Tag: Jesus
Fellowship, Worship, and Cooperation

Fellowship, Worship, and Cooperation

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Last evening, our joint Good Friday service was filled with wonderful genuine worship and fellowship. As First Baptist and Northside Nazarene joined our worship teams, pastor Lynn Nichols led the Lord’s Supper, and I was privileged to preach the message. On Saturday morning, I’m still full of joy as I reflect on the service and prepare for Easter Sunday morning. So much so that I look forward with excitement the prospect of a joint service later this year with the goal of reaching out to the community. 

A Warm Welcome

As I arrived to preach, I was welcomed at the door of the Northside Church of the Nazarene by Pastor Rebecca Aleman and others. Pastor Rebecca was wonderfully warm and welcoming as she invited me into the foyer of their building. In fact, I’d say the Holy Spirit emanated from her countenance!

I am “complementarian” in my view on church leadership (though not as hardcore as some). The Northside Nazarene church is more “egalitarian.” Lynn and I had even touched on this over breakfast one morning. Does this issue preclude us from fellowshipping, worshipping, or evangelizing the community together? Absolutely not! It’s okay to hold differing views on some issues as we serve together in His kingdom. Believe it or not, not everyone at FBCW agrees on all points of doctrine – some of which are much more central to our faith.

I’m grateful that Pastor Lynn, Pastor Rebecca, Pastor Guy, the worship leader Colin, and others were so overwhelmingly gracious and generous to us cantankerous baptists as we worshipped our one true King together. (Pastor Lynn says we are not cantankerous, but “sweet and wonderful”). I only wish other baptists might be so gracious to one another. 

The Truth and Love that Matters Most

We can all agree that without the forgiveness extended on the cross to all of us, we’d be dead and doomed in our sin. Without the hope that we celebrate tomorrow morning on Easter, we’d have no future. Thank you Lord for the hope and blessings we share! And thank you that You love us all, even when we act foolishly, failing to love one another as You love us.
Father Forgive Them

Father Forgive Them

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This Good Friday service can be found here.

Jesus spoke seven times while hanging on the cross outside the gates of Jerusalem. The first of those seven sayings are found in Luke 23:34. “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.”

Who were “they”? Who was it Jesus had on His mind when He spoke these words to His heavenly Father. Though it is impossible to know the mind of Christ beyond what He has revealed in His word, I believe there are many of us on His mind.

The Tormentors

Jesus had just been nailed to the cross with spikes driven through His wrists and feet. In the previous hours, He had been stripped naked and publicly scourged to the point of exhaustion. He had a crown of thorns driving into His scalp with rods. His beard had been torn from His face as He was spat upon. Could Jesus have had these tormentors on His mind when He called out, “Father forgive them”?

The Materialists

All four Gospels tell us that a group of soldiers took His clothing. Then they gambled over His outer tunic by casting lots. With three men suffering above them and mourners gathered around them, these cold-hearted men focused on what they could gain in material goods. Like them, we often worry about material things in this world while men are dying and people are suffering all around us. Could Jesus have on His mind those who were too focused on this world to see what mattered for eternity when He cried, “Father forgive them”?

The Betrayers

Hours before His trusted disciple Judas consummated his betrayal of Christ with a kiss (Matt. 26:49). Judas had been the treasurer of Jesus’ band of twelve disciples. He had walked with the Lord for three years. Jesus invested precious time teaching Judas and caring for him. Yet, Judas chose to turn his back on His teacher for a small sum of money. Was Jesus thinking of Judas’ betrayal, or all of us who may eventually betray Him, when He spoke those first words on the cross?

The Deniers

Jesus had three most trusted followers – Peter, James, and John. The night before the cross Peter made the boldest promises of commitment. Regardless, it was Peter who denied ever knowing Jesus when Jesus was on trial (Luke 22:54-62). It had only been a few hours. Was Jesus thinking of Peter and all those who would deny knowing Him when they faced the threat of persecution? Jesus forgave Peter and restored Him in the days to come. Maybe it was those deniers for whom Jesus asked forgiveness, because we “don’t know what we are doing.”

The Unfaithful

Mark tells us that when the soldiers arrested Jesus to the garden all of His disciples disappeared. Mark 14:50, “Then they all deserted him and ran away.” Judas had already betrayed Him and Peter would soon fervently deny him. Additionally, all of the other disciples simply ran away at the time of Jesus’ greatest need. Only John would eventually appear at the foot of the cross where he stood alongside Mary (John 19:26-27). Was Jesus thinking of His close friends who fled when trouble came as He said, “Father forgive them”?

The Religious

In the verse following Jesus’ statement, we find the religious leaders scoffing. These men claimed religious superiority. They were supposedly followers of Jesus’ heavenly Father. They had memorized the sacred texts that would point to Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, their hearts were so hardened by religion they completely missed the Christ when He stood before them. Does Jesus look upon the religious with tears and cry out, “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing”?

The Onlookers

In Luke 23:35, we also find the ambiguous group simply referred to as “the people stood watching.” These were the onlookers. They were not involved in Jesus’ crucifixion. They had not betrayed Him or denied Him, because they simply did not know Him. They were observing the spectacle with interest but had no “skin in the game.” Yet, what happened on the cross that afternoon would have a direct impact on their eternity. Like “the people” in verse 35, we stand gazing upon Christ on the cross and our eternity will be determined by what we do with His death.

The Two Criminals

The passage also has two other key figures – the criminals who died on either side of Christ. Those two men represent us all. Like us, they had committed “crimes” and deserved to die. God’s word makes clear that we all have sinned and our sin separates us from God “for the wages of sin is death.”

One of those criminals looked at Jesus and yelled insults at Him. The other looked to Jesus and asked for mercy. He confessed that he was a sinner and deserved to die. He recognized that Jesus had done nothing wrong. In that moment, he made a simple request, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus responded with what must have been the sweetest words that criminal ever heard, “Today I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Those Who are Forgiven

Jesus had all of us on His mind when He cried out, “Father forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.” He fulfilled His purpose on the cross crying out, “It is finished.” He died to complete His mission of atonement for your sin and my sin. He died for the tormentors, the materialistic, the betrayers, the unfaithful, the deniers, the religious, and the onlookers. He died for us all! He offers the gift of forgiveness for all of us.

We are left with a simple choice portrayed by the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus. We can insult Him with our unbelief. Or, we can accept who we are, our need for a savior, and trust Him with our soul. He has offered the gift of forgiveness. We now choose our response.

What will you choose?

What will you do with Jesus who is called the Christ?
A Word that Must be Spoken

A Word that Must be Spoken

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We must proclaim the Good News as if lives depend on it. BECAUSE THEY DO!

A word not spoken or expressed in writing is not a word at all. It is only a thought. The words given to the church by Jesus, its founder, were intended to be spoken so His message could reach lost souls. “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

There is Hope Where the Gospel is Proclaimed

“Son of man, can these bones live?” This question was posed to Ezekiel by the Spirit of the Lord. Ezekiel responded that only the Lord knew the answer to that question. He was commanded to speak the word of the Lord to the bones saying, “I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.”

The spiritual condition of the North American church in recent years has caused many to prophesy its downfall. Many wonder if there is hope for these dry bones. Hope resides in the same place it did for Israel in Ezekiel’s vision – ultimately an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord. History teaches us that there must be a proclaimer of the Word of the Lord. Someone who will declare the hope that only comes from God’s life-giving Spirit.

A Burden for Evangelism is Needed

It wasn’t so long ago that the heart of the American church was alive with the desire to proclaim the Gospel. James S. Stewart began his Yale lecture in 1951, “Today as never before there has been laid upon the heart and conscience of the Church the burden for evangelism.”* Though that heart for evangelism is needed more than ever, the Church in America today does not reflect the passion of which Stewart spoke.

The need for believers who would be faithful in proclaiming the Good News is as old as the news itself. While looking over the distressed throngs of people Jesus proclaimed, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.” The streets of every city are filled with people who need to hear the Gospel message. Disciples of Jesus must be “moved with compassion,” as He was in Matthew chapter nine, so they will enter the fields for the harvest.

The Clear Message Must be Proclaimed

The job is not a complicated one. Peter and John were clearly “uneducated and untrained men,” but they were greatly used by God to launch the church. They proclaimed a simple message. Jesus, who was crucified and raised from the dead, is the only “name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

Stewart proclaimed in the same lecture series, “The first axiom of effective evangelism is that the evangelist must be sure of his message. Any haziness or hesitation there is fatal.” Jesus must be the focus of any true Gospel presentation, because salvation cannot be found in any other name.

There are many plans for sharing the Gospel, but there is a great danger in over complicating the message. The best plan for telling others about Jesus is the simple one that you will use consistently.

The Apostle Paul gave us a simple formula for proclaiming the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.”

Speak the Words of Life

WORDS NOT SPOKEN WILL NEVER BE HEARD. There are many times we are better off not speaking. When it comes to the Good News WE MUST SPEAK. The dry bones need to hear a message of life. The Spirit of God can revive what looks dead. The promise of Jesus is true today. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

JESUS IS THE ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION. Our friends need to hear this crucial news from us.

* James S. Stewart, A Faith to Proclaim (NY: Scribner’s Sons, 1953).

One of the World’s Greatest Questions

One of the World’s Greatest Questions

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Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee. It was still early in His ministry. He had sought some private time with His disciples, but the crowds continued to pursue Him into the deserted place near Bethsaida.

After feeding over five thousand with a few fish and loaves of bread, Jesus sent the crowds away and withdrew to pray with his disciples. It was here that He asked them a couple crucial questions. The first question concerned what others were saying about Him.

While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” – Luke 19:8

The disciples reported that the crowds were unsure. Some thought He was John the Baptist. Others believed He was a prophet sent by God. Jesus then turned His attention to the disciples asking them, “Who do YOU say that I am?”

Our world is still confused about Jesus’ identity. The Time Magazine cover article on August 15, 1988 was titled, “Who was Jesus?” Simply phrasing the question in past tense indicates that Time misses the truth of Jesus, the eternal, resurrected Lord.

Peter got the answer correct. He simply responded, “You are God’s Messiah.” Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the deliverer who God had promised to send. A few days later, Peter would ascend a mountain with Jesus, James, and John. On that day, he witnessed an amazing event. As Jesus was transformed before Peter’s eyes, He appeared with Moses and Elijah. God confirmed Peter’s belief when a voice from the cloud spoke, “This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to Him!”

The world will continue to miss the identity of Jesus. Our faith does not depend on a consensus of authors or scholars. We must all answer the question that Jesus asked the disciples for ourselves. “Who do you say that I am?” For those who profess Him as the Messiah and Lord, with our mouths and lives, God will confirm our faith with His presence.

I serve a risen Saviour, He’s in the world today
I know that He is living, whatever men may say
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need Him He’s always near

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

– “He Lives” by Alfred Henry Ackley