A FRESH START

 Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

               I like to get up early in the morning when the day is fresh and new. Each morning brings new opportunities, new challenges, new chances to get it right. No matter what happened the day before, the new day offers a fresh start. Although we carry with us the consequences of the day before, we have a new chance to deal with issues. Although we carry with us the responsibilities of the day before, we have a chance to address them from a fresh perspective.

               The book of Lamentations is one long struggle with Israel’s failures and the consequences of those failures. But in the midst of lamenting the bad things that have happened, the author leans into the mercy and compassion of God. His message is that a person can never exhaust God’s mercy and compassion. God’s love, mercy, and compassion are new every morning. Everyday God offers us a fresh start.

               The Bible often contrasts our unfaithfulness to God’s faithfulness. Even though we are unfaithful at times, God’s faithfulness to us never wavers. Jesus promised us that he would not abandon us. One of the last things He said to His disciples before He ascended was that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age. He has extended that promise to us as well.

               All of us need a fresh start spiritually from time to time. Our faith can become routine and lose its flavor. We can drift away from Christ and lose our focus. We can stumble into sin and lose our peace. What Jesus offers to us every morning is a fresh start in our journey of faith.

               I have done a little backpacking in the past. By the end of a day of backpacking you get pretty weary. The pack gets heavier as the day goes along. Your feet get sore and your shoulders ache. Finally, you arrive at the campsite for the night. You set up camp, cook your evening meal, and sit around the campfire reflecting on the day’s hike. After a night of rest, you make a fresh start on your journey. Every backpack trip that I have taken has taught me new lessons. Each time I went, I went with a better knowledge of what to do and what not to do. Each trip was a fresh start.

               Our journey through life is much like a backpacking trip. There are hills to climb and valleys to traverse. We are moving toward a destination. And we are carrying a pack on our back. Each day we place into our pack a variety of things; challenges, disappointments, accomplishments, tasks to be accomplished, and hopefully joys experienced. Each night, God gives us the chance to lay down our pack and let Him unpack it for us. Often as we sleep, God sorts out the jumbled confusion in our minds and begins to lead us toward clarity. When we wake in the morning, we often have a fresh perspective and hopefully fresh energy to face the day.

               No matter where our journey takes us or what challenges we face along the way, there is one thing that we can hold onto, God’s faithfulness. We are not making this journey alone. We have been given the Holy Spirit to encourage us, strengthen us, and guide us. Jesus promised us that we don’t have to carry our life backpack alone. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

               When we place our faith in Christ, we become the recipients of His faithfulness. Each day is a fresh start; a new opportunity to learn, to grow, to serve, to love and be loved. Each day we can experience God’s mercy anew. No matter how long our journey on this earth may be, we will never come to the end of God’s grace and mercy.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THE CHURCH?

 Acts 2:42 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

               I have been contemplating lately what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a part of His church. It is easy to fall into the idea that being a follower of Jesus is just about going to heaven when you die. But is that really all that it is? Isn’t there more to being a genuine Jesus follower?

               The more that I have thought about this the more I come back to what it means to really be a church. When Jesus taught, the focus of His message was on being in a right relationship with God and with one another. Being a follower of Jesus is all about relationship. It is not just about living a moral life, but living a life in communion with God and with others.

               The church has fallen on hard times. The attitude of many people is that the church is irrelevant at best and a problem at worst. It has been depicted as imposing a set of rules onto people that denies them freedom and takes away their fun. This is sad, because the church is actually the path to genuine freedom and ultimate purpose in life.

               Acts 2:42 gives us the essence of the church in a nut shell. What we see is four basic components to discovering the life Jesus promised us when He promised us the abundant life.

               The church should be a place of learning about God and about ourselves. Teaching has always been at the heart of what the church does. In fact, in the Great Commission, teaching is a prominent aspect. “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.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Without sound teaching we drift from new idea to new idea without any firm foundation. The early church devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching and we should as well.

               The church should be a place to really belong. The early church was devoted to the fellowship; they really loved one another. This is an aspect of the church that we have lost today. In our focus on individual needs and desires, we have forgotten that we need one another. The church was designed to demonstrate life as God designed it. It should be an open fellowship not a closed circle. It should be a place where people feel accepted and belong. But it also means that we are to hold one another accountable to living out our faith genuinely. Real community encourages and corrects, supports and challenges. The church should be a place where people can be real, warts and all.

               The church should be a place to worship and celebrate. The breaking of bread specifically refers to the Lord’s Supper; a time to remember and reflect upon what Jesus has done for us on the cross. But it can be extended to breaking bread together around the table in our homes or in the church. The setting for the Lord’s Supper was a shared meal. There is something intimate and meaningful about sharing a meal together. The church needs to be a place where we can genuinely worship together whether that be in a formal sense or an informal sense. It should be a place to celebrate all that God has done and is doing in us.

               The last aspect of the church is that it should be a place the encourages an intimate relationship with God. Prayer is more than a laundry list of things we want God to do for us. It is a two-way conversation. It is an invitation to open our hearts to God and allow Him to transform our lives. Prayer is not a formality that we need to get out of the way. It is an essential part of what it means to connect with God. Praying together binds us together as the body of Christ. It aligns our hearts and our minds with God’s heart and mind.

               We live in a world that is disparate for genuine community. Most people today are lonely. They want to be accepted and to really belong. All of the superficial ways to experience community that are offered to people today fall short and end in disappointment and discouragement.

               Jesus created the church to be a place to belong. A place to do life together. A place to grow as people, spiritually, emotionally, and socially. The church at it best is not another social club, but a genuine community that cares for its people, that binds up the wounds of the fragile, that empowers people to live up to who God created them to be. The church should be a place that brings out the best in people. Jesus created the church to bring light into a dark world, to add flavor to life, and to rescue people from the decay that dominates our world.

               No church is perfect; we all have flaws. But when a group of Jesus followers bands together to live as Jesus taught us to live, we can change our world.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

ARE THESE THE LAST DAYS?

 2 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

               When I was a boy, growing up in church, I routinely heard about the imminent return of Christ. To be honest, it scared me. I remember praying and asking Jesus not to come back until I had the chance to… With my life just beginning the idea of Jesus coming back and cutting it short wasn’t a positive thought. I have matured beyond that point, at least I hope so.

               The question of the return of Christ and the last days has fascinated theologians and church people alike. Another childhood memory I have is of a huge chart that supposedly charted the course of human history right up to the coming of the Lord. People have speculated for centuries about the meaning of “the last days” and the return of Christ. Some have gone so far as to nail down a specific date for His return. Of course they have all been incorrect.

               As I was growing up, prophecy about the last days was a hot topic. The entire “Left Behind” series is a testament to that. Today we don’t hear so much about the return of Christ. It is acknowledged as a theological truth, but not necessarily as something to get to worked up over.

               In my devotions today, I was reminded that the return of Christ is something that we should be preparing for. Between being obsessed with prophecy and ignoring the return of Christ is a more biblical approach to the last days and the return of Christ.

               The first thing we have to acknowledge is that the last days are not in front of us, we are living in then right now. The world entered the last days at the ascension of Jesus back into heaven. When Peter addressed the crowd on the day of Pentecost he quoted from the prophet Joel. "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 (NIV) Peter obviously believed that the last days were ushered in when the Holy Spirit was given to the church at Pentecost. All of the first century believers lived within the idea that they were living in the last days. So, I think it is safe to say that we continue to live in the last days.

               Peter addressed this in-between time that we live in in his second letter.

2 Peter 3:3-13 (NIV)
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 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.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

               Let me unpack a few truths that we need to keep in mind as we look forward to the return of Christ.

               First, people will get impatient waiting for Christ’s return. They will begin to mock the idea and turn away from the truth. There is no doubt that we live in such a time. The idea of the return of Christ for many has become a curiosity or something to be made fun of.

               The second thing to remember is that God is still in control and that the events of earth are firmly in His hands. The end of the world is a sure thing. One day God will close the final curtain on human history and the story will be over.

               The third thing to remember is that God is in control of the timetable not us. God’s timing is different from our timing. He is in no hurry to put an end to His creation. In fact, He is being extremely patient with us, wanting as many as possible to turn to Him in faith and be saved.

               The fourth thing we need to remember is that Jesus’ return will catch us all by surprise. Peter is echoing the words of Jesus when Jesus said that His return will be like a thief in the night. All of our speculation about when Christ will return is pointless, because Jesus said so.

               The last and I believe the most important thing to remember is that we need to do our best to be ready when He comes. Peter asks the question, what kind of lives should we live? He doesn’t say that we should go up on a hill, gaze into the sky and wait for Jesus to come. He doesn’t say that we should spend endless hours debating the mechanics of Christ’s return. What does he say? He says that we should live holy and godly lives with a constant anticipation of Christ’s return.

               Jesus gave several parables that highlight this exact point. He said that we are like servants who have been left in charge of the master’s estate. The master expects us to be about the business of the estate until he returns. In Matthew 24 we get one of the clearest statements about what Jesus expects from us as we live in the last days. He says three important things that we should keep in mind.

               We don’t know when He will return. 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)

               He expects us to be watching for His return. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42 (NIV)

               He expects us to be busy doing what He has called us to do in the interim. 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. Matthew 24:45-46 (NIV)

               We are living in the last days right now. Jesus could come back at any time. The real question is how will He find us when He does. Will we be ready, living active lives of service as we anticipate His return? Or will we be caught off guard?

Mark 13:32-37 (NIV)
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"