THINKING IN THE SPIRIT

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Friday, October 23, 2020

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN WE KNOW?

"I have been all over the world.

I have seen many religions

and heard many philosophies.

How can I know that this is the truth?"

Years ago several of us visited an army captain whose wife attended our church. He welcomed us into his home and allowed us to talk with him about Jesus. When we asked if he would like to accept the forgiveness of Jesus and devote his life to Him, he politely asked a difficult question.

He said, “I have been all over the world. I have seen many religions and heard many philosophies. How can I know that what you say about Jesus is the truth?”

I said, “If God sent his son to die for you, that is surely important. I suggest that you ask God Himself to show you if this is true or not.”

In chapter 5 of The Gospel of John in the New Testament, Jesus dealt with this very question. Beginning with verse 31 He said if He alone bore witness about Himself His testimony could not be deemed to be true. But He said, “There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that his testimony is true.”

Jesus first mentioned John the Baptist. John said Jesus was the son of God. John the Baptist may have been the most impressive man to walk the earth in those days. Jesus called him a burning and shining light. He noted that they rejoiced for a time in his light. There are many today who will tell you that you can personally experience Jesus in your life. Some of them are impressive people. Astrophysicist/astronomer, Hugh Ross of the University of California is one who comes to mind. I also think of preachers like Tim Keller, and Ravi Zacharias who died earlier this year. Billy Graham also died this year. Years ago the church that I served was starting home-churches in a mountain valley that did not have a church. In house after house where we were invited to lead Bible studies people brought up Billy Graham. Everyone seemed to be impressed with Billy. He indeed bore witness to the truth. But people, no matter how impressive, are not the great witness Jesus spoke of. Jesus said He did not accept human testimony. He mentioned John so that the people might be saved, but He said there was a greater witness yet.

Jesus next spoke about the works that he was doing. His miracles were a powerful witness about him. God continues to show us his mighty works today. The more we know about the Earth, and life, and the universe the more astounded we become. Is it rational to believe that the most complex things we know anything about, including life, eyesight, human consciousness, and intelligence, and even the universe itself happened by accident?

Of course, admitting that there had to be a Creator, does not make Christianity true. But the miracles of Jesus can still be seen to this day. I have heard people accuse Christianity of perpetuating slavery. And they are right. In the 19th Century some people actually used the Bible to justify slavery. God forgive us. However, it should be noted that slavery has been prevalent in every part of the world. We do not know of a time in history when human bondage did not exist. And no other philosophy, no other influence besides Christianity ever abolished slavery from whole nations or from human approval and law.

Angola prison in Louisiana was once one of the most dangerous prisons in the United States. Because of a Christian witness, that whole prison has been turned around. Despite the fact that some of the most violent criminals in our country have been incarcerated there, almost all violence has been eliminated within its walls. Is there any example in the entire world of anything else turning a prison around like that?

A large hospital in the city where I used to live is dedicated to scientifically curing people of alcohol and drug addiction. They saturated the city with advertisements about their treatment plan. According to their own statistics, only 20% of their patients were still alcohol or drug-free three years after their treatment. 20% is certainly better than nothing. And I will admit that the statistics this hospital provides are better than many other treatment centers. However, Christian treatment programs are much more effective. I have a friend who began an outpatient treatment program in the same city. After 20 years more than 60% of those who have gone through his program are still alcohol and drug-free. Nothing else changes people like the message of Jesus Christ.

But Jesus does not quite say that the works that He accomplishes are the testimony about which He referred. He says that by those miracles which still take place God himself to testifies about Jesus. If you are considering these things I would encourage you to ask God to show you if this is the truth. You might pray something like, “God, if there really is a God and if you really care about me, show me if this is the truth, and help me understand what you show me."

Early on a Sunday morning several weeks after we visited the Army officer that I began by telling you about, he came to our church dressed in fatigues. He had duty that day and could not come to the service. But he told me he had not been able to forget the prayer that I had suggested to him. In the next 10 years God did a number of stunning things in that man’s life. And he eventually gave his life to Christ. I am still in regular contact with him even though I live in a different state. For nearly 30 years now he has been one of the strongest leaders in the church that he joined.

My new novel, EARS TO HEAR ,

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Some of you know that I recently published the collection of short stories, THE GATHERING OF OUTCASTS

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Wednesday, September 30, 2020

THE SEEDS OF ABORTION

I am grieved over the reality of abortion in our midst. In America alone we have put to death nearly 60 million unborn babies since the Roe v. Wade supreme Court ruling in 1973. It is a little encouraging that the number of abortions each year has decreased significantly. I am sure that is largely because of protests of this insidious evil primarily by Christians.

However, I think it is important to note that simply making abortion illegal will not, in and of itself, solve the problem. That is because the seeds of abortion are much deeper than law. I believe one of the things that has helped to reduce the number of abortions in these later years has been the efforts made to help women deal with the crises that they face when they discover that they are pregnant. I also think we need to do more to help care for the needs of single mothers and others in difficult situations.

But none of these efforts will deal effectively with the root of the problem. Abortion arose en mass because of attitudes that have swept over us in the sexual revolution. We have lost all sense of the purpose and joy of sexual relations. In and out of marriage we have come to think of sexual relations as recreational activity. However, the primary purpose of sex is procreation. And children are the joy of sex. Of course, the immediate pleasure of sexual activity is a wonderful thing, but it is reduced tremendously as it is severed from its purpose.

We face a number of problems in dealing with this reality. What are our chances of making such a change in the thinking of our whole society? The realization of this overwhelms me. However, there are certainly things that we can do. We must continue to oppose abortion. And we can seek to reason with individuals in a world that may not wish to hear about our values. It may be more important to redouble our efforts to teach a more godly mindset to our children and those who come to Christ in our midst. Compassion calls us to increase our efforts to minister particularly to women and children in crisis.

And consistent prayer for our society and our world is essential to bring about transformation on a wholesale basis. This problem goes back further than the sexual revolution. Its seeds go back to the sin of man in the Garden of Eden. Its terrible fruit can be seen in every generation from the beginning of the world. Without extraordinary prayer our efforts will be futile in trying to stop the title wave of public opinion. Nothing short of radical revival or a new heaven and a new earth will change what we face.

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Sunday, September 6, 2020

ARE YOU SATISFIED?

Have you discovered the truth of this statement by Jesus in the Bible?

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again.”

Whatever you are living for will not satisfy or fulfill. You may think, if you just had a faster car, a nicer house and bigger toys, you would have what you want. It is more likely that you are reaching for bigger things like success and power or love and family. But in fact, these things do not bring the satisfaction that we long for either.

Some of you are still more optimistic than this. If you long for a mate and family, it is difficult to believe that will not fulfill all your needs. Some of you are striving for some goal that consumes you. You may be working on a college degree. You may be striving for success in your business or your job. You may be an athlete trying to move up in the competition.

There is nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves. But none of these are ultimate. They will not bring ultimate satisfaction.

I suspect many of you have come to agree with Jesus, and you are now trudging through life without hope of fulfillment. Your heart is souring in cynicism. You may blame yourself, saying something like, if I had just done this or done that, or had not done something, I would be happier. You may blame circumstances in this fallen world. You may be bitter at other people who failed you or harmed you intentionally.

Even if you reach all your goals, if you get what you long for most, you will still have an internal emptiness. You long for something that is beyond the satisfactions of this world.

The fuller context of what Jesus said offers hope for our thirsty hearts.

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

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Monday, August 31, 2020

The Light

I want to address a subject that is in some ways difficult for all of us. I want to speak first to you who are not religious. There are many reasons for not being religious. And I cannot address all of them. Some of you may say that what I am about to deal with is not one of your reasons for not believing in God or for avoiding spirituality. Interestingly enough, the fact that this is not an issue for you may help you see this more objectively. However, some of you will find this difficult or even painful. But this is important, and I urge you to struggle through it with me. In chapter 3, verse 19 of The Gospel of John in the Bible, says light has entered the world in which we live.

“And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world.”

John 3:19

How is light judgment? That is because this light shines into us and reveals our inmost selves. That can be terrifying. The reality of God comes as a floodlight into our lives. We don't want God or anyone to see what we are really like. And we don't want to think about it ourselves. We fill our lives with many things, seeking anything that might satisfy, and with little success. Sometimes we are busy just to keep from coming to the light and looking into our own hearts.

Later in the New Testament we find the letters written by the Apostle John. In 1 John, the first of these, chapter 1, verse 6, John says that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. The very nature of God is a floodlight. When we seriously consider God or dare to come near him, his light shines into our lives.

Look with me at the broader context of the verse I began with. John 3:19-20 reads,

“And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

I would like us to consider some related promises that may give you the freedom to step into God’s floodlight.

Forgiveness

God does not reveal what is in your heart to condemn you. John 3:17 says God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. God sent his son to die on a cross to forgive you and pay the very real consequence of greed, and pride, lust, resentment and hatred that are in us.

Cleansing

When I was a boy we had barn cats. And I remember a number of times that I was scratched by a cat. When that happened, I would go to great lengths to hide the scratches from my mother. Even though cats are always cleaning themselves, a cat scratch will almost always become infected. I suspect this is even worse with barnyard cats. My mother’s remedy was a very painful cleansing of the wound. 1 John 1:7 says the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all sin. And while the honesty before God necessary for this cleansing is painful, there is relief in having been cleansed.

Love

Even when my mother was pouring alcohol on those scratches, I knew she loved me. John 3:16 begins with the words “For God so loved.” Very few things in life are as comforting and sustaining as knowing we are loved. And God's love is unconditional. He loves us in spite of our faults. He will not force his love on us, but he offers it to us without any limit.

Transformation

The Bible promises heart transformation to those who come to Him through Jesus. He gives the power to change us internally. John 3:21, just after verses 19-20 which tell us why we hate the light, says those people who live by the truth come to the light so everyone can see that it is God who is working in us. If you have to clean up your own life you are in trouble. But God changes our deepest motivations.

Fellowship

1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with each other.” Our pretenses and deception, along with criticism of others form barriers to deeper relationships. But when we have come clean before God he brings us closer and closer to others who live in his light.

Are you willing to step into the floodlight of the presence of God?

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Tuesday, August 11, 2020

LIVING IN THE LIGHT

Last week I wrote about coming to the light from John 3:21

“Whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

I pointed out that this verse says wanting others to know that any good in you was done by God is evidence that you have been born again. That is clearly the point of this statement in the context of John 3. But this truth requires some practical application for those of you who have come to Christ. In the real world we need encouragement. Even if you have seldom thought about this, your tendency as a believer is to reach for His light like plants reach for the sun. We too are Heliotropes. But in our daily lives we need to develop the willingness to be honest about ourselves before God and the world. Let me point out four aids to such honesty.

First we need a Willingness to Repent.

You had to repent to come to Christ in the first place. But repentance needs to be a lifestyle. You continually God to search your heart. Psalm 139:23-25 prays,

“Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.”

I need to pray regularly for God to deliver me from the willingness to look better than I am, while asking God to change my heart.

We need to Desire to Please Him.

Often our willingness to give impressions of ourselves that are less than honest comes from fear of what other people will think of us. The only way to combat this in your own heart is to increase your desire to please our Lord.

We need a Willingness to Trust Him.

You can trust God to grow this desire in your life. You can trust that pleasing Him will be satisfying to you.

And we need a Desire to Praise Him.

Living in the light does not mean we go about moaning over sins. Instead, we are to focus on giving Jesus all the glory for what He is doing in our lives. You can only combat your desire to be honored by growing in your desire to praise and glorify God. You can regularly pray for His name to be glorified.

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

COMING TO THE LIGHT

“Whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God..”

John 3:21

Do you like people to notice when you do what is right? Are you offended when you are not recognized for the good that you do? If so, you are showing your need for a spiritual heart transplant. It is important to see that this statement of Jesus in John 3:21 is given to us in the context of the new birth. I am not sure there is any greater evidence of having been born again than the willingness to be truly seen in our Lord's light.

You have to recognize your need. This is akin to Paul's quotation from Isaiah that our righteousness is like filthy rags. You have to admit that there is absolutely nothing that is good in you. If God doesn't plant good in you, it will never grow there. Coming to God’s light will make it obvious that every good thing you are, or have, or do, is given to you.

This includes what you may do for God. The Holy Spirit illustrates this truth in the life of John the Baptist. John's disciples told him everyone was going to Jesus to be baptized. John answered, “No one can receive anything that is not given him from heaven.” John knew his great ministry was given by God. He was a great preacher. He knew that was given to him. You might say, “I worked hard to develop my skill.” Where did your willingness and ability to discipline yourself come from? You might say, “What I did was ingenious.” Who gave you your intelligence? Who put you in those situations and around those people that you learned from?

Coming to the light of God is more than admitting your need to yourself. You need to be willing for everyone else to know. Do you seek the light of our Lord to show everyone your great lack and His wonderful sufficiency?

There is more that needs to be said about this. I will deal with it later. But what Jesus says here needs to be digested first.

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Monday, August 3, 2020

IN HIS NAME

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

John 1:12

I have always had some trouble understanding the phrase, “believing in His name.” What does it mean to believe in His name? Like many things in Scripture there are depths to this phrase that are beyond any of us. The deeper we look into one of these, as with other Scriptures, the more God will give us. We seldom use anything like this phrase in common speech. When I came to it in Scripture I would scratch my head and read on past it. God finally got my attention this week and I spent some time meditating on the words believing in His name. And God showed me some things I needed to see. I could write a great deal about what God gave me in these words, but there were two things that especially struck me..

First, we believe in The Identity of our Lord.

In Exodus 34:6-7, the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed His name.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

His name means all of this and more. His character is spoken in His name. His glory is in His name. His grace is in His name. His power and holiness are in His name. When you begin to realize who our Lord really is, it will transform your life.

Do you see why John 3:18 says,

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

And believing in His name means trusting in The Paternity of our Lord.

I bear the surname of my earthly father because I am his child. To believe in the name of Jesus is to trust that you are His because you have been born again into His eternal family.

To believe in His name is to realize that He calls you by His name, and you are His. You have become a child of God!

In the model prayer Jesus taught us to begin with the words, “Our Father in heaven.” That prayer is an expression of faith in His compassionate fatherhood of His children. It is putting our trust in His name.

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