The Day the Law Died

We find ourselves in the tenth chapter of Acts, verses nine through 23. According to the text, it is about noon, and Peter was near Caesarea. He finds the home of a fellow disciple and ascends the stairs to the fat roof. That sounds odd to our ears, but it was common in those days. Homes were built with flat roofs for privacy. Peter wanted to use that privacy to pray. However, prayer must have been difficult because he was hungry. Just think about it for a minute. It is noon and he is hungry. That makes it lunch time.

I don’t want to shock you, but I like lunch. It is one of my three favorite meals. I am not a picky eater. I will eat anything for lunch, anywhere. Several times a week, I meet for lunch in a local restaurant with various friends. The best is when I meet Kathryn for lunch. However, I never complain when I eat lunch at home. I have eaten many leftovers for lunch through the years. There is nothing better than a cold slice of pizza, cold pasta, or a cold baked potato with some sour cream. In my time, I have eaten gallons of ramen noodles. They are cheap and ready in just three minutes. I have never met a sandwich I didn’t like. There is nothing better than a roast beef and Colby cheese sandwich with horseradish. My favorite beverage is a tall glass of buttermilk. Don’t get me started on goose liver and onion on a cracker with mustard. I consider that treat the food of kings. One time I even ate goat soup for lunch. Do I have to go on? This is the point: I am not a picky eater.

Peter was a picky eater. He only ate certain things. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them. He had never eaten them because they were not permitted in the Old Testament law. Never forget, Peter was Jewish. From the very beginning of his life, his diet was controlled by the law. Leviticus 11 laid out what was permitted and what was not permitted. You must understand that fact to appreciate what happens next. According to the text, as he waits for his lunch to be delivered, Peter falls into a trance. He sees food. (Have you ever dreamed about food? I have.) He sees a giant picnic filled with everything he has never been permitted to eat. It is too good to be true. God basically says to him in verse 13, “Chow down!” Peter protests because change has always been hard. God tells him nothing is off limits, everything is good. Peter must have never forgotten that day. It was the day the law died. Without the law, Peter’s life became simpler. Just think about it for a moment.

Did you know the Old Testament contains 613 laws? Three hundred and sixty-five are negative in nature. Two hundred and forty-eight are positive. You can classify those laws into three groups. The first group are the self-evident laws, such as not to murder or steal. The second group deals with religious duty or tradition, such as keeping the Sabbath holy. The third group are random laws. They don’t fall into any category. In addition to the 613 laws, the Pharisees, experts on the law, created other laws to protect the original laws. You would think 613 laws would be enough. The problem is the world is always creating more laws.

In the mid nineteenth century, the world started working on something called “international law”. Countless hours were spent in the League of Nations and the United Nations trying to refine international law. It sounds simple but it is complex. How do you distill all the laws in our world and find common ground? Every culture looks at the world in a different way. International law has become a big deal because our world is growing smaller, due to advances in transportation and communication. International law is important if we are ever going to have world peace. We have a long way to go. According to the Council of Foreign Relation’s Global Conflict Tracker, there are twenty-seven wars raging in our world today.

Someone once said the United States, or any nation, is nothing more than a series of laws. On the fourth of July the United States turned 246 years old. Over that period, our government has produced many laws. They are necessary to regulate behavior. They are not all bad; some laws are good. I am all for the law that says you can’t drive your car down the sidewalk. Without it, people would get killed. I am for the law that says you must pass through airport security before you get on a plane. Our world is a violent place. I am for the law that says convicted sex offenders must register, because it protects our young. I am for the law that says that says everyone can own property and vote. I am for the laws that bans any form of discrimination. I am not so sure about the Ohio law that says it is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday. However, I am for the law that does not permit dueling. You would think between international law and national law, we would have enough laws. But wait, there are more!

Every organization has its own laws. The church is no exception. In the church, we call laws “rules”. They do the same thing. The United Methodist Church has certain rules we must follow. They are all found in the United Methodist Book of Discipline. Did you know we are required to audit the books of every account of every organization in the local church annually? Did you know no alcohol can be consumed within any United Methodist Church building? Did you know there will be no gambling or games of chance, within any United Methodist Church building? Did you know we are required to have an annual Charge Conference? Did you know I am required to go to Annual Conference? Did you know, at my ordination, I had to promise to be itinerant? In other words, I must go where the bishop sends me. Did you know we are permitted to borrow money from ourselves, but it must be paid back? The United Methodist Book of Discipline is filled with rules we are required to follow. I find it to be exhausting. But wait, there are more!

Every local church has rules. There are some churches who have more rules than they do people. In my opinion, that is part of the problem. We are no exception. We have our fair share of them. How many rules can you name? Most are based on common sense, but everyone has a different standard. Maybe you have heard these in the past? If you are going to use the kitchen, then clean the kitchen afterwards. If you are going to use a cup, then wash your cup. There will be no food left in the refrigerator. You will make sure the entire church is locked if you are the last one out. You will make sure all the lights are out in the entire church if you are the last one out. If you want to be refunded for any church expense, then you must have a receipt. One of the reasons I didn’t spend a great deal of time in my office is I couldn’t remember all the rules. I don’t want to be reprimanded.

One of the reasons I love Jesus is that he only had two rules. I can remember them. (Matthew 22:36-40) First, you are to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. In other words, you are to love God completely. Second, you are to love your neighbor as yourself. Church work is not hard; we make it hard. In the life of the church, all we must do is talk about Jesus and help the poor. Everything else we do is optional. Everything else is distractive. Everything else can be eliminated. In the scripture lesson for today, Peter was told the law was eliminated; the only thing that really mattered was Jesus. Jesus is bigger than the law.

When I went to my last United Methodist appointment, I inherited a mid-week program by the name of Youth Club. It was not unique to my church. On Wednesday, the children would come and gather for a lesson and dinner. Those who ran it did a wonderful job. Everyone, regardless of age, had fun. One day the youngest class was out in the narthex, standing near the glass looking into the courtyard. They were all fixated on the courtyard because the Christmas decorations had just been put up. The plastic Christmas figures were on display. The group had their noses pressed against the window. It was like one of those Norman Rockwell scenes. The teacher tried to hold them back because there was a rule about touching the glass. The glass had to be spotless. I have never been a fan of rules. I said, “Let them go! That is why they make glass cleaner! We must keep Windex in business.” Then I got a better idea. Why not let the class out into the courtyard and experience the figurines for themselves. They were just the right size. They were the same size as the images. I walked to the door to open it when the teacher told me to stop. She said, “Russ, you are new. No one is allowed to go into the courtyard, especially at Christmas. Those figures are sacred.” I thought, those figures are plastic, and to be honest with you, they were tacky. I said to the teacher, “Aren’t we supposed to be introducing our children to Jesus?” She said, “Yes!” I said, “So let’s do it.” I opened the door and the children flooded into cool fresh air. They didn’t go crazy. They were controlled, like they were walking on sacred ground. One of the students stood by the camel and grew still. One student hugged Joseph. One went eye to eye with a shepherd and smiled. One touched Mary’s face with his fingertips. One kid picked up Jesus and kissed him. He looked at his friend next to him and said, “This is Jesus!” Then, ever so gently, he passed Jesus to him. One by one they took turns holding Jesus. Those children knew at their young age there was something special about those plastic tacky figurines, because there was something sacred about Jesus. What is more important to you? Rules or Jesus? In the life of the church, the only thing that matters is Jesus.

Discerning God’s Will

There is an old preaching story about a man trapped on the top of his house during a flood. Perhaps, you have heard it in the past. The water is swiftly rising. As this man sits on his roof, fearful of being swept away by the current, he cries out to God, “God, please deliver me.” A few moments later, a farmer friend arrives with his boat. “Hey, friend, want a ride to safety?” he asks. “No,” replies the man on top of his house. “God is going to deliver me.” An hour later, the water is up to the gutters. A person comes by in a yellow raft. “Hey, let’s get you off of there—and on to safety,” he yells. But the man on top of his house refuses to go. “God is going to deliver me.” Another hour passes and now the water is halfway up the roof. Roof Man is now on top of his chimney, nervously looking down at certain death and destruction. Fortunately, a Red Cross volunteer swings by in a canoe and offers to ride Roof Man to safety. But Roof Man refuses. “No, God is going to deliver me.” A couple of hours pass and the water sweeps over the top of Roof Man’s house. He is carried away by the current and drowns. When he gets to Heaven, he meets Jesus and says, “I thought you were going to deliver me.” Jesus looks down at Roof Man and says, “I sent a boat, an inflatable raft, and a canoe—but you refused each one.” We know that story for one reason. It resonates in our souls because we all hunger to know God’s will. If you have ever desired to know God’s will, then this blog will speak to you.

We find ourselves in the tenth chapter of Acts, verses one through eight. We found ourselves in Caesarea. That community was named in honor of Augustus Caesar and was the headquarters for the Roman forces that occupied that land. For this reason, the military was well represented in the population. One of the soldiers stationed there was a man by the name of Cornelius. We are told that he held the rank of centurion, so he oversaw one hundred men. That was an important position in the Roman army; they offered stability throughout the entire empire. However, there is more to Cornelius than his job.

There was his spiritual side. Verse two tells us that he and his family were “God-fearing.” What does that mean? It does not mean that he is a Christian. He had not yet been completely enlightened. He had not yet claimed Jesus as his Lord and Savior. However, he was close. He prayed to just one god and gave to the needy. Those sincere acts impressed God. According to the text, at 3:00 in the afternoon, the time for Jewish afternoon prayer, Cornelius had a vision. He is told to get Peter and bring him to Caesarea. The centurion followed his orders and Peter came. The two men are united. The story is easy to understand. However, I must make a confession.

When I read the text for the first time, one thing stood out. Cornelius’s understanding of God at this point is limited, but his communication with God was perfect. God told him what to do and he did it. I read the text countless times, and each time I became more jealous of Cornelius. He didn’t even see the big picture, but God spoke clearly to him. Why doesn’t God speak clearly to me? Why doesn’t God speak clearly to you? It isn’t just true of Cornelius.

It is true of so many in the Bible. God is always communicating clearly with Biblical characters. How many examples do you need? In the story of Adam and Eve, the Bible says God walked in the garden with them. God talked to Adam and Eve face to face. In the story of Cain and Abel, God spoke directly to Cain and asked him why he was upset. God spoke directly to Noah. God said, “I am going to put an end to all the people.” God spoke directly to Jacob and Joshua. God spoke directly to Samuel and Solomon. God even spoke directly to Hosea and told him to marry a prostitute. God spoke directly to the crowd at Jesus’s baptism. Do you remember? God said, “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” God spoke directly to Peter, Andrew, James, and John at the transfiguration. He said, “This is my Son. Listen to him!” God even spoke directly to that heathen, Saul, on the Damascus Road. God is always speaking to people in the Bible, but seldom speaks directly to us.

The more I read about Cornelius and the others, the more I wondered why God doesn’t speak to us. It is almost like we are being ignored by God. A word occasionally, wouldn’t hurt. Wouldn’t it be nice for God to say, “Good job,” when you were driving home from a soup kitchen? Wouldn’t it be nice if God said, “Thanks!” on the way home from the trustee workday? Wouldn’t it be nice to have God to say, “Thanks for remembering,” early on Easter morning or late on Christmas Eve? Wouldn’t it be nice for God to say, “I am proud of you,” at the instant you wrote a generous check to help feed someone in the Third World? A word of encouragement is always accepted. A word of acceptance is even better. The problem is, God doesn’t say a single word. We spend our lives struggling to discern what God wants us to do. We spend our years struggling to hear God for one reason, Satan. The Adversary does an excellent job of frustrating our communication with God. That brings us to a very interesting question. Do you really want to know what God has to say?

One of the most known stories in the Bible is the story of Jonah. He is remembered as the reluctant prophet. You remember his story. In the first few verses, God spoke to him directly. God said, “Go to the great city of Nineveh.” Jonah’s problem wasn’t that he didn’t understand the words. His problem was he didn’t like what he heard. He doesn’t want to go to Nineveh because the residents aren’t like him. He was a Hebrew, and they were Gentiles. The Hebrews hated the Gentiles. They were considered nothing more than kindling for the fires of hell. For this reason, Jonah runs away from Nineveh. He goes to Joppa and catches the first boat that is going in the opposite direction, Tarshish. With that story in mind, let me ask you this question.

Do you really want to know what God has to say? They may not just be words of love and acceptance. They may be difficult words. God may want you to do something you don’t want to do. Like Jonah, God may want you to love someone you have always hated. God may want you to forgive someone who has not forgiven you. God may want you to sacrifice for someone else’s child. God may want you to go to a place that can’t offer you security. God may want you to stay in a place when all you want to do is go. Do you really want to know what God has to say? Like Jonah, you may want to run in the opposite direction.

One of the great things I have in my life is my calling into the ministry. I don’t know why God called me. There are certainly people more intelligent and gifted. However, I do know God did call me and has given me the gifts to succeed. No one enjoys their job more than I did. No one is more passionate about their job than I was. If I look back on my life, I can hear my calling clearly from the very beginning. However, when I was younger, it wasn’t so clear. If I could live my life over again, I would go from high school, college, Seminary and out. That isn’t my story. When I graduated from college, I got a job. Do you know what I did? I worked in a bank. I can honestly tell you I hated every single day. I consider those days my “wilderness experience”. When I left the bank, I sold ad space for a newspaper. I found that to be pointless. However, I did enjoy the relationships I had with my customers. I surrendered to God when I was twenty-five years old and enrolled in Seminary. Do you know why I didn’t go to seminary right out of college? I was afraid of public speaking, and I was filled with self-doubt. Doesn’t God have a sense of humor? Now, I am now addicted to preaching, and am confident I will succeed. I have very few regrets in my life, but those lost three years are one of them.

The other night I read an article that spoke to me. I wish I would have read it years ago, when I was trying to discern God’s will for my life. It was written by a man by the name of Ron Edmondson (born 1955). The article was called Five Questions to Discern God’s Will. Edmondson says, when you are facing a choice to ask yourself five questions. If you answer them honestly, then you will be closer to God’s will. These are the five questions.

1. Does what I am considering conflict with scripture? That means you must read the Bible. There is something about reading the Bible that stirs us spiritually.

2. Does what I am considering conflict with the counsel of others? I am not just talking about any friends. I am talking about spiritually mature Christian friends – people who love you enough to tell you the truth.

3. Does what you are considering conflict with the spirit within you? In other words, how does it feel to you? To a point, emotions can be trusted.

4. Does what you are considering conflict with your life experiences? Life is one big classroom. You have experienced all kind of things in your life. Have you experienced anything like this in the past? What did you learn from that experience?

5. Does what you are considering conflict with your passion? Our passion and our purpose go hand in hand. Are you excited about it?

Those five questions remind me of the Wesleyan quadrilateral. That is how John Wesley, the founder of the great Methodist movement, discerned God’s will. They are scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Regardless, maybe if I would have asked those five questions years ago, I would not have lost three years of my ministry. Time should never be wasted. I believe, next to Jesus, time is our second greatest gift. God spoke to Cornelius, and he knew what God wanted him to do. We aren’t so fortunate. We are going to have to work on it. Lead Pastor of the Flesh Life Church in Utah and Montana, Levi Lusko (born 1982) once said, “Discerning God’s calling is more a relationship than a route, more journey than destination. It’s about who you are becoming more than where you are going. Perhaps it’s less about what you do and more about how well you do whatever you do.”

In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson (1843-1826) sent James Monroe (1758-1831) to France. The President was hoping to buy the city of New Orleans to open the Mississippi River for shipping. The French were willing to sell much more. They were willing to sell the entire Louisiana Territory. The territory covered 828,000 square miles at a cost of approximately $15,000,000. The problem was, the constitution did not give the President such power. Jefferson was in a difficult spot. He had to act quickly to seize the opportunity. Did he let all that land go at a bargain price, or did he follow the letter of the law of the constitution? In 1803, he bought the land, doubling the size of the United States. Over two hundred years later, I think it is safe to say he made the right choice. Is every choice you make, correct? Satan is doing an excellent job of frustrating our communication with God, but that does not mean God isn’t speaking. We just need to work on it a little harder!

Winners and Losers

We are in the ninth chapter of Acts, verses 36-43. According to verse 36, Peter is in the town of Joppa. That community still exists today. However, today it is called Jaffa and is considered a suburb of Tel Aviv. Like many communities in that part of the world, it has a rich history. Archaeological evidence shows it was inhabited generations before Christ. The reason for her early inhabitance was her location. She is located along the coast.

When Peter arrives in Joppa, he is welcomed by long faces. One of the saints had just died, a woman by the name of Tabitha. Technology has changed the world, but human behavior remains the same. Just like today, the people were grieving because a loved one was lost. Tabitha’s death is so recent, her body has not yet been buried. It is upstairs, washed in accordance with the customs of the day. Verse 39 pierces my heart. It says the widows were crying as they told Peter about Tabitha. They knew the painful truth. They will never hear Tabitha’s voice again. They will never see Tabitha’s smile again. If death is nothing else, it is final. Any logical mind knows the truth. When you are dead, it is over. However, there is nothing logical about God. According to the text, Peter dismisses the grieving women. Alone, he gets on his knees and prays. A few seconds later, Tabitha was resurrected. In other words, just like Jesus on Easter morning, Tabitha returned from the dead. Her resurrection is God’s forgotten resurrection. Let’s dissect this story together.

There are three main characters in the story. The first is Peter. He comes with a great deal of credibility. After all, he had spent three years with Jesus. The second is Tabitha. Her life testimony is impressive. She was always doing good and helping the poor. The third character in the story are the widows. The only thing we know about them is that that are grieving. However, that is enough. It is easy to relate to them in their broken state. I can’t relate to Peter because he is so perfect. I can relate to the crying widows because they are so much like me. They were victims in a harsh world. Have you ever felt like a victim in our world?

In this blog, I want to transform you from feeling like a victim to a victor. After all, you are a child of God. Tabitha’s resurrection reminds me of Jesus’s resurrection. I am going to use Tabitha’s resurrection to illustrate my points about Jesus’s resurrection. After all, Jesus’s resurrection changed everything. Jesus’s resurrection is not just something that is part of our past. Jesus’s resurrection is not just a point of theology reserved for scholars. Jesus’s resurrection is contemporary. It is practical. Because of the resurrection, you should feel like a victor. Just think about it for a second. Jesus, the only son of God, died and was resurrected, for us. How can you be a loser?

You are a victor because the resurrection reminds us that our disappointments are premature. In the end, God will prevail. In the scripture lesson for today, the widows had been on an emotional roller coaster. Death is the end of a long ride. I do not know if Tabitha’s death came at the end of a long illness. It may have come suddenly. The only thing we know for sure is that she is dead. She may be in a better place, but her loved ones are left behind. Those who were closest to her felt the worst. So, to say the least, they were disappointed. Without the resurrection, it is over. However, with the resurrection it is just beginning. In the Christian faith, disappointments are always premature. In the end, God wins!

One of the great frustrations in my life are my eyes. I am not exactly sure what to call it. It is a form of dyslexia. When I read, my eyes don’t focus on a single line. One eye focuses on the line above; one eye focuses on the line below. I have always struggled with this condition. I have painful memories of being in the fourth, fifth and sixth grade. When the teacher called on me to read that paragraph in reading class, I couldn’t do it. My classmates laughed at me and called me “dumb”. There were many days I felt like they were right.

I have spent my life compensating for this condition. I read and write in the morning when I am not tired. That is when my eyes work the best. I have someone else read the scripture because I struggle. I have eliminated nearly all responsive readings because I cannot distinguish between your part and mine. I deliver sermons from memory for one reason. I cannot read them. I will be the first one to admit it: I have a great life! However, if I could change one thing in my life, it would be my eyes. However, our disappointments are often premature. In the end, God will prevail.

I interviewed to be the pastor of this my last United Methodist appointment in the spring of 1994. I met with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. They asked me many questions that evening. One question stood out: When you preach, do you read from a manuscript? I didn’t want to say that evening, “I can’t!” I wanted the job. Instead, I answered, “I can honestly say, ‘No.’” My first Sunday here was July 3, 1994. I remember walking out from behind the pulpit to show people I wasn’t reading to them. I couldn’t believe how people responded. Someone said, “When you left the pulpit you became one of us.” Some said, “By not reading your sermon you are more sincere.” “You preached from the heart, not a piece of paper.” I was humbled by those words because I can still hear those kids laughing at me in fifth grade school. I am not Billy Graham, but I believe I am a better preacher because my eyes do not work properly. My poor eyes made me a better preacher. Our disappointments are premature. In the end, God will prevail. What disappointments did you bring to church today?

Paul Allen (1953-2018) was one of the richest people in the world. He is the co-founder of Microsoft, along with Bill Gates (born 1955). Years ago, Allen wrote a book called Idea Man. (Why does a billionaire need to write a book to make more money?) He was interviewed to promote that book. In the interview, he talked about the early days of Microsoft. To say the least, his relationship with Bill Gates is complex. At first, his money grabbed my attention. He was worth approximately $16 billion. If he wants it, he buys it. He owns two professional sports franchises, a yacht the length of a football field, a submarine and various properties around the world. However, there are some things money can’t buy. Money can’t buy health. Allen has battled cancer twice. Money can’t buy love. The interviewer asked him if he still wants to get married. He answered, “I hope there is someone out there for me.” When I heard him say those words, I felt sorry for the billionaire. There was a loneliness about those words. Just think about it for a moment. He battled cancer alone. If you were battling for your life, what would you want? A person next to you, or a submarine?

You are a winner because the resurrection reminds us that God wants to have a relationship with you! Tabitha’s resurrection is great because the relation between her and her friends continued. Jesus’ resurrection is better. It shows that God wants to have a relationship with you. The one thing that makes Christianity different from all the other world religions is the word ‘relationship’. The storyline of the Old Testament is God trying to have a relationship with his Chosen People, the Jews. The storyline of the New Testament is God entering the world in the person of Jesus to have a relationship with all people. Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice. Sin no longer stands between us and God. On Easter we celebrate his resurrection. On Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. God is no longer limited to a single body; God can be in all places all the time. In other words, God is omnipresent. Christianity is a relationship. You should never feel like a loser because the God of the universe wants to have a relationship with you!

You are a winner because the resurrection reminds us that God wants to have a relationship with you for eternity. On that day, Tabitha was resurrected but she could not escape death forever. At some point down the road, she died again. Jesus’s resurrection was God’s final answer to the problem of death. There was a mansion waiting for her in heaven. Let me say this clearly. There is a mansion waiting for you too. Never feel like a loser. Why? God wants to spend eternity with you! One of the perks of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is that you will never die. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life.”

It had been a long week and I was ready to go home. The excitement of being in Haiti had faded, replaced by the reality of that desperate nation. Haiti is a country of noes. There is no postal system. There are no street addresses. There is no public school system. There is no health care system. There is next to no electricity or clean drinking water. The Haitians themselves have no hope for a better future, and I have no clue how to fix the mess. Money doesn’t solve every problem. It will take much more. That island nation is like a big campground, where no one gets to go home. I was filled with emotions as I rode in the bus on the way back to Port-au-Prince. I was excited about going home, yet I felt guilty going home. There was only one difference between me and the Haitians. I was born in America, and they were born in Haiti. If I won a cosmic lottery to be born here, then they were the losers. The Haitians are victims of life, itself. Can I ask you a question?

Do you know any victims? You don’t have to go to Haiti to find them. They are right here. Their lives are hard. Sometimes, it is because they are forced to live with a poor decision. Sometimes, they have done nothing wrong. Something just happened. Could it be you feel like a victim today? You have a broken relationship in your life. You have bills that will never be paid. You have a past story that will never be forgotten. You are squeezed between your aging parents and your growing children. You are battling a disease and you will lose. Does anyone here feel like a victim? If so, then stop whining and accept the truth. You are a child of God! That fact changes everything.

Discipleship 101

Once upon a time, there was a fire in a small town. The fire brigade rushed to the scene, but the firemen were unable to get through to the burning building. The problem was the crowd of people who had gathered to help put out the fire. They all knew and liked the fire chief. So, when a fire broke out, the people rushed out to help their beloved fire chief. Unfortunately, the townsfolk were seeking to extinguish this raging inferno with water pistols! They’d all stand there, from time to time squirting their pistol into the fire while making casual conversation. The fire chief couldn’t contain himself. He started screaming at the townsfolk. “What do you think you’re doing? What on earth do you think you’re going to achieve with those water pistols?!” The people realized the urgency of the situation. How they wanted to help the fire chief! So, they started squirting more. “Come on”, they encouraged each other, “We can all do better, can’t we?” They squirted a few more drops. Exasperated, the fire chief yells again. “Get out of here. You’re achieving nothing except hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We need fire fighters who are ready to give everything they’ve got to put out this fire, people willing even to lay their lives on the line. This is not the place for token contributions!”

That story was originally told by Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). He told that story for one reason. Discipleship is more than token contributions to the church and a few good deeds. Discipleship requires wholehearted and total life commitment. In other words, it is time to put your water pistol down and get serious about Jesus.

When we last left Saul, his conversion was complete. He was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Those must have been curious days in his life. This should have been a happy time, but the joy was stunted by loneliness. Just think about it for a moment. He walked away from his old life and his old relationships. His former colleagues must have viewed him as a traitor. His parents now considered him a disappointment. Former friends tried to figure out what went wrong. What really happened to Saul? There must have been rumors of mental illness and emotional breakdown. There would be no going back but going forward was equally difficult. To say the least, Saul came with some baggage. He was not welcomed by everyone in the church because he wasn’t trusted by everyone. Yet, the scriptures do not say a single word about his loneliness. Instead, the scriptures tell us of his commitment. Verse 20 says, “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of God.” I find that fact to be truly amazing. Instantly, his entire world changed, but the only thing that mattered to him was Jesus. Being passionate about Jesus is the most important thing in discipleship. It is Discipleship 101. The only thing that really matters is Jesus. I think that will preach!

Every time I preach, I say the same prayer.

Father, we have three great confessions. We confess we have all made mistakes and need forgiveness. We confess that negative news and people have worn us down and we need hope. We confess that our own mortality bothers us because we want to live forever. When we have Jesus, we have the answer to these three problems…

It is true. When we have Jesus, we have forgiveness. When we have Jesus, we have hope for a better world. When we have Jesus, we have eternal life. In other words, Jesus is affecting the way we remember the past, experience the present and anticipate the future. I do not know how people can’t live without Jesus. I need Jesus more every day.

Discipleship 101 tells us it is all about Jesus. The Master must be number one. However, one of the great challenges in your life is keeping Jesus number one. It is so easy to let Jesus become a secondary priority. I am not talking about intentionally substituting Jesus with something sinister, drugs or crime. I am talking about substituting Jesus, the best, with something that is only good. How many times have we substituted Jesus, the best, with something that is only good? Our lives are filled with so many good things. It would be easy to make any of them our top priority. Let me give you just a few examples.

In the fifteenth century, Ivan the Great (1530-1584) did something no one was able to do in the past, defeat the Tartars and unite Russia. He had a brilliant military career, but his personal life was lacking. He was so consumed with military conquests that he never had time to marry and produce a single heir to the throne. Recognizing his deficiency, he told his adviser to find him a suitable wife. After a careful search, it was announced that Ivan would marry the daughter of the King of Greece. There was only one thing Ivan had to do, become Greek Orthodox. Ivan consented. He was instructed in Greek Orthodox doctrine and traveled to Athens, along with his 500-member palace guard. As a sign of loyalty, the guard requested to be baptized at the same time as Ivan. To make a long story short, they were baptized together in the Mediterranean. It must have been quite the scene. In front of a huge crowd, Ivan, his 500 guards and the 500 Orthodox priests entered the water. Soldiers wearing full military uniforms and priests wearing black robes. All the Russians were baptized in a single moment. However, the guards got the last laugh. When they were baptized, they held their swords out of the water as a sign of loyalty to Ivan.

That story reminds us that religion and politics shouldn’t mix. Either you are completely baptized, or you are not baptized at all. One of things I struggle with is civil religion. That is when we mix our religious beliefs with our patriotism. That drives me crazy because it is so dangerous. The news is filled with religious zealots who are fighting for both God and country. It is so easy to wave religion as a flag during a military conflict. The problem is real religion, any religion, doesn’t condone such behavior. World history has seen the rise and fall of many nations. We live in the most wonderful country in the history of the world but it has some limitations. America can still offer hope to future generations, but America can’t forgive your sins. America can’t promise you eternal life. Jesus can do all three. That is why Jesus must be the top priority in your life. It is Discipleship 101.

I served the Western Reserve United Methodist Church in Canfield, Ohio for twenty-eight years. I am proud of that fact. Over that period, we have seen so many changes. They have been good years for that congregation. They have not been as good for many of our United Methodist congregations in the area. The church that may have been hit the hardest was the Mahoning UMC. At one point, they sold their building for $305,000. (That would be good news if we were in the real estate business, but we are not.) The few members which remained faced a questionable future. My heart goes out to anyone who has ties back to Mahoning. Churches should never close. I know it is not just a building but so many things have happened with that structure. That building was such a large part of so many lives. How many people have been married there? How many babies have been baptized there? How many saints have been buried from there? How many souls were saved there? How many memories have been made there? Walking away from a church building is like walking away from an old friend. How can you do it? There is so much there? However, this is the truth.

The church is not Jesus. The church, itself, can’t forgive you. The church, itself, can’t offer you hope. The church, itself, can’t make eternity possible. The church is just a vehicle used by Christ to offer those things to their community. The church is nothing more than another organization. Like people, churches have a lifeline. At some point every church was born and at some point, every church will close. That is why you can’t make your church your top priority. That is why the top priority in your life must be Jesus. It is Discipleship 101. Saul knew from the very beginning what we must never forget. It is all about Jesus! Everything else, no matter how good, is secondary.

Years ago, I was on a volunteer in mission trip in Russia. We were in the orphanage playing with the children. We were working on crafts and giving them candy. The children couldn’t have been any more excited. A young couple on our team decided to give the children something they had brought. It wasn’t more candy. It was something called “Jesus Blocks.” It contained six blocks, each one a section of a picture of Jesus. If you laid the blocks just right a single image of Jesus came up. If you turned it one way, it was a picture of Jesus’ birth. If you turned it another way, it was a picture of Jesus on the cross. If you turned it another way, it was a picture of the resurrection. I will never forget the effect those blocks had on the children. I didn’t think they would be interested, but those blocks grabbed their attention. One young man grabbed his blocks and studied the details of every picture. He took his fingertips and felt the smooth surface. At one point, he kissed his “Jesus Blocks” and held them up to his cheek. After doing so, he looked up at me and said in perfect English, “It is Jesus!” He was right! It is Discipleship 101!

You have to be passionate about Jesus! If we don’t have Jesus, then we have nothing at all. Without Jesus, we don’t have forgiveness. Without Jesus, we don’t have hope for a better tomorrow. Without Jesus, we have no hope of eternity. With Jesus, we can have it all! Jesus must be the top priority in your life. It is Discipleship 101! Mother Teresa (1910-1997) once said, “Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”

Awkard Obedience

The date was July 3, 1863. The place was Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For two days, that small community of 2,400 residents had been ravaged by war. The Union army was led by George G. Meade (1815-1872). The Confederate army was led by Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). The day began with a cannon fire. Both sides shelled the other for hours. The sound was deafening. They say the people of Philadelphia, 140 miles away, could hear it. Then, the cannons grew silent. The Confederates stopped firing because their ammunition grew low. The Union stopped firing because the smoke had grown so thick, they couldn’t see their targets. Lee thought the Union had stopped firing because they had run away, like they had done in the past. Desperate for a victory, Lee took a great gamble. He ordered General George Picket (1825-1875) to line up his men and march up the hill in open view to confront the enemy. Standing shoulder to shoulder that line of 12,000 men stretched out for a mile. At first, their ascent looked promising. Those few minutes were called the high-water mark of the Confederacy. Then, in a moment everything changed. At a single point on the battlefield, the Union army opened fire on their enemy. Within an hour, it was over. Lee’s gamble failed. Only half of those 12,000 returned. The Confederacy had not just lost at Gettysburg. It was the beginning of the end of the war, itself.

Here are some questions for you. Do you consider those 12,000 soldiers heroic because they obeyed their orders? Do you consider those 12,000 soldiers foolish because they obeyed their orders? If you were part of Picket’s Charge, would you have marched up the hill? If you were part of Picket’s March, would you have run for the hills? Obedience is a large part of the Christian faith. Speaking of obeying God, German-Dutch Christian writer Thomas a Kempis (1380-1871) once said, “Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.” That takes us to our reading for today, Acts 9:10-19a.

When we last left Saul, he was hungry, thirsty, and blind. In Damascus, he was forced to do the most unnatural thing, wait! The scriptures do not tell us how long he waited. However, the scriptures do tell us that while he waited, God was at work. If Saul was going to fulfill his destiny and become the greatest evangelist in the history of the church, then he would need some help to get started. God drafted that help in the form of Ananias.

The name Ananias was a common name at this point and time in history. The name means “The Lord shows grace.” Ananias had the right name for the job. He would be forced to offer grace to a man who deserved no grace. Just think about it for a moment. Saul didn’t deserve a single ounce of grace. Because of Saul, people died. Because of Saul, countless lives were disrupted. Because of Saul, countless people were forced to leave their homes. Because of Saul, some mothers never saw their children again. Because of Saul, no one got a good night’s sleep. In his little corner of the world, Saul evoked the same emotions as Vladimir Putin (born 1952) in our world. Welcoming Saul into that early Christian community was like welcoming a Muslim Jihadist into our church. There is no other way to say it. Saul doesn’t deserve an ounce of grace, but grace was offered to him by a man who whose name means “The Lord shows grace.” There is only one problem. Ananias was reluctant to show Saul grace.

Don’t be too critical of Ananias. We have all been in his shoes. What God wants us to do is not a mystery. We know what God wants us to do, but we just refuse to do it. You can’t claim ignorance. Are you surprised that God expects us to care for those who live in poverty? The Third World is filled with poverty. However, we are doing nothing to help them. As a matter of fact, we do an excellent job of ignoring them. Is anyone here surprised that God wants us to love unconditionally? It sounds easy, but it is hard to do. God doesn’t see our differences (gender, age, race, nationality, education, and economics). God only sees what we have in common, what we all need, love and acceptance! However, we only love and accept people who are just like us. Is anyone here surprised that the Biblical standard for giving is the tithe, 10%? On our way to our next vacation, we cry “poor” and give about 2%. Is anyone here surprised that God wants us to live moral lives? We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ! We are representing Jesus. The problem is, we have accepted immorality as proper behavior. The truth is, we may live in the most immoral times in American history. Do I have to go on? Do I really have to go on? We are just like Ananias. The problem is not a lack of knowledge; we know what God wants us to do. The problem is we just don’t want to do it. Every day we are forced to choose. Are we going to do what God wants us to do and obey? Are we going to do what we want to do and disobey? That leads us to the question of the day.

Why are we so reluctant to obey God’s commands? There are several reasons. One is illustrated for us in the scripture reading. Ananias tries to reject God’s instructions because he is afraid. He has heard what Saul has done to others and he doesn’t what it to happen to him. You really can’t blame him. When was the last time you were afraid?

In 1996, Kathryn went to the former Soviet Union for the first time. Everyone responded to those trips in a different way. Some were excited and interested. Some did everything to discourage her. Some man said to me, “If she was my wife, I wouldn’t let her go! Russia is a dangerous place, and you can’t trust the Russians.” I responded by saying, “You don’t have to worry. She would never marry you. As a matter of fact, she wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole.” He has not been the only one through the years to try to discourage us.

I can honestly tell you that every mission experience I have had in my life has been coupled with resistance. The destination didn’t matter. It happened when we went to the Philippians, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, and Haiti. It happened when we organized Mill Creek Workcamp and brought 400 young people to our community, Youngstown, Ohio, to help our poor. It happens every year we send our youth on a mission. Someone must play the role of the negative person. The question is, why? Sometimes, it is over-exposure to 24/7 news. They can’t give us enough negative information. However, more often it is old fashioned fear. They don’t want you to go because they would never go. They would never go because they are afraid. When you go on a mission trip, you make them look like a coward. Listen to what I am about to say. If you don’t feel God calling you to get involved in missions, then don’t. However, don’t discourage someone who is called. You are nothing more than a tool in Satan’s work belt. God expects us to help the needy in our world! Sometimes people disobey God because they are afraid. Sometimes they disobey God for another reason.

Years ago, I visited a friend. He is not a member of this church, nor do I want him to join. He helps me escape my church responsibilities. His son was getting married in a few months, so I began to ask him about the plans. He didn’t know anything. I asked, “Why don’t you know anything? He said, “They don’t tell us anything!” The bride was inside the house, so I summoned her. When she came out, I began to interrogate her. I asked her everything. What are the colors? How many in the bridal party? Are there children in the wedding party? Is her wedding dress white? Where is the reception? What is the menu? Is it a live band or a DJ? Are you going on a honeymoon? Where are you going on your honeymoon? This was my final question: “Have you had any problems planning your wedding?” She responded, “Just one, the minister. He requires premarital counseling. The groom doesn’t want to go.” I asked, “Why doesn’t he want to go?” She responded, “You know him. He doesn’t want to be told what to do.” I thought, he is going married, and he doesn’t want to be told what to do. This marriage will never last!

Maybe that is why we have such a hard time obeying God. We just don’t want to be told what to do. That is why so many have fallen in love with God loving us. We can do whatever we want because God loves us just the way we are. The problem is that while God loves us the way we are, God expects us to change to be a little more like Jesus every day. Never forget, someday you are going to stand accountable before God. When God commands us to do something, He expects us to do it. Do you remember what Thomas a Kempis said? “Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.”

Fred Craddock (1928-2015) taught homiletics at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. I consider him one of the finest preachers of the twentieth century because no one can tell a story quite like him. Let me tell you one more of his stories.

Over a school break, Fred decided to go back home for a visit. It is no place special on the map. It was just a little town in Arkansas. On the first morning of his visit, he ventured downtown. He walked into the diner that had been there for a hundred years. Fred just wanted to sit there, eat breakfast, and remember simpler times. He said the place had not changed. Everything was identical to his youth, even the owner. As Fred waited for his fried eggs, the owner walked up to him and said, “I know you! You used to live here. You went on to be a preacher! I need to talk to you.” Fred nodded yes, but he thought, “Just go away! All I want is breakfast and some quiet.” The owner pulled up a chair and began to talk. He said to Fred, “I don’t know what to do.” Fred said, “About what?” The owner responded, “About the curtain!” He motioned to the curtain and Fred looked. The curtain had been there for years. Fred remembered that curtain from his childhood. The curtain wasn’t there just for decorative purposes. It had a practical purpose. The curtain was there to separate the white customers from the black customers. The white customers would enter the restaurant through the front door and ate on that side of the curtain. The black customers entered through the back door and ate on that side of the curtain. Just then, Fred’s breakfast was delivered. He wanted the owner to finish up his story because his eggs were getting cold. To hasten it along, Fred asked the owner, “So what is the problem?” (Fred knew the problem.) The owner said, “Should I take the curtain down or should I leave the curtain up?” Fred gave him a blank look and the owner continued. “If I take the curtain down, I will lose my business. If I leave the curtain up, I will lose my soul!” The owner knew what God wanted him to do, but he was afraid. The story doesn’t change.

We are just like Ananias. We know what God want us to do, but we refuse to do it. Sometimes we are afraid. Sometimes we just don’t want to do it. Are you going to take the curtain down, or are you going to leave the curtain up? Charles Stanley (Born 1932) once said, “The bottom line in the Christian life is obedience, and most people don’t even like the word.” Take the curtain down!

The New You

We are in the first nine verses of the ninth chapter of Acts. The persecution of the church continues. However, this time the focal point is not Jerusalem, it is Damascus. That point is important because it was in the Roman province of Syria. Like Jerusalem, it boasted a large Jewish population. Saul has been given authority to look for Christians there. If found, they will be arrested and taken back to Jerusalem, where they will be imprisoned. The distance between Jerusalem and Damascus is approximately 180 miles. On foot, it would have taken Saul about a week to travel. That journey was made alone because he had limited contact with his guard. With every step, Saul was thinking. He may have been thinking about his future task, or he may have been thinking about his past regrets. I wonder how much time he spent thinking about the death of Stephen. Perhaps, all that thinking set the stage for what happened next?

As Saul approached Damascus, the unexpected happened. A bright light from heaven was focused on him. Instinctively, he fell to the ground and heard a voice. In the next few moments, two questions were asked. The first was asked by Jesus, himself, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When you persecute or criticize the church, you are persecuting or criticizing Jesus. After all, the church is the bride of Christ. No one has ever seen an ugly bride. The second question came from Saul, “Who are you, Lord?” It was a question that was asked to fill the silence. He knew the answer. The man who ordered commands, suddenly was asking for direction. He was to go into Damascus and wait. He waited in complete darkness because his eyesight was taken away. He was in that state for three days, without food. Just like Jesus was dead for three days. It was the turning point in Saul’s life. Nothing would be the same again.

In this blog, I want to talk about three changes that took place in Saul’s life that day. They are the same changes you must make in your life if you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ. These points are not original. The came from United Methodist preacher James W. Moore (1938-2019). He was a graduate of the Methodist Theological School of Ohio. They are worth examining.

If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must have a new focus. That is what happened to Saul. In the first chapter of Mark is the story of Jesus calling his first disciples. It is a story of instant obedience. They instantly leave everything and follow Jesus. Mark does not give us any prior history the disciples had with Jesus, they just left. When I was young, it did not seem logical, or responsible. However, as I have grown older, I have grown to understand why they did it. I believe, they accepted Jesus’ invitation because they needed something new in their lives. Their lives had grown stale, and they hungered for change. You can say they wanted an adventure. Time reminded them that life in this world is limited. They wanted to leave this world a better place. Jesus offers his followers a new focus. If you are going to follow Jesus, then be prepared for a new focus. The temporary is no longer vital. Saul no longer was concerned about worldly success. The eternal suddenly becomes all consuming. How important is eternity to you?

It is interesting only John died of old age. Some believe he lived to be 100. The other eleven dyed as martyrs. Tradition tells us, Peter died in Rome. He was crucified upside down at his request. He was not worthy to die as Jesus died. Andrew was also crucified and died in present day Russia. James was stoned and clubbed to death in present day Syria. Thomas was in India where he was pierced through the side by four solders. Philip went to North Africa and was tortured. Bartholomew was martyred in Ethiopia. Simon the Zealot traveled to Persia and was killed for not worshipping the sun god. Just think about it. Eleven of the twelve died of unnatural causes for the Gospel. Not even one complained because their eyes were fixed on eternity. They had a new focus. Their eyes were fixed on eternity. Are you more concerned about the temporary? Are you more concerned about the eternal? Where are your eyes fixed? If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you better be prepared for a new focus. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you better be prepared for a new future.

If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must have a new vision. Do you have someone in your life that will not let you forget the past? It may be a mother or a father. It may be a brother or a sister? It may be a friend. Is there someone in your life you hate seeing because they are constantly reminding you of your mistakes or failures? Maybe this is a better question, how much time do you spend resenting your past?

William Glasser (1925-2013) was an American psychiatrist who made his impact on the world of psychiatry. He has developed something called “reality therapy.” His approach is a little blunt, but it sounds good to me. While most of the fields of psychiatry spend a great amount of time untangling your past. For example, why you hate your mother and why you resent your brother. Reality therapy spends time on your future. It says you have the rest of your life to live, get over your past and do something with your future. Do you spend too much time in your past? Do you have someone in your life who spends too much time living in the past? Wouldn’t you like to tell them to get over it and start living today?

Jesus may have been the first reality therapist. He did not care about Saul’s past. He was not worried about what Saul had done. He was more concerned with what Saul could do. This is not an isolated case. Have you ever noticed how little time Jesus spent talking about the past? He is much more interested in his future. It was not just true of Saul. It was true of everyone. When he found the woman in the adulterous relationship, he forgives her and says, “Sin no more.” (John 8:11) When Nicodemus appeared on that dark night with the question Jesus told him to move forward in life. You must be born again. (John 3:3) In the parable of the prodigal son the young brother messed up but they father accepts him back and has a party. (Luke 15:11-31) Jesus is not interested in your past. The same is true for you. He is more interested in what you are going to do in the future then what you did in the past. When you learn to completely follow Jesus you can expect a new future. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you better be prepared for a new focus. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you better be prepared for a new future. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then you better be prepared for a new lifestyle.

If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then have a new lifestyle. In February of 2016 18-year-old Malachi Love-Robinson was arrested in in West Palm Beach, Florida for pretending to be a doctor. He impersonated an anesthesiologist at the St. Mary’s Medical Center. He was found guilty on 14 charges and served three and a half years in prison. I find that story interesting because the one thing people will not tolerate is a fraud. Our society values people who are genuine. It is especially true of the Christian community. Our society will not tolerate a hypocrite.

Our society is extremely critical of the church and our society is extremely critical of individual Christians. That means your world is watching you to see if you are a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. Four times in the New Testament says we are Christ’s ambassadors in this world. That means you are representing Jesus. What are you teaching your world about Jesus from your behavior? What are you teaching your world about Jesus from your attitudes or opinions? What are you teaching your world about Jesus from your words? Jesus loved everyone unconditionally. Jesus forgave everyone regularly. How are you doing serving as Christ’s ambassador in this world?

Let me ask you these two questions. You can consider them a test of your genuineness. What have you said about our new president in the last few days? What have you said about our former president in the last few days? Remember, you are an ambassador of Jesus Christ? Are you a follower who is embracing a new lifestyle, always forgiving, and always loving, or are you a leader who refuses to change? Jesus loved everyone. Jesus forgave regularly. The great reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) said it best, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” On this inauguration week, let me end with this patriotic story.

In 1789, an uncertain George Washington (1732-1799) was urged to seek the presidency of the United States by Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816). Morris was a man of great influence. He was a delegate from New York to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. From 1792-1794, he served as the Ambassador to France. From 1800-1803, he served as a United States Senator. He saw Washington as a natural leader. Morris wrote Washington these words: “No constitution is the same on paper and in life. The exercise of authority depends upon personal character. Your cool steady temper is needed to set the tone for a new government.”

Here is the good news for today! No one is asking you to be the president. (Aren’t you glad?) No one is even asking you to be a leader. The only thing I am going to ask you to do is be a follower. Follow Jesus and experience life as God intended from the very beginning. When you learn to follow Jesus, you will discover a new focus, a new future, and a new lifestyle. How much has the Gospel changed your life? So, let me ask you the question of the day one more time. Are you a leader? Are you a follower? Jesus is looking for followers.

The Bible Is…

I love this story. Famed scientist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) had one of the brightest minds in the history of the world. However, history tells us this genius struggled with some of life’s most basic functions. For example, one day he was taking the train home from work. He took the same train home every day. On one day he lost his ticket. As the porter approached to collect it, Einstein rummaged around in his coat, through his pockets, in his shirt, and everywhere else on his person. The porter saw him struggling and said, “That’s okay, Dr. Einstein. I know you ride this train every day. I can collect your ticket tomorrow.” “That’s fine for you, young man,” Einstein replied, “However, the problem is my lost ticket. The problem is without my ticket I don’t know where to get off the train.”

That story reminds me of the present-day church. We look like we know where we are going but we really don’t have a clue. Many believe the mainline protestant church is filled with lost people. They are not lost because they are not nice people. They are not lost because they are not hard-working people. They are not lost because they are not devoted to their local church. They are lost for one reason. They are lost because so many people in the mainline protestant church are spiritual weaklings. They are more interested in their opinions and beliefs then they are Biblical truth. How interested are you in Biblical truth? Actor Denzel Washington (born 1954) once said, “I read my Bible every day.” Do you read your Bible every day? How often do you read the Bible? Do you read your Bible at all? Could it be you are spiritual weakling? I hope the answer is NO!

Historically, Americans have always had an appreciation of the Bible. It is not just limited to one place or generation. Consider these quotes with me:

George Washington (1732-1799) once said, “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”

Patrick Henry (1736-1799) once said, “The Bible is worth all the other books that have ever been printed.”

U.S. Grant (1822-1885) once said, “Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties. Write its precepts in your hearts and practice them in your lives.”

Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) once said, “In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) once said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”

Those are some powerful quotes about the Bible. Do you believe contemporary America still holds the Bible in such high esteem? After all, America has changed in many ways through the years. You know it is true. We have advanced in the areas of transportation, communication and medicine. No one would travel to Florida by stagecoach. Very few do not have an email address, regardless of age. I have never had a parishioner, who requested heart surgery using 1020s methods. America is at her peak when it comes to transportation, communication, and medicine. I don’t want to sound negative, but America seems to be eroding away in other areas. The American family is dissolving in front of our eyes. The mainline American protestant church is in a rapid state of decline. Our federal government has stalled and is divided by increasing partisanship. Many believe, our national soul is changing. If you don’t believe me then just look at the way our society views the Bible. The Bible was once viewed as the word of God! Now the Bible is viewed as a curious piece of historical literature, which has very little to offer the modern world.All this sets up our scripture lesson.

We are at the very end of the eighth chapter of Acts. We are told an angel of the Lord instructs Philip to go south to the road that runs between Jerusalem and Gaza. That angel is mentioned four times in the Book of Acts. Let me list them for you. Stephen mentioned the angel at his trial in chapter seven. The angel is mentioned twice in chapter twelve. The angel liberates Peter and strikes down Herod. This time, the angel instructs Philip to go to the desert road that runs between Gaza and Jerusalem. The distance between those two locations is fifty miles. Somewhere on that road he finds a unique traveler, an Ethiopian eunuch.

To say the least, he is an interesting person. We know two things about him. First, we know his nationality. How good is your geography? Could you find Ethiopia on a map? In those days, Ethiopia was in the upper Nile region. Second, we know his occupation. He oversaw the treasury of the queen of Ethiopians, Candace. He is a eunuch because he works with the queen and fornication will not be tolerated. Gentlemen can I ask you a question? Would you trade places with him? He had a wonderful job, but his personal life was lacking. In other words, his life is complex. No wonder he is on the side of the road studying the ancient text. His life is filled with questions. This is where the text begins to speak to us. When Philip finds the Ethiopian, he is reading the scriptures, but he does understand the scriptures. It is one thing to read the words. It is another thing to understand the words. When was the last time you played the part of the Ethiopian? When was the last time you read the Bible, but you didn’t completely understand the words? The good news the Ethiopian was he had Philip to help him.

Today, I want to make three quick statements about the Bible. Each one of these statements is obvious. Each one of these questions is designed to make you think. My goal is simple. I want you to have a greater appreciation of the Bible. Reading the Bible is not optional to your faith. Reading the Bible is vital. I don’t want you to be a spiritual weakling. Our world needs spiritually mature Christians.

This is statement number one. The Bible is complex. Only a fool would think the Bible is easy. There is nothing easy about the Bible. You know it is true. Sometimes, it is hard to understand the divine truth found in the Bible. There are sixty-six books in the Bible, thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. Have you ever read the Bible cover to cover? Have you ever stopped to consider how many kinds of literature are found in the Bible? Have you ever stopped to consider the age of each word found in the Bible? Have you ever studied the original languages of the Bible, Hebrew, and Greek, to expose some hidden meaning? The Bible is complex but what your mother told you is true. Anything worth having is worth working for. How hard are you working on your Bible skills? Spiritual weaklings don’t even try to understand the Bible.

This is statement number two. The Bible is practical. Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) once said, “Within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for all the problems man faces.” The Bible addresses a wide variety of practical topics. How would your life improve if you applied these Biblical models to your daily life? How many problems are you facing today would not exist if you would have followed the Biblical model from the very beginning? Are all your relationships healthy? Are your finances strong? Are you still worried about your salvation? The Bible covers these things because the Bible is practical. The Bible can help you with the biggest problem you are facing today!

This is statement number three. The Bible is eternal. The piece of scripture the Ethiopian is trying to understand is found in Isaiah 53, the suffering servant passage. Approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah was talking about Jesus. Martin Luther (1483-1546) once said, “The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.” The great reformer understood the same real meaning of the Bible. The Bible is all about Jesus, our only hope of salvation.

In 1989, I was appointed to the Hathaway United Methodist Church in Garfield Heights, Ohio. I have nothing negative to say about that congregation. They were good to me, and we grew together. When I first arrived, I did my best to get to know everyone. I did my best to discover what kind of activities they would support. In the first few months, I took a survey to learn more about them. On the survey were a wide range of questions. One of the questions was: do you think this church should hold a regular Bible study? Ninety-eight per cent of the people said, “Yes!” So, I planned a weekly Bible study and decided to use the biggest room in the church. After all, 98% of the people said the church should hold a weekly Bible study. On the night I held the first Bible study I learned two things. First, I didn’t need the biggest room in the church. Second, I found out that evening I asked the wrong question. I should have asked would you attend a weekly Bible study. The survey told me 98% of the people said there should be a weekly Bible but less than 2% of the congregation came. It has been a long time since my unsuccessful weekly Bible study. Do you know what happened to the Hathaway United Methodist Church? It pains me to say it. The church is now closed. They say it merged with other congregations, but a merger is really a closing. Hathaway did not close because the people were bad. Hathaway did not close because the people were lazy. Hathaway did not close because the people were not devoted to their church. Hathaway closed for spiritual reasons. Hathaway closed because the church was a spiritual weakling. Why would God lead people to a church that was spiritually compromised? If you want to find out if your church is a spiritual weakling, then just find out how many people attend our weekly Bible study. If it can happen there, then it can happen anywhere. How important is the Bible to you? Do you read your Bible every day?

You’ve Fallen…But You Can Get UP!

We find ourselves in the eighth chapter of Acts, verses nine through twenty-five. The spotlight rests squarely on a man by the name of Simon. He came to Jesus with quite a colorful past. He was a local celebrity because he was known for his practice of sorcery. For this reason, he is remembered as Simon the Sorcerer. As the story goes, one day Simon accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and was baptized into the faith. He must have been on a spiritual high. He should have walked away from his old ways, but that was not the case. Even today, the church will not tolerate the practice of the witchcraft or wizardry. His mixed-up priorities are exposed when Peter and John come to his hometown, Samaria, to introduce the Holy Spirit. Simon is impressed by the divine power and attempts to buy the Holy Spirit for personal gain. The apostles are shocked by his behavior. In verse twenty-two, Peter tells Simon to repent of his wicked ways and pray that he will be forgiven.

Do not be critical of Simon because there is so much of him inside of us. What worldly ways do you cling to as you walk with Jesus? You can be honest. We have all done it.

The details of the story are different, but the storyline is the same. It all begins with a promise made on a spiritual high. Perhaps it happened at some spiritual retreat weekend. Your words were sincere, when you said, “I believe.” The problem is the weekend ended and you had to go home. Perhaps it happened at the birth of a new family member. You marveled at creation and knew there was a God. The problem is the baby came home and the promise was forgotten during one of those sleepless nights. Perhaps it happened at the end of some personal crisis. You beat the disease or recovered from the accident. Thankful, you promised to follow Jesus. The problem is you resumed your life and responsibility got in the way. Perhaps it happened when the preacher found just the right words at just the right moment. You made that long walk down that short aisle and told your world you were a believer. The problem is the benediction was given and the crowd walked away. The details don’t matter. The only thing that matters is it happened. Like Simon, you promised God you will live a better life. You promised God to make Him your top priority. You promised God to be more like Jesus every day. You were not lying.

You made that promise with a sincere heart, but life, itself, has a way of eroding away the long-term impact of that promise. It happens to us all. It is hard to live a better life when you live in a world that has mastered the art of compromising. It is hard to live a better life when you are facing a mountain of problems. It is hard to live a better life when you experience one more disappointment. It is hard to live a better life when you are smothered with concerns. It is hard to live a better life when you are buried by responsibilities. It happens all the time. In many ways we are like Simon the Sorcerer. At some point in our lives, we promised God to live a better life, but old habits got in the way.

Spiritual backsliding is a part of life. We all fall or backslide occasionally. You are not the first person to backslide, and you will not be the last. This is the good news for today. Spiritual backsliding is not terminal. The Bible doesn’t tell us, but I like to think Simon corrected his ways. I like to think he learned from that experience and lived a better life. He may have been face down on the ground on that day, but he got up and moved forward. It is our story as well. Because of the grace of God, we have another opportunity to get up and move forward. Proverbs 24:16 says, “Though the righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” The number seven in the Bible means “many.” In other words, a righteous man falls many times in life, but he always gets up to try again. How many times have you fallen spiritually? How many times have you gotten up? I hope you are never content lying on the ground. Get up on your feet and try again. This blog is written to anyone who wants to try again. Here are three quick words you need to remember to prevent falling.

The first word is the word regularly. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” In other words, you need to regularly examine your faith. Are you living a life that is pleasing to God? What in your life needs to be eliminated? What is God calling you to do? Regular examinations are vital. Only a fool would not take advantage of modern medicine. Only a fool would not turn to God regularly. When was the last time you gave yourself a spiritual self-examination? The word is regularly.

The second word is the word run. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” What is Paul saying? He is saying life is a race. The goal is not simply running in the race. The goal of running any race is to win the race. No one runs a race hoping to finish in the middle of the pack. No one runs a race hoping to finish last. The goal is not just to finish the race. The goal is to win! As you run the race of life, are you keeping the finish line, heaven, in mind? Are you practicing today what you will do in heaven for eternity? The word is run.

The third and final word is the word remember. Hebrews 10:32 says, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.” It is important to tell your testimony for two reasons. First, you need to tell others what God has done for you. Second, you need to remind yourself what God has done for you. How many times have you turned to him when life was hard? How many times has God gotten you through some difficult situation? The word is remember.

Several years ago, I officiated at a wedding. It was one of those weddings I do for non-church members. I will be honest with you. I don’t even remember the name of the bride or the groom. However, I do remember the wedding was traditional in nature. The ushers walked out of the side door with the groom. The bridesmaids walked down the center aisle ahead of the bride. The groom brightened when the back doors opened, and he saw his bride for the first time. They said their vows flawlessly. They exchanged the rings without mishap. They lit the unity candle on cue. Everything was perfect until the congregation said the Lord’s Prayer. Somewhere between “Our Father” and “Amen”, there was a sudden commotion. I looked over to my left and saw one of the ushers had passed out. The good news is he responded quickly and was back on his feet before ‘Amen’!

Most of the congregation didn’t notice. We finished the service and the day continued. It was while they were taking pictures, I found the young man. At that moment he looked fine. I think his name was Shawn and he was a Marine who was home on leave to be in his friend’s wedding. I asked him the question, “Are you ok?” Before he could answer, his significant other spoke up. She was a little mousey girl with a low-cut dress. She kept pulling up the top of her dress so she wouldn’t expose herself to the world. She looked at him and said, “He is fine. He drank too much last night, got up early to go golfing with the other ushers and hasn’t eaten a thing so he would be hungry at the reception. He is fine! He is an idiot, but he is fine. The only thing damaged is his big Marine ego.” I said, “I am glad you are OK, and I glad you recovered quickly.” There are days when you are going to be just like that young Marine.

The question is not if you are going to fall. You are going the fall. The question is, how fast are you going to get up? Like that young Marine, I hope you get up so fast that your world doesn’t even notice. That is possible if you can remember these three words. 1. Regularly – regularly examine your faith. 2. Run – Run the race to win. 3. Remember – Remember what God has done for you. English Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle (1816-1900) once said, “Men fall in private long before the fall public.”

God’s Misunderstood Commandment

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer…Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller.” Those words were uttered by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). He excelled as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher. He knew the value of work, but he also knew the value of rest. When was the last time you relaxed? When was the last time you took a true Sabbath? This takes to our scripture lesson for today.

We find ourselves in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, verses eight through eleven. The main character in the story is Moses. Many consider him the greatest character in the Old Testament. You remember him. He is the one who looked like a young Charlton Heston (1923-2008). He was the one who was born to a Hebrew couple but was raised in the palace of the Egyptian Pharaoh. He was the one who killed the Egyptian solder and ran from the authorities. He was the one who worked for his father-in-law, Jethro, but confronted the Pharaoh. He was the one who commanded the plagues and led the people out of Egypt. He was the one who lifted his arms and parted the Red Sea, allowing the God’s Chosen to pass through safely on dry ground. He was the one who dropped his arms, allowing the water of the Red Sea to destroy the Egyptians. He was the one who led the people in the wilderness. And he was the one who ascended Mount Sinai and interacted with God, Himself.

He was the one who descended Mount Sinai and delivered God’s Ten Commandments to the people. The Ten Commandments would forge the relationship between God and His people. They are central to the ethics of the New Testament and central to the ethics of our laws. They are still relevant to our world today. The first four deal with our relationship with God. The last six deal with our relationships with one another. Our scripture reading is one of the ten commandments: number four. It says: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Listen to what I am about to say. God gave us the fourth commandment because he loves us. He knew we needed to take one day each week to rest physically and recharge ourselves spiritually. The fourth commandment is simple. It is people who have made it very complex. Just think about it for a moment.

Do you know of anyone has restrict the Sabbath? That is what you find in second chapter of Mark. According to the story, Jesus and the disciples are walking through a wheat field. The text says it clearly. It is the Sabbath. As they walked, they picked some heads of grain. I would not call it heavy labor. It is easy to visualize because nothing really happens. No one really cares, except the Pharisees, the experts of the law. They cried, “Foul!” The disciples are not really doing anything wrong. However, the orthodox leaders of the day are right. Technically speaking, the disciples were harvesting on the Sabbath. Technically speaking, they broke the fourth commandment, remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. The leaders knew the law, but they had lost the Spirit of the law. The fourth commandment does not exist to limit our fun. It exists so we can rest physically and recharge ourselves spiritually.

The orthodox leaders of Jesus’s generation were experts at restricting the Sabbath. Did you know there were 1,521 manmade laws protecting the Sabbath during Jesus’s generation? Some, quite frankly, were impossible to keep. Some sound ridiculous to our generation. According to the manmade law, one could not cook a meal, light a fire, look in a mirror, pick up a needle or lift a baby on the Sabbath. According to the manmade law, you could not save a drowning man, shave your face, or take a bath on the Sabbath. According to the manmade law, you could not ride a horse, move a lamp, or take your medicine on the Sabbath. On the Sabbath you could save your ox that had fallen into a hole, but you could not get yourself out of the hole. I could go on, but I won’t. The orthodox leaders of the faith restricted the life out of the Sabbath. The fourth commandment exists so you can physically rest and be spiritually recharged.

Do you know of anyone who has restricted the Sabbath?

During the 1830’s Ohio passed a series of Ohio Blue Laws. They were not unique to Ohio. Many states had such laws. The United States was not unique. Many western countries had such laws. The Blue Laws prevented certain businesses from opening on Sunday. The laws were passed not to promote church attendance. They were passed to promote a day of rest. Officially, the Ohio Blue laws ended in 2019. The loophole in Ohio was businesses were permitted to open to assist travelers. That permitted hotels, restaurants, and drug stores to stay open on Sundays. I remember the only store open in our local plaza on Sundays was the old Gray Drug so my father could buy Sunday edition of the Youngstown Vindicator with all the inserts. If you are older than me then you remember things being restricted on the Sabbath. There was no dancing, card playing, or alcohol sales on Sunday. It was a time for church, prayer, and Bible study. Maybe people went to church in those days because they were simply bored sitting at home? That is not the best reason to go to church. Can I be honest with you? I’m glad those days are over! The manmade rules made the Sabbath too much work. The fourth commandment exists so you can physically rest and be spiritually recharged. Do you remember when the Sabbath was restricted?

Do you know of anyone who has redefined the Sabbath? The word “Sabbath” means ‘seventh day’. The seventh day of the week is Saturday. The Jewish world still observes their Sabbath on Saturday. We observe our Sabbath on Sunday because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. We worship on Sunday morning because Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday morning. Every Sunday is designed to be a little Easter. For the Christian world, Sunday is a time for Jesus. How much time are you spending with Jesus?

Several years ago, I read an article about a company that was having a horrible problem with drugs. The problem became so great, the company began random drug testing. The CEO of the company said they would test their employees on Monday because people party on the weekend. If you are Jewish, then your Sabbath is Saturday. If you are Christian, then your Sabbath is Sunday. Think about it for just a moment. It is very sad. Those days were designed to be the Lord’s days, but they have become party days.

Do you know of anyone who has redefined the Sabbath? What pops into your mind when I say the word SUNDAY? If you answer church, worship, or God, then you are in the minority. Many people in our land equate Sunday with a day off. You know what I mean. It is a day to get some extra sleep. It is a day to slow down. It is a day to watch football and do what you want. There was a day when church attendance was expected. Now, church attendance is optional. According to the Pew Research group. only 22% of all Americans attend church weekly. If you go to church weekly, then you are in the minority. If you do not believe me then just observe your neighbors. How many of them have decided not to go to church? Everyone believes, they deserve a day off! You really can’t blame them.

To a certain degree you can’t argue with them. They make two very good points. First, we believe in an omnipresent God. In other words, we believe you can experience God anywhere. You can experience God on the beach. You can experience God on the golf course. You can experience God walking in the woods. You can experience God at your favorite fishing hole. You can experience God in your bed. God is everywhere. If God is everywhere, then why go to church? Second, we have a surplus of ugly churches. You have heard the stories. Some professional clergy have done some ugly things. Some lay people have done some ugly things. Every church seems to have their share of ugly politics. When I am really frustrated, it seems like every church has become blind to the primary mission of the church: making disciples for Jesus Christ. However, this is also true.

Even with these imperfections, your best opportunity to experience God is at church. Be honest. Have you ever experienced God at the beach, at the golf course, in the woods, in your boat, or in your bed? I guess you could, but I don’t think so. The best place to experience God is at church. I am convinced only one kind of church will survive in the future. They are not churches that have fine-tuned their fundraising skills. They are the churches where people experience God regularly. When was the last time you experienced God? The fourth commandment exists so you can physically rest and be spiritually recharged.

For nearly twenty-five years, my wife Kathryn owned a cottage at Lakeside on Marblehead peninsula. There was a time when the cottage was the focal point of my family life; however, the times changed. Our children grew up and Lakeside lost her magic for them. We sold our cottage years ago. I would like to say I miss it, but I do not want to lie to you. I never caught the magic of Lakeside. I miss absolutely nothing about it. I always felt like an outsider. I don’t miss the gate fee. (It is now over $30 to get into Lakeside, plus your parking permit.) I don’t miss my neighbors (they were odd, not cool like me J.) I don’t miss the annual repairs. (It was built in 1883 and I am not a handy man.)

The only thing I miss about Lakeside is my annual trip to the cottage to close it up for the winter. I miss those trips. It was like a twenty-four-hour retreat. I was alone and all my neighbors were gone. The place was empty. For once, I did what I wanted to do. After the work was done, I would walk through those historic streets, take a nap and work on my next sermon series. In the evening, I ate at my favorite restaurant and drove to the Confederate Cemetery on Johnson Island. At dusk, I would drive to the Marblehead lighthouse and watch the sun go down. If I close my eyes, I can remember everything. The air was cool, and the water was calm. There were boats in every direction. The sun was brilliant. As it drew closer to the horizon, it generated a million shades of red. I would sit on the rocks in silence until that luminous ball disappeared.

Have you ever thought about a sunset? No two are the same. Every time, I thought about the timelessness of that sunset. It has been setting long before I was born. It will set long past my death. That made me feel small. I felt even smaller when I thought about God, who placed that sun in the sky. I felt humbled when I thought about the vastness of God. Why would he care so much for me? Why would he call me, with all my imperfections, into the ministry? Every time I made that trip to the lighthouse and experienced one more sunset, I was completely at peace with God. I hope I didn’t break the rules. I had my Sabbath in the middle of the week. I miss those trips. I physically rested and I was spiritually recharged. When was the last time you observed a Sabbath? Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”

Is God in Charge?

We find ourselves in the eighth chapter of Acts, verses two through four. These few verses are challenging for anyone who assumes God will eliminate life’s hardship. It does not matter how you turn this story; you find pain and suffering. Listen to what I am about to say. It makes the story harder to accept. The people who are experiencing the pain and the suffering did nothing wrong. Stephen did nothing wrong. He was doing what he was told. He was telling the world about Jesus and for his evangelistic efforts he was killed. The members of the early church did nothing wrong yet verse three tells us they were imprisoned for their faith. Pain and suffering have been part of the church from the very beginning. There is no shortage of pain and suffering in our world today. And with the pain and the suffering comes the question, is God in charge? In this blog, I want to unpack that loaded question.

When I was in seminary a professor challenged us to develop a theology of suffering. On that day, I did not know the importance of that assignment. It was just one more requirement. However, I learned about the importance of that assignment in my forty years in the ministry. Through the decades, I sat with countless people, who withstood great suffering and hardship. They were good people who did nothing wrong. No one expected me to solve their problems, but everyone expected be to care. In every case, I would explain my theology of suffering. It is two-fold.

First, the origin of life’s hardships is Satan, not God. I believe you should learn something new every day. Do you know what I learned the other day? I learned that the Vikings did not wear horns on their helmets. That is a misconception. The origin of that misconception comes from the ancient Christians in southern Europe who feared the northern Europeans. The southern Europeans portrayed the northern Europeans in art with horns on their helmets to alien them with Satan, who is symbolized by a horned goat. Like, Jesus is symbolized by a lamb. That means the helmets of the Minnesota Vikings wrong. Many have accepted that misconception about Vikings wearing horns in their helmets. I did!

That is not the only misconception in history. Maybe you have accepted one of these?

Ben Franklin did not discover electricity. (He was simply trying to prove the electric nature of lightning)
The Great Wall of China cannot be seen from the moon.
Marie Antoinette did not say, “Let them eat cake.”
Witches were not burned at the Salem Witch Trials. (However, 20 women were hanged.)
Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned. (He was 30 miles away when the fire broke out.)
Lady Godiva never rode her horse in the nude.

How many of those misconceptions have you accepted? Our world is filled with misconceptions. This is one more.

Do you know of anyone who has accepted the misconception God creates hardship and suffering to draw us near to him. That simply is not the case. God uses hardships but God does not create the suffering. The true origin of all pain and suffering in our world is Satan. God may have created the world, but it is Satan who brings hardship and suffering to the world. That is why Job’s story still speaks to our world. Everyday Satan did horrible things to him, so Job would denounce his faith. Every day Satan does horrible things to us, so we will denounce our faith. However, we won’t do it because the foundation of our lives is God! Yet, it is painfully clear. We are living in Satan’s playground and with every horrible story there is another Satan sighting. With every story we shake our heads and wonder why? It is vital to your faith that you reject the misconception that God creates hardship and suffering. The origin of all suffering and hardship is Satan. We must confess our ignorance when it comes to the origin of hardship and suffering. The origin of life’s hardships is Satan.

Second, our emotions blind us to divine outcome. In 2013, the Colonial Hills Baptist Church of Indianapolis suffered a great tragedy. They had sent their youth to a church camp in northern Michigan. It was a successful time away and everyone was excited about returning home. Everyone must have been thrilled the 365-mile trip home was nearly complete. Then, tragedy struck. One mile from the church the bus’s brakes failed. The bus slammed into a wall and overturned. There were 37 people on the bus. Dozens were injured. Three were killed, including the youth pastor, his pregnant wife, and a chaperone. The youth minister was the senior pastor’s son. The parents who had assembled at the church to pick up their children were shocked. Their happy reunion was replaced with sadness. Does that story make you wonder? That story makes me wonder.

We must confess our emotions blind us to the divine outcome. That story has stuck with me through the years. It fills me with questions. How do you worship after such a horrible accident? How do you sing songs of praise after such a horrible accident? How does the minister stand up and preach after such a horrible accident? He did not just lose a member of his staff. He lost his son. He lost a daughter-in-law. He lost an unknown yet loved grandchild. How does a mother move forward after losing a child? Just like in the scripture lesson, they were doing nothing wrong, yet they were suffering.

Emotions are funny things. They can propel us to the mountaintop, and they can drag us down to deepest valley. They can sharpen our insights and blind us to the most obvious. Have you ever wished you were more emotional? Have you ever wished you will less emotional? Have you ever hidden your true emotions? Have you ever had to work your way through some emotional experience to experience something new?

The scripture lesson ends with a word of good news. The church is moving outward. This did not happen because the governing body passed a new rule. There was no capital funds drive for new church starts. The grant application was not accepted for some new ministry. The church was moving outward because it was forced to move outward. Because of the persecution, it wasn’t safe to stay in Jerusalem, so they moved to other places taking the Gospel message with them. There is no reason to believe they would have moved without the persecution. Have you ever noticed how God can use Satan’s bad things and produce something good? It happens all the time.

Taryn Davis said she felt lost and isolated after she buried her husband, Michael. He was serving our country in Iraq when he died at the age of 22. Due to her young age, 22, everyone tried to dismiss her grief by saying, “You are young. You can remarry.” People did not know how to treat her, so they left her alone. In her isolation, Taryn did something that brought her both great pain and relief. She contracted the widow of another soldier who was killed with Michael. Their meeting had no real agenda. They simply got together and shared. Then they decided to contact other young military widows and in time they founded the American Widow Project. It is open to any age, but the average age is 25. It has been years since Michael died. She still misses him, but she has found a new family. She has found her purpose. Have you ever noticed how God can use Satan’s bad things and produce something good? How often do our emotions blind us to the final outcome? Helen Keller (1880-1968) once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”

One of my favorite stories in the Bible comes from the ninth chapter of Mark. Peter has just identified Jesus as the Christ. It was one of those pivotal moments in the Bible. Things would never be the same again. To underscore the importance of that insight, Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain. It is at this moment the story grows strange. Without any warning, Jesus’ appearance suddenly changes. The Bible says he was transfigured. We would describe him as glowing. Suddenly, with this transfigured Jesus and the disciples were with Moses and Elisha. I don’t know how they identified them. (Maybe they were wearing name tags?) Why Moses and Elisha? Through the eyes of the disciples, they were the greatest characters in the Old Testament. Moses was the great law giver. Elisha was the greatest of the prophets. Both were endorsing Jesus. It was one of the greatest moments in the life of the disciples and they don’t want t to end. Peter offers to put up tents for their honored guests. However, the best is yet to come. Suddenly, they are engulfed by a bright cloud and God, himself, begins to speak to them. God says it clearly, “This is my son, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” The disciples are overwhelmed by the experience, but it is suddenly over. Do you remember what happens next?

On their way down from the mountaintop they are confronted by a man whose son is demon possessed. The contrast between the two stories is shocking. Isn’t that life? On the mountaintop everything is perfect. There is Moses and Elisha. There is God. In the valley there is imperfection, hardships, and suffering. There is the demon possessed boy. How much imperfection have you witnessed in your life? We may visit the mountaintop occasionally, but we live in the valley. This is the question.

Is God in change? The answer is YES! However, you are never going to see it until you understand two things. First, the origin of suffering is Satan. God created the world, but we live in Satan’s playground. Second, you must confess your own emotions have blinded you to the divine outcome. Mother Teresa (1910-1997) once said, “I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”