Bible in, Bible out

About 2 1/2 years ago, as a youth pastor, I got the idea to challenge my middle school youth group to read the whole Bible in 90 days. It was a crazy challenge – I recognized that – but I saw the value in taking in such large portions of Scripture for an extended amount of time. Right in the middle of the “90 Day Challenge,” we had a big youth group winter retreat and I got a few days behind. Toward the end of the 90 days, there were a few days where I was reading 3 or 4 hours per day to catch up. It was A LOT of reading, but I loved it. Not everyone who started the challenge finished it, but there were a handful of middle-schoolers who did!

That was my first time through in 90 days. At the time, planting Awaken Church was on the horizon, and I was excited about one day challenging my church to read through the Bible in 90 days. 2 1/2 years later, that opportunity came and we rolled out NINETY: A Journey Through the Greatest Story Ever Told. It sure was a journey! Not only did I teach different portions of Scripture each Wednesday for 13 weeks, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation, but many of us were reading large portions of Scripture at the same time. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, I decided to write a blog about every book of the Bible as well (HERE is a link to all 66 blogs)!

One thing that I wanted to do was to figure out how much Bible we had taken in as a church, so I asked people to anonymously write down their reading times. 9 people (that I know of) made it all the way through the Bible in 90 days and 25 people wrote down how much time they spent reading. The 25 of us who recorded our time read our Bibles for a cumulative time of…

1,075.25 hours!

That’s a solid month and a half straight of Bible reading…with just 25 people (although we have a lot more people than that who actually read).

Part of the vision behind NINETY had been that as I sit down with people in counseling periodically, I can boil almost everyone’s issues down to one main problem: not enough Bible.

However, what I didn’t want to do was simply to gorge ourselves on Scripture and not do anything with it. So of course that is why we studied it and applied it, but that’s also why I issued a challenge at the end of our 90 days as well.

I reminded the church how accessible the Bible is to us here in America. Many of us have multiple Bibles and/or translations at home. I have 23 Bibles on my bookshelf and that doesn’t even count the 100+ versions in multiple languages that I have at my fingertips on my iPhone and iPad!

I reminded them of the many people around the world who don’t even have the Bible in their own language yet, and some of them that couldn’t even read it if they did. That’s why we partnered with a ministry based out of New Mexico called Faith Comes By Hearing. They specialize in reaching people groups around the world with audio versions of the Bible in their own language. As a church, we thanked God for His Word and its accessibility to us, then put our money where our mouth was and invested in this ministry.

Together, on just 1 Wednesday night, we were able to donate enough funds to make the Bible available to 5 entire villages of people around the world! A group of about 40 people enabled over 400 people on 4 different continents to hear God’s Word in their own heart language!

God’s Word is alive and active and we believe that and live that at Awaken Church.

It’s far more than a history book. It changes lives, saves marriages, redirects our paths, points out our sin, and so much more. To God be the glory for His Word and for the many more who will now have a chance to hear it!

Great job, Awaken! You make me proud.

 

Bible In 90 Days 66: REVELATION

This is it. The last book of the Bible, the last “Bible In 90 Days” blog, and the last of God’s words in Scripture.

Writing a blog about Revelation is a bit intimidating. Although I feel that I have a better understanding of Revelation than Quantum Physics or catalytic converters, there are plenty of mysteries that remain in the book. I’ve read the book many times, I’ve even taught through the whole thing over a period of a year (and I plan to again in the future), and yet, there are still things that I don’t fully understand in the book…but I like serving a God that I don’t fully get.

Think about it – what if we could fully understand God and everything He does? He wouldn’t seem that great anymore, would He? What if instead of saying, “My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9), He said, “You and I are pretty much equals.” Bummer. One thing I love about God are His unsearchable, unfathomable, uncontainable ways. Revelation displays that in a way that no other Bible book captures.

Remember that the book is called “Revelation” (singular). It’s not “Revelations.” Although the book reveals many things, it’s primary goal is to reveal ONE Person: Jesus Christ. He begins the book, ends the book, and saturates all the pages in between. He is the One who died but is alive forevermore, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, the faithful and true conqueror, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He. Is. It.

This blog is not intended to be a commentary on the book, but more of an overview. For a more in-depth study of the book, I’ve included some resources at the end of this blog post…

Revelation was written by the Apostle John – the same one who wrote the gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, and3 John. This book, however, is far different. It was the latest book of the Bible to be written and it serves as a fitting cap to the rest of Scripture as we anticipate the events that are still to come.

We learn from the very first chapter that John wrote the book while in exile on the island of Patmos. He had been exiled there for preaching the Gospel. Tradition says that he was thrown in a pot of boiling oil as a punishment, but he didn’t die. So, off to Patmos he went! Thank God for keeping him alive long enough to arrive in Patmos. He was very old by the time he arrived, and Patmos was a very lonely place. However, God often speaks the clearest when all the other distractions have been driven away. Don’t despise your Patmos. It may be lonely, but God has something unique to speak to you that you may not be able to hear anywhere else!

The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible that has this promise attached to it…

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3 NKJV

It’s not that you won’t be blessed by reading the other 65 books of the Bible, but Jesus sets this one apart as unique. It’s a challenging read, but dive in and live it out – you’re guaranteed to be blessed!

Although teaching the book provides many challenges, Jesus at least helped by outlining the book for us…

“Write the things which you have seen (Chapter. 1), and the things which are (Chapters 2-3), and the things which will take place after this (Chapters 4-22).” – Revelation 1:19 NKJV

John begins with the vision of Jesus that he was witnessing, then continues with 7 short letters to 7 churches that existed at that time, then continues with what is yet to come.

Throughout the book, John writes in colorful, vivid, poetic language. He describes rainbows of color, a city built with precious stones, a sea of glass, innumerable amounts of voices worshipping together, as well as bloodshed, never-before-seen carnage and judgment, and much more. Although much of Revelation is figurative and symbolic, there are also some things that are very specific: 3 1/2 days, 42 months, a time and times and half a time, a thousand years, and more. Because of the repetition and precision of these numbers, we know God is spelling out exact days and times of these events. We love to think we know how it will all end one day, but God is the One who really knows how and when it will end.

One thing that stands out to me in the middle of the book is God’s continued love and mercy that He gives to people who obviously don’t deserve it. Think about the great effort He has gone to in order to reach every person with the Gospel. Creation alone speaks of His existence, plus He sent prophets, angels, symbols, His only Son, and His Word. If all of that wasn’t enough, He deploys an army of 144,000 witnesses in Revelation 7, 2 more powerful, miracle-working witnesses in Revelation 11, and then, as a last resort, He sends an angel flying through the sky proclaiming the Gospel in every language (Revelation 14). By the time judgment rolls around, no one has any excuse. Every person standing before Jesus on judgment day has hardened their hearts and chosen to reject Christ.

Although we rejoice in the victory that is guaranteed to those of us who follow Christ, we’re saddened by the end of Revelation 20. In my opinion, Revelation 20:15 is the saddest verse in the entire Bible…

“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15 NKJV

God had better plans for these people. Hell wasn’t created for them. However, if these people purposely rejected Christ, why would He force them to spend eternity with Him? Instead, they’re given what they deserve and what many of them say they want (although they will disagree): HELL for all of eternity. Devastating.

Revelation 20:15 puts fire in my preaching. Although on that day, there will be people standing there that I know from my time on Earth, I don’t want them to be there because I didn’t love them enough to share the truth of the Gospel with them. God is holy and His holiness demands judgment.

Although Revelation 20 is devastating, Revelation 21 is on the other end of the spectrum – everything is made new!

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3 NKJV

It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. The streets of gold are great, the walls made of precious gemstones are awesome, 12 gates made of pearls are beautiful, but here’s the best thing about heaven…

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” – Revelation 21:3

We will dwell with Jesus forever!

Have you ever thought about “forever”? Just try to imagine something never ending. Ever. It’s a crazy thought. Just like the lyrics of “Amazing Grace” say: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years / Bright shining as the sun / We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise / Than when we first begun.” After 10,000 years, we’ll still have the desire, ability, and time to continue worshipping! AMAZING!

Forever: it’s an incredibly long time to worship and an incredibly long time to be wrong! Make sure that you know Jesus. Don’t be one of the people that Revelation 20:15 speaks of.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the Bible as much as I have. It’s been amazing and life-changing. Blogging through each book of the Bible has proven to be a greater challenge than I anticipated, but it’s been far more rewarding as well! I hope that these blogs and your personal time in God’s Word have caused you to have a greater hunger to draw closer to the God of the Bible. He’s real. He’s unfathomable. He’s in love with you!

Revelation Resources…

One of the best messages I’ve ever heard on the book of Revelation is by John MacArthur. It’s called A Jet Tour Through Revelation. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to it. It’s an hour that you will not regret!

You can also listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of an overview of Revelation taught by my pastor, Skip Heitzig. Also amazing.

If you’re looking for a basic commentary on Revelation, Skip Heitzig also just published a book last month called You Can Understand the Book of Revelation. You can purchase it online HERE if you’re interested.

Bible In 90 Days 65: JUDE

When you think “Jude,” what do you think of? Let me guess: The Beatles. Let’s change that.

When you think of Jude now, think of warfare. Think of contending for the faith. Think of defending the truth.

In other words, instead of “Beatles,” think “beating.”

If you’re wondering who Jude is, you’re not alone. He introduces himself in verse 1 as “a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,” which is interesting. Most commentators agree that his brother, James, was the half-brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James. So what does that make Jude? He would be the same as James – Jesus’ half-brother (same mother, different father). So why does he call himself “a servant of Jesus Christ”? You’d think he’d want everyone to know that. It would give him some extra credibility…

“Hey what’s up? I’m Jude, Jesus Christ’s brother.”

“Hey remember that guy who died for the sins of the world? Yeah, He’s my bro. We grew up together.”

“I was Jesus’ womb mate.”

He could have said a lot of other things and boosted himself by pointing out his close family ties to Jesus, but here’s why I think he simply went with “servant of Jesus Christ” – because that’s all that mattered to him. Sure, he may have have shared a bunk bed with Jesus growing up, but Jude finally recognized (probably after Jesus’ resurrection) that one day he would stand before Jesus and the most important thing would be that Jude was His servant, not His brother. What would matter most is that Jude had served Jesus, not that he had slept in the same room as Him growing up or eaten Cocoa Puffs with Him in the morning.

Jesus is Master. We have to remember that.

Make sure that your relationship with Jesus is founded first and foremost on Who Jesus is and what He has done – not on who you are or what you have done. It’s not about you – it’s about Him!

Jude is writing to a bunch of Christians, and his original intent was to write about salvation in general, but he felt led to write about something much more pressing…

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” – Jude 3

The main focus of Jude’s short epistle is the need for Christians to contend for the faith. Sure, there are plenty of times when we should “turn the cheek,” but when it comes to the purity and message of the Gospel, we should never back down. It’s vital.

Similar to Peter, Jude has harsh words for the false teachers who have crept into the church. He compares them to Cain (who killed his brother, Abel), Balaam (who was hired to curse God’s people and was rebuked by his donkey), and Korah (who rebelled against Moses and was burned to death as punishment). These are obviously not compliments!

He goes on to describe them as stains, selfish, useless, fickle, fruitless, dead, and more. Ouch!

After he calls them out, he reminds the church of something important that we need to remember as well: God isn’t surprised by these guys – He predicted their arrival.

God has warned us that these things would come. Jesus warned of it in Matthew 24, Paul warned of it in 2 Timothy, Peter warned of it in 2 Peter - it’s no surprise. Since we knew these guys were coming, we shouldn’t be surprised either and we should be on guard. False doctrine, lies, and selfish ambition will pollute the Gospel and draw people away from Christ under the guise of drawing them closer to Christ. It’s extremely dangerous and these false prophets/teachers/Christs will be judged for leading people astray.

Our goal in maintaining the purity of the Word is what Jude says at the end of his letter – to “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23). We need to remember that eternity is on the line here – it’s far beyond semantics or personal beliefs!

So stand up for your faith and don’t back down. Also, remember Who’s boss…

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” – Jude 24-25 ESV

If you’re looking for some good teachings on the book of Jude, my friend Levi Lusko just taught through the book at his church. You can find all his teachings HERE.

Bible In 90 Days 64: 3 JOHN

Just like its companion, 2 John, John’s 3rd epistle is short and sweet. It’s another personal letter, this time written to a friend of his named Gaius.

It is very personal in nature. In verse 4 he says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” “My children” – it’s a term of endearment and love from a pastor who is away. They’re not his actual biological kids of course, but he loves them like they are his own and many of them came to Christ under him!

As a pastor, I can resonate with verse 4. After leaving a booming middle school youth group in New Mexico over 2 years ago to move to Clarksville to plant Awaken, returning is always a joy. Although it’s great to see my dad and a lot of friends who live there, one of my joys is seeing many of the students that came to Christ or grew in Christ under my leadership now serving, leading worship, and involved in ministry! There definitely is “no greater joy!”

John specifically talks about their generosity and hospitality, which are vital to every church and every Christian. He mentions that “you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren.” So many people get caught up with a title or recognition within the church that they don’t serve faithfully in the small areas. That’s backwards. The empowerment and opportunity for greater ministry comes in being faithful in the small things – doing “faithfully whatever you do for the brethren.”

If you’re attending a church but not serving, let me stop you there. THAT is a problem. You’re missing a key component in your relationship with Jesus. There’s a saying that goes around about ministry that says “80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.” Let’s change that statistic! 100% of the work should be done by 100% of the people attending the church.

I don’t know your pastor’s stance on serving within the church, but here’s mine:

If you’re sitting around waiting on a “bigger ministry opportunity” or more empowerment, you won’t get it from me. Those opportunities come through faithful service in whatever area you are in.

Do you make copies? Make really good copies.

Do you make coffee? Make the best coffee anyone at your church has tasted.

Do you change diapers in the nursery? Change them with joy, remembering that you’re serving Jesus.

Do you sing on the worship team? Sing with skill, as if Jesus is the only one in the room.

“Do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren.” – 3 John 4

Although John is tender and loving as he addresses the church, he’s also not scared to say it how it is and call people out. A dude within the church named Diotrephes is doing the opposite of what John just commended. The guy is trying to make a name for himself and causing division within the church. John rebukes him and encourages the rest of the church to not follow his example.

He ends the letter by telling them that he wishes to come to them in person, and he tells them to “Greet the friends by name” (3 John 14). One cue I take from John as a pastor is being personal. We’re almost 2 years into planting Awaken Church now, but I’ve always tried to grow my prayer list with the church. I know that I won’t always be able to know every person at Awaken by name, but I try my hardest. Not only that, but I try to pray for each of them by name at least once or twice a week. That began as a 10-minute per day exercise and has grown into an hour-long initiative, but I love it!

Pastors, take a personal interest in the people who attend your church. They’re not just a number or a face in the crowd – they each mean something special to Jesus Himself. He died for them! Treat them like that.

Bible In 90 Days 63: 2 JOHN

Considering that 2 John is only 13 verses long, you probably thought this blog would only be a few sentences. You were wrong. Although it’s a very short letter, it’s jammed with tons of great truth. I like to think of it like a cream-filled donut. It may look a little bland from the outside, but once you bite in, you realize it’s filled with creamy goodness. In the case of 2 John, it’s not creamy goodness, but Christ-y goodness…

By the number of verses, 2 John is the shortest book in the Bible, but by number of words, 3 John has it beat.

2 John was written by John to a lady within a young, Christian church. It’s valuable to us today because it gives us a little peek into early churches – their structure and their struggles.

One main challenge that every church faces today is unity and love for one another. If churches that existed within 60 years of Jesus’ ministry struggled with it, it would make sense that we’d struggle with it today.

That’s one of John’s main reasons for writing…

“And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” – 2 John 5 ESV

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

That’s easy to do with people you agree with and see eye-to-eye with, but what about the others? What about the people who just seem to rub you the wrong way? What about those who seem condescending or constantly critical? Should we love them too?

The answer is of course, YES!

Jesus talked often about the importance of loving each other.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35 NKJV

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” – John 17:20-21 NKJV

It’s easy to blow past the importance of Jesus’ prayer in John 17. He’s praying for us, first of all (“those who will believe in Me…”), so that’s huge right there! He goes on to say that unity within the body of Christ and love for each other is so vital that it will prove Jesus’ identity to the world!

The world is full of personal grudges, selfishness, and people out for their own agendas. The church MUST be different.

Not only should we guard against division, but also false teaching. Peter talked a lot about that in 2 Peter, but here John points out that “many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 7 NKJV).

Whenever you encounter someone of a different belief, the first question to ask is “what do they think of Jesus?” Many cults and religions sound innocent at first, but once they deny Jesus’ incarnation (like what John addressed here), or begin saying other weird, non-Biblical things about Him, that’s where you have to draw the line. Those teachings are dangerous and must not be allowed in the church.

If you’re a Christian, I assume you attend a church. If not, start there. You NEED the Church and the Church needs you! When you’re part of a church, guard against division and false teaching. Satan uses those often to destroy. Don’t let him!

Bible In 90 Days 62: 1 JOHN

If you were to write a book about something, it would probably be about something you love and are good at: hiking, biking, computers, the Bible, etc. John loved walking with and talking about Jesus, so that’s what he wrote about.

John began writing toward the end of his life. We’ve already covered the first book he wrote: the Gospel of John, and the final 5 books of the Bible contain 4 more written by him: 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation.

John is a great source when it comes to learning about Jesus. You can tell by the many personal, first-hand details that he includes in his Gospel that he was right there with Jesus. John was the only disciple at the foot of Jesus’ cross, the one whom Jesus entrusted the care of his mother to, the first to run to the empty tomb and the first to believe. He even begins this first letter with…

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—” – 1 John 1:1

John 1:1 talked about the Word (Jesus), and 1 John 1:1 begins in a similar way.

There’s so much talk about fellowship that you’d almost expect the crock pot to make an appearance at some point. Thankfully there are no mentions of crock pots, but lots of talk about Godly fellowship (yes, it’s possible without involving a crock pot).

The first, most important Person to be in fellowship with is Jesus, of course. He points that out from the very beginning. An oft-quoted verse from 1 John is…

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

The way to stay in fellowship with Jesus is to be constantly aware of your sin and its ability to take you out of fellowship with Christ and separate you from joy, victorious living, and God’s plan. It’s a devastating enemy that has spiritually fatal results for many. GO TO WAR AGAINST SIN! Confess it, cut it out, and move on.

Oh, what’s that? You don’t struggle with sin? Since you accepted Christ, you don’t sin anymore? WRONG…

“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:10

In addition to loving Jesus, we are also called to love others. It’s not just a good idea – it’s a main indicator of where you stand with Jesus!

Love and obey Jesus? YES!

Love others even when you don’t feel like it? YES!

Love the world and the things of it? NO!

It’s also important to address something that may be a little confusing depending on which Bible translation you’re reading. It’s something that comes up pretty often in 1 John. Compare the two translations below…

NKJV: “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8

ESV: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8

Do you see the difference? Although I teach from the NKJV and believe its translation to be very accurate, I think the ESV captures the real meaning behind this verse (and others like it) in 1 John. The NKJV makes it sound like if you ever sin as a Christian, it’s all over – you’re not a Christian after all. The ESV captures a more Biblically contextual meaning by pointing out the real problem: making a practice of sinning. As soon as you give your life to Jesus, the process of sanctification begins in your life – God begins making you more and more like Him. You’re not sinless, but you sin less and less and less… In other words, you stop practicing sin and you begin to practice righteousness. It’s a whole new way of life.

Embrace this new life. It’s the life Jesus has planned for you and it’s the BEST possible way to live!

Bible In 90 Days 61: 2 PETER

As a parent of 2 young girls, I have a strict rule that if one of my girls happens to grab my drink and drink some for themselves, it becomes theirs. I have seen the aftermath of my 1-year old’s backwash floating in my once-pure water, and I’m just not that into it. I like being able to see through my water.

In a similar way, spiritually, the pure water of God’s Word has has been polluted by many people today who add their own opinions, doctrines, and extra-Biblical beliefs to it. Biblical backwash is even more disgusting (and far more dangerous) than my daughter’s bad habit.

2 Peter is, of course, the sequel to 1 Peter. Whereas the purpose of 1 Peter was to encourage suffering believers and remind them to look ahead to their coming salvation, 2 Peter warns the same group of the dangerous influences of false doctrine. It’s a warning that many Christians need to pay closer attention to today.

After all, as Peter states…

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” – 2 Peter 1:3

Since the Bible says God has given us all we need, if we add to Scripture, we contradict Scripture. It’s a dangerous practice indeed.

In order to qualify that statement in verse 3, Peter closes out chapter 1 by telling how Scripture was inspired (since he walked with Jesus and wrote 2 Bible books, he’s a good source for this info)…

“…no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” – 2 Peter 1:20-21

Each Bible book is unique and you can often hear and see the personality and background of the author through the words they wrote. However, although the Holy Spirit allowed their personality to shine through the text, the words are ultimately His. Like Paul told Timothy, “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) or literally, it is God-breathed. So, after backing up the value of Scripture and the validity of Scripture, Peter dedicates a large portion of his letter to denouncing and destroying the false doctrine of many false teachers.

Peter describes the punishment of demons, sinful men in the days of Noah, and the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah in the same paragraph as false teachers! Obviously God doesn’t take false doctrine lightly! Peter even takes it as far as to describe false teachers as “natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed” (2 Peter 2:12). Yikes! He gives no room for messing around with false doctrine and false teachers. They need to be exposed and expelled because the consequences of their lies are devastating.

As in his first letter, Peter again points these believers to their coming redemption and final salvation. He reminds them that Christ will soon return and “the elements will burn with fervent heat.” Everything around us will one day be destroyed. So, the necessary question is…

“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” – 2 Peter 3:11-12

If everything we cling to so dearly in this life will one day be burned up, how should we be living? It’s a powerful and life-changing question to ponder!

It reminds us that we should cling to eternal things, not earthly things. Cling to the truth of God’s Word and its relevance for our lives, not the false teachings of modern-day liars and their destructive practices. God’s Word is eternal and relevant. LIVE LIKE IT!

Bible In 90 Days 60: 1 PETER

Regardless of which concert you went to, who was performing, or which genre of music they played, one thing probably happened at the end of the concert: an encore. The crowd loved the music so much and were so bummed that the show was over that even when the lights went out and the band exited the stage, the crowd stood and cheered, screaming for an encore.

It’s great when the band comes back for an encore, but it’s normally only 1 or 2 songs, then they leave for good. It’s the opposite when it comes to our lives: life on Earth is short, but the real show happens after life on earth is over!

The book of 1 Peter is all about getting us ready for what’s next.

I recently finished teaching through the book of 1 Peter, in a series I called …To Be Continued, which hinted at the fact that life on earth isn’t it (thankfully) – it’s to be continued for all of eternity in heaven (for those who follow Christ). It was a powerful book to study and it took me 25 weeks to teach through verse-by-verse. You can watch and/or listen to all 25 teachings HERE.

One thing you may have picked up on as you read through the book was Peter’s references to how temporary life on earth is…

He calls the Christians he’s writing to “pilgrims” in 1:1.

He talks about how they should live “throughout the time of your stay here” (1:17), which sounds like language that the receptionist at a hotel would use during your temporary stay.

Later in 2:11, he calls them “sojourners” and “pilgrims” – more references to the temporary state of their time on earth.

Think about how different you treat a temporary dwelling and a permanent dwelling. You don’t change out the carpets and upgrade the bathroom tile in a hotel room – you’re only there for the weekend! Why invest time, money, and energy into something that won’t last? I’d ask you the same question when it comes to life on earth: why invest time, money, and energy into something that won’t last? Live instead for eternity. For those who follow Christ, life is to be continued in heaven after you breathe your last breath.

One of Peter’s favorite words in this book is “salvation.” He uses it quite a few times because he’s always looking ahead to what’s next – the completion of his salvation when he enters heaven!

Throughout the book he talks about many things in our lives that a lifestyle modeled after eternity will impact. He mentions things like suffering (many of the Christians who he wrote this letter to were undergoing, or about to undergo, some extreme persecution for their faith), living as a witness, submitting to government, marital relationships, relationships in the workplace, serving within the church, and more.

The reality is, when you live in the light of eternity, it effects every square inch of your life.

Everything changes and you gain an entirely new perspective when you live with eternity in mind!

Try it today – base every interaction, thought, and circumstance off the fact that heaven is right around the corner and you want to take as many people with you as possible. It will change your whole outlook on life!

Bible In 90 Days 59: JAMES

*I had intended to finish blogging through the Bible in 90 days, corresponding with reading through the Bible at the same time, but due to some severe burns on my hand that I received last Sunday, my blogging had to be temporarily paused. I did finish reading, but today, I continue the blogging. I have this blog and 6 more after it that I will write over the course of the next week, completing my blogs through the whole Bible! To those of you who follow these “through the Bible” blogs, thanks, and sorry for the delay.*

Speaking of severe injuries, if you have ever had to be rushed to the emergency room, one of the very first things they did was check your “vital signs” (heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc.). By looking at your vital signs, the nurse/doctor can get a good feel for your over all well-being and can also see any specific areas that they need to focus in on. Spiritually, the book of James works in a similar way for us.

The book of James is all about assessing our spiritual vital signs to see if our faith is alive or not.

James is a unique book in the New Testament for a few reasons…

- It’s the only book written by Jesus’ half-brother, James. That fact by itself makes it pretty amazing because John 7:5 says that as Jesus grew up and continued in ministry, His brothers didn’t believe He was the Messiah. I think the whole coming-back-from-the-dead thing really got their attention! James eventually became a great man of faith and prayer, setting an example for us!

- The book of James is also commonly referred to as “The Proverbs of the New Testament” because of the variety of topics that it discusses. If you’ve read Proverbs, you know that it talks about a whole range of topics, most of the time, even within the same paragraph. Same with James. Just like your vital signs point to a variety of areas in your physical body, the book of James helps to assess many areas of your spiritual life. James talks about issues like trials and suffering, favoritism, obedience to God’s Word, your tongue (speech), prayer, and more. They’re all vital topics for anyone to assess to see if their faith is alive or not. After all, as the one of the most well-known verses in James says…

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” – James 2:26

Although many have accused the book of James of being in contradiction to Paul’s book of Galatians, I disagree. In Galatians, Paul makes it clear that all they need for salvation is Jesus. The Judaizers had come in and tried to add to that, but Paul wrote Galatians to clarify. James, on the other hand, emphasizes works. However, within the context of Scripture, we know that James isn’t implying works-based salvation, but more importantly, works that spring from true salvation. Think about it –  if you’re really come into contact with the living God, your life will be the proof. There will be fruit in your life from that interaction.

Galatians and James actually go hand-in-hand. Jesus is all you need for salvation, and the works that spring from your salvation will be proof of its legitimacy.

I hope you not only enjoyed reading James, but that it also gave you a chance to take your own spiritual vital signs to assess if you’re really alive in Christ. Saying you believe in God is not enough in itself. As James puts it,

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” – James 2:19

The demons take their belief a step further than many humans do – they tremble at the knowledge of God!

Don’t settle for a simple head-knowledge about God. You need heart-knowledge that plays itself out in your daily life!

Bible In 90 Days 57: PHILEMON

Today is day 88 in our journey through the Bible in 90 days.

1 chapter? That’s it? It’s short and sweet but the tiny of letter to Philemon packs a punch!

Philemon is a pastor who has a church meeting in his house most likely. Years ago, he owned a slave named Onesimus. Onesimus (which means “profitable”) didn’t know Jesus and became very unprofitable to Philemon. We don’t know the extent of what he did but it appears as though he may have stolen some things, and we know he ran away.

No matter where or how far we run, God knows right where we are and He has His ways of arranging circumstances as He pursues us. It’s no coincidence that Onesimus ends up in prison right next to Paul the Apostle, who of course leads him to Christ (because that’s what Paul does)! Suddenly, faced with his sin in the past and a new life in Christ, Paul urges Onesimus to return home to Philemon to make things right.

That is one of the beauties of the Gospel. We were once running from our past in shame and guilt. Then Jesus stepped in and everything changed. The power of Christ working in our lives and making everything new enables us to face with confidence who we were and understand that that’s not who we are.

The most powerful verse in this short letter is definitely verse 18…

“If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” – Philemon 18

It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel – Jesus reconciles and pays for the damage that was done when we were slaves ourselves, running from Him, unprofitable to ourselves, others, and to the Lord Himself.

In the end, Mr. Profitable became profitable to Paul, but soon to Philemon! It’s amazing how the Gospel can turn lives around and make them worth something!