salvation

Being Different

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“The work of salvation means that in your real life things are dramatically changed. You no longer look at things in the same way. Your desires are new and the old things have lost their power to attract you. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the change very evident in your real life and thought. It is this complete and amazing change that is the very evidence that you are saved” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

The gist of salvation is that you’re not who you were before. The Bible says that anyone who is in Christ is a brand new creation. It’s not old you with a new outlook. It’s not an improved you with better morals. It’s a brand new you with a new nature and a new heart.

One of my favorite sayings is that the gospel isn’t about making bad people good. It’s about making dead people alive. Before salvation, we’re all dead spiritually. We’re dead to the things of God and unable to respond to God’s call or even hear His voice. But when the call comes and we’re made alive, then it’s a whole new world opening up.

If you claim to be born again but there is not difference in your life, people have a right to wonder if your faith is genuine. I don’t mean you’ll be perfect or even close to perfect, but you should be different from before. People should be able to tell. You have a testimony to share, but the way you live should speak as loudly as the words you use.

Lord, make us different. Not in a weird or obnoxious way, but in a way that shows that we’re becoming more and more like You. May that difference be what draws people not to us but to You and makes them want to know more about You. Thank You for saving us. Amen.

An Excerpt from Prince Caspian

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Yet another excerpt from The Chronicles of Narnia. This time, it’s from Prince Caspian. Seriously, if you haven’t read these books, you need to start tomorrow:

“‘This castle is a thing of yesterday. Your great-great-grand-father built it. But when the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve were made Kings and Queens of Narnia by Aslan himself, they lived in the castle of Cair Paravel. No man alive has seen that blessed place and perhaps even the ruins of it have now vanished. But we believe it was far from here, down at the mouth of the Great River, on the very shore of the sea.’

‘Ugh!’ said Caspian with a shudder. ‘Do you mean in the Black Woods? Where all the—the—you know, the ghosts live?’

‘Your Highness speaks as you have been taught,’ said the Doctor. ‘But it is all lies. There are no ghosts there. That is a story invented by the Telmarines. Your Kings are in deadly fear of the sea because they can never quite forget that in all stories Aslan comes from over the sea. They don’t want to go near it and they don’t want anyone else to go near it. So they have let great woods grow up to cut their people off from the coast. But because they have quarreled with the trees they are afraid of the woods. And because they are afraid of the woods they imagine that they are full of ghosts. And the Kings and great men, hating both the sea and the wood, partly believe these stories, and partly encourage them. They feel safer if no one in Narnia dares to go down to the coast and look out to sea— toward Aslan’s land and the morning and the eastern end of the world'” (C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian).

Worship Forever

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“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever” (John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions).

I’m getting to where I don’t even want to know what’s going on with the world. I don’t want to see news headlines or read any current events. I know from what little I’ve seen lately that everything just seems to be getting crazier and crazier with each passing day. Sometimes, it feels like evil is winning.

But then I remember the last few chapters of Revelation. One day all that evil will have its comeuppance. One day evil will be no more. In the meantime, it’s helpful to remember that those who are promoting the insanity are not the enemy. They are the mission field. They are among the ones Jesus sent us to when He told us to go and make disciples of all nations.

I’ve read all sorts of books on heaven and I still can’t wrap my head around it. I still can’t visualize what heaven will be like or what we’ll be doing there. I know it will be great. I know it will be better than my best moments here on earth, multiplied by a bazillion times a bazillion.

Still, the older I get, the more I long for heaven. How can I long for some place I’ve never been? How can I look forward to something I know so little about? I love the illustration of a doctor who was trying to comfort a man who was afraid of dying. He drew the man’s attention to a scratching and whining on the other side of the office door.

He opened the door and his dog came bounding in. He said in essence, “This dog had no idea what was on the other side of the door. He had no clue what awaited him, but he wanted to badly to be there because I was there. In the same way, we long to be in heaven because our Master, Jesus, is there.”

That’s enough for me. The end of all the insanity is a bonus, but the real reason is Jesus. And one day, I’ll be there. So will everyone who has ever bowed the knee and made Jesus Lord and Savior of their lives. Will you?

Another Spurgeon Prayer for this Sunday

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“We have no merit, no claim, no righteousness of our own. Dear savior, we look up to you. Oh, that some might look for the first time, and those of us that have long looked would fix our happy gaze again upon that blessed substitutionary sacrifice wherein is all our hope. Dear savior, we do take you to be everything to us, our sin-bearer and our sin-destroyer. We do not have a shadow of a shade of hope anywhere but in you, your life, your death, your resurrection, your ascension, your glory, your reign, your second advent; these are the only stars in our sky. Amen” (Charles Spurgeon).

That’s my prayer every Sunday — that many people will hear the gospel and believe. That many people will become disciples who make disciples and not just seat warmers. That God would call out missionaries and ministers to take His gospel to the ends of the earth. That we would fall more in love with the gospel and the Jesus of the gospel every single day until Jesus comes back to take us home to stay.

Deep Breaths

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I used to be afraid of the deep end of the pool. I think it started when I was little and wandered into waters that were above my head. I panicked and started freaking out, even though the ladder to get out of the pool was literally right behind me. All I could think about was being stuck in the water and not being able to breathe.

Sometimes, anxiety will sneak up on you like that. You feel the worry starting to take over. You feel yourself slipping closer and closer to the edge, about to go under. I’ve had moments in the past where I was paralyzed with anxiety and unable to do anything or think clearly.

But sometimes it helps to take some deep breaths. Focus on breathing in and breathing out. Say a short prayer as you inhale and exhale. Focus on the Father instead of the fear. You can say something like “Abba Father” as you breathe in and “I belong to You” as you breathe out.

That doesn’t make everything suddenly perfect. The fear is still there, but it no longer has the loudest voice in the room. Suddenly, you remember that God is for you, and if He is for you, who can be against you. You remember that the Lord is a safe place, a refuge and a strong tower in time of trouble. You bring to mind that God will never forsake His chosen ones or allow the righteous to be shaken.

Worry may be the default setting, but it doesn’t have to take root, It doesn’t have to have the last word. Jesus can speak peace over you and fear has to flee. Whatever you’re worried about will inevitably end, but the love of God will not. Take a few more deep breaths and cling to that hope.

Are You Saved?

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I remember back in my Union days there was a popular evangelist who went around saying that if you couldn’t pinpoint the day and time that you trusted in Jesus, then you weren’t saved. He got a lot of people to come forward at the altar call, but I suspect many of them were repeat customers. Many of them were already saved but possibly insecure about their salvation or maybe less than discerning. That goes to show that numbers don’t always mean everything.

I mention that because I read something by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers about how to know you’re saved. It’s not about what you believed back then or what you prayed as a child, but what you believe now and who you’re trusting in now. I have a hunch that a lot of people in church pews are trusting in a prayer they prayed 40 years ago instead of a living Savior who is their Lord right now. Here’s what he said:

“I’ve heard it said that if you cannot name the time and the place you were saved, you’re not saved. Have you ever heard that? There’s just one thing wrong with that—it’s not in the Bible. The Bible never tells you to look back to past experiences for proof of your salvation. It does not say, ‘He who believed has eternal life.’ It says, ‘He who believes.’

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past. If you’re not believing on Jesus today, you’re not saved. And if you are believing on Jesus today, you did believe on Jesus in the past. It’s impossible to presently believe on Him without having believed on Him in the past. Indeed, there was a time. Indeed, there was a place. But, if you’re not believing on Jesus now, whatever you call the past time and the place, there’s something wrong with it. The big question is: are you believing Jesus now? If you have the time and the place, wonderful. But if you don’t, that doesn’t mean you’re not saved. If you’re trusting Jesus right now, you are saved.”

I couldn’t remember my own salvation experience for a long time. I still can’t recall what year or what day. But I know that I’m saved because I know that Jesus never loses anyone who comes to Him in faith. My security isn’t about how big and strong my faith is but about how big and strong the God I believe in is.

RIP, Dolly

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It still doesn’t seem real. I drove by her Brentwood property on my way to work and saw all the flowers and the sign that read “We will always love you.”

I was only 5 years old when Elvis Presley passed away, but this has that kind of feeling to it. It’s not just another celebrity passing or even the death of an icon. This is a once in a generation kind of loss.

I’ve read a lot about Dolly’s faith lately. Ultimately, the only ones who can know for sure where she stood with God are God and Dolly Parton. In these days, anytime anyone dies who is even remotely famous, no matter what kind of life they led, they are automatically assigned to heaven in most people’s eyes.

But I believe that Dolly won’t get into heaven because of her generosity. All those millions she donated and all the programs she funded aren’t a ticket to paradise. It won’t be because she was caring or had a good heart.

And it’s also not about having the correct views about issues and doctrines. Obviously, there are some essentials that you have to believe, but it’s not about having a 100% correct theology or worldview.

If Dolly is in heaven right now, it will be because she said yes to Jesus. The Bible says that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. That and that alone are what get you into heaven.

I’m hopefully optimistic that Dolly is in heaven. I believe that she trusted in Jesus for her salvation. Was her faith perfect? Even she would admit that she’s a sinner like any of us. But was her faith real? I think so.

I hope most of all that at her funeral someone will be bold enough to proclaim the gospel of God so loving the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. That’s how you get into heaven.

A Good Reminder

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If you need a little encouragement, just go to Romans 8, particularly verses 31-39. They’re some of my favorite promises from God in all the Bible. Nothing can or ever will separate me from the love of God in Christ. Nothing can remove me from being His child or from being eternally saved and eternally secure.

The worst that the world can do to me is to hasten my homeward trip to heaven. They can’t destroy me. They can’t defeat me because my God is undefeated and undefeatable (which probably isn’t a word but should be in my opinion).

Let these words soak into your very marrow and read them over and over again to yourself. Say them out loud if that helps. Remember that God’s love is forever for those who are in Christ Jesus:

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.

We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:31-39).

Singing in Every Season

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“I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11, The Message).

If you stop and think about it, you have way more reasons to sing from a heart of gratitude than to complain. Just like it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, it takes more effort to see the glass as half empty. Especially when you’re God’s child.

If you’ve truly been born again, how can you not help from singing? How can you not help but be thankful? How can you not see that the blessings far outweigh the bad, more so when you consider the future that awaits every saint.

Besides, there are so many commands and admonitions to sing and to praise all through out the Bible. Note that it does not say that you have to have an operatic voice to sing praises. You don’t even have to be able to carry a tune in a bucket. The Bible says to make a joyful noise, even if you sound like an orchestra of scorched cats and dogs.

Even if singing is absolutely not your thing, you can still express thanksgiving and gratitude toward God in any number of ways. I do think it helps to express your thanks out loud in some way, even if it’s only you in the room. But whatever you do, make sure you err on the side of joy rather than gloom.

We Need to be Needy

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“The disciples are needy in every way. They are simply ‘poor’ (Luke 6:20). They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong. But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them. For his sake they have lost all that. When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich. Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

We need to be needy. I think American Christianity has made it to where the idea of a life of faith is one where you gradually become more and more self-sufficient, where God is great in theory but you get to where you can handle just about anything on your own.

Then I look at those ragtag disciples of Jesus. I remember how the religious leaders who tried to shut them up recognized two things right away about these men: 1) they were unlearned and ignorant about a lot of things, probably uncouth and uncivilized, and 2) they had been with Jesus.

That was what being a disciple meant back then. Your whole life revolved around your rabbi. You ate when he ate, slept when he slept, moved when he moved. You learned to quote the rabbi in all matters of conversation. You eventually got to where you spoke and acted just like your rabbi.

We’ve made discipleship into head knowledge where having a head full of Bible facts means that you’re mature. But then why are so many older believers still acting like spiritual infants and still ignorant when it comes to what they believe and how to live it out? Why do so many Christians not look very much like their Christ?

The key is obedience. We don’t need new information as much as we need to live what we’ve already learned and obey what we already know. We need to get back to being children when it comes to faith (as opposed to being childish) and be willing to look foolish and needy in the sight of others so they can see how much we rely on Jesus for everything.

Lord, help us to be wise and childlike, willing to appear ignorant in the eyes of the world but identified as those who have been around Jesus a whole lot. Amen.