Are you going to win?

In 1959, Charleston Heston starred in a movie that is considered one of the greatest movies of all time. Ben Hur is a Biblical epic. It is known for its climatic chariot race where Heston, who played the hero of the film, was intent on destroying his hated enemy.

The director used five weeks of filming for just that one race scene. They used 15,000 extras and 18 chariots. In the spirit of authenticity, Heston spent weeks learning to drive the chariot but he was still worried about the race. Heston told the stunt coordinator “I can drive the chariot, but I’m not sure I can win.”

The Stunt director smiled and said “Chuck, you just make sure you stay in the chariot. I’ll make sure you win the race.”

Now think about that: Heston was GOING to win that race. It was in the script. There was no way he was going to lose. And yet, for weeks Heston fretted over whether or not he could win the race. Why would he do that? He did that because he forgot that the outcome didn’t depend on him - it depended on the director of the movie. If the director decided Heston was going to win the race, he was going to win the race. (Jeff Strite, Doing without God)

Let's fast forward YOUR story. God tells us, if you are in Christ, you are going to win (Ephesians 2:1-6). It really is that simple. It's in the script. There's no way to lose. God is actively involved in your life.

But, what about those outside of him? That's pretty simple as well. Jesus himself says, "“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Without him, you are lost. Ephesians 2:12 reminds us "that you were at that time (when you were outside of him) separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

If you want to win the race, there is only one way to do it. Allow Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior. I would love to talk to you more about making that happen.

Only Jesus!

Only Jesus!

There are so many things and so many people that we think will make us happy. We try to fill up this desire inside of us for peace and happiness with temporary things.

Only Jesus!

You may say, "I have a great job. I get to do what I love. I make a lot of money. I am happy." What happens when you lose the ability to perform that job? When your company shuts down? When you are fired?

Only Jesus!

Perhaps, it's your family and friends. That's where you find happiness. The problem is people will let you down. They may be too concerned with themselves. They may make a major mistake. They may not even intend to.

Only Jesus!

Is it money or your stuff? It too could all be gone. It doesn't take much. The markets crash. You are cheated. Someone steals from you. It could be a storm.

Only Jesus!

Disappointment occurs when something fails to live up to our expectations of it. We often get what we want in life. Yet, it leaves us wanting more. 

Only Jesus!

John 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.

Only Jesus! 

From Augustine: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Only Jesus!

Blaise Pascal writes, "What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself."

Only Jesus!

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Only Jesus!

From Matt Redmond:
"Who can command the highest praise?
Who has the name above all names?
You stand alone, I stand amazed
Jesus, only Jesus"

Don't play the comparison game

Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “I gave up Facebook and I realized I’m a lot happier without it”? Or maybe you've heard, “Pinterest makes me hate my house.” Or they'll say, “I stopped following a friend on Instagram, and now that I don’t see nonstop snapshots of her perfect life, I like her better.” Perhaps you have said some of those things yourself. 

The truth is, life looks a lot better on the Internet. The reason? It’s easy to tell partial truths. You see this glowing picture of a friend and their happy family, tagged with #blessed. What you don’t see is the fight they had just an hour later about who spent all the money they were trying to save to fix the air conditioner. You see an exciting evening out with a fancy meal and a trip to the theater, tagged #hespoilsme. You don’t see her Netflix binge the previous weekend that led to an empty carton of rocky road and Cheeto’s crumbs in the bed. You are offered the sparkly milestones, but not the spiraling meltdowns.

But here’s the issue, the instagram effect (it really is a thing). Here you are in the midst of your trial and you start scrolling through instagram or facebook snapshots of post-worthy moments edited for a prettier version of life than reality. 

Everybody’s marriage is awesome. Their kids are getting straight A’s and hitting home runs. No worries. No struggles. And here you are in a dirty t-shirt, hair’s a mess, dishes piling up in the sink, you can’t even get to the washer and dryer, the whole family won’t talk to each other. And this battle, this fight of comparison plays itself out.

 James puts it like this: "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,  and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:9-12)

 

Doesn't the grass always appear greener on the other side?

That's the comparison game. Don't play it. Yes, I’m pointing a finger. Yeah, that may be harsh. But please recognize the three pointing back at me. I’ve played this game a lot over the last few years. There is no ring on my finger. I’ve been through my share of heartbreak and hurt. I remember one of those breakups. It just so happened I had a “friend” on Facebook getting married basically the same week. I remember looking at some photos and thinking, she’s marrying him? REALLY?

I look at his profile and he’s out getting hammered and partying. I know he’s already a deadbeat dad. I’m like, “Here I am God, trying to do everything right. I’m going to church and trying to serve you by building up your kingdom. And, this dude gets a wife? This clown gets happiness?” I 'm like the brother in the story of the prodigal son. “You’re gonna throw him a party?”

I can imagine what that conversation with Jesus would be like. “Chase, I hate to break this to you, but you might be elevating your own greatness here. You think you’re the only one who is eligible for my blessings?”  

This is what happens when we lose this fight of comparison. This is what it looks like when we are experiencing trials and we become super-sensitive to the prettiness of other peoples lives. Here’s James saying, “Stop it. It’s all level in the end. He might look like things are all going right. But, don’t believe the instagram hype."

Quit focusing on this “stuff”. A man is a fool to put his trust in things, things that could be gone in a second. James’ illustration is very familiar to the people of Palestine, “the scorching heat withers the grass”. In the desert, if there is a rain shower, thin shoots of grass will sprout, but being out in the hot sun one day will make them disappear like they were never there in the first place.

In those trials shift your focus away from others. Everyone endures trials. Everyone struggles. We'll have seasons in which the sky is clear, and we'll have seasons in which it's cloudy. God is leading you into maturity, showing you, you need him.  

Sources: I preached on this topic on September 27th at Winchester Road East Church of Christ. You can listen to that sermon at the Winchester Road website: Fighting for your Faith 
Some of the points from that sermon and this blog were inspired by a sermon from Matt Chandler: Trials/Temptations  

Is it okay to have doubts?

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1)

Did you find this as difficult as I did as you read we are to ask in faith with no doubting? Wait! We aren't allowed to doubt?!

If we tie these verses together, I think the picture we get is that James is standing against those who are double-minded. 

For the early Christians, being double-minded meant, “I believe in Jesus, but fear of persecution doesn’t allow me to act out those beliefs." Or, "I believe, but I’m more interested in pursuing wealth.” We could add that one to our list today.

James is calling for authentic faith. The truth is, sometimes that includes doubt. Do you remember the story of the man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus in Mark 9?  

We’ll start in verse 20: And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

I really like Jesus’ response. “‘If you can’!” IF YOU CAN!?!? “All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 

Can you relate? "I believe! But, help my unbelief." I’m going to say it like this. This kind of unbelief is not what James is talking about. In fact, I would say this kind of unbelief is healthy. If you are honestly working out your faith, if you are being real with yourself, there are going to be moments when you stop and think, "is this real? Is the God thing really legit?"

The question is, is that enough faith for the mercy and grace of God to work on your behalf? Let’s see what Jesus does: And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”     

Trials are going to come, if they are not already here. Those trials will wear you down. You will wrestle with doubt. To deny that is to turn a blind eye to reality. But, that’s okay. Remember, Jesus said, “If I can?! I can do anything for those who believe.” 

God goes to work when the man says, "I believe; help my unbelief."

Let's say you are struggling through some things. Everything isn't going the way you want it to. In the words of Darryl Worley, sounds like life to me. Of course you are struggling. That's why we need Jesus. That's why James uses the word "when" in James 1:2. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. Trials are going to come.

The double-minded man is the one who meets those trials giving lip service to God, pretending to be all put together. Here’s the reality: you’re not.

Let' say I walk up the pulpit Sunday morning with a bloody nose, a ripped shirt and mismatched shoes. You could hear me pulling in the parking lot because my car is falling apart. You rode past my house on the way in, and it was on fire. We’re talking engulfed in flames like when you get your marshmallow too close to the bonfire. You ask me how I’m doing after service, “Is there anything we can do for you?” My response: “Doing great! Life couldn’t be better!” “But Chase, we saw your house on fire this morning!” I say, “Yeah, I’ll get to that when I get home.”

That's absurd, right? But how often do we do the same thing with our spiritual lives? Stop it!

That is what our spiritual communities are built for. We come around each other and say, "I believe. Help my unbelief." You may say, "I'm losing heart. This is difficult." That is when we surround each other and work through our unbelief.

Sources: I preached on this topic on September 27th at Winchester Road East Church of Christ. You can listen to that sermon at the Winchester Road website: Fighting for your Faith 
Some of the points from that sermon and this blog were inspired by a sermon from Matt Chandler: Trials/Temptations

Are we, as Christians, meant to be odd, to not fit in?

"You really can't follow God and fit in," says Francis Chan in his series on Surrender.



That's a really strong statement. Did he really mean that?

Here's a little more context: "... you really can't follow God and fit in. I mean you really can't pursue everything Jesus called you to and look like everyone else. Because Jesus didn't fit in... In John 15 he's telling his disciples if the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you're not of the world but I choose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

This series is designed for teens as they navigate the world of high school. This quote comes from the part on surrendering status. However, this concept is not only for teens.

In John 15:18-19 Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

As Christians, we put on Christ as our Lord and Savior. The very name "Christian" implies we belong to him. Doesn't that mean we should be like him? Being like him implies we will be persecuted. "Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20).

But, then we also read verses like Luke 14:25, "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them." And in Mark 5:24 it says, "And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him." There are at least 33 verses that talk about great crowds following Jesus. 

What do we do with that? It appears to be a contradiction. Let's take a closer look at what is really going on. 

When Jesus began his ministry he did a lot of healing and various other miracles drawing interest from the crowds. In John 6 Jesus is addressing a crowd that has swelled to upwards of five thousand on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. He had never been more popular. Jesus then uses a child's lunch to feed every single person in the crowd and there were still leftovers. 

After dinner the crowd camps out for the night. The next morning they wake up looking for Jesus, probably wanting some bacon and eggs. What they find is that Jesus has crossed to the other side of the sea. Jesus knows this crowd isn't after him, there are there for a free meal. In verse 35 Jesus tells the crowd he is the only thing on the menu. "I am the bread of life," he says. 

In verse 66 it says, "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." Jesus never waivers from his message to try to restore his numbers. He seems to be okay with his waning popularity. Referring to this story in Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman concludes, "It wasn't the size of the crowd Jesus cared about. It was their level of commitment."

I believe that is exactly what God is after in us today. 

Jesus humbled himself, giving up his status as God, to become one of us. He was beaten, mocked, and killed. He let go of his status to love you and me. God wants you to humble yourself. He wants you to surrender your status for any opportunity to love those around you. 

God is not calling you to be intentionally odd and not fit in. He is calling you to quit looking at yourself and instead focusing on his mission and doing whatever you can to reach as many people as you can. 

Is the church full of hypocrites?

Little Johnny was on vacation with his family, when he saw a pigeon lying lifeless on the beach. He ran to his father to ask what was wrong. “It’s okay Johnny,” his father said. “That pigeon has died and went to heaven.” “Oh,” Johnny replied. “Did God throw him back down?”

Don't worry. This one is alive.

That’s a funny story because of the child’s simplistic view of God and heaven. To Johnny, the pigeon going to heaven was a physical journey that would have happened immediately. Without getting to eschatological, let’s suffice it to say that is not what Johnny’s father meant.

In our culture today, Christianity is under attack. I don’t think that is a stretch. All you have to do is turn on your television or scroll through social media to see that is the case. Some of the most common and tired rhetoric claims that all Christians are hypocrites.

Perhaps you have seen a bumper sticker like the one below.

So, how do we as Christians respond to this critique? Is the church really full of hypocrites? I think the answer begins by addressing the flaws in the question itself. The fundamental problem with this question is that it assumes a very elementary view of what Christianity is all about. So, I think we must begin by defining Christianity. 

At its core, Christianity is not about perfection. It’s about posture. When we come to Christ, we are saying, “I am a sinner. The way I was living does not work.”

In Ephesians 3, Paul says, “I bow my knees before the Father” (Ephesians 3:14). In Isaiah 66:23 we read, “’And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,’ says the LORD.”

In Hebrews 12:2 the posture we read about describes eyes fixed on Jesus.

But, it’s not a physical posture that I am trying to relate to you. It’s heart posture. We must put ourselves, from the inside out, in a position of humble adoration of God, with our heart fixed on Christ. 

Christianity is not about getting everything right. Becoming a Christian is saying I am not good enough on my own. The reason we invite Jesus into our lives is for him to take our place on that cross. That’s why we need him. That’s why we fix our eyes and hearts on him.

When you take away Christ from Christian, you are left with three letters that stand for I ain't nothing (more on that here). Proclaiming Christianity is saying to God, I am completely dependent on you.

To say Christians are hypocrites because they say one thing and do the other is a misunderstanding of the fundamental position of Christianity.

Is the church full of hypocrites? No, there’s always room for one more.

***This topic was the subject of a recent sermon I preached at Winchester Road East Church of Christ. You can listen to "Are All Christians Hypocrites?" on our podcast: Winchester Road East Church of Christ

How to overcome the wheel of want

"Don't wake up in a roadside ditch!" That's the tagline of a DIRECTV commercial that encourages you to "get rid of cable and upgrade to DIRECTV."

 

It's pretty funny, right? This idea of a chain reaction of making the wrong choice. But, it's a choice the commercial is trying to make for you. Have you noticed how often we are exposed on a daily basis with advertisements trying to tell you, "Hey, you don't have this," or, "You should have this. You need this. Look at this. What you have is now old. This is new. What you have is no longer cool. This is cool."

A study in 2014 found that we are bombarded with 360 advertisements a day across the five media outlets (TV, radio, Internet, newspaper, and magazine). This is what I like to call the wheel of want.

Have you ever walked into your closet and said, "I have nothing to wear!"? What are you really saying? What you mean is, I have nothing new and exciting to wear. It probably wasn't too long ago that you bought those clothes. That's the wheel of want. We really want something. We get it. It gets old. We find something new to want. When we are stuck in the wheel, we are filled with discontentment because all we do is want, want, want.

John expresses this type of want in 1 John 2. I like the way Eugene Peterson translates verses 15-17 in the Message.

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Loving the world is not about stuff. It's an attitude absent of God, defined by want. You want to see what this looks like?

In Luke 15, we find the story of the prodigal son immediately following two other parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin. The son goes to his father and says, "give me the share of property that is coming to me." We're told he got his stuff and took a journey into a far country, and squandered his property in reckless living. 

The prodigal son was living this life of discontentment. His life was defined by wanting, wanting, wanting. Ultimately it comes down to this: He didn't trust his Father. Instead of living under his roof and allowing his dad to provide for him, he goes to a far land and loses it all. Next thing you know, he's stuck feeding pigs and so hungry the slop starts to look tasty. 

Do you remember where he goes? "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!" he decides. ^"I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'" 

Apparently, he didn't know his father very well. While he was on the way home, his father ran to him and embraced him. As the prodigal son started into his prepared speech, his father didn't even acknowledge his silly idea that he would be a servant. Instead the father gets a ring and a robe and throws an extravagant party. 

Did the son deserve such a party? No way. But that's the way our father operates. When the shepherd finds his one lost sheep he throws a party for all his friends, probably more expensive than the sheep was worth. When the woman finds her lost coin, she throws a party worth more than the coin. What's up with all these disproportionate parties? It's not about the son, or the sheep, or the coin. It's all about God's extravagant love. 

In Luke 15:7 Jesus says, "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." But take another look at these parables. Where is the repentance? I don't see the sheep or the coin doing anything. The son simply comes back for a job. Here's the part that really caught my attention. Repentance is simply allowing God to love you. 

So, how do we overcome discontentment? I don't have a five step program or a list of things we need to work on. The answer is really pretty simple: Allow God to love you. Just wear the robe. Put on the ring. 

^"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

In that space of faith and trust, our wanting seems to wane. In the sweet embrace of our father, in his extravagant love, we find contentment, satisfaction, and fulfillment.

"The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity."

Parts of this post were inspired by Judah Smith's One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure and Matt Chandler's Oppressor/Laborer