“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” -Matthew 4:19
Christ promises us that we will become fishers of men when we devote our life to Him and walk upon the path that He has prepared. To walk upon that path, we must first begin to understand the message that Christ was bringing and continues to bring.
I see too many of my fellow Christian brethren who treat their witness in Christ as that of being a hunter rather then a fisherman. A hunter tracks his prey. A skilled hunter needs to practice the art of stealth and spring upon that which is being hunted in order to bring down his prey. That which is hunted when it is aware that it is being hunted, will attempt to flee in terror.
This type of witness seeks to destroy rather then to show a new way. This type of witness goes against the way of Christ. No where in scripture am I able to find a point in time in which Christ sought to destroy another’s faith. Rather, He showed a new way and an inviting way that the glory of God could be seen by all.
A fisherman tries to lure his catch. He tries this by putting something in the path that is attractive and that the fish will desire. Like a hunter, a fisherman needs to practice the art of patience. When the time is right, the fish will bite. The same is true of our witness of Christ. We must practice the art of patience. When the time is right, the right question will be asked and this provides the opportunity for an effective witness.
These past several months, I have been blessed with the opportunity to display the love of Christ to a people group that many in this American culture have rejected. They are viewed as different as they continue to hold onto their culture and customs from their land which they were forced from due to the atrocities of civil war. This people group practice a faith very different from my Christian faith. They all have been raised in the culture of Islam. One thing that I have come to recognize is that they too have that same heart to understand God in a deeper and more meaningful way. As I find myself moving deeper into these lives, I have had more opportunities to openly share my faith in Jesus Christ and I thank God every time that I am able to proclaim His name in their presence. I know that the only effective way that I can be a true witness in the name of Jesus Christ to my new friends is to exercise those principles of being a fisherman in their presence. I always need to exercise those acts of a true fisherman shown by my savior Jesus Christ.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Go Time
Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, event to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
The Great Commission is the command of Christ to His followers that embodies the faith of those who claim the name His name. I find no ambiguity in what Christ has called us to do in His name.
The first word in His command is simple yet too many of us fail to put that word into action. He tells us to “Go”. We know the calling is to “Go” but we often times ignore it and place those “churchy” things in its place. We profess that we have to pray over it or we have to study God’s word to find our purpose. I am not here to disparage prayer and fervent study of God’s Holy Word; however, I have found some who are more then content spending their time in prayer and study and have in effect made those “churchy” things their idol rather then having a true spiritual metamorphosis and living theirs lives for the being of Christ.
I enjoy sports and what I enjoy most is the act of competition. As I have watched some of the great sports teams of the past, I have noticed that they have their Go Time. That is the time when they take all of their practice and move it out into the field of competition in an effort to explore where they are in relation to their competition. Having personally participated in team sports, I relished that Go Time. I recognized that the practice that a team must endure leading up to that time is necessary to make them successful upon the field of competition. We would never want to invest our time in watching a championship game in which both teams gave it all they had in order to get to the point where they are at for the chance to proclaim themselves champion. A truly successful athlete or team would never think of going into competition unprepared and is willing to pay the price in order to set themselves apart from their competition.
Why then is it that too many who claim the name of Jesus Christ fail to have that same fervor? The mission field that Christ has called each of His followers into is equally competitive. We are going against the principalities of this world who also claim to have the answer. As followers of Christ, we have to understand that anything that fails to include God will always miss the mark and fall short. It is His name that we must take our stand and be prepared to give that answer for our faith. If we choose to simply sit on the sidelines, we will never be able to grasp the ultimate championship prize.
Make this day your Go Time and get into the game and be that champion that you were indeed called to become.
The Great Commission is the command of Christ to His followers that embodies the faith of those who claim the name His name. I find no ambiguity in what Christ has called us to do in His name.
The first word in His command is simple yet too many of us fail to put that word into action. He tells us to “Go”. We know the calling is to “Go” but we often times ignore it and place those “churchy” things in its place. We profess that we have to pray over it or we have to study God’s word to find our purpose. I am not here to disparage prayer and fervent study of God’s Holy Word; however, I have found some who are more then content spending their time in prayer and study and have in effect made those “churchy” things their idol rather then having a true spiritual metamorphosis and living theirs lives for the being of Christ.
I enjoy sports and what I enjoy most is the act of competition. As I have watched some of the great sports teams of the past, I have noticed that they have their Go Time. That is the time when they take all of their practice and move it out into the field of competition in an effort to explore where they are in relation to their competition. Having personally participated in team sports, I relished that Go Time. I recognized that the practice that a team must endure leading up to that time is necessary to make them successful upon the field of competition. We would never want to invest our time in watching a championship game in which both teams gave it all they had in order to get to the point where they are at for the chance to proclaim themselves champion. A truly successful athlete or team would never think of going into competition unprepared and is willing to pay the price in order to set themselves apart from their competition.
Why then is it that too many who claim the name of Jesus Christ fail to have that same fervor? The mission field that Christ has called each of His followers into is equally competitive. We are going against the principalities of this world who also claim to have the answer. As followers of Christ, we have to understand that anything that fails to include God will always miss the mark and fall short. It is His name that we must take our stand and be prepared to give that answer for our faith. If we choose to simply sit on the sidelines, we will never be able to grasp the ultimate championship prize.
Make this day your Go Time and get into the game and be that champion that you were indeed called to become.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Purity
“Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” –Philippians 4:8
I spent the better part of my afternoon this day clearing the flower beds around my house. As I surveyed the work ahead of me, I wondered to myself why were dandelions and thistle ever created. I despise these two weeds with a passion I have yet to find the perfect way to rid my flower beds of these two nuisances. Both of these weeds have incredibly deep roots and it takes great effort to fully extract them. As I continued to pull these weeds and curse their very existence, I began to see a lesson in my labor.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, spells it out clearly. It is the desire of God that our thought life is to be that which would glorify God. That which we allow our eyes to gaze upon must be that which would glorify God. That which we do with our hands and feet must be that which would glorify God. However, we often times lead our lives in such a way that we allow the garbage of this world into our life. God has provided us with clear boundary markers but we think that we can move those boundary markers with no consequence. When we continue to allow those markers to be moved, we are only allowing ourselves to move closer to that area which God knows is will destroy. We as a people have allowed ourselves buy into the lie of this world that it really does not matter.
Finally, we wake up one day and begin to realize the mess that we have made of our lives by not being diligent in our walk with Christ. We did not get lost in our journey in an instant but rather we kept being enticed by the broad path that took us in many different directions rather then the straight and narrow path that Christ has called us to tread upon.
If I had spent diligent time in my flower beds, those weeds would not have taken root. If we all spend diligent time in making certain that our journey is upon the straight and narrow path, our faith will take deep root and will produce great fruit.
I spent the better part of my afternoon this day clearing the flower beds around my house. As I surveyed the work ahead of me, I wondered to myself why were dandelions and thistle ever created. I despise these two weeds with a passion I have yet to find the perfect way to rid my flower beds of these two nuisances. Both of these weeds have incredibly deep roots and it takes great effort to fully extract them. As I continued to pull these weeds and curse their very existence, I began to see a lesson in my labor.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, spells it out clearly. It is the desire of God that our thought life is to be that which would glorify God. That which we allow our eyes to gaze upon must be that which would glorify God. That which we do with our hands and feet must be that which would glorify God. However, we often times lead our lives in such a way that we allow the garbage of this world into our life. God has provided us with clear boundary markers but we think that we can move those boundary markers with no consequence. When we continue to allow those markers to be moved, we are only allowing ourselves to move closer to that area which God knows is will destroy. We as a people have allowed ourselves buy into the lie of this world that it really does not matter.
Finally, we wake up one day and begin to realize the mess that we have made of our lives by not being diligent in our walk with Christ. We did not get lost in our journey in an instant but rather we kept being enticed by the broad path that took us in many different directions rather then the straight and narrow path that Christ has called us to tread upon.
If I had spent diligent time in my flower beds, those weeds would not have taken root. If we all spend diligent time in making certain that our journey is upon the straight and narrow path, our faith will take deep root and will produce great fruit.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Stand Fast
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” –Psalm 46:10
To me, this is perhaps the most powerful verse in the Bible. We spend so much of our time being busy in the ways of the world that we forget the need to slow down and listen to that still voice that is calling to us. I have found a place near my home that I like to call my God Spot. It is at a local park that sits atop a ravine. I just cherish the time that I spend at that spot taking in the beauty of God’s creation. Yesterday, God gave me a true display of His creation that spoke to me.
Near this spot is a bald eagles nest. I got as close as I was able to this nest and just spent some time observing. Perched on the edge of the nest was the female eagle tending her young hatchlings and the male was above the nest at the top of the tree line keeping watch. As I observed this, another eagle approached from the south and began to circle the nest. The male responded and flew towards this third eagle and began to protect his nest. A small skirmish between the two ensued with the 3rd eagle finally being chased away. The 3rd eagle return twice more with these small skirmishes continuing until it finally left for good.
The message was clear to me. As a man, I am called to stand guard and hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. God has blessed me with a lovely wife and wonderful children. I am to stand guard for those things that are not of God that want to circle my home looking for the opportune time to infiltrate. I must always be prepared to keep watch and when I see those things, I must jump into action and do everything within my power to chase them off as many times as I need in order to protect that which God has chosen to bless me with.
We truly live in a time in which things are happening at a rapid pace. Now, more then ever, is the time to stand fast and not allow that which is not of God to be that which I will follow.
To me, this is perhaps the most powerful verse in the Bible. We spend so much of our time being busy in the ways of the world that we forget the need to slow down and listen to that still voice that is calling to us. I have found a place near my home that I like to call my God Spot. It is at a local park that sits atop a ravine. I just cherish the time that I spend at that spot taking in the beauty of God’s creation. Yesterday, God gave me a true display of His creation that spoke to me.
Near this spot is a bald eagles nest. I got as close as I was able to this nest and just spent some time observing. Perched on the edge of the nest was the female eagle tending her young hatchlings and the male was above the nest at the top of the tree line keeping watch. As I observed this, another eagle approached from the south and began to circle the nest. The male responded and flew towards this third eagle and began to protect his nest. A small skirmish between the two ensued with the 3rd eagle finally being chased away. The 3rd eagle return twice more with these small skirmishes continuing until it finally left for good.
The message was clear to me. As a man, I am called to stand guard and hold fast to the truth of the Word of God. God has blessed me with a lovely wife and wonderful children. I am to stand guard for those things that are not of God that want to circle my home looking for the opportune time to infiltrate. I must always be prepared to keep watch and when I see those things, I must jump into action and do everything within my power to chase them off as many times as I need in order to protect that which God has chosen to bless me with.
We truly live in a time in which things are happening at a rapid pace. Now, more then ever, is the time to stand fast and not allow that which is not of God to be that which I will follow.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Our Leaders
“Obey your leaders’ and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no advantage to you.” –Hebrews 13:17
My lovely wife and I have the blessing and opportunity to lead a group of middle school aged children in trying to understand and apply the Word of God to their respective lives. Yesterday, the lesson that was presented centered on loyalty. As a warm up exercise prior to digging into the lesson, several sheets of paper were attached to the walls around the room. Each sheet of paper had a name of something on it and each student was asked to place marks upon each sheet to reflect their level of loyalty to the given title. They were allowed to put from 0 to 3 marks on each paper to show their given loyalty. Some of the titles on the sheets were Parents’, School, Friends’, Sport Teams’, etc. One of the sheets was title the President.
The exercise took a few minutes as the students decided upon their given loyalty to each topic. Also added to the time was the overall distraction of asking a group of middle school aged boys and girls to do something that required some thought and their interest to goof around was on full display. Once they were done, all were seated and we reviewed the marks that were made.
The sheet marked the President was marked in such a way to reflect a negative attitude many of these students had towards the leader of this nation. To me, I used this as a perfect teaching example.
Each week, these students are told of the importance of claiming the name of Jesus Christ in your life. Each week, these students are shown the importance of what it means to sell out ones life to the being of Jesus Christ. I tried to impress upon them that although our true loyalty is to Christ, we are called as followers of Christ to lift our leaders up in prayer. I stressed that in now way are we called to agree with our leaders but rather we are indeed called to lift our leaders in a prayerful way and there is a difference between agreement and prayer.
I too, like what certainly appears to be the families of these students, share a deep concern for the direction that this nation is moving and I find myself disagreeing more and more with the direction that I see our elected leaders moving this nation. However, as I proclaim the name of Christ, I in no way will allow my walk with Him to be diminished by what I feel is an over reaching government. Jesus Christ came as a new way to show true peace. The best that I can do is to live that example of peace in all my actions while always standing firm in the Word of God.
Just like the Israelites, God has given this nation the government it deserves. The Israelites were delivered into the Promised Land yet that was not enough for them. They had a desire to be ruled by kings and God granted their request and many of their kings led the nation astray. This great nation was founded upon the Judeo Christian ideals of our founding fathers, yet we as a people have failed to understand our proper history and have allowed it to be perverted and rewritten by those whose only objective is power and control. Perhaps the time with which we now find ourselves is our time to wander in the desert. One of the reasons that God allowed the Israelites to wander for 40 years was that was the length of time that it took to raise an entirely new generation. Maybe this time where we are now at will require that type of wandering before we are able to return to our preordained destiny.
Regardless, we of faith must submit ourselves to the governing authorities. If we are unable to do that, how can we truly submit our lives to He who provides all?
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” –Romans 13:1
My lovely wife and I have the blessing and opportunity to lead a group of middle school aged children in trying to understand and apply the Word of God to their respective lives. Yesterday, the lesson that was presented centered on loyalty. As a warm up exercise prior to digging into the lesson, several sheets of paper were attached to the walls around the room. Each sheet of paper had a name of something on it and each student was asked to place marks upon each sheet to reflect their level of loyalty to the given title. They were allowed to put from 0 to 3 marks on each paper to show their given loyalty. Some of the titles on the sheets were Parents’, School, Friends’, Sport Teams’, etc. One of the sheets was title the President.
The exercise took a few minutes as the students decided upon their given loyalty to each topic. Also added to the time was the overall distraction of asking a group of middle school aged boys and girls to do something that required some thought and their interest to goof around was on full display. Once they were done, all were seated and we reviewed the marks that were made.
The sheet marked the President was marked in such a way to reflect a negative attitude many of these students had towards the leader of this nation. To me, I used this as a perfect teaching example.
Each week, these students are told of the importance of claiming the name of Jesus Christ in your life. Each week, these students are shown the importance of what it means to sell out ones life to the being of Jesus Christ. I tried to impress upon them that although our true loyalty is to Christ, we are called as followers of Christ to lift our leaders up in prayer. I stressed that in now way are we called to agree with our leaders but rather we are indeed called to lift our leaders in a prayerful way and there is a difference between agreement and prayer.
I too, like what certainly appears to be the families of these students, share a deep concern for the direction that this nation is moving and I find myself disagreeing more and more with the direction that I see our elected leaders moving this nation. However, as I proclaim the name of Christ, I in no way will allow my walk with Him to be diminished by what I feel is an over reaching government. Jesus Christ came as a new way to show true peace. The best that I can do is to live that example of peace in all my actions while always standing firm in the Word of God.
Just like the Israelites, God has given this nation the government it deserves. The Israelites were delivered into the Promised Land yet that was not enough for them. They had a desire to be ruled by kings and God granted their request and many of their kings led the nation astray. This great nation was founded upon the Judeo Christian ideals of our founding fathers, yet we as a people have failed to understand our proper history and have allowed it to be perverted and rewritten by those whose only objective is power and control. Perhaps the time with which we now find ourselves is our time to wander in the desert. One of the reasons that God allowed the Israelites to wander for 40 years was that was the length of time that it took to raise an entirely new generation. Maybe this time where we are now at will require that type of wandering before we are able to return to our preordained destiny.
Regardless, we of faith must submit ourselves to the governing authorities. If we are unable to do that, how can we truly submit our lives to He who provides all?
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” –Romans 13:1
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Behold
During my college days, one of the classes that I took was a Political Theory class. In writing my term paper for that class, I used Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and George Orwell’s “1984” to support my idea of the dangers of government run amok. Both authors paint a very dark and bleak picture of what could be when the people turn over all their rights and liberties to that which is made from man. Both Huxley and Orwell attempt to display just what life would be when men allow their God given rights and liberties to be subjugated to an all controlling government that is more concerned about the rights of the collective over the rights of men.
As far fetched as some of idea’s displayed in both of these tomes as I read them in the mid 1980’s, one thing is certain as I watch the events of the present day unfold, we are much closer to both of these novels being reality. The technology of “Big Brother” exists as described by Orwell and we certainly are a society of zombies walking around with the latest and greatest pharmaceuticals’ that divorce us from true reality just those described by Huxley who relied upon their “Soma” to make it.
I have never been interested in the type of theology that fully focuses upon the Book of Revelation. However, it cannot be argued that each day we are closed to the end of times described by John. It has struck me that one of the descriptors of the end times will be a time of super knowledge. 100 years ago, if you were to go to the store, chances were that you jumped upon your horse. The horse was the primary mode of transportation 100 years ago and has been the primary mode of transportation since before the time that Christ walked the earth. Today, transportation takes us to places that even 40 years ago were unimaginable. We are able to communicate with others on the other side of the world in a matter of split seconds.
In the Book of Revelation, Christ declares, “Behold, I am coming soon.” He is always faithful and fulfill this promise in His time. The question that I have to ask myself is just what am I doing each day in bringing someone closed to the Kingdom? Is that not what I will be judged upon? Am I striving each day to be a man of peace and to not allow the spirit of the anti-Christ to take hold?
As I prepare my heart and mind for the most meaningful day for a Christian, Resurrection Sunday, I have to ask am I living a life worthy of being called a child of the Great I Am.
As far fetched as some of idea’s displayed in both of these tomes as I read them in the mid 1980’s, one thing is certain as I watch the events of the present day unfold, we are much closer to both of these novels being reality. The technology of “Big Brother” exists as described by Orwell and we certainly are a society of zombies walking around with the latest and greatest pharmaceuticals’ that divorce us from true reality just those described by Huxley who relied upon their “Soma” to make it.
I have never been interested in the type of theology that fully focuses upon the Book of Revelation. However, it cannot be argued that each day we are closed to the end of times described by John. It has struck me that one of the descriptors of the end times will be a time of super knowledge. 100 years ago, if you were to go to the store, chances were that you jumped upon your horse. The horse was the primary mode of transportation 100 years ago and has been the primary mode of transportation since before the time that Christ walked the earth. Today, transportation takes us to places that even 40 years ago were unimaginable. We are able to communicate with others on the other side of the world in a matter of split seconds.
In the Book of Revelation, Christ declares, “Behold, I am coming soon.” He is always faithful and fulfill this promise in His time. The question that I have to ask myself is just what am I doing each day in bringing someone closed to the Kingdom? Is that not what I will be judged upon? Am I striving each day to be a man of peace and to not allow the spirit of the anti-Christ to take hold?
As I prepare my heart and mind for the most meaningful day for a Christian, Resurrection Sunday, I have to ask am I living a life worthy of being called a child of the Great I Am.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Duty and Honor
September 19, 2003, Hurricane Isabel bore down upon Fort Myer located in Arlington. Fort Myer is the home the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) conducts memorial affairs to honor our fallen comrades and ceremonies and special events to represent the Army. If you visit the Arlington National Cemetery, you will have the honor to watch these soldiers in action as they guard the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The Regimental Commander sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds in order to ensure their personal safety. Those soldiers chose to disobey this order. They stood their post in the face of the storm. That evening, the winds from Isabel were strong enough to flip vehicles and turned debris into projectiles. One soldier was quoted as saying, “I’ve got buddies getting shot in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I’m sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being known as the idiot who couldn’t stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty.”
1 Peter 2:9 declares that those who follow Christ “are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” I do not take lightly the calling that has been placed upon the followers of Christ that we are indeed a priesthood of believers. In ancient Israel, the temple priests were charged to ensure that the word of God stood as the primary guidepost for the people. The priests were in a sense the standard bearers for all that God asked of His people.
In my short time in this life, I have come to realize that storms are going to occur. I was able to witness first hand the destruction of a storm as I spent several weeks helping to clean up from the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina. I arrived in that area within 72 hours after the storm had run its course and it was very obvious that those things structures built upon a firm foundation were better able to withstand the wind and water then those things that were upon a less then firm foundation.
As I watch the current events of the world unfold, I find myself convinced more each day that there will soon be some extreme storms coming in this world. Now is the time for those who acknowledge the being of Jesus Christ in their life to stand firm in the face of the storm. As a follower of Christ, I take my calling into the priesthood as a duty and an honor. I know that someday soon, I will have to stand before the Great I Am and in no way do I want to be the idiot who couldn’t stand a light breeze and shirked my duty. Regardless of what storms the world has ahead, I will stand my post firmly and resolutely.
The Regimental Commander sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds in order to ensure their personal safety. Those soldiers chose to disobey this order. They stood their post in the face of the storm. That evening, the winds from Isabel were strong enough to flip vehicles and turned debris into projectiles. One soldier was quoted as saying, “I’ve got buddies getting shot in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I’m sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being known as the idiot who couldn’t stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty.”
1 Peter 2:9 declares that those who follow Christ “are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” I do not take lightly the calling that has been placed upon the followers of Christ that we are indeed a priesthood of believers. In ancient Israel, the temple priests were charged to ensure that the word of God stood as the primary guidepost for the people. The priests were in a sense the standard bearers for all that God asked of His people.
In my short time in this life, I have come to realize that storms are going to occur. I was able to witness first hand the destruction of a storm as I spent several weeks helping to clean up from the aftermath from Hurricane Katrina. I arrived in that area within 72 hours after the storm had run its course and it was very obvious that those things structures built upon a firm foundation were better able to withstand the wind and water then those things that were upon a less then firm foundation.
As I watch the current events of the world unfold, I find myself convinced more each day that there will soon be some extreme storms coming in this world. Now is the time for those who acknowledge the being of Jesus Christ in their life to stand firm in the face of the storm. As a follower of Christ, I take my calling into the priesthood as a duty and an honor. I know that someday soon, I will have to stand before the Great I Am and in no way do I want to be the idiot who couldn’t stand a light breeze and shirked my duty. Regardless of what storms the world has ahead, I will stand my post firmly and resolutely.
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