Know The Times

Todays meteorological technology can warn us of several types of natural disasters before they hit. It can map out storm patterns, predict when it will rain, and forecast conditions days in advance with a great deal of accuracy. Even without equipment, we are able to sense when it will rain and make educated guesses about when it will be hot, muggy, chilly or freezing. We know these things because we can interpret the signs. In Luke, Jesus explains that there are others signs that we should be able to interpret as well; signs of the time as it pertains to our spiritual present and future. He says in Luke, chapter 12, verses 54 through 56:

“He said to the crowd, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot.’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” 

When we read the Bible, sometimes we forget that the story isn’t over. There are many events that haven’t happened yet, but have been prophesied. By paying attention to the news and changing culture, we can also discern where our nation and world is heading in the short term. Just like we are able to sense when it is going to be hot, we should be able to discern the spiritual temperature of the times. We should be able to see the warning signs threatening believers in our nation and around the world. When you hear the words that Jesus spoke in Luke 12, what comes to your mind? How do you see the world evolving spiritually? We know how the story ends. As believers, we can pray for Jesus’ swift return, or we can pray for him to delay so that others might be brought into the fold. In either case, we should be able to discern that the time is short, that for the most part, the church is drifting further away from God, and that the rate of our spiritual destruction will either hasten Jesus’ return or bring about revival.

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In Luke, Jesus helps us understand that we should not be ignorant of the times. He also told us that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. There is work to be done, even in these times. Some might say, especially in these times. This is not the time to grow apathetic, distant and cold toward God. It is time to rekindle our relationship with him, to press into him and to be about his work. Whether it is your prayer that he hastens his return, or that he delay for the lost, our mandate doesn’t change. How do you interpret this present time? What signs are you seeing that would indicate the spiritual temperature of our nation and our world? As the body we need to wake up. If a frog is put into a pot of water and the water is brought to a boil, it will slowly die without even knowing it was in danger. But if a frog is thrown into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out and save its life. Are you slowly boiling to death, not realizing that our culture is drawing you away from God. Or will you allow the Holy Spirit to shock you with the truth of the time in which we live so that you can be on point for the kingdom? Ultimately, the choice is up to us.

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Greed

When I consider the fleshly temptations that we pursue in this brief and simple life, I can only identify a few that dominate us. Each of them are temptations common to mankind, and it only takes a few years after we’ve been born to become susceptible to them. They include power, drugs, sex, fame and money. In the American culture, I would argue that out of these, the most chased after is money because money, though it is a pursuit unto itself, is also a gateway into these other fleshly pursuits. The Bible has much to say about the sinful pursuits common to mankind. And as a human species, it can be difficult to look beyond these desires; to understand the kind of hold they may have on us. And even if we become aware they are still very difficult to shake or abandon. But Jesus said this about money in Luke, chapter 12, verse 15: 

“Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” 

Sinful pursuits are deceiving. We believe that if we acquire our fill of power, drugs, sex, fame or money we will be satisfied; that our hearts will be content. But the Bible, as well as life, teaches us otherwise. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions, yet, we pursue them nonetheless. We pursue them to our detriment. And like anything we choose to indulge in, with healthy moderation and with godly constraints, they can be permissive. They can even be good. Power can be good if it is used to serve. Drugs can be good if they are used to heal. Sex can be good if practiced within the confines of marriage. Fame can be good when it is encouraging to our self-esteem and doesn’t elevate itself to pride. And money can be good when it is something we use, not something we pursue. Jesus tells us to be on guard against all kinds of greed. I believe he says this because he knows the hearts of men, and he knows how we can allow things like greed to rule over us. So I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to pursue those things that will last; to pursue what is good; to pursue what Jesus pursued, which is our God and the life that follows this one.

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In Luke, Jesus said that “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. If not, then what does a man’s life consist of? Righteous pursuits are love, sacrifice, service, and selflessness to name a few. And when these righteous pursuits are chased through the filter of our faith in Christ, they are amplified and are able to garnish treasures in heaven; treasures that will last for eternity. Why would we want to pursue that which is temporal when we can pursue that which is eternal? The pursuits of the flesh are enticing. They are tempting and will ultimately lead to destruction because they are sinful. Jesus said: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Now that we have been warned, we need to pursue that which leads to life… life eternal.

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Christ's Ambassador

Often times in politics, the President is not able to do all of the traveling, the meeting and greeting, and making the initial contacts with foreign dignitaries. Instead, he’ll appoint an ambassador to go ahead of him to lay the ground work, or even to make decisions on his behalf, almost as if he were speaking for the President. In Luke, Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples ahead of him to every town and place he was about to go with a similar objective. It was as if these seventy-two were his representatives; it was as if they were his ambassadors, imbued with his power and authority. When sending them, Jesus said in Luke, chapter 10, verse 16: 

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 

The dictionary describes an ambassador as “a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.” The seventy-two disciples that Jesus sent out were his ambassadors; they were his representatives. When they spoke, in many ways it was as if Jesus were speaking. When they performed miracles, it was by the authority Jesus gave them. You may have heard it said that we, as believers, are Jesus’ ambassadors today. When we show love in his name, when we do work in his name, and when we evangelize in his name it is as if he has given us authority to act on his behalf. And I would argue that even when we are just going about our day and living our lives, we are still his ambassadors. We never clock out. So if you are a believer today, I would encourage you to take on the mindset of an ambassador of Christ. He wants us all to go into the harvest field. As Jesus said earlier in the same chapter, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”. We are his workers. If we are already few in number, what will happen if some, or most of us, decide not to go into the harvest field? So I would encourage you to go. I would encourage you to be his ambassador.

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We are Christ’s ambassadors. Jesus said, “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” So, when you share about Christ in love, don’t take it personally if someone rejects his message. They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting him. Our job is to be his vessels; to be his workers in the harvest field. And if we are walking in step with the Spirit, the result of the work is totally up to him. Remember, it is the Father who draws men unto himself. But more often than not, he chooses to use us to guide them by the hand.

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Within The Womb

The topic of abortion has been a hotbed issue in America ever since Row v Wade. Today, the liberal culture not only values abortion, but it celebrates it, spinning what is clearly evil into the guise of women’s healthcare and women’s rights. It is viewed as progressive and victimless resting on the idea that the unborn are un-alive. As our nation continues to play God, claiming the authority to end pregnancies, believers need to remember what the Bible says about life within the womb. The most common biblical argument supporting God’s sovereignty and the notion that life begins in the womb comes from Psalm 139, verse 13 which says: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” But I wanted to highlight a couple of verses in Luke that are just as compelling. Concerning God’s sovereignty when it comes to the unborn, it says this concerning John the Baptist in Luke, chapter 1, verse 15:

“…for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” 

God had a plan for John even before he was born, and I believe he has a plan for ever unborn child. And with every abortion, his sovereign plan is subverted. As to biblical evidence of life beginning within the womb, it goes on to say in verse 41:

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

So, even before being born John the Baptist was alive and active within the womb. Through the Holy Spirit he was able to sense Mary who was pregnant with Jesus. It says he “leaped in her womb”. Dead tissue cannot do that. Even today, women feel the baby moving, kicking and reacting to outside stimulus within the womb. To claim that the unborn is not living, should not be protected and doesn’t have rights is not ignorance, it is selfishness. Because I would argue that it is impossible, with all of the scientific evidence we have, to believe that the unborn is not alive.

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There is biblical evidence supporting the truth that the unborn is not only living, but worth protecting. And I believe that the scientific evidence we’ve gained over the years is even more compelling. Yet, our culture still seems to ignore the facts. We seem to want to take on the role of God and decide that only those children who are wanted should be born, and those who are not wanted should be aborted. This is the pinnacle of selfishness. Jesus said that “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” If this is the greatest display of love, then how should we define one who is willing to lay down the life of a child so that their life will not be disrupted?

Your Faith

I’ve often quoted Hebrews 11:6 where it says in part, “without faith it is impossible to please God”. So faith must be present in every believers life. In fact, having faith in God is the very definition of a believer. But did you know that our level of faith, or lack thereof, can have a direct effect on whether our prayers are answered? My guess is that you do. But in case I’m mistaken, the story of Jesus healing the blind beggar may help you understand the importance of our engaging our faith when we expect God to move on our behalf. In Luke, chapter 18, verse 42 it says: 

“Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.” 

It was the blind beggars faith that brought about healing. Jesus was the vessel used to perform the healing, but he said that it was the beggar’s faith that healed him. There are several other accounts where healing was reliant on the recipient’s faith. There is an account in Matthew where two blind men came to be healed. Jesus said to them, “according to your faith will it be done to you.” What if the men in Matthew and the blind man in Luke didn’t have faith? I believe that they would not have been healed. I say all of this to encourage you to build your faith. If you want the Holy Spirit to intervene on your behalf; if you want your prayers answered; or if you are crying out to God for deliverance, you must have faith. Otherwise, you shouldn’t expect anything from him because more often than not, there will be a direct connect between your faith and the move of God.

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Much like everything else when it comes to our Christian walk, our level of faith makes a huge difference. In Matthew, Jesus said that if we have the faith of a mustard seed we can say to a mountain move from here to there and it will. How is your faith? If you are in need of a move from God, often times it is your faith that will get his attention. I believe in prayer chains, the laying on of hands by fellow believers and the fervent prayers of the saints, but we should all be secure enough in our own faith that should we hear the words, “according to your faith will it be done to you,” we won’t be left disappointed. So I would encourage you to believe. Rely first on your faith. Walk close enough to God that like the blind man, it will be as if he says to you, “your faith has healed you”.