority was accepted “by all competent men of the church.” Out of the thousands of letters and gospels that were being circulated, the church never questioned the authenticity or the authority of John’s first letter to the churches there in Asia Minor.
Now we come to that second question: Why did John feel the need to write this letter? The church had been in existence approximately 65 years and had spread all over the known world. It had grown though missionary activity and through the powerful testimony of the martyrs. Doctrine was taught and protected through oral tradition (one remembers Apostle Paul using that language), the oversight of bishops, and by the circulation of authoritative letters. These letters would be read in church as part of the service.
Since the birth of the church at Pentecost, every generation has had to fight against heresies that threatened to weaken the faith. All of the epistles in the New Testament deal with some type of heresy or doctrinal error. John’s letter also deals with setting things straight for the protection of the church. We do not know exactly who the heretics were in this case, but we do know they were spreading doctrinal and moral errors. In his letter John calls these people “antichrists, deceivers and children of the devil”. Strong language from the Apostle of Love.
Two thousand years later you are reading I John while sitting in your favorite chair, drinking your favorite beverage, and wondering “How does this ancient letter apply to me?” The amazing thing, as with all Scripture, is that it does! I John is a powerful letter written by someone who basically lived with Jesus for 3 years. John was right there with Jesus and understood the words, the spirit, and the intent of all that Jesus taught. John was as close to the Son of God as anyone on earth has ever been, so let us listen carefully to his words over the next few months.
The inbox on my computer says I have some new emails. I now have a choice to make. I have to open it to find out what the message is for me. God is sending something more fantastic than any email; He is sending you a letter with the title of I John. Open it. Read your mail. It’s two thousand years old and millions of brothers and sisters in the family of God have read it before you. However, God has also sent this letter just for you here in 2009 to bless you, teach you, and encourage you.
Blessings to you,
Dan Owens
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded MinistriesMonday, March 9, 2009
Do you have good intentions?
A few days ago the Amgen Tour of California came to our town of Paso Robles. For those of you who might not know what the Amgen Tour is, it’s a professional bicycle race that covers several days and several hundred miles. And, it is quickly gaining fame in the cycling world as many of the Tour de France riders participated again this year.
Since my doctor told me a couple of years ago to start riding a bicycle to keep from becoming a diabetic, I have gained some interest in these professional riders and their races. The longest stretch I have ridden at one time is 62 miles, so when I see these cyclists ride over a hundred miles for several days in a row I am astounded. And, they can ride as fast up a hill as I do on flat land, quite humbling.
As the riders swooped around the corner near our home on their way to the finish line in downtown Paso Robles, I could not help but think of their commitment and discipline. At some point in each of their lives they went from having good intentions (becoming a professional racer) to actually doing something about it. They had to activate their will to start their conditioning and training programs.
We can be filled with good intentions in our walk with Jesus, but at some point the will has to be activated in order for our intentions to count. In the Gospel of Luke we find Jesus informing several would be followers that intentions were not good enough, action had to take place. Jesus was clear from the beginning that it could cost one much to follow Him, and that one should not make a casual commitment. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” These are strong words from our Master, and their implications are great.
Those who walked with Jesus and those who followed His ways in the early church understood that Jesus calls us to detachment. The disciples left everything to follow Jesus and that involved more than just good intentions, it involved their wills. They had homes and families but they were not bound by them, they understood that all was transient.
Polycarp, as we have seen in the past, was the Bishop of Smyrna in what is now Turkey. As a Bishop he laid his hands on other young men, calling them into ministry. There in Smyrna was a man by the name of Andeolus, and Polycarp ordained him a deacon. Polycarp then sent this respected deacon to what is now France as a missionary. There the work of Andeolus prospered as he shared the message of Christ with the people. History shows us that the wise Polycarp did well in sending forth several missionaries from Smyrna to other parts of the world.
The persecution of Christians is well documented during this time of late first century and early second century. Andeolus came to the attention of a Roman ruler riding through that area in about 208 AD. Septimius Severus was a ruler of that region, but at heart he was a soldier. He had been a general before becoming an emperor. He was the first emperor from Africa, from the area that is now Libya. Severus was anti-Christian and enforced the anti-conversion laws of their time. As Andeolus was a missionary, he came in direct conflict with Severus. This conflict culminated in Severus putting a sword through the head of Andeolus and throwing his body in the Rhone River.
At some point Andeolus had good intentions to be a deacon and a missionary, and those intentions had to make their way to his will. He knew that there was a very good chance that his life would end because of his desire to follow Christ, but he was detached from this world. I guess it could be said that he was so attached to Jesus Christ that detachment from this world became easier.
What good intentions are you holding on to that you have yet to act on? How many of those “one day” thoughts are swirling around in your mind that needs to find their way to your will? We often live in a world of good intention without the needed action that would validate those intentions. We think in our minds, one day I will stop charging things I don’t need, one day I will start giving to the Lord’s work, one day I will loose weight, one day I will make things right with my family, one day I will get more serious about my relationship with God, one day I will start a devotion and prayer time, one day I will serve the Lord with my whole heart, one day I will detach myself from this world.
The one day turns into weeks, which turns into months, which turns into years, and the thing that the Lord has placed on our hearts to do has never come about. The problem with many of our churches today is that we stress the intellect over the will. We go to Bible study after Bible study and we listen to sermon after sermon, but we lack the discipline to activate the will. If you read the Gospels and words of Jesus you find quickly that Jesus is looking for us to act, to move out. Belief without action is really not belief at all.
Even though I cannot ride like those professionals that came whizzing by our home, I do have something in common with them – our wills get us on the bikes and cause us to ride. My bike will not do me a bit of good as long as I just look at it; I have to ride it! God has placed something on your heart, now stop thinking about it and do it! And yes it will probably cost you something just as it has been costing our brothers and sisters for 2,000 years; just as it cost Andeolus.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Since my doctor told me a couple of years ago to start riding a bicycle to keep from becoming a diabetic, I have gained some interest in these professional riders and their races. The longest stretch I have ridden at one time is 62 miles, so when I see these cyclists ride over a hundred miles for several days in a row I am astounded. And, they can ride as fast up a hill as I do on flat land, quite humbling.
As the riders swooped around the corner near our home on their way to the finish line in downtown Paso Robles, I could not help but think of their commitment and discipline. At some point in each of their lives they went from having good intentions (becoming a professional racer) to actually doing something about it. They had to activate their will to start their conditioning and training programs.
We can be filled with good intentions in our walk with Jesus, but at some point the will has to be activated in order for our intentions to count. In the Gospel of Luke we find Jesus informing several would be followers that intentions were not good enough, action had to take place. Jesus was clear from the beginning that it could cost one much to follow Him, and that one should not make a casual commitment. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” These are strong words from our Master, and their implications are great.
Those who walked with Jesus and those who followed His ways in the early church understood that Jesus calls us to detachment. The disciples left everything to follow Jesus and that involved more than just good intentions, it involved their wills. They had homes and families but they were not bound by them, they understood that all was transient.
Polycarp, as we have seen in the past, was the Bishop of Smyrna in what is now Turkey. As a Bishop he laid his hands on other young men, calling them into ministry. There in Smyrna was a man by the name of Andeolus, and Polycarp ordained him a deacon. Polycarp then sent this respected deacon to what is now France as a missionary. There the work of Andeolus prospered as he shared the message of Christ with the people. History shows us that the wise Polycarp did well in sending forth several missionaries from Smyrna to other parts of the world.
The persecution of Christians is well documented during this time of late first century and early second century. Andeolus came to the attention of a Roman ruler riding through that area in about 208 AD. Septimius Severus was a ruler of that region, but at heart he was a soldier. He had been a general before becoming an emperor. He was the first emperor from Africa, from the area that is now Libya. Severus was anti-Christian and enforced the anti-conversion laws of their time. As Andeolus was a missionary, he came in direct conflict with Severus. This conflict culminated in Severus putting a sword through the head of Andeolus and throwing his body in the Rhone River.
At some point Andeolus had good intentions to be a deacon and a missionary, and those intentions had to make their way to his will. He knew that there was a very good chance that his life would end because of his desire to follow Christ, but he was detached from this world. I guess it could be said that he was so attached to Jesus Christ that detachment from this world became easier.
What good intentions are you holding on to that you have yet to act on? How many of those “one day” thoughts are swirling around in your mind that needs to find their way to your will? We often live in a world of good intention without the needed action that would validate those intentions. We think in our minds, one day I will stop charging things I don’t need, one day I will start giving to the Lord’s work, one day I will loose weight, one day I will make things right with my family, one day I will get more serious about my relationship with God, one day I will start a devotion and prayer time, one day I will serve the Lord with my whole heart, one day I will detach myself from this world.
The one day turns into weeks, which turns into months, which turns into years, and the thing that the Lord has placed on our hearts to do has never come about. The problem with many of our churches today is that we stress the intellect over the will. We go to Bible study after Bible study and we listen to sermon after sermon, but we lack the discipline to activate the will. If you read the Gospels and words of Jesus you find quickly that Jesus is looking for us to act, to move out. Belief without action is really not belief at all.
Even though I cannot ride like those professionals that came whizzing by our home, I do have something in common with them – our wills get us on the bikes and cause us to ride. My bike will not do me a bit of good as long as I just look at it; I have to ride it! God has placed something on your heart, now stop thinking about it and do it! And yes it will probably cost you something just as it has been costing our brothers and sisters for 2,000 years; just as it cost Andeolus.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Pavement of Transparency
The following is an excerpt from Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't.
The Pavement of Transparency
Somehow we Christians have convinced ourselves that everything has to be perfect. Anything less is failure before a watching world. That's incredible pressure, isn't it? But actually as we love people, we can honestly let them know where we hurt, what we don't know, or what we're just not good at.
A pastor preaching to his congregation about temptation risked his reputation when he told them that several weeks earlier a member had given him a $100 bill after the service, telling him to include it with the morning offering. The pastor stuck the bill in his pocket and then forgot about it until he got home later that day.
Finding the bill, he absentmindedly tossed it on his dresser, intending to take it to church the next day. A day turned into several weeks, and still the bill remained on his dresser. Then he made up all kinds of excuses why he should just keep the bill and not turn it into the church. He shared all the temptations and rationalizations he faced as that $100 bill lay on his dresser.
I thought to myself as he was preaching, Wow! That's what you call transparency! Do you think he had everyone's attention as he confessed that he was tempted? His openness resulted in greater ministry.
If we expect people to trust us and open their lives to us, we can't pretend to be too good to be true.
If someone asked me, "Dan, do you have family devotions with your wife and kids?" I'd have to say, "Yes and no." Sometimes we are all together and can fit it in; sometimes we are all going different directions and we can't.
"Do you pray with your kids?"
"Well, yes and no." If you mean, do I have a set time every day when we sit down together and pray as a family, no. But we pray when there is a need, and we pray when there's a hurt. We pray when we are happy and we want to thank the Lord, and we pray when we are sad and need His comfort.
We talk about the Lord and His work when we drive to the mall and when we watch TV and when we sit down to eat together. God is very much a part of our family.
When we are upset or angry, we don't hide it just so others will be impressed with our spirituality. If I am upset with my wife, why not get it out and get things fixed up again rather than hiding my anger? We have to be transparent with those who see us day in and day out because when we put on masks, sooner or later they slip and the truth is obvious to everyone.
If you are building a relationship with someone and you are going through a difficult time, why hide it? I'd rather say, "I'm hurting right now, but I'm so glad I have the Lord. I know He's near me and He always gives me just when I need to make it through."
Someone might say, "God must be your crutch." You bet He is. Sometimes I can't keep walking, and I'm glad He's there to hold me up!
We've all seen the self-made man or woman who suddenly is faced with a disaster-perhaps being diagnosed with cancer. The arrogance evaporates. We all need someone to care about us when we hit the hard times, and it is a lot easier to find people who will care if we haven't tried to live life alone.
We are all imperfect and weak, and that will become evident to all who know us-even our friends who don't know the Christ who supplies our strength to endure. Don't set yourself up for a great unveiling later on. Be real.
I am impressed by the transparency of the apostle Paul. People could see Jesus in Paul precisely because of his weaknesses and his refusal to hide them:
But we have this treasure [the Gospel] in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. -2 Corinthians 4:7-12
If we walk with the Lord daily, people will see Jesus in the midst of our hardships, not apart from them. Then when they fall on hard times, they will listen to us because we have first listened to Him.
Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors, is adept at bringing out the humanness of Jesus' disciples. They were terrified at times; sometimes they were cowards; in between they were discouraged or depressed. They had a full range of human emotions, but we act as if we should be above all that. "I'm a Christian. I'm supposed to be godly all the time." Only God can make us godly, and He does so as we allow Him to do His work in us. But that transformation is a process, and none of us has arrived yet. We are being changed, but en route to our destination the people around us will appreciate us so much more and listen to our message more intently if we will be honest with them.
* * * * *
Order your copy of Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't and learn how to develop your own personal evangelism style.
Consider having Dan Owens come to your church or event for his seminar Building Bridges For Eternity.
Call Eternity Minded Ministries at 805-460-0561 for more information or go to http://www.eternityminded.org/seminar.htm.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, February 9, 2009
Whatcha Readin?
I have been to many places in Africa, but I have yet to travel to North Africa, which I would dearly love to do. Remember those scenes in the first Indiana Jones movie where they are digging for the Ark of the Covenant in Tanis, North Africa? North Africa is a place of amazing history and significance in our spiritual genealogy. Carthage, or what is now called Tunis, in Tunisia is one of the places I would like to visit. The Christian faith spread across all of North Africa and the Christians of Carthage were a powerful testimony in the second century. Even now their lives inspire me to a more committed life to the Lord.
We know by reading history that the Christian's desire in much of North Africa was to lead quiet, humble, and moral lives; in other words, they were model citizens. They paid their taxes to the Roman government and gave respect to those in authority. They worked hard, raised their families, and worshipped peaceably. Their phlegmatic personality should not be taken as weakness, however. They would stand with backs of steel in defending the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In 180 AD twelve Christians from a village (Scillitan) outside of Carthage were brought before the Pro-consul Vigellius Saturninus who was the first persecutor of Christians in North Africa. These twelve have been called The Scillitan Martyrs and the account of their demise is thought to be the earliest documented case of martyrdom in North Africa. Amazingly, their trial was recorded and has been passed down through history.
Seven men and five women were executed by the sword on July 17, 180 AD without any resistance on their part. At their trial they were given 30 days to return to their village and think about their decision in hopes that they would recant, but they did not. It appears in reading the trial account that Speratus was the spokesman for the group of twelve. When he was called upon to swear allegiance to Caesar and deny the Lord, he said, "I do not recognize the empire of this world; but rather do I serve God whom no man hath seen, nor with these eyes can see." He was then asked what he was carrying in his satchel and he responded, "Books and letter of Paul, a just man."
It is safe to say that you are not facing death by sword today, but you are facing other hardships. I find it very interesting that these twelve had in their possession at the time of their trial the writings of Paul. They not only found doctrine in those letters, but they found comfort and courage and they knew they needed both. Doctrine told them they would be with the Lord soon, and comfort told them that God would go with them through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death." The twelve would have been happy to continue living quiet and devout lives for the sake of others, but now they were being called upon to be a dying testimony for the Lord.
So I think of my own life this week, in light of the economy it would not take much for me to lose my home, my car, and all my life's savings. It just would not take very long for me to be totally wiped out financially. Now the question is, "How would I react?" As the saying goes, talk is cheap and it is easy to talk about faith and trust when all things are well, but what about when all things are not well? How hard is it for me to have a smile on my face and peace in my heart when things are going my way? The Christian's most powerful testimony has always shown forth in the darkest times. Eighteen hundred years later we still know of the Scillitan Martyrs because they stood strong in very dark times.
Maybe the twelve held on to the words of St. Paul when he wrote, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." Paul's admonition for us is to stay awake and be people of courage. Paul's words somewhat echo the word of the Lord to Joshua when the time had come for the Israelites to go in and take the land that the Lord had promised them: "Be strong and courageous." In fact, the Lord says this phrase to Joshua twice in the same conversation. The second time He adds the word 'very' before the word 'courageous': "Be strong and very courageous."
None of us have any idea what life will throw at us this next year. We may lose more than we ever dreamt possible; yet how we react will speak volumes about the true condition of our faith. For about two thousand years brothers and sisters in Christ have brought more people to Christ by displaying peace during persecution than by evangelists like me. The twelve were close to the scriptures, which is where they found conviction, comfort, and courage. I would highly recommend that in these times of uncertainty that your Bible be very close to you. You should take it to work, keep it in your car, keep one in the kitchen and by all means, if you travel like I do, keep one in your briefcase. You and I both know that in this amazing meltdown of American finance, only the Lord can bring comfort to our lives. Maybe that is why this is all happening in the first place!
With Eternity in Mind,
Dan Owens
P.S. I want to add that because of God's amazing grace, Eternity Minded Ministries continues to move forward because of the generosity of our friends.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, February 2, 2009
Jesus: The Creative Word
The following is an excerpt from Who Is This Jesus?
by Daniel Owens
Jesus was involved in creation. God was the Creator, but Jesus, the Word, was his agent. Romans 1:20 states, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Even nature reveals God's existence and power.
Paul writes that nothing could have existed without Jesus. "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:16-17).
I recently watched a special television program about the Orion Nebula. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and look carefully at the winter sky, you'll see the constellation of Orion, "the hunter." Orion has a belt made out of three stars close together. Another three stars seem to hang down from that belt. They represent his sword. If you view those three stars through binoculars or a telescope, you'll notice that the middle one appears to be a little on the fuzzy side. The reason? It's a nebula-the Orion Nebula.
After watching this program, I logged onto the Internet and found a picture of the Orion Nebula. It awed and amazed me to realize I could see something that is two thousand light-years away from my own driveway. It must be huge!
The creation of those amazing stars is just one activity in which God was involved when he created our planet. And John says that the Word was with God. That means Jesus also was involved in creation.
Not only that, but our Savior is not some long-dead individual who lived two thousand years ago and who today doesn't have a clue what you or I may be going through. Hebrews 4:15 tells us Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are." This Savior knows you very well. This Savior is intimately acquainted with all of your ways. David describes this knowledge in Psalm 139:
O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord . . . .
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
(vv.1-4, 13)
This Savior knows what causes you pain and what brings you joy. He knows the sorrow you're dealing with right now, and he knows your plans for tomorrow. He's not impersonal or uncaring-he wants to communicate with us, to share with us, to lead and guide us.
Jesus is the creative Word who created everything we see, and he wants to experience tender intimacy with his creation.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
by Daniel Owens
Jesus was involved in creation. God was the Creator, but Jesus, the Word, was his agent. Romans 1:20 states, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Even nature reveals God's existence and power.
Paul writes that nothing could have existed without Jesus. "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:16-17).
I recently watched a special television program about the Orion Nebula. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and look carefully at the winter sky, you'll see the constellation of Orion, "the hunter." Orion has a belt made out of three stars close together. Another three stars seem to hang down from that belt. They represent his sword. If you view those three stars through binoculars or a telescope, you'll notice that the middle one appears to be a little on the fuzzy side. The reason? It's a nebula-the Orion Nebula.
After watching this program, I logged onto the Internet and found a picture of the Orion Nebula. It awed and amazed me to realize I could see something that is two thousand light-years away from my own driveway. It must be huge!
The creation of those amazing stars is just one activity in which God was involved when he created our planet. And John says that the Word was with God. That means Jesus also was involved in creation.
Not only that, but our Savior is not some long-dead individual who lived two thousand years ago and who today doesn't have a clue what you or I may be going through. Hebrews 4:15 tells us Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are." This Savior knows you very well. This Savior is intimately acquainted with all of your ways. David describes this knowledge in Psalm 139:
O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord . . . .
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
(vv.1-4, 13)
This Savior knows what causes you pain and what brings you joy. He knows the sorrow you're dealing with right now, and he knows your plans for tomorrow. He's not impersonal or uncaring-he wants to communicate with us, to share with us, to lead and guide us.
Jesus is the creative Word who created everything we see, and he wants to experience tender intimacy with his creation.
Blessings to you,
Dan
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, January 19, 2009
Asking for Wisdom
The following is an excerpt from A Faith That Is Real.
Asking for Wisdom
James 1:5-8
In verse 5 James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." The Greek word translated ask in this verse implies that we are to keep on asking. Wisdom should be asked for on a regular basis. God doesn't tire, and neither should we. Asking for wisdom is a habit that is formed by constant use.
When you are in a trial, to whom do you go first-to a friend, to your family, to your coworkers? Remember, the trials James is speaking of here are not trials you have created, but trials that God has allowed to come into your life. God wants you to go to him first. He is waiting for you to open up your heart and listen.
The question is not about how great your desire is to know God's will, but how great your desire is to do it. Are you asking God to give you advice, or wisdom? Are you really saying, "God, tell me what you want me to do, and if I like it, I'll do it"? We have all become so used to making decisions based on our own preferences and opinions that we don't really seek God's wisdom and direction. Do we really want what God wants for us; do we really want God's will in our lives?
While I was doing ministry work in India, I heard a story told of Gandhi. One day someone came to Mahatma Gandhi and said, "I want to know God." Gandhi walked him over to the edge of the river and said, "Let's get into the water." Once they were in, Gandhi took the man's head and held it under water. Gandhi continued to hold on while he struggled, then, just as the man was about to give up, Gandhi lifted his head up out of the water and said, "When you want to know God as desperately as you wanted to breathe just now, then you will find him."
Do you desire God in your life? Do you desire his wisdom? Or do you already have your life planned out? Your heavenly Father is waiting for you-but do you really want him?
God bless you,
Dan
Order your copy of A Faith That Is Real and be challenged to embrace a more authentic faith.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Asking for Wisdom
James 1:5-8
In verse 5 James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." The Greek word translated ask in this verse implies that we are to keep on asking. Wisdom should be asked for on a regular basis. God doesn't tire, and neither should we. Asking for wisdom is a habit that is formed by constant use.
When you are in a trial, to whom do you go first-to a friend, to your family, to your coworkers? Remember, the trials James is speaking of here are not trials you have created, but trials that God has allowed to come into your life. God wants you to go to him first. He is waiting for you to open up your heart and listen.
The question is not about how great your desire is to know God's will, but how great your desire is to do it. Are you asking God to give you advice, or wisdom? Are you really saying, "God, tell me what you want me to do, and if I like it, I'll do it"? We have all become so used to making decisions based on our own preferences and opinions that we don't really seek God's wisdom and direction. Do we really want what God wants for us; do we really want God's will in our lives?
While I was doing ministry work in India, I heard a story told of Gandhi. One day someone came to Mahatma Gandhi and said, "I want to know God." Gandhi walked him over to the edge of the river and said, "Let's get into the water." Once they were in, Gandhi took the man's head and held it under water. Gandhi continued to hold on while he struggled, then, just as the man was about to give up, Gandhi lifted his head up out of the water and said, "When you want to know God as desperately as you wanted to breathe just now, then you will find him."
Do you desire God in your life? Do you desire his wisdom? Or do you already have your life planned out? Your heavenly Father is waiting for you-but do you really want him?
God bless you,
Dan
Order your copy of A Faith That Is Real and be challenged to embrace a more authentic faith.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wisdom! Who Needs It?
The following is an excerpt from A Faith That Is Real.
Wisdom! Who Needs It?
James 1:5-8
A bride and groom have just returned from their honeymoon. The bride excitedly prepares her first meal for her husband, a beautiful candlelit dinner. She has informed him that there are two things she cooks very well-apple pie and vegetable lasagna. He takes a bite, chews thoughtfully, and asks, "Which is this?"
. . . Now we will look at the need for wisdom in going through these trials, and the need to understand our trials from God's perspective.
Wisdom in Trials
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the practical use of knowledge. It is not only having knowledge, but also knowing how to use it. Wisdom is an incredibly powerful force that helps us to make right decisions and keeps us from failures that would destroy us.
When do we need wisdom? James instructs us to ask God for wisdom when we are going through a trial. In the midst of a difficult situation, we can simply cry out to the Lord.
Wisdom is quite different from advice. When we ask for advice, we have usually already made up our minds and are just looking for someone to validate our decisions. If a person doesn't give the advice we are looking for, we just ignore it. In the same way, we rarely go to God and say, "Lord, I really don't care how this decision will affect me, or how much stress and suffering it may cause, I just want to do what you want me to do." Rather, we have usually already figured out in our heads what we are going to do, and what we are really thinking is, "God, here's the path I'm going to take. Will you bless my choice and help me as I go?
What God desires from us is that emptiness that genuinely seeks out his wisdom. We can read the Bible until we are blue in the face and memorize hundreds of verses, but unless we recognize the will of God and do it, it won't make us wise.
One time my dad said to me, "I wish all these books on raising kids had been around when I was raising you." True, there are more books today on raising children; however, reading a parenting book every day will not make us wise parents. We have to take knowledge and apply it to our situations. That is the kind of wisdom James is talking about-the wisdom that allows us to take information and process it in a way that is beneficial and useful.
Wisdom is taking knowledge and knowing how to apply it to our lives. The Bible commands us to pursue wisdom, to seek it out (see Proverbs 4:5-7). Each one of us needs wisdom. Wisdom centers our lives. That doesn't mean we are going to have all the answers, but it does allow us to focus on who God is and what he is doing in our lives-which is molding us into the people he wants us to be. . .
God bless you,
Dan
Order your copy of A Faith That Is Real and be challenged to embrace a more authentic faith.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Wisdom! Who Needs It?
James 1:5-8
A bride and groom have just returned from their honeymoon. The bride excitedly prepares her first meal for her husband, a beautiful candlelit dinner. She has informed him that there are two things she cooks very well-apple pie and vegetable lasagna. He takes a bite, chews thoughtfully, and asks, "Which is this?"
. . . Now we will look at the need for wisdom in going through these trials, and the need to understand our trials from God's perspective.
Wisdom in Trials
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the practical use of knowledge. It is not only having knowledge, but also knowing how to use it. Wisdom is an incredibly powerful force that helps us to make right decisions and keeps us from failures that would destroy us.
When do we need wisdom? James instructs us to ask God for wisdom when we are going through a trial. In the midst of a difficult situation, we can simply cry out to the Lord.
Wisdom is quite different from advice. When we ask for advice, we have usually already made up our minds and are just looking for someone to validate our decisions. If a person doesn't give the advice we are looking for, we just ignore it. In the same way, we rarely go to God and say, "Lord, I really don't care how this decision will affect me, or how much stress and suffering it may cause, I just want to do what you want me to do." Rather, we have usually already figured out in our heads what we are going to do, and what we are really thinking is, "God, here's the path I'm going to take. Will you bless my choice and help me as I go?
What God desires from us is that emptiness that genuinely seeks out his wisdom. We can read the Bible until we are blue in the face and memorize hundreds of verses, but unless we recognize the will of God and do it, it won't make us wise.
One time my dad said to me, "I wish all these books on raising kids had been around when I was raising you." True, there are more books today on raising children; however, reading a parenting book every day will not make us wise parents. We have to take knowledge and apply it to our situations. That is the kind of wisdom James is talking about-the wisdom that allows us to take information and process it in a way that is beneficial and useful.
Wisdom is taking knowledge and knowing how to apply it to our lives. The Bible commands us to pursue wisdom, to seek it out (see Proverbs 4:5-7). Each one of us needs wisdom. Wisdom centers our lives. That doesn't mean we are going to have all the answers, but it does allow us to focus on who God is and what he is doing in our lives-which is molding us into the people he wants us to be. . .
God bless you,
Dan
Order your copy of A Faith That Is Real and be challenged to embrace a more authentic faith.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
Monday, January 5, 2009
What's Holding You Back?
The following is an excerpt from Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't.
What's Holding You Back?
I remember one of the first times I shared my faith with someone. I was a fairly new Christian attending Liberty University, a Christian college in Virginia. As a member of the football team, I was required to go door to door witnessing (a prerequisite for anyone who wanted to play sports).
One Saturday I went door to door with Randy, a pastor's son and a junior in college who had done this sort of thing many times before. By the time we reached the fourth house Randy turned to me and said, "Okay Dan, the next one is yours."
I was so scared, I tried to refuse; but Randy insisted. We walked to the house and knocked on the door. When an elderly woman opened the door, I began my speech, telling her that we were going from house to house to talk to people about the Lord. When she heard that, to my surprise and fright, she invited us in, sat us down, and brought her husband to us.
To this day I don't know what I said. All I know is, when I finished I asked, "Would you like to open your heart to Christ?" To my shock, the elderly man said yes, so we prayed together.
As we were leaving, the woman pulled me aside, put her arm around me and said, "I've been praying for years for my husband to come to Jesus, but he's had no interest whatsoever. Today you came by and my husband to Christ. Thank you!"
I'll never forget that experience. Of course, Randy was a bit shocked and even impressed that the Lord used me, but no more than I was. If it hadn't been for Randy's persistence, I would have missed out on leading someone to the Lord-solely because of fear.
Afraid to Evangelize
Why is sharing our faith so difficult? What makes it so hard to give our testimony to somebody, to quote a few Bible verses to him or her?
What scares many people is the idea that we have to go down on the street corner, confront someone with the Gospel presentation, and keep prompting her until he or she prays the sinner's prayer.
Confrontation evangelism works for some people, but most of us are relational. That's why I like to do what I call conversational evangelism-establishing friendships, developing relationships with others, building bridges into other people's lives.
Still, we're all generally cowards when it comes to sharing our faith, even with those we know. I consider myself the Number One Chicken. Why are we afraid? Five reasons come to mind . . .
1. Fear of Failure
2. Fear of Rejection
3. Fear of Contamination
4. Lack of Skill
5. Not Seeing the Need
. . . Possibilities for building bridges exist all around us if we are willing to conquer our fears and allow a love for God and a love for people to flow through us . . .
* * * * *
Order your copy of Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't and learn how to develop your own personal evangelism style.
Consider having Dan Owens come to your church or event for his seminar Building Bridges For Eternity. Call Eternity Minded Ministries at 805-460-0561 for more information or go to http://www.eternityminded.org/seminar.htm.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
What's Holding You Back?
I remember one of the first times I shared my faith with someone. I was a fairly new Christian attending Liberty University, a Christian college in Virginia. As a member of the football team, I was required to go door to door witnessing (a prerequisite for anyone who wanted to play sports).
One Saturday I went door to door with Randy, a pastor's son and a junior in college who had done this sort of thing many times before. By the time we reached the fourth house Randy turned to me and said, "Okay Dan, the next one is yours."
I was so scared, I tried to refuse; but Randy insisted. We walked to the house and knocked on the door. When an elderly woman opened the door, I began my speech, telling her that we were going from house to house to talk to people about the Lord. When she heard that, to my surprise and fright, she invited us in, sat us down, and brought her husband to us.
To this day I don't know what I said. All I know is, when I finished I asked, "Would you like to open your heart to Christ?" To my shock, the elderly man said yes, so we prayed together.
As we were leaving, the woman pulled me aside, put her arm around me and said, "I've been praying for years for my husband to come to Jesus, but he's had no interest whatsoever. Today you came by and my husband to Christ. Thank you!"
I'll never forget that experience. Of course, Randy was a bit shocked and even impressed that the Lord used me, but no more than I was. If it hadn't been for Randy's persistence, I would have missed out on leading someone to the Lord-solely because of fear.
Afraid to Evangelize
Why is sharing our faith so difficult? What makes it so hard to give our testimony to somebody, to quote a few Bible verses to him or her?
What scares many people is the idea that we have to go down on the street corner, confront someone with the Gospel presentation, and keep prompting her until he or she prays the sinner's prayer.
Confrontation evangelism works for some people, but most of us are relational. That's why I like to do what I call conversational evangelism-establishing friendships, developing relationships with others, building bridges into other people's lives.
Still, we're all generally cowards when it comes to sharing our faith, even with those we know. I consider myself the Number One Chicken. Why are we afraid? Five reasons come to mind . . .
1. Fear of Failure
2. Fear of Rejection
3. Fear of Contamination
4. Lack of Skill
5. Not Seeing the Need
. . . Possibilities for building bridges exist all around us if we are willing to conquer our fears and allow a love for God and a love for people to flow through us . . .
* * * * *
Order your copy of Sharing Christ When You Feel You Can't and learn how to develop your own personal evangelism style.
Consider having Dan Owens come to your church or event for his seminar Building Bridges For Eternity. Call Eternity Minded Ministries at 805-460-0561 for more information or go to http://www.eternityminded.org/seminar.htm.
Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries
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