He Is Risen

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Matthew 28:1-9 NKJV

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this passage, especially as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on this day. My prayer is that if you have never made the decision to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, you would decide to do it today. Invite Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins, and begin to experience the joy that comes from having a relationship with a living God, and the knowledge that He has promised us eternal life with Him in Heaven if we only believe.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.' Acts 2:21 NKJV

And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:30-31 NKJV

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 NKJV

He Is Risen!

Keep Watching

Prepare to Bow Down

A very popular song written and performed by the group MercyMe asks a question regarding what we as believers will do upon arriving in heaven. I'm sure you are probably familiar with the lyrics, but if not, this is the question they pose:

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

Actually, the question of what we will do when we finally stand in the presence of our God is answered in scripture. So today I thought we would look at three examples of men who were allowed the extraordinary privilege of meeting God face to face, and what their initial reaction was.

“What will my heart feel?”

Moreover He said, "I [am] the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 3:6 NKJV

Are you afraid of God? At first, that idea seems somehow to be wrong doesn't it? Why should we be afraid of the God who created us and loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sins? If we examine the meaning of the phrase “for he was afraid”, we see it means something more than a simple fear of something. In the Hebrew, this phrase is translated from the word yare', which means to be in awe of, to fear, reverence, honor and respect. In essence, we are told that when we stand in the presence of God, our reaction will be to bow our heads and look down or away as an acknowledgement of His power and authority over us as His created beings. It really comes down to respecting His position over us, and the appreciation of His omnipotence.

“Will I stand in your presence?”

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest,
Acts 9:3,4 NKJV

When I read this passage the first question that came to mind was Paul falling to his knees voluntary or involuntary? As I thought about it, since Paul had no idea what was going on before Jesus identified Himself to him, it must have been an involuntary reaction to the light that surrounded him. Have you ever physically recoiled from something that was so strong that it made you turn away? Can you imagine the intensity of light that it would take to force you to your knees? Remember the result of this encounter was Paul being blinded, and unable to see. When I was in my twenties and rebuilding my first car, I accidentally struck the metal of the frame with my arc welder before my mask was down and my face was only 12 inches or so from the arc. I was totally knocked to my knees and the result was having my eyes covered for 3 days or so because of the damage it did to them. I don't think there is any question that when we appear before our Lord, we will not stand, but fall to our knees.

“Will I be able to speak at all?”

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
Revelation 1:17 NKJV

Dead men don't talk. Now that might sound a little funny, but I think it is applicable in this case. John tells us that he fell at the feet of Jesus as a dead man. Remember this was John the Apostle. He claimed Jesus as his best friend. He sat beside him at the Last Supper. The Bible tells us he wanted to be Jesus' “favorite”. I think there was no question he knew who he was looking at, because I'm sure he recognized Jesus' voice. Yet instead of embracing Him he immediately falls to the ground and in his words, became as dead which logically probably also included being speechless. Have you ever had the opportunity to meet an old friend or family member you haven't seen in years? What was your reaction? Did you fall down to the ground like John did? Probably not, but when John was finally reunited with his friend and Savior after all those years what did he do? He said nothing, and fell to the ground as dead.

When we finally enter into the presence of God, I believe we will react exactly the same as these three men did. Having the opportunity to see for ourselves the glory of our God and Father and appear before His throne will produce the exact same situation experienced by Moses, Paul, and John. Yet I also believe this will simply be our initial reaction. The Bible tells us that we will worship, sing, dance, and rejoice in His presence. But what is the first thing we do? Prepare to bow down!

Keep watching.

Is Spring the Season of the Rapture?

Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son."
Genesis 18:14 RSV

What's your favorite season? You know, I enjoy all of them for one reason or another, but if I had to pick one for my favorite, it would be the spring. Now I do enjoy the winter, sort of, but as I sit here and look out the window in my study I can see just a little bit of snow left on the mountain tops, my tulips blooming, and quail, songbirds, robins and doves eating out of my feeder. I like to call spring the time of new beginnings, because so much happens in so short of a time. I can see buds appearing on my trees, the robins have returned from wherever it is they go in the winter, the ground is turning green, and of course it looks like today I will have to see if the lawn mower survived the winter because the grass on my lawn is growing again.

If one was to do a study of the events listed for us in the Bible, it would appear that God ordained many events to occur in the spring as well. It is especially interesting to see how many of those events could be identified with the idea of a new beginning. In the passage above, God has visited Abraham and Sarah and told them that Sarah was to have a son. He also tells them that He will return to see them when that happens, and even tells them the season; spring! If you look closely at the Hebrew you will find that in this particular case, the RSV translates it best, because if you take the two words mowed and chay together in the same phrase you understand spring is identified as the season this event will occur.

mow`ed : 1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting

chay : 1) living, alive, a) green (of vegetation), b) flowing, fresh (of water), c) lively, active (of man), d) reviving (of the springtime)

Since Abraham is told he would become the father of the nation of Israel, the birth of Isaac began the fulfillment of that prophecy and as we see, it began in the spring.

We also find in the book of Exodus that the deliverance of the nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt occurred in the spring. The first three feasts of Israel, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits all occur in the first month on the Jewish calendar which normally begins around the end of March or the beginning of April on our calendar, and is called Nisan or Abib.

And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. "On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.
Exodus 13:3,4 NKJV

Of course, of greater interest to us as believers is the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred at the time of these three feasts as well. If you recall, Jesus celebrated passover with His disciples, was then arrested, crucified, and then rose again on the third day which was the Feast of Firstfruits.

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
Matthew 26:1,2 NKJV

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
Matthew 28:1,2 NKJV

Now you talk about the idea of spring being a time of new beginnings, how important could the fact be that our deliverance occurred in the spring? Do you really think so many things happening in the spring is just coincidence? If you think it may be, why not look at another event that is certainly significant to all believers. Just fifty days after the resurrection, on the Feast of Pentecost, something else rather important happened as well; the birth of the Church.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:1,2 NKJV

Do you begin to see what I mean about the spring being the most interesting season? The Bible is full of “new beginning” type events which occur in the spring. Is it possible then that the rapture of the church could occur in the spring season? If it did, it would certainly fit in with the idea of a new beginning type event happening the same time as so many others have. So in light of this, I saved the best for last. You remember the children of Israel being delivered out of Egypt? What did God have planned for them? That's right, they were headed to the promised land. Do you know when they got there?

And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before. Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
Joshua 4:18,19 NKJV

Here we are again! Back to the first month, the spring, the time of new beginnings. God delivered the children of Israel into the promised land on the tenth day of the first month. Is it possible this is also a picture of when the church will enter her “promised land”? Could spring be the season of the rapture ? If you know me by now you understand I believe the rapture of the church could happen at anytime, so I would never attempt to predict a certain “day” for it to occur. As far as choosing a “season” though, I would be very comfortable choosing the spring as the season where it might happen. Am I looking up? Oh you bet I am! With everything else that is happening in the world right now you have to believe we are so very close. That nearness, however, prompts me to ask you this question. If you have come to this point in your life and not made a decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to you by our Saviour Jesus Christ, don't you think it would be a good idea to do it now?.

One last thing. I know many of you who follow this blog are curious about the subject of numbers and how they are used in the Bible. You also know by now that while I find that subject intriguing, it's not something I am led to pursue. But for those of you who are, here is a “freebie”. If the children of Israel entered the promised land on the tenth of the month, then their first full day of their new life was the eleventh. If the church were to be raptured following this example, then our first full day in heaven would be the eleventh as well. According to the Jewish calendar, this year that could be written 1-11-11. Since many believe that the Bible uses the number one as the number signifying new beginnings, isn't it interesting that this year all those “ones” could line up? Oh, and if you are wondering, the eleventh day of the first month would be Wednesday/Thursday of this week. No, again I'm not predicting anything, but isn't it fun to study the Word of God? I hope to see you soon.

Keep watching.

The Carpenter's Rule

"Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.
Mark 6:3 NKJV

My father was a part-time carpenter as was my grandfather before him. My first real job was as a carpenter's apprentice, and I have worked as a carpenter off and on my entire life. So it goes without saying that I enjoy the fact that Jesus was a carpenter, especially if you consider that God chose for Him to be born to a carpenter rather than to an earthly father with any other trade. As I often do, I ask the question “why” when thinking about this fact. What might the reason be for God to choose this profession for His son? Have you ever considered the fact that God is the master carpenter who built the universe from nothing, and simply wanted Jesus to follow in His footsteps?

One of the very first things I learned as a carpenter was how important the foundation is to whatever it is you intend to build. What could be called the carpenter's golden rule is that you must have a strong, perfectly level foundation on which to build. Working as a framer on many large housing projects gave me ample opportunity to build on foundations others had laid, and I can tell you from experience that a poor foundation affects the entire construction process. Absolutely everything has to be adjusted to compensate for a poor foundation from the framing, wallboard, doors, ceilings, cabinets, and just about everything else you can think of. I'm sure that Jesus was well aware of this rule, and I think it comes as no surprise to those who build that it is reflected in what Jesus had to say about building His church.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18 NKJV

Jesus tells us two things here. One, the foundation of His church is built upon a rock so strong that not even Satan can move it. Two, He tells us exactly what that foundation is and if we look back just two verses we see what Jesus is referring to;

Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:16 NKJV

You see, the church is made up of those who choose to believe that Jesus was, and is the Son of God. When an individual chooses to accept this fact, and acknowledges that Jesus died for their sins, they then become “Christians”, or one of those who believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God sent to this earth to die for our sins, and to then rise from the dead so that we too could have eternal life. From that point on, the true believer seeks to follow all that we are taught by the Word and by the Holy Spirit. Jesus describes His followers this way;

"Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Luke 6:47,48 NKJV

Unfortunately, Satan has done a very good job in creating flawed foundations for the world to choose from. There are even those today who seem to want to alter, or modify the very foundation God has laid for us. Yet the Word of God makes it clear that there is only one foundation strong enough to stand for eternity, and the Apostle Paul reminds us of what it is in his letter to the Corinthians.

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV

The events of the past few weeks have led many to consider the idea of “foundations”. We have had many opportunities to witness what can happen to structures built by man, and just how fragile they really are. Is your life built upon the rock of Jesus' death and resurrection? Have you chosen to accept His sacrifice and payment for your sin, or is your life built upon an imperfect foundation laid by man? If you want to build your house on a foundation that will last for eternity, you can do that right now. Simply understand this; First you need to understand you are a sinner who needs a Savior. The bible tells us we all have sinned and failed to live up to God's standards. Second you need to understand that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. There is no way we can save ourselves, so God chose to send Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Third, and most important, you need to turn away from your sin and accept this payment by asking Jesus to come into your life and to help you begin to build on the foundation He has made for you.

As we watch the world move ever faster towards the end of this age, may you live your life with the confidence that comes from the knowledge your “house” is built upon a foundation that can never be moved.

Keep watching.

Checked Your Balance Lately?

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV

Have you ever suffered from the embarrassment of bouncing a check? I think for one reason or another most of us have and I'm sure just like me, you did not enjoy the feeling that came with the knowledge that you had made a serious mistake. I'm sure as well, we all share a typical response to that event by learning to check our balance often to be sure we have more than enough money in our account.

Most of us are probably familiar with this passage, but like I always say, if you look a little closer at the familiar ones you usually can find something new you may not have seen before. This passage is no exception so I think I will share some thoughts that I have learned from it that have truly changed my thinking about the most important account we possess. I think I will do that by focusing on three aspects of this passage concerning our accounts, and we will call them the where, what, and why of heavenly deposits.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal”

Ever hear the saying; location,location,location? At first glance I had the feeling we were being told it was wrong to try to save up or seek to gain wealth, but that is not what we are told here. Rather we are told that “where” we seek to invest is the important thing. Now I'm sure we all spend a great deal of time watching our time cards and figuring out how much we will have in the bank by the end of the pay period, but how closely are we watching and working to fill our account in heaven? Did you even realize you had an account there? Jesus makes it plain that not only do we, He is keeping an eye on the balance. One thing God makes perfectly clear in this passage is that earthly “deposits” do us absolutely no good at all. Any treasures we accumulate here will eventually be destroyed, or stolen, but whatever the outcome they remain part of this world and not the next. The only “safe” place to make deposits is in God's domain, and the place where we will spend eternity with Him.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV

"but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,”

The next question that should come to mind is how do we make deposits in our heavenly account? Jesus seems to make it pretty clear that the “what” we seek to deposit is a result of our works or service for Him. When you become a believer in Christ you make a commitment in love to serve Him. Our actions here on earth should reflect not only our desire to serve God, but our awareness that what we do here on earth for Him is being added to our heavenly account. Do the choices you make every day show you are focused on your heavenly account, or are you more concerned with spending time adding to your earthly account? One of the best lines I have heard on this subject came from a sermon by Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship when he said “you can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead”. The smallest effort done in the name of God for His glory makes a deposit in our heavenly account. We often see people doing great things for God and think that we could never do that, but in God's eyes it is not the size of the gift, but the giving that matters. If we do anything for the glory of God, it counts in God's eyes.

"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
Matthew 10:42 NKJV

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A question that anyone who has ever had children can relate to is “why”? It seems children are always asking that question in response to practically anything they are asked to do. Something I learned early on in my study of scripture is that God anticipates His children asking that same question so He always tells us the reason we are told to do something. Here we are told that first of all, our “treasure” has a very powerful hold upon our “heart”. Have you ever found yourself consumed by the desire to acquire something? We often go to extremes in order to save enough or budget enough to get whatever it is our heart desires. Be it a car, a house, a vacation in an exotic location, whatever, we can at times be consumed by the “desire to acquire”. So the question God is asking us here is do we have that same desire and commitment to deposit into our heavenly account? Now here is a surprise. If you look up the definition of the word treasure in this verse you will find that it does not mean “what” but “where”. That's right, the word thēsauros means “the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up”. So what God is telling us is that because our heart determines our focus, we need to make sure our hearts desire is to deposit in our heavenly account because we can't do both!

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24 NKJV

Is this difficult to do? Absolutely! Most of us live a comfortable life in a nice house with a nice car, and take a vacation every year. God's question to us is just how much time and effort did it take to get that and maintain it? Is our focus on this life and the “things” it has to offer, or is our heart focused on serving Him and making deposits in heaven?

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19:21-22 NKJV

How easy it is to become attached to the things of this earth to such a degree that we are consumed with getting and keeping them and maintaining a lifestyle that the world would approve of. The question here is how many of us are going to arrive in heaven only to find our heavenly account is overdrawn? Have you noticed lately how many people are jumping on the “end times” bandwagon? I am amazed every day as I read accounts where people are starting to ask the question and speculate about the possibility that we actually are approaching the end of this age. I certainly believe we could see the rapture of the church at any time, so it goes without saying that if you believe as I do that the end is near, don't you think it's a good idea to check the balance in your heavenly account? We don't have much time left to make our deposits, so join me in doing as much as we can in the short time we have left.

Keep watching.

Apocalpse?

THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
Revelation 1:1,2 NKJV

After the events of the past few weeks, I wonder if you have heard the word “apocalypse”, or “apocalyptic” as many times as I have while listening or reading the news? At least once in every report you find yourself hearing the reporters use this word to describe the events which have occurred in just the past few weeks. I especially hear it a lot while watching programs on the History Channel that concern the end of the world. Yet, if you look up the meaning of apocalypse in the Greek, this is what you find;

apokalypsis:
1) laying bare, making naked
2) a disclosure of truth, instruction
a) concerning things before unknown
b) used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto
withdrawn from view are made visible to all
3) manifestation, appearance

Now do you see anything there that talks about the end of the world? How about disasters that threaten the existence of mankind as we know it? Nope, not there. So how or why does the use of this word always seem to be referring to events of this nature? Consider the possibility that the world knows more about the last book of the Bible then they would like to admit, and it's continual use proves the awareness of what the message contained in the Revelation of Jesus Christ is really all about.

If you choose to study the Bible at all, you soon realize that it is a history of how God chooses to reveal Himself to mankind, and at intervals directly exhibit His omnipotence in the affairs of this world. Although the Bible makes it clear that man has the freedom to choose his own path, God certainly does not hesitate to assert His power when the occasion demands. When I stop to consider this, I can't help but think back to the time I taught my daughter how to ride a bicycle. Now if that sounds strange to you, let me try to explain my thinking.

If you think about it, learning to ride a bicycle for the first time is really not that much different than many other things we learn as we grow. It is a process where you first instruct, then assist, and then allow to perform all on their own. When they fall, or appear to be headed for danger, you assert your power by interfering with the process by correction and instruction, then begin the cycle again. If the individual demonstrates the competence to perform, you don't interfere. However if it becomes necessary, you have the power to do so.

Can you now look at the history of man that we find in the Bible and see how God has done this very thing? The Bible is full of examples of how God has instructed, allowed to perform, and then had to interfere to correct when man makes their inevitable mistakes. The book of Revelation is the revealing to mankind by Jesus Christ the previously unknown particulars as to how God plans to assert His power for one last time in order to not only judge, but to allow the world an opportunity to accept Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:8 NKJV

The Bible begins with God creating this world, and ends with the judgment of this world followed by the creation of a new one. The book of Revelation is simply Jesus telling us what God revealed to Him about how He is going to accomplish that. Yet the book of Revelation also reveals something else as well, and that is the role played by Jesus Christ in the history of this world.

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:5,6 NKJV

Before He even begins to reveal the fate of this world, God reminds us that because of the sacrifice made by His Son, Jesus Christ, we can escape what is to come.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16,17 NKJV

The book of Revelation, or “apocalypse” is only the story of what happens to those who choose NOT to accept the salvation God has provided. As Paul tells us;

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV

Why does the world choose to use the word apocalypse when describing catastrophic events which seem to be occurring with greater frequency and intensity? I'm not exactly sure, but there is certainly no reason why it can't be a reminder to those of us who believe and choose to watch that not only do we know what to expect, but we can also expect it much sooner than others might think. There is no question in my mind, and that of many others, that what we are witnessing right now is the beginning of the process whereby God chooses to once again exhibit His power as the God of all He has created.

If you have never taken the opportunity to receive Christ as your personal Saviour, I would encourage you to make that decision right now. The events we see happening all over the world at this very minute were predicted by Jesus two thousand years ago as a sign for us to watch for. The time for God's final judgment is rapidly approaching and the deliverance of His believers from that judgment could happen at any moment. Simply pray to God and acknowledge your sin, ask Him for His forgiveness, and then ask Jesus to come into your life and receive the gift of salvation God has provided for us.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
John 1:12 NKJV

Keep Watching

Are You Ashamed?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Romans 1:16 NKJV

ashamed: feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace.
unwilling or restrained because of fear of shame, ridicule, or disapproval
dictionary.reference.com

Have you ever been ashamed to share what you believe with someone else? Have you ever found yourself talking about God with a fellow believer and then change the subject when someone else walks up? I think it is fair to say that at one time or another we all have suffered from feelings of embarrassment when trying to share, and also been afraid that we would be ridiculed or made fun of because of what we believe.

I find it interesting that Paul even brings up this subject considering his personal experiences as an apostle. I find it hard to believe that he ever suffered from an acute case of embarrassment while sharing the gospel with others. Yet he does choose to address it, so I think it might be beneficial to examine this passage and see what we can learn to help us avoid the possibility of being ashamed.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word ashamed is that the focus is on what other people think. In other words I am not worried about what I think, or what my convictions may or may not be, but rather I am worried about what others might think. Yet the Bible makes it clear that as believers our first and only thoughts should be about what God would want us to do, and pleasing Him.

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
1 Thessalonians 4:1 NKJV

Not only has God commanded us to share Him with an unbelieving world, it pleases Him to see us do it! Are you concerned with pleasing God, or is your focus on what someone else might think of you? I believe Paul is reminding us that we need not be ashamed to share what we believe if we remember we are following the instructions of our heavenly Father. The disciples were in this position right after Jesus commissioned them and returned to Heaven, and their response to the high priest was this;

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29 NKJV

I think this makes it perfectly clear where they placed their priorities; they were much more concerned with what God would think than what the people might think. I somehow think as well that they were remembering something Jesus said during His ministry when He was sending them out to share the gospel for the first time.

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32 NKJV

So it would appear that what Paul want us to know is that there is no reason to be ashamed when we are doing the will of our Father in heaven. Yet Paul goes one step further in this verse which not only sends a message to the people of Rome, but to those who choose to listen today. Notice if you will the reason Paul says he is not ashamed; it is because of the power of God! Paul was writing to the Romans, who at that time in history were the most powerful people and nation on earth. Yet what does Paul say to them but that as powerful as they were, there was a greater power that they did not possess and that was the power to give eternal life!

If you stop to think about it, how many different ways can you think of where people are trying to exercise or obtain power? It shows up in practically every situation you can think of from who gets the best toys to play with in preschool to the person who cuts you off in the parking lot trying to get to the empty spot before you do. The world seems obsessed with the idea of power, and who has the most. From athletics, to business, to politics, to your boss at work, everyone at one time or another likes to exhibit their power. So when Paul takes his ministry to the most powerful nation on earth, rather than being ashamed as if he were representing a weaker authority, he boldly states there is a greater power than even Rome could wield. Only God has the power to give eternal life, and this is the message of the Gospel of Christ which Paul, and we the church, are commissioned to proclaim. The world needs to know, however, that this is only one of the ways God has chosen to exhibit His power.

It comes as no surprise that the events of this past week have produced questions concerning the nearness of the rapture of the church. Many have asked me for my thoughts on what occurred and if these are indeed signs of our impending departure. One of the subjects I have discussed in the past with others who share my convictions is when the rapture might happen in relation to the start of the tribulation period. In other words, does the rapture itself start the tribulation, or is there a period of time, long or short, between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation? My personal feeling is that there is a short period of time between these two events, and that it occurs for a very specific reason. What is that reason? I believe so that God can begin to demonstrate who really has the power in this universe.

Most often when studying or considering the subject of the tribulation, many would look at it in light of God's “judgment” on an unbelieving world. I would certainly not disagree for the Bible makes it clear that it certainly is all of that. But something that often gets lost in the discussion is just what else God might be trying to accomplish at the same time. My firm belief is that He chooses to shake the foundations of the earth in order to show the world exactly where the ultimate power of the universe lies. Does that sound so strange? Consider this;

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Romans 9:22 NKJV

We find here that Paul suggests God has a plan to show the world His power in just this way. I believe that God's plan is to first demonstrate His power through those who believe, and as we approach the time of tribulation begin to show His power through the shaking of His creation. Anyone who has even a basic knowledge of what occurs during the tribulation understands that God is going to exhibit His power through natural catastrophes that devastate the earth. Are we seeing the beginnings of that process even now? Is the rapture of the church imminent? Many of those who choose to watch faithfully as Jesus commanded would answer that question with an emphatic “yes”!

As disturbing as the images we have seen this past week in Japan are, we know from the Bible that it is nothing compared with what is to come. As even more events such as this begin to occur, will you boldly proclaim the power of the Gospel or be ashamed and afraid of what others will think? Pray for boldness with the knowledge that more is to come, and we will have even more opportunities to share the message of Jesus in the short time we have left. Remember what Paul said; only God has the power to save.

Keep Watching.