Today's links - March 20, 2012

-- Want to know how your Congressional Representative and Senator ranks in terms of promoting religious freedom? Open Doors USA has created a nifty scorecard for all 535 members of Congress.

-- Mixing politics and religion has tended to turn young people away from church, according to the Christian Post.

-- Contrary to stats often cited by pastors, Christians do NOT have just as high as divorce rate as the rest of the population, according to a new study.

-- Even the official churches in Iran (those allowed to exist by the Islamic government there) are facing a crackdown by the authorities.

The First Station of the Cross: Praying for God's Will

Courtesy: Vatican Museum

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." - Matthew 26:36-41 (NIV)

(Editor's note: This is part of a series on the Stations of the Cross.)

In the Garden of Gethsemane, which is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem, Jesus met with his disciples for the last time. He knew what was coming up, that He would soon endure a death He did not deserve.

In the celebration of the Stations of the Cross by Pope John Paul II in 1991, the minister prayed this prayer:

"Lord, grant us your strength and wisdom, that we may seek to follow your will in all things."

God knows life can be hard. Jesus, though He could get out of sacrificing Himself on the cross because He was God Himself, didn't, instead relied on God the Father for the strength to persevere. He asked for the Father to take "this cup" from Him, but He also relented.

"Yet not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

He asks that of us as well. He knows there are temptations in the world. He knows there are hardships that we all face. But through it all, He says for all of us to follow Him, and to rely on God for that strength and for answers.

Today's links

• Recently the Kony 2012 campaign spread around the virus, promoting the cause of fighting the recruitment of children as soldiers in Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony's army. The only problem, the information in the video that spread is horribly outdated. Among other actual facts, Kony has not been in Uganda for at least six years. 
• Members of Campus Crusade in Japan are giving survivors of last year's earthquake and tsunami manga or comics with a story of hope to help curb a high suicide rate in that country.
• Coptic Orthodox Pope and Patriarch Shenouda III, one of the world's most revered Christian leaders and an advocate for Christians in Muslim-dominated Egypt, has passed away at the age of 88.
• A riveting and sad story of a former slave in the African nation of Mauritania, where slavery continues despite its official abolishment in 1981.

Free to think in Christ

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." - Acts 17:11 (NIV)

A friend of mine recently posted this photo on Facebook, commenting that this was a bogus thing to say. I have heard others in the past comment on this teaching, saying this translates into meaning Christian believers should be mindless robots who cannot think for themselves.

For the record, the Bible is completely against this kind of statement.

 

Isaiah recorded that God told him, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18) even as the nation of Israel was rebelling against Him. Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." (In other words, talk and think things through). And 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." In other words, know the Word of God and how to use it. In addition, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Test everything. Hold on to the good."

The Bible does allow us to think, contrary to popular opinion. As noted in the verse from Acts at the beginning of this note, the Bereans were noted as having "more noble character" than their neighbors, the Thessalonians because of their eagerness in reaching the teaching on Christ from the Apostle Paul. However, they were noteworthy because they looked at the Scriptures themselves.

 

In other words, they didn't take what Paul was teaching them at face value, as has been the mistake of far too many Christians in the past and in today's church. They looked at the Word of God, testing Paul on what He said. If what Paul was teaching them was not from God, then it would have been revealed to them from Scripture.

 

We can have that same reasoning, because God not only gave us all brains, but He allows us to use them as well, all for His glory (Colossians 3:17). That is true freedom.

Christ for all

Courtesy Prison Fellowship International

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" - Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

More and more often these days, Christians are accused of being prejudiced against gays and lesbians, women, and those of other faiths. They are accused of wanting to impose a system where the tenets of the Bible are obeyed and enforced with an iron fist.

In some cases, those making those kind of accusations would be correct.

Prejudice such as racism and religious discrimination is one of the biggest ills in the world, even in the church. Bigotry has been used throughout history to enslave people, figuratively through laws or physically through chains, to bring them down, or in general, make them second- or third-class citizens. There is the racism that was prevalent in the United States that in some sectors, still exists today. There is the denial of freedom to choose and practice your own faith that is rampant throughout much of the Middle East and other parts of the globe.

However, in Christ, for those who actually follow His teachings, that prejudice is history, part of a sinful past that has been abolished by the saving blood of our Savior. For those believers who allow Christ to take hold in their lives and actually strive to follow the teachings outlined in God's Word, the Bible, it is a freedom from bigotry that can ensnare both the people they are directing it toward and themselves as well.

Yes, Christians can call out sin amongst in the world. However, they are called to love others as God loved them (see Ephesians 5:1-2), and follow Christ's example. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus called out the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day for their sins. However, for others, he simply loved them, welcoming them and healing them of the their physical and spiritual wounds caused either by bad teaching or their own sinfulness.

The evangelist Billy Graham is one such person. During his more than 60 years of active ministry, he was able to preach in closed countries such as Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union during the days of communism, and meet with leaders such as North Korea's Kim Il Sung and other presidents because he simply lived and preached the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ with no other agenda. During a crusade to India in 1956, his first evangelistic trip to somewhere besides the United States or Western Europe, he made the following the distinction about Jesus, as noted in his autobiography, "Just As I Am:"

"I am not here to tell you about an American or a Britisher or a European. I am here to tell you about a Man Who was born right here in your part of the world, in Asia. He was born at the place where Asia and Africa and Europe meet. He had skin that was darker than mine and He came to show us that God loves all people. He loves the people of India and He loves you."

Jesus Christ is for all people, regardless of who they are and what they have done. All you have do is reach out to Him, because He is reaching for you. If you have questions or would like to talk about Christ, please feel free to contact me.

Links in the news

• Saint Patrick, whose days we mark on Saturday, was a practical theologian and social activist, a man truly ahead of his time.
• The Islamic-led government in Sudan, following last July's succession by its mainly Christian and animist southern regions, has decreed that all Christians must leave the country or suffer the consequences.
• Mail deliverers in Israel outside of Tel Aviv are refusing to deliver Hebrew-language New Testaments being given away by a unknown group.

Standing out in a different way

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)

One of the main reasons often used in not wanting to believe in Christ and follow any of the moral laws on sex, life and other areas listed in the Bible is that they don't want to selectively choose which of the Old Testament laws to follow. Often when a moral law is cited, the response may be "Then why do you still eat pork?" (Leviticus 11:7) or "Do you still wear clothes of mixed fabrics?" (Deuteronomy 22:11)

However, there are differences between the dietary and ceremonial laws laid out for the Israelites in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and the moral laws that are exhibited in places such as the Ten Commandments. God laid out the law to Moses to present to the Israelites because, after the exodus out of slavery in Egypt, they were moving into a land that was possessed by people who defamed God by worshipping other gods, some sacrificing their children to the god Molech, which God condemned. He wanted His people, the Israelites to stand out, and be a holy people amongst the evil that was in the world by the world (see Exodus 19:5-6).

When Jesus came into the world, He brought with Him a new covenant with the Hebrews and the rest of the world. He came to save the world because under the Law, all people are sinners (see Romans 3:23). As the Savior of the nations, Jesus fulfilled the Law to the point where the old ceremonial laws did not apply anymore, which we see in his rebuke of the Pharisees who had condemned His followers for picking grain on the Sabbath, which was against the Law (see Mark 2:23-27). The old dietary laws also did not apply anymore, as was revealed to the Apostle Peter, as recorded in Acts 10.

In short, while still considering the Hebrews His People, He has opened the umbrella to all peoples, as referenced by John 3:16-17:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (NIV)

God knows best...

"'I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said.'" - Luke 1:38 (NIV)


Parents know that in training their young children, much of the time is spent repeating themselves. After a while, it moves to threatening to punish the child if he does not obey his parents.


The Bible is full of stories of people and nations that God wound up having to punish after they turned away from him and sinned mightily. Some went as far as sacrificing children to false gods and pursuing sins of the flesh and wealth instead of following God like he commanded.


However, there were some who followed God no matter what was commanded, no matter how ridiculous it may have sounded at the time. Noah followed God's command to build an ark, even though rain was not heard of at the time. Moses went up against Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler on Earth at the time, to free the Israelites from captivity despite his own personal shortcomings and fear.


Then there was Mary. Some accounts of her life say she was only a teenager, pledged to be married to an older man. However, God picked her to be the mother of the Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ. The only question she asked, despite her fears of being an unwed mother (she was only pledged to Joseph, not married to him just yet) and carrying the child of another, was "How will this be since I am only a virgin?" After the angel answered her concern, she simply said, "I am the Lord's servant."


In our lives, God indeed knows best. He knew us while we were still in our mother's womb. Like with Esther, He knows the time and place we are to be born and be the most use for His kingdom. He also is faithful, and will not let us bear more than we are able.


No matter what the situation, God has proven time and time again that we can trust Him, and that includes our salvation.

WANTED

WANTED: Missionaries and church planters

Matthew 28:19-20 tell us, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Some have devoted their lives to this, living behind family, friends and familiar places to go off to distant places in the United States and beyond to tell others about Jesus Christ. These are those who have decided to dedicate their lives completely to serving in a particular place and spend the bulk of their waking hours telling others about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
It doesn't matter whether they are doing it outside of the United States or picking a spot in this country to minister. The Disciple Beacon is looking for missionaries and church planters who are willing to talk about their experiences and why they do what they do.

The easiest way to introduce yourself would be to contact the editor of the Disciple Beacon.

I would love a chance to write these fine people and interview them for a bit on this site about their experiences and what motivates them.

Thank you and God Bless!

'Let others know what you have seen'

"Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " - John 20:17 (NIV)

It had been a time of sorrow for the followers of Jesus.


Their leader, the man they believed to be the Messiah, was dead, crucified at the hands of the Romans and the Jewish religious leaders of the day. Howver, when two women came to dress Jesus' body for final burial, they discovered the tomb was empty.


Obviously, the women who first made this discovery and later Peter and the other disciple who came to investigate had reason to be concerned. They knew that people would say that Jesus' followers had come and taken the body so they could say He had been resurrected (indeed, the Jewish religious leaders worried about this happening that they convinced Pontius Pilate to post a guard outside of the tomb).

But Jesus slowly made Himself known to His followers, particularly to Mary Magdalene, who had been one of His earliest students. She had remained at the empty tomb crying, and was desperately hoping that whoever had taken Jesus' body would return it so the persecutions from the religious leaders and the Roman authorities would ease up.

He tested her by asking why she was crying, to make sure that indeed it was Him that she was looking for, that she hadn't turned away like others had when He was arrested and later crucified. When He revealed Himself to her by merely saying her name, she knew right away that her hopes that He had been right all along about His pending resurrection was true, that her and others' following of Jesus, who they believed the long-awaited Messiah, had not been in vain.

However, Jesus also told her to not just sit there, but to go and tell the others what she now knew to be true. He said to not just hold on to Him, but to let the others what she knew to be true.

That is the call to the church today as well. Too often, religion is to be a private matter so not to offend others.

If we know something to be true, something that is so unbelievable, that our merely having faith and putting our trust in it has eternal implications, then we are obligated to say something about it. We are to tell others that not only isn't Jesus not dead and buried, but also alive and eventually, coming back.