Total Dependence

If you live in America, and if you’ve been blessed with a loving family, financial security, and a strong group of friends, it is possible to go several days without reflecting on our need for God. It is possible to buy into the illusion that we are in control; that we direct our future, and that life will continue to play out in our favor. But I would challenge you to train yourself to embrace the truth. The truth is that apart from God, we can do nothing. If we do not remain in him, we can’t bear any fruit. And if we are not able to bear fruit we are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Jesus reminded us of this in John, chapter 15, verse 4 through 6, which says: 

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” 

Every believer wants to bear fruit. We want to grow in our faith, we want to obey his commands and we want to be used by him. To do this we must remain in him. As true as “without faith it is impossible to please God”, if we do not remain in him we can do nothing. We need to understand and embrace our complete and total dependence on the one who not only saved our soul but who also gives us life. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless. It is dead. Jesus is our source of life for today and for eternity. Earlier in the book of John, Jesus said that he came that we might have life and have it to the full. True believers understand that the only way we can truly live is to remain connected to Jesus, the vine.

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In America, we are raised to be independent and self-sufficient. But believers know that true strength and security comes from our dependence on God. He is the source for everything we need. Just like an infant is totally dependent on their parents even though, at times, it might be unaware of that, we are dependent on God, even if, at times, we lose track of that truth. When we buy into the illusion of independence, there will come a time when that illusion is shattered. But, if we hold fast to the truth of our dependence on God; if we remain in him as he remains in us, we will realize that whatever happens in life, we will not waver. Jesus said that apart from him we can do nothing. I hope that you and I will never try to do anything apart from him. So I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to filter all that we are through our relationship with God. Just like a branch that is connected to the vine; the stronger our relationship with him, the more healthy we will be and the more fruit we will bear.

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Lamb of God

When I was a child, I remember being in a store with a friend who shoplifted something. My job was to serve as the lookout while he did the deed. I confess, I didn’t really want to do it, but I was guilty all the same. We didn’t leave the store before being found out by security. When asked who was involved, my friend took all the blame. He was taken away and I was free to go. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what he did for me. I deserved to be punished, but was given grace. When Jesus walked the earth his primary role was to be the Lamb of God; to be the agent of grace for all mankind. He was to serve as the atonement for all because all have sinned. John the Baptist knew this and wasn’t shy about proclaiming it to all those around him. In John, chapter 1, verse 29 it says: 

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” 

Though I was guilty in the store incident, my friend was too. Even though he didn’t deserve all the blame, he wasn’t exactly innocent. Jesus was innocent and he took the blame for me, for you and for anyone who is open to receiving the gift of salvation. Jesus was known by many names; the Son of God, the son of man, the prince of peace, the messiah, Emmanuel, and the list goes on. But the most precious title that he carried was the “Lamb of God”, because it was his sacrifice on the cross that freed us all. He took the blame for that of which he was completely innocent. He was killed so that we would go free - a sacrifice that I hope you and I will never forget and will never take for granted.

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John proclaimed that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Today, I challenge you to consider those words; consider who Jesus is and what he did for us. About once every two months our church remembers Jesus’ death and resurrection through communion. If you are a regular church goer, I’m sure you’ve partaken of this sacrament as well. It helps us to remember and honor the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - your sin, my sin, and the sin of the entire world for generations past and generations yet to come. I encourage you today, to thank Jesus for his sacrifice. He paid the price so that we don’t have to. He died, so that we would be set free.

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Sending You

We are all unique beings, created by God for his pleasure. He gave us varying talents, passions and abilities that we can use to serve him. And we all have different personalities, different experiences, and different demographics that make us who we are. But, no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak, and no matter how rich or poor you are, we are all called to evangelize. We all have a mission to shine a light on Jesus and to invite others into the kingdom of which we are so blessed to be a part. It may sound like a “big ask”, but he is asking all the same. In John, chapter 20, verse 21, after Jesus rose from the dead and met with his disciples, he said this before he would ascend to the Father: 

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” 

Jesus said this directly to his disciples, and all of them obeyed and went wherever they were sent. They made it their mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Today, we have that same mission. Much of what is written in the Bible as commands and mandates for those it addressed, is also meant for us as well. Jesus said to his disciples, “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And as an extension, he is also saying that to us. So I would encourage you to obey. Be creative. Examine the personality, talents, passions and opportunities that God has given you, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can use them to carry out this mandate. Give it thoughtful consideration, because as you can see in John 20, Jesus is sending each and every one of us.

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You do not have to wait to hear the audible voice of God, or spiritually discern through fasting and prayer whether you should make it your mission to share Christ with others, because John reminds us that we are all being sent; each and every one of us. The question is, will you go? It is easy for us to pray to God in haste and say that we will do whatever he asks of us. But will we answer the call? If you are ready, he is asking. I believe that there are two modes of evangelism; opportunities that God brings to us, and opportunities that we carefully plan an execute on our own, or in partnership with others. In either case, we should purpose to be in step with the Spirit so that he guides us in our task. So I encourage you to pray today, and ask God where is he sending you. The answer may set you on a path that will change the course of your entire future.

Relative Truth

Relativism is an interesting concept. If you are poor and others around you are poor, you may not be aware of how poor you are because of your relative wealth. In other words, compared to your neighbor, you may be doing okay financially. But compared to a pop star, you might be incredibly poor. As a human race, we share this idea of relativism no matter where we live. But if you live in America, you live in a country where concepts like “good”, “wise” or even “truth” are also relative terms. Do you think you are a “good” person? Well, that might depend on what you consider “good”. Are you “wise”? Well, are we talking about street wisdom or book wisdom, and wise compared to who? What about “truth”? We live in a time when even facts aren’t necessarily considered “true”. But when it comes to faith in Christ, believers know that truth is not relative. It never has been and it never will be. In John, chapter 18, verses 37 and 38 we read this exchange between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. It says: 

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’ ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’” 

When it comes to our eternal salvation, there is only one truth. It doesn’t matter if our culture changes, our laws change, or even our thinking changes. Truth - as it applies to Jesus - will never change. After all, it is Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” When he identified himself as “the truth”, I believe he was explaining that there is only one truth, and it isn’t relative. With him, you idea of truth and my idea of truth can’t be different. How do we know what truth is? Through his word; the Holy Bible. John identifies Jesus as “the Word”. And Jesus said, “everyone on the side of truth listens to me”. Are you on the side of truth? Or does your idea of what is true change? Let us not be like Pilate. Let us not ask “what is truth?” as if the answer should be different for everyone. Because with Jesus, truth is not relative.

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The devil would like us to think that truth is relative. You can have your truth, I can have my truth, and both will lead to heaven. But the Bible teaches us that there is only one truth, and that is Jesus. He is the only way to heaven. No words that have ever been spoken are more true that his words. Our moral code, our idea of what is right or wrong, what is good or evil, and what is truth or a lie should all be filtered through him. He will help us align our skewed view of life, love, our future and everything that we know to the truth. And if we know the truth, Jesus assures us that the truth will set us free.

Complete Faith

What is “true faith”? What does it look like to truly believe and not to doubt? If you were to drop a ball, I’m sure you would have total and complete faith that it will fall to the ground. You would not doubt. In fact, if things were to happen any differently; say if the ball were to float upward, suspend in mid air, or shoot off diagonally instead of falling straight to the floor, it would probably blow your mind. You may even need therapy after seeing something so incredible. But if you, or I, were to drop a ball, there is no doubt in our minds that it would do exactly what we think it would do. That is “true faith”. That is the kind of faith Jesus had while he walked this earth. He had absolutely no doubt that when he laid his hands on someone they would be healed, that when he wanted to walk on the water he wouldn’t sink, and when he called Lazarus forth from the grave that he would be raised from the dead. It says in John, chapter 11, verses 41 and 42:  

“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 

The very next verse describes Jesus calling for Lazarus to “come out” from the tomb; a tomb in which he lay dead for four days! Even knowing this Jesus had absolutely no doubt that Lazarus would appear. In fact, when Jesus prayed aloud, he only did it for the benefit of the people around him, not for himself. So if you want to know what complete faith looks like, this is it. Jesus was as sure that Lazarus would walk out of the tomb, as you and I are that a ball dropped would fall to the floor. And I believe that it is this level of faith that we are to strive to achieve. One reason we believe that when we drop a ball it will fall to the floor is because we have complete faith in the law of gravity. We’ve seen it and experienced it since our first day on this earth. It has never changed, and never will change, unless God performs a miracle. Jesus has known from the beginning of time who the Father is and how he will respond to his prayers. I don’t know about you, but I want to hone my faith to a level that it is equal to, or even greater than, my belief in gravity.

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Faith is a learned behavior. Just like our faith in gravity is learned, our faith in our Lord is learned. The Bible teaches us that we build faith by reading his word. Romans reminds us that “faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God”. Faith is also learned through experience. When we experience God being true to his word, we have faith that he will do it again. So, we gain faith by reading God’s word and experiencing his faithfulness. Are you reading God’s word? Are you putting it into practice? That is how we gain faith. In fact, Jesus says that if we have faith and do not doubt, we can say to a mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. That is as impossible as saying to a man who has been dead for four days to “come out”, but Jesus had enough faith to believe in both.