Jesus Christ

My new book is out!

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

31Wci55k5UL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_

Book cover by Matt Scofield, Copyright 14k Media

Today is the release date for a project that has been underway for nearly two years. A huge thanks to all the encouragement from my wife, family, and friends who helped me along this journey. The book is currently available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as an e-version on Kindle and Nooks.

Here’s a basic synopsis of the book if you’d like to have a read:

Asking questions was central to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus used questioning so much that sometimes He even preferred answering questions with a question of His own. In context, these questions are directed to the religious leaders of the time, His disciples, and the on-looking crowds. On a much grander scale, Jesus asks these questions as if He is having a one-on-one conversation with you and me thousands of years later. This book is going to help you get face-to-face with the Savior of World. He has asked questions that cut to the heart of our fears, our hopes, and our imaginations. Throughout this book you will be met with ten of Christ’s questions. They will act as a mirror into your motives, your wounds, your relationships, and your deepest desires. Keep a bible handy. You’ll be needing it a lot!

“My [Jesus] sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27

I would love for you to pick up a copy and to hear your feedback. I hope that it blesses you as much as the Lord has blessed me through the process of writing it. The whole purpose behind this project is to reach the world with the Gospel message which is so way beyond good news! God bless you in Christ, my brothers and sisters!

Spend your life dancing

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

My wife told me of a story she heard in a bible study of a man who danced whenever he worshipped. He couldn't contain it. Come to find out, this man had deserved a life sentence for a crime he had committed as a youth while mixed up in the gang lifestyle. But God gave him a second chance at life when the grandmother of his victim asked for leniency to be shown him. Instead of his life being over, he was granted parole. He gave his life to Christ and said that he would spend the rest of his life dancing in praise.

As amazing as that story is his condition was far less severe than humanity's spiritual state apart from salvation in Christ. Life in prison cannot come close to comparing to eternity in hell. For those who have given their life to Jesus, they have been paroled from a much greater peril. For someone who has been redeemed from spiritual death and adopted by the Creator of the universe, worship should be a constant in their life. Because we too cannot contain our gratitude.

But how do you worship your savior regularly when you have a job, multiple jobs, a marriage, a child, multiple kids, a nonstop life? We worship through distraction, not just in the absence of it.

One morning on the way to church, in a car with two chatty and noisy little girls in the back, I found myself lost in deep meaningful worship. I was getting emotional. Song after song hit me with a new piece to a powerful message. I was interacting with the Holy Spirit that morning! And it's not like I was tuning my kids out or ignoring them either. Which is exactly my point. We can have meaningful worship in the middle of life's craziness. We can worship at work. We can worship with the kids. We can worship all day long no matter what that day looks like.

Don't just find the time to praise God for His over the top goodness, make it the business of your day to do so. We have so much to praise Him for. Each breath is a gift. Come what may, just worship and let your heart dance within!

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63:4 (NIV)

Look at your own bubbles

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment


Today I was blowing bubbles for both my girls in our backyard. They absolutely love it! I will shower each  of them one at a time in a barrage of bubbles as they try to pop them before they hit the ground. As the fun went on both of my daughters kept starring off at the bubbles that I blew for the other. Because they kept looking at their sister’s bubbles they would miss their own. 

I couldn’t help but to catch the picture of what was happening and think of how most people, no matter the age, can be guilty of the very same thing. As we get older we look at things a lot different than bubbles but the problem is the same. We can so easily miss the great things right in front of us because we are too busy looking at what others have. 

Today I’m going to take the time to be thankful for all the people and things in my life. Most of all, I’m going to be thankful no matter the bubbles that others have because I have Jesus and nothing could ever beat that! God bless my brothers and sisters and may you see all the beautiful bubbles in your life.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain,”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Punished NOT Abandoned 

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment


I’ve had to punished my girls and I can tell you that it is one of my least favorite things to do in life. It may be necessary and right to do, but it is so hard sometimes. And even when I punish them, I have no intentions of ever leaving them. When correction is needed in their lives, and they have to face the realities of consequences, I want them to know that my love for them will never diminish. I imagine God looks at us in the same way only with greater intensity.

In the middle of pain, especially the self induced kind, it’s easy to assume God is nowhere to be found. After all, it’s my own fault i’m in this mess so why would He be here? I sinned and disobeyed Him so why would He want to be with me? I’ve committed this same old offense once more so now He really must have given up on me. How could I blame Him if He was absent in my consequences? 

The life of Moses is a captivating one to say the least. He narrowly escaped being murdered by Egyptians when he was a baby, he was raised by both his mother and pharaoh’s household, he killed an Egyptian while standing up for a fellow Hebrew, he fled into exile for 40 years, then he’s called by God (out of a burning bush!) to tell the most powerful nation in the world to release its slave labor force, he’s put in charge of a nation of people while on an exodus over hundreds of miles, and constantly has to mediate between a Holy God and an ungrateful people. No doubt that he must have been an amazing man. But even as incredible as Moses was, he still suffered from the same ailment as all of humanity: sin. One such sin caused a major consequence. In the book of Numbers, chapter 20, Moses and Aaron have to deal with a bit of a water shortage. To sum it up, Moses and Aaron don’t follow God’s instructions and end up taking the glory for bringing water from a rock rather than giving God the glory for it. The effect from that would be denied entry into the promised land. Ouch! But that’s not the point of this story. Moses screwed up and so do we. No need to remind everyone of that. What I want to point out came at the end of all this, when Moses is facing up to the consequences, at what would be the end of his life.

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land…And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭34:1,4-6‬ ‭

Moses had to miss out on walking in the promise land but he got something so much better. The Lord went up the mountain with him. The Lord showed him a glimpse out of grace. The Lord buried him where only He knows. Despite Moses’ disobedience the Lord never left him. Once chosen by God, Moses was His forever. That didn’t exclude Moses from the consequences of his sin but it did keep him in grace. And that is no consolation prize.

I heard a story once of a little boy who was placed in timeout by his mom. He begged and begged to be let out but his mom stayed firm. Along came grandpa and the little boy pleaded with him to take him out even though his mom had said no. Instead of taking the boy out, the grandpa sat with the boy in time out until his time had been served. God is much like the grandpa. He may not excuse us from the hurt and pain that our actions create, but He’ll be right there with us. Keep in mind that God is no stranger to punishment. He chose the most excruciating crucifixion for our sake and He didn’t deserve it. If He’ll hang on a cross out of love for us and you can be sure He’ll be with us in our time outs, our pain, our breakups, our divorces, our failing health, and all our sufferings. 

Believer, our sin will reap consequences in this life, for us and others. There may be no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), but that does not exclude us from pain. On the other hand it also does not forfeit us from God’s grace. Where we have to be concerned is if there is no desire to repent of sin. Moses repented and continued to pursue God all the way to the end. If God has chosen you then He’ll be right there with you even as you battle your way through the wake of your sin. 

Our mistakes are not the end of our story just like it wasn’t for Moses. After all, Moses did enter the promise land one day. And who took him there? It was the Lord.

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:1-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The desperate heart has only one place to look, and that’s up. Think God has left you? Not a chance. Screwed up royally? God is still at the door knocking. Whether you’re a Believer or not, God is in pursuit of you. Our ugliness doesn’t drive Him away. If it did, He never would’ve gone to the cross for us in the first place. 

Don’t be Selfish with Grace

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

grace

If someone in your life did something wrong, would you be a person they’d want to come to? What if they had done something to you personally? Grace is not ours to withhold. Doing so communicates a message about Jesus that He is enough to forgive my sin but not enough for me to forgive yours.  The power to forgive, found in Christ, can be applied to all situations. To argue the contrary is to say that our hurt is worth more than the souls of humanity. Christ died for our souls in the face of our hate and rebellion and sin. What do we have to do in order to forgive someone of their debt? We certainly don’t have to be beaten, have nails driven through our wrists and feet, or hang to death on a cross. Jesus endured all that so that those who choose Him can have every wrong erased permanently. I’m not saying that grace is always easy, but it is necessary. No one could ever wrong us more than we’ve wronged God. To show grace is to show others a glimpse of God. To show grace is tell others that Jesus’ sacrifice is real and powerful and life-changing.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Colossians 3:12-14 (The Message)

 

Lessons About Jesus From Star Wars

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

big_1469580654_image

I was watching Star Wars: the Force Awakens about a week ago and the Holy Spirit rocked my world. You read that right…I had a Holy Spirit encounter while watching Star Wars. It goes to show that His reach is without limits right? The scene: Han Solo encounters his son, Kylo Ren, on the surface of the StarKiller Base created by the First Order. If you’re not a Star Wars fan then I may have lost you. Just know this…Kylo Ren has been taken by the dark side of the force, and Han Solo (his father) has never given up hope that he can become good once again. This scene is one of the most powerful in the entire movie.  At the beginning of this scene, Han Solo has a choice to make, escape the planet unharmed, or risk his life to confront his son. Han’s love for his son made that no real choice at all. It drew him out onto the breezeway where Han called to his son, and he immediately stopped and turned around. Han walked out to him until they were face to face. Here is the dialogue that ensues:

Han Solo: Ben!

Kylo Ren: Han Solo. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.

Han Solo: Take off that mask. You don’t need it.

Kylo Ren: What do you think you’ll see if I do?

Han Solo: The face of my son.

Kylo Ren: Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father, so I destroyed him.

Han Solo: That’s what Snoke wants you to believe, but it’s not true. My son is alive.

Kylo Ren: No. The Supreme Leader is wise.

Han Solo: Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he’ll crush you. You know it’s true.

Kylo Ren: It’s too late.

Han Solo: No, it’s not. Leave here with me. Come home. We miss you.

Kylo Ren: I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?

Han Solo: Yes. Anything.

The moment that comes next was heartbreaking! Kylo Ren kills his own father with his lightsaber. The moment that shook me came next and it’s pictured in the image at the beginning of this post. In his last seconds of life, Han Solo reaches up and caresses his son’s face while gazing endearingly into his eyes. It was as if Han Solo’s only thought at that moment was that he got to see his son one last time, look into his eyes, and touch his face. The look on Han’s face showed no sign that he was focused on his own eminent death.  Kylo’s cruel act could do nothing to destroy his father’s love for him.

So how do I see Jesus in all of this? The love of Christ is so great that it is unshakable, even when our sin was killing Him nearly 2000 years ago. When He created us, knowing our fallibility, knowing His blood was needed to cover our mistakes, Jesus loved us. Even as the crowds stood in the courts and yelled for His blood, Jesus must have been overwhelmed with His love for them, for us, for me. With each stroke of the lashes that tore the skin on His back, the love of Jesus held true. When the nails were driven into His body, securing Him to the cross, the love of Jesus was prevailing. When the voices shouted out in mocking fashion while He hung on the cross, His heart was moved with compassion for them. If it were possible, I’m sure Jesus would have embraced all of His executioners.

We so greatly underestimate the love of Christ. We acknowledge His great sacrifice, but rarely do we allow His motivation of love to break and reshape our hearts.  I believe that Jesus would have extended His hands to each of those Roman soldiers and hate-filled Pharisees, had His arms not been fastened to the tree.  If you haven’t, try to think of it this way and see if it doesn’t move you to tears. Even if it were you that drove the nails into His body, He’d still love you. Even if it were you that whipped Him, mocked Him, or forced a crown of thorns on His head, He’d still love you. The reality is, that you and me did do all of those things. Our sin necessitated His suffering. But in the midst of His blood splattered face were eyes, filled with love, gazing back at His betrayers…His murderers…at us…wanting to make us sons and daughters. And while it must have physically pained Him more than I can imagine, He did it with joy.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

The choice is laid out for all of humanity. We can continue in the life of darkness, disregarding this incomprehensible sacrifice and love, or we can allow His love to prevail in our hearts.  His love never gives up on us. His love sees no limits. His love makes it possible for anyone to be saved. Why anyone would walk away from a love like this, i’ll never know. Jesus has proven that He’d do anything to save humanity…to save you and me. Be encouraged my brothers and sisters. We are so fiercely loved!

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)

Only dead fish swim with the stream

~ ForCommonGround ~ 4 Comments

hqdefault

“A particular activity or cause that has suddenly become fashionable or popular.”

-Bandwagon

 Most people have heard of bandwagon fans.  Every time a new team rises to the top of the ranks in any given sport we see their jerseys, hats, tweets, posts, etc all over the place. The media probably feeds this phenomenon but I wouldn’t say that it causes it by any means. There is something inside people that makes them want to hop on the wagon. The bandwagon analogy doesn’t just pertain to the sports world either. With most every hobby, passion, ideology, philosophy, and much more, there is a bandwagon effect. I would say that bandwagons are harmless for the most part, and even fun to tease people about, until it involves critical aspects of someone’s life or becomes more of pattern in a person’s life. That is what this blog post is addressing.

Behind the bandwagon effect lies a much deeper issue…insecurity. Bear with me here. By default, a person who jumps on the wagon is someone who wants to be associated with what is popular at the time. They might even be very outspoken about what is acceptable or praised in society at that moment. But, as we know, society changes about as often as teams rise and fall from prominence.

To jump on and off the bandwagon is the easier path in life. One never has to be disappointed, weather hard times, go against the flow, or be challenged. It may be easier to live this way, but it is far less fulfilling, impactful, and authentic. It could also be said that these people are either absent of true conviction or too fearful to stand by them. Their insecurity drives their beliefs deep down so that they choose the crowd over conviction. In perspective, a bandwagon lifestyle is fake. It is a projected image that doesn’t match reality. The life is no more dangerous than when it comes to our faith in Christ. Just as a bandwagon fan, is no fan at all so too a bandwagon Christian is no Christian at all. And there are plenty of impostors out there wearing the Christian fan garb and speaking the Christianese language, but only when it’s safe, and only when it doesn’t require changing their lifestyle, and only when it doesn’t require standing up for truth.

The title of this post is part of a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge, an English journalist. I believe it captures the bandwagon life. Those who follow the flow of society don’t have a promising future ahead of them. The fish who survive and have purpose, are those who choose to swim upstream, against the current. Few people choose the current, but those who are spiritually alive refuse the flow. That’s because Jesus is at the headwaters not the mouth of the river.

I am not advocating anarchy or outright rebellion, but I am promoting the idea of being counter-cultural. There have always been, and I would venture to say, there always will be aspects of culture that is anti-biblical. So to be a Christian is to be counter-cultural. To be a Christian means we have to go against the flow for a lot of issues in society. To be a Christian means we will have to weather hard times and that the majority will criticize us at one point or another. To be a Christian means that we have the strength of the Holy Spirit to thrive in the midst of hostility and adversity. Jesus didn’t send us out into the world to flow with it, but to change it. And He promised that we wouldn’t go alone.

The goal of the Christian is not the acceptance of society, but acceptance by the Savior. He wrote the rule book of life, not men. He decided right and wrong, not men. And what was right in the beginning of time will still be right when this world comes to an end. The judgement standard of this world is Jesus Christ, not cultural norms. What separates the bandwagon fans of Jesus and His die-hard followers will be whether or not they live that way. Besides, the bandwagon doesn’t pass through the pearly gates only those who followed Him in life do.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:13-23 (NIV)

God does not want the best version of you…

~ ForCommonGround ~ 8 Comments

self-promotion

I heard someone say recently that God wants us to be the best version of ourselves. It sounds good at first, and almost biblical. But…I believe that it’s untrue none the less. Never once does the bible say that God’s goal for our lives is to be the best person we can. God doesn’t want us to be a better person, He wants us to be more like Jesus. The best human is still full of sin. No matter what the best version of us is, it will be a version that sins. Jesus is the image of God. He is perfection in every sense of the word, and the only way to please God is by having faith in Him. Therefore, being like Jesus is our goal in life. Being like Jesus is what the mission of the Holy Spirit is. Human flesh brings limitations but God’s Spirit transforms lives.

Trying to be the best version of ourselves leads to people focusing way too much on…you guessed it…themselves. Some people even use it to justify their vanity. I heard one person a while back saying that they body build because God wants us to have the best bodies possible. Really? Jesus did not die on the cross so that we should devote our lives to getting ripped and toned. Some quote the bible saying the our bodies are a temple meaning we should try to be as beautiful as possible and have ___ amount of body fat and hit the gym and try the latest diet fads. We don’t need to “dress up for Jesus” when we go to church. We don’t need to have endless debate over piercings and tattoos. We are the temple…of the Holy Spirit. That in no way means that we need to perfect the image of the temple or devote our lives to covering every “flaw” that we perceive we have. It means that we house the most precious gift anyone could ever receive and that gift is meant to change everything inside us. Health is great, but holiness is better. And holiness only comes through Jesus.

Let’s be clear…God won’t love you any more than He did when He died for you on the cross. In all of our ugliness and imperfection, God loved us. We have hope because of Jesus. We have life because of Jesus. We are made holy because of Jesus. Our life is now all about Jesus. In the bible, Jesus is literally called “our life”. We don’t need to look better or act better, we need a life connected to Jesus. We need His Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. Then and only then will we be genuine and sincere in our love for others and our love for God. A life pleasing to God is not more of us, it’s more of Jesus in us. Live in the peace that His grace brings, knowing you’re already loved and accepted through Christ. Stop the striving to be a better you and run after Jesus and you’ll become better in every way.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  Colossians 3:3-4

“…whoever says he abides in him [Jesus] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”  1 John 2:6

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8

Lessons from a Mermaid

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

enhanced-17554-1406734394-1

 

A few days ago I was watching The Little Mermaid with my daughter. Believe it or not, I actually had a spiritual encounter. Don’t laugh! I’m serious. It happened during the scene where Ariel and Ursula are negotiating at Ursula’s lair. In a quick synopsis, Ariel wants to become a human so she can walk on land in hopes of living happily ever after with the love of her life, Prince Eric. Ursula wants to dominate the entire sea. Ursula proposes a plan to “help” Ariel get her dream come true. In reality, she wants to use Ariel’s desires to trap her and take her soul. Ariel’s crab friend, Sebastian, tries to stop her but she is overcome by her longing for Prince Eric that she agrees to a contract with Ursula. During this scene, the Holy Spirit took me to school on spiritual matters.

Ursula is a representation of Satan. Her goal is the same as his. She wants to control the seas and all that is in them, and Satan wants all of humanity. The Devil will frequently try to make agreements with humanity in order to achieve his goals. Those contracts seem enticing, but at their core, they are deceptive and evil just as Ursula’s were. Ursula played off of Ariel’s desires, just like Satan does to us. He will always pervert our desires which ultimately stacks the chips in his favor and only leads to our pain and the pain of those in our lives.

Examples: We all have a longing to be loved and accepted. Satan will confuse us on what that actually looks like, or will play off of hurts caused in our lives to lead us into making poor choices. Maybe we never felt it as a kid growing up from our parents, so we make agreements in our mind that we will seek it out, even from unhealthy sources. We meet that girl, or guy, or group of people, that makes us feel accepted and wanted, yet they only want to use us or exploit us in some way. This is exactly how gangs are formed. This is why people go from one unhealthy relationship to the next. This is why people get sucked in to pornography and affairs. This is where Satan wants us because these situations ultimately lead people away from God.

The bible contains a narrative of a similar scene from the one in the Little Mermaid. (I’ll bet that’s a statement you’ve never heard before).  The most detailed account is in Matthew 4:1-11. To summarize, Satan attempts three different ways of luring Jesus into signing a contract with him. The first is to target the thirst and hunger of Jesus because He had been in the desert fasting for 40 days. Satan will try to exploit the needs and wants of our flesh. If we aren’t getting something that we perceive as a need or have a desire for it, then Satan will surely offer up something to fill that. The problem is, it will not be a good thing and we will certainly have to pay a major price if we take the bait. The second is to challenge the identity of Jesus by saying, “if you truly are the Son of God…” Satan is sometimes referred to as the accuser or father of lies. This is because he twists reality and brings charges against everyone who has ever been born. He does not want us to know in our hearts that we are created in the image of God. Those who do embrace that identity are more empowered to live for God and overcome temptations. The third was to offer Him a counterfeit to that which was already His. Jesus already had control over everything in creation, because He created it and He is how all things are held together. Satan still had the audacity to offer Jesus the kingdoms of the world. Those who are in Christ are already loved, accepted, valued, and given great purpose in life. Satan wants to confuse us on that so that we will look for those things in another source besides God.

These are pretty common methods that the Devil uses which is why I believe Jesus wanted us to see it through His experience. I couldn’t believe that God was taking me on a journey of the soul during an animated movie. It just goes to show that there are no limits to how His Spirit can work in us.

I hope that this post can be an encouragement to you and can help you stand in the face of temptation and hurts and see the counterfeits being offered you. I hope that the days of your life are empowered by Holy Spirit strength and wisdom to see the good from the bad and the light from the dark and be able to choose the right path to take. For me, the scene from the movie, or that from Matthew 4, can sometimes play out daily. The good news is, that Satan can’t force any of us into a contract, we have to choose it. We can decide who we want to be like…Ariel or Jesus.

Jesus shut him up all three times by using the Word of God to expose Satan’s deceptions. Interestingly enough, Jesus is the Word of God made flesh so He was never really at the risk of being drawn away by Satan’s schemes. For us, we have to use the same method. We have to tap into the same source as Jesus did. The bible tells us who were are, how much God loves us, and what our purpose in life is. A life lived with these answers will have fulfillment, unconditional acceptance, and have far less room for the enemy of our souls to try to invade.

I’ll end with some verses to declare that in Him, we are strong!

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God Bless!!!

 

 

Who do you say I AM?

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

names-of-Jesus

The most important question that anyone will ever have to answer is “who is Jesus Christ?” Why is this the most important? Simply put, it will dictate your entire life, every decision, desire, direction, and your future destination. Whether you view Him as never existing, a simple good teacher, a divine created being, or God Himself, the outcomes of your life hang on your personal view of His identity.

For someone who disregards Him as a figment of history’s imagination, they will not be affected by Him or His teachings in the slightest and will thus have to base their choices and moral compass on some other thing, person, or philosophy. For those who acknowledge Jesus as a good teacher or created being like us, but stop short at recognizing the identity given Him in the Bible, may be guided by the teachings they like or agree with. However, when confronted with a difficult truth, these people will shy away or look to other paths for guidance. The categories of people mentioned so far are all really in one category together. Let’s call them category one. Their lives are not consumed by Jesus and they are open to influence from outside forces at a far greater extent that someone who believes the answer that the Bible gives to the question “who is Jesus Christ?” Let’s jump into the Bible and take a look at a moment when Jesus Himself poses this question:

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)

First, Jesus asks what the world labels Him as. The world would be those who are in the first category I mentioned earlier. They either don’t acknowledge His existence or they don’t attribute to Him the correct identity. Category one members would most likely label Jesus in a positive way. Notice here, He is associated with great men from earlier in Israel’s history. Most of the world agrees that He walked this earth and that He had a great influence. Members of most religions, at the very least, call Him a great teacher. Most of us would be honored to be thought of in these ways. The difference is, these are insults compared to who Jesus really is.

So Jesus continues and turns the question to His disciples. These are the people who make up those in category two. Those who believe that Jesus is the very image of God, and God in the flesh, make up the second category. In simple terms, there are followers/disciples of the true Jesus, and then there is everyone else. The first of Jesus’s disciples to respond is Peter. He states that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Son, in this context, refers to the fact that He is of God, one with God, God in the flesh. Jesus then congratulates Peter on answering wisely and correctly. Jesus says that Peter’s faith in this fact is what the entire church is to be built on. He also says that this faith is given by God not man. So that means that people will declare the identity of Jesus based on human perspective or on the Godly perspective. For those who believe Jesus is who the bible says He is, also believe that Jesus is everything that makes up their life. Check out Colossians chapter three.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

Notice the effects that the view of Jesus has on the believer. The people of category two, those who say Jesus is who the bible says He is, will spend the rest of their lives seeking the things above, meaning heavenly/godly. They will live as sojourners in this world. They will live to please their heavenly Father because of the extreme grace that He as shown them. Their decisions will be weighed against the truths that Jesus taught and demonstrated.  They will live as though He is their everything and that they owe Him everything. They will seek to understand what please Him which will transform their decisions, desires, direction, and destination. They do this because, Jesus taking our place on the cross and dying for our sins, was not a mere mortal man or good teacher laying His life down. They do this because it was the God of the universe, their very creator, who stepped down out of heaven to take our place. They do this because they realize the goodness of God and it has radically changed them. For those in category one, the doubters and believers in a false Jesus, they have no reason to do this. A person either has the foundation of Christ to direct their life or they don’t and what determines that is how you answer the question: “who do you say I AM?” posed by Jesus Himself.

Before we end, lets take a look at how Jesus answered this question for us:

John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life

-Meaning He is what sustains people, not just in a physical sense, but in a spiritual one.

John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world

-Meaning He brings truth into a dark and sinful world.

John 8: 58 Before Abraham was, I am

-Meaning He was in the beginning of time with God because He is God.

 

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd

-Meaning He is there to lead us into real “life” and eternity.

John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life

-Meaning He is the one that will resurrect us from the day once we are gone if we believed in Him.

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life

-Meaning He is the only way to heaven.

Now let’s take a peak at other parts in the bible that show His identity:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men…14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-4, 14

So to wrap it up, the weight of our answer to this question could not be any greater. Not only will our answer dictate the way we live our lives here on earth, but it will also determine our destination after we die. For those in category two, there is nothing to fear, but every reason to be excited and hopeful. However, for those in category one, not only will their lives be far emptier and far less impacting, but the worst is yet to come. Fortunately, God doesn’t want anyone to perish or spend eternity away from Him so He’s made the way simple and glorious…and that way is Jesus.