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.

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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