Wipe Off The Dust!

In all the books that I have read in my life, which could fit on a single shelve of an IKEA book shelve, nothing has been more profound then the Word of God. Not only has it captivated millions of hearts around the world, it is known as the most important book ever to be written. It is where we find the truth to the Christian’s life, the past, the present, and the future. But just like any book in the world, we do not receive it through osmosis. In other words, to know it, you have to read it. 

         In 2 Timothy, Paul explains that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (3:16-17). As a man of God, this statement allowed me to make certain at which how to apply the Word in my life. Not only how to live, which is important, but of up most importance, who to live for. 

         Knowing that I live for Christ alone in my life, I’m compelled to read His truth. I mean who would follow someone and yet desire to know nothing about him or her. We would not do that with a personal relationship here on Earth, so why not do the same thing with our Heavenly Father. I have a burning passion within me to know more about Him and why I was created and saved for. I heard a story one time about a people that longed for an answer from their god. They traveled hundreds of miles, offered up their most precious valuables, all to receive a single oracle from their most precious god. They would wait days if not months for their answer, and if they only knew that this answer came from an old withered lady, that was high on fumes that crept up from the earth beneath, I believe they would second guess their god’s oracle.  

         Yet our heavenly Father has given us all the oracles to life, and in many cases, they remain leather bound, and sitting upon a table, covered in dust.

           I choose to not leave mine covered in dust. I make the decision to pick mine up everyday that I can and fill my mind with His truth. If I would be completely honest, I first ask God, that He would have mercy on me, and reveal the truth through His Holy Spirit, and convict me to be moved wherever He would seem fit. But we must make the choice, the decision to want to know our God and to grow in the relationship with our Savior. 

         We must make a habit of reading the Scripture in our lives. The more persistent we are at making this a priority in our life, the more the Word of God will impact our who we are and what we represent. For example, if we never watch the news we will never know what is going on around the world, but if we consume our time in the news, our lives will become more apart of the world. The Word works the same way. The less we are involved, the less of an impact it will have on us. On the contrary, if we would make the Word a priority, then the subject in whom the bible is written about, which is Jesus, will consume our lives. That very same circumstance is what has happened to me. 

         Now I would add that, I find it all joy. Yes, everything that is written in the Living Word I find it to be joy. Whether there is a correction that is revealed for my own life, or a new revelation of His amazing love for me, I choose to find it all-joy. There are so many people that read the bible, and all they see are rules and regulations, and I would say they read it with a tainted heart. A heart that is unwilling to see the beauty in God’s Holy Word. All I can say is I have abided in His word, and I have been revealed it’s truth, and it is by that truth, that I have been truly set free (John 8:31-32). That is why I choose to be joyful when I read it every chance I get and I would encourage you to have the same mindset.

         I believe another key point with the Word is that it should be the guide to our lives. Andrews said, “the danger point occurs when we begin to think too highly of our own wisdom and start ignoring the counsel of others” (37).  I believe you can walk in the same fashion with our relationship with God. So in life, the more we lean on our own understanding and the understanding of others, we can ignore the counsel of God. This is why I challenge others and myself to use the bible as a filter to our lives. It is the best accountability partner that a Christian could ever have. The bible never wavers, or second-guesses what has been written and it always tells the truth.

         As the word reveals truth, we must be responsible not to change what it says. By that I mean we must always stick to its context, not adding to, or taking away. In other words, one must maintain the integrity of the word. Now I know we are not perfect and God does not deter His grace because of that, but what God has revealed to us, we are held responsible to not only share, but also more importantly to show. The last thing God wants us to do is become obese in His Word. If any generation would understand this more, it would be todays. We must remain fit in the word, consuming it, but also maintaining a lifestyle that exercises that which enters by sharing and exits by showing the truth to those around us. 

          May these words excite you and encourage you to get back to the Word of God. To get to know your Savior in an intimate way and see how He truly loves you. This life is but a vapor, but my vapor as a Christian will be spent building the kingdom of Him who saves.

Andrews, Andy. Mastering the Seven Decisions. Nashville. Thomas Nelson. 2008. print

Take Time

STOP! Take a breath… Don’t move a muscle… Is the world still moving? Yes… Many times in my life, I have had to go through this routine because I have made it too busy. I had to make it known to myself that I was not in control and that God is. An unhurried life is not one that you see often in the world that we live in, but I must contest that it may be that very reason why we struggle to have more sincere relationships in general.

         This begins with the choice of saying, "No"--a two-letter word that, if used right, can silence a room enough to hear a pen drop. But in our own lives, we fear saying such a word. I believe we fear because we don’t understand the consequence if we don’t. The world, including myself, needs to become most compassionate about what’s most important.  It’s too easy to get caught up in chaos and the busyness of life and lose track of the end goal, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

          Jesus explained it to us so clearly when He embodied all the laws together into two relationships: the relationship with God and the relationship with your neighbor. We as a people must be concerned to uphold this embodiment in our lives. Andrew Jackson, our seventh president, said,  "Take time to be deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in!” (Andrew 61). I believe the battle that we face today is the battle of a hurried life. Take the action today to say, "No". I must stop deliberating and say no to secure an unhurried life for the future.

         When we become responsible for our lives rather than the world, we are able to steer the boat in which we sit. We control if we want to head towards a life that God wants us to live or once again fall back into the busyness of the world. I choose to make the choice that grows my eternal life that rests upon God’s promises.

         My friend, there is great joy in that decision. Finding the joy in the promise of God removes the weight off our shoulders. So, not only are you taking control of your decisions but you also give the key to your heart, and to your life, back to the One who created you--Who knows what’s best for you. Think of yourself as a tool. The One that would know how to use that tool the best, in the most correct fashion, would be its rceator. For myself, I find great joy that my Creator is Christ.

         “Following Jesus cannot be done at a sprint. If we want to follow someone, we can’t go faster than the one who is leading” (Ortberg 79). Even in our pursuit to follow God, we must remain unhurried. We are the biggest catalyst to our hurried life; so even if we are following God, we have to be patient when creating a lifestyle that leads to the end result. We must guide ourselves down a path that leads to God on His terms and His way. I would also suggest a warning that we will not have to say "No" once, but many times in life. A Christian must be persistent in his or her decision to follow Jesus, while being sure that he or she is “counting the cost” daily in his or her life (Luke 14:25-33).  

         Throughout my life, and even in the present moment, I fight the hurried life. In my mind and flesh, I’m at war, but I have the ultimate weapon of warfare, Christ. He has filled me with an unwavering Spirit that reveals the truth of the Scripture. I am persuaded that I must flee from the busyness of life and find His promised rest. I challenge you to do the same.

Ortberg, John. The Life You've Always Wanted. Grand Rapids. Zondervan. 1997. print
Andrews, Andy. Mastering the Seven Decisions. Nashville. Thomas Nelson. 2008. print

Enduring The Race to Eternity

Growing up in life, I was always competitive. I understood the object of a game, a competition, and that was to finish first, or do the better than all the rest. I had a passion inside of me that did everything it could to be the best. Although through many of my competitive experiences there was no crown or medal that I would win, I still gave my all in everything that was brought to the table. Now, I wouldn’t say that is the best quality to have in this world because in someways it removes the idea of teamwork and brings in a sense of pride and self-righteousness. But I can say I’m am thankful of the fight it instilled in my life--the fight that never gives up even if you're down by an amount that is just against the odds but you never stop until the time runs out--that fight is something that all people need and must have. 

We live in a society where everything is given, and there shouldn't be much of a fight, or better said, a sense of endurance. Growing up in life, I heard many stories of men and women that gave everything they had just for their next generations. Many men gave their life for their country because they desired a freedom for the many people at home. They were passionate about what was most important and used their hope to continue in their “fight”. But today, we want it simple, we want it now, and we sometimes don’t want to strive to get what we want or more that need. We just expect it to happen without a sense of effort. 

Having an understanding of endurance changed my life. It has made me who I am today. And one of the biggest effects this attribute has had in my life is Spiritually. Understanding what God asks of me as a Christian, a follower of His Gospel, makes all the difference in my personal relationship with Him and with others. It changes the way you live and the way that you respond to Gods calling for all of our lives no matter what the task may be. Look at the word with me, Colossians 1:21-23 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” 

Reading this verse gets me pumped. Just think about it. Without Christ, we are alienated. We are a foreign body that has is separated from God, but he can remove the death of sin and fill us with the righteousness of Christ by the redemptive blood paid at the Cross. And He tells us if indeed we continue in the faith, being stable and steadfast, we will have eternal Glory. Matthew 10:32-33 talks about acknowledging Jesus before others, and, if we do this then, He, being Christ, will acknowledge us before the Father, God the Father. But if we deny Him, then He will deny us before the Father. Who wants that? If there is any real fear in this world, it would have to be the fear of the unknown--the unknown if Jesus will acknowledge you before the father; the unknown if you are saved from death and are experiencing life; the unknown if you are His!

So we must ask ourselves the question: are we known? Do we acknowledge Him before others, do we continue our faith with steadfastness, or have we denied Him by not acknowledging him? The word reveals that He is always faithful to His word; therefore, we must test ourselves and know if we are in Him or away from Him (2 Corinthians 13:5). Also, if indeed He is always faithful to his word, then Matthew 10:32-33 should really make you think…

Whether you have a relationship with Him or not, you need a heart that will fight for YOUR life. Work out your salvation with endurance by standing true to the whole Gospel. Don’t let this world put lies into your mind. Don’t conform to a society that doesn't believe in the the whole truth of the Gospel. Endure 'til the end, and receive the eternal life that God promises. And if you're one that says “I just don’t know about all of this,” don’t wait for it to come to you. Fight and strive for an understanding that, when you receive it, you know without a doubt that God has revealed it to you. Not only will this bring hope to your life but it will also advance the kingdom so that many others will experience the gift of eternal life. 

The Road To Passion

In my entire life I’ve never had a more difficult year than 2012. Let me begin where it all came to a climax. Towards the end of last summer my grandmother fell ill and was hospitalized. She grew progressively worse while her doctors were at a loss, not knowing what the issue could be. The news that she had been admitted into the ICU came on a Wednesday, the evening of which I was meant to preach to our youth group at Towne. I had written a sermon about the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. As I sat at my desk reviewing the notes of my sermon, I couldn’t help but struggle with the truth that I was empty inside. I felt completely weak, not at all empowered. At several points I lifted the phone to call Steve, expecting to tell him I wasn’t fit to preach. Something stopped me each time, though. That evening God showed up, and carried me through that message. It was the most difficult sermon I’ve ever preached. Once it was over, I was exhausted, emotionally.

Over the next several days my grandmother’s life hung in the balance. It was finally found that she was suffering from West Nile Virus. The doctors remorsefully concluded that there was nothing that they could do for her. I was heart broken. I had been praying so hard for her, and it didn’t seem like those prayers were being answered. I went through a sort of preemptive grieving process and prepared my heart for the fact that we were probably going to lose her. And then, she started pulling through, and day by day she showed signs of improvement. Our family knew that we had witnessed a miracle, we had no doubt about it. 

Then, just when my hopes were lifted, believing that God was at work in the midst of the chaos, our uncle died. He had been battling cancer for about the past year. I was crushed. I couldn’t reconcile the dichotomy that I was facing. On the one hand it seemed like God had been working so powerfully, and then on the other, that God seemed to be absent. I believed, and yet didn't believe, somehow. I was broken. 

For the next several months I drifted in my relationship with God. I knew objectively that God wasn’t responsible for any of the things that I had faced. But I wasn’t so sure anymore that he really cared about my heart, what I felt inside. None of my extensive theological understandings were of any comfort to me. Subjectively, I didn’t feel like God cared whether I was close to him or not. I felt forgotten. So I drifted as the condition of my heart worsened. It produced within me all sorts of sinful emotions. 

Even after the chaos had settled, and the trials had finally passed, the greatest trial that I still faced existed within my heart. I was numb and didn’t much care anymore. All the while Passion 2013 neared.

When January 1 came I didn’t know what to expect. I worried how I would cover up my broken heart. The trip down to Atlanta was tense for this reason. My mind raced. I kept thinking to myself that Passion would be my last hope, and that if God didn’t show up and speak to me, I wouldn’t know how I could face another year of disappointment and confusion. 

At some point in the morning, as I piloted a van full of tired young adults down I-75, Israel was passing the time by chatting with the people around him. He personally interviewed Brooke, asking various questions about everything. When he had finished with her, he turned to me.

“What is your favorite Bible verse, Mark?”

I was taken aback. I was not prepared for that question. I struggled to come up with something but I couldn’t.

“I don’t know, man. There’s so many, I just don’t know if I can choose.” It was an obvious cover up.

He turned and chatted amongst some of the passengers. I thought for several moments about why I couldn’t answer that question. Nothing came to mind. 

Then, from behind, Israel started again. “Mark, I’m still waiting to hear about what your favorite Bible verse is...” 

I began to panic inside, for some reason. I didn’t know what was going on inside of me. My mind raced. And then, out of nowhere, a passage came to mind which I have always found very powerful.

“You know, I’ve always really loved Mark 9, the story where the father brings his son to Jesus to be healed, and he isn’t quite sure if Jesus can even help him. His words, ‘I believe, Help my unbelief’ are so powerful to me.” I was no longer covering up. I gushed about how much I have always identified with the father's response. Israel was satisfied and began interviewing someone else in the back of the van.

Later in the day our caravan stopped for a restroom break. Steve led a short meeting, during which he asked that each of us meditate upon what we hoped to gain from Passion, and that at lunch we would share about our expectations. I knew already what I wanted, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I downgraded to a passenger when Ashley offered to take over driving. I read through Philippians, prayed for a while, then thought more about Mark 9. At lunch I sat anxiously as people shared what they hoped to get out of Passion. When my turn came I told about the conversation that I had had with Israel and explained Mark 9 and why it has been so special to me. I then concluded, “But, honestly, what I’m really looking for in all of this is hope. I don’t have much hope anymore.” 

When evening came, and the first service began, the tension mounted. But then my heart opened unexpectedly. The worship was too powerful to simply spectate. I then, once and for all, resolved that even if I didn’t feel like it, I would give glory to God, because I knew that he deserved it. Tears nearly came several different times. I felt that God was very close in those moments.

Then Louie Giglio began to preach from Ezekiel 37, the passage about the valley of dry bones. I tried to remember when I had last heard a sermon from this portion of Scripture. My thoughts drifted to other things. But then, after several minutes, my attention was suddenly demanded. Giglio mentioned briefly that he wanted to turn to another passage, a certain one in the Gospel of Mark. My heart leapt within me. My mind raced for several seconds. I immediately thought to myself, that there was no way that he would preach from Mark 9. Cynicism quelled the hope that was trying to rise up in my heart.  

And then I was astonished. 

He began explaining the passage about the father who struggled with faith before Jesus. I desperately wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. I couldn't believe what was happening. I sat in silence and internally reveled in the fact that God was speaking to me somehow, even though I didn't know what he was saying. Right then my heart began to heal. I cannot tell you why it meant so much to me, but God certainly did. He knew. 

For the remainder of the conference I was in awe. I knew God was working, I could feel it. I was somehow challenged by each of the speakers in some way. Then, the final night, John Piper spoke. In that message he reaffirmed the notion that led me into worship the first night, that God was objectively deserving of praise. At that point, I wasn’t surprised anymore. I just simply smiled, and thanked God for showing up and healing my heart.

If you are looking for hope in life, I invite you to pray a simple prayer. It’s the most powerful prayer I know. “Lord, I believe; Help my unbelief!”

Don’t ever stop praying it.

Why I Believe, pt. 6: He Changed My Life

In wrapping up this series called "Why I believe" I just want to say up front that I recognize this final post is much more subjective. All of the previous posts Mark and I have contributed to this series were not based on our own experiences. Rather, they could be read, weighed, and understood by anyone (regardless if you agree or not). But to really understand this last post, you too would have to experience the life transforming power of a relationship with Jesus.

Here's the deal. If what the Bible says about Jesus is true, then he's not some memorialized historical figure. He rose from the grave, is still alive today, and can be known by those who seek Him. I began seeking Him my last semester in college when my mind first opened up to the possibility that God really existed. I knew that in my heart I wasn't the type of person I wanted to be so I was ready to look outside myself for answers, wherever that would lead.

On June 1, 2003, I gave my life to Christ. I haven't been the same since. My conversion/transformation was immediate. All of the sudden, all of my affections shifted to desire that which is pure and holy. I wouldn't have used this phraseology at the time, but I was "born again," and began to "hunger and thirst for righteousness." Instead of being boring, I realized that following Christ was an adventure. My journey began that day. I also realized how few people who claim to be Christian actually follow Christ or even know what that means. Over the past 9 and a half years, I've come to the conclusion that people don't experience Him in a profound and transforming way because they attempt to come to Him on their own terms. Not His.

So yea. The last and most important reason I believe is because I know Him. He changed my life. And now... it is hidden in Him. 

Why I Believe, pt. 5: The Resurrection of Jesus

For the Christian, there is nothing more important than the Resurrection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul put it simply and powerfully, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Paul was, note carefully, one of many who had dedicated his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus. And he was also one of many who died defending the claim that Jesus had in fact risen.

For those who do not believe, the claim that Jesus rose from the dead is simply foolish. But, to be fair, it is no more foolish than the claim that any other person would simply rise from the dead. It is, after all, a scientific fact that once a person has passed from life to death, one cannot spontaneously regain their vain spark of being. That’s all she wrote, as they say.

To my own knowledge, I do not know anyone, christian or atheist, who would argue against this. The difference, however, comes when you understand that, while there are reliable laws functioning in our universe, there is a law giver whose will is not bound by those laws. So, if God exists, and he created the laws that govern our universe, it would not be foolish to think that, if He so desires, he can suspend or manipulate the laws that He himself created. (The distinction here between suspend and manipulate is rather arbitrary; the point is that God can bring about things that wouldn’t occur apart from His intervention; bringing the dead back to life is just one example). To put it simply, He is not bound by His own creation. If God created life, He would be sovereign of it as well. 

If we look at the history surrounding the events that take place in the Gospels, we are faced with some compelling facts that we must find a rational explanation for. That Jesus was executed is a fact. The ancient, secular historian Cornelius Tacitus is one source that verifies this, in which Pontius Pilot himself is named as His prosecutor (cf. Annals XV, 44). To put it lightly, we know that the Romans were very good at making people dead. But what is most compelling of all is the fact that many of the people who knew Jesus, and saw Him crucified and buried, died defending the claim that He had risen. What, then, are we to make of this?

That Jesus’ followers had experienced some sort of hallucination doesn’t explain it. People can’t share hallucinations. That they were misinformed is flawed; they were there, they knew what actually happened. And that Jesus’ followers were lying doesn’t explain it either. Why would they knowingly die for what they knew wasn’t true? They had absolutely nothing to gain from such a lie. They would gain no money, no power, no respect. They were prosecuted, tortured, martyred. Consider Paul’s own words once more: “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Ask yourself this: why would they preach a worthless Gospel?

Further Reading:

The Case For Christ written by Lee Strobel. The entire third part of this book is dedicated to research surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is a fantastic primer for understanding the resurrection better. Start here if you are just getting aquatinted with this topic.  

The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. McDowell offers a compendium of research concerning many biblical topics, specifically a chapter of research concerning the historicity of Jesus’ existence and death.

God is Great, God is Good edited by William Lane Craig and Chad Meister. This is a collection of essays apologetic in nature spanning many of the topics addressed in this blog series. The essay written by Gary Habermas is particularly helpful, which concerns the proximity of biblical witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion. 

The Case For The Real Jesus by Lee Strobel. This book is primarily concerned with the reliability of the Gnostic Gospels, which have recently gained a great amount of attention for the alternative views of Jesus they ostensibly legitimate. 

Why I Believe, pt. 4: DNA

On June 26, 2000, President Bill Clinton stood in the East Room of the White House and made the announcement to the world, "Today, we are learning the language in which God created life. We are gaining ever more awe for the complexity, the beauty, and the wonder of God's most divine and sacred gift." The language he was talking about was the human genome. And the announcement came on the heels of more than a decade of work by geneticists all over the globe.

In my original post back in August, titled "Why I believe," I briefly mentioned Francis Collins' book "The Language of God." Francis Collins, pictured below, was the Director of the Human Genome Project. He entered the East Room alongside President Clinton back in 2000.  He is one of the country's leading geneticists, and was the one who coordinated the efforts of thousands of other geneticists in 6 countries. (In other words, the man is no dummy).

In writing about the project he states, "For me the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion for worship." Hmm.

In the introduction to his book he writes, "The human genome consists of all the DNA of our species, the hereditary code of life. This newly revealed text was 3 billion letters long, and written in a strange and cryptographic four-letter code. Such is the amazing complexity of the information carried within each cell of the human body, that a live reading of the code at a rate of one letter per second would take thirty-one years, even if reading continued day and night." The sheer volume of information is truly remarkable and incomparable to anything man has created.

Notice I underlined the word information. That's what DNA is: information. So, we'll keep this post short and sum it up with these words by Stephen C. Meyer, "Information is not something derived from material properties; in a sense, it transcends matter and energy. Naturalistic theories that rely solely on matter and energy are not going to be able to account for information. Only intelligence can."