"When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me---one who is eating with me.'
They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, 'Surely not I?'
'It is one of the Twelve,' he replied, 'one who dips bread into the bowl with me'" (Mark 14:17-20, NIV).
When we take part in the Lord's Supper today, we are following a tradition that started with Jesus' last supper before his execution by crucifixion.
Later, Paul the apostle would call upon Christians to examine themselves before eating the Lord's Supper.
I find it interesting that the original disciples also examined themselves during the last supper. They had to ask themselves, "Do I have the heart of a traitor? Could I betray Jesus? How important is he to me?"
Those are good questions for us to ask ourselves today as we take part in the Lord's Supper. Do I have the heart of a traitor? Could I betray Jesus? How important is Jesus to me? If we can think about those questions, they can help us to become what God wants us to be as we honor Jesus.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Submission to Authority
I have been reading Coach Tony Dungy's Quiet Strength, listening to ESPN radio, and watching NFL pre-season games lately. So needless to say, football has been on my mind.
Thinking of football reminded me of a passage from The 12 Essentials of Godly Success by Tommy Nelson, a pastor of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas. This is from pages 81-82 of his book:
"In the early 1970s I was the chaplain of a high school football team. We love our high school football in Texas. We are connoisseurs of high school football. In other states they have high school football; in Texas, they live for high school football. For a whole bunch of folks it may as well be the state religion.
So to be a great player in Texas means you are doing something. And on the team I served was a young man who was the finest high school player I have ever seen. He was one of only three athletes in the history of Texas to be a three-time high school all-American (meaning, he was a high school all-American as a sophomore!).
When he was ready to graduate, he had his choice of colleges. He picked a school whose previous running back was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. The question was not whether this young man would be good, but whether he was going to win the Heisman.
After he made his decision, I said to his high school coach, "What do you think? Will he win the Heisman someday?" His coach replied, "He'll never carry the ball in college."
I was shocked. 'What do you mean?' I demanded. And he told me this young man had a character flaw that would eventually disqualify him. He knew that his college coaches would see it right away, and that would be the end of his career.
Well, this young man ended up attending four different colleges---he quit two and was kicked out of two. He finished without a degree. The last I heard he was living in a common-law marriage and struggling every step of the way.
What was the character flaw that the coach saw? 'He cannot submit to authority. He cannot submit to his parents. He cannot submit to an employer. He cannot submit to a teacher.' The coach told me, 'We've carried him along for the sake of the ball club. But I assure you, he will not submit to his college coaches. His football career is done.'
That coach could have just as easily quoted to me a verse from Proverbs: 'The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out' (Prov. 30:17, NASB)."
What a sobering story. What a tragic story. I hope I can teach my son how to submit to authority so that he can live life well as he grows up.
Thinking of football reminded me of a passage from The 12 Essentials of Godly Success by Tommy Nelson, a pastor of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas. This is from pages 81-82 of his book:
"In the early 1970s I was the chaplain of a high school football team. We love our high school football in Texas. We are connoisseurs of high school football. In other states they have high school football; in Texas, they live for high school football. For a whole bunch of folks it may as well be the state religion.
So to be a great player in Texas means you are doing something. And on the team I served was a young man who was the finest high school player I have ever seen. He was one of only three athletes in the history of Texas to be a three-time high school all-American (meaning, he was a high school all-American as a sophomore!).
When he was ready to graduate, he had his choice of colleges. He picked a school whose previous running back was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. The question was not whether this young man would be good, but whether he was going to win the Heisman.
After he made his decision, I said to his high school coach, "What do you think? Will he win the Heisman someday?" His coach replied, "He'll never carry the ball in college."
I was shocked. 'What do you mean?' I demanded. And he told me this young man had a character flaw that would eventually disqualify him. He knew that his college coaches would see it right away, and that would be the end of his career.
Well, this young man ended up attending four different colleges---he quit two and was kicked out of two. He finished without a degree. The last I heard he was living in a common-law marriage and struggling every step of the way.
What was the character flaw that the coach saw? 'He cannot submit to authority. He cannot submit to his parents. He cannot submit to an employer. He cannot submit to a teacher.' The coach told me, 'We've carried him along for the sake of the ball club. But I assure you, he will not submit to his college coaches. His football career is done.'
That coach could have just as easily quoted to me a verse from Proverbs: 'The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out' (Prov. 30:17, NASB)."
What a sobering story. What a tragic story. I hope I can teach my son how to submit to authority so that he can live life well as he grows up.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Conversion of Seth Wilson
I liked "The Conversion of Seth Wilson" by H. Lynn Gardner in this week's edition of The Lookout magazine. In the article, Seth Wilson credited the example and teaching of one of his elders for leading him to Christ. Faith, love, joy, and simple Bible teaching combined to make an impact on the young Seth Wilson. The story may be read at http://www.lookoutmag.com/articles/articledisplay.asp?id=361.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Half-Hearted Christianity
"The Lord says:
'These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men'" (Isaiah 29:13, NIV).
Todd Box, one of our ministers in the Contact Church of Christ, has been preaching for us for the last couple of Sundays. This past Sunday, he emphasized the need for our hearts to be totally involved in our love for the Lord.
With a personal illustration, Todd demonstrated how easy it is to let our hearts wander away from Christ while we go through the motions of serving him and worshiping him. He reminded us that when he first came to the Contact Church a few years ago, he was living in the Salvation Army shelter. At that time, he was eager to help everyone at the shelter come to know God. He volunteered to drive the church van to pick up the other homeless men at the shelter. Now a few years later, he confessed, when someone called him for a ride, his first thoughts were not gratitude for the opportunity to help someone get to the church; instead, he thought, "Can't someone else do it?"
I completely understand. Sometimes my heart is not where it should be, either. I wish that were not true, but it is.
So how do I keep my heart right? I need to follow the advise of an old hymn called "When My Love to Christ Grows Weak." These are the lyrics:
"When my love to Christ grows weak,
When for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to Thee,
Garden of Gethsemane!
There I walk amid the shades,
While the ling'ring twilight fades,
See that suffering, friendless One,
Weeping, praying there alone.
When my love for man grows weak,
When for stronger faith I seek,
Hill of Calvary I go
To thy scenes of fear and woe.
There behold His agony,
Suffered on the bitter tree;
See His anguish, see His faith
Love triumphant still in death.
Then to life I turn again,
Learning all the worth of pain,
Learning all the might that lies
In a full self-sacrifice.
'These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men'" (Isaiah 29:13, NIV).
Todd Box, one of our ministers in the Contact Church of Christ, has been preaching for us for the last couple of Sundays. This past Sunday, he emphasized the need for our hearts to be totally involved in our love for the Lord.
With a personal illustration, Todd demonstrated how easy it is to let our hearts wander away from Christ while we go through the motions of serving him and worshiping him. He reminded us that when he first came to the Contact Church a few years ago, he was living in the Salvation Army shelter. At that time, he was eager to help everyone at the shelter come to know God. He volunteered to drive the church van to pick up the other homeless men at the shelter. Now a few years later, he confessed, when someone called him for a ride, his first thoughts were not gratitude for the opportunity to help someone get to the church; instead, he thought, "Can't someone else do it?"
I completely understand. Sometimes my heart is not where it should be, either. I wish that were not true, but it is.
So how do I keep my heart right? I need to follow the advise of an old hymn called "When My Love to Christ Grows Weak." These are the lyrics:
"When my love to Christ grows weak,
When for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to Thee,
Garden of Gethsemane!
There I walk amid the shades,
While the ling'ring twilight fades,
See that suffering, friendless One,
Weeping, praying there alone.
When my love for man grows weak,
When for stronger faith I seek,
Hill of Calvary I go
To thy scenes of fear and woe.
There behold His agony,
Suffered on the bitter tree;
See His anguish, see His faith
Love triumphant still in death.
Then to life I turn again,
Learning all the worth of pain,
Learning all the might that lies
In a full self-sacrifice.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Heart of the Church
In Our Daily Bread today, Cindy Hess Kasper has a good devotional piece titled "The Heart of the Church." It may be viewed at http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-08-19-07.shtml.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Meaningful Scriptures on Baptism
I was baptized into Christ 22 years ago today. These are a few meaningful scriptures on baptism from a variety of translations and paraphrases of the Bible:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16, NKJV).
"Peter said to them, 'Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38, NCV).
"So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace---a new life in a new land!
"That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country" (Romans 6:1-7, The Message).
"Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you---not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience---through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21, NASB).
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16, NKJV).
"Peter said to them, 'Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38, NCV).
"So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace---a new life in a new land!
"That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country" (Romans 6:1-7, The Message).
"Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you---not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience---through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21, NASB).
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Fear Graced With Love
Jesus said, "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell" (Luke 12:5, NIV).
Later his apostle John wrote, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:16-18, NIV).
When we first learn about the holiness of God, the wrath of God, and our sins, we fear God. Such a fear is entirely appropriate. We recognize the gravity of our situation. We can see that we deserve hell.
When we learn about the love and grace of God as it was shown on the cross of Christ, our fear begins to be mixed with an strong appreciation of the Lord. While we deserved death and hell, Christ died and faced the wrath of God in our place. Motivated by a mixture of fear and love, we become followers of Jesus Christ.
As we mature, we grow more secure in our relationship with our God. We fear punishment less and love him more.
However, while our fear of punishment subsides, our fear of the Lord does not vanish. It changes. Now we fear the possibility of bringing shame or embarrassment to our Savior. We love him so much that we want to honor him in every way possible.
In some ways, we are like children. In early years, a child will obey because he fears punishment. In later years, his fear will change. He will not want to embarrass his parents by behaving badly. He loves them too much. As Bible teacher Jim Roberts at the Contact Church has said, "By the time I was old enough to realize that I could resist my father, I couldn't."
As hymn writer John Newton put it, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!"
Later his apostle John wrote, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:16-18, NIV).
When we first learn about the holiness of God, the wrath of God, and our sins, we fear God. Such a fear is entirely appropriate. We recognize the gravity of our situation. We can see that we deserve hell.
When we learn about the love and grace of God as it was shown on the cross of Christ, our fear begins to be mixed with an strong appreciation of the Lord. While we deserved death and hell, Christ died and faced the wrath of God in our place. Motivated by a mixture of fear and love, we become followers of Jesus Christ.
As we mature, we grow more secure in our relationship with our God. We fear punishment less and love him more.
However, while our fear of punishment subsides, our fear of the Lord does not vanish. It changes. Now we fear the possibility of bringing shame or embarrassment to our Savior. We love him so much that we want to honor him in every way possible.
In some ways, we are like children. In early years, a child will obey because he fears punishment. In later years, his fear will change. He will not want to embarrass his parents by behaving badly. He loves them too much. As Bible teacher Jim Roberts at the Contact Church has said, "By the time I was old enough to realize that I could resist my father, I couldn't."
As hymn writer John Newton put it, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!"
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