Finding Truth: The Source of Confidence

1 Corinthians 12:12, 20

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ… As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

 

I’m tired of COVID-19, aren’t you? It has truly affected us in ways we can’t even imagine or articulate. There is no area of our lives that has been untouched by this virus. I am extremely blessed that most of the way it has affected me have been minor inconveniences, but as time goes on the deeper affects become more apparent. For many people, this season has been devastating and revealing.

 

It’s been devastating for some as they have lost job, income and even family. I was listening to a news broadcast about how the quarantine has resulted in a 30% uptick in divorce rates in Australia (sorry I didn’t look up the USA stats). I watched a video of a father who shared how his 12 year old son committed suicide as a result of the isolation during the quarantine.

 

It’s been revealing as it has brought out fears, anxiety, stressors and sinful habits. It is so important that we have patience with one another during this because the emotional toll is so complex. The things that brought confidence, or seemingly brought confidence, have been removed and the insecurities become magnified.

 

One of the biggest areas for me personally have been losing the simple connections that come from handshakes and hugs. I’ve always been a hugger and enjoy handshakes, and social distancing is hard for me. Appropriate physical contact has been lost for many people and often times is the only way they can shake off their depression, as was the case for this girl as she shares her story. And here are 7 reasons why we should hug. I didn’t even have time to watch the plethora of Ted Talks and phycologists talking about it, but there is a ton.

 

The community of the church is a gift God has given us to help us feel less alone in this world. When Jesus saved you, He didn’t save you to isolation but to community. You are part of the Body of Christ and when you are active in His Word and in His community it brings confidence in this world.

 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

 

You have been gifted by God to encourage the community of faith and to be encouraged by the community of faith. We have been fortunate to be able to stay connected digitally during this quarantine, but it can never replace physical presence. It’s hard to actively share our gifts when we are not together.

 

Every part is important. As hard as this season has been, I do think it is revealing to each of us the importance of being present and active in the church. In the video, Finding Truth Session 3, we heard Sydney’s testimony that her family knew the Bible, went to church but didn’t live out the Christian faith. Church wasn’t important to her and she drifted from God.

 

When we become too familiar with the pattern of going to church, hearing a sermon and going home without anything changing, we miss out of the supernatural event that is taking place. We essentially become practical atheists; we acknowledge the existence of God but live our lives like He doesn’t exist. This is why the world thinks Christians are hypocrites, because they have not allowed the Spirit of God to change their lives.

 

My prayer is that the break we have had from regular meetings will cause an excitement and importance to what God has provided. That we cease from being “regular attenders” and become “active participants.” Church is not supposed to be another entertainment choice where you show up, watch the event and leave. It’s supposed to be the fellowship of the saints centered around the instruction of the Word and celebration of our God through song.

 

Read Ephesians 4:11-16

 

I have had a hard time for the last several years with the word “ministry.” You may have heard it used, as I have used it in the past, by some saying, “I’m going into the ministry.” When used like that, it reveals they have been trained to think that ministry is a profession in a church, on the mission field or with a para-church organization. It makes me sad to hear it used like that because it makes so many people feel excluded from ministry.

 

Ministry is something all genuine believers should participate in. It is not a professional position and ministry should not be relegated to the clergy. When we read Ephesians 4:11-16, we see that God gave pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. My job is not “the ministry,” but rather is to equip you for ministry.

 

You live on the frontlines of the spiritual war and have the opportunity to be a minister of the Gospel in whatever vocation you find yourself in. God has called you and gifted you in different ways but to be a part of the same body. I am in the pastoral ministry, you may be in the engineering ministry, the education ministry, the mechanic ministry, the home keeper ministry, the counseling ministry, the health ministry, and so on.

 

You are called by God, gifted by God and empowered by the Spirit to use your gifts, talents and education to serve the world and point people to Jesus (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Doing less that that will always lead to insecurities and dissatisfaction.

 

How would your day change if you realized that you are making an eternal impact on people every day in the work that you do?

 

Colossians 1:27

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Read that again and again. Thing about this glorious mystery, that Christ in you is the hope of glory. When you are in God’s Word and are active in Church the Spirit of Christ will give you the confidence to live in such a way as to point others to Jesus. It’s a simple formula, but is a divine work.

 

Church isn’t gathering for entertainment. It is a supernatural gathering that infuses us with the confidence in our God to live out of faith in our vocations. We gather to share our lives together, to greet one another warmly, to hear instructions from His Word, to sing out in celebration and to join together in unity.

 

Yes this quarantine has robbed us of some time, and many of us feel the drain. But it also has sharpened the awareness of my  need for the gathered community and the importance of being intentional when we gather again.

 

I look forward to the day we are all together again, that social distancing will be lifted and we can greet each other with a hug or handshake again. Until that time, know that you are a vital part of the Body of Christ and you are gifted and called to bless the church by being you.

 

Finding Truth: Identity and Purpose

What thoughts do you have about yourself? Where do you find your identity in? Let me rephrase that, before COVID-19 what did you find your identity in? How did you view yourself?

After 8 weeks of COVID-19 quarantine, how has that changed?

Two songs came to mind as I was considering today’s post. The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman and Clear the Stage by Jimmy Needham. Similar in scope and message and have important truths for us if we want to understand our identity and purpose in life.

Matt Redman sings in the song The Heart of Worship, “when the music fades all is stripped away.” For many of us, that is the season we are living in, all has been stripped away. Sports, band, choir, theater, jobs, hangouts, and the battle for popularity are gone.

So many of the things we thought gave us an identity have been stripped away. This is what makes this season so hard for so many people. If you found you identity from your athletic team, how do you view yourself now that there is no more practice and games?

If you found your identity in your job, how are you feeling about yourself on unemployment (if it has come through for you)?

If your identity was based on being part of the popular crowd, how to you view yourself when there is no crowd?

It’s all been stripped away, and how are you responding to it? One huge lesson COVID-19 is teaching us is that these sources are temporal and fleeting, as Ecclesiastes says “meaningless”.

Jimmy Needham’s song, Clear the Stage, says “until your broken for your sins, you can’t be social…Anything I put before God is an idol…Anything I want with all my heart is an idol…Anything I can’t stop thinking about is an idol…Anything that I give all my love is an idol.”

And he calls us to use the time to destroy the idols, “clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze, if that’s the measure it takes to crush the idols.”

This season has been thrust upon us. Many of our idols have come crashing down and it has shoved us into uncertainty and crisis. But it doesn’t have to if you allow these uncertain times to point you to what is certain and true: the Word of God.

Ephesians 2:1–10

[1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Essentially the question is, do you find your identity in the world or in the Gospel? The world is dying and finding your identity in the things of this world will only leave you bankrupt. The Gospel is life giving and eternal.

What does it say about your identity? Apart from Jesus, you were dead in your sins and a child of wrath. Dead. What does a corpse do? Before Jesus you could do nothing to please God, to earn salvation. You were hopeless. A child of wrath means that judgment and eternal punishment were due you, and there is nothing you could have done on your own to escape it.

We then encounter two of the best words in all the Scriptures, “But God…” Paul reminds us of how utterly hopeless we are and the systems  of this world are, but then He points us to the One who is hope.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…”

God moved toward us. He didn’t give a bunch of demands and requirements. He sent His Son in our place and provided a way for us to be made alive, to be forgiven and set free! That is some good news!

But it doesn’t end there!

We are sinners saved by grace!

We are made alive in Christ!

We have an eternal hope in heaven with Jesus!

We have the privilege of showing off the “immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us!”

We have are His workmanship!

We have things to do!

So much good stuff in this passage. Listen to this truth, your identity is no longer in your sin, it is no longer in this world, it is in the Son of God. He has made you alive with Him and He has a purpose for you. In all that you do, whatever vocation that may be, whether it is being a son or daughter, a mom or dad, a student, an employee, an employer, whatever it is, you have the privilege of living out the Gospel for all to see.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Use this time we have, when all feels like it’s been stripped away, to show you that God’s love is even more abundant and real then you ever knew. Allow the absence of idols to lead you to the Savior who died on the cross for you. Find your identity and meaning in Him. Allow His loving kindness and mercy to encourage you today.

Finding Truth - The Source

This week our youth group will be using Francis Chan’s series “Finding Truth” for our weekly discussions.

Today, it seems like, more than ever, we are indeed being lied to. Each day during this COVID Quarantine Era we wade through a plethora of contradictory news briefs, blog post, viral videos, and scientific studies. One doctor says the opposite of the other. The accepted scientific studies contradict each other. Even religious leaders seem to have differing statements.

The truth about these reports, social media posts, and viral videos is that they all can’t be true. But what is right? With all the access we have to information at our finger tips, you would think we could decipher it better. And this struggle is only dealing with our current circumstance. The problem is much deeper.

Constantly we are being bombarded with messages that are contradictory to God’s Word. Messages that try to undermine our faith in God, in the Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ. Blatant attacks on the “incompatibility of faith and science” or the absurdity of believing in an ancient book by leading atheists or pop culture scientists. More subtle attacks on the finish work of Christ coming from so called Christians promising health and prosperity if you have enough faith.

Finding the truth in this dark world is so hard if you do not have an anchor. From the beginning of time, the enemy of our souls attacked our first parents with the question, “did God really say…” He began to plant doubts about God, His loving kindness, His provisions, His character, His power, and even His existence from the very beginning of human history.

With thousands of years of practice, he is still up to the same devices. Make it difficult for people to see and recognize the truth. Elevate man’s wisdom and distract from the truth of God.

Yet, the Creator God is also the God who speaks! He has spoken through His written Word and His incarnate Son. His Words bring life and truth to those who hear and receive them. When we listen to His Words juxtaposed to the media milieu we live in today, we clearly see that His ways are different than this world’s.

Isaiah 55:8–9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Not only are His thoughts different and higher than the world’s thoughts, they are higher and different then our own thoughts. In reflection on this verse years ago, I regularly remind myself that a good starting point for my thought process is, “Brad you are wrong, you need to go to God for what is right.” In my pride, I want to assume my point of view is always correct, but Isaiah 55:8-9 defies my arrogance and reminds me that I am not God.

I’ll admit, at first I was a little frustrated with that truth. I want to control things, and I want to understand things, and to believe this verse I have to surrender those “rights.” Yet, as I have grown in my understanding of who God is, what He has done and what He promises to do, I find these verses such a comfort. I don’t have to have it all figured out, God already has it figured out.

So the comfort I find when wading through the murky waters of this fallen world’s message is the truth that I don’t have to figure it all out, I just have to be faithful to what God has already revealed in His Word.

His Word teaches us that there is truth, and that our Creator is the source of truth. Within the pages of Scripture we encounter our Creator and read about His redemptive plan. We learn about who we are and why we are here.

Acts 17:26–27

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.

The world says you are an accident, but God says you were intended. Listen to that truth, God determined when and where you would be born and live. Not only when and where, but He gives purpose to everything that happens to you as He allows things to draw you to Himself.

One thing I know for sure, is that God is still working during the COVID Quarantine Era. He is not social distancing Himself from us, He is not limited by a virus, He is very present and wanting to conform us into the image of His Son daily.

2 Corinthians 4:4

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Yet it feels like we are fighting an uphill battle and every time we turn around there is another argument against our beliefs. That’s because the enemy of our soul has blinded people from the truth of Jesus Christ. That is why, as believers, we need to hold fast to the truth of Jesus Christ and live in such a way as to draw the blind to the light (Matthew 5:16).

It starts with shutting off the noise, the many contradictory voices around us, and listen for the Spirit of God through the Word of God. We need more time with God and with humble hearts asking for Him to reveal wonderful things from His Word.

It means not allowing our fears to follow the rabbit trail of posts and videos. It means reigning in the desire to follow the conspiracy. It means recognizing that God is bigger than any virus, government or human power.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, our future is secure, our hope is in the risen Lord and our confidence is in the Sovereign God who holds us in His hands. We need not allow fear to rule while Christ is on the throne.

Romans 12:1–3

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

God’s desire for us is that we will not conform to the pattern of this world, one of fear and selfishness, to one of confidence and selflessness. Don’t allow your own thoughts to become a god to you, for your thoughts are not God’s thoughts, nor your ways His ways. Rather we are to think with a clear mind and understand that we are not God, but God is God. Seek to be faithful in the everyday things that God has revealed and trust that He will care for you today and every day until Christ returns (Philippians 1:6)

Who Am I?

Who am I? What is my purpose in life? What brings meaning to life? These are all questions we struggle with and ask from time to time. They are good questions, but often come when life brings disappointments, when expectations fail and when what we used to know doesn’t seem to make sense any more.

I quick Google search will result in over 8 billion results to the query. It’s a common question. There are millions of Self-Help books, life coaches, and self-exploration programs to help people answer this question, yet most of those will fall short.

They will tell people to look within to find the answer. They will say that understanding yourself will bring the answers, that you have a positive self-esteem and love of self. Now to be clear, I am not saying that we shouldn’t want to think positively about ourselves, but the path we choose to identify these answers is crucial.

What I do know, is that when I look within my own heart, I find no answers within myself that will last. I may think I find something, for a while, but it will quickly fade away. I cannot define myself, for I am not from myself. I did not create me. You did not create you. If you want true, meaningful answers to who you are, you have to look to the Creator, to the God of the Bible.

I am amazed at how God speaks to our deepest needs over and over again in the Scriptures. In Genesis we are confronted with the reality that He created the world and made humanity a special creation, in His image and likeness. He created humans to be relational beings, to know Him and be known by Him.

We see that sin entered the world when our first parents, Adam and Eve, rebelled against Him and ate of the forbidden fruit. Immediately upon eating that fruit, shame and guilt filled Adam and Eve. They hid from their Creator, and the struggle began. From that moment, throughout all of human history, we have all struggled to know who we are, what we are supposed to be, and what we are supposed to do.

Sin disrupts. It destroys. It causes confusion and chaos. Since we are all sinners (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6), we are all confused and searching for answers. Thankfully our Creator has not given up on us, but has clearly spoken in His Word and through His Son. So let’s look to His Word for guidance:

Read Psalm 139

Lord You Know Me – Psalm 139:1-6

If you ever asked the questions, “who am I?” then this psalm is for you. King David starts off recognizing that God knows who he is, better than he knows himself. He recognizes that God is the LORD, the almighty Creator. He sees that God knows the number of His days, what he’s going to do, where he’s going to go and what he will say before he even says it.

Who else can claim these truths? Nobody! David is overwhelmed by this line of thinking and recognizes it is too big for him to comprehend. It’s a wonderful truth that the Creator knows and cares about you.

God knows the numbers of your days. He knows what you’ve been going through. He knows the disappointments in your life, the failed expectations and the hardships. He also knows what’s around the corner, what is coming in your future and He has plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). If you want answers, He is the one you need to go to.

Think about it, He has already searched your heart, your thoughts and you past, and He still loves you!

Lord You Are With Me – Psalm 139:7-12

David then recognizes that there is no escaping God’s presence. This can at first sound like he is running from God and can’t get away, but that’s not it at all. Rather, he is finding comfort in the presences of God. No matter how dark the days get, no matter how much he falls, God is there. Always watching, always waiting for him to cry out.

God never promises that life will be easy. He never promises that you will have all the answers. But He does promise to be with you and to work all things together for you ultimate good (Romans 8:28). I say ultimate good because we are prone to think of good in relation to our current self (desires, wishes, appetites). God sees beyond our current self, past the lies we tell ourselves, and through the masks we wear. He is working all things for what we are intended to be in relationship with Him.

Lord You Made Me – Psalm 139:13-16

These are some of the most precious words ever penned. You are no accident. God didn’t make a mistake making you. God intended for you to be you. He intimately knows you and formed you. You may feel like a mistake and feel worthless, but God doesn’t make junk.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the universe and loves you. He desires for you to know Him and understand how He feels about you. He is not some cosmic killjoy waiting to thwart your desires. He is a loving Father who desires your best. He knows you are a sinner and yet He still has made provisions for you.

Lord You Saved Me – Psalm 139:17-22

David recognizes that God sees things differently and thinks on a grander scale then he can even imagine. This doesn’t bring fear and trepidation in him, but excitement and wonder. He knows God is for him and desires his greatest good.

David prays that God will destroy his enemies. The wicked people who were after him and preventing him from experiencing peace. We too have an enemy who is trying to destroy us, the enemy of our souls (John 10:10). We are in desperate need of help because our sin problem is bigger than we can handle.

David had trust in and found comfort in God, knowing He would deliver him. What David didn’t know is how God was going to bring deliverance, not just for David, but for the whole world. But God provided a way (Ephesians 2:4-6) though His Son, Jesus Christ.

                      

When you’re looking for meaning in life, you cannot find a greater answer than the one who loves you so much He was willing to die for you (Romans 5:8). He willingly took your place, took your sin and freely offers His righteousness to you (2 Corinthians 5:21). And even when you fail Him, He will always forgive you when you turn to Him (1 John 1:9).

Jesus gives you the answers you are looking for. He is the one who created you. He is the one who has called you. He is the one who has plans for you (Ephesians 2:10). In Christ, you are the child of God. You are the ambassador of God. You are His masterpiece.

Do you know Jesus? Are you following Him? Are you spending time with Him in His Word?

Lord You Keep Me – Psalm 139:23-24

When we know that God knows us, is with us, made us, and saved us, we can have confidence that he will keep us. David prayed a prayer to invite God to search out his heart and see what sins he had that would prevent him from fully experiencing the presence of God. It’s a scary prayer from a human stand point. It’s inviting our secrets to be exposed.

But knowing who God is, what He has done through Jesus Christ, how much He loves us, it isn’t scary at all. It should be comforting to know that praying this prayer is inviting God to clean house and bring us even closer to Him.

1 Corinthians 1:8–9

The Lord will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.