Walking With Jesus

Where Faith Begins

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” (Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT)

How do you define faith? Think about that for a few minutes. To me faith is ______________! What did you come up with? It’s interesting to me that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines faith as “allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty; belief and trust in God; confidence; a system of religious beliefs.”

While some of those definitions help in a broad sense, to me they fail to grasp the significance of personal trust, dependence, reliance, that conveys absolute confidence in a personal, intimate Friend. My faith in my wife goes much deeper than mere confidence that she will remain faithful to me, in terms of our exclusive love relationship.

Faith, in my understanding, defines the perimeters of our whole relationship, whether it’s with a spouse, friend, employer, or God. Faith determines our level of confidence, not only in the person with whom we have a relationship, but in our own ability to carry out our part in that relationship. For example. Let’s say I’m building a friendship with a new neighbor.

They’ve just moved in so we know very little if anything about them. Since we’ve developed no trust, can we immediately share with them personal information about our finances, our health, or any other personal information that could be misconstrued? Personally, I’m very reserved with sharing detailed information about myself with almost anyone, especially a stranger. But the point is, faith will guide the development of any relationship.

When it comes to the Lord, how does faith help us? Faith has to do with belief. What I believe about anyone is going to have a bearing on how I relate to them and whether or not I even want a relationship with them. If someone lies to me or speaks negatively about me behind my back, I’m very likely not going to pursue a relationship with them.

Similarly, because God has a proven track record of faithfulness, kindness, generosity, love, and goodness, my heart should be inclined to open to His authority and leadership in my life. George Muller gives us insight when he writes: “Faith begins where man’s power ends.”

In my mind a huge element in building our faith in God is trust. Geoge Muller’s trust was so great that as a caregiver for many orphans, he would have them sit down for a meal with nothing to give them to eat, except his absolute confidence that God would provide. Inevitably there would be a knock on his door and a baker, dairyman, grocer, or friend would be there to provide more than enough to feed the hungry kids.

When we learn to have that kind of unwavering confidence in our Savior, we’ll finally understand the real basis of what faith is and we’ll find that many of the things with which we wrestle in the energy of the flesh will be evaporated in the power of the Spirit through our unflinching faith, our undeniable confidence in the unwavering trust we have in our perfect Savior.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Regret

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT)

One of the strongest enemies of my heart is regret. “If onlys” flood my mind at times and seek to rob me of joy, contentment and satisfaction in my walk with the Lord. Yes, of course, we’ve all failed to be all we could be for the Lord, and the truth is, if we’d known when we first started what we now know, we’d still have messed up. It’s part of the deal. Failure isn’t the problem, it’s that we fail to learn from our failure and move beyond it.

Satan finds our weakness and he just keeps hammering us. We sin, collapse in failure and regret, repent, promise God we’re done with that, then two hours or two days later we do the same thing. But why? The issue of sin is our mind. What we think about comes about. If we’re focused on that sin that we strongly hate and soooooooo want to avoid, guess what? We’re NOT going to avoid it. Why not? Because it’s all we think about.

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano on Pexels.com

We’ve got to give something else priority in our mind, but what? It’s interesting that the disciples never asked the Lord to teach them to preach, to effectively communicate God’s Truth like Jesus was so able to do. They asked Him to teach them to pray. Which, of course, begs the question: What is prayer?

Prayer, as I have learned to understand it, is disciplining my mind to think God’s thoughts. What does that mean? Where do we find God’s thoughts? In God’s Word, the Bible. We must learn to read, ponder, and apply God’s words. For example. I’m reading the Psalms through again now and I’m seeing things I’ve never seen before. In Psalm 1 it says: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, MEDITATING ON IT DAY AND NIGHT. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.”

How would you like to live like that? But how? By following its instruction. Pay attention to who you spend your time with. Delve into God’s Word. Ponder it, Think about it. Begin setting aside 15-20 minutes a day and let it grow from there. Have a pen and paper available and take notes. Memorize key verses by putting them on small cards with the verse written on one side and the reference on the other. Fill you mind with God’s words so you can draw from them when you’re tempted.

It’s also helpful to sing godly songs. Sometimes just remembering the titles can thrill me. I’m old, so older songs come to mind, like “We Shall Behold Me” always grips my heart. There are many others, but that’s not the point, remember songs that will thrill your heart and turn your mind to Jesus and what He’s done for you.

Take a phrase from Scripture like “I will never leave you.” Think about what that means, not only in the literal sense, but how it applies to you in this season of your life. Jesus will never leave you… in your temptation, in your pain, in your quest to learn, in your efforts to witness for Him, in whatever direction the Lord leads your mind, grasp it, enjoy it, cherish it and walk faithfully in it.

Keeping our focus on Jesus and all He’s done and is doing in, through, and on our behalf will prevent us from wallowing in shame and regret.

Your mind will grow based on what you feed it.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Friendship

“You adulterers! Don’t’ you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4-6 NLT)

What would you say is the basis of a strong relationship? Think of your five closest friends? Who are they? How did you meet? What do they have in common? What holds you together? How well do you know them? Could you call them at 2:00 a.m. and they’d come running? Who do you go to for counsel? If you have a financial problem, who do you turn to? How about a physical problem? Relational? Emotional? Spiritual?

What comprises friendship with the world? Is Paul here speaking of actual friends or is he referring to the core of how we think? The center of our desires? What motivates, inspires, encourages, and stirs us to action? What is the underlying conviction we hold that determines where we draw the proverbial line?

Is Jesus your friend? How do you know? How do you measure friendship with Jesus? With anyone? Would you lay down your literal life for Jesus? If someone held a gun to your head and said: “Deny Jesus or I’ll blow your head off!” Would you buckle or go to heaven without a head? Why even ask these questions?

Every day we move closer to or further away from the Lord, and a major factor in which way we go is the presence of people with whom we’re most frequently exposed. Family, especially when we’re young, is a major influence on us. Statistically, if a person grows up in a non-Christian environment, according to some studies, only about 6% of adults will ever make a commitment to Christ. 83% come to the Lord between the ages of 4-14 years of age.

Beyond family, close friends are a tremendous influence on us, as children and as adults. We have drinking “buddies,” we go to parties where alcohol, drugs, and sex are available. The only pornographic movie I ever saw was at the invitation of a “friend,” but I had no clue what I was going to see.

We wonder why our commitment to Christ is so lax and ineffective when we very often have no strong ties to anyone who really loves and serves Jesus. Even our friends from church are too often lacking in spiritual disciplines. Too many rarely read God’s Word, pray, or are a part of a Christian men’s or women’s group. Our primary base of “friends” is too often our work or bowling/golfing/drinking buddies or maybe a neighbor.

Here’s the bottom line: to grow in our life in Christ we have to be committed, not only to a growing, Christ-centered church, we’ve got to nurture Christ-centered friendships. We have to have people in our lives who will hold us accountable to develop and keep our spiritual disciplines, where we spend our time and how, and who we’re helping develop in their walk with Christ.

One of the most effective ways to stay close to Christ is to be discipling someone else. Like the Apostle Paul, ask others to follow you as you follow Christ. And I know this can be intimidating, but you don’t need to be a college graduate to lead a first grader, you only need to be a second grader. You don’t need to know everything, just more than they know, assuming, of course, you have someone pouring into you.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Uncommon Courage

“No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” (Joshua 2:11 NLT)

The context of the above words by the prostitute Rahab come as a result of God’s powerful display of His power and majesty as He rolled back the Red Sea and made a dry path on which the children of Israel could pass from slavery into their Promised Land.

May I ask you a very simple, straight forward question? Has God lost His power? Is He no longer able or willing to perform miracles for us, His children? Are we so blind to the gift of His presence that we continue to wallow in sin and shame rather than live bold, forgiven, and courageous lives to His honor and fame? Is my mind so focused on my desire to sin that I no longer acknowledge His unlimited resource of strength that lives in me as His child?

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

May I suggest we either take His Word seriously or quit pretending to be something we’re clearly not. Sin must be taken seriously, of course, but to be paralyzed by it is sin in and of itself. Sin is our decision to live as we please. We love our sin, that’s why we fail to discipline ourselves to be rid of it.

For several years I drove a Volkswagen diesel Rabbit. On the Interstate if I was driving into the wind the fastest I could go was about 45 mph. It was great on gas, but it had no power. For my 65^th birthday my precious daughter gave me a 2012 Mustang GT California Special. It wasn’t only very nice, it was FAST!

After stopping at a rest area on my way home in my new GT, scanning my mirror for traffic as I merged back onto the highway, I glanced at the speedometer and was already over 100 mph in 3^rd gear (it had a 5-speed manual transmission 😊). What’s my point? We’re living our life as a Jesus follower as though we’re a Diesel Rabbit while the Lord Jesus has made us a powerful Mustang.

Please, child of God, stop living under submission to the enemy from whom you’ve been delivered as surely as the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt. Walk victoriously in the power of God’s Spirit and stop wallowing in the mire of submission to your own flesh. You can live above sin! You can live victoriously over your flesh! You CAN, if you WILL! Will you?

Perhaps this prayer by Pastor Rick Warren will encourage and inspire you as it did me: “God, I want to be a person of courage. I want to live to please you and not other people. I want to build my life on a biblical worldview and stand courageously for my faith. I make these two commitments today: First, I accept your Word as my authority and the foundation for my life. Second, I want to spend time with you every day and get to know you personally. I want to be so full of joy and courage that people say, ‘That person’s been with Jesus.’ I ask you to help me to be fearless for the truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Align yourself with 2-5 other like-minded, courageous people of God whom you can count on to hold you accountable to walk the walk and not merely talk the talk. Have them on speed-dial so you can contact them when you’re being tempted. Create Godly disciplines that will help you train your mind to lean on the Holy Spirit to protect you from defaulting to sin when you can easily guard your purity.

Our life in Christ is too vital to waste opportunities to live courageously for Him! We must stand strong, not only for our sake, but for the sake of those who are watching our lives.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A New Perspective

“The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, ‘Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.’ Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.” (John 5:13-15 NLT)

This familiar story of the man who had laid for 38 years waiting to be healed, then miraculously, at the sound of the Savior’s voice was able to walk, rings so true to the way people respond to His healing today. It’s apparent from Jesus’ words to the man that though his body had been healed, his soul was still stained.

Notice in the verse above Jesus told the man: “so stop sinning.” He didn’t tell him, “Listen, brother, I understand you’re a frail human being and you must sin more or less every day.” Where did we pick up that nonsense. Certainly not from the Bible. Yes, of course, even believers continue to have the capacity to sin, but is there no power in the Holy Spirit within us to fight the enemy’s urges?

Jesus didn’t tell the man to slow down his sinning, He told him to stop! I heard a story about a guy who got pulled over for rolling through a stop sign. The officer asked him if he realized he’d not come to a complete stop at the sign. The man said, “I slowed down.” The officer proceeded to pull the man out of the car and began beating him with his night stick. As the man was screaming and trying to pull away, the officer asked him, “Would you like me to slow down or stop beating you?” Just to be clear, this is a joke to illustrate a point.

Sometimes it seems in our lax view of sin, we excuse our unwillingness to deal with our habitual sin and brush it off as if the Lord treats it lightly, but is that what the Bible teaches? From the outset of our profession of faith, our first step of obedience in our walk with the Lord is or should be water Baptism. What’s the picture painted in that Christian ordinance?

Listen to the words of Paul in Romans 6:3-4: “Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by Baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” And just so there was no confusion in exactly what he was saying, he continued in verses 5-7: “Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

Are we so blind to the truth of Scripture we rationalize its power away by living like we’re still lost? Is it any wonder the Church in America has so little effect when we continue to stagger under the weight of ongoing habitual sin? “

“Dear Holy Father, help us to wake up to our need to take seriously Your holy, power-filled words! Forgive us for treating sin so lightly and continuing to live as if You’ve given us no power to overcome it! Create in us a clean, pure heart that is fueled by a mind that thinks Your thoughts and leads us to speak words that honor and glorify Your holy Name. Cleanse us of our stubborn refusal to take responsibility for our own laziness and unwillingness to live as we ought. By Your Spirit’s might, enable us to create disciplines in our lives that guard our heart and mind and build us up, not only in our understanding of Your Word, but our obedience to it. In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When Jesus Becomes Precious

“When Jesus heard this, He said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.’ Then He added, ‘Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: “I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.” For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’” (Matthew 9:12-13 NLT)

When do you most desire medicine? Unless it is “preventative,” and you take it routinely, it becomes more important when you’re sick, when you need it most. And the sicker you are, or, in other words, when you’re most desperate for that medication, it’s even more precious to you.

My dear wife has a skin condition she’s had since she was a young girl. The medication she’s now on is expensive, but her concern isn’t: “It’s so expensive!” It’s only: “I sure hope it arrives on time!” What’s my point? We value what we know we need! The greater the demand, the higher the price, and the greater the need, the stronger our desire to have it.

People don’t value Jesus because they’re ignorant of their need of Him! They hear that salvation is a “free gift” of grace, and they discount its value. They’re unaware that one drop of the Savior’s blood is of incalculable worth, yet He was willing to pay that extravagant price to provide a way so that sinners who recognize their need of Him could find a way home to Him.

Is Jesus precious to you? He is to me, more so with every passing day. The closer I get to heaven, the closer I want to be to Jesus. In some ways He’s like my “passport” to heaven. I have an expired passport that just lays in a drawer. Why? Because I have no perceived need of it. I have no international trips planned; thus, no urgency to get it renewed. But when I need it, there’s no substitute.

Too many are like that with Jesus. Eternity is the furthest thing from their mind, or, if they do think about it, they believe some version of “I’m a good person,” so, Jesus, to them, isn’t necessary. A lot of movies today convey the idea that since my loved one has died, I want to die to be with them, never stopping to ask a critical question: “Where are they?”

Presumably, they went to “a better place,” but how do we know that? Where is that “better place” and how do we get there? How can I prepare myself so that I can know that’s where I’m going? It saddens me to see a mobster’s funeral. The priest reads Scripture and pronounces blessings over their “departed brother.” He may have been their brother and he’s certainly departed, but he’s certainly not in a better place. He’s in hell where he belongs.

How can I be so harsh and quick to judge? Because redeemed people, people of God, live like it. They don’t traffic in drugs, teens and children, they don’t murder, swindle, and treat others like they’re dirt under their fingernails. They love God and others and treat them accordingly. Yes, of course, we have a sin nature, but by God’s grace and with His power, we put our practices of sin, our habitual sin, behind us and we don’t treat people as things to be used and discarded.

Jesus can never be precious to us until we see Him as our only hope. Jason Wing said it well when he wrote: “If you never see your need for a savior Jesus will never be precious to you.” Is He precious to you?

When He’s precious to us, we’ll freely share Him with others, especially with those who don’t yet think He’s precious.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Value of a Church

“Then He asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because My Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” (Matthew 16:15-17 NLT)

In the following verse Jesus declares that Simon will now be called Peter, which means “rock,” and Jesus said: “Upon this rock I will build My church, and all the power of hell will not conquer it.” Was He speaking of Peter? Of course not! Peter’s faith and assurance of the true identity of Jesus was foundational, but it’s upon that Truth itself, that Jesus is “the messiah, the Son of the living God,” that Christ’s Church is built, never on a person, except the Person of Jesus Himself.

Recently I had a series of cognitive and physical tests to see if I would qualify for a new drug trial that’s proven effective in treating Alzheimer’s. In the course of those procedures I met two young assistants who were taking my blood. During the course of conversation I asked them if they’d found a good church since being in Las Vegas.

They both said they had, so I asked them what it was about their church they loved the most. They both said, “My Pastor.” Having been a Pastor I flinched, not because I didn’t want to be liked, but no one should attend a church solely for the Pastor. What happens when that Pastor dies or moves on? Regardless of how good the Pastor is, no congregation of God’s people should be built on the personality, charisma, or even the teaching of a Pastor. Why not? Because the Great Commandment (Matthew 28:18-20) doesn’t direct us to make disciples of our pastor, but of Jesus.

If you’re looking for a great church look for these four qualities. First, they must magnify Jesus, not just in their worship, but in their teaching and preaching. If Christ isn’t preeminent in everything that’s preached, taught, and followed, keep looking.

Secondly, do they have a heart for the lost? If helping lost people find Christ isn’t a priority, keep looking. And here, I’m not just suggesting they have a “soul-winning” team(s) that goes out occasionally or that pass out flyers or invitations to church in neighborhoods. Are they teaching their people how to love others to Jesus? Are they giving them instruction and tools to help them feel confident, so they know how to lead someone to the Lord?

It’s never enough to “sit and soak” in a church. I love our Pastor’s messages, but what I love more is their heart for the lost. Every service they give, not just an “invitation,” but an explanation as to what they’re inviting people to do and why it’s so vital. But, again, it’s not enough for the Pastor to invite,” it’s every saved person in the pew’s responsibility to be inviting as well.

Thirdly, Discipleship is a must! If new believers aren’t being Baptized, then taught what it means to be a child of God as they’re walked through some meaningful and informative process of learning how to become a disciple, how are they going to grow? Why are they saved? Simply so they can go to heaven? The New Testament certainly doesn’t teach that. If the church isn’t discipling believers, keep looking.

Then fourthly, what is the church’s strategy to reach the world? Every year we send out multiple teams all over the world to help our missionaries spread the Gospel message to those in their spheres of influence. Additionally, we send dozens from our church out as missionaries to various places where the Gospel needs are great. EVERYONE in the church can be a “Goer, Sender, or Prayer supporter.” If the church you’re attending or visiting doesn’t have a heart for the nations, keep looking.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Is a Disciple?

“Jesus came and told His disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this. I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

Did you notice I left out a couple of words in Jesus’ command? “To obey!” “to obey all the commands I have given you.” A disciple is a learner and a follower to be sure, but it’s all for nought if they aren’t also taught to obey. I can know the Roman Road like the back of my hand, but if I’m not obedient to the Lord to Whom it directs me, it may lead me down a road that doesn’t end in heaven.

Why is obedience so critical? Because obedience is the example our Master set. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:7-8: “Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

It doesn’t matter how important you think you are, how vital you believe your existence is to mankind, when you come to Jesus you’re stepping into the presence of royalty and one day, with every other knee, you will bow in humble recognition that He is everything and you are nothing. A disciple is one who recognizes that Jesus has earned and deserves our allegiance, including, but not limited to, our life.

Nothing is more important than He is; nothing deserves our devotion more than Him. To put ANYTHING above our love for and devotion to the Lord Jesus is to misunderstand the purpose and meaning of discipleship. “But what about my spouse and children?” Behind Jesus. “What about my job? My friends? My hobbies?” Behind Jesus. “What about anything else, any other thing I can think of as an excuse not to give myself fully to the Lord?” Behind Jesus.

There’s a sense in which it’s all or nothing with the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.” Please don’t read that too quickly. Did you notice the Lord followed up “the Kingdom of God” with a very helpful and descriptive word – “He!” “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and HE will give you everything you need.” The Kingdom of God isn’t an organization which we join or to which we belong, it’s a Person, a Savior whom we follow and to Whom we owe devotion.

We owe our allegiance to Jesus because we owe our life to Him. He purchased our salvation, our eternal life, on the Cross with His priceless blood. How do I know His blood is priceless? Because Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19: “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

The word Peter used that comes into our English language as “precious,” is a word that means of incalculable worth. You can’t set a measure of value for it because its value is beyond measurement.

As people of God we’re not following an ideology, system of belief, or religious organization. We’re following the Son of God, God who became Man in the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ! He deserves our best, “our utmost for His highest,” as Brother Oswald Chambers would say, for He doesn’t call us to be our best selves or a better version of ourselves, He calls us to become like Him. That’s Who we’re called to obey! Wanna be His disciple? Submit your will to His and learn to walk in obedience to His directives.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Loving What Lasts

“Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but My salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!” (Isaiah 51:6 NLT)

Why do we sell our souls for what doesn’t last? It doesn’t even satisfy long term, yet we ignore the only real, lasting, relationship that can heal and make us whole, not just in time, but for all eternity. We treat Jesus as a used tissue or a wrapper we no longer need or in which we see no value.

It’s called spiritual blindness and it’s a disease caused by sin. Every human being has it, and the only cure is Jesus. We can’t learn to love what lasts unless and until we meet and learn to love the One who created that which lasts. Eternal life is a gift from the One who IS eternal life; the One who traded His life for ours in order to give us access to His forgiveness and life that only He possesses.

To seek life in any other person or thing is to seek futility. It’s like trying to swim up Niagara Falls. The power against us is just too great to overcome in our own strength. But here’s the real question: Why even try? We kill ourselves, literally, trying to find peace, fulfillment, hope, help, joy, contentment and every other human emotion in things and in people who are just as broken as we are.

We wrongly believe jobs, careers, opportunities, relationships, hobbies, exercise, or a thousand other things can somehow remove the veil that covers our soul and blinds our eyes to the truth we’re lost and in need of a Savior. Nothing satisfies a hungry soul like a Savior. Nothing erases the longings of a wayfarer like finding their way home.

Loving what lasts begins the moment we meet Jesus and begin the lifelong journey home to heaven with Him. In this season of my life, as my body weakens, my spirit soars as I think of seeing my Savior face to face. My soul longs to be home, not because I don’t love my life here. My wife, family, pups, my church family, the neighbors I’ve come to love and appreciate. My life is filled with good things here on earth, but my soul longs for more than this earth can ever provide.

That’s what we’re all searching for; what we’re all clawing and scratching to find, failing to realize nothing material can satisfy the eternal piece of us that the Lord implanted in our heart when we were born. Pastor Allen Jackson said it well when he wrote: “Our inheritance is unfading. Our treasure is secure—it will not diminish. Our role is pivotal. Our faithfulness is required.”

Our life in Christ is worth the investment required to find its richness and enjoy its reward. Yes, it’s costly, yes it requires effort, and yes, of course it must take precedent over everything else, but it’s well worth whatever cost or effort that’s required. Jesus never promised following Him would be easy. He promised the very opposite.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If any of you wants to by My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

Perhaps the British Missionary C.T. Studd said it best: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Online Church?

“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47 NLT)

Fellowship implies physical closeness; dare I use the word intimacy? Intimacy is a good word for what happens in fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters, but more importantly, is what we seek in our oneness with our Savior.

A vital reason the Lord gave us His church is to provide a seedbed for growth as a child of God. We grow best in community, where we can rub shoulders with others who are wrestling with the same issues with which we wrestle. Yes, of course, in our technologically advanced world the internet affords us opportunities to stay in touch with others from whom we’re separated by great distances, but to depend on electronic means to have fellowship and find intimacy is like reading a book and thinking you know the author. It’s artificial at best and can be very disappointing.

Believing the internet can be your church is like having a video of a dog and believing it’s your pet. It may make you feel better, but it’s artificial, fake, misleading, non-fulfilling. It’s not enriching, invigorating, stimulating like human contact can be. When my pain was deepest and words didn’t heal, being held in the arms of someone who loved me and cared deeply for me provided a healing balm that pictures and sounds cannot provide. As Dr. Michael J. Svigel wrote: “Theology 101: An online church makes as much sense as an online family.”

Yes, of course, if you’re out of town or unable to attend, participate in worship with your family online, but don’t mistake that “program” for Biblical fellowship. The early church “worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people.” None of that can happen on the internet.

Their contact was personal, consistent, inspiring, encouraging, and it resulted in a multitude of their friends and families coming to know the Lord as a result. Reaching our lost loved ones and friends begins in prayer, but it most often materializes as a result of personal and persistent contact. People need to “see” Jesus, sense His presence, hear “His” voice and sense His warmth before they realize just how real He is.

In some ways an online “church” is like test driving a car online. You may see its features and gain an understanding of its capabilities, but you can’t feel it, smell it, sense how it’s going to meet the needs of your family or how you’ll feel when you’re behind the wheel. It may be fun to see, but it’s not going to transport you or your family anywhere.

Online “church” isn’t church in the best sense of the word. It’s at best a salve that sooths our conscience and makes us feel better as we continue to wither spiritually. Yes, it’s a blessing to shut-ins or those who aren’t physically capable of attending, but can never take the place of rich, personal fellowship with other Jesus lovers.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊