SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV)

                I am not a futurist or one who obsesses over prophecy fulfillment. Throughout my ministry I have shied away from trying to make predictions about the future or interpreting current events in the light of some biblical prophecy. But recent events have gotten me giving serious thought to where we are headed.

                The current global pandemic does not seem to be going away anytime soon. For all of our efforts to curb the spread of this virus, it continues to infect thousands of people every day. Although the number of deaths from COVID has decreased, people are still dying daily.

                On another front, I am paying close attention to what is going on in Ukraine. I have a personal interest in Ukraine because of my many years of ministry to the people there. Daily we are hearing about Russian troops massing on the border of Ukraine. The threat of war is very real. World leaders are scrambling to avert a major conflict, but Russia continues to push forward.

                The book of Revelation reveals, in symbolic language, the pathway that the world will take as it approaches the end of time. It outlines three cycles of seven plagues each, which are poured out upon the earth. These plagues include pandemics and wars. Each cycle increases the intensity of the plagues. Throughout the book there are two clear messages that God is giving us. The first is that God and His church will ultimately prevail. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ will be the ultimate victors, no matter what circumstances they have to face. This was an encouraging and empowering message to the early church, to whom this letter was addressed. It should be an encouraging message to us as well.

                The second clear message of Revelation is a call to repentance. God is allowing these crises to continue and increase in order to awaken people’s need for a Savior. As long as there is still time on the clock there is time to repent. There is an earnest plea for people to repent and avoid the final judgment, which will come at the end of time.

                Many people have spent countless hours trying to discover the contemporary equivalents to the images given in Revelation. Every generation has speculated about the identity of the Beast and the Antichrist. End times seminars and books have proliferated. Yet Jesus made it very clear that all of our speculation is pointless. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:36 (NIV)

                Given that reality, Jesus instructed us, not to figure out the signs of the times, but to prepare ourselves for what is to come. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42 (NIV) Jesus calls us to get busy doing the things He has commissioned us to do. And when He returns, He will find us faithful. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” Matthew 24:45-47 (NIV)

                As we observe the signs of the times, it should motivate us to increase our efforts to advance and strengthen the Kingdom of God. We can look forward to the final victory, which Jesus will usher in at His return. But we should also do our part to bring as many people as we can with us. We don’t know when Jesus is coming, but we know He is. He is patiently waiting for people to turn toward Him in faith and be saved. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) Will we be ready when He comes?

 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NIV)

 

Do You Want to Get Well?

 John 5:6

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

                I have been reading Tim Keller’s book on pain and suffering. He clearly points out the reality that our secular society has no answer for pain and suffering. In past times, people viewed pain and suffering through a spiritual lens. They may have seen it as their karma, or as a result of sinful actions on their part, or even as a test of their faith. Pain and suffering were accepted as a normal part of a person’s journey through life. But Western society has, for the most part, eliminated the spiritual aspect of pain and suffering. Therefore, when a person faces pain and suffering, they are a victim of circumstances beyond their control. Their only recourse is to find some way to deaden the pain or remove the suffering. Pain and suffering are viewed as something outside of the person which is imposed upon them, instead of something that has an internal cause.

                Jesus confronted the issue of pain and suffering throughout His ministry. He offered needed relief to those who were suffering, but more than that, He called them to make the changes that would transform their suffering into an agent of transformation.

                The Gospel of John records a story of aa encounter Jesus had with a man who had spent most of his life under the shadow of pain and suffering. The story is found in John 5. Briefly, In Jerusalem there was a place called the pool of Bethesda. It was a place where people who were suffering from various maladies would congregate. It was believed that periodically an angel of the Lord would come down and stir the waters. The first person to get into the water at that time would be healed. There was a man there who had been an invalid for 38 years.

                This man is much like many people today. Many people today are “walking wounded.” They are spiritual and emotional invalids. They look fine on the outside, but they are invalids on the inside. They have spent the majority of their lives in some kind of turmoil. They have been so battered and bruised by the world that their fragile souls have been crushed. Many of these people are looking for something that will bring wholeness into their lives. They hear rumors of great things happening through the latest cure all. So, they camp out at the contemporary pools of Bethesda hoping to be in the right place at the right time.

                When Jesus saw this man, He had compassion on him. Jesus genuinely cared about the condition of this man’s body and his soul. So, Jesus asked him a seemingly insensitive question; do you want to get well? At first, this man may have felt that Jesus was mocking him, but there was something about Jesus’ demeaner that assured the man that this was not the case. Instead, the man justified his state by telling Jesus that he didn’t have anyone to help him get into the pool when the waters stirred. This man’s response was guarded. He may have felt threatened and so he responded defensively.

                When confronted with the need to address pain and suffering, most people will respond in a similar way. It is our natural tendency to defend ourselves, looking for excuses for why we are facing the challenges in our lives. We most often look outside of ourselves for an answer. We are in this difficult situation because of the actions or inactions of others, or because of our social circumstances, or because of some bad luck.

                But there is another very profound issue hanging in the shadows of Jesus’ question. “Do you want to get well” carries with it the implications that a person has to take responsibility for their life. Playing the role of victim allows us to blame others and to abdicate any responsibility on our part. For this man, who had spent the majority of his life depending upon others to provide for his needs, becoming well would change everything. He would have to take full responsibility for his life. As difficult as his situation was, it was easier to stay where he was than to fully engage in life in normal ways. Many people today would rather stay in their difficult situation than take responsibility for what it will take to change it.

                In response to this man, Jesus commanded him to take action. Get up, take up your mat and walk. This man was faced with a choice. Would he obey Jesus and see what happened or would be fall back on excuses for why he could not obey. He chose to risk obedience and the outcome was a miracle of instant healing.

                In the face of our pain and suffering, Jesus invites us to follow Him into wholeness. He asks us to step out in faith and put our trust in Him. It takes courage to act. It takes commitment to follow through in obedience to where Jesus leads us. Our first response may be to be hesitant and apprehensive. But in order to unleash the power of God in our lives, we have to take that step of faith and really trust Him.

                Unlike the man at the pool of Bethesda, we may not see our pain and suffering disappear immediately. What we will experience is the power to go through our pain and suffering. Instead of being hopeless, we can rest in the hope of Jesus’ promise to make us whole. Jesus can transform our pain and suffering into a means of transforming our lives for His glory and our good.

                But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

    Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18)

DISCOVERING TRUE PEACE

 John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

                When you think of peace, what comes to your mind? Everyone has a little different understanding of what peace is. For a young mother of three children, it is a quiet afternoon without any crying or demanding children. For many people in the world, peace is the end of armed conflict and bloodshed. For others, peace is a sense of inner tranquility and contentment.

                In one way or another, we are all looking for peace in our lives. We don’t want our lives to be filled with turmoil. We want to find tranquility and security. In order to find the peace we long for, we may take a number of different paths.

                It is common today for people to seek peace through aggressive action. Whether they are protesting war or perceived injustice, they see the path to peace through protest and active resistance. They believe that if you want peace you have to fight for it.

                Some people take the exact opposite approach to finding peace. Instead of aggressively engaging their world, they choose to withdraw from it. These people seek peace through retreat and seclusion. They just move as far away from the cause of unrest as possible. There is a movement today of people leaving the big cities for a more peaceful environment in smaller towns and villages. In some extreme cases, a person might pull out of society completely, such as the monastic movement of the Middle Ages.

                Many people today are looking for peace through artificial means. When they feel they can no longer cope with the stress of life, they turn to drugs and alcohol to numb their senses. In this, they find a certain sense of peace, as long as the effects of the drug last.

                There is still another way that people strive to find peace. That is through embracing a cause that they feel will really make a difference in the world. It may be a political cause, a social cause, or an environmental cause. By focusing their energy on a specific cause, they find a sense of purpose and peace.

                There is one thing that is common with all of these ways of achieving peace; they are all temporary. They just don’t last for the long haul. The peace they offer is fragile and easily disturbed. Many people discover that they are dissatisfied with the results and become disillusioned.

                That raises the question, is there such a thing as genuine, lasting peace? If there is, how can we find it? At times, this quest looks hopeless. There is always another war, another endangered species, more noise and turmoil in our world. As we face this reality, we can slip into despair. But there is hope for finding peace. That hope is not found in a cause but in a person, Jesus Christ.

                Jesus promised that all who would put their faith in Him would find peace. Not the peace that the world offers, but a real, lasting peace that transcends the circumstances of life. The Jews have a word that describes this kind of peace; it is the world Shalom. Shalom is a sense of well-being that is not dictated by our surroundings. It is instead a feeling of completeness and soundness. It is a state of being that comes from the inside of a person and works its way into all of life. Ever in the midst of turmoil and strife a person can experience shalom. This is the kind of peace that Jesus is offering to us.

                The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. Our most common understanding of a prince is someone who is in a position of political and social power. In Jesus’ day, a prince was expected to lead his people into battle. Jesus turned that idea upside down. Instead of leading people into more conflict, Jesus leads people into peace.

                Jesus can do this for us through His character. Jesus was able to face all of the challenges of life and not lose His cool, so to speak. He could do this because He was grounded in a clear understanding of who He is and what His purpose in life was. When we place our faith in Jesus, we gain a new status as children of God. We are secure in Jesus no matter what the circumstances of life throw at us.

                Jesus accomplished this new identity for us through His death and resurrection. When Jesus died on the cross, He won the ultimate battle with sin and death. Jesus conquered sin and death and set us free from the consequences of our own sinful nature. As it says in Romans 8:1-2, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

                When we turn to Jesus in faith, He grants us peace before God the Father. We are reconciled to God for all of eternity. Nothing can then separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are secure and we can live at peace with ourselves and with God. But Jesus also offers us peace with one another. Too often the cause of strife in our lives in competition with those around us. We feel we have to prove ourselves, or show that we are better than others. Because we have a new status with God, through Jesus, we no longer have to strive for these things. Instead, we are freed to really love and care for others, with no strings attached. Jesus loves us unconditionally, so we can love others unconditionally.

                The kind of peace that Jesus offers us is not a shallow emotion based on feelings and circumstances. It is a deep confidence and joy based on the victorious work of Jesus on the cross. The peace of Jesus’ companionship goes beyond the situations we might find ourselves in. So even in difficult times, we can experience peace. No matter what we face in life, we are never alone or abandoned. Jesus has promised to always be with us to strengthen and encourage us along the way.

                Too often in life, we settle for something less than real peace. We put much effort into creating an artificial peace that cannot last. But real peace is available to us, if we will only turn toward the Prince of Peace and follow Him.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

My Hope is Built on _______

 Romans 5:5

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

                 Over the past two years, our country has faced unprecedented challenges. The on-going pandemic has drained our energy. Even as we enter into a new year, we are faced with a new wave of COVID that continues to spread. Our political and social systems have been in constant turmoil. We have never been more divided as a nation than we are right now. Many people are facing this new year with little hope for a better future.

                In the face of all of these challenges, many people are looking for some glimmer of hope. As a nation, our hope was bolstered when the first vaccines were made available. But the vaccines have proven to be less than the answer we were looking for. As new strains of the virus have emerged, even those who have been vaccinated have contracted the disease, albeit at much lower and less severe levels. Many people placed their hope in a change of government leadership, but that too has turned out to be disappointing. Instead of drawing us together, our political system continues to pull us apart.

                One of the biggest causes of our hopelessness is not the pandemic or the political turmoil. It is an underlying philosophy of skepticism and denial of any absolute truth. In an environment where everyone gets to determine truth for themselves, there can never be true peace and harmony. Instead of peace, we get a constant battle for individual rights, wants and desires. Each person’s concept of truth is pitted against everyone else’s concept of truth. Those with the loudest voices win the moment, but only until someone with a louder voice emerges. Is hopelessness out fate? Do we need to resign ourselves to a world on chaos and despair? I can answer with a resounding NO! There is hope to be found and it is not in political systems or medical science or science in general. It is to be found in relationships, and especially one essential relationship.

                Hope is an essential ingredient for life. Everyone needs a certain level of hope to survive. Without hope, life is reduced to despair and mere existence. No one wants to be around a hopeless person for long. They drain our energy and kill our spirit. Hopelessness usually expresses itself in pessimism, cynicism, and an overall negative attitude. Hopelessness is the inability to see anything good in our world.

                All of us cling to our desire for some kind of hope. Hope gives us the energy to keep going and to face the challenges before us. I am not talking about the kind of hope that is mere wishful thinking. I’m talking about the kind of hope that is based on something solid. Real hope is deep confidence in something. It could be confidence is our own abilities, or in society, or in another person, or in a certain ideology. This confidence is what gives us the energy to press on.

                The problem we all face is that the things we place our hope in often disappoint us. When this happens, our hope begins to waver. We may abandon the object of our hope and go looking for something else to replace it. For a time, our hope may be renewed, until that new object or person fails to live up to our expectations. Then our hope wavers again.

                But there is a hope that will not disappoint us. It is a hope that is stable and satisfying. It is the hope that is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This hope is not controlled by the circumstances of life. It is a solid confidence in the person and promises of Jesus. There are at least three ways that a relationship with Jesus gives us a solid, enduring hope.

                First, Jesus offers us forgiveness and salvation. It is not popular today to talk about sin, yet we all live with a nagging feeling that something is wrong in our life; that some of our actions are wrong. We often live with an undefined sense of guilt that we just cannot shake. We can stuff it, deny it, even explain it away, but it still remains in the shadows of our mind. Jesus has offered us a permanent solution to our sin and guilt. Through Jesus death on the cross, He has made it possible for us to experience forgiveness and freedom from our sin and guilt. As it says in Colossians 1:134-14, For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

                The second way that Jesus offers us hope is by giving us the strength to face the challenges of life. Hope in Jesus is not just wishful thinking about a better tomorrow. It is a present reality for those who believe in Him. Jesus has promised to be our constant companion and guide throughout life. Through His Holy Spirit, He makes available to us the resources we need to thrive. As it says in Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

                Finally, Jesus gives us hope for the future. One of the primary concerns in our society today is for justice. People are demanding that justice be done. Unfortunately, the justice that most people want it very narrow and one sided. They want justice for themselves, but do not want to face judgement themselves. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, He is able to offer us true justice. For those who place their faith in Him, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation. As it says in Romans 8:1-2, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. In addition, Jesus promises that at the end of time all will be judged by their actions during this life. Death is not letting a person off from accountability, it is only the pathway to it. As it says in Romans 14:10-12, For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

                But our hope is noy just in ultimate justice being done. It is victory over death and life eternal. Jesus isn’t offering us some nondescript existence, but a joyful, abundant life both now and for all of eternity. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

                What are you putting your hope in? Has your hope been waning? Jesus wants to give you a hope that will last. A hope that will truly empower you to face the challenges of life; and not just to endure, but to thrive.

John 5:24

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.