Shock And Awe: How the Church Was Built

Then fear (awe) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
(Acts 2:43)

When was the last time you were awed by God? What does it take to render you awestruck? In today's
world, we don't see many apostles doing signs and wonders -- but I wonder whether, in today's world, such things would have the same impact. We feel as though we've seen it all. Even when we witness a healing or a prophecy, we're often so jaded and skeptical that we simply don't believe it.

Yet, isn't the Spirit who dwells in each of us the same Spirit who was with Peter and the other apostles as they built the early church? So, did God change, or did we?

Today, I want to talk about awe. When we talk about the beginning of that first church, we often skip right over this verse, Acts 2:43, as though we just aren't quite sure what to do with it. Almost as though we feel like it simply doesn't apply to us anymore.

How sad.

I'm going to make a suggestion which may be uncomfortable. The Church -- the Body of Christ -- was built on awe. It was founded on amazement. From the people being amazed by the teachings and miracles of Christ (See each of the four gospels) to the amazement and awe following the words and deeds of the Apostles, it was wonder that helped build the church.

It is this wonder that's still evident in the letters of Paul when he reflects upon his own salvation:

And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:14-15).

Maybe we so often lose our wonder and awe in the Church because we don't start looking for it in the right place. Perhaps we've forgotten who we were, and where we were going. Perhaps we've made the mistake of believing we are somehow worthy of Grace and Mercy.

All I know is, when I reflect on who I could have been -- on the person it would be all to easy for me to become -- I can only be awestruck to see the change Christ has made in me. By myself, I am an arrogant, selfish man. I am a man given to casual sins. But in Christ, I am His, and my desire is now that people see Him in me.

And that thought awes me. Knowing I am unworthy of His grace, and knowing He showers me with it anyway. Knowing the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things, loves me, personally, and offers His mercy in spite of myself, fills me with wonder and gratitude.

It may not be a tongue of fire, but it's pretty amazing.

I'm Rubber, You're Glue!

Ever heard this one before: I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you?" As poetry, maybe it's not the best, but there's an interesting truth to it. Just not the one we usually meant when we said it as children.

But first, let's back up a little. We are sinners. We are guilty of sinning against the God of the Universe, and failing to meet His standard of holiness. This is spoken of in Scripture, and evidenced in our daily lives. Children, for example, aren't taught how to lie, how to fight, how to misbehave. It comes naturally. Instead, they must be taught how to treat one another properly. How to put others before themselves. Welcome to human nature.

Thank God, then, that He sent Christ, His only Son, to lift that burden of our sinful natures, and offer Himself instead, not only as ransom, but as a means of escaping sin itself.

Yet, we still have an Accuser. Accusers, actually. Not only is the devil himself whispering in my ear, reminding me of my past, and present, failures. Not only is he telling me I can never be good enough for God, but the rest of the world, too, stands with fingers pointed in accusation.

Hypocrite! Liar! Bigot! Sinner! The wrath of the world fueled by the lies of Satan, the Accuser. But we have hope. We have confidence. Because we have Christ, who has paved the way. We have Christ who has loved us, even while we were yet sinners, as Romans 5:8 reminds us, and died for us to prove it.

The Devil says you're not good enough, and he's right. You're not. I'm not. Nobody is. But where he's wrong is in accusing you of sin for which you've already been forgiven. He's right that you're not good enough to stand in front of God. But he's wrong, because we have an intercessor to plead our case when we do.

We call this "projection." It is important to Satan that we believe we will never abide eternally with God, because he knows he once did, and never will again. So these arrows of accusation, though meant for you, bounce right off, and stick right back to the one who sent them. Because it is he who can never be made worthy. It is he who once had everything you and I will inherit, and threw it away in his arrogance. He stood face to face with God, and chose to walk away. But in Christ, his fate is not ours.

Of Dogs and Saints: Mutts One And All

I love dogs. All dogs. Big and small, scruffy, slobbery, refined... having a dog in one's life is one of life's great pleasures.

My last dog was a mutt. She may not have been a show dog (because, after all, one must be a pure bred to be considered worthy of such an honor. Or some such nonsense.), but she was beautiful. Part golden retriever, part black lab, she was short and blonde. She shed her fur uncontrollably. She loved to jump up with excitement whenever my wife or I came into the room. She was well-behaved, loyal, loving. She may not have been some judge's idea of a perfect dog, but she was the perfect dog for us. No breeding certificate necessary.

But just as some people erroneously believe the only worthwhile dog is the one that fits some nonsensical definition of picture perfect, we often wind up with the same view when it comes to God's children. We have this idea in our minds of what a Picture-perfect Christian looks like. How Christians are "supposed to" act. The music they're "supposed to" listen to. How they're "supposed to" dress.

When I was in high school, I had a subscription to a magazine for "Christian" teens. Or at least, the publisher's idea of a Christian teen. I don't remember much about it, but one article -- or at least the visual elements of the article -- is still seared into my head. On the left was their idea of an "extreme" teenager. His hair was slightly in his eyes (this is the 90s, remember). He wore very nice jeans. His tie-dye shirt may or may not have been tucked in. The image on the right was an Amish kid. The other "extreme." In the middle stood the publisher's ideal Christian Young Man: neatly parted hair, wrinkle-free slacks, polo shirt. This, the article suggested, was how one dressed as a Christian. The Uniform of the Holy.

Honestly, it made me wonder whether I could walk with Jesus if I didn't own an iron.

The truth is, though, there are no pure bred Christians. We are, none of us, picture-perfect in any way that actually matters to the Living God. Can anyone honestly believe our sinful wretchedness is more palatable to the Most High if we but listen to the right music, say the right words, and wear the right coordinating socks?

The Apostle Paul was a Jew's Jew. A Chosen Man from among the Chosen People. Here are his words: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).

Only by the blood of Jesus Christ can I enter the presence of God. And only by my living like Him will I show the World that I am His. We've created all these trappings. All these arbitrary rules for being a Christian. Yet the deepest desire of Christ is for all of us adopted mutts to go tell the rest of the mutts He wants them, too. Fat or skinny. Shaggy or well-groomed. With papers or without. Big, clumsy, sloppy, shedding. He wants you to know He loves you. Come as you are, chief of all sinners, and find Grace.

What's In A Name?

Today is Discover What Your Name Means Day. Most names have meanings -- unless you happen to have a Hollywood parent who named you something like Brick or Scooter or something. But in Scripture, names were inspired. The name could reveal something about somebody's personality ("Nabal," for example, means "fool" -- an apt description -- in 1 Samuel 25), or about his destiny. Sometimes, people were given a new name. Jacob became Israel because he wrestled with God. When Saul (of the New Testament) was confronted by Jesus and stripped of his pride, he was given the new name, "Paul," which means "little" or "small," a reminder, perhaps of his own weakness.

Names mean something to God. So when He sent His son to free the world of its sin, only the name Jesus - Savior - would do. God Himself picked the name and gave it to Joseph (who's own name, by the way, appropriately means "God Increases"). Matthew 1:21 tells of the Angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph, comforting him and telling him to stay with his wife. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
  
Think about this from Joseph's perspective. An angel comes to tell you your wife did indeed conceive a child by supernatural means and that "You will name Him Savior!"  The name carries implications -- not only that this child would be a Savior, but that somebody needed saving. And sure enough, the Angel continued: He will save His people. Not from the Romans. Not from poverty. But "from their sins." 

There are those who believe they don't need salvation. Who revel in their own folly -- and then wonder why things don't seem to go right for them, or why they can't just be happy and content. As for me, I know I need Salvation. I know on my own, my sins would overtake my life and enslave me. I know because I feel in my heart where I would be without God, and where I in my humanness tend to fall when I forget Him. 

I need to be saved, and thank God I can turn to the one He named Savior.

Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades

Photo by Jason Armstrong

How often have you heard somebody say they don't need Forgiveness because, "I'm good enough?" Or,  "She's a really nice person. Of course she's going to Heaven?"

I suppose it's a comforting sentiment, and we may well forgive our friends their confusion. But the problem isn't whether these friends are swell, or even nice,  people. It's a problem of standards.

Romans 3:23 tells us "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."

Imagine the most beautiful sunrise you've ever seen. The other day, I looked out the window as the sun was coming up over the fog-covered city. Right outside, as mist rolled between the orange and gold autumn leaves, rays of sun cut through into a kaleidoscope of color.

Or, consider the images we have of deep space, the swirls of gasses into an impossible palette of majestic hues, or the mysterious beauty of the ocean floor.

Now think of the most realistic artist you've ever seen. Given the right color of paints, and enough time and inspiration, that artist could create something beautiful, looking almost like a... photograph... of what God created from nothing.

Image from the Hubble Telescope

Even the best artist in the world can create, at best, a facsimile of the Creation of God. Simply put, the artist doesn't have the tools to produce anything but a paltry, though beautiful, copy of God's original.

Righteousness works the same way. On our own, we simply haven't got the ability to be anything but sinful. And no matter how many kind -- even good -- acts we perform, we will never be as Good, as Pure, as Holy as our Creator. It is not in us to measure up to the standard He has set.

Fortunately for us, Jesus can.

Kind of like the National Debt

Did you know the NIV version of the Bible uses the word, "Inheritance" 220 times? The land, as an inheritance for Israel. A father's passing down to his sons. The inheritance, down generations, of God's promises.

I was reading a column yesterday, in which the author discussed her children's genetic inheritance from her and her husband. Her eyes. His math skills. Her tendency to faint upon even reading about blood.

It made me think about what my wife and I have passed to our children. My son has my eyes and dimples; his Mom's hair. In fact, all my kids got their mother's hair, except the unruliness of my daughter's, which comes from my side of the family. My daughters also got my wife's creativity and compassion; my son wound up with my analytical and sarcastic streaks. And, there are less pleasant aspects of our own personalities -- aspects trained away by maturity and prayer, and some with which we are still dealing, even now -- which are also cropping up in our kids. A sense of humor that can, occasionally, not know when enough is enough. A sudden flare of temper.

Scripture reminds us that sin is also in our DNA. An inheritance from the beginning of Man's journey on Earth.

To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. (Romans 5:13-14)

As children of the World, Death is our inheritance. However, as adopted Children of God, we have a new inheritance to which we can look forward. The promises of God, passed down from generations, are now ours as His Children.

In fact, in Romans 5, Paul continues his discussion of our original inheritance of sin and death, when he says that the sacrifice of Christ covers over that original condition:

... just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (vs 18-19)

Death is in our blood. Passed from father to son like eye color. But the inheritance of Life is found in His blood, for those who will accept it.