UP THE SYCAMORE!

Abigail: From the House of a Foolto the Heart of a King

2011-05-29T18:24:00.002-05:00

Christian women are not exempt from marital difficulties. We need restored faith in a God that can work in the most stubborn of hearts and difficult situations!

So once again, I'm featuring articles from my series "Six Women in the Bible with Challenging Marriages". Over the next few weeks, we'll draw insight and encouragement from the lives of Leah, Sarah, Abigail, Hannah, the Shunammite and Hagar--extraordinary women who trusted God in marriages from taxing to troublesome to terrible!

Are you living with a difficult, often mean man? So did Abigail. But regardless of how bad he was, she wouldn't let him steal her beauty or sanity.

Abigail was married to a fool. Even his name, Nabal, means "foolish, wicked, vile, and impious"--and he was all of these! The Bible records that his household servants considered him to be a "son of Belial" (the devil) and no one could reason with him. (I Samuel 25:17)

More than likely this was an arranged marriage from Abigail's childhood. Nabal was a very wealthy shepherd who lived in Maon, a town in the hill country of Judea surrounded by desert. (1 Samuel 25:2)

After describing Nabal, the Bible writer makes sure to record that Abigail was beautiful and wise (1 Samuel 25:3). One would think that after years of being the object of Nabal's misery, she would show signs of wear and tear. I'm not referring to make-up or fashion, but the graying face, the forgotten smile, and the eyes that no longer twinkle with laughter.

Yet, Abigail was known for both her beauty and her mind! In fact, her name means, "source of joy". Nabal was NOT her source for happiness. Outward conditions did not define her. An abiding joy came from within...a place so secret and sacred no man could enter.

The Bible says we are "saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8). Being saved from the nature to sin is just the beginning of our salvation experience; we need to be saved daily from all sorts of things and in the same way--by grace through faith. It does not come through the strength of our own resolve to survive a tough situation. It is a gift from God.

This divine grace is called "sufficient" in 2 Corinthians 12:9. The Greek is arkeo, and it means, "able to raise a barrier, ward off; avail". It also implies, "satisfactory, enough." In this definition we see that grace carries the enabling force of the Holy Spirit--bearing down, into, and around our lives.

Since Abigail could not isolate herself from Nabal, perhaps she tapped into a supernatural grace that insulated her, and that became the barrier she needed against Nabal's cruelty. This same grace is now abounding much more to us through the new and living way of Jesus Christ, and is exceeding abundantly above anything we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

David, on the run from King Saul, hid out in the desert. Wherever he and his men camped, the local residents were well protected against marauding bands. In return, the men were freely compensated at harvest and shearing time.

After lodging outside of Moan for a season, David sent a delegation to Carmel to greet Nabal where he was shearing his sheep. They reminded him that during this time, no sheep were lost. Therefore, they asked to share in a portion of his good fortune. (1 Samuel 25:4-8)

Nabal was insulted. The Biblical account uses the phrase "railed against them", which in our modern vernacular means: "he flew all over them"! Nabal asks, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?" It was not a question of ignorance, but insult.

Next, Nabal went on a sarcastic tirade about "men who break away from their masters"...an obvious reference to David and King Saul's prior relationship. He also implied that he was not sure if the men who stood before him were truly of David's camp or just self-seeking rogues.

But these were mere excuses. The greedy man gave himself away with his final statement: "Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers…" (This was quite an unusual statement for a man whose culture prized hospitality!)

Living with a judgmental man who has no respect for others is disheartening, particularly if having a form of religion serves his selfish purposes. (Nabal was from the lineage of Caleb, a mighty man of God.)

The Church is full of "Nabals". They may regularly attend services, but are motivated simply to promote their reputation in the business world. Many are on committees because of their wealth, not their character. They are like Jekylls and Hydes--charming in public, but cantankerous at home!

Their Abigails get earfuls of criticism on the way home, as the sermon is picked apart and the pastor is the main entrée for lunch. They usually mock preachers on TV and their mannerisms. It is nothing for them to place a cynical judgment on someone moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit or laugh at a soul at the altar encountering God in a dramatic way.

David was enraged over Nabal's refusal to feed his troops, and readied his men to attack. However, a servant in Abigail's household learned of David's intentions and warned her that the entire family was in danger, as he had heard that orders were not to leave any man alive, while women were to be taken as spoils of war.

We pick up the dramatic intervention in 1 Samuel 25:18. Abigail wasted no time. She orchestrated the preparation of an enormous amount of food and the donkeys to carry them. Cleverly keeping her plans from Nabal, she sent the servants on ahead.

She rode fast, taking a short cut in order to run directly into David. His men quickly surrounded her. Undaunted, Abigail dismounted, bowed her face to the ground, and fell at David's feet.

What she said astounded the seasoned warrior and all of his men! Abigail pled for the punishment of what Nabal had done to fall upon her and her alone, not upon him or his household. Abigail's courage checked David's anger, and mercy and compassion prevailed.

Amazing! Abigail should have grabbed her goods and servants and headed for the high hills, leaving Nabal to eat the fruit of his own ways. Why do we find this woman putting her own life at risk for that abusive scoundrel? Was she out of her mind?

What Abigail did was one of the highest and most sacrificial forms of prayer called intercession. It's when you're not only willing to represent someone before God for a blessing, but you're also willing to unflinchingly stand in the gap against destruction.That's what Jesus did at the Cross. He represented us before the Father and placed Himself between us and the forces of darkness.

We are reminded that the "natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Their understanding is darkened by sin. Iniquity has them twisted and under its control. But God loves them, and desires that none should perish. "Wherefore He is also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

That verse is better translated from the Greek as, "makes intercession available for them".

In other words, Jesus readily makes available to us His finished work on the Cross as we come before Heaven on someone's behalf. Think of the word "intersect" and you'll get the idea. A person is traveling one way, but then they cross paths with you, like Abigail did with David. The word also means "meeting".

You are the intersecting point for God's blessing to come to earth. Conversely, you can also be the stop sign against the oncoming hell.

You've probably heard the phrase "standing in the gap" for someone. It was an ancient military term. Most fortified towns had two walls with a small gap in between. When threatened with attack, the bravest warriors would go down into that imposing area and stand ready to face the enemy if the outer wall were to fall.

Just praying for someone's needs is not necessarily intercession. True intercession takes on a sacrificial nature of one willing to stand FOR the blessing and AGAINST the curse.

Maybe you've sat by the bedside of a very sick child and in your panicked distress, asked God to place the disease on you and let the child go free. This is exactly what Abigail was asking. She wanted to be punished on behalf of Nabal's offense.

Today, however, the good news is that Christ already willingly took the place of every sick and sinful man, woman, and child. He bore all of our pains, sicknesses and sorrows; Jesus was thoroughly bruised for the iniquities of the whole world.

Therefore, when we stand in the gap today, we literally stand clothed in Christ and upon His finished work of intercession. We ask that what Jesus already took upon Himself for that person will be released under the power of the Holy Spirit to become a reality in his or her life!

One of my favorite examples of intercession involves Aaron and his censer, which the Bible records in Numbers 16:41-50. It ties right in with Abigail's story.

The children of Israel were running their mouths again against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of killing people. (Those who died had been unrepentant, and willingly chose wickedness in the face of God and its consequences.)

The congregation's invectives activated a plague that began to spread among the camp. God has warned Moses and Aaron to get out, but instead they stayed in the thick of things to help the very people that had spoken against them.

Moses instructed Aaron to take a censer, fill it with fire from the altar and with holy incense, then go quickly into the congregation and make Atonement (intercession) available for them. Verse 47 says he RAN into the congregation (that's the heart of a true intercessor).

"And he (Aaron) stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed (stopped)." Verse 48

Abigails and Aarons look beyond the malicious people responsible for the immediate problem. They see the threat to households and even future generations, and are jealous for God and His goodness to triumph.*

Abigail's appeal is recorded in 1 Samuel 25: 24-31. Notice that the substance of her appeal was not about Nabal's wickedness, but David's honor. She affirmed his goodness and coming kingdom. What do you focus on in intercession? The bad person you're praying for or a good God?

Abraham's focus in his bold intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah was how many righteous souls could be found, not how many sinners were there (Gen. 18:16-33).

Notice than Abigail sent gifts ahead of her intercession. What gifts delight the Lord? Our praise and gratitude, and a heart full of "no strings attached" worship that precedes our petitions. It also speaks of faith, as reciprocal hospitality was a very important part of Middle Eastern culture. If you came with pleasing gifts for your host, you would leave with gifts! Abigail was loaded down!

David was profoundly moved by Abigail's brave appeal for her household. The attack was canceled. "So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, 'Go in peace to thine house: see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person (or your intercession)" 1 Samuel 25:35

When Abigail arrived home, Nabal was throwing a great feast and was very drunk. She held her peace until the next morning. When she told him what she had done, Nabal had a heart attack and died ten days later.

Oh, let's not forget. Abigail's last words to David were "…but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid" (1 Samuel 25:31). In other words, "I don't know how the Lord is going to work this out with Nabal, but when He does please, remember me."

God dealt with the fool, for sure. And the future king remembered his promise. As soon as David got word of Nabal's death, he sent messengers to fetch the beautiful and wise woman as his bride. The Bible says she rose immediately, packed a few things, and she and five damsels headed towards a joyous wedding feast.

I don't know what God is going to do in your situation. No woman should stay in a marriage where she is battered physically or verbally; no woman should be victimized or forced to participate in her husband's illegal or immoral behaviors.

It is perfectly acceptable for a Christian woman to temporarily separate from her husband for safety and sanity while intervention and counseling is attempted.

But each of us is given free will. Paul's excellent advice in 1 Corinthians 7 is comforting in that "…but if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God has called us to peace." (Verse 15).

Abigail stood in the gap and made herself the intersection from which God could work in Nabal's life. As hard as it was, she relied upon grace to help her keep that path unclogged from bitterness. In a desperate time, she chose blessing rather than cursing. Her heart was clear before God.

I don't know how God is going to deal with your Nabal. That man may choose to take advantage of the mercy that flows from God through your intercessory covering, or he may openly defy it. He may have a change of heart tomorrow or next year or never. He may depart or you may have to separate. It may be temporary or permanent. But through it all, God grants you His peace.

In the meantime, let God preserve you, beautiful lady. The Hebrew children were thrown bound and fully clothed into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1-30). Maybe you feel that way about your marriage: you're bound and in a fire that's getting hotter with the passing of time.

But don't think help is to only be found one day outside the furnace. Look around, and you will see that Somebody else is in it with you. In fact, He got there ahead of you.King Nebuchadnezzar peered into the furnace, expecting to see devastation. Instead, he saw the Son of Man (Jesus) and the three men freely walking around in the fire without being consumed.

When they were called out from the furnace, not a hair on their heads were singed, "neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them" (Daniel 3:27). The king acknowledged before all that the fire had NO POWER over these men!

You are fully clothed in Christ. He is with you and if you so allow, He will loose you IN the fire before you walk OUT of the fire! The one who put you there will be amazed because you are walking unbound and are not consumed.

The day you finally step out, you will be a living testimony that the fire of man had no power over you. You will not live the rest of your life scarred. You will come forth without a singe, a burn, or even the lingering smell of where you've been. People will marvel at your beauty and wisdom.

Abigail, be encouraged! Man cannot hold you hopelessly captive if Christ has first captured your heart.

* After her marriage to David, Abigail gave birth to a son, Daniel, meaning "God is my judge". Truly, Abigail allowed God to be her protector, sustainer, and vindicator.

As Abram Becomes Abraham: Hope for Sarah's Daughters

2011-05-14T08:03:00.001-05:00

Christian women are not exempt from marital difficulties. We need restored faith in a God that can work in the most stubborn of hearts and difficult situations!

So once again, I'm featuring articles from my series, "Six Women in the Bible with Challenging Marriages". Over the next few weeks, we'll draw insight and encouragement from the lives of Leah, Sarah, Abigail, Hannah, the Shunammite and Hagar--extraordinary women who trusted God in marriages from taxing to troublesome to terrible!

Sarai married Abram before He met God and discovered his destiny as a Father to many nations. She obviously led a comfortable, secure life in Ur, surrounded by family and friends.

Abram's father Terah, an idol maker, uprooted the family to Haran--a major center for moon worship. It's interesting that God didn't issue the call to Abram until AFTER the father died. Sometimes a family's control over their son's future is so strong that God's voice can't be heard nor can His will be discerned. More than likely, Terah wanted Abram to follow his in footsteps as an artisan. (Gen. 11:31, 32)

Abram's call was genuine, but he had issues as he grew in faith and ministry. Your husband may be a seasoned believer or one who is called to Christian service. If he still deals with problems that seem to delay or detour him, read on.

God instructed Abram to take Sarai and strike out on a divine journey. Gone for good was a permanent home; Sarai was to become a tent dweller. Nevertheless, she graciously followed her husband's new-found God into a life of wandering, not knowing exactly where they were headed or why.

Again, a sense of family obligation caused Abram to not fully obey God. He ended up taking his nephew Lot, who in turn brought along all his household servants and goods. (Gen. 12:1-5)

What baggage did your husband bring along on the journey? Maybe he didn't bring living, breathing people, but it seems"alive" just the same…memories and emotional attachments to family or others in his past that he can't leave behind. These phantoms still affect his decisions and cloud his vision.

Sarai's next challenge? A famine came upon the land. Instead of praying to God for direction, Abram decided to take matters into his own hands for self-preservation. Again, Sarai followed.

As they neared Egypt where grain was plenteous, Abram pulled a fast one on his wife and said, "When we get into Egypt, here's the plan. You are a beautiful woman, and I know that they'll try to kill me in order to take you. Tell them you are my sister "FOR MY SAKE, AND I WON'T DIE"! (Gen. 12: 10-13)

Now in truth, Abram was Sarai's half-brother (Gen. 20:12), but the point is mute. He simply used a handy, little seed of truth upon which to hatch his self-preserving plan.

Have you been asked to cover for your husband in a season where he forsook his trust in God and relied upon his own ways?

What kind of lies, you may ask? Let's be clear: No woman should help her husband in blatantly sinful and illegal acts. No, it's the everyday "fudges" that trap us.

Once in Egypt, events happened just as Abram suspected. The newly arrived Sarai was commended to Pharaoh and he took her into his house. He paid Abram well for his "sister"--sheep, oxen, mules, camels, and servants. (Gen. 13: 14-16)

God will not be mocked, fair one! Read how God delivered Sarai before it was too late, and STILL…oh, yes, still worked in the life of an often fear-driven, prideful and selfish man to fulfill His promises!

The Lord troubled Pharaoh's house with great plagues. Calling Abram before him, Pharaoh confronted the newcomer about his lying scheme, returned Sarai, and booted them out of the country. (Gen. 13: 18-20)

The Bible doesn't say how Pharaoh uncovered the lie...just know this! God can reveal the truth on your behalf--protecting you, confronting your "Abe"--all in a way that circumvents an absolute disaster!

It is shameful that the world regularly operates in more integrity than the body of Christ, but note: because God's hand was upon Abram and Sarai, He turned a potentially tragic situation around for good TWICE!

Twice? Believe it or not, yes! Let's fast forward…

Things seemed to be going good after the Egypt episode. Abram was prospering and so was Lot--so much that the two agreed to part ways to have more land for each family's multiplying flocks. Abram was communicating with God and growing in responsibility. When Lot got into trouble, Abram gathered a fighting force of his men and bravely executed a rescue.

The king of Salem, Melchizedek, honored Abram. God appeared in a dramatic way to cut covenant with Abram, reinforcing His mind-boggling purpose to make a great nation of him, reinforcing that his seed would be too numerous to count. What a staggering promise, seeing that Abram and Sarai remained childless.

Sarai was an enabler. If you're married to a wonderful man who unfortunately struggles with stability and maturity issues, then you're probably one, too.

Sarai knew about God's promise to Abram. As we read his earlier conversation with God, notiice that Abram assumes that the heir will be his trusted servant, Eliezer. The Lord corrected him by saying that the heir would come from Abram's own loins.

Time passed with no sign of the promise.

So, Sarai cooked up a plan to "help" her husband get his heir. Remember the Egyptian fiasco where Pharoah gave them lots of goods to get out and leave him alone? We have to be careful how we amass riches. In that send off package was a beautiful, little maid who became one of Sarai's servants. Her name was Hagar.

It was perfectly acceptable in Middle Eastern cultures for barren women to give a servant girl to their husbands for procreation. The male children would become the father's legal heirs, with the firstborn male as the leader and keeper of the family's wealth.

Ishmael was born and Abram thought he finally had his child of promise. He began to "relax" spiritually. Did you know that the most dangerous time for a man (or anyone) is right after the answer comes? We breathe a sigh of relief, only to slowly drift.

Ishmael was born when Abram was 86 years of age; God didn't speak with Abram again for thirteen years! Did Abram even notice the lack of spiritual leading and divine inactivity? Obviously not...he was too wrapped up in other things. He got the son he always wanted.

But Abram didn't have what God wanted.

The Lord waited until Abram was impotent and unable to produce anything out of his own flesh. You may wonder why God doesn't seem to answer your prayers. Your husband may still profess his love for Christ, but doesn't pray like he used to or go to church anymore. Other worldly pursuits have captured his attention and time.

Don't give up! Perhaps God is waiting for him to come to an end of himself, just like Abram. It's best when a man no longer has the inner strength to replace God with anything else.

In this next encounter with Abram, God was clear: the miracle child would be born of aged Abram and Sarai. He changed their names to Abraham and Sarah, both receiving the "ah" sound from HIS name, Jehovah. When men in ancient cultures cut covenant with one another, they took all or a portion of the other's name. Just as important, a change in NAME denoted a change in NATURE! (Gen. 17:1-17)

God commanded Abraham: "Walk before me, and be thou perfect (complete, mature; In other words: "It's time to grow up, son"). The outward sign of the covenant was initiated (circumcision) and Abram experienced a renewal, continuing to meet with God and becoming a mighty intercessor for Sodom during its last days.

Afterward, Abram journeyed south and came to Gerar, where he encountered a familiar situation that awakened an old fear. He again lied about Sarah to protect himself. King Abimelech took her into his harem, but God quickly troubled the king in a dream. (Gen. 20:1, 2)

Woman, take heart! Once again, the woman who was faithful to her husband was spared. Not only that, but God told the king that her husband was a prophet, and if the king would ask God's man to pray for him, the curse against the royal household (barrenness) would be broken.

Oh, my! You perceive your husband to be one way, but God sees the man in a totally different light. He sees the finished work. Therefore, in the midst of a disappointing set back, God didn't push him down into his falling, but pulled him upward into his calling!

At the same time, He demanded that the man who caused the problem walk up to the plate and resolve it truthfully. Abraham was finally delivered from his fear and never fell back into this type of sin again.

If a man is spiritually weak (not deliberately, consistently sinful) and cooperates with God, although progress will be marked slowly with even stagnant and down times, the Lord will protect his reputation. So should his wife.

"The STEPS of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds (supports) him with His hand." Psalms 37:23, 24 NKJV

"For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again." Proverbs 24:16 Amp.

It's only when an unrepentant man continuously "kicks against the pricks" that the Lord may allow harsher correction. But back to the story!

Finally, Isaac is born amidst great rejoicing.

What has God promised to you and your husband that will take a miracle to bring it about?

As God asked Abraham and Sarah, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will return unto thee, according to the time of life…" (Gen. 18:14).

There is a time appointed for you, too--a distinct time for a visitation from a promise-keeping God!

Once the promise manifests, there won't be room for two wills! As Isaac grew, so did the jealousy of Ishmael, who struggled with the realization that he was no longer THE chosen child and sole controller of the family fortune. He began to "mock" (make fun) of Isaac. (Gen. 21:9)

Be careful. Anything we birth into the earth out of our own fleshly devices and desires will be expensive to maintain and hard to get rid of!

Along the way, Sarah also matured and was no longer the enabler. She recognized serious problems erupting in the household and took action, rather than remaining quiet. She wanted Hagar and her child to leave. At first, Abraham reacted out of his natural love for Ishmael and Hagar, but God told him to "listen to his wife". He did, and mother and son were cast out. (Gen. 21:10-14)

It may appear cruel, but Ishmaels have to go when the real deal from God arrives. Anything we produce in our hasty, presumptuous flesh as a substitute will hang around and breed contempt. The womb that produced a work of flesh and not of grace must also go, or it could easily produce another counterfeit.

Does your hubby have an "Ishmael" still around somewhere?
Is it competing for your time and attention?
Does the devil use it to make fun of God's will for your life and ministry?
Is it draining your time and energy?
Is it a constant distraction?
How attached is he to it?

An "Ishmael" can be ANYTHING that stands in the way of you having healthy, growing, genuine walk with God.

Both of you are guilty, so both of you need to take responsibility and send it packing! Repent for opening that door, renounce your attachments to it, and then rebuke it from your lives, in Jesus' name. Finally, remove yourselves from the familiarities that encouraged and aided in its springing to life!

Of course, we all know the ending: Abraham passed his ultimate test. So can your husband. But like Abe, he'll not get to Moriah easily. Just remember that God can follow a straight line with a very wobbly stick!

The book of Hebrews gives us insight into Sarah's quiet, but remarkable faith. I believed it helped her hang onto God during those years when He was forming her Abram into an Abraham!

"Through faith Sarah herself received STRENGTH to conceive seed (bring forth what God promised—in spite of the difficulties, in spite of the apparent barrenness), and was delivered of a child WHEN SHE WAS PAST AGE.

How did she do this?

"…because she judged HIM faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11)

Was this her secret to sanity and success?

Steadily gazing upon God, instead of Abe…(Hebrews 12:2)

Judging (examining thoroughly) His claims of faithfulness and finding them to be absolutely true, rather than pointing out the imperfections of the man journeying from the "what is" to the "not yet".

She avoided being trapped into bitter judgment against Abraham, which would have closed her womb for good.

"Sarah obeyed (followed the guidance) of Abraham, acknowledging him as the leader. You are her true daughters if you do well and permit nothing to make you afraid, and yield to no panic." 1 Peter 3:6*

There were no feminists in Sarah's culture or day; her very existence depended upon her staying with her husband. You may say that she had no choice BUT to keep her mouth shut and obey.

However, after a careful study of their story in Genesis, I do not believe Sarah moved in blind obedience to Abraham's every wishes. She loved him. She knew they came as a package deal and were not to be separated before God.

In her limited and difficult circumstances, Sarah honored Abe. In her quiet heart, she trusted the flawless faithfulness of God. And today, she has become an example to all women who believe.

*Moffatt, Centenary and Amplified translations combined

Have you read Leah: Treasure in an Earthen Vessel?

Leah: Treasure in an Earthen Vessel

2011-05-10T08:52:00.001-05:00

Once again, I'm featuring articles from my series entitled "Six Women in the Bible with Challenging Marriages". Over the next few weeks, we'll draw insight and encouragement from the lives of Leah, Sarah, Abigail, Hannah, the Shunammite and Hagar.

If we want to find a heart-breaking example of a rejected woman in the Bible, we can go to Genesis 29 for the story of Leah. But first, let's lay out our background.

Jacob tricked his older brother Esau out of the family blessing at his mother's insistence. Years earlier, he extorted the same brother out of the family birthright, which would have automatically made Esau--as the firstborn male--the head of the family with a double portion of the inheritance (Genesis 25:27-34).

The father's final blessings could be given at his discretion to any of his sons. However, it was considered sacred and binding upon the individual and could not be changed or retrieved.

At first, Jacob didn't want to go along with the trick. "…I shall seem to him (my father) as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing."

And his mother said unto him, "Upon ME be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice…" (Genesis 27:12-13)

Taking advantage of his father Isaac's waning health and bad eyesight, Jacob dressed up as Esau, a hairy man who loved to hunt. With his mother's help, he put goat kid skins upon his hands and neck (where the father would grab to bless), wore Esau's clothes for the familiar smell, and carried his father's favorite meal into the patriarchal tent. The plan worked.

Esau came home just minutes after the blessing was given! He threatened to kill his trickster brother after their father's impending funeral. Rebekah, the mother, intervened again on behalf of the son she loved the most. She sent him to her brother Laban in Haran with the charge not to marry outside God's covenant. Even Isaac, although cruelly deceived, gave his conniving son another blessing. Esau was livid!

And, yes. The curse did come upon Rebekah. She never saw her favorite son again. The person she sent away by one act of deceit pursued a lifestyle of one-upmanship. The less favored son, Esau, married forbidden Canaanite women. He also married daughters of Ishmael. Esau's descendants became the Edomites--a strong, ruthless, and idolatrous people who were enemies to Israel (Jacob's lineage).

After a month in Haran working for Laban, the patriarch asks Jacob what he would like as a gift. Jacob asked for his daughter Rachel, and said he would labor seven years for her. The agreement was made.

The tradition, however, was to give the oldest daughter in marriage first. Rachel was the youngest. Why didn't Laban remind Jacob of this well known custom? Verse 17 of Genesis 29 may give us a clue: Leah, the eldest, was "…tender-eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored."

For years theologians have speculated as to what "tender-eyed" means. The Hebrew word translates simply as "weak". Children in the Middle East were often named for characteristics observed in them or for situations at the time of their birth. Interestingly, Leah's name means, "delicate, fragile; weary".

Hers may have been a difficult birth, leaving a physical defect or delayed physical or mental growth. The eyes were the most important asset in a culture that covered their females from head toe. Middle Eastern women were renown for possessing big, dark, expressive eyes. Some scholars have suggested that Leah's were lighter, dull, and smaller.

I've even read articles that supposedly explored the way the Hebrew word "tender" was used connotatively. If they're right, our Leah could have been overweight. But I don't buy into that idea since Jacob would have immediately known the difference in bed, drunk or not. Another option? She was plain…very plain.

In comparison, Rachel was beautiful and well favored (shape; appearance; good to look upon). Note that the Bible uses two similar words–beauty and well favored. Where beauty is all encompassing and can mean many things about a person, "well favored" limits its meaning strictly to physical attributes.

Sadly, Laban seem disinterested in following through with the customs of his day to give Leah in marriage. Maybe he had been unsuccessful in previous bids or just too embarrassed. But when Jacob arrived, he saw the answer to his problem!

Deceivers will ultimately get deceived. They can dish it out, but they can't take it when the tables are turned. A big party was thrown for the "happy couple". As expected, Jacob went in to his bride late at night, full of merriment and wine. (It was customary for women to remain silent and veiled on their wedding night.)

The next morning, however, he was horrified to discover the older daughter at his side! Jacob went on a tirade, for sure; but all I can think about is poor Leah. Can you imagine how she felt?

First, her dad dragged her into this pitiful scheme. Next, she lay there while her body was being caressed and loved as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world, knowing that the morning light would cruelly reveal she was not whom her bridegroom expected. I don't know what Jacob said to her upon awakening, or the expression on his face that forever burned into Leah's heart, but I'm sure it was devastating.

We all have expectations. When dating, our courtier puts his best foot forward. Only after the "I do's" do we discover that our Prince Charming has another foot! Yet most disappointments can be worked through with patience and grace.

Expectations within a marriage will constantly require adjustments due to illness, injury or uncontrollable circumstances that leave us changed in this fallen world. Unconditional love, however, is the mortar that holds a couple together during demanding times when the world's definition of beauty flees the body or soul.

Laban smoothed over the situation by promising to give Rachel to Jacob after the week-long marriage ceremony concluded for Leah, but only if he would remain with his house and work another seven years. Jacob, desirous as never before for the fruit that was withheld from him, agreed and the festivities continued. It is hard to imagine how Leah put on a happy face for the rest of the week. I wonder, how do rejected women do it today?

The Bible clearly says, "Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah" (Genesis 29:30). I'm sure he knew Leah was her father's pawn. No doubt he found her sweet, attentive and loving. Nevertheless, Rachel got the lion's share of Jacob's attention.

Rachel's name means, "ewe; female sheep". Middle Eastern children would often take a sheep in from the fold as a pet. Immature men do the same. Although they have loyal and loving wives at home, their hearts are easily captivated by "Rachels", which don't have to be actual women (although at times that's sadly the truth).

More often, they're high profile careers. "Rachels" can be sports, a hobby--even the ministry. These things are not bad within themselves, but when these appealing "Rachels" increasingly demand more attention and devotion at the cost of these men's first commitments, it becomes idolatry.

Leahs immediately think the problem is with them: they search ways to look better and lose weight. But let me tell you a true story that opened my eyes to the truth behind men and their "Rachels".

I once worked as a commercial writer for a radio station. My boss had the most beautiful wife I'd even seen! Bergitta was model gorgeous and could literally turn heads when she walked into a room. She was Norwegian, spoke several languages, and was highly educated. Even her name means, "Splendid".

The couple knew I was a Christian. Although they were outspoken agnostics, we got along very well, but never socialized outside office events. Once Bergitta called and invited me to lunch at an uptown restaurant, claiming she had a problem and needed to talk.

I sat and listened to this stunning woman hold back the tears as she confessed her husband's numerous infidelities! For years, she tried to correct what she perceived as personal inadequacies with painful body contours and a breast lift. She even took lessons to learn his favorite sport. "I HATE golf," she sputtered, "I tell you, I HATE GOLF!"

As she lit a new cigarette from the still glowing butt of her last one, I saw the real Bergitta--so terribly insecure and tormented behind her polished persona, much like a swan appears to effortlessly glide along the surface of a pond; in reality, though, it's paddling frantically underneath.

She begged, "What can I do about him?"

I shot back with a question. "More importantly, what are you going to do with Bergitta?"

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the source of her desires and fears, and what she should do to rescue herself from disingenuous living.

Leah, you will never be good enough or pretty enough to beat Rachel. It's not your outward problem, but your husband's inner problem! My boss was not into adultery looking for sex, but an ego fix.

Let's be clear: I'm not focusing on the deeply serious issues of sexual infidelity as I am to the more subtle types of unfaithfulness. Yet, all men whose hearts are too crowded need to find their identity and affirmation in Christ alone, rather than in other people's opinions, big titles, expensive toys, or even a big ministry. "Rachels" validate such men before their peers and appeal to their self-worth--plain and simple.

What should Jacob have done? Rebuking one's father-in-law in the Middle East was a serious insult, even if his tactics were questionable. My husband suggested that Jacob should have swallowed hard and replied, "Uh, wow…two for the price of one. Thanks, Dad"!

Before arriving at Haran, Jacob had a dramatic, divine encounter at Bethel where God personally promised to guide and take care of him. The Lord knew full well about this upcoming complexity and was ready to give Jacob all the grace he could hold to see it through to the good--if he had simply asked.

As one discovers over time anyway, the "in love" feeling wanes and true love becomes a settled joy, acted out mostly from the will, not the emotions. In doing so, Leah would have been able to receive the validation and acceptance she was denied from her father and kinsmen.

Instead, Jacob pacified Laban and dutifully appeased Leah in order to get his Rachel. He was a man who always got what he wanted and this situation was no different. Today, men are still going further in debt to either man or the devil, determined to maintain their "Rachel" while constantly coming up with excuses and lies to placate their family.

Was Leah forgotten and all alone? No, no, no! The Bible says that when God saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but closed Rachel's (Genesis 29:31). In fact, she bore 4 sons in a row! But the naming of her sons reveals her heartbreaking insecurities:

Reuben: "See, a son"
Leah proclaimed at his birth, "Now therefore my husband will love me."

Simeon: "The Lord hath heard"
She said, "Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, He hast therefore given me this son also…"

Levi: "Joined"
She cried, "Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons…"

Judah: "praise"
Leah declared, "Now will I praise the Lord."

God was making her fruitful in the midst of her affliction. He was confirming His love for her by giving her sons (and eventually a daughter) that would rise up and called her blessed--children that would impact the earth and have an everlasting heritage in God.

You may feel you are sharing your marriage with a "Rachel". Regardless of what you've done to try to win back your husband, he will not turn loose and give you and your children his quality time and passion.

Nevertheless, has God made you fruitful?

Have you been able to produce beautiful, strong gifts and talents into the earth to be a blessing to others around you? Perhaps you're an encourager, an intercessor; maybe you have the gift of hospitality or service. You're no doubt good with children and youth, and probably help out with their ministries at church. Are you a writer? Do you keep a journal to share your spiritual journey through valleys and over mountains peaks with others? Are you on the praise team or in the choir?

After bearing four children, Leah's womb rested for a season. I can understand the need for her body to regain its strength and vitality. Yet, I think the season of rest may have been God's way of giving Leah time to examine herself and her deepest motives. Whom was she obsessed to please?

Leah saw everything through her glasses of rejection. Every time God gave her a tremendous blessing, she thought it would surely cause Jacob to return her love. She could not see God's exclusive love just for her. She thought she was only being blessed for Jacob's sake!

How many things have we acquired only to make us appear better? How many opportunities have been presented to us--career, ministry, or socially? And instead of being whole enough to simply enjoy them for what they are, we earnestly believe they make us more valuable and desirable to others. Take this test:

"If these blessings were taken away tomorrow, who would I be?"

"Would I still be the beloved daughter of the Most High God or a woman stripped of her identity and value?"

"How much is my worth before God and others determined by what I do?"

My parents were friends with a couple by the name of Jack and Mabel. They didn't have any children for me to play with when we went to visit, but I still enjoyed going because of Mr. Jack's wonderful stories of working on the railroad in the days of the old steam engines and hand-held lanterns. He was a marvelous, compelling storyteller!

He was also an accomplished violinist, yet I never heard him play. Mom implied that years earlier he thought about giving lessons to children, but Miss Mabel was often in fragile health and hesitant to allow so many children into her home week after week. The instrument stayed in the hall closet.

After being together for over 50 years, Mabel died of a sudden heart attack. Two days later, Mr. Jack was found dead in the home--upright in his chair. No gunshot wound, no poison. The autopsy concluded he died simply of natural causes. On the contrary, Mr. Jack died because he lost himself in Mabel.

This gifted, sweet man was not sick or infirmed! How many years could he have continued to live? Only God knows. But think of the gifts he could have left to the world during his final days. His entertaining stories would have awakened the imaginations of children at the local library or in the schools, as it did for me in his living room. Many opportunities existed for him to play the violin again, from the church music department to the senior orchestra in our hometown. And with all due respect to Mabel, God rest her soul, Mr. Jack could have finally opened up the thrilling world of music to eager pupils.

In the mid-eighties, I was on staff at HisRadio, a Christian radio network which is now syndicated across the nation. I hosted a daily interview program called, "Feedback". I was blessed to interview one of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Eliot, who wrote Through Gates of Splendor.

All one has to do is read her book Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control to know how much Jim and Elisabeth were blushingly in love. However, these two missionaries had individually been called to Christian service before they met. They struggled between giving in to their desires to be together and pressing through to know the Lord's will.

They did eventually marry, but not long afterward men from the Auca Indian Tribe in Ecuador speared to death Jim and several other ministry companions. Elisabeth and her young daughter bravely stayed at her post in the jungle. Additional contact was successfully made with the tribe and Elisabeth was able to live among the very people who killed her husband, learning their language and becoming their friend. With her help, the remote language was written down for the very first time and a Bible later emerged for the tribe (now called the Woadanni's).

I asked Elisabeth why she didn't pack up and return to the United States after Jim's death. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Because I was called to be God's servant to Ecuador before I was called to be Jim's wife."

Selah…(a Hebrew word meaning, "time for a pause and quiet reflection").

Leah was happy with her brood, but Rachel's envy was growing. She told Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die!" (We need to watch our words, as we will later see.) Jacob replied angrily, "Who am I…God?" (Genesis 30:1-2)

Rachel was a schemer, too ("peas of a pod", I guess). Since God didn't come to her aid, she helped herself to a legitimate custom in her culture of giving a servant to one's husband to produce a legal heir. Bilbah, her maid, bore Jacob two sons:

Dan: judging
"God has judged me and given me a son"

Naphtali: My wrestling
"I have wrestled with my sister and prevailed"

Leah was fruitful, but in a season of rest. Yet her insecurities drove her to jump out of that divine rest to compete illicitly, or out of God's way, with her sister. She dropped down to Rachel's level of fleshly desperation and gave Jacob her handmaid. In turn, the servant Zilpah bore two sons:

Gad: A troop
"A troop cometh" (referring to the number of her sons)

Asher: Happy
"Happy am I; for the daughters will call me blessed"

One day during the wheat harvest, Leah's son, Reuben, found mandrakes in the field and gave them to his mother. Mandrakes were rare and highly prized as aphrodisiacs and fertility roots. The plant was commonly called the "Love Apple". Rachel, still scheming under her own power, used a powerful bargaining chip in order to get the mandrakes. Leah traded them for one night with Jacob.

This encounter in Genesis 30:14-15 gives us an interesting glimpse into Leah's character versus Rachel's. Leah was given the mandrakes; she did not seek the plants on her own. And being aware of their supposed "magical" powers to awaken love in a man (something she longed for), she nevertheless quickly gave them away for one night with Jacob. She loved him so much that she was willing to let go of any manipulating advantage for just one night of genuine intimacy. Although Jacob may have visited out of duty, Leah saw it as another opportunity to lie with her beloved.

The mandrake witchcraft didn't work for Rachel. Instead, Leah bore three subsequent children--Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah. Although your husband's "Rachel" may seem to have a manipulating, spiritual force behind it, just stay faithful to God, honorable to your principles, and read on to find out what happened to Rachel.

Over the years, Laban was an increasingly hard taskmaster. God was with Jacob and prospered him. No matter how Laban tried to outsmart Jacob, the young man found a way to come out on top. Laban began to take advantage of this good fortune, extorting his son-in-law's wages and tampering with the flocks under Jacob's care.

Jacob finally had enough of his own medicine and abruptly uprooted his family from Laban's household. Rachel caused quite a ruckus by stealing her father's idols and lying about it. Jacob retorted, "…with whomever thou findest thy gods, let him not live…" (Genesis 31: 32) Even her husband didn't know of Rachel's thievery.

Maybe she stole them to get back at Laban or to have something of value since she and her sister had no remaining dowry from their squandering father. Perhaps she clung to the idols in hopes of remaining fertile. Nevertheless, Jacob's rash oath was fulfilled.

Along the way, Jacob heard that Esau was hot on his trail. The aging charmer was tired of trying to stay one step ahead of everybody. He didn't want to run anymore. At nightfall, he sent his household across the Jabbok ford. In his vulnerable aloneness, he literally bumped into God. A wrestling match started, as God pounded out the old to make room for the new man that was going to emerge. Jacob sensed what was happening, as well. (Genesis 32:22-32)

Despite the pain, he held on, refusing to let go until God was finished and could bless him. At the break of day, God changed his name from Jacob (trickster, usurper) to Israel (prevailer). In the Middle East, a change of name meant of change of nature. Indeed, a different man crossed back over the Jabbok in the light of day. He faced Esau, owned up to his deceptions and its consequences, found mercy at the feet of his brother, and made restitution.

In their ensuing journeys, Rachel became pregnant again (She had previously given birth to one son, Joseph, during Leah's season of rest). In giving birth to Benjamin, however, she died. (Remember her rash oath regarding her barrenness and Jacob's vow concerning the stolen idols?) He placed a pillar to mark her grave, but here's the important part: afterward, he moved on!

Pray for your husband to be willing to face the people and events of his past. Only then can he wrestle with God and finally lose. No longer will he charm his way through, run ahead of, or deny his problems. God will change the man to one who prevails over sin and self. Then, his "Rachel" can die as he journeys in his spiritual growth. Oh, yes. He'll mourn the loss. He will grieve, and things may be difficult for a while. It will take courage and honesty, but the two of you can move on!

We don't know how long Leah lived after Rachel's death. By tradition, we know she raised Rachel's two sons and they called her "mother". Jacob spent his latter years as a widower in Egypt and died at the age of 147.

I'd like to think that when it was just the two of them again, Jacob began to make things right with her in a way that brought healing and joy to her remaining years. Indeed, he chose to bury Leah in the patriarchal cave of Abraham, along with Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah. There was room for only 6 people. Jacob's last wish was for his remains to be taken out of Goshen and brought to this family place, completing the entombment with his rest at Leah's side (Genesis 49:29-33).

But what if Leah had decided that she wasn't going to wait for Jacob to get straightened out before she really started living? What if she had determined to no longer look to a man to heal her broken heart? Would events have turned around sooner in her favor?

You don't have to wait until "Rachel" leaves the picture. You don't have to be jealous and focus your time and attention on "her"! After all, Rachel did not survive trying to do what came so naturally and freely for Leah.

So don't waste any more of the precious time given to you. By faith, reach into the finished work of Jesus Christ and find that His restoring power has been there all along--waiting for you to make the move, not Jacob! Pursue your wellness now for the sake of so many people who need your gifts and the uniqueness that is you.

Go ahead...believe that God will set a wrestling match with your Jacob; but also realize that Leah, YOU need to have a one-on-one with God, too.

This may be hard, but it's right. The very thing that could be tying God's hands and delaying the turn around with your husband is your idolatry. Are you surprised?

"But he's the one with the idol," you stammer! True. But what is the bottom line definition of an idol? Anything or anyone we've come to love more than God.

Mark Virkler of Communion with God Ministries has a simple way of checking your heart. In his Communion with God Study Guide, he draws a picture of Jesus on one side of the table and you on the other. In between the two of you is the object of your prayers. Is it larger than Jesus? Can you even see Him or can you only see your "Jacob"? If what you're praying for is larger than the Lord, then you have an idol.

The Bible tells us that a companion to idolatry is stubbornness (1 Samuel 15:23). Situations and people become stubborn in the presence of idolatry. Things just won't move in our favor until we repent! So often the change in us first is the means that releases God's power to work in the lives of our loved ones.

If you really love Jacob, give him to God and make room in your heart for the Lord to transform you from the insecure, rejected girl into a grown woman who walks enfolded in the beauty of holiness.

Reckon your gifts precious in the earth. Raise them up and nurture them for the glory of God, not man. As natural Leah's children became princes among men--one becoming the father of the priesthood (Levi) and one the father of our Messiah's tribe (Judah)--so what you have been given to contribute is mighty in the earth.

You are the dazzling bride of Christ. He asked the Father for your hand in marriage, remember? Jesus knows exactly what He's getting with you. He's not disappointed to see you in even the brightest, most revealing light.

Paying the costliest of all bridewealths, exceeding abundantly beyond what Jacob gave for Rachel, he exchanged His life for yours, allowing His blood to cover and cleanse you from your tearful past. Your Resurrected Savior's love is abiding and not based on the variables of earthly life.

He only sees the beautiful creature that His Father created for Him in the Garden--one with a beauty that may be hidden from the eyes of self-centered others. No, your radiant exquisiteness is His delight and His alone for now.

But one day--in the twinkling of an eye--He will shout! The treasure in your earthen vessel will break forth, as corruption surrenders to unblemished immortality.

Rise up, beautiful Leah!

"For your are of God…and have overcome them (Rachels): because greater is He (Jesus) that is in you, than he (Jacobs) that is in the world!" 1 John 4:4 (author's italics)

The Church at Topeth:King David, Other Sinners, and Me

2011-01-30T10:46:00.009-06:00

(Tophet or Topheth was near Jerusalem in the Valley of Hinnom. This is where the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch. The Bible records that God's people were seduced into this abomination: Jeremiah 7: 30-32; 19:6; Ezekiel 23: 37-39. Tophet became a synonym for hell.)

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part I

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part II

It devastated me. The conviction of what I had done worked so well that it brought me to the end of myself. It wouldn’t go away, but continued to carve down deep into my heart past all my carefully contrived defenses and denials.

If we seek relief too quickly from the pain of our wrongdoings, we’ll circumvent its journey to the heart of the matter where truth resides and reveals itself. From this inward place, the truth propels us toward repentance.

I learned the difference between experiencing regret, remorse, and true repentance. Regret is being upset you got caught and now have to face consequences; remorse is when those consequences result in extensive damage, death to others, or life-altering penalties, such as incarceration. It only works in your mind…what you think about what you’ve done and how you are affected. In order to feel better about yourself and hopefully escape some consequences, you are willing to say, “I’m sorry”.

Repentance, on the other hand, is sorrow over breaking the heart of God and harming others in the wake. The Bible says that only “godly (not selfish) sorrow” works toward repentance, and that unto real Salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Notice the Scripture says, “works toward”. Godly sorrow needs time to bring genuine repentance. John the Baptist said that when repentance is real, it bears “fruit” or evidence. (Matthew 3:8)

As I began my spiritual journey home, I confessed my sin of abortion conceptually; that is, I knew I had broken all of God’s Ten Commandments, including “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

At the time, I was as sorry before God as I knew to be and asked His forgiveness; and He did just that in His awesome mercy and patient understanding.

But my loving Heavenly Father wanted me to see beyond the act committed. I learned that my words and actions can never be divorced from my identity.

"...For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45b)

Here's the entire verse out of The Message version:

"You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds."

I have another comparison as to how God reaches down deep into the recesses of our hearts to clean them. Think of each person’s life as a beautiful lake with lots of activity on the surface and around its shores—skiing, boating, picnics.

Yet underneath, often just a few feet from the unsuspecting people enjoying a day in the sun, are sharp stumps, tangled weeds, and all kinds of objects thrown in to hide and forget. Only when the lake is deliberately drained or dried up by drought does one come face to face with what’s been there all along.

It isn’t pretty; however, that's what God is after--deep calling unto deep--not just a slick surface appearance of rightness and well-being, but as King David realized: “...truth in the inward parts (my inner self).” (Psalm 56:6)

We hear many Christian counselors talk about the importance of forgiving ourselves after receiving God’s unconditional pardon, but I will tell you an astounding truth:

You will never be able to forgive yourself until you allow God to reach down into who you really are, not just address what you did!

So many people stay stuck in this tormenting rut because they think that experiencing true freedom and peace within is too painful, too revealing. What frightens us, even as God’s kids?

The same thing that scared Adam and Eve—having to face who they really were, stripped bare before God of all defenses and excuses despite the elaborate cover-ups.

You can gloss it over and tell God you’re sorry for having an affair, but have you repented for who you are--an adulterer?

You can apologize to God for pulling one over on your boss and making a profit, but have you repented for being a liar and a thief?

Unquestionably, continual growth and maturity in my Christian walk began after I quit wrestling with God and surrendered. When I dared no longer run away before He pinned me to the mat, God showed me the truth about myself.

Jacob was the privileged son of Isaac and grandson of the mighty patriarch Abraham. The Old Testament records that although he was familiar with his family's worship of God, Jacob himself was self-absorbed and quite conniving. He deceived his brother Esau out of the coveted birthright and blessing that belonged to him as the oldest son. Although Jacob lived looking over his shoulder, he managed to maintain a comfortable lead over those he wronged. (Genesis 32:22-chapter 23)

However, one day the man whose touch seemed to "turn everything to gold" heard that the revenge-seeking Esau was closing in on him.

He was boxed in geographically. Now older, he was also tired of running from his past. Much was at stake--Jacob had a large family (including 12 sons), his beloved wife Rachel, and a wealth of servants and livestock.

After dividing his entourage, Jacob went out alone at night to a deserted place. A Man appeared and began to wrestle with him. They scrapped hour after hour, but the celebrated prowess of Jacob failed; he could not gain the upper hand in this fight.

Why didn't he relent? At some point, Jacob realized the identity of his opponent. He also knew that he could no longer use deception and trickery to get what he wanted in life. He was about to lose everything he loved...and it was his fault.

He cried, "I will not let you go until you bless me!"

God, the wrestler, responded: "Tell me your name."

Was the Creator of the universe hit with holy amnesia? No. He wanted Jacob to admit the truth.

When Jacob finally owned up to who he really was--no excuses or gloss; with no wiggle room or anywhere to run--God gave him a new name, Israel, meaning "one who prevails with God." In ancient cultures, a new name signified a new nature.

Although I'm sure Jacob had felt twinges of conviction before, this time he stayed on the mat long enough for God to pin him down for the count.

What happened? At daybreak, Israel the prevailer, not Jacob the trickster, walked out ahead of his household to meet Esau face to face. He fell at his brother's feet in repentance and they happily reconciled.

It was hard to admit to God that I was a murderer. The immense sorrow that struck my soul was almost too much to bear, but it was “godly sorrow”—the kind that leads to genuine repentance. And only repentance makes the soil ready for the character of Christ to grow in our lives.

What did God use in my life as the starting point for conviction?

It was giving birth to a son two years after my abortion and watching him grow. I marveled when he smiled, learned to walk, and utter his first words; yet I grieved to know that another child—equally as beautiful—was missing. Would he or she also have had cotton hair and twinkling, blue eyes? I wondered about the sound of his voice...how would he have laughed or called out for "Mommy"?

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Although this verse is use to console those who have lost loved ones or experienced a tragedy, it is really speaking about what happens when someone repents.

But in the midst of our guilt, God—who is orchestrating the conviction—is at the same time manifesting His presence in a special way, assuring us of His love and acceptance.

God saw the end of my life from the beginning. He saw the abortion, and still loved me so much that He provided—ahead of time—a Redeemer. He did the same for you…for all of us!

Revelation 13:8 reveals that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world. These words assure us that God, who gave humanity the freedom of choice and its potential to become corrupt, also gave His creation complete pardon.

In other words, Redemption was provided even before the human race was created; and at the right time, Jesus stepped into human history to provide the empirical evidence.

That radical ransom, though already accomplished and available to everyone, is only activated by individual faith in what Christ has done.

When we personally receive Jesus and His redemptive work into our lives by faith, God transfers us out of the deficiencies of Adam and into the sufficiency of a new life in Christ. It is a supernatural, regenerating work of grace.

That's why some people call it being “born again’ because we no longer belong to the fallen family of Adam, but to Christ and His Kingdom.

As Christians, we still live out our earthly lives in our bodies, but we are not bound to the tyranny of humanity's nature...nor will we be judged by it failures.

The Holy Spirit works progressively and patiently in our lives to make that new birth a reality as we grow, much as a child grows in the presence and under the guardianship of his new family.

What is a reality on the inside steadily works its way outward for others to see. Our Salvation is complete from God's perspective, but the Holy Spirit now completes us before others (although it won't be fully done until we stand before Jesus Christ).

Healthy, spiritual growth throughout a lifetime should appear on a graph like a line gently sloping upward with expected bumps, dips, and a few flat periods. There are no uniform “one-size-fits-all” graphs.

Growth is individual and deeply intimate, based upon our relationship with the Holy Spirit and our surrendered trust in His sanctifying work.

But what about those deep spikes that represent years away from God and a host of sins—even the sin of murder?

King David’s men were off in battle, yet he stayed behind in Jerusalem. It was unusual for a king to be away from his troops at war. I guess you could say David's choice put him in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One night, David could not sleep. As he strolled atop his palace roof that overlooked the magnificent city, he spied a beautiful woman bathing across the way. People in hotter climates would often take baths on their flat rooftops in the evenings and even sleep on them in the fresher, night air.

The king was captivated by the woman’s remarkable beauty. He called a servant and immediately inquired as to her identity. The servant returned and said she was the wife of one of his oldest and noblest warriors, Urriah.

He should have pursued the matter no further, but things were just too easy: Urriah was far away, the desirable Bathsheba nearby. As the most powerful man in the kingdom, all David had to do was send for her.

David already had seven wives; and not to be sexually fettered by the political alliances through loveless marriages, David also had a bountiful harem of voluptuous women. He knew that some of the most gorgeous, handpicked women in the world eagerly awaited his summons from within the palace.

However, as with Adam and Eve, it wasn't about all the other fruits in the garden that were free for the taking, but the one he couldn't have--the one that was off limits; nevertheless, the one that relentlessly tempted him because it was forbidden.

The conquering King was used to getting what he wanted. Most of the time, David was honorable and he wisely considered God’s laws. However, on this one night, he could not resist the apparent ease with which he could sin and get away with it.

With Urriah away on the battlefields, David indulged his lusts and returned to business as usual; that is, until Bathsheba sent word she was pregnant. Fearing his reputation as not only the civil, but spiritual leader of the Israelites, the King devised a clever plan. He sent for Urriah.

“When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.” When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him.

But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house. So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.”

So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?”

Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in huts, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the field.

Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations with my wife? As surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing! (2 Samuel 11:7-11)

David reached another critical point. He could have checked his pride and confessed his sin. Urriah was a member of David’s original, elite fighting group known as the “Mighty Men”.

They had proven themselves fiercely loyal and highly skilled, having served in the early days when David was on the run from King Saul. They lived in caves with him and fought side by side before there was any crown or a palace.

If David had contritely confessed his sin before Urriah, I have no problem believing that Urriah would have forgiven his friend and king, and kept the matter between the two of them.

Instead, David shockingly sends Urriah back to the battlefields carrying a note to Joab instructing him to place Urriah in the hottest part of the battle and then withdraw the men from the line.

Urriah’s code of honor was so strong that he did not open and read the dispatch that carried the orders for his execution!

After the traditional time of mourning, the king took Bathsheba as his wife under the pretense of dutifully helping the widow of his friend, Urriah. The baby was born and David rested, thinking his sins were swept under the rug and he could get on with life after the unfortunate bump in the road.

How could David resort to such wickedness? He was known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel”. His passionate pleas and prayers to the Lord resounded of a man who knew God personally. David’s unabashed worship of the Lord both astounded and inspired onlookers. (2 Samuel 6:12-15)

God gave him time to repent, but eventually sent the prophet Nathan to confront the king. Nathan begins by telling David, who grew up as a shepherd boy, a story.

“There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought.

He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man.

But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”

David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.

Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. (2 Samuel 12:12-10)

Nathan told David that what he thought he got away with in secret was the talk of Jerusalem and even in neighboring, pagan nations. As a result, the people were mocking David and the laws of his “holy” God.

The child from his sinful union with Bathsheba became ill and died. Now understand this:

God immediately and completely forgave David for his sins. His place in Heaven was not forfeited (nor his earthly purpose), but he did have to endure the consequences of his actions. The consequences for each of us are different… uniquely used by God, though not always authored, to bring us to a repentance that will save our lives--not only on earth, but also for eternity.

Godly sorrow began to work its way deep into the heart David had allowed to stiffen--a heart that once cried out passionately for God’s presence and celebrated the wisdom and beauty of His Law.

We get a glimpse of conviction at work in David’s life through the dramatic, poetic imagery he used in Psalm 32: 3-5:

When I refused to confess my sin,
my whole body wasted away,
while I groaned in pain all day long.

For day and night you tormented me;
you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)

Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

Repentance, the finished work of conviction in David’s heart,
is recorded in this famous psalm (51):

You are kind, God! Please have pity on me.
You are always merciful! Please wipe away my sins.

Wash me clean from all of my sin and guilt
I know about my sins, and I cannot forget my terrible guilt.

You are really the one I have sinned against
I have disobeyed you and have done wrong.

So it is right and fair for you to correct and punish me.
I have sinned and done wrong since the day I was born.

But you want complete honesty, so teach me true wisdom.
Wash me with hyssop* until I am clean and whiter than snow.

Let me be happy and joyful! You crushed my bones, now let them celebrate.
Turn your eyes from my sin and cover my guilt.

Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.
Don't chase me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me.

Make me as happy as you did when you saved me; make me want to obey!
I will teach sinners your Law, and they will return to you.

Keep me from any deadly sin. Only you can save me!
Then I will shout and sing about your power to save.

Help me to speak, and I will praise you, Lord.
Offerings and sacrifices are not what you want.

The way to please you is to feel sorrow deep in our hearts.
This is the kind of sacrifice you won't refuse.

Please be willing, Lord, to help the city of Zion and to rebuild its walls.
Then you will be pleased with the proper sacrifices, and we will offer bulls on your altar once again.

(Contemporary English Version)

Footnote:

*hyssop:

A small bush with bunches of small, white flowers.
It was sometimes used as a symbol for making a person clean from sin.

David is remembered in Scriptures as a “man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

How can this be...a man who intimately knew God and His ways and instructed others in godly matters...a man who still chose to commit adultery, followed by cold and calculated murder?

When conviction cut through David's calloused heart, the king didn’t deny it anymore or pass the blame. He owned it, confessed his guilt, and then cooperated with the conviction process—as painful as it was—to bring him to true repentance.

As I faced my sin of abortion, I identified greatly with David’s circumstances. In a foolish effort to save myself and blinded by self-importance, I cruelly murdered someone who trusted me to take care of them.

I didn’t have to take that route. I could have moved back in with my parents or my Aunt Jean and safely brought the baby to term. If I didn’t want to raise the child, adoption would have been the loving option.

At any rate, I could have resumed my career and carefree life nine or so months later. In retrospect, it seems a small inconvenience…very small, indeed.

Amazingly, God did not leave me to my own devices nor did He kick me out of the family. Yet like David, I suffered painful consequences that ultimately helped me bear the fruit of real repentance.

Although I cannot go back and erase what I did or forget the beautiful child I killed, God’s astounding grace, which accompanies repentance, enables me to remember without having to relive those moments.

Therefore, as David said in his psalm, I can turn that memory into a ministry to help others.

The guilt no longer paralyzes me nor do I wallow in the condemnation--reliving the pain anytime a sensitive trigger fires off another memory.

I joined the ranks of King David, and became a “woman after God’s own heart”.

If you courageously cooperate with conviction to work its way deep into your heart;

if you are truthful to God, admitting your sin and taking responsibility for it;

And when this conviction causes you to see how your abortion broke the heart of God; and that realization, more than any consequences you may have to endure, breaks your heart and you repent;

Then you, too, are a “woman after God’s own heart”!

I joined the ranks of other sinners saved AND kept by grace, including Abraham (who lied TWICE about Sarah being his wife, and cowardly watched her led into the harems of other men in order to save his own life).

Then there’s religious Saul who became Paul, Peter who did some dumb things AFTER meeting Jesus, and many others through the ages.

Salvation is a gift. It cannot be earned. Since it is a gift, then it is not kept by one’s behavior, either. It is solely based on the performance of Jesus Christ.

Christian author Philip Keller has written several classics based on his earlier years as a shepherd. I once heard a devotional taken from one his powerful stories:

When a Ewe (mother lamb) dies, the shepherds are challenged to keep her kids alive because other Ewes will not give milk to little ones outside their small litter of one or two.

Rugged environments are tough on lambs, too. If one unfortunately dies, they will skin it, place its coat on the orphan, and scoot it near the new mother to seek nourishment. She smells the skin and recognizes it to be one of hers. This allows the kid to be welcomed into the litter and live.

We were strangers, separated from the divine fold because we did not share the same nature anymore. But God’s “Lamb”, Jesus Christ, willingly died and gave us His righteousness to put on, thereby enabling us orphans to live.

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

1 John 1:29

Jesus Christ took the initiative to reach down to hurting, lost humanity, and for our sakes laid aside every exclusive advantage of being the Son of God in order to fulfill the Father’s mission of Redemption.

He took on our humanity—from the cradle to the grave. He allowed Himself to hunger, to tire, to weep, and to feel pain. Although the Scriptures remind us that our Savior could have called down 10,000 angels to remove Him from the Cross, He did not misuse His power. Calvary was not about what was happening to Jesus …it was all about you and me.

Please continue with "The Church at Topeth: Can You Hear the Drums?"

The Church at Topeth:Can You Hear the Drums?

2011-01-30T10:35:00.010-06:00

Tophet or Topheth was near Jerusalem in the Valley of Hinnom. This is where the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch. The Bible records that God's people were seduced into this abomination: Jeremiah 7: 30-32; 19:6; Ezekiel 23: 37-39. Tophet became a synonym for hell.

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part I

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part II

The Church at Topeth: King David, Other Sinners, and Me

I went through a painstaking season of allowing God to clean up the clutter and murky waters from my past abortion (and He is still at work).

Therefore, my focus must be to think daily upon the ability of Christ--not my inabilities--or I will be duped into scouring through the sewers, dumpsters, and junkyards of my past.

The thought often hits me: “I am not worthy to be this clean.”

Of course I’m not! But Jesus was...and He gave me the benefits of that goodness--His right standing with God.

Jesus exchanged His very life to give me this privilege, so I try to renew my mind daily with the Holy Spirit’s help. He said in His Word:

“What God has cleansed you must not call unclean” (Acts 10:15)

The Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament was sacred; God’s protected, representative presence was contained therein before His covenant family on earth, the Israelites.

Before Adam and Eve’s rebellion, a God “box” was not necessary because humanity was in unity with God and His goodness. He would step into time and space daily to fellowship with mankind in the Garden, face to face.

Are you familiar with the UV light technology that kills germs? Although God’s perfection is way beyond our measurements or comprehension, just like the UV light, anything less than perfect dies in the burning ray of His purity.

Yet, the Creator’s love would not allow Him to be separated from humanity by the infection of sin. God laid out a carefully executed way for man to approach Him safely on earth after the Fall, which centered on a covering of innocent blood that indicated the penalty for sin had been paid.

The only “innocent” blood on earth, prior to the coming of Jesus Christ, was the blood of animals; their sacrifice acted as a stay of execution for mankind, as long as God’s people followed the protocol.

Just as the first Adam represented all of mankind, Jesus Christ came like a second Adam. He stood in for all of us; and, through His life of unblemished obedience and His death as our payment for sin, we are reconciled to God...able to commune directly with Him without a ”box" and a frustrating set of protocols!

But let’s get back to the Ark for a moment. Placed inside at God’s command were three objects--evidence of man’s failure by human will power to obey Him:

1) Broken pieces of the Ten Commandments carved in stone;

2) The supernatural manna of sustenance in the wilderness, from which they tired and eventually complained that it wasn’t “good enough”; and

3) Aaron’s rod that budded, evidence of their rejection of godly authority.

On top of the Ark was a place called the Mercy Seat, where once a year the High Priest sprinkled the atoning blood of bulls and goats. As long as this was faithfully done, year after year, God was satisfied.

When Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion, He was on a spiritual mission: He went before God and forensically sprinkled His blood on the Mercy Seat in the Heavenlies for you and me. God witnessed it, and is forever satisfied!

Now, if God refuses to look in your “box” of failures, why do you insist on the anguish of doing so?

You know the accuser of the brethren, satan, delights in rummaging around in your past, gleefully pointing it out to you (and often to others). Although he desperately tries to get God to notice, our Heavenly Father refuses. Why? He sees the blood—not your tainted, human blood—but the divine blood of His Son, Jesus.

Satan has no redemptive blood on a Mercy Seat reserved for him. It torments him to think that creatures less intelligent and capable are recipients of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. His fate is not yours! Refuse his lies; turn down his invitations to a pity party. All he’s offering is depression and darkness.

The devil can wage a good battle for the mind; after all, our spirits are sealed but we now must progressively re-program years of lies, hurt, fears, and anger that have distorted our perception of life. As long as we don’t take out the trash, satan has quite a bit of filth at his disposal!

Our heavenly Father instructs us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may proves what is the good and acceptable and perfect (complete) will of God.”(Roman 12:2)

We see in this passage, then, that if we are able to renew our minds then transformation takes place, enabling us to better fulfill God’s will for our lives. Verse 1 of the same passage tells us how to begin:

“I beseech you, brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world…”

Wrapped in God’s mercies, I come to Him to for help with my memories, my way of thinking. I seek how I can cooperate with Him in making my spiritual cleanness an ever-growing reality.

This tremendous revelation helps me renew my mind, getting past self-pity and my past sins:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Galatians 3:27

Paul is assuming here that those who have received Christ are mindful of putting His righteousness to work.

I can give you a very expensive coat that cost a great deal of money; it is the finest ever made and will “cover” you in all kinds of conditions, but only if you put it on!

In these following passages, Paul is writing to Christians:

“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him,
as the truth is in Jesus: that you PUT OFF,
concerning your former conduct (thinking)
the old man which grows according to the deceitful lusts,
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you PUT ON
the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:21-24

We don’t take seriously the PUTTING OFF of the old man that drapes on us like a heavy cloak. Although no longer our inward nature, he still likes to hang onto our minds, weighting us down. We moan, we complain about the growing heaviness, the stink…and beg God for help.

God says, by His mercies, WE can put off the old man’s continuing influence, as well as the lingering evidence of where he’s been!

I have to do this daily…and will do so for the rest of my earthly life. There are still things from my past that seek to cloak my mind and tempt me to exchange the truths of God for lies.

I must not pay them any attention other than to cast down (inner) arguments that exalt themselves against the truth of God, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Secondly, I cannot allow myself to remain bare and open to harmful elements. I must seek a more suitable covering. I bring the righteousness of Christ out of the stuffy, theological closet and into reality, where it works for me as a powerful defense.

“…let us put on the Armor of Light (Jesus).” Romans 13:12

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11

By faith I PUT ON the reality of the new man—not me, but Jesus. The old man is my attempt at self-righteousness, which God vividly compares to an unclean, filthy rag (garment) in Isaiah 64:6.

“But PUT ON the Lord Jesus Christ and make NO provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Roman 13:14

Providing a place for the old man to hang around will give opportunity for all the junk he loves to hang around in your mind, too. And before long, you’re speaking out of that stuff--making poor choices and doing wrong things--even though you know better.

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his DEEDS, and have put on the new man who is renewed (daily) in knowledge according to the image of Him (Jesus) who created Him.” Colossians 3:9, 10

There is a difference between living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit.

“If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
(Galatians 5:25)

In other words, the Spirit of God has enabled us to live in the presence of the Godhead, legally covered at His Throne in the righteousness of Christ.

Now He admonishes us to make what is ours in Heaven an ever-increasing reality on earth...for our sanctification and for the salvation of others.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Philippians 2:12

Paul is saying that what you have been given on the inside should continually be working its way outward in an attitude of godly attentiveness and deep respect.

This verse DOES NOT mean that you have to do your best to figure out the theology of Salvation and in your own strength, make it work!

The Apostle is warning us, however, that we will bear little fruit and sustaining evidence of salvation if we are careless with so great a gift!

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with (rendered inoperative), that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:6

The old man (our old nature) is dead! He’s rotting, decaying, and full of maggots (one of satan’s names is Beelzebub, which translated is “lord of the flies”.)

He doesn’t belong in the closet of your mind. Throw the dead corpse into the consuming fire of God and make room for the new, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Don’t give the old guy the courtesy of a burial. It’s too much temptation to visit the graveside. And haven’t we all either seen or been a part of Frankenstein resurrections? These monsters walking in the world have brought much dishonor to Christ and His Church.

Does putting off the old man ensure we will never sin again? No. Just as we were born into the Old Adamic nature, and it took time for us to mature chronologically into more sophisticated and complex ways of sinning, so our new nature grows spiritually and unto Christ-likeness.

But we must grasp the profound, wonderful truth that we are no longer of the totally blackened sin nature. Christians can only be spotted outwardly from time to time. Nevertheless, the blood of Jesus continuously cleanses us as we keep short accounts with God and others. When Christ returns to earth, our purchased perfection will completely manifest and we will be like Him.

It bothers a sheep to fall into the mud and get dirty. It longs to be clean and seeks to stay that way. You can clean a muddy pig, however, and it will return to wallow in the mire. Why? Because it is his nature to do so. But it is not in the sheep’s nature to love filth!

We fall short of the glory of God; we sincerely aim but miss the mark. Sin often comes up and overtakes us before we know it. Nevertheless, it should trouble us when this happens because it is no longer our nature to like being dirty. Once we are forgiven, we seek to stay clean. That’s the way a healthy Christian lives.

A lamb will only remain in filth if someone or prolonged, abusive circumstances have convinced it that it is not worth a bath.

Will you reject that lie, and let Jesus lovingly shepherd you into the fold where you belong?

If you grew up in church, no doubt you’ve heard many times Jesus’ story of the one lost sheep and the ninety-nine:

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18: 12-14)

Told mostly in the context of how Jesus saves sinners, I believe we are missing the true message in this passage. In the Bible, sheep always represent the people of God…those who already belong to Him.

One of His kids wanders away from the rest of the flock and gets into trouble. Although He has many sheep safely in the fold, He will go in search of that missing one.

His love is relentless, and pursues until the lamb is found. He does not scold or punish, but rejoices as he returns the sheep safely into the fold.

I wish I could tell you that my family was exposed to these and other life-changing truths at church, witnessing them walked out—not perfectly but faithfully-- by those placed in godly authority over us.

I wish I could tell you that we brought these teachings home as a matter of prayer and practice, but I cannot. I got them much later in life—not as preventative measures but as medicine for festering wounds.

Going to church for us was part of our Southern culture, governed by dress and good manners. Without question, regular attendance was equated with being a good follower of Christ.

Looking back, I distinctly remember people in our church who possessed vibrant, intimate relationships with Jesus Christ. As the Lord declared, “You will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). Truly, you could see the character of Christ shining through their individual lives. However, the personality of the church and its leaders was quite different.

I received my history lessons about Christianity in such an environment. I knew a lot about Jesus, for sure, and realized that in order to go to Heaven and escape that bad place called Hell, I had to formally ask Him to save me. From then on, I was to try MY best to be a "good Christian" as defined by my denomination (and greatly modified by being a member of a large and wealthy church within that denomination).

Since our church was full of influential citizens from town, I am sad to say that our sermons and Sunday School lessons were sanitized as to remove any “meddling”, as we Southerners say.

I would be amiss to profile churches as good or bad according to size. I’ve been in some smaller churches where one or two families with founding ties to the church shamelessly manipulated the leadership and the money. You truly can’t judge a book by its cover; just like a person, a church family develops a “heart” that takes a while to discern underneath its appearance.

I was there the day our congregation, having voted on a new pastor, welcomed him to the pulpit for his first sermon. Gasps echoed throughout the sanctuary as he announced: “As the invitation begins, I am posting a deacon at each exit to temporarily lock the doors. I do not want anyone getting up to leave while God is dealing with the eternal destination of souls in this place!”

Afterward, we went to the restaurant where many of the church families gathered after the service (fuming about not getting ahead of the crowd), and need I tell you that the pastor was the main entrée? In fact, his flock had him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at every meal the following week, chewing on his audacity to do such a thing!

I assume the deacon board got a hold of the “upstart”; he never did anything that bold again. Things quickly got back to normal. Many churchgoers--my family included—picked up and shuffled out when heads bowed and the strains of “Just As I Am” began.

A textbook Jesus, devoid of a real presence and power, proved even more impotent when we exited the stained glass halls and entered the real world. Most families left their books at school. We said grace at meals and “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” at night, but we never talked about our faith and how it related to life the other 166 hours of the week.

We faithfully wrote out our tithe and sealed the family envelope every Sunday morning as we prepared to go to service, yet we never discussed putting flesh to Christ’s principles when it came to our problems. Swearing and drinking was not allowed in the house, but we were not honest and open about our inner battles for clean hearts.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven"?

Yes, the statement is basically true; but I grew up thinking I had an Imperfect Christian’s license. When I disobeyed, I could just say, “I’m sorry” and run the road without any consequences. But such thinking is an abuse of grace. Grace is free, but costly.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have a point system? We will never experience the fierceness of His rejection and wrath. Calvary took care of that. Nevertheless, the Bible is clear--He will discipline those He loves. Our Heavenly Father uses the providence of circumstances to ditch His kids temporarily so that we will not continue to endanger others and ourselves with poor choices.

“And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?He said, ‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?

If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (Hebrews 12:5-11)

God is not a child beater! He prefers for us to be restrained by the Rod of His Word alone, directly or through sermons and the counsel of godly men and women, but we are often too hardheaded to listen.

Actually, God doesn’t do anything TO us...He simply takes a step back and things opposed to God in and around us rush to fill the void and multiply. It was the first Law put in place at Creation. Called the “Law of Sowing and Reaping”, it operates automatically for good and bad; only the intervening presence of a loving God and His sustaining goodness protects us from the full effects of a destructive harvest.

When He must get our attention in more tangible ways, our loving Father does not allow the situations of life to continue to beat us down in order to “get back” at us for not listening in the first place. Men may take other men to court and sue for punitive damages—emotional pain and suffering—but God is above that!

As soon as God, who alone knows the deepest recesses of our hearts and motives, knows that true repentance has occurred, He speaks to the storm, to the fish (as He did with Jonah), to the wind and the fire, “Cease!”

Feeling the pressure of God’s hand on our shoulders can be comforting or disconcerting, depending upon the condition of our heart. But the alternative is truly scary—to be left alone to our own devices.

I’m sure it comes as no shock when I say that I was disciplined very little as a child. I heard a Christian psychologist bemoan the disastrous idea that many parents feel they have done their job if they can only keep their children physically safe to reach adulthood and materially happy along the way.

I was set up from the very beginning. Both my parents had lived through the Great Depression. Dad, in particular, had come from a poor family and vowed that he would never let his family suffer lack.

Moreover, I’m adopted. Mom and dad tried for over twenty years to conceive on their own. In their mid-forties, they brought me into their home. My birth mother was underage so her father and my parents’ lawyer quickly arranged for a private adoption.*

(By the way, that’s why my testimony is so bittersweet. Nine years after my abortion, I met my birth mother. To hear how she decided to keep me, despite the horrible abuse, betrayal, and abandonment she suffered, was disparaging. She had every reason to abort, but did not. On the other hand, I ended my child’s life due to inconvenience.)

It is not a sin to want your children to have more than you did; it is not wrong to bless your children as God provides. It is to the ruin of them, however, to use gifts to placate their moods or whims. Our society is vehemently opposed to parental tyrants, but moms and dads who want to be Santa Claus year round and their kids’ best friends are just as abusive.

If we never set boundaries of restraint in the home, nor teach our children how to set self-respecting, internal boundaries, they will always be looking for others to take care of them and take the hits for their actions. “Boundary-less” little girls grow up to become easy targets for male predators or controlling men, like Scott.

You may wonder why I was so insecure, despite a good home and a successful career. Why did I crave attention and affirmation from men, and often go to extreme lengths to please them?

Every little girl needs her daddy’s godly attention and affirmation to combat growing self-consciousness. A girl can avoid much sorrow if she enters her teen years having heard from the first man in her life that she is pretty, bright, and worthy of the best.

Loved unconditionally--acne, pudginess and all--she is not driven to hear those affirming words spoken by a liar in the heat of the moment, or tormented to change her image to win a daddy’s approval--if only in her mind.

Dad played ball with me in the yard before supper, even when he was tired from a day’s work. He taught me to swim, and we often went fishing on Saturdays, rolling open a can of sardines and topping it off with crackers and a soda pop. (Did I really eat those things??)

Yet when I began to develop into a woman, physically and emotionally, dad slowly pulled away. Sure, I was losing interest in the smelly fish, opting for Saturday movies with friends and makeup parties. But I also knew that my parents had planned to adopt a little boy when I was five-years-old until an almost fatal bout with Trichinosis left my mother with permanent nerve damage. The thought frequently troubled me.

Daddy had wanted a boy. In my young mind, I translated his increasing distance to disappointment over losing his “tomboy”, especially since no more children were in the future. I believed he still loved me, but I wondered why he no longer liked me.

Only later did Dad and I talk openly about my childhood. I discovered that his actions were not rejection at all, but awkwardness on how to raise and relate to a teenage girl.

Daddy was a simple, hard-working man. He was an excellent provider, but not prone to discuss his feelings. He showed his care through his deeds, not words. Daddy asked my forgiveness for not finding a way to reach out to me and give me what I needed. In turn, I asked for his, releasing wasted years of misconceptions that led to quiet offense and heartache.

Communication (or the lack of it) is the number one problem in any relationship. I surrendered my virginity at age 16 to a boy that I hardly remember (and one who hardly remembers me, I’m sure).

In every sexual encounter that followed, I exchanged more of myself than I really desired; and with the passing of time, my self-worth decreased so much that I choose something unnatural and unthinkable for a pregnant woman. The pay–off never came. I still ended up with a little girl’s empty heart, suffocating under grown up layers of shame, guilt, and degradation.

In 1983, I was called at work to help Mom take dad to the doctor’s to see why he was having abdominal pain and chills. Her weak back prevented her from helping him into the office. My hometown was about an hour away, and I arrived at the house just in time to help him into the car.

Dr. Bowie had a small private waiting room for patients in distress. My seventy-six year old dad curled up in a fetal position—something I’d never seen that strapping man do.

As we were waiting, the Holy Spirit abruptly interrupted my thoughts. “Go pray for your daddy.” I hesitated. There I was, a minister who prayed on the radio for hundreds of people every day from all walks of life, but was intimidated to pray for my own father. In our thirty-one years as a family, we never prayed together.

“GO PRAY FOR HIM!”

The command thundered throughout my whole body, and I found myself propelled forward, kneeling beside his cot. “Dad, may I pray for you?”

His weak eyes opened and gazed into mine, pleading. “Yes,” he muttered softly.

I naturally wanted to pray for his healing, but something else poured out of my heart:

“Father, I thank you for this man who has been my earthly father. I thank you for his loving care all these years. I ask you to ease his pain and suffering, and bless him for his goodness and kindness to us.”

I felt I had more to say, but the nurse interrupted and carried my bent over father to his examination room next door. He squeezed my hand as we parted and mouthed, “I love you.” Hot tears streamed down my face as I replied, “Oh, daddy. I love you, too.”

Mom and I waited in silence. Just a few minutes later, a troubled Dr. Bowie rushed into the room and asked, “Mary, what was wrong with George?”

She was startled. “Why?”

“Mary, he’s dead!”

Mother collapsed, screaming. I reeled and grabbed onto a nurse to steady myself. The autopsy revealed an abdominal aneurysm. A main artery, weakening for quite some time, finally burst as the nurse helped dad lie back on the table.

I almost missed the giving and receiving of my one and final blessing.

Nevertheless, would my life have been different if I had grown up nurtured by daddy’s regularly spoken blessings? Would the power of his words re-directed my steps?

Probably, for I know that meditating now on what my Heavenly Father thinks of me, which comes alive in my heart every day, changes and constrains my choices.

Parents are the first authorities a child encounters. What the youngster learns about authority, how his responses are shaped to it in the home, will carry over into his school, job and intimate relationships. Thus, a man or woman’s ability to relate to God is learned behavior.

God will be perceived as a feared despot, a quiet, old grandpa who offers “Get Out of Jail FREE” cards, or as a loving, trusted Creator who has a plan for humanity and a desire to make us members of His family. This hard-to-grasp-concept in our material world is to be modeled on a smaller scale by parents or guardians.

Young people are actually looking for radical, but real standards that won’t buckle under pressure. Most of the time, the problem isn't in setting high standards, but with the hypocrites that try to enforce them. Believe me, children know when you're faking it.

Youth want to be challenged, and given opportunities to stretch their faith and build spiritual muscles in a safe environment. That place is the home, not church. Dropping them off at church to get "fixed" doesn't work.

Children want to see you set the bar and then personally keep it—matching your actions to your words. When you blow it, acknowledge that you fell short…and really repent.

Don’t hide the gutsy dealings of the Lord from your family. Don’t dance the Limbo out of spiritual laziness or cowardice. Don’t make excuses and try to water down God’s Word to make you look better or play the "That's different" game.

Your children will surpass you--in either raising the family bar or lowering it. From you, they will learn how to love and worship the Lord. They will also learn how to repent.

After I had been in the ministry for several years, my parents, living in the sunset of their lives, began to ask me more and more questions about the Christian faith and the Bible.

After visiting, I’d cry on the way home because they reminded me of two children who, despite living in the formal palace and supping at the King’s table all their lives, never knew they could eat until full and enjoy the company of their benefactor.

I watched as fear was exchanged for love, rules for relationship, and rigidness for the Lord’s joy and friendship. My parents were preparing to go home.

Although they are now in Heaven, “going home” is not so much about leaving this earth when we die, but changing our dwelling place while we’re still alive.

Subsequently, death appears only as a shadow (Psalm 24) as we draw our last breaths. The real you, the real me--souls that will never die--have already taken up residence in God--safely, eternally.

“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's.

There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love...”1 John 4:17, 18 (The Message)

You can return home today and take up residence in a life of love—free of guilt and shame. God abides there, and has made a place just for you. In Christ, love will seek out every dark, battered, and barren place in you to fill.

I wrote a prayer in my book Cotton Butterflies for readers who wanted to give their lives to Christ. This prayer will also help those of you who grew up around the sheepfold to make it real this time and return to the Good Shepherd.

You need not fear His wrath or rejection…that is no longer your portion. He bore all your guilt and shame at the Cross. His desire is to see you return safely to His arms and the family fold, where there will be great rejoicing and peace!

God, I’m not afraid of you anymore. I am convinced today of Your love for me, in spite of all I’ve been through. I realize You don’t sit in Heaven and think of ways to make my life miserable. Misery comes from sin, and sin comes from the choices made by people with free wills.

What has happened in my past still haunts me, and I daily make sinful decisions based on familiar hurts and pains. How I see You, others, and myself is so twisted and fragmented that I regrettably react out of that brokenness.

I’ve tried to be “good,” but I really don’t even know what that means. I try to do the right thing, but eventually fail. And there are so many people telling me what they think is “right,” yet they don’t always agree.

I know that one day You will make all things right and well all over the world, but now You are doing so one heart at a time. I am surprised that You can look upon my dirty and bruised life, and still consider it worth the life of Your Son as a treasured ransom.

I now understand that I can’t be good enough on my own and I can’t make myself behave to get into Heaven. Only Jesus was able to live that kind of life. But today my eyes are open to the fact that He lived it as a gift to me.

Salvation is freely mine! If I but have faith in what Christ did, You will credit Christ’s good life and sacrificial death to my account.

Although I am clearly guilty, You will look…not at what I do, but what Jesus has done as evidence and then permanently clear me of all charges!

I don’t want to wait any longer! Jesus, I receive you as my Savior and my Lord, and welcome as a gift of grace the wonderful salvation already accomplished for me.

I place myself into the hands of your Holy Spirit, and ask Him to guide and guard me as I grow in my faith with others who have made the same decision.

Teach me how to surrender more and more to your Spirit, as He patiently delivers, heals, and makes me more like You…so that I can be a blessing to others all the days of my life. Amen.

Let me know if you prayed this prayer. I can point you in the right direction and perhaps answer some of your questions about getting back into fellowship with God and your spiritual family, as well as locating personal or group-guided Bible studies for post-abortive women.

By the way, there’s more to David’s story. When his first child with Bathsheba became ill, the king stayed before God in prayer and fasting until the child died seven days later:

“But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”

So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.

Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.'

“But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:19-23)

You cannot change what happened to your child, either. You, like David, bear the responsibility for the tragic choices that resulted in his death.

What you have done--although forgiven--can never be reversed and that memory will remain throughout your earthly life.

However, like a repentant David, you can live with the assured hope of a reunion in Heaven. Your child is with God, growing up and tended by angels and the redeemed saints. He or she awaits your arrival!

In that reunion place, tears will be wiped away eternally and all regrets will fade in the light of His perfecting love.

If you’ve read "The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part I", the first installment in this testimony, you’ll remember the sobering statistics that Christian women are having abortions proportionate to the rest of the abortive population. However, as abortion rates decrease overall, the percentage of Christian women having the procedures remains the same.

Therefore, abortions among Christian women are on the rise! The latest statistics from Guttmacher Institute also reveal that abortion rates are increasing among teens for the first times in several years.

It’s obvious that the drums of Molech are drowning out the voice and conscience of life that has been entrusted to the Church.

There, in the valley of Topeth, stood the imposing idol Molech. A fire was stoked in a pot underneath its out-stretched arms. (Jeremiah 7:30-32)

God’s people eventually were seduced to turn away from God and send their children to “pass through the fire” in exchange for Molech’s “blessing” of protection and provision.

Unlike the God of Israel, who set standards for virtuous living based on His character, Molechian worship celebrated licentiousness and promised freedom from moral restraints...for a cruel price.

Infants and young children were placed in the carved, searing hot arms amid frenzied drumming and dancing. Consequently, the parents never heard the screams of their children--only the drums and cheers of Molech’s priests.

The physical Topeth became an acrid-smelling place where people took their trash and even dead bodies to be burned—a continually burning dump that became a symbol of Hell.

Children are still passing through the fire to Molech in the name of personal freedom. His priests beat the drums of propaganda to drown out the horrible truth. The rhythmic rhetoric deceives young women and men into thinking they’ve done the right thing to ensure a happy and prosperous life.

My final installment in this series will be a discreet questionnaire for Christian women who’ve had an abortion(s) or considered one.

It will be extensive, aimed at locating common denominators in how we were raised, our churches, sexual experiences, mindsets, relationships, and circumstances.

If your experiences and feelings after your abortion differ from mine, I still want to hear from you. If, in the framework of your faith, you are at peace regarding your abortion and support it as a viable choice for Christian women, your perspective is important.

My goal is to help shed some continuing light on why more Christian women still choose abortion in a country with a prosperous church “on every corner”, along with prolific youth/young adult ministries, music and media, mission trips, and so much more.

I need your help to document our stories of abortion and redemption that will serve to inform, convict, and reform the Church’s message of the sanctity of life and how we model it to our children and the world.

As post-abortive, Christian women, I believe our lives hold common indicators that can compassionately, but effectively speak to the circumstances behind every statistic, and offer more life-affirming options for both mother and child.

If you would like to be notified when this questionnaire is released, just subscribe to this blog or send me your Email at upthesycamore@mail.com. It will not be shared with anyone or posted publicly.

*Cotton Butterflies

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part II

2011-01-21T16:35:00.002-06:00

Have you read Part I?

Life moved at an even faster pace once I signed on as Production Director and host of the midday shift. My ratings were followed closely by Arbitron, the industry’s audience polling system. I was consistently # 1 or tied for first place. I wrote and voiced commercials for bars and dance clubs, often hosting special promotions at their locations; and of course, I got to meet top rock bands when they came to the station to be interviewed by Scott* on his morning show. The price I paid seemed worth it after all…until the day the station was sold.

The new owner, eager to reduce our costly overhead, was following a new trend that seemed to work in larger cities out West—syndicated morning shows with a board operator who could drop in local commercial breaks and weather forecasts. Scott’s salary was too high to basically pay a “babysitter”, although he was offered a cut in pay to stay on the board. The company wanted to keep me, however. Scott was livid, and immediately put his resume in the trade sheets.

A small mom and pop station near the coast was finally changing their beautiful music format to adult contemporary and wanted a more youthful sound and image. They’d recently hired an aggressive Program Director to make it happen. Rick immediately warmed to the novel idea of a “rock and roll couple” on the air. My job was to do mid days and a two-hour disco show on Saturday nights.

My husband took a small pay cut and was placed in the lesser afternoon drive shift (Rick was already the morning host), but as Scott saw it, we were big fish in a little pond between two major cities. He said inevitably, we would be moving on and up.

It worked (at least for me). Within months, radio executives traveling between the two cities or tuning in after the trade paper announcements, liked what they heard. I was offered several jobs; one in Columbia, another in Charleston. The station manager in the coastal city thought I had what it took to break new ground in the industry—host afternoon drive.

Both companies were hesitant to take a husband and wife team. Rick was growing impatient with Scott to get his head back into the game. More than once I was pulled aside to ask why his performance had slipped. I honestly didn’t know. I had turned down the Columbia offer when they wouldn’t make a place for Scott. However, the Charleston execs were persistent, and I was just about ready to strike out on my own, but I started throwing up…again.

Let me divert to something difficult to mention, but very important. Scott hated condoms and spermicides, which we had to use as birth control because I had serious hormonal problems with oral contraceptives. (Remember, it was the 1970’s, and The Pill--as it was called--had only been released a decade earlier. The new “mini-pill”, with varying doses of estrogen based on the monthly cycle, was not yet widely prescribed by doctors.)

Most of the time, Scott won the argument and we didn’t use anything. The real issue was one of selfishness and control, wasn’t it? I was the one with the problem, and it was up to me to make him happy, regardless of the personal cost.

But I determined not walk into another abortion clinic, although the emotional pain and spiritual consequences had yet to surface. Soon after my abortion I described the experience to a friend as “eerie” and “icky”, as if I something got on me during the procedure that wouldn’t go away.

Guttmacher Institute reports that forty-seven percent of the women having abortions are repeaters; that is, they’re in the clinic the second time around.

I’m surprised, yet concede that the US abortion industry has had over thirty-five years and over 42 million kills to perfect their craft since my visit in 1978. But I couldn’t do it a second time.

“I’m keeping this pregnancy, “I announced. “I’m having this baby.”

After two days of brooding, Scott resigned to my choice, but made sure I knew his reservations regarding the financial responsibilities and long-term commitment.

”I just don’t know if I’m up to it,” he often complained.

Here’s more hindsight: Scott’s consent to be a father may appear somewhat noble, but not really. He knew the pressure I was under to take the big job in Charleston. If I did, where would that leave him? Radio trade papers are like Hollywood tabloids—nosy and ready for juicy gossip. Can you see the headline?

“Former Top-rated Jock Loses His Edge AND His Wife to Dream Job"

His ego could not have handled the fall.

I seriously weighed my options, and decided to stay with Scott and my small town job--no moving, no starting over, no messy divorce legalities (and costs)--as little stress as possible.

Months passed and my tummy grew. I must say, in Scott’s defense, that I watched him soften to the idea of being a dad. I could even use the word “excited” as we neared the due date. I believe the turning point was the ultrasound, where he saw HIS baby moving in my womb and “sucking his thumb”. He heard HIS baby’s heartbeat, and the bond was formed in ways that facts on paper and pleas from my heart never could.

At 6:42 PM on July 18, 1980, our son was born and placed into Scott’s waiting arms. It was the first time I saw my husband cry.

After our son’s birth, Scott and I started attending church again. His sporadic participation was socially inclined and obligatory, but mine was a genuine reawakening to a personal faith in Christ. As my commitment grew, so did the tension at home.

For example, when we’d return upstate to visit our folks, I’d drop in and do an evening shift as a guest host at the little station where I first started. Back then, radio stations were given free promotional LP’s. Since the format was more suited for older adults, the rock records in the packages were placed in a locked closet. Often these were limited, promotional releases on colored or picture vinyl, which easily became collector’s items.

My boss had close to 100 titles when I asked if Scott could have them since they were just sitting in storage. He refused on the premise that one day the station may change its format, and the collection would be ideal for “oldies”.

Scott fumed and wouldn’t let go of the issue. One night he showed up at work and rummaged through the office desks until he found the key to the closet. Once a month or so, he’d carefully go through the stack of vinyls, systematically choosing just one artist and painstakingly replacing the key.

“I’ll just do it myself,” he taunted.

He brought up the idea again two years later. “Wonder if old man Paget still has those records?”

“You’ll never know, Scott,” I snapped. “I won’t steal them for you. If you come down tonight or any other night when I’m on the air, I’ll call him.”

He spit back with contempt. “Hell, If I’d known you were going to turn into such a ‘goodie two shoes’, I never would have married you!”

Scott and I divorced six years later. I had given up recreational drugs and alcohol as soon as I discovered my second pregnancy; he did not. Scott also made lifestyle choices that increasingly put our family at risk. One day he announced he had found someone else to better satisfy his needs.

He eventually got the break he’d been wanting. He moved into television and worked at one of the major networks, then later as a successful executive in satellite radio who brought many innovations to the industry before his untimely death in 2006.

As a result, Scott provided well for our son, sending him to an exclusive, private boarding school during his high school years that proved an excellent tool in shaping character and maturity. One memorable summer Scott flew our son from city to city, watching major league baseball games in premiere seats.

Humans devoid of a relationship with God are still capable of tender, abiding care, which is mostly shown in the meeting of material needs and wants. They can only perceive and relate to the natural or material world around them.

I could never compete with Scott’s money, which often drew our young, impressionable son to his side. By the time our son was three-years old, I took a job in Christian radio and have remained in various aspects of ministry for over twenty-five years. It was a sacrifice of salary and earthly prominence I’ve never regretted.

However, when it came to earthly events that shatter the soul, such as the time our son lost a friend in a fiery car crash, I was always the one he sought for sense and consolation.

I reached for the spiritual, but Scott never emerged beyond his five senses. Nevertheless, I am profoundly grateful for his exceptional care for our son. He was an attentive, involved, and proud father.

Outwardly successful, Scott inwardly battled severe depression for years. When his family went through his home in a wealthy suburb of Washington, DC, after his death, they discovered an open Bible by his bed.

It was actually our son’s Bible--a graduation gift from me--left behind during one of his visits. Scott’s mother discovered page after page of underlined and highlighted verses, including this:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

The evidence suggests that he was quietly returning to the faith of his childhood after many years of inner darkness. It is the prayer of all who loved him that Scott safely made it Home.

*not his real name

Next, Mary Diane shares how she embraced God's unconditional love and forgiveness for what she had done, and received the grace to forgive herself.

The Church at Topeth: A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption Part 1

2011-01-18T21:28:00.001-06:00

I was privileged. I had both a mother and a father who raised me in a loving, stable home. I was presented the same opportunities most upper class, American girls enjoy--tap, ballet, and music lessons; expected vacations and seemingly magical holidays.

Another advantage was my parents' beliefs. My family, like every other family, had common problems, but mom and dad considered going to church an important part of their conservative culture. We faithfully attended on Sundays and throughout the week. Without question, I went to Sunday School, revival meetings and Vacation Bible School. I was an active member of the Youth ministry and was also on the roster for all the Christian concerts and summer camps. And just like so many other girls raised in Christian homes...I had an abortion.

Here are the sobering statistics:

The abortion rates among professing Christians are commensurate with the rest of the population!
-and-
Even though the number of abortions nationwide has decreased yearly, the percentage of Christian women having abortions HAS NOT!

Approx. 350,000 per year for Catholics (27%)

Approx. 560,000 for Protestants (43%)

13% of abortions (approx. 170,000 per year) are performed on self-described
"Born Again" or Evangelical Christians.

(Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute and Physicians for Reproductive Choice,

"An Overview of Abortion in the United States," 2008 (updated 2010)

The number one reason to abort--even among Christians--is because the pregnancy was simply unplanned!

Let's Break It Down:

"Not Ready for the Responsibility" 22%
Inadequate Finances 22%
"Life Would Change Too Much" 17%
Relationship problems/unmarried 13%
"Too Young and Immature" 11%
Already Have Enough Children 8%
Fetal Abnormalities/Health 3%

Rape or Incest 1%

You may argue that these women in the report aren't true followers of Jesus Christ. It is plausible that their experience with Christianity is solely based on general information or indirect family and social involvement. Perhaps they are just more familiar with Christianity than any other religion listed on the clinic's form, so it earns the check mark. (That way the nurse knows what kind of clergy to call in case of an emergency.)

Regardless, women are having abortions while careers, college, and unfettered relationships are priorities. Guttmacher reports that most abortions are performed on women ages 20-24. These women may publicly tell you in the midst of their busy pursuits that the abortion, although regrettable, does not morally trouble them in the least.

Later, however, when many of them marry and have children, and when they either awaken to the Christian faith or genuinely return to their earlier beliefs, the emerging realities about the abortion event can be spiritually and emotionally devastating.

I know my priorities eventually changed. I married, settled down and started a family. But then, I watched an absolutely, beautiful miracle grow up before me...painfully aware that another child-equally as stunning-could not.

My story is not just another testimony about abortion and its consequences; it's the echo of an age-old call to reasonable discipleship in a world where Christians bob up and down, moved along by the strong current of the world's opinions and influence. And what is reasonable discipleship to God? Romans 12:1 is clear:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Oddly enough, the Greek work for "reasonable" in this passage means rational, yet believers who seek to follow this command are attacked by the liberal elite in the Church as being irrational!

We love to hear sermons about how Jesus saves us from Hell, meets our daily needs, and is compassionately open to granting the desires of our hearts for better jobs, more money and a companion, but we don't want to hear the Lordship part of the covenant package:

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, was given as a costly exchange for us! If we've confessed Him as Savior and Lord, then He rightfully owns you and me...and that includes our genitals, wombs, emotions and time.

Therefore, enabled by grace, we are to present our BODIES, which represent the total person--body, spirit, mind, emotions and everything within--as a LIVING sacrifice. From a Kingdom perspective, Paul says its the only reasonable thing to do in response to such extravagant love.

If we don't, we are stealing from God what is contractually His. Didn't we voluntarily ask Him to be the Savior and Lord of our lives? He took the invitation seriously.

"Or do you not know that your BODY is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (I Corinthians 6:19,20)

Although He doesn't force His disciples to properly use what is His, we will account for our thievery and damage to stolen property, unless our lawlessness is cleansed and cast away through genuine repentance.

There's an abundance of materials on the abortion issue, but I pray this testimony will stand out with fresh conviction to pastors, parents, and Christian leaders who'll no longer ignore why women, who are professing Christians, choose abortion as an alternative to their unplanned pregnancies.

Guttmacher also reports that for every ten minors (girls under 17) having the procedure, at least one parent knew of their choice. Girls who initially wanted to keep their child say that it was a parent or parents, not a boyfriend, who talked them into an abortion. I wonder how many girls in this category would also claim to have been raised in a Christian home?

THE CHURCH AT TOPETH* :
A Christian's Story of Abortion and Redemption

I wasn't particularly familiar with that side of town, but I had no choice. I finally located the free health clinic and went inside to sit with other girls whose future was about to change. I took my test and waited for two hours. I almost walked out, but just them my name was called.

The health nurse bluntly told me I was pregnant and asked, "Is this good news or bad?"

"Bad", I replied. A sigh had escaped through my lips although my front teeth were locked onto my lower lip.

"Where would you like to go for your abortion...nearby or out of town?" The nurse already had a follow up packet and a page of phone numbers shoved into my hands.

"Uh, I can't go here, for sure," I answered sheepishly. "I guess, um...Atlanta?"

"Good choice, good choice," she said, walking to the exam room door. "Call the first one on the list, okay? That's the one I recommend the most." Obviously, my time was up.

It was 1978, five years after the nationwide legalization of abortion. Almost overnight, an industry once hidden in shame and shadows was legitimized and celebrated. The demand was staggering; abortion mills sprang up throughout the United States in almost every city, making quick millionaires out of physicians-turned-entrepreneurs.

I took the long way home. I remember feeling profoundly sad. I pulled into the gas station just around the corner from my apartment--the one I always used. The attendant said his usual cheery hello and asked how I was on "this beautiful day". (Back in those days, Americans still had full service gas stations!)

What I said surprised me. It was as if my heart was swelling with an emotion I could not longer contain--an emotion I was trying so hard to suppress.

Smiling, I responded, "I'm pregnant."

"That so? Well, congratulations. When you due?"

I hesitated a moment, counting the months in my head and said, "May. I'm due in May."

"Whatcha want, boy or girl? Our eyes met as he took my money.

Staring directly into his without blinking, I steeled myself and answered, "Doesn't matter. I'm just happy to be a mom."

He waved good-bye and said, "Good for you. See ya soon!"

I never went back. Never.

I know my act was a cruel deception. But honestly, it was as if I couldn't help playing the role. The knowledge of my pregnancy had triggered an unexpected and unusual feeling inside of me that demanded I give it attention, even if just for a few, fleeting moments.

Less than five minutes later, I pulled into my parking spot at the apartment complex, walked in and told my husband of just two months what we had expected for weeks. Mark** just shook his head and made sure I knew that he could only go with me on a Friday afternoon.

Mark was the top morning drive rock radio jock in the region at the number one FM station. Believe me, hindsight is 20/20; I realize now that I was attracted to his on-air personality and the life of a successful rock jock--back stage passes to the best concerts, chances to meet and party with musicians, and everything else that went with the fast-paced industry.

I started in public radio as the researcher and host of a weekly vignette of little known historical facts about our state. I had moved to evenings at a smaller, more adult-oriented music station.

Mark was about to get me a career boost hosting mid-days at the rock station. The Program Director liked my demo tape and wanted a female on staff. Rock radio, which at the time was male-dominated, was just opening up to female hosts. It was my big chance...but the nausea came and so did the tender breasts. After two missed periods, we knew. Our sex life was the way we lived all aspects of our lives--reckless.

Mark was enraged! He reminded me that we were on the verge of dream careers and that a baby would blow the whole thing! Annoyed by my obvious uncertainty, one day my new husband gave me two options: him or the pregnancy. "It's that simple", he wryly announced, "so choose."

I always considered myself a 'good' person. I had been raised in church and claimed I knew right from wrong; but in looking back, that proverbial line was always smudged and flexible. Over the years the God I asked into my heart at the age of nine was forced away from the center and out to the frayed edges of my world as other people, opportunities, and things entered the picture with little or no conviction.

Where did I learn this? Truthfully, from my own parents, church role models, and "Christian" friends. The influence of culture and what some call "the world" was nowhere near the top of the list to begin with. It only exerted more pressure as other standards higher up the line disintegrated. But back to that October day in 1978.

I picked up the phone and called the Atlanta clinic. The appointment was made in less than a minute. My name was scribbled onto a budding list of girls wanting to sweep a mistake under a discreet rug one week away on Friday, October 20.

Mark turned on the TV. I dressed and headed off to my evening air shift. The tears had dried before I turned on the microphone and, in my usual upbeat and smooth delivery, opened up the program with a golden oldie. I tried hard to remember that Mark said I was going to be a famous rock jock--soon, very soon. But first, I had to prove how much I wanted it.

The conversation on the two-hour drive to Atlanta wasn't momentous. Mark and I lightly talked shop and listened to the big, metro rock stations as we neared their signals. Atlanta was a favorite place for us; we begin our honeymoon there by attending a performance of the band Kansas before heading south to Florida. But today was different. I had an odd sense of dread although I'd never been afraid of doctors before.

Didn't I know all about abortion--the procedures and the risks? More importantly, didn't I know I was ending the life of another person? Well, not really.

Albeit, the truth was always a shadowy substance somewhere in my mind and at times, emoting through my heart (like the time at the gas station), but I had been intellectually conditioned by what I can now only describe as the propaganda from a culture of death.

Our society daily hears the results from decades of brain washing: "I will end this marriage because I am not fulfilled", "I will sue you for all you have and ruin your life", "We must pull the healthcare rug out from under our unproductive, aging citizens", and oh, yes: "I cannot allow an unplanned pregnancy to disrupt my life."

Of course, these verbally air-brushed statements are released to the public through carefully chosen spokespersons: you know, those with stunning I.Q.'s that are bending down to help us--those elite political and educational advisers who have unique insight and wisdom...even beautiful and talented celebrities who pop in their two cents to make us covet their free-spirited lifestyles.

It worked. I believed them. And when the need arose, I bought what they were selling (or so I thought).

What did I claim I was doing? Why, choosing a regrettable, but savvy way to manage my life in the modern world, unchained from outdated moral restraints.

I was mostly convinced that God understood my decision, and actually applauded how grown-up I was about not bringing a potential child into the world unplanned, one who may be exposed to neglect and abuse.

What did I think was going to happen? Abortion, hailed as safe and relatively painless in our advanced society, was the removal of a tiny piece of tissue from the uterus through the vagina...somewhat like blowing your nose: a little pressure, some force, and presto--out comes the not-yet-human stuff.

I was informed on the phone, however, that for an additional $100.00, I could be put to sleep with a gentle anesthetic. "That way", said the receptionist, "you don't feel anything at all, nor do you see or hear any of the equipment while in operation."

Silly me. I just assumed it was a benefit for the medically squeamish, a little something for those who hated shots and visits to the dentist. Nevertheless, I elected to put my body and even my consciousness into the hands of revenue-driven strangers.

The abortion clinic, located in an upscale shopping district, was simply furnished and presented a clean, well-managed appearance. I signed in and the receptionist told us to have a seat and someone would be with us shortly.

A few minutes later, without warning, Mark turned to me and said he thought he'd wander through some nearby shops for an hour or two, and then return to pick me up. "You know me," he whispered casually, "can't stand to wait."

"But what if I need you for something? I mean, how will--"

"Hey," he insisted, his hand extended in front of me. "It'll be okay. I'll be right next door." With that, he left.

Coward, I fumed, just as a voice interrupted my angry thoughts and called me to the front desk. She was the accounting clerk and had several papers for me to sign: permission, waivers of responsibility, and such (fine print very few people actually take the time to read under time constraints).

And then she asked for the money.

"Now?"

I was surprised. I hadn't spent a lot of time in medical offices, but I always paid AFTER my visits. I quickly explained that my husband just left and he had the money.

"Oh, we can't proceed without payment, honey," she stated with a scolding look. "That's the policy."

I ran out of the medical suite and caught Mark just as he was stepping onto the elevator. After paying the $350.00, he stayed. It was just the beginning of the unexpected.

Next, I was called into another waiting area for girls only--no men, no moms, no friends or school guidance counselors. In the corner of the room was a desk. About five of us were waiting in chairs against the wall, trying to take in and mentally process our unfamiliar surroundings.

"Diane, Mary Diane?"

An amicable woman reviewed my medical history, including how I confirmed my pregnancy and the approximate gestation period. No follow-up exam or second urine test.

She held another paper for me to sign, but hesitated before giving me the pen. "I am required to ask you this," she said. "Do you have any questions or concerns? Are you confident to go ahead with this procedure?"

Like I said, she was nice, but how did she really expect me to respond? I HAD ALREADY PAID!

The body language of everyone on staff indicated that they ran on a tight schedule. Who wants to be the clog in the wheel, particularly within ear and eyeshot of other girls who, like you, are trying to act so calm and sophisticated about the whole thing?

Besides, my parents disliked Mark so much that we ended up eloping. I knew he had issues, but what woman doesn't think that she's the one that can eventually change a frog into a prince? In my head I heard one of Mom's frequent lectures:

"Before you know it, you'll end up pregnant with that man's baby, and then what? Up a creek without a paddle, I tell ya!"

I wasn't willing to face the condescending "I told you so's". I signed my name one last time.

Ushered into a small room where I was told to undress, an attendant then put my belongings into a large paper bag. She insisted I watch as she stapled the bag shut and wrote my name on it. "This will be waiting for you afterward in your dressing room," she replied. "For now, wait right here."

It wasn't long before she returned and took me to the cubicle for the abortion, surrounded by curtains and ominous-looking devices. Away from the other girls, my resolve was weakening and I was not afraid to show my fear.

"Don't worry," assured the assistant, patting my hand. "It only takes a few minutes and it'll be over before you know it." After laying back on the gurney, she placed the IV in my arm and I felt myself letting go...of what, I wasn't sure.

It felt unnatural and even "wrong"--a word I was learning to eliminate from my vocabulary as an up and coming sophisticate. But, alone in that room, it didn't matter; I was scared. Nevertheless, I was also minutes away from erasing a mistake. I closed my eyes.

A nurse was shaking me. "Wake up! Mary Diane, come on, time to get up." Dazed, I looked over at the clock on the wall. Thirty minutes had passed.

She persisted. "Come on, now. I know you're a little groggy, but you have to get up and start moving around." She helped me up and swung my legs around towards the floor. Swoosh! I felt a rush of something wet between my legs.

She replaced the huge menstrual pad, which was already saturated. With a firm voice, the nurse told me to keep my legs together and go straight to room # 3. Once dressed, she would meet me in the pharmacy.

I had not been informed ahead of time about the heavy flow of blood and the cramps, nor about the strange recovery from the anesthesia. For the next twenty-four hours, I could not seem to get my bearings.

Before leaving the clinic, I was given orange juice and a cookie (I guess for being a good, little girl), along with one prescription to combat any infection. My release paper told me to rest easy for the next few days and take an over-the-counter pain reliever for any discomfort. However, if any complications developed, I was instructed to call my regular physician or go to the hospital emergency room. "Do NOT," they wrote, "contact the clinic"!

Mark joined me as we were ushered out a separate door from the main entrance, down a back hall to a more discreet set of elevators. I arrived in the main lobby...pale, bewildered, and toting a courtesy bag full of giant menstrual pads.

Stepping into the brisk, late afternoon air, my husband tried to break our awkward silence. "Well, are you hungry? We can grab a bite before we head back." I slid into the car seat, catching my breath before I answered.

"You arrogant son of a bitch."

Mark reeled in surprise, "Whoa, what did I do?"

"Dammit, Mark," I scowled, looking out the window away from him. "Shut up. Just take me home. And SHUT UP."

I got over my crankiness. I resolved I couldn't go back and change what happened anyhow. I repeatedly told myself that I made a tough, but responsible choice, and that later on I could bring a child into this world under "better circumstances".

I rested over the weekend and Mark tiptoed through the house. Although the blood flow on Saturday was still a concern, it tapered to a minimal stain by the time I returned to work on Monday, ready to put the incident behind me. That week I put in my notice at the small FM station and geared up psychologically for my big break into high profile rock radio.

In Part II, Mary Diane discovers that golden opportunities, purchased at high prices, are sometimes nothing more than fool's gold.

*Tophet or Topheth was near Jerusalem in the Valley of Hinnom. This is where the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch. The Bible records that God's people were seduced into this abomination: Jeremiah 7: 30-32; 19:6; Ezekiel 23: 37-39. Tophet became a synonym for hell.

**Not his real name

The Circumcision of Jesus:The First Shedding of Atoning Blood

2011-01-18T14:51:00.000-06:00

As I'm writing this, the neighbors are buying last-minute fireworks and snacks to herald in a new year with family and friends. Excitement abounds from Times Square to Santa Fe as we're given another opportunity to let go of the past and start on a clean slate.

Many Christians however, acknowledge tonight as the eve of the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, as recorded in Luke 2:21: It, too, promises a new start--not by the resolve of man, but by divine will.

"And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child,His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb."

The foreskin on the male child was removed, signifying that he was placed in covenant with God under His parents' obligations to the Law until he was old enough to assume responsibility for his own behavior before God and man (at age 12). The child also received his name, publicly proclaimed by the father to the priest and all in attendance. Do you remember the dramatic story of Zechariah naming his son, John? (Luke 1:57-66)

A great article at Anglicans Online starts out by rightly noting "The Circumcision of Christ is elided (omitted) by Bible-readers and many preachers today because it strikes us as culturally inappropriate, strange, unfamiliarly Jewish, or something we just don't want to talk about. (The day probably passes unnoticed on the calendar for most.)"

That is so true! I never heard of this observance until I was over fifty-years of age, although I had often seen it listed on calendars. I naively assumed it was Roman Catholic in origin, but the Feast was well-entrenched by the 500s A.D. in the early, undivided church. It is even mentioned by St. Augustine.

Thus, does this ancient feast hold any significance for modern Christians?

Yes, for it was not at the scourging and the Cross where Jesus first shed His blood for us, but at His circumcision!

"Gentle Jesus meek and mild, as a son of Abraham, become a son of the law through the ritual cutting of his flesh. This was a favourite text for medieval and renaissance preachers, and as the pioneering, fascinating research of Leo Steinberg has shown, it was a common motif in pre-modern and early modern Christian art. It cemented the seriousness, the completeness, the costliness, of God's incarnation as a Jewish boy. It clarified beyond all question that God really was here to be with us in every aspect of our lives as a real human being." (Ibid.)

God, the Son assumed human flesh and voluntarily placed Himself under the tyranny of the Law and its salvation by works. He had to obey it perfectly, not relying on the blood of bulls and goats, but His own.

The purpose of the Law of Moses has been greatly misunderstood, and thereby misused in the Church. It was implemented ONLY when the Israelites would not trust God by faith, as did their father Abraham!

It was designed to be a temporary, external restraint until another Adam would arrive (Jesus) to undo the curse brought on by the disobedience of the first Adam.

Given the name JESUS (Savior), Christ lived an obedient life in fulfillment to all the Law requires. He passed the three tests Adam failed--lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

In other words:

1) self-gratification (command the stone to turn into bread)

2) self-promotion (worship the devil for power and fame)

3) self-protection (jump presumptuously off the pinnacle of the Temple to "prove" Himself)

(All temptations faced by humanity today still fall into one of these three categories)

Jesus, fully God and fully Man, did not need the eternal benefits of the righteousness He won. He gives it, completely and freely, to those who receive what He did by faith as an act of grace in their lives. He earned it so you don't have to; He pleased the Father for all in Adam who cannot be good--in all ways and at all times--no matter how much religious will power is exerted!

Let's look at it this way.

Jesus' redemptive work was two-fold: the way he lived and the way he died. Both aspects were ratified in blood.

Christ could not morally give you good standing with the Father while your sins were on the books; therefore, though innocent of any original or personal sin, He claimed yours, along with all of humanity's as His, and became "as sin" (bearing the consequences). (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Until Christ came, bulls and goats had to be continually sacrificed to cover, but not cleanse the sin problem. At the Cross, Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for all time; His blood was powerful to ransom corrupted humanity's past, present, and future.

With the bondage to human self-righteousness broken, Christ made His unblemished standing before God available in its place...not just so we could be cleared of all charges, but restored to an intimate, ongoing relationship with the Godhead!

Based on Christ's active and passive obedience--in life and death--man is not only forgiven and justified (declared not guilty), but loved, adopted, and wonderfully parented by God!

"Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11 The Message)

In His presence we are not only clean, but filled with His grace and goodness; we experience healing from the dysfunctions of being born in Adam and receive the sufficiency of being born again in Christ. And we keep ourselves spiritually clean through daily repentance and forgiveness.

Did you know the number "8" in Jewish symbolism represents new beginnings? That's why, also on the day of His circumcision, God, the Son incarnate was given his earthly name, JESUS. It means "Savior".

Our given names come from various people and places--aunts, uncles, celebrities...even flowers. We often get teased and ridiculed as a result. Our parents can do things to shame the family name. So much of our identity is shaped in childhood by other descriptive names we are called based on appearance, ability or social standing.

In Revelation 2:17, the Holy Spirit reveals that all of us who have become God's adopted children by grace have a special name known only to Him. The day will come, however, when He will make that name known to us face to face--a name so suitable because it was chosen by the One who knew us before we were placed in our mothers' wombs!

I am an adopted child who was legally transferred out of an abusive and poverty-stricken identity into one of safety and abundance. My adoptive parents changed my first name and gave me their last name. The court decreed that from that moment on, I was to be treated and legally acknowledged as if I were the natural child of the couple.

Jesus made it possible for all in Adam who desire a new life to be adopted by God with all of the same benefits He enjoys as the begotten Son! As joint-heirs, we have a new name, identity, and family status that can never be taken away from us.

Do we live in the vibrant reality of that truth? If not, we can begin right now as we approach the first day of 2011!

Christmas is the biggest celebration of the year for most people, but God assuming human flesh was not enough to secure our redemption. He had to personally right the wrongs that man could not. He began the day He was placed UNDER the Law in order to OVERCOME its curse. Jesus did not fail, but fulfilled the Law.

Therefore, I can resolutely face what's ahead with joy and hope. How? Because I stand before the Father as one who has already fulfilled, not failed the Law, for I have imputed to me (genuine ownership) the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST !

Whatever I need is in His limitless supply; whatever I need to BE in the coming year as I grow in grace is found in Him and His power, not the ghostly Adam of my past with its sabotaged resolutions.

"With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

^"God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.

"The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us." (Romans 8:1-4 The Message)

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Of Mirth and Martyrdom

2011-01-18T14:48:00.000-06:00

Are you enjoying these Twelve Days of Christmas? Do you know how the popular tradition started?

Although most movies portray the Wise Men worshiping Jesus right along with the Shepherds, Scriptures point to a later time (up to two years) when they arrived:

"And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped Him..." (Matthew 2:11)

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." (Matthew 2:16)

Christians sincerely wanted to find the accurate birth date of Christ, but they faced challenges once they separated from Judaism, which followed a twelve month/thirty day lunar calendar that had to be adjusted every so often with a new month, but only by the Sanhedrin's decree.

Greek Christians in the East followed their own solar calendar, which put observance days at odds with their brethren in the West who followed the calendar of the Roman Empire.

In 300 A.D., the Greek calendar was superseded by the Roman. Therefore, the Eastern churches mark the birth of Christ on January 6th; in the West its December 25th.

The Western Christians in the Roman empire began celebrating the Nativity around 380 A.D. Eastern Christians considered Epiphany to be a greater feast. To them, the day commemorated two Incarnational appearances--at the beginning of Jesus' life and at the beginning of His ministry (the day he was baptized in the Jordan and His divine Sonship proclaimed--Matthew 3:13-17).

Epiphany eventually came to the West, but Since December 25th (The Feast of the Nativity) was already an established celebration, it was honored on January 6th as the appearing of the star that guided the arrival of Gentile Magi, who gave gifts and worshiped Christ.

Hence, the Twelve Days of Christmas from The Nativity to Epiphany!

This is traditiionally a season of great rejoicing for Christians--full of merriment, food, games and music. Children dress up and put on plays, gifts are given on each of the days (better than Santa's one night, huh?) and don't forget the delicious Wassail!

Amid this festive time, however, there are three days that call believers to what seems a contradictory somberness...observances that at first, seem awkward and out of place.

December 26th-The Feast of Stephen, honoring the Church's first adult martyr
(Remember the song, Good King Wenseslaus? He looked out "on the feast of Stephen". He, too, was martyred for his faith.)

December 27th-The Feast of St. John, honoring the beloved disciple

December 28th-The Feast of the Holy Innocents, honoring all the male children of Bethlehem and surrounding regions, two years old and younger, who were slaughtered by order of Herod--Christendom's first martyrs!

Church tradition tells us that John was the only disciple to die a natural death at a ripe old age, so why is he included?

The early Church tied them together this way:

Stephen- a martyr in blood, will, and love

John-a martyr in will and love

Innocents-martyrs in blood

The Church notes John's persecutions--imprisonment, banishment to Patmos, and the unsuccessful attempts to poison him and later burn him alive in a vat of searing oil; yet, even toward the end of his life, his message remained the same: "Love one another". He was a living martyr!

In other words:

All believers are called to die UNTO Christ (like John)

Many die BECAUSE of Christ everyday around the world (like Stephen)

Some die in Christ's STEAD (like the children)

Dying in Christ's stead means that you take another's place in order that he or she may live; this can be literal or figurative. You "become them", as the children did while Jesus was whisked safely to Egypt.

When you die "as another", you are representing the costly intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. You may choose this path or have it thrust upon you.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:13,14)

Still, why mingle martyrdom and mirth during this season?

Look at the gifts brought to the Christ child--gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Christian life is not either/or but both/and---meaning we experience joy and suffering, triumphs and tragedies. Noted Christian author and pastor Rick Warren once described life as having two train tracks--opposite, yet always running parallel. Both are necessary or the train will derail.

We may be celebrating in one area of our life, only to be deeply afflicted in another at the same time.

Life is a blend of the divine gifts to us of gold (victory and gain), frankincense (joy and peace), and myrrh (bitterness and loss).

All of these feast days were not spent in quiet introspection, though.

On St. Stephen's Day, it was and remains in many parts of the world a day for giving food, money, and other items to servants, service workers and the needy. In some places it is known as "Boxing Day" since these gifts are "boxed up" and delivered. The custom follows the heart of a deacon, like Stephen, to serve.

The blessing of wine is associated with St. John's Feast, which is taken home from church by the father. He shares it in the name of St. John with each member of his family as he imparts a blessing. The wine is then taken to the sick and distressed.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents is also called Childermas (Mass of the Children).

It honors our children as our little brothers and sisters in the Lord. A fun custom is for the youngest child to be "in charge" for the day. He or she decides the day's foods, drinks, music and entertainments. (If you have more than one child, it may be wise to divide these honors!)

The classic Coventry Carol speaks of the Bethlehem sacrifices and is sung on this day.

Christians who still observe this feast often include the millions of aborted babies with the Holy Innocents in their prayers, acknowledging that the dynamics which drove Herod to infanticide, along with the likes of Pharaoh (Exodus 1), still prevail in the earth. It is a time of intercession for children and spiritual warfare against the forces that "seek the seed".

From the beginning, satan was warned that one day he would be undone by the Seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15). That woman was Mary and the Seed was God, the Son in human flesh.

Forensically, satan's authority was undone at the Cross, but if given power gained by deceit, satan will attempt to kill the seed that Jesus redeemed:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." (John 10:10)

Kill the seed (children) through murder--abortion, war and violent acts

Steal their minds and hearts with vain indoctrinations

Destroy their potential, mar and distort the image and likeness of God in their lives

It saddens the heart to think of the deaths of these innocent children, but we can be glad that they are now in the presence of God and nurtured by the Church at rest. One day they will return to earth with Him in glory!

Until then, let's be thankful for the bitter and the sweet...for God works all things out for our good and His eternal purposes.

A young man who hated Christians and was one of the chief persecutors of the church attended the stoning of Stephen and held the coat of one of the executioners. He later converted and wrote most of the New Testament. His name was Paul.

Throughout our lives we will drink from many cups, but the love of Christ can overcome the "poison", as it did for John. Men, have you spoken a blessing over each of your family members? When was the last time you took communion together as a family?

Although children may needlessly die on this fallen earth through violence, miscarriage, disease or injury, they are not lost in eternity, but are safely gathered in the Father's arms to one day be reunited with us.

Therefore, rejoice! Sing the silly "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and try to remember who leaps, who pipes, and who dances. And by all means, save some Wassail for me!

The Incarnation of Christ Part Four: Christ in You!

2011-01-18T14:45:00.001-06:00

The day is winding down and you're exhausted; there are dishes to wash and wrapping paper to clear from around the tree. You'll conserve what little energy remains in order to take advantage of all the "After Christmas" sales around town. Before you have a quiet moment to really absorb what Christmas is all about, the decorations will be gone.

Don't let this happen to you again this season! Determine to take quality time to embrace the miracle of the Incarnation as a living reality inside of you that will sustain you beyond December 25th and its external signs.

"Emmanuel, God with us!" was heralded to the inhabitants of the world when Jesus was born.

He lived among us and then died on the Cross; He was Resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He was the exact representation of God and we were able to see, hear, touch and fellowship with Him as He shared in our humanity.

Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."

"Jesus replied, "...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:8, 9 NLT)

After returning to Heaven, Jesus sent His Spirit to make the finished work of redemption a reality in the hearts and lives of those on earth who would receive Him by faith. Each surrendered heart invites the Lord back to earth, so to speak, to continue His message and ministry through them.

Modern day Philips are asking more than ever, "Show us Jesus!"

What is our response? Is Jesus still available for humanity to see, hear and touch?

"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." (John 1:14 NLT)

Is the glory of the Lord visible on earth today? The "glory" is not a spooky mist or goosebumps, but unfailing love and faithfulness; in other words, manifested glory is the character of Jesus, the fruit of a Holy Spirit empowered life.

"Man fully alive is the glory of God!" (St. Irenaeus)

You see, the Incarnation didn't end at Christmas! The Church in the earth until our Lord's return is the ongoing, visible manifestation of Christ!

"When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him with this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" (Matthew 11:2, 3)

People today ask, "Is your Jesus the One..or should we look elsewhere?"

For too long, we've left them and all the Philips unsatisfied with our answers and disgusted with our hypocrisy. Jesus didn't respond to John's disciples with "Of course I am"! He replied, "Go tell him what you see me doing as proof!"

Are our lives proof enough?

"But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God" (2 Corinthians 4:7)

If we Christians ever grasp the truth of the Treasure we carry, people will no longer have to ask for proof of Christ's existence.

"...As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17) Do you believe this? Really?

We hear many sermons about being the "light of the world" and the "salt of the earth", but do we realize that the light is not generated by our will power nor do we produce the salt that savors the world?

It is Christ within that shines THROUGH us and flows OUT of us...despite our imperfections! Jesus was the perfect reflection of God; at best, we refract that light through our humanness; yet, that is exactly what produces vivid colors--bent light!

So what is the key to being a "Christ bearer" in the earth? The same heart attitude of the first one.

"And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." (Luke 1:38)

Rather than an immaculate conception, I am convinced that what made Mary's womb a suitable dwelling for God, the Son was not her sinlessness, but surrender! Is it not the same for us today?

In the early Church (and still in the Orthodox), Mary was called the Theotokos--Greek for "God Bearer". To address heresies, the church fathers made it very clear that from the moment of conception, Mary carried God in her womb--not a man that would become divine nor part divinity/part man--but fully God and fully man.

Being born again is also an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit to bring divine life to that which is barren deep within. Our "yes" to God regenerates us by grace into what we could not be by nature--a child of God, making a temple in which God is pleased to dwell.

Here is the Scripture passage that gives us insight into Incarnational living:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men.

"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the Cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)

In most post-modern churches today, you rarely hear a sermon on the Incarnation of Christ--even at Christmas--that proclaims the deity AND humanity of Christ as perfect, complete, and eternal.

Chances are even less that you will hear a sermon on how to personally walk out the reality of The Incarnation because the road leads to some convicting truths that we don't like to hear in our comfortable pews.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...
(We are commanded from the beginning to "take on" the mind of Christ, but how?)

...who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation...
Christ left the highest position in Heaven for the role of a servant on earth. He did this to fulfill the will of the Father (Heb. 10:5-7).

The Revised King James Version says, "He emptied Himself."

This translation has caused some to think that when He came to earth, God the Son set aside His divinity. It means, however, that still fully God, Christ chose "to empty" Himself of self-interest.

He did not attempt to hold on to His previous exalted estate which was rightfully His. He still possessed all the divine attributes, though He operated in self-restricted use of them.

When God the Father has a plan for your life that requires a "self-emptying"--perhaps of your status, your honor, your plans or your riches--what is your response?

Can you take on, not just the form of a "servant", but the lowliest of servants, called a "bondservant" (slave)?

Paul and Timothy considered themselves bondservants of Christ (Phil 1:1) even though the Scriptures clearly tell us we are no longer "slaves" but "sons" (Gal. 4:7).

Subordinationism was a heresy that arose in the early Church from another incorrect understanding of our Philippian text. The belief stated that the Son was eternal and divine, but inferior to or "subordinate" in being or attributes to God the Father.

In the economy of the Trinity, there is at times a subordination of persons; thus, God the Son becomes the suffering Servant (Isa. 53) who gives His life, in obedience to the Father, as a ransom for many.

This subordination of God the Son is a subordination of action, not of being. He is of one substance, nature, and being with the Father and the Spirit.

Although we are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus and have been given "all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3)...

Can we voluntarily offer ourselves to step into the role of a servant, suffering if need be, to fulfill our Father's plan for hurting humanity?

Can we acknowledge that the Christian life is not about our rights, but all about the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords?

There are no inferior members of God's family. We are all eternal priests and kings (Rev. 1:6). We are all equal and one in Christ (Gal. 3:28-29), yet we are also commanded to prefer one another in honor (Romans 12:10).

In the world--in times, places, and roles chosen by the Father--we MUST "subordinate" our actions one to another for His higher purposes, not just living for our own reputations or interests!

Just as Christ is the exegesis of God to man and man to God, so now this exegesis continues through the Church, which is a living image of eternity within time. In other words, the Church, Christ's Body, is the extension and the "fullness" of the Holy Incarnation. Christianity from the very beginning existed as a corporate reality--a body indeed--a living organism, not an organization.

"And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:23)

"He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

Jesus humbled Himself. James 4:10 says that if we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He will lift us up, just as the Son was highly exalted (Phil.2:9-11). It is much easier to humble ourselves in obedience, than to Be humbled, isn't it?

HUMBLE: tapeino - "to depress"; meaning not just the action of "pressing", but the results of such action which causes something to go lower or become smaller

"...For you loved Me before the foundation of the world...

"And I have declared to them your Name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:24b, 26)

Jesus' self-humiliation and resulting obedience flowed from total submission. One can be obedient (going through the motions) without begin submissive.

Submission (hupotasso) looks at the attitude and the motive of the one performing the action, versus just the act of obedience (hupakoe-compliance). Obedience without a submissive heart cannot last long. Yet even through a Gethsemane experience Jesus cried:

"Nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

True submission cannot be achieved outside of a genuine love - the Agape kind - found only in God, which was demonstrated by the Incarnate Christ and then given to us who believe.

Religious man seeks to please God through His performance in order to win Divine love, but God loved us first! Therefore, "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

How do we love God?

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3 )

Immersed and living in the extravagant love of God causes us to want to fulfill the desires of His heart-- wherever that may lead, whatever that may require.

Whenever I teach on obedience and submission, I hear from believers who have been abused by immature brethren who tried to enforce spiritual principles and demand compliance, or they are trapped in "performance Christianity" that strives grimly to please God. Consequently, these wounded individuals cannot get past their experience to truly hear in their hearts what I'm saying.

First, God is already pleased by the performance of Jesus Christ, which is credited fully to each of our accounts when we believe. We are as righteous now as we ever will be! However, displaying that right standing with God does take progressive, life-long yielding to the will of God. That is called sanctification...and that's what living the Incarnation is all about.

Was Jesus righteous? Yes. But look at this Scripture:

"Although Jesus was the Son [of God], he learned to be obedient through his sufferings." (Hebrews 5:8)

The Greek word for "learned" is more accurately translated "mastered". Did Jesus' divinity have to master obedience? NO. His humanity did--day in and day out. He faced the same choices we do in terms of the privileges, comforts, time, possessions, status, wealth, and reputations we'll lay down in order to accomplish the Father's will.

I found these words of wisdom in Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of Obedience:

"Men connect obedience with the idea of absolute perfection. They put together all the commands of the Bible, they think of all the graces these commands point to in their highest possible measure, and they think of a man with all those graces, every moment in their full perfection, as an obedient man.

"How different is the demand of the Father in Heaven! He takes account of the different powers and attainments of each child of His. He asks of him only the obedience of each day, or rather, each hour at a time.

"He sees whether His child has indeed chosen and given himself up to the wholehearted performance of every known command. He sees whether His child is really longing and learning to know and do all His will. And when His child does this in simple faith and love, the obedience is acceptable."

The Church often sadly demands more from its members than God does!

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

This divine grace is called "sufficient" (2 Cor. 12:9) - arkeo, meaning "able to raise a barrier, ward off; avail". It also implies "satisfactory, enough." In this definition we see that grace carries the enabling force of the Holy Spirit...bearing down, into, and around our lives.

Even when following the Father results in some form of death to our dreams, plans, or relationships, the will of God can become "a joy set before us" just as it was to our elder Brother. (Heb. 12:2)

Jesus beckons, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mark 8:34)

The Incarnation makes it possible for us to respond to the Father:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me." (Phil 4:13)

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

"When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!"

"So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

"Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

"When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

"While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.

"You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see." (Acts 3:1-16)

Look again at the various phrases I highlighted in the above Scriptures. Is this typical of what unbelievers see of the church today as we go about our daily lives in the marketplace and at the 'temple"?

Are we telling the world to "Look at us"...but they refuse because they see charlatans with empty promises? Are they running astonished to Christ or away from Him in disgust?

Who's holding onto you in gratitude for manifesting Christ in the face of their hopelessness?

"And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory!"(Colossians 1:27b NLT)

This completes the series. Here are the links If you missed earlier installments.

The Incarnation of Christ Part I: "Declaring God to Man"

The Incarnation of Christ Part II: "Declaring Man to God"

The Incarnation of Christ Part III: "Son of God AND Son of Man"

The Incarnation of Christ Part Three: Son of God AND Son of Man

2011-01-18T14:42:00.004-06:00

Years ago I taught a series for our church at Christmas
on the Incarnation of Christ,
which covered such difficult subjects as the Trinity,
and Jesus being both God AND Man.

Part I addressed the Trinity, and how Jesus
represents God to man.
Part II--His representation of Man (Adam II) to God
Part III--Son of God And Son of Man
Part IV--Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues!

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)

Church teaching interpreted the above verse to mean that the divine nature penetrates and perfects every aspect of the human, and the human is pervaded by the divine (John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, 111.8)

Jesus' conception was supernatural-exceeding natural explanation; his birth was natural.

Methodist theologian and author, Thomas Oden, comments, "The deity participated in the Passion of the humanity and the humanity in the majesty of the deity without blurring or confusing either. (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, the Word of Life)

Lewis Sperry Chafer, evangelical theologian, stated in his Systematic Theology: "The Incarnation introduced the unique situation in which God and man became one without depriving either of their essential qualities...Jesus Christ was perfect God and became perfect man--being all that God in His deity and all that man is apart from sin."

"Jesus did not temporarily become man, but his divine nature was permanently united to his human nature...

"And He lives forever NOT JUST as the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity...but also as Jesus, the man who was born of Mary, and as Christ, the Messiah and Savior of his people. Jesus will remain fully God and fully man, yet one person, forever." (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology)

Theologians call these two natures of Christ occurring together in one Person the Theandric Union. Theandric is a contraction of theanthropos, or "God-man".

Christ is one person, two natures; God is three persons, once essence!

His union, contends Oden, was not like a physical union, as when form and matter are united. Nor is it like a union of friends. "It is a more profound union than two people in marriage, for the unity of marriages leaves husband and wife, even after their union, two persons, nor is it one nature being mingled and absorbed by the other.

"Rather, Christ's personal union is a union that can only exists in one distinctive person in who there is an intimate and perpetual conjunction of divine and human natures in one individual, wherein the human nature was ASSUMED by the Logos so as to be the WORD IN PERSON." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, The Word of Life)

As mentioned in previous notes, many heresies arose that either rejected Christ's humanity or deity, or dualized the one person. Thomas Oden provides a simple breakdown:

Heresies against Christ's humanity:
Docetists-Christ as not fully in flesh
Apollinarians-Logos replaces human spirit
Eutychians-Christ as a single mixed nature

Heresies against Christ's divinity:
Eutychians-Christ not fully divine, but mixed nature
Ebionites-Jesus as the natural son of Joseph and Mary
Arians-Christ as creature, not eternal

Heresy that rejects Christ's person union:
Nestorians-Christ as two persons

Early Church Father Novatian warned, "He is a man who is of man and He is a God who is of God...however, when you read about both these truths, there is a danger that you will believe not both them, but only one." (Trinity 11)

In order to attempt to solve the problems raised by the controversies over the person of Christ, a large church council was convened in the city of Chalcedon near Constatinople (modern Istanbul) in A.D. 451.

The result was the Chalcedon Creed, which has been taken as the standard, orthodox definition of the biblical teaching on the person of Christ since that day by Catholic, Protestant, and most Orthodox branches of Christianity.

The Chalcedonian Definition declares that our Lord Christ is to be acknowledged in two natures

Inconfusedly--no mixing of the two natures, which remain distinct even while they are in communion
Unchangeably--the deity is not transmuted in humanity, nor humanity into deity
Indivisibly--unable to be divided-the personal union is never at any point split apart
Inseparably--undissolved through eternity and perpetual

(We must rigorously examine what we believe about Christ in the honest light of Scriptures and in the clarity brought forth from the early church fathers. These heresies are STILL around--parading under different names, of course, and deceiving many well-intentioned converts!)

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52)

"Much discussion has arisen in theology over the question of Christ's self-consciousness. How could He know and sense the infinite might and wisdom of God and at the same time appear with normal human weaknesses and limitations apart from complications with immorality?

"How could He know and not know? How could He be the source of all power and yet be prone and exposed to human frailty?

"The answer to the problem is that Christ operated in the human sphere to the extent it was necessary for Him to accomplish His earthly purpose, but at the same time continued operating in the divine sphere to the extent that it was possible in the period of His humiliation" (Chafer).

As God, the Son knew He was human; as human, He knew that He was God.

Thomas Oden further explains, "The Logos is united not with an individual person that existed prior to the God/man, but with a human nature that had no separate identity before union with the divine, for Jesus' human body had not existed eternally, but was born in time.

Hence, there are not two conscious persons, but a single conscious person uniting the divine and human natures. It is not one or the other nature that speaks when Jesus Christ speaks, but one person bearing the harmonious imprint of two natures."

"I do not think of Christ as God alone, or man alone, but both together.
For I know He was hungry, yet I know that with five loaves He fed 5,000.
I know He was thirsty, and I know He turned water into wine.
I know that He was carried in a ship, yet I know that He walked upon the sea.
I know that He died, yet I know that He raised the dead Himself.
I know that He was set before Pilate, and I know that He sits with the Father in His throne.
I know that He was worshiped by angels, yet He was scourged by man."
(John Chrysostom)

THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST

"The questions of sin and temptation in Christ from an orthodox point of view should be answered by the statement that He could not sin. As far as the divine nature is concerned, it is clear that God could not sin and that God cannot be tempted.

"On the human side it is obvious that Christ could be tempted, and the human nature by itself could sin. But when the human and divine natures were united in Christ that left the person of Christ in a situation where the Person can be tempted but where the Person cannot sin because of the presence of the divine nature.

"The doctrine is not simply that Christ was able not to sin but that Christ was not able to sin because He is God." (Chafer)

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner'." (John 5:19)

At the sixth ecumenical council (Constantinople III in 681), the undivided Church confessed that Christ possesses two wills and two natural operations, divine and human, and they are not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that Christ's human will submits to His divine will.

Oden comments that the divine will always went before (lead the way) for the human will, so that the human will chose freely in accord with the divine will. The pattern is the Gethsemane prayer, in which is faced and resisted in a way fitting to the human nature and then freely offered up to God.

"...And so, the Lord's soul was freely moved to will, but it freely willed those things which His divine will willed." (John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, 111.18)

"For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." (John 6:38-39)

Jesus Christ is one person, two natures; God is three persons, once essence!

Although Christ has retained His human body, He has not added to the Godhead, but simply enriched it forever.

"ONE MAN UP TO THE END OF THE AGES" St. Augustine

Part IV: "Christ in You!"

The Incarnation of Christ Part Two: Declaring Man to God

2011-01-17T19:17:00.016-06:00

Years ago I taught a series at our church at Christmas
on the Incarnation of Christ.

Part I addressed the Trinity, and how Jesus represents God to man.
Part II--His representation of Man to God

Part III--Son of God And Son of Man
Part IV--Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues!

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Roman 5:19

The Word became incarnate for the Son to not only manifest God to man, but man to God.

Adam failed in the stewardship of his humanity, but the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is the all-satisfying ideal of what man should be--perfectly tuned to God's will and living in unbroken, exuberant fellowship with his Creator.

He arrived legally into the world through a human birth canal, and first shed His blood UNDER (or to) to Law, obeyed it flawlessly, and then she His blood one final time to gain our freedom FROM the Law.

You see, Jesus had no need to earn righteous for Himself. He did so out of amazing love as our representative.

He gave us the benefits of His righteous life and substitutionary death. The sins of man were paid by a Man in a way where justice could still be served in an extraordinary, self-sacrificing way.

His payment cleansed and continues to cleanse us from sin! His unblemished life covers us before the Father.

No longer estranged, we can enter into an adopted sonship by grace.."that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29b).

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." (Hebrews 2:10-11)

Part II: Declaring Man to God

Noted reformed theologian R.J. Rushdoony observed in his Systematic Theology that the most common title of and reference to Jesus Christ in Scripture is LORD, "Kurios".

"The term is used perhaps 6,700 times; it means absolute property owner, God, and sovereign. St. Paul ties the Lordship of Jesus Christ to His office as covenant man, and as head of the new humanity which He, as the second Adam, generates by grace." (Romans 14:7-9)

We are born in the earth of Adam I, but he does not own us nor is he our lord. We are born again in Adam II!

"By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God." (1 John 4:2-3)

In contrast with today, the early church had more difficulty believing in the full humanity of Christ than in His deity.

The Fourth Council of Chalcedon censured the claims of Apollinarius, who taught that Christ had no human soul. The Scriptures clearly reveal a Savior who experienced a whole range of human emotions.

Therefore the council affirmed that Jesus was true God, truly human, with soul and body, of one essence with the Father as touching His Godhead, and of one essence with us as touching our humanity--like us in all things except sin.

The Creed of Epiphanius in A.D. 374 declared that the Logos "assumed a perfect man--soul and body and mind (spirit), and all that belongs to man, without sin."

St. Augustine clarified: "the human nature which He (God, the Son) assumed, He did not destroy." (Letters 137.3)

"The mediator between God and humanity would have to be nothing less than God and nothing less than fully human, otherwise this mediatorship would have been impossible, for how can one mediate in a conflict in which one has no capacity to empathize with one or the other side?" (Thomas Oden, Systematic Theology, Vol. II-The Word of Life)

Church Father Ambrose stated that since God, the Son was standing in legally as Adam again..."If He lacked anything as man, then he did not redeem all (that pertains to our humanity)..." (Letters 48)

Indeed, Church Father Gregory Nazianzen remarked, "For that which He has not assumed He has not healed, but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved. If only half of Adam fell, then that which Christ assumes and saves may be half also; but if the whole of his nature fell, it must be united to the whole nature of Him that was begotten, and so be saved as a whole." (Epistle 101)

Hebrews 4:15,16 tells us:

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Rushdoony cautions that stressing only the deity of Christ--His sovereign being, His eternal decree, His magnificent glory and eternity--can result in an indifference to history and a lack of cultural consciousness. Similarly, focusing only on Christ's humanity results in a loss of perspective and a rapid decline into humanism (Ibid.).

We must realize there is a delicate, divine balance. Jesus is not just a good man or wise prophet, nor is He an unapproachable, distant deity. A correct understanding of the Incarnation helps us worship the Lord in spirit and truth.

"Remember, Christ was not a deified man, neither was He a humanized God. He was perfectly God and, at the same time, perfectly man." Charles Spurgeon

Regardless of post modern attempts to foolishly diminish the deity of Christ while overemphasizing His human nature, it is still important for us to acknowledge and rejoice in the full humanity of Jesus Christ.

"...For the MAN will not rest until He has concluded the matter this day." Ruth 3:18b

The Old Covenant beautifully spoke of our coming Kinsman-Redeemer through the lives of Boaz, a type of Christ, and Ruth, a stranger in need of a God, a new life, and a home. She represents fallen humanity.

As Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ fulfilled what the Old Testament required:

1.The Redeemer must be a kinsman (Lev. 25:48-49; Ruth 3:12-13).

2.The Redeemer must be able to redeem (Ruth 4:4-6).
3.The redemption must be accomplished by the Redeemer paying the righteous demands involved (Lev. 25:27).

Gnostics, whose beliefs were condemned in the early church, believe that Jesus did not have a physical body. Rather, his apparent physical body was an illusion; hence, His crucifixion was not bodily.

They consider the human body evil and strive for intellectual and higher, spiritual enlightenment that can "free" them from such a prison during their earthly existence. Most sects practice strict asceticism (body denials and punishments), while others defile their bodies, believing such indulgences do not matter since the body is already corrupt.

In the Middle Ages, even the Church-at-large had a negative view of the human body and sought to tame its God-given passions and appetites through extreme measures of neglect or abuse.

This focus on dualism led to a perceived "split" from that which was done in the body as natural (and therefore considered ungodly) and spiritual (godly). Man was not viewed holistically. Akin to Gnostic thinking, Christians believed they were shamefully imprisoned in weak, sinful bodies that could not possibly please God. All the attention, therefore, was focused on Heaven and the future promise of perfection in a glorified body.

Gradually, the Church has returned to a more Biblical, seamless view of human existence.

"Flesh" and "spirit" are not two parts of man, but the whole man seen from two different aspects. All that man does in his natural state is "flesh"--even things like praying, fasting, celibacy and religious devotions. And all that which man does under the control of the Spirit is "spiritual", though it is body activity such as working, eating, and performing family duties.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. (I Corinthians 6:15, 19-20).

"For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh." (2 Corinthians 4:11)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

It pleases the Son of God in Heaven to live in and through His human body, and He will do so forever.

Think of it! The Son of God determines to identify with humanity AFTER the Resurrection! In this, He enhances the glory of being human...for "He chose to be what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself." (Irenaeus, Against Heresies)

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive"! (St. Irenaeus)

Part III of the series, "Son of God AND Son of Man", will examine the expressions of Christ's humanity and divinity during His earthly life and ministry, and attempt to clear misconceptions about His self-knowledge and the genuineness of His earthly temptations.

The Incarnation of Christ Part One : Declaring God to Man

2010-12-30T19:40:00.051-06:00

Several years ago I taught a series for our church at Christmas on the Incarnation of Christ, which covered such challenging subjects as the Trinity, and Jesus being both God AND Man.

To better appreciate the astonishing message of Christmas,
which is "God with Us!"...

we must first attempt to better understand

(better, but not fully, of course) the Trinity.

Notes on Part I will address the Trinity,
and how Jesus represents God to man.
Part II-His representation of Man (Adam II) to God
Part III-Son of God And Son of Man
Part IV- Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues!

"...He who has seen Me has seen the Father." John 14:9

In seminary, students are taught how to interpret the Word of God; that is, to explain and bring forth clearly the meaning of the text-- line by line, precept upon precept.

John 1:18 says that Jesus Christ has "declared God the Father".

The Greek word "declared" is exegeomai, related to our word exegesis. We have seen the love, holiness, and goodness of the Father animated and demonstrated directly for our benefit in the Person of Jesus Christ (1 John 4:9)!

Therefore...Jesus Christ is the "line by line, precept upon precept" of God--the full and perfect exegesis (declaration, revelation).

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God". John 1:1

John testified about Him and cried out, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. (He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did'...)". John 1:15 (Amplified Version)

"Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham I AM." John 8:58

Dr. Thomas Oden puts it beautifully: "God cannot be fully comprehended, but He can be apprehended."

Aren't you glad? Would you really want to trust your well being and eternity to a deity that you--being finite and fallen--had totally dissected and understood?

Dr. Oden offers this helpful analogy as we approach a study of the Trinity:

"Imagine a scale with at the bottom, no life; then, ascending on the scale, organic life moving from plants toward lower animals, invertebrates, then vertebrates, and finally, human existence.

"It is a scale of increasing complexity of intelligence, from life without motion to life with motion, then life with motion and intelligence, and then finally, in human beings, life, motion, intelligence, and spirit.

"At each of those levels of consciousness, once can talk about some form of communication with the other levels, for there are many points of contact. In the communication between vastly different spheres of being, the higher form is always more encompassing that the lower form.

"We know more about our goldfish than they do about us. The family dog or cat knows more about how a family member feels than does the tomato plant. But how explicitly or accurately does that animal grasp or understand how one really thinks or what one specifically wishes to say?

"There is knowledge, but it is radically limited. So is ours of the Triune God. There is a sense in which the dog cannot ever truly grasp the complexities of human language and consciousness, although the dog certainly can be directly in touch with human language and consciousness and can respond meaningfully to what it knows." (Systematic Theology, Vol. I, Living God)

Although the word, "Trinity" is not in the Bible, the doctrine is taught from the beginning in the first chapter and verse of the Bible and continues throughout. The early church had to grow in its understanding of this majestic truth. Church Father Tertullian was the first to use the word "Trinity" (three in one) in the first century in reference to the Godhead.

Here are two amazing verses:

Job 33: 28, 29: "He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light. God does all these things to a man--twice, even three times--to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him."

Proverbs 22:20: "Have not I written to thee excellent (In Hebrew--"three-fold") things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth...

Indeed, God has communicated to us throughout creation with the counsel and knowledge of "three-fold" things!

Objects have three dimensions--length, breadth, and height--that are distinguishable, but inseparable, unified in a single object, yet three-dimensional.

We live in three dimensions--time, space and matter--unified, yet distinguishable.

Humans are body, spirit, and soul.

Created in God's image, we possess memory, understanding and will, which Augustine pointed out was the imprint of the triune dialogue.

Our "soulish realm" is the mind, emotions, and will.

Our world is full of "three's" in God's symbolism and instruction:

He created time with a past, present, and future.

"The Spirit, the water, and the blood," is the divinely perfect witness to the grace of God on earth (1 John 5:7).

In Hebraic tradition, a blessing is recited THREE times.

Jesus was made a Prophet, Priest, and King.

The Tabernacle had THREE compartments.

The Ark of the Covenant contained three objects--a jar of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the Ten Commandments on stone.

Heaven is divided into THREE realms (Paul went to the THIRD Heaven).

There is also Gehenna, Hades, and Sheol.

The angels cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy!"

Jesus was tempted three times: the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

The husbandman gives the plant three years to bear fruit (Luke 13:6-9).

It was an Old Testament law to not eat the fruit of a tree for the first three years.

Spiritual man is fed with manna, milk, and meat (of the Word) .

The three gifts of grace are faith, hope and love.

God expressed Himself in the Old Covenant as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Three Major Jewish Feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles

Three parts to the Feast of Tabernacles: Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacle

Jesus was raised on the THIRD DAY.
Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days.

The Christ Child was given three gifts-gold, frankincense and myrrh.

When God said, "Let US make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26),God was speaking in the first person in plural form!

In fact, God clues us in from the beginning!

In Gen. 1:1, at the beginning of creation, Elohim (God) is a plural noun, oddly linked to a singular verb.

Genesis 3:22: "And the LORD God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.'

Genesis 11:6-7: "The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'

Isaiah 6:8a: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'"

Look at the Shema: "Hear, O, Israel, the Lord is our God"-literally "our Gods" is "Elohenu...one Lord! (Deuteronomy 6:4)

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1) is literally "Remember your Creators" (Eth-bor-eka).

John 1:3 tells us "All things were made by him (God, the Son); and without him was not anything made that was made."

"He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross." (Colossians 1:15-20)

2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us that God created the world by direct address.

The Holy Spirit was hovering (brooding) over the face of the waters, dark and deep.

Then, God the Father released His Son (The Word-Divine Logos) over the void and empty waste.

God, as one Being, expresses Himself through three Persons who have never changed, ceased, been divided or diminished in any time or space.

All three Persons of the Trinity are represented in Scripture as:

being addressed by name
possessing divine attributes
engaging in actions that only God can accomplish
being worthy of divine worship

God, wholly and simultaneously presents Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet meets us in human history as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.

The Son fulfilled the Father's plan of Redemption for all of mankind; the Holy Spirit now continues to work conviction in the earth in order to impart Salvation to willing hearts.

At Jesus' Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended from above and the Father spoke from Heaven.(Matthew 3:16)

Jesus is called God: Matthew 1:23, Romans 9:5, Titus 1:3, 2:13, Hebrews 1:8

Thomas Cried, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)

The Holy Spirit is called God: Acts 5:3, 4:1 Corinthians 2: 10b, 11

Our baptismal formula, commanded by Jesus, is to baptize in the NAME (not names) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Beliefs against the Trinity that were rejected in the early church:

1) that Jesus was an ordinary man who, through obedience and devotion, became the Christ at his baptism, having been adopted by God

Other adherents believed Jesus became the Christ at His resurrection. This belief, called "Adoptionism", was rejected church-wide by the third century.

2) that only one being is presenting himself in different aspects or roles

This is the most common error regarding the Trinity that still exists today in some components of Christianity, despite the fact that Sabellius, who first suggested the concept, was quickly excommunicated from the undivided church in A.D. 220.

"Modalism", as it's often called, fails to account for greater than 70 passages in Scripture where the Father, Son and Spirit are mentioned together as distinct persons interacting with one another.

3) that the Son is not God, but like God...existing before creation, but still a creature and different from God in essence

A man named Arius first promoted this idea. His solution proposed that the Son (Jesus) was somewhere between God and man.

Two major religions confused with Christianity today believe Jesus was a created being, not God incarnate.

In overcoming this particular heresy, the undivided Church in A.D. 325, in the Nicene Creed, says, "He (the Son) is begotten, not made...of one being with the Father.

Dr. Thaddeus Irvine, in "Jesus Christ: Begotten or Created?", explains accurately the meaning of the word 'begotten'.

The Greek word for '(only) begotten' is 'monogenes'.

'Mono' translates 'single, unique, sole, singular' and speaks of nature, not birth.

'Genes' (genos) translates clan, offspring, house, genus, class, kind, family, progeny, sort, species, direct/collateral descent, tribe, race, stock, kin, and speaks of nature, not source.

In both words, we see that reference is to nature. The Son was God in nature (homoousios - being of one substance);

Benjamin Warfield stated in his work The Person and Work of Christ:

The adjective 'only-begotten' conveys the ideas, not of derivation and subordination, but of uniqueness and consubstantiality: Jesus is all that God is, and He alone is this."

This is reinforced in John 10:30, making it very clear that the Father and the Son are a monad who have been there from the very beginning, Micah 5:2; John 1:1, 18; 17:5.

Jesus has been set up from "everlasting" Proverbs 8:23, with His belief in the total unity and uniformity of Himself and the Father. John Walvoord, in his work, "Jesus Christ Our Lord" stated that, "the thought is clearly that Christ is the Begotten of God in the sense that no other is".

Jesus spent forty days instructing His Apostles in the "things of the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:1-3).

They pastored the early church with this knowledge and the help of the Holy Spirit.

Their protégés were the men who encountered, confronted, and judged these early heresies-- based upon the Apostles' doctrine rooted in the instructions from Jesus.

Since a spring is clearer at its source, we must study what the early Church, who sat at the feet of the original Apostles, had to say about these seductions that attempted to diminish the unified Lordship of the Godhead.

Beware! These ancient anti-Trinitarian doctrines are still around under different names!

"Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either." 1 John 2:23

Jesus was God BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the Incarnation!

The Trinitarian unity (substance) of the Godhead continued without interruption...even when God, the Son assumed human flesh, entered earth's history, and was given the name Jesus.

Read what Jesus said while conducting His ministry on earth:

"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the SON OF MAN who IS in heaven." John 3:12, 13

He is God NOW as He sits at the right hand of the Father, while the Spirit dispenses grace in the Church and convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

He has chosen to enrich (not add to) the Trinity by remaining in His human body--the God/Man Jesus Christ.

One day He will physically return to earth in that glorified body to rule and reign!

Part II: "Declaring Man to God"

The Story of St. Nick: a Real Servant to the Needy or a Prankish, Magical Elf?

2010-12-07T07:10:00.000-06:00

Today is December 6th, the Feast of St. Nicholas.

On this day, the Church traditionally honors a real man who deeply loved Jesus. He was the Bishop of Myra (located in modern-day Turkey) and was known for his acts of kindness and gifts to the poor.

Nicholas came from a wealthy family, but secretly gave away his inheritance.

The famous story, from which sprang the legend of a gift-giving "Santa", recounts a distraught father who bemoaned how he was unable to provide a dowry for his three daughters. Years ago, a woman was considered ineligible for marriage unless she was able to bring something of value into the contract.

Those who lived in Europe and Asia during the time of Nicholas faced famines, plagues and wars, which put a premium on the survival of family lines that needed to be secured by dowries into richer, noble families.

During his evening walk, Nicholas heard the poor man's prayers from the open window of his small cottage. Family members hung their washed stockings to dry overnight on the mantle of the fireplace. Nicholas quietly returned later that night. As embers from the dying fire softly illumined the room, he tossed three gold coins through the window into the stockings.

Over the years, various cultures have taken this story and made their own adaptations, resulting in distortions of the real Nicholas. From the more accurate "Father Christmas" to the commercialized "Santa Claus"--derived from the Dutch Sinterklaas--St. Nicholas has been transformed from the Christian symbol of a benevolent, church bishop into a magical entity who is conditional in his giving:

He is omniscient (all knowing about the behavior of boys and girls)

He has supernatural powers over created elements (reindeer, gravity, time)

He has non-human servants (elves)

He is immortal..no real beginning or end

Honestly, this seems to be referring more to a deity rather than a very simple, very real servant of God.

I've never been one to spoil the imagination and play of children, but I also don't lie to them about spiritual things in the name of "fun". Emphasizing the true story of the man St. Nicholas and his good works, while downplaying the god-like morph of Santa, seems a healthier choice for Christians who desire to influence their children toward a life-long imitation of Nicholas' servanthood and joy of anonymous giving.

Keeping St. Nick's Day enables Christian children to still enjoy the festivities associated with the Santa "legend" in a diverse culture. They can fully participate in the playmaking while aware of the richer, truer source of the gift-giving tradition.

On St. Nicholas Eve (December 5th), families would prepare baskets of food and other items for the needy. They would wait until dark to visit and place the gift on the doorsteps. The fastest child would then linger behind to knock on the door, running away before someone answered.

After returning home, the children would hang stockings along the fireplace mantle or place a pair of shoes by the hearth. The next morning, they would find them filled with fruits, chocolate, candy, home-made cookies and small gifts!

The festivities continued on St. Nicholas Day (December 6th). Families often held parties, where the children took turns tossing coin-wrapped chocolates in stockings (and won prizes for the best aims) and decorated Father Christmas ornaments.

Our former parish included a yearly visit from "St. Nicolas" on the Sunday prior to his feast day. He would gather the children around and tell them why he loved to bless others, and how excited he was to celebrate the greatest gift of all--Jesus! (John 3:16 IS the Christmas story!)

All the kids knew it was Mr. Ron behind the bishop's garb and woolly beard, but it never dulled their anticipation to once again hear the bells and hearty "Ho!" of St. Nick, who always brought a good story and goody-filled stockings!

The St. Nicholas Center is a wonderful site full of recipes, coloring pages, crafts, pictures and stories. I even use some of their pages as hand-outs in the baskets I prepare. It is a Roman Catholic site, so some of the resources will not be applicable for Protestants. However, please keep in mind that St. Nicholas lived from 270-346 A.D.--just a few hundred years after Christ's Ascension.

There was no "Roman" Church at the time nor Protestant denominations--just one church worldwide. Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured for his faith under Diocletian. He also attended the historical Council of Nicea in 325, the first worldwide council of Christian bishops called to settle the controversy regarding the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

Nicholas is reported to have argued aggressively against Arius, who claimed Jesus was not equal to God, the Father. Tradition claims that at one point, Nicholas arose and slapped his opponent--an act which landed him in jail for a season under Constantine.

Regardless of the other stories associated with Nicholas through the years, exaggerated or not, along with our difficulty in separating fact from fiction (because people DO love to tell stories), what we do know is that a young man who had no aspirations to the ministry found himself thrust into extraordinary circumstances throughout his life.

Before he was ordained, Nicholas was faithful in the little things: his wealthy parents had died, and instead of squandering the inheritance on his own pleasures, Nicholas gave the bulk of it away to the needy.

Because of his background, I have no problem believing one story that tells of how Nicholas was chosen to be a bishop:

After the death of an area bishop, the local priests gathered for a time of prayer and fasting regarding God's selection of a new leader from among them. However, one of the older priests said that God had spoken to him in a vision and proclaimed, "The first person to enter the church tomorrow for morning prayer is your bishop."

Everyone revered the Elder, and knew his words to be seasoned and accurate. So they waited. Nicholas was that person! What makes this story so amazing is that he was not even a priest, but against all protocol, the men ordained the reluctant young man to the highest office in that area. This account reminds me of the Old Testament story of Joseph--a young man, faithful to God, who was suddenly promoted out of persecution and obscurity to the highest office in the land of Egypt!

You can repeat many of these stories to your children, emphasizing Nicholas' courage under persecution, his bold defense of the faith before emperors and detractors, and his deep compassion for the hurting and needy...all the while with no desire for personal recognition or reward.

You may want to start collecting "Father Christmas" ornaments and dolls. I started this delightful tradition twenty-years ago. Displaying one on your desk at work during the holiday season makes for a great conversation piece, and paves the way for you to light-heartedly explain the real history of St. Nick and contrast it with his modern counterpart.

Now that I'm retired, my decorating tradition centers around where I place my Father Christmases--on the mantle, tabletops, and around the tree. You can find these collectibles in all sizes--from simple to the regal. However, an authentic Father Christmas will always be adorned in a long cloak with a hood, or bear a mitre or some adaptation around the head (such as a wreath), and will often have a staff (crosier).

May the story of St. Nicholas and the true spirit of giving in the name of Christ be prominent in your holiday celebrations!

Here's a prayer for this day from a church in Holland:

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: grant us to perfectly know thy Son Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life, and that, following in the footsteps of friends like Nicholas who loved the poor, the weak and the young, and who gave what he had to enrich those who had but little, we may faithfully walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Why I Quit Celebrating Christmas (The Modern Way): Advent Wreaths and Christmas Trees

2010-12-07T06:52:00.001-06:00

After years of celebrating Christmas on the fast track of modern culture that always made me feel busy beforehand and let down afterward, I was determined to find a more meaningful way to observe the season.

As a Christian, I was caught up like everyone else in the glitter and glow of the holidays that pushed the real meaning further from the center with each passing year. I was delighted to finally find the answer in the past--in a time without malls, TV, or glitz.

The older Christmastide tradition is observed in the following ways:

Advent: Begins the fourth Sunday prior to December 25

The Feast of St. Nicholas: December 6

The Feast of the Nativity: (sunset December 24 to sunset December 25)

The Twelve Days of Christmas (sunset December 25 to sunset January 6)

The Feast of Epiphany: January 6 (celebrates the arrival of the Gentile Magi to worship)

The season of Advent ("coming")-- four weeks prior to the observance of Christ's birth--is a time of spiritual preparation.

A new candle is lit each week around a special wreath that focuses on a devotional message shared in homes and churches:

Week 1: The promise and fulfillment of the Messiah's first coming to earth as humanity's Sacrifice and Servant to reconcile us to God

The Good News: God keeps His promises!

Week 2: The promise of Christ's final coming as King and Judge to remove every trace of the tragic consequences of sin as His Kingdom manifests world-wide

The Good News: Flawless justice will right every wrong in the end!

Week 3: The joy of knowing Jesus as your personal Savior in life and death...a God who will not only return one day in glory, but a Lord who comes quietly everyday for His own

The Good News: I do not fear either the trials of life nor the sting of death, for I have been placed securely in Christ--sealed unto unconditional acceptance--now and forever.

Week 4: An opportunity to invite Christ to come into our hearts and homes afresh so that the miracle of the Incarnation does not pass by and leave us unchanged

The Good News: I can renew my relationship with Jesus!

Although gifts have been meticulously wrapped and holiday menus carefully planned, the question remains: this year, how well have I prepared for the Advent (coming) of Christ?

Yes, Christ first came to earth as a babe in a manger long ago. But He will come again as the earth's King and Judge. Have I prepared for that day? How does knowing this truth help me steward my life and witness before others?

While Christ will return visibly to earth, individuals pass into their chosen eternity every day. Am I prepared for the end of my personal time? Are there any unsaid words, deeds, or reconciliations that must be addressed?

At the end of human history, Christ will weigh all motives and deeds in a perfect scale of justice. Do I trust Him to right all wrongs, even though I may not witness it in my lifetime?

Realizing that even for the Christian, there will be an accounting of our earthly life; and what endures the testing of honesty will be our final gift to Jesus, how well do I cooperate with the Holy Spirit unto spiritual growth and holiness?

What is the condition of my heart where Christ dwells now by the Holy Spirit? Is it cluttered with useless and broken things that block the light? Is God crowded in there...somewhere?

A good time to toss out the junk is before another Christmas comes and goes, and you find yourself unchanged. That's the purpose of Advent. You light a candle and take moments each day during one of the busiest seasons of the year to pray.

The candle signifies willing introspection...a welcoming of the Lord into the nooks and crannies of your life that have been neglected this past year, and an invitation for Him to sweep them clean; then, fill with His Light.

I know many of you have already decorated your tree or are in the throes of getting it up so you can enjoy its beauty before Christmas. No doubt, you will probably take it down the day after Christmas or before the New Year arrives.( As a child I heard that leaving a tree up after New Year's Day was bad luck!)

In earlier times, Christians did not bring a tree indoors until the Feast of the Nativity, which began on the evening of the 24th! Homes were already decorated with greenery, but the family waited to decorate and light the tree on that night to symbolize "lighting the way" for the Christ Child.

Although I bring in a tree and decorate it throughout Advent, I wait until the 24th to light it. For me, it's a tangible demonstration of welcoming the Holy Family to my home where there is always room for Christ's presence and growing influence. (He remained in Bethlehem for approximately two years prior to fleeing to Egypt).

The controversy among some Christian denominations regarding a holiday tree seems to center on one portion of Scripture taken out of context: (Jeremiah 10:1-5)

"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

Thus saith the LORD, 'Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go.

Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good'."

The entire chapter clearly addresses idolatry and the making of wooden idols to worship.

If Christians want to take the above Scripture at face value by not bringing any decorated "trees" inside, then what are we to do about wedding ceremonies that have ornamental trees, often seen with bows and ribbons? What about funeral wreaths?

It all goes back to the motive in one's heart. For instance, although many seek guidance from the stars, sailors use the stars to navigate as a gift from God--not paying homage to the creature, but the Creator!

We even have written evidence from early church history that the evergreen tree was used to teach new converts about the Trinity before 500 A.D. Therefore, whether it's at weddings, funerals or Christmas, we take what God has created and use it the way He intended--to His glory and praise.

Therefore, the beginning of the Feast of the Nativity (or as it has come to be known as Christmas Eve) is a time of great anticipation as the tree is lit, and family and friends gather for a meal before heading out to services. The tree traditionally remains up until the end of the Feast of Epiphany (Jan. 6).

You see, years ago the Church did not recognize the Christmas season as officially beginning until the evening of December 25th, or as the Feast of the Nativity drew to a close. Christmas then lasted for twelve days (sunset to sunset); hence, the Twelve Days OF (not after) Christmas!

While Advent was a serious time of personal preparation and the Feast of the Nativity was a holy day of worship, the Twelve Days of Christmas were full of laughter, presents, feasting and fun for Christians!

People today are overfed, over-indulged, and too tired to do anything the evening of December 25th; but in the earlier days, dusk signaled that the festivities were just beginning! God had received His "first fruits" of worship, and what remained was not one but TWELVE days to celebrate the joyous reality of "God with Us"!

Is It Proper for Christians to Focus So Much on Jesus' Birthday?

2010-11-29T11:06:00.001-06:00

Critics of the celebration of Christmas (even within the Church) find the desire to note the birthday of Christ somewhat offensive--as if it is an affront to the majesty of God that's wrapped in earthy materialism.

True, we cannot think of Christ's arrival into the world the same way we do humankind because He was and is both God and man.

So, what then, is the reason to gloriously celebrate Christmas...even amid the tinsel and worldly excesses?

God, the Son lived as one of us to legally undo the tyranny of sin that bound the human race to Adam. Since a man chose to live independently from God, only a human could qualify to stand trial and face judgment, but we needed one among us that would not personally give in to sin and selfishness.

During a probationary period between the Fall and Christ's arrival, innocent animals bore the penalty of humanity's sins. Given the earthly name Jesus, God's Son assumed human flesh and stepped into the limits of our time and space. Though fully God AND fully man, He allowed His humanity to be tempted, but He remained sinless--qualifying Him as the innocent sacrifice to bear the sins of all people. The curse was broken!

The Father's holiness and love met at the two beams of the Cross, satisfying justice and mercy simultaneously as the Son amazingly, willingly stood in humanity's stead.

Therefore, I fully understand why the Church was compelled to set a date to call Christians throughout history --in one voice and mind--to honor the manifested Incarnation--"God with us"...a yearly, renewed proclamation of the Good News that the transcendent God of the cosmos is also immanently available to human hearts.

Actually, the Word was made flesh nine months earlier in the womb of a young girl who surrendered to the will of God: "Be it unto me according to your Word..." (Luke 1:38)

Around the time of the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), the Church began to also mark this magnificent event when the Holy Spirit overshadowed the Virgin Mary. It's called the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th.

However, Jesus was probably born in September; others speculate his birth in the summer months because the shepherds would not be abiding in the fields during winter. Again, getting the EXACT date right is not as important as choosing to set aside a time to ponder the wonders of the Incarnation.

In America, we've moved observances of several historical dates to coincide with weekends, making participation easier for working families. The meanings of these events have not diminished. Why the fuss about the accuracy of December 25th?

Our calendars are full of activities, but I don't mind a reminder in March to stop my busy schedule and examine my heart for a suppleness like that of a young teen who dared to trust God at the risk of being ostracized and even stoned.

I love the idea of ending my year by celebrating what gives me hope for the new one..."Christ in me the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27)

The word "Christmas" is really two words put together: Cristes Maesse--the "Mass of Christ". It was not a day, but something you attended on the 25th. That day was known as The Feast of the Nativity.

On this holy day, Christians would attend one of three masses (Communion), professing in a very tangible way to the truth of the Incarnation: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..." (John 1:14)

Mensa is the Latin word for 'table', and the word Mass denotes a 'sending forth" from the Lord's table to serve the world as the visible Body of Christ. Another closely related word is the Spanish MESA, also meaning "table".

The first Mass was observed at midnight on Christmas Eve. Called "The Angels' Mass", it focused on divinity taking the initiative to reach down to redeem man in an extraordinary act of love. (Other religions focus on man striving to reach God.)

Next, "The Shepherds' Mass" was celebrated at dawn and honored Christ's willingness to subject Himself to human needs and suffering from the womb to the grave in order to fulfill the Father's mission of redemption. His arrival was announced to ordinary men at work whose names we do not know--men of no import to the wealthy or noble.

The final service on the Feast of The Nativity was usually held during the day and was known as "The Mass of the Divine Word". Christians worshiped the eternal God/Man Jesus Christ--fully God and fully man--a faithful, compassionate High Priest who is acquainted with our infirmities AND the King of Kings who reigns forevermore.

Most protestant churches do not schedule Christmas Eve or Day services, preferring to let their congregants celebrate with family and friends. Although historic churches may have multiple masses today, they are often scheduled to accommodate larger crowds rather than present the three-fold revelation of the Incarnation.

Does this mean that Christians who go to church on Christmas are holier than those who don't? No, far from it! Saints and sinners gather alike in a building and go through the motions, but only God knows who is really His; the wheat and the tares are still together for a season.

Again, it's not about how many times you go to church, what church you attend at Christmas or that you even go to church on December 25th! It's about the receptivity of your heart toward the Incarnate Christ and what that reality means to you.

Therefore, what do you know about Christ's Incarnation?

If, after immersing yourself in holiday shopping, decorations, presents, delightful food and family, you still find yourself secretly asking at the end of another Christmas Day, "Is this it?"; and if you have an unexplainable emptiness in spite of the family and material blessings of the season, then I encourage you to go deeper than just knowing it's Jesus' birthday.

Understand what it cost God to come to earth as a man and sacrifice Himself; yet, rejoice in a Love so extravagant that it would spill its blood for the redemption of the whole world--past, present and future.

Jesus was both God's representative to you and your representative before God. As both God and Man, all debts to sin were canceled in the finished work of the Cross, and that which stood in the way of your reconciliation to the Father was removed!

As we approach The Feast of the Nativity, I plan to re-post a series of teachings on The Incarnation of Christ. These truths have changed my life and how I express my faith--not only at Christmas, but year round.

But first, I will share how I celebrate Christmas by returning to many of the earlier traditions and customs of the Church.This article will post in a few days. I pray these insights will also transform you and your Christmases!

What I'm Not by Nature, I Am by Grace Part I

2010-11-13T08:45:00.001-06:00

November is National Adoption Month.

I want to focus on the reality of an important part of our Salvation--being adopted in Christ--and what it really means for you and me to be called the children of God.

Not all human beings are granted this privilege, even though you hear it tossed around quite frequently by unbelievers. All of mankind is His beloved creation, nurtured under grace; however, only those people who receive by faith the finished work of Christ as their redemption from sin are adopted by God and legally (in terms of inheritance) called His children.

"How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him.

"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

"Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son." (Ephesians 1:4-6 Message Bible)

Imagine standing in a courtroom, about to hear the verdict against you. This is unlike any other court; it is the court of the Most High God. His decisions are eternal. There is no appeal.

You never contested your guilt. In fact, you finally turned yourself in, unable to live under the tormenting shame of your transgressions.

The prosecutor is alarmingly accurate in profiling you. He gleefully points a finger in your direction; with embarrassing, relentless evidence, the accuser demands the death penalty. His twisted eloquence has even convinced you there's no hope.

Remarkably, your defense attorney makes no effort to counteract the claims of the devil. Well, you are guilty; yet, you expect Him to mount some arguments in your favor.

But suddenly, He stands before the Judge and asks that the sentence that's about to be imposed upon you, be put upon Him instead! What? You don't even know Him that well! Is He playing a cruel joke? Why would someone do such a thing?

You are so astonished that you stagger and reach for the table to steady yourself just as the Judge drops His gavel and says, "Done!"

You watch horrified as they handcuff Jesus, your advocate, and take Him away to be executed for YOUR crimes!

He looks back with eyes that slice right through you, yet you feel no condemnation. "Do not fear, "He says. "I am the Resurrection and the life."

You hang your head, trying hard to process the extraordinary, unbelievable moment.

"You call out, "Wait!" Your Savior never looks back. The door slams behind him, then locks with an eerie echo.

There's an uneasy silence in the courtroom as you turn to face the Judge.

"Is there anything I can do?" you awkwardly ask, enveloped in a confusing mix of relief and sorrow.

The Judge shakes his head. "There's nothing you can ever do. This decree was settled before the foundation of the world. Your debt, as far as I'm concerned, is paid. You and this court are at peace. You are free to go."

God could have ended the matter right there.

In the Salvation process, this legal declaration of "not guilty" (even though you clearly are) is called Justification. The Judge of the Universe declares you cleared of all charges.

But how, if you're still guilty?

God can't break His own rules or He'd be unjust. Therefore, Jesus, who led a sinless life on earth, transferred the benefits of that perfect life (called righteousness) to you.

"...being justified FREELY by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24 KJV)

But someone still had to pay for the sins on the book. Jesus took them as His own and died in your place, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, (estranged) Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 KJV)

So, we see that the obedience of Jesus in life AND death secured cosmic justice and its consequences (restored standing) for all of humanity.

All of this...and you never really knew Him!

Now, back to the courtroom.

Trembling at what just happened, you no longer care about whether or not you get off the hook; all you see is an innocent man being led to a Hill where they torture and crucify criminals.

You gasp, "Why?"

The Judge straightforwardly answers, "He loves you."

"Loves me? How...how can He love me? He barely knows me!"

"He knew you even before you were born," remarks the Judge as He steps from the bench. "By the way, do you have anywhere to go?"

You're fumbling for words as he continues, "Out there you'll wander like an orphan. You're pardoned, but now you need a home, a family. In the days to come, you'll need direction to help you tap into your potential for goodness and even the greatness I see. I've arranged for you to come live in my house."

Your head is spinning in disbelief. "Wha...Why would you do all this for me?"

With a warm embrace, the Judge whispers, "The man who took your place was My son. I, too, have known you before you were born. I want you to join our family. Through My Son's sacrifice, you can receive a fresh start in life with a new name, identity, and a secure home."

"But what about Your son," you stammer through tears, "your only son?"

The Judge smiles as he walks you out of the courtroom and into the fresh air of a beautiful day. "eveything will work out for good," He confidently replies.

You ask, "What did Your son mean about being the Resurrection and the Life?"

"I'll explain along the way," he says.

It's the beginning of a long and fruitful journey home.

Salvation has several components: Conversion (faith and repentance), then Regeneration (better known as being "born again").

In conversion, you respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. With His enabling grace, you then make a decision for Christ. He awakens faith in your heart and you are able to believe and turn around (repent).

I believe that conversion and regeneration happens simultaneously. Being born again means that because of your repentance from sin and faith in Christ, God transfers you out of the Adamic nature and all of its consequences, and into Christ's nature and its benefits.

But you can't enter the Kingdom (or be "born anew") with the sins of "Adam" still on the books--the sin nature you inherited from him as part of the the human race, along with your personal acts of sin that followed.

"But how many ever received him, he gave to them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name." (John 1:12-Wycliffe)

Jesus offers you His passive obedience (a life lived on earth without sin) as an eternal covering, and His active obedience--His death as the payment to settle the accounts and eternally clear the evidence against you.

(It is important to note that although Salvation was secured for all of mankind and is unlimited in its extent, its application is limited and activated only by repentant, believing sinners.)

Based on what Christ did, God declares you fully Justified. It's the Great Exchange!

It's a wonderful feeling to know that you are at peace with God because of Christ's extraordinary gift, but is that all Salvation means?

Sadly, many Christians live as if it is...truly thankful for the justification based on Christ's substitution, but devoid of the intimate relationship that comes with it. It's like settling a legal dispute with a neighbor, but never reconciling the previous, close friendship.

But there's another part of the Salvation experience that we don't hear too much about--adoption. If we did, we would enjoy God and each other a lot more...able to grow sheltered under the Father's trustworthy nurturing as royal siblings!

Adoption is becoming by grace what you could not become in your fallen nature--a son or daughter of God. Justification gives us right legal standing before God that the devil cannot dispute.

Adoption, however, is having a personal relationship with God. Yet in this area, the devil has done a good job at keeping us at arm's length from the Father.

He comes to us with all kind of lies about how bad we are; he puts our sins smack dab in our face when we try to pray. He even convinces us that Father God is like our fallen earthly fathers.

He baits us with myriads of offenses that keep us injured and unwilling to forgive one another.

I have always believed that the world mirrors the Church, not the other way around. In other words, if it's happening in the world, look for the principle behind the behavior to have first run unchecked through the church.

We have "head", but not "heart" religionists; kids have all kinds of sex that does not require face-to-face, "I can look you in the eyes without shame" unions.

We are a society that lacks intimacy. I've heard some post-modernists insist David and Jonathan were gay, along with such characters as Frodo and Sam in "Lord of the Rings". No they weren't.

We live in a time where such depth of commitment between two people of the same sex seems strange unless it is also sexual.

Believers want to praise God, but grow restless when the worship gets intense and the atmosphere changes. God is too near for comfort.

We read in the New Testament of the love and unity within the primitive Church, yet we struggle to recreate that same reality in our modern churches and fellowships.

Our Christian marriages, which are supposed to refract the love, unity and intimacy that exists within the Trinity, thereby giving the unsaved a small, but tangible example of life within the Godhead's family, fall so desperately short of that glory.

The answer? Teach more on the privileges and responsibilities that lie in our glorious adoption in Christ!

I was adopted here on earth, too. An older couple welcomed me into their lives after the dad of my underage birth mother signed me away.They gave me a new name, a new identity, and a loving home.

I met my birth mother twenty-eight years later, and we remain good friends today. However, I am aware that if I had stayed within her environment, I would not be an author and writer today. Nor would I have entered the broadcasting profession.

Please don't misunderstand; I'm not belittling my natural mother's situation. From her genes, I have an inner strength to persevere and survive.

God also orchestrated my adoption, placing me into the home of a woman who had a great love for the English language, ,and theater. Early on, she introduced me to many activities that thrust me in front of the public.

As much as I dreaded piano and dance recitals, God was shaping me for my calling. In school, I served on the newspaper staff, and joined the writers' and drama clubs.

Being transferred out of Adam and into Christ removes the limitations of Adam; living in the Kingdom gives us the right opportunities and cultivation to fulfill our potential in character and Christian service.

My first mother named me April because I was born in that month. My adoptive mother changed it to Mary Diane. We are all given earthly names that define something about us, honor someone important in the family tree, or represent a favorite of the parents--from celebrities, athletes or creation. (I had friends named "Sky" and "Star".)

On the other hand, when we finally see our Heavenly Father face to face, the Bible says each of us will have a new name known only to us...so perfectly suited because no one knows us like Father God! (Revelation 2:17)

Not all earthly adoptions in this fallen world have happy endings, but God cannot be anything but a good parent!

"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?

"As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?" (Matthew 7:9-11 Message Bible)

God never abuses His children, nor abandons them. He is not unpredictable or moody. He keeps His promises.

Understand that He chose to create you before the foundation of the world. God--who sees the past, present, and future simultaneously--saw you in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). He did not favor you based on your earthly appearance, performance, or value to man; you had yet to even be born! You were just passionately, extravagantly, unconditionally loved.

Man, however, decides there is something about you to love (usually fleeting), and then chooses to want you. God's love is just the opposite--He chose you without you doing a thing to impress Him or earn His love.

I was placed into the arms of a couple that already loved me. Actually, they said "yes" over the phone! They were good friends with the doctor who delivered me.

My birth mother's father wanted to take care of the matter quickly and quietly, so the doctor personally placed the call and the paperwork followed days later.

Blessed to grow up in an affirming, affectionate home, not once was I ever made to feel different or inferior because I was adopted out of a troubled, impoverished environment. Neither will God do that to you. He will never bring up your past or use it against you! There is always a seat around the Father's table.

Let's say you're running late for a much-anticipated family reunion at a restaurant. You walk in to a hearty reception and discover an empty seat waiting just for you.

You didn't have to call ahead and beg your father to save you a place; you didn't journey anxiously to the restaurant wondering if there will really be a seat. You are secure in your relationship with your Father. Unfeigned love assures you that what was promised will be done.

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:14-15 NLT)

The Aramaic word "Abba" is translated best as "daddy"! Does the thought of this kind of closeness with God seem strange and uncomfortable to you? Yet, this is the kind of relationship He wants.

Take a few moments and honestly confront yourself. What has robbed you of this remarkable closeness with your Heavenly Father? He is eager to heal and deliver you from whatever keeps Him at a painful distance from all aspects of your life.

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...: (Romans 8:16, 17a KJV)

A joint-heir doesn't split the inheritance 50/50; it's shared together as One-without keeping score, without counting. Whatever Christ has, is also fully yours!

"But when the right time came, God sent his Son who was born of a woman and lived under the law. God did this so he could buy freedom for those who were under the law and so we could become his children.

"Since you are God's children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and the Spirit cries out, "Father (Abba)". "So now you are not a slave; you are God's child, and God will give you the blessing he promised, because you are his child." (Galatians 4:4-7)

Quit being stingy in prayer! He commands us to approach His Throne boldly in order to obtain mercy for our failures, and grace to help for every need! (Hebrews 4:16 KJV)

In the second grade, our assignment was to learn how to tell time. I just wasn't grasping the concept. Our teacher informed us that we had a week to review. By Friday, each student would be required to stand up and tell time based on where she moved the big and little hands on our teaching clock.

Such fear gripped me that I just shut down and didn't try to learn.

Mom put me to bed on Thursday night as usual, but I tossed as the thought of the test loomed over me.

Finally, I crept out of bed and noticed the light still on in daddy's makeshift office in the attic. I heard his old hand-pulled calculator cranking away as he worked on the bills for his business.

I slowly made my way up the steps and stood there for a long time. Stopping for a moment, he caught me out of the corner of his eye.

"Doodles, what are you doing up? It's way past your bedtime."

I burst into tears. "Daddy," I cried. "I can't tell time! I can't tell time!"

It was already late. Daddy had worked all day as an electrician and still had a batch of statements on his desk. Nevertheless, he called me over, put me in his lap and swept the paperwork to the side.

I guess maybe an hour passed...I'm not sure (remember I couldn't tell). However, when I crawled out of his lap, I knew how to tell time!

Please continue with Part II

What I'm Not by Nature, I Am by Grace Part II

2010-11-13T08:32:00.001-06:00

November is National Adoption Month.

I want to focus on the reality of an important part of our Salvation--being adopted in Christ--and what it really means for you and me to be called the children of God.

Not all human beings are granted this privilege, even though you hear it tossed around quite frequently by unbelievers. All of mankind is His beloved creation--nurtured under grace; however, only those people who receive by faith the finished work of Christ as their redemption from sin and self are adopted by God and legally (in regards to inheritance) called His children.

This is Part II of the message

My father died in 1986; mother sadly passed two years later. As the only child, I was the executrix of the estate. Immediately, I could pay bills and take care of what was left, simply by signing my name on mom's checks.

Mom and Dad provided a good life for me while they were alive, but I did not get access to the full benefits of their inheritance until they passed.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.. (Hebrews 4:14 NAS)

God revealed Himself in history and worked first through the nation of Israel to bless humanity, but mankind did not have access to all the blessings and benefits of the Kingdom until the death of Jesus Christ.

Even now, only kids adopted into the family with legal evidence can be executors and executrices of His estate.

There are so many unclaimed inheritances around the world because the beneficiaries have never showed up to make a declaration of genuine ownership of the estates.

Some Christians aren't convinced of the goodness of their Heavenly Father and the bountiful blessings already designated for them LEGALLY in Christ. They don't even bother to check the will (His Word); if they do, they make up excuse after excuse as to why they can't have what is LEGALLY theirs!

I Peter 1:4 reminds us that we have an inheritance--incorruptible, undefiled and unfading--- kept by the power of God!

Other believers don't think they're good enough, assuming more godly siblings can access the benefits of the will. One must always remember that God's acceptance of us is not based on a person's religious performance, but on the performance of Christ. YOU unequivocally qualify as benefactor and executor of the Kingdom--all because of your faith in Christ and His finished work.

"See how much the Father has loved us! We are called God's children. It is true, we are God's children. People in this world did not know him and so they do not know us. My dear brothers, we are God's children NOW..." (John 3:1-2a NLT)

We have "two witnesses" to our adoption-one in Heaven and one in Earth.

1) Our names are recorded by grace in the Lamb's Book of Life, written there when we exercised our FAITH to believe... You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus... (Galatians 3:26)

2) Our following in baptism by OBEDIENCE, wherein we demonstrate on earth and before witnesses the reality of the Heavenly document.

Here's a great word from Rick Warren in The Purpose Drive Life:

"Baptism is not some optional ritual, to be delayed or postponed. It signifies your inclusion in God's family. It publicly announces to the world, "I am not ashamed to be a part of God's family." Jesus commanded this beautiful act for all in his family:

"For years I wondered why Jesus' Great Commission gives the same prominence to baptism as it does to the great tasks of evangelism and edification.

"Why is baptism so important? Because it symbolizes one of the purposes of your life: incorporation into the fellowship of God's eternal family. "

In my process of earthly adoption (see Part I of this article), there had to be a legal release from one family before I could be adopted into the new.

(Jesus) ..."having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14 TNIV)

I love this part from my actual papers, now fifty-five years old:

"By law, the said infant would have the same rights and privileges afforded to her that a child of the bodies of George O. Milford and Mary Ellen Milford would have under the law."

"It is furthered order that the name of the said infant child be, and the same hereby is changed from "Baby Girl Griffin" to Mary Diane Milford, and she shall hereafter be known as Mary Diane Milford.

AND IT IS SO ORDERED."

Stop and consider that no matter what man has called or labeled you, God has given you a new name that defines you from His perspective, and your Heavenly Father has given you powerful permission to legally use power of attorney (the name of Jesus Christ) in all spiritual transactions and disputes.

Stop to think that by God's decree, you have the same rights and privileges as His only begotten Son.

Most adoptions today are "open", meaning that the natural mother works out a legal arrangement with the adoptive parents to maintain contact with her child or receive information through the formative years.

My adoption records were sealed. My birth mother and I didn't meet until twenty-eight years later, after I initiated a search.*

More adoption agencies are working with the birth mothers to involve them in every aspect of the process, including interviewing and selecting the adoptive parents. Such cooperative methods respect the dignity and desires of both mothers, and hopefully avoid heartaches and litigation down the road.

However, this was not the case years ago. Adoption records were--for the most part--always sealed. Many natural mothers later on agonized about the whereabouts and welfare of the children they released. Additionally, many of these hand-written records were not filed or stored properly, so both natural mothers and adoptees seeking later reunions were encountering innumerable frustrations and dead ends.

I'm thankful for the growing number of adoption search sites on the internet. It is my prayer that hundreds, even thousands of reunions can become a reality from these years of closed records.

Yet, God ALWAYS seals His adoption records! We are "in the Secret Place of the Most High" (Psalm 91:1) and "hidden in His pavilion (lair) " (Psalm 27:5).

We often fall back into Adamic ways because taking on the characteristics and behaviors of our new family is, after all, a learning process; nevertheless, we need never fear the devil coming to claim us. He would have to break the Blood seal upon you, and such a feat is impossible. Besides, he cowers even at the mention of the name Jesus. No, he'll only take those who remain in Adam.

"You also became believers in Christ. That happened when you heard the message of truth. It was the good news about how you could be saved. When you believed, he marked you with a seal. The seal is the Holy Spirit that he promised.

"The Spirit marks us as God's own. We can now be sure that someday we will receive all that God has promised. That will happen after God sets all of his people completely free. All of those things will bring praise to his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14 TNIV)

Here's the Message translation:

"It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free-signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life."

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30 NAS)

I like how the Amplified Bible brings out the meaning of the same verse:

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

I didn't need a legal document as proof of my adoptive parents' love and commitment, but if anyone outside the family ever questioned the validity of the adoption, the record was undeniably clear.

Have you been baptized? Do you have a record of that day? If so, pull it out and keep it close to your Bible so that you (and the devil) may be reminded of it often.

If you are a believer, but haven't been baptized, don't delay having earthly evidence of your Heavenly status!

A pastor told me years ago that baptized members of his congregation, who fully understood its importance and meaning, had a tendency to be more stable and fruitful in their Christian walk.

As a child, I was teased a time or two about being adopted. But mom explained that what makes me different is that I was wanted and personally chosen by my parents. Her positive spin helped me silence most kids when I said, "Yeah? Well, your mom had to take what she got!"

But guess what? We've got to take what we get--even in our spiritual family! We are indeed "stuck with each other!"

Although I don't have any brothers or sisters in my adoptive family, I have millions in Christ. Understanding God's heart of adoption changes how I relate to them.

I must never forget:

1) My Father wants them or they wouldn't be here; therefore, my siblings are of immeasurable value to Him (and therefore, be equally as valuable to me).

2) They are extravagantly, eternally loved by the Father--even when they act unlovable. (Just like me!)

3) They chose to love Him back, and for this shameless confession, they are worthy of my respect.

4) They live in the same house with me--a house Christ is building and deems holy.

5) They have something important to do for the Father, and their ability to serve Him depends a great deal on me.

And...I will be chastised for mistreating my family!

"And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.

"As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?

If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all." (Hebrews 12:5-9 NLT)

Our growing into the image of Christ is the progressive, ongoing part of our Salvation called SANCTIFICATION. The Holy Spirit helps me in this process by often using others in the family.

This growth is not without pain, but the Bible says that Christ's gift to me was Salvation. What I do with it--and what I become because of it--is my gift to Him.

Our "works" (interestingly the word in the Greek also denotes ‘moral conduct') will pass through His holy fire.Those things that are not of God will burn as wood, hay, and stubble. What remains is the reward I get to lay at the feet of my precious Savior.

"For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

"If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ASB)

So often we speak to each other out of our own injuries, ignorance, or immaturity; yet, I ask the Father to redeem something out of every encounter--whether highly encouraging, strongly corrective or plain bad--that will make me more like Christ and add to my rewards for Him.

Like me, were you naturally adopted? If you're also a Christian, then you're "doubly blessed" to have been chosen twice!

Yet, whenever the topic of adoption comes up, every believer has a great conversation starter that can shake out a little salt.

You can casually mention, "Oh, I'm adopted."

Your friends and co-workers, a little startled, will probably respond, "Really? We didn't know that about you!"

You smile. "Well, let me tell you my story!"

* Cotton Butterflies, tells the story of Mary Diane's teen birth mom's pregnancy, her resulting adoption, and how they met 28 years later.

Monsterquest: The Dreaded Christianus Venificus!

2010-10-22T10:21:00.001-05:00

Last Halloween, I was amused by the characters I saw trick-or-treating in the neighborhood--from ghouls to goblins, princesses and pirates.

But there's a monster that gives me goosebumps worse than a warty old hag in a black hat or even satan himself.

It doesn't appear just once a year. It doesn't prowl the streets at night. It can be in your home in broad daylight, in the pew next to you at church or jeepers--even in the pulpit!

It is the dreaded Christianus Venificus* (Latin scholars, please forgive me if I butchered the language)

Christianus: Christian

Venificus: a sorcerer, wizard, or witch.

A Christianus Venificus is a Christian who practices witchcraft!

A Wiccan “spell” pales in comparison to the disastrous results from a Christian’s misuse of his or her authentic power to bless or curse.

Witchcraft is all about control. It’s that simple…and that devastating.

I hear the pagan ‘witching hour” is 3 AM (the opposite of when Christ died at 3 PM), but I believe Sundays at 11 AM beats anything the pagans can muster.

The desire to control others has been around since the beginning. Satan coveted control over God; Adam and Eve wanted charge of their own destinies.

Nothing has changed--only that Jesus came as one completely controlled by the Holy Spirit and not His own interests. He won our liberty from both the desire to control and the prison of being controlled...if we dare!

Why is this a scary proposition? The controller has to face the fear of losing control. Similarly, a man or woman used to being inordinately controlled has to remove the artificial boundaries and find the courage to walk out into the wide, open spaces of life.

I like Wiccans. Take them a plate of pumpkin cookies this Halloween. Controlling Christians frighten me. Don’t even invite them to lunch!

God forbids attempted manipulation of other people's minds, hearts, and circumstances. Even He won't do that with His creation!

The Lord works persuasively within the parameters of man's free will; He does not coerce or deceitfully trick people into doing what He wants.

Do you withhold sex, give the silent 'treatment' and employ pouting tactics to get your husband to give in to your demands or wants?

Moms, let's check our techniques with our children, too. Do you yell at your kids and put them down? Are you using undue influence against them even as they age in regards to college, career, or relationships? There's a big difference between sharing your concerns and shaming someone into compliance.

We even resort to "witchcraft" in our pulpits. Many leaders try to minister the gospel out of their own woundedness and insecurities.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” Luke 12:48

Believe me, I’ve seen church leaders use their positions to publicly shame and scare congregants considered to be out of line. Instead of bringing the sheep in for discreet one-on-one ministry, the elders protected themselves from a direct confrontation and attempted to validate their positions by wielding a “Word from God”.

I've also heard pastors resort to triangulating messages. Designed to correct a particular person or group within the congregation, the content is cowardly preached outward to everybody, often resulting in embarrassment and gossip.

Listen! Jesus NEVER publicly shunned or shamed any individual during His earthly ministry. He harshly addressed religious orders, mindsets, and practices, but never PEOPLE!

When we choose exploitative tactics, we align ourselves with the master manipulator and deceiver of all times—satan.

The only thing that truly changes a person is grace; the only dispenser of grace is the Holy Spirit. Moreover, according to the Word, this grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The way and rate of change differs for each of us, and is not centered in how well we’re pressed by flesh—which may result in temporary compliance—but how well we surrender to the persuading conviction of the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is good at it. That’s been His job--for thousands of years. (What did He ever do before we came along??)

Interestingly, the person that’s not “doing right” in our eyes seems to respond better when they’re cut from our strings. I think it has a lot to do with us getting straight first, don’t you agree? We then have time to divert our attention from others and finally look within at our tangled mess.

The Bible says that "rebellion IS the sin of witchcraft." (I Samuel 15:23)

Hey, this is tough stuff. That verse in I Samuel continues to say that not only is witchcraft rebellion in the eyes of God, but its companion—stubbornness--is idolatry!

An idol is anyone or anything that you care about and cater to more than God.

For a pastor, it could be His ministry, His church…the fulfillment of His vision.

Is it “your way or the highway” in your marriage? What about God’s way?

Can you trust the Holy Spirit to change a person or do you inwardly find fault with His process? Could you be the very one who’s holding it up?

Are you giving the person any credit or growing room? More importantly, are you giving any credit to God?

How do you treat those who fall short of your expectations? Do you secretly delight in shaming them into a better mold of behavior?

Do you tag the control with God’s name or spiritual gifts in order to give the appearance of divine permission or authority?

Wherever there’s witchcraft (the attempt to control another through fleshly manipulation), you’ll find rebellion (resistance to trusting God and His ways).

Wherever there’s rebellion, there’s stubbornness (an inability to let go of control and return it to God).

Wherever there’s stubbornness, there’s idolatry (you love, crave…HAVE to be in control of a person, group of people or a situation.)

If this is you, you need to repent deeply and genuinely from a sin worse that any moral failure or uncleanness.

For those of you knowingly controlled, you’re not off the hook, either. Repent for making others your idols. Come out from under their thumb and breathe. Venture out and learn who you are in God’s eyes, not theirs.

Fulfill God’s destiny for you--not their plans and hopes. Quit propping them up and making them look good (that’s called “enabling”). It’s time for you to step out of their shadows!

Only when you step away can God step in and help them. One day riskily lived in honest response to God is worth a thousand in safe contrivance.

Are you a Wiccan or a Pagan?

If you truly believe that the created elements are more valuable and worthy of your worship rather than the Creator Himself, so be it.

However, I understand that many of you came out of traditional, mainline Christian denominations because of the abuse and/or hypocrisy of authority figures who claimed to be Christians. I am grieved that God was so terribly misrepresented.

Perhaps you were bashed time and time again with the rules of the Bible, only hearing of a legalistic, demanding God from people who couldn't live it themselves. I am so sorry that God's Word was recklessly mishandled...having been thrown at you instead of served on bended knee.

God can be separated from those who misrepresent Him; the truth of His message can be untangled from those who seek to beat you down with it rather than lift you up.

There. That’s all I’m going to say. We Christians won’t say too much more until we first clean up our act.

But when you begin to see more of us desiring to master ourselves rather than others—when we embrace the governing power of Christ in our own lives and respect it in others—then perhaps we’ll win you back.

Peering into the Paranormal Part I

2010-10-22T10:13:00.001-05:00

My mother brought her childhood curiosity about psychic phenomena into her Christian faith. She read Jean Dixon's books, consulted the Ouija Board, Tarot Cards, I Ching, and astrology.

It was not unusual for us to faithfully attend church AND read our astrological charts. As a result of being introduced to the supernatural at an early age, I turned my sites as a teenager toward a career in the pioneering field of parapsychology.

However, God had other plans for my life. Once I truly began a relationship with Jesus (not just continuing a formal confession or "lip service" to a set of religious principles), He corrected my understanding about many things--including paranormal phenomena.

I guess it was the era and denomination to which we belonged; Mother's beliefs, and those of her church friends who would regularly gather for psychic parlor parties, were never countered with clear, Biblical teachings.

In fact, when we began to discuss her practices after my personal conversion, Mother was surprised to discover that the Bible strongly addressed occult issues and a believer's involvement. At age seventy-two, she renounced them and rid her home of all paraphernalia.

Although my path was re-directed into other professional pursuits, I maintained an interest in the study of the paranormal, as well as a desire to help others understand supernatural dimensions.

Some of these realms are not to be engaged by us on earth; however, when a portal opens (usually through deception), it can be shut and sealed. But ONLY with the guidelines provided by the One who created the realm in the first place.

No Longer on the Once Kooky Fringe

If you want a hit TV show, then satisfy Americans' voyeuristic tendencies to peek into the raw, unedited lives of others...you know--the misfits, the spoiled. Somehow, it makes us feel better to see them living poorly in our airbrushed world.

Our curiosity is also at an all time high to peer into another world where we can sit down in front of the TV after a routine day at the office and emit a gasp or two--a significant achievement in our desensitized culture.

TV networks are turning out more programs on paranormal investigations and the subject's rising popularity provides prime opportunities for Christians to get in on the discussions.

Having tuned in myself, I am puzzled by the religious mixture they bring to the supposed "cleansings"...blending elements of Christianity, Indian rituals, and paganism.

In one show's episode, the leader gathers everyone around to pray a traditional Christian prayer and ends it with "in the name of Jesus" just before they head outside to perform a pagan ritual.

If you believe that all paths lead to God, then that formula seems just what you need to make sure all the bases are covered. But for the Christian, the obvious solution is clear: seek counsel from the One who created those realms.

Everyone loves to give us advice when we have a problem; some of it may prove profitable, but most of it is questionable. Depending on how many people you ask, that's about the number of conflicting answers you'll get.

I remember when my Mother was in the hospital and it was left up to me to make a critical decision regarding her care. Her opinionated brother was arguing with the doctor over the necessity of the procedure.

Finally, Dr. Hodges looked at my uncle and said, "Evan, I can see there's a little doctor in you, but just keep in mind there's a LOT of doctor in me!"

If my car breaks down, I turn to the know-how of a trusted mechanic. If I have an invading tumor in my body, I defer to a skilled surgeon for its removal.

So, before you add salt and light to the topic that's all abuzz, get your worldview straight. What do you believe about ghosts, hauntings, and things that go BUMP in the night? Can you back it up Biblically? If not, then read on.

Pinch Your Spacesuit

Man is a spiritual being with a soul. In order to live on earth, his spirit and soul must join to something that allows him to express himself and live within earth's laws and limitations. Hence, the Bible says our bodies--originally made of earth--will decay to their original elements after death. (Psalm 103:14; Ecclesiastes 3:20)

Once we die and vacate our bodies, we MUST leave the earthly plane and go to one of two spiritual dimensions that we reserved during our earthly stay: a rest in God's presence or a location separated from interaction with God and His goodness. The residents of both places await the resurrection of the body, the final Judgment, and the culmination of all things.

Each of us is a never-to-be-repeated creation--unique in body, unique in soul. The soul houses the totality of our personality--the mind, will, and emotions.

We're not here because God had to fill a quota. We're alive because He wanted to create us; then, He designed and outfitted us according to His foreknowledge of all details (Psalm 139: 13-16). Lastly, we were placed into a specific time and a particular family line. (Isaiah 41:4)

When my father died, I was hard pressed to convince my six-year- old of Poppy's sudden passing without any evidence. Despite reservations from my family, I took Jeremy into the room where my father's body lay in a bag.

The funeral director carefully unzipped it to reveal the face. My father had been dead only a few hours, but I had to look twice to make sure it was the same man. What made him "Poppy" was no longer there to energize and animate the earthen vessel.

I told Jeremy that living on earth is like going to the moon. We need a pretty good spacesuit in order to survive. But all spacesuits either experience damage or wear out; when that happens, we have to leave. "For now," I explained, "We will carefully store Poppy's body*."

I continued to say that one day Jesus will come back to earth with all the departed, righteous souls to reunite them with their bodies--fixed and recharged to never wear out or get sick again. The explanation made sense to Jeremy and he was able to let go of Poppy.

You're already immortal; didn't you know?

The unrighteous will also reunite with their bodies. Just as the redeemed on earth seek to express God's character and will within their tri-part being (body, spirit, and soul), those apart from God also freely express the only thing they can--the Adamic character and will of natural man in body, spirit, and soul.

Consequently, those made holy in Christ will experience all the glories of Heaven through the five senses of renewed, immortal bodies. They will fully retain their personalities, but with emotions free from the effects of sin and minds that focus only on good and function as God intended.

Those who chose to remain in Adam will rejoin their bodies to fully experience the effects of the Fall and its consequences of of determined independence from God.

Most people don't take time to reflect upon the fact that their Maker is also the constant sustainer of creation. Simply ponder the precision of degrees upon which the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun in order to provide the proper balance of light and heat. Any variance would mean sudden destruction. Think about the exact combination of breathable elements and atmospheric pressure.

Jesus is "...upholding all things by the word of His power..." (Hebrews 1:3)

Notice it's not the power of His word, but His word of power. If He were to remove His upholding word, from the micro to the macro, the cosmos would collapse. What He told to "be" has yet to hear a negating command!

For now, the steady abundance of daily grace we take for granted is meant to give all men space to repent. (Romans 2:4)

When man enters an eternal dimension that mirrors his final choice to be free from the nourishing grace of His Creator, that is Hell.

Every person will know his eternal destination immediately upon death (personal judgment). However, the rewards or punishments will be given only at the end of human history at the Resurrection when the consequences of our actions that have rippled through time can be fully and accurately weighed in God's balances.

Of course, God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 41:26). He observes the past, present and future simultaneously for He exists outside of and above time. Yet, He is waiting for US to see the evidence. Before His flawless justice, all dissenting voices will cease.

The Earth is a Penal Colony for the Devil

Lucifer and one-third of the angels led a rebellion in Heaven. As punishment, they were cast to earth--their penal colony--long before mankind ever arrived. (Luke 10:18-20)

Why was it a prison? Legal entrance into the earth for higher, ascending creatures is through the birth canal; without such a pass, demons were doomed to crippling disembodiment.

God's plan was for the fallen angels to be ruled by 'inferior' creatures (humanity) that enjoyed fellowship with God and the bounty of the earth. Demons were only to watch in their chains as Adam and his descendants walked in the glory they foolishly, eternally forfeited.

From the beginning, God gave Adam dominion and authority over EVERYTHING that moved on the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

He warned his emissary from the start there was an enemy already on the ground (Genesis 2:15). Therefore, man's mission was to "tend and guard" the Garden, even SUBDUE it (verse 28).

Ideally, the earth was to be the devil's holding cell. Deemed the jailer, so to speak, man was to learn to responsibly steward and protect God's creation.

The greatest gift God gives is free will; man has it and so do the angels. Therefore, God's intent was to show the devil that a will can freely choose the highest good, not just evil.

The Authority Adam Surrendered, Jesus Regained

Nevertheless, humanity failed the test and the devil delighted in God's supposedly botched experiment. But Jesus legally arrived in the earth (through the birth canal) as Adam II.

He passed the three tests the original Adam failed in the exercise of his free will: self-protection, self-gratification and self-empowerment.

In John 16:11, Jesus spoke--BEFORE Calvary--that judgment was already pronounced upon the enemy.

How? Our omniscient (knowing all things at all times) God knew what would happen and He provided--ahead of time--a Ransom and Redeemer.

Jesus stepped into human history to provide empirical evidence of a Redemption secured and an enemy already judged from the foundation of the world! (Revelation 13:8)

Now with the authority and power restored by Jesus that we forfeited to the devil, we are once again given the original mandate to "tend and guard" the earth.

So How Are We Doing?

Remember typical "cop and robber" movie scenes where the hero captures the bad guy, then tells his partner to watch the crook until he returns?

"Don't take your eyes off of him," he says. "And whatever you do, don't let him fool you into taking off the handcuffs. He's a tricky one!"

You've seen it. The policeman tires, perhaps dozing a time or two. Next, he drops his weapon, only to have the enemy snatch it up and turn the tables.

In another scenario, the two get to talking and before you know it, the good guy lets down his guard. The villain convinces him to just let him go to the bathroom or perhaps loosen the cuffs a bit...

Satan has NEVER had legitimate authority in the earth. Whatever he gets, he steals. In order to fully use that authority, he desires to "inhabit" an earthly body (into the mind and thought processes) where entrance is gained by deceit or permission.

(Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, SEEKING whom he MAY devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith..." (I Peter 5:8,9a)

Law Enforcement agencies will tell you that most criminals do not break into homes and cars. They simply SEEK until they find one unlocked. Negligence is an open invitation--a way of granting indirect permission.

Modus Operandi

The only way satan can successfully get revenge is to attack what God loves-- humanity created in His image and likeness. As we've seen from Scripture, the devil cannot do this indiscriminately; he must have permission. Persuading the wills of unbelievers is a piece of cake for satan. But Christians are not off limits to him, either. Although he lost you for Hell, if he can find a way to give you hell, he will.

He looks for open doors that come from outstanding injustices. As a child of God, you know words and their actions have creative power. Blessings and cursings carry enough force to either empower a person to eventually succeed or fail.

If a man leaves this earth with longstanding, unrepentant sins, it creates an entrance for the devil to get into the family line and follow through with generational curses. If the sins are particularly egregious, there may also be manifestations.

It all has to do with sin! Sin is the open door--period. If you think you're having "hauntings" just because you live on an Indian burial ground, think again. It's probably due to a broken covenant between the white man and the Indian tribe that ended in some sort of bloodshed or uprooting.

* I am not against cremation. Even a well-embalmed body eventually decomposes and becomes part of the earth's cycle of life and decay

As we know, some bodies are torn, burned, and even vaporized in this world full of violence and tragedy; yet, the souls of these individuals remain completely intact and housed by God.

The day will come when He will resurrect every body to unite with its living soul, either unto everlasting glory or shame.

"The whole body, whether it withers away to dust, or dissolves into moisture, or crumbles away to ashes or passes off in vapor, is removed from our eyes, but it still exists for God." (Minucius Felix)

No body maintains its continuity, even in life. Every seven years we get a "new" body, as healthy cells regenerate and die.

What IS constant is our genetic coding. The grain of wheat in the ground looks different from what is harvested, but the DNA is exactly the same.

In your Resurrection, a fully physical body will rise--complete and precisely identical--but it will function differently, as Jesus demonstrated in His resurrected body prior to the Ascension.

Understanding this truth helps us realize that burial customs are therefore only for the benefit of those temporarily left behind: a comforting way to say good-bye while at the same time holding on to what remains of our loved ones--embalmment, a grave, a headstone, an urn--these things help us stay tangibly connected until we are reunited.

Be comforted with these words from Tatian: 'I am laid up in the storehouse of a wealthy Lord."

Please continue with PART II