Holiday
Park Church of ChristArticles Written by Michael Casey
Associate Minister, Holiday Park Church of Christ
© 2002-2005 All Rights Reserved
A Reverence for the Word of God
When was the last time you read the Bible? I don’t mean a casual turn to James or 2 Kings during a Sunday sermon. I don’t mean the last time you flipped to Leviticus during a Wednesday night study. When was the last time you sat down with the Scriptures, opened up its pages, and let the truth of God’s Word come pouring into your life? Maybe you took some time this last week. Maybe your life met up with a crisis and you took some time last month. Maybe you’re like me and the pace of life overtakes you sometimes and leaves you wondering, “When was the last time I walked with God through His Word?”
There seems to be a correlation for me between deficient Bible study and a deficient life. Whenever I find my relationships, my work, or my attitude going sour, there is usually a corresponding souring in my daily Scripture reading. The reverse is also true – when I make daily reading of God’s Word a priority, the other areas of life seem to fit right back into place. Now I’m not saying that God’s Word functions as some kind of lucky charm to ward off life’s problems. The problems will remain, but as we grow in our devotion to God the change it makes in our lives will help us to lay our burdens before Him.
The writer of Psalm 119 knew the value of reading and studying God’s Word. Turn to any part of this psalm and you will find verse after verse lauding the Scriptures and what they have done in the poet’s life. What we begin to hear in this psalm is a true reverence for God’s Word. Here are some examples:
I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
(Psalm 119:44 &45)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
(Psalm 119:105)
A reverence for God’s Word means having the humility to say we need the truth of God to refresh our weary lives. We need the light it gives to our feet that we might walk in freedom. We need the spiritual nourishment it brings with its words of truth. We cannot let crisis be our only motivation to turn our lives back to the Lord. Let us offer to God a precious gift – our time. Then we will be able to proclaim with the psalmist, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Psalm 119:32).
How do you think most Americans would respond to the question, “What is a Christian?” Would they say, “A sinner forgiven by God”? Would they answer, “A soul saved by the grace and mercy of God”? Something tells me these answers would be few and far between. From my conversations with people who do not believe, I would wager that the most common response would be something like, “A Christian is a person who has strong morals and does good things.” As nice as that answer sounds, it leaves out the very cornerstone of our Christian faith – the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It’s as if Satan were succeeding in a clever public relations campaign to steer people’s perceptions away from the beauty of the gospel. If the church is viewed as a gathering of the holy (rather than the forgiven), the person in need of God’s love will consider himself or herself unworthy to walk through the doors. It’s one more example of the twisted schemes of our spiritual enemy.
Thankfully, we have a Savior who does not wait for us to become holy enough to save. As Paul writes in Romans, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It is an idea both simple and wonderful. We don’t need to hold off from becoming followers of Christ because of our sin – it is only through Christ that those sins are taken away!
It may be that people watching Christians end up seeing the outward effects of our inner joy. They might see that we no longer use foul language; they might notice that we don’t take the easy, immoral paths to success. What they are seeing is the fruit of the Spirit that now dwells within us. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These virtues are the result – the fruit – of the Holy Spirit moving and reshaping our lives. The trap for non-Christians is to be fooled into believing that virtues are the beginning – the seeds – of faith in Christ rather than the work of God.
As God’s ambassadors, we share a message of love, hope, and forgiveness. We stand as a living testimony to the grace of God to forgive all sins. In our outreach, let us live as righteous examples. But let us be quick to proclaim that we can only to good things through the gifts of God in Christ.
There’s a lot of talk about “joy” throughout the month of December. Its used in songs describing the coming of humanity’s glorious Messiah. Its also used, five minutes later, to sell frozen fish. One commercial wishes everyone “joy for the season” but then goes on to say that true joy will only be found in shopping through their aisles. The message about joy can be confusing. Here are some of the reasons to have joy as espoused by my television and radio:
¨You get to spend time with your family. (a source of joy in most cases)
¨You get to give and receive gifts. (emphasis on receive)
¨Snow is fun. (if we’ve no place to go)
¨Dreaming is easier by a fire. (unless you’re a chestnut)
Now before you label me Ebeneezer, let me explain that the things above do, indeed, inspire strong feelings of happiness. Happiness is usually tied to the situation in which we find ourselves. For example, taking away the fire, the snow, the gifts, and the loved ones leaves us with … you guessed it … a blue, blue Christmas. Happiness can come and go depending on our circumstances. According to Scripture, joy and happiness are not the same. Consider these passages that talk about joy:
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:8-9)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2)
Joy comes from the hope that no matter what circumstances come my way, I am a child of God bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s a joy that runs deeper than holiday happiness and extends higher than occasional sadness. It faces trials, pushes through depression, and outlasts fleeting excitements. Its an eternal state of the heart that can be yours through every season.
We Also Believe and Therefore Speak
If I were to be honest with myself – truly honest – I would say that sharing the message of salvation with someone who does not yet believe still makes me nervous. I have been in youth ministry for over five years and I still get that sinking feeling when I try to steer a conversation toward faith in Christ. Will they look at me like I am a weirdo? Will they get defensive and think that I’m saying they’re a bad person? Will this put a damper on an otherwise smooth-sailing friendship?
Sharing what we know to be true can sometimes try our courage. Sometimes the result seems to be the very thing you feared most such as an awkward conversation or a strained friendship. I always have to remind myself that the message carries its own appeal – a message of love, forgiveness, and eternal life. Paul says we are like, “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7) which carry a treasure. The message of reconciliation does not depend on our own strength, power, beauty, or intelligence. In fact, our place in this picture as a worthless old pot is in contrast to the shining beauty of the treasure. Sharing the gospel might begin with an encounter between a Christian and a non-Christian, but it soon becomes an encounter between a lost child and a loving Father. Once again, our (often blundering) efforts lead to God’s power that is “made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Along with the knowledge that this is God’s power working, we also have the assurance that the message is true. Paul describes it this way:
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 2 Corinthians 4:13-14
We do not present the gospel message as one option among others. We share a knowledge of the truth which carries a promise of redemption. In short, we believe and therefore speak. There will be those who may reject this message – many in Paul’s time were vehement in their rejection – but we continue to uphold what is true. Perhaps with more opportunities, even the anxiety will wear off and we’ll rest in the knowledge that what we share with our friends and neighbors is the true message and power of God.
Holy Huddles and Burning Buildings
I heard an expression recently that was new to me, though I know it has been around for a long time. A speaker at one of our rallies warned the high school students that our youth ministries and churches should not become a “holy huddle.” I pictured a group of people with their arms up around each other facing into a circle with their backs to the world around them. I also imagined their huddle conversation being something like this: “Well, I’m glad we’re away from those people out there! To think that I used to be as lowly as they are!” Although the image did make me smile (and make me miss the next few minutes of the talk), I thought that it hit pretty close to home. Do we ever act as if we’re in a holy huddle? Do we sometimes mistake God’s righteousness for our self-righteousness?
I think these problems begin when we lose our love for the souls outside of our body. Scripture tells us clearly to be set apart from worldly things. Paul calls us to “no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thinking” (Ephesians 4:17) but he also claims that his mission is “to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). In Paul’s day, there were members of the church who made it their sole ambition to form a holy huddle. They fought against Paul’s claim that the gospel extends to Gentiles without any strings attached. Perhaps they never heard of Jesus’ teachings to Nicodemus when he said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son …” God’s salvation of the world began with his boundless love for it. How, then, as God’s children we act with anything less than love for the souls around us.
The same speaker suggested a better image for viewing our relationship to the world. Imagine you are sleeping over at a friend’s house. Late into the night, you awaken to the smell of smoke. You go to the door and notice flames leaping up from the stair well. The house is on fire! You take a few steps toward the back door, but then you suddenly remember your friend still sleeping in the bedroom. What would you do? Would you run for the back door, figuring someone else would wake up your friend? Would you count yourself privileged to have woken up and figure it was up to your friend to have the same luck? Would you blame your friend for being lazy? No way. You would run back as quickly as your legs could manage. You would do whatever was physically necessary to wake your friend up. You would pray that God would hold off just one more minute from bringing the house down on both of you. You would do all of this out of love. The precious souls in the world are sleeping and the end is coming. Will you run back to help them?
Knowing the Real Thing
How close do you have to look at a plant or an arrangement of flowers to know for sure whether it’s real or fake? A friend of mine can spot fake flowers from across a room. I don’t have this gift, so I usually end up touching them and smelling them before I can tell for sure. I’ve probably been the source of amusement for many mall-goers who passed by the poor young man tugging and sniffing at a plastic leaf. Sometimes it is difficult to spot the real thing among imitations.
Every day we come face-to-face with dozens of ideas about the world and human nature. For instance, on the Oprah Winfrey Show (or is it just called Oprah now? I can’t keep up), she interviewed a yoga master who seemed to have perfectly “balanced” every area of his life. A quote was put on the screen right before a commercial break that read, “The highest aim of the human soul is the actualization of its true self.” Boy, that sounded true. I wasn’t sure what “actualization” really meant, but I was sure I probably needed it. But then I looked at it again and wondered, “Wait a minute … what would I say is the soul’s highest aim? What would the Bible say?” Listen to this Scripture:
My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1)
I had encountered a different view of the world – vastly different from that found in the Bible. I pulled at it and smelled it and found it to be a fake. The soul exists to give glory to God. The statement on the screen was false.
Notice that even those who know the mall decorations are made of plastic and silk seem to have no problem with this. People are content and unfazed by the knowledge that giant trees of plastic stand in front of the food court. But what if it was their wedding bouquet? What if it was a single flower placed on the grave of a loved one? When it really matters, only the real thing will do. Paul warns us that in spiritual matters we cannot allow ourselves to be fooled. He writes, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8). God’s word is not one good idea among other options. It is the truth among a host of lies. Guard your heart and take time to … pardon the metaphor … smell the flowers.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
Nehemiah 2:18
Nehemiah found the city walls of Jerusalem in as bad a condition as the others had described. War and neglect had taken a toll on the once-proud fortifications. Broken gates, scorched stones, impassable streets – this was David’s great capitol. This was Zion.
But Nehemiah’s plan was not to weep and wail – he had already moved beyond that point. Nehemiah had come to build. The Persian king had already provided permission and resources and the workers were plenty. With a task before him and a means of accomplishing that task, Nehemiah and the other faithful servants got to work.
As long as we live in this world, brokenness will surround us. Children living in physical and emotional danger, young men and women suffering the consequences of their sins and the sins of others, workers losing the trust they had placed in the hands of their employers, elderly citizens despairing over life in their last days – these are the ruins we can see with a glance at the newspaper. Do we weep over this pain and grief? Yes, we weep and mourn the wretched condition of this frustrated creation. But we also know in our hearts that the God we serve has a plan to heal this broken world. He sent His son to bring forgiveness and grace to those who would hear. He also gave us the work of rebuilding.
Over the last few months, through sermons and lessons, our congregation took some time to think about what it means to be the body of Christ in Holiday Park. Scripture tells us that we are “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God planned some things for us to do – ways to bring hope, life, and love into the world around us. God also gave us the talents, skills, and gifts needed to be successful in these good works. How exciting! Like those workers who stood beside Nehemiah, our hands are ready to be lifted up in service.
The scene on the road to Emmaus shows us the deep impact of the events of the crucifixion on Jesus’ followers. The two travelers find themselves so caught up in feelings of loss and confusion that they can’t talk about much else. The death of their teacher weighs heavily upon them. The men don’t say why they are going to Emmaus, but they seem to want an escape from the burden of the last few days. A small town setting – only seven miles from Jerusalem – just might do the trick.
Of course, the journey does not progress very far before Jesus himself joins the travelers. He chooses to join them incognito – Luke says they are not able to recognize him. This stranger then asks them what they are talking about and they relate their thoughts and feelings:
He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:19-21)
These men had given their hearts to following Christ during the years of his ministry. They invested their trust and hope in this man from Nazareth … but now those hopes seem like distant dreams. Jesus must have heard their description of him and wondered how they could come so close and still miss the truth. On the one hand, the men were sincere in their desire to follow and believe. Yet on the other, their vision of the Messiah was sadly misplaced. They expected a strong king like David who would finally end the oppression of Israel. When Jesus speaks again, we see why he’s made a special trip to talk with these men:
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
Knowing their hearts, Jesus meets them on the road to direct their faith and discipleship back to the truth. He reopens the word of God to show them who the Messiah was supposed to be.
As modern-day followers of this same Messiah, we must continually return to God’s word to form our picture of Christ. The temptation to set up our own picture of our Lord –one might help us fulfill selfish gains – beckons every moment. Let us pray for hearts that are open to the Messiah we see in Scripture – the only true Lord!