Designer label ministries and packaged events may get sales, may impress, my look like top notch ministry done well, but they are not turning the world upside down for Christ and delivering the hopeless from the power of sin. “Church events” designed to cater to the “already wealthy” will not break the power of sin. We will give an account for the vicious cycle of pouring money into events that only entertain those already reached with the Gospel.

We must get beyond our petty little differences, our designer label ministries that boast the “good old boys club” stamp of approval, and beyond a groupie mentality in ministry.

We must become desperate for God to give us a heart that truly seeks what He seeks – to save sinners and transform them into true worshipers.  Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

“And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:16-17).

I fear our churches are full of “healthy” religionists, experts in hearing the Word and making severe applications and critiques on others, and swelling with those who don’t really need The Physician.

What would the church look like if we followed Jesus’ example in ministry?

1. Relationships in a lost community
2. Bridges built with people who share your own street address (stepping outside of your comfort zone).
3. Connecting with guests who have braved a first-time appearance at your church rather than gravitating to your comfortable clique of friends (“oh, I love your new shoes!” – forgetting that many walked the streets that morning looking for food with no shoes on their feet).
4. Abandoning the fortress mentality of ministry and “being” the church rather than “going to” and “doing” church
5. Taking the Gospel to people who have the least access to it and live in the most inhospitable environments (as opposed to the tourism mission trips so often settled for)
6. Believers who refuse to compare, compete, and critique
7. We will stop playing spiritual tourism (moving from church to church) just because a personal preference was not honored and personal pride was injured (read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). Get your eyes off yourself and on to a world that is suffering, hopeless, and dying.  Placing your preferences on the top shelf is hindering the spread of the Gospel.
8. Loving those who don’t love you, giving to those who can’t give in return, and following God to people, cities and countries at great risk to you and your family.

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

God, help us to love what you love, hate what you hate, and live as you lived.  We need your grace and help.

SLH

After collecting our bags and locating our contact we loaded up the small van and ventured out onto the steamy potholed roads of Nairobi.  Confusion and tenseness increased as I sat on the ‘wrong’ side of the van while traveling down the ‘wrong’ side of the road!  Added to this strange scene was a continuous swarm of people who walked inches away from moving vehicles.  I stare in bewilderment and wince every time the side mirror nearly clips someone.

Not far from the airport we turn left into a round-about to turn left (three-quaters around) down Outer Ring Road.  ”A simple right-hand turn if we were on the proper side of road would have been simpler,” my Imperialistic American worldview critiqued.  Now, anyone who really knows Kenya – Bata Boots, Stoney Tangawizi, the Nyayo House, chai cooked over an open fire,  Uhuru Highway, and Dormans AA Blue Mountain coffee will also know Outer Ring Road, and they will also identify with the stress and danger of the following situation.  Outer Ring road is neither a well-groomed highway through some cushy suburb nor a meandering bush track through beautiful rural Africa.  Outer Ring Road looks like the remnants of a test ground for carpet bombing.  It looks like a mistake.  Acrid smoke from burning garbage taints the air, plastic bags swirl next to filthy goats restrained by short lengths of rope, deteriorated buildings stand next to half-built buildings surrounded by crudely cut trees used as scaffolding, a seven year old girl in her dark blue school uniform carries her infant brother on her back, and an elderly man sits on a mound of dirt in his dark suit and yellow socks.  Sensory overload begins to numb whatever emotions I had left.

We continued our deluxe-tour of a slice of Nairobi that tourist companies deliberately avoid (and are applauded for doing so).  Outer Ring Road was notorious for it’s carjackings, thugs, muggings, and street kids.  The so-called Honeymoon Stage of missions never had a chance!  Just as we got far enough off the grid to make it really dangerous I hear our driver say, “Oh no!”  Now let me be very clear, there are no good places in Africa to hear those words (it’s the equivalent of a surgeon saying “oops”).  There are no ‘good’ places but there certainly are worse places!!!  Well… we were in a worse place.  Sure enough, the rear tire sustained a deep puncture.  Really, why was I surprised?  We were driving in a van made for yuppie suburbia over a road that had more potholes, garbage, people, metal shrapnel, nails, glass, and junk than anywhere I had ever been in my life.  The dark clouds of cynicism began to roll in as we pulled over.  I would have voted that we ride on that metal rim, sparks and all, until we reached a safe-haven.  I’ve had nightmares more pleasant than this reality.  “Not here!” was my immediate thought.  Then our driver said, “I am not even sure our spare is aired up.”  Was he kidding?  Was this a set up?  Was this really happening?  I’m stranded in the lethal urban sprawl of Kenya with an imbecile (fear and it’s reactions of cynicism were already surfacing).  Can you guess where the spare tire was?  Where else but under all our Action Packers and large duffel bags – a jigsaw puzzle that took nearly half an hour to arrange back at the airport.  I’m doing well if I even know where our five passports are right now.

I exit the van with the driver to check if there is even a working spare.  I quickly notice street boys running from several directions toward us almost as if they knew we would be stopping there.  This city isn’t nicknamed “Nairobbery” for nothing.  Within minutes we were surrounded by street boys.  They were rough, high on glue, and looking for an opportunity.  Well, they found the jack pot!  Now the next part is priceless.  We unloaded all our bags right at their feet where they were able to get a good look and a quick grab.  It was a buffet line for the little thieves.  I have changed a lot of tires across Africa but none seemed to have taken as long as this one.  I can still see Toni and our three little children vigilantly huddled in the stifling van processing their first real experience in Africa as a family.  I was told to keep an eye on the tools and the tire changing equipment because another missionary had his stolen in the middle of changing the tire.  My eyes quickly shift from my family to luggage to tire changing tools.  After what seemed like five hours we loaded the bags and began moving deeper into the urban wasteland (materially unscathed, but emotionally exhausted).

There is a rule in Africa – “never travel anywhere without a solid spare tire.”  The real bush guys often carry two spares on the back of their awesome 4×4 Land Cruiser or Land Rover.  With that in mind our driver pulled the ‘family van’ into the next Caltex to have the puncture repaired.  Because of pressed bladders Toni took our children to what was possibly the most disgusting drop toilet in all of Africa.  The smell was staggering and the floor was saturated by years of use and neglect.  Our children, for health’s sake, began to close the learning curve on “squatting” real quick.  Their noses wrinkled up by the stench and their hearts panting from fear of falling through the bottomless pit that had bad breath (and mom is telling them to stand ‘over’ it).  After what seemed like another three hours (it may have been), and a few warm bottles of Coke and Bitter Lemon (a bottled soft drink with quinine and lemon), we headed to our lodging.

This was our first day in Africa as a family and it  launched us forward into the third stage on the cultural stress chart – affectionately named, “the Hurricane Stage.”  These were not days of gentle breezes, but destructive gales!  It was a severe gut punch and a horrific entrance to our first term of missionary service.  We finally arrived at the house where we would stay for the next two weeks.  That Wednesday evening our hosts went out for the evening while my young family tried to recover from the exhaustion of the goodbyes, the mid-Atlantic flight, the long layover in Heathrow, and our Outer Ring experience.  After a simple dinner we gathered in the sitting room as we listened to the sounds of a restless city (which would include AK-47 shots later that week).  Within a few minutes, and without any warning whatsoever, every single light went out.  There we sat in complete darkness.  Maybe this is why they call it the Dark Continent?  Our first African evening and our first load-sheddng experience (semi-controlled and highly systematic power-outages).  At this point you have a few choices – complaining or thanksgiving, contentment or cynicism, trust or resentment, faith or fear.  We huddled together in the dark and turned our minds and hearts toward God by singing several songs and quoting two verses:

• Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
• Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

The takeaway – God gave us twelve incredible years in Kenya and Zambia.  God has given us some of the most amazingly staggering opportunities of life and service.  God provided to us wonderful family-time and memories.  God gave to us dear missionary and African friends and co-workers.  God continues to increase our deep love for the people and countries of Africa.  Thank you God for your goodness and your trustworthiness.  I praise your name!

Well, let me ask you one question, “What is the purpose of this particular miracle?” I’ll give you a hint,

• It’s more than a boy willing to give up his lunch (which reduces the miracle to a lesson on sharing).
• It’s more than just a “meals on wheels” program in upper Galilee (which reduces the miracle to the provision of physical needs).
• It’s much more than a lesson about Jesus taking what we already have and multiplying it beyond measure (though He can do that).

Look at the end of the story.  Mark 6:52 “for they did not understand about the loaves…”  The disciples didn’t understand how the miracle happened, when it happened, or why it happened, and they were there!  They saw it!  They took part in distributing the bread and the fish!  They each held a basket full of food for their own satisfaction after serving others (which is awesome, but not the main point either).  As they consumed bread and fish they failed to grasp the full meaning of what Jesus was revealing to them.  They did not understand the significance of what they had just witnessed because “their hearts were hardened” (6:52).

There are between 30 and 40 specific miracles recorded in the gospels, but this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels.  This miracle  is so significant that no matter which account of the Gospel you choose to read you will read about the feeding of the 5,000 men (or if you lived during the time of the early church, no matter which Gospel was circulated in your area you would confront this miracle in either Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; or John 6).

It is interesting to note the events that precede this miracle:

• Jesus was rejected at His home-town Nazareth.
• Jesus then calls the Twelve and sends them on their first mission without Him accompanying them.
• Herod is disturbed by the appearance of Jesus.
• Matthew records intelligence received regarding John the Baptist’s death (Mark records the gruesome details of John’s death to help us understand not only Jesus’ mission, but in particular the mission of those who follow Jesus in a hostile world).
• The Apostle’s return from their first missionary tour.

These were dangerous times to follow Jesus and the disciples knew it.  They were not unaware of the curiosity and controversy their Master was creating.  They esteemed the prophet John highly, but now they realize even he could not prevent his own head from being served on a platter to a young girl.  Amidst all of this Mark records in 6:31-32 “And he  said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.  And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”

This retreat never happened because an unwanted crowd (according to some disciples) keeps following Jesus everywhere He goes.  Mark 6:33-34 “Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.  When he went ashore he saw a great crowd…”

I.  A Simple Setting with a Complex Purpose:

Mark in his record follows the banquet in Herod’s palace or fortress with a very different kind of banquet which foreshadows a banquet that will be held in about one year from this miracle (the Last Supper).  Herod’s gritty banquet was attended by powerful and important people.  Jesus’ open air feast among the rollings hills of Galilee seems to require neither class nor prestige.  The main attraction at Herod Antipas’ banquet was a dance resulting in the beheading of John the Baptist.  In contrast, the main attraction at Jesus the Messiah’s banquet was an act that foreshadows Him giving His life for those who believe.

Why was this particular crowd following Jesus?  What is the composition of this crowd?  Some came no doubt to be healed physically while others sought spiritual answers.  Some were healed and others said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:14).  Primarily, however, it seems these men were looking for a political savior. The crowds seem moved by Jesus’ power and leadership.  They wanted Him to be their military leader who would launch an insurrection south and conquer the occupied enemy.  John observes this very thing when he writes in John 6:15 “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”  This may help explain why Jesus put His disciples in a boat and why He removed Himself to pray (Mark 6:45-52).  This crowd seems composed primarily of politically and militarily minded men.  They followed Jesus into the wilderness where liberation movements had been launched before.  I wonder if Christians today aren’t looking for the same thing in America – someone who will bring conservative reform to our government and assure us that our comfort and prosperity will not be tampered with.

Notice Jesus’ response when He saw the crowd?  Mark 6:34 “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”  Jesus saw them, “like sheep without a shepherd.”  Although this image brings forth a warm image of Jesus helping weak and helpless sheep it is not the image the Old Testament puts forward.  The shepherd of sheep metaphor was commonly understood in Israel for a leader (even military heroes like Joshua and David) who would gather Israel’s forces for battle.  It seems Jesus sees this group as men wanting  a military leader to do this very thing.

• Numbers 27:16-17 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.”
• 1Kings 22:17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”
• Ezekiel 37:24  “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd.”

Jesus compassionately sees these people in the wilderness with desire but lacking direction, with passion but without purpose, with zeal but without a leader.  Jesus responds by teaching them (not feeding them).  He saw their need and he began to teach them many things.  He took the leadership, proved He was Messiah, but then shows them He will not become the militant Messiah they had hoped He would be, “he dismissed the crowd” (Mark 6:45).

Mark 6:35-36 “And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.  Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’”  A need arises and the disciples respond,  “Send them away.”  I can relate with this.  It’s easy.  Maybe we disguise it as “delegation” or “responsibility.”  Churches do this when social misfits enter the assembly.  “Send them away.”  When people are transparent and their problems rise to the surface and discipleship gets messy we say, “Send them away.”  When we are tired and inconvenienced our advice is “send them away.”  I am so thankful that the earthiness of the disciples is not hidden : )

II.  An Impossible Directive:

37a But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

The disciples are in a difficult situation (an impossible situation) where they had to trust Jesus or despair by trusting themselves.  This is a divinely designed situation where they can not figure it out on their own.  Why did Jesus even ask them to do this?  John 6:6 says, “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.”

It’s interesting that Mark doesn’t even record the source of the loaves and the fish.  It doesn’t really matter for the true “purpose” of this miracle is not about a boy willing to give his lunch.  Mark 6:37b-38 “And they said to him, ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ 38 And he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’ And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

III.  A Miracle With Deep Significance:

What could have been easier than to ask the Son of God to create food?  He already proved He could do this when He turned water to wine (Jesus’ first miracle).  But nothing is easy when your heart is “hardened” (6:52).

Mark 6:39-41 “Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.” (Mark’s detail let’s us know it was probably spring-time) 40 “So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.”

Three unmistakable pictures are presented.  The first two every Israelite would have understood.  The third every child of God will understand.

• First, is the echo of Moses and the manna being miraculously provided in the wilderness from Exodus 16.  John even quotes Exodus 16:4 in John 6:31 making a direct connection to what was happening.  Don’t miss it!  Jesus is the miraculous provision from God that if accepted and internalized will give everlasting sustenance.
• Second, is the similarity to Elisha’s miracle in 2 Kings 4:42-44 “A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, ‘Give to the men, that they may eat.’ 43 But his servant said, ‘How can I set this before a hundred men?’ So he repeated, ‘Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the LORD.”  The increase of people moves from 100 to 5,000, while at the same time the number of loaves is decreased from 20 to 5.  The similarities are unmistakable: (1) a hungry crowd, (2) the lack of food, (3) a command by a leader to feed the crowd, (4) the people’s desperate response to the command, and (5) the food leftover after everyone is satisfied.
• Third, (a staggering picture) an action that Jesus will repeat at the Last Supper (this helps us understand what is happening beyond the actual bread and fish in the baskets).  Mark 14:22 “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’”  Mark 14:25 “Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

John makes the point so clear that it’s almost impossible to miss.  In John 6:4 he notes that “the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.”  This miracle happens one year before our Passover Lamb is crucified.  Paul looks back at this truth in 1 Corinthians 5:7 “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”  John also follows his record of this miracle with Jesus’ discourse on eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man (John 6:35-66).

So for those with eyes of faith this miracle has echoes of past miracles (Moses and Elisha), a past event (the crucifixion where Jesus Christ our Passover was sacrifice), and a future banquet with Christ himself (the Marriage Supper of the Lamb).

So why did Jesus feed this crowd?  They don’t seem to be in danger of starving.  It seems most, if not all, could have endured until they made it back to their home-place that evening.  The miracle attests to the truth that God is again unmistakably at work among His people but not simply through a Moses or Elisha, but through His Son.  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

All this helps us realize the lesson God intends for us to learn from this miracle - it is a sign that foreshadowed Jesus’ passion:

• He is the bread that will be broken by the Father.
• He is the bread of life that will satisfy everyone who takes of Him.
• He is the Passover Lamb who’s blood will deliver us from death.

Mark 6:42-43 “And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.  44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.”  This miracle was designed to give a large platform that brought mass testimony to this land.  Thousands witnessed this miracle – more than any other miracle.  But notice what happens next.  Mark 6:45-48 “Immediately (one of Mark’s favorite words) he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.  47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  48a And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.”

They have not accurately processed the miracle that just happened among the multitudes.  They didn’t get it.  Now they are in a storm and whatever just happened safely on land quickly becomes the least of their concerns (or so they think).  48b And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,  49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,  50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.

IV.  A Disturbing Response:

Why were they astounded?  Mark 6:52 “for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

Had they understood about the loaves, about who Jesus was, then they would have responded differently.  If you look with eyes of faith you will see in this miracle a foretaste of Christ’s crucifixion, and beyond that to a banquet that is about to happen.  The table is set, the King is about to return, and soon we will realize a satisfaction in God that we have never understood before.

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”

Are you spiritually satisfied in Christ?

John 6:47-51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Grace and Peace,

SLH

While living in Nairobi an Indian man from our church invited us to an outdoor meal together with his friends and family. This former Hindu wanted to provide an opportunity for me to witness to his brothers about Jesus Christ.  As we gathered, they were already grilling the Tandoori chicken and preparing the rice pilau.  The smoke was billowing up from the grills and the combined smells of the chicken and spices were pungent and intense.

I was surprised at how comfortable these men were talking about various religious matters.  They had no problem “accepting” Jesus or even believing in Him (terms we throw around as if everyone defines the terms accurately). After a long visit and much dialogue, I finally asked a question that brought the conversation to a sudden stop.  Amidst all the general religiosity, I simply asked, “Who do Hindus say Jesus is?  Do they believe His own claims about Himself?  That He is God? That He is the only way to the Father (an exclusive claim as Savior)?  Is Jesus Who the Bible says He is?”  I added, “Because that really is the issue. Either Jesus is the Son of God and the only Savior of men or He is not, because that is what Jesus Himself taught.  He said of Himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  After a few seconds of awkward silence (seconds that seemed more like minutes), both men looked at each other and responded to me, “We don’t talk about that.” Well, we did talk about that through the meal and these men heard about a Christ they had never been introduced to before. I was able to explain how they can’t just add Jesus as “another” of their gods.  They must turn from the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to Jesus alone. Jesus Christ is Lord alone or He is not Lord at all.

The Gospel is stated in capsule form by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”  At the crucifixion the disciples feared death, feared the outcome of the one they had been following, and could not comprehend how the Prince of Life could be hung on a cross.  How could messiah be a curse, “for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). Before the wind had been knocked out of their faith they had been witnessing, watching miracles unfold before their eyes, casting out demons, and preaching the truth (they thought) to others.  Had they been following a false hope?  They saw their leader crucified.  These young mavericks of “the Way” were now troubled, perplexed, doubting, and filled with fear. They saw the life of their Master end.  Acts 3:15 describes this paradox as “killing the Author of Life.”

Life’s antithesis is death. Death is an enemy often associated with sadness, separation, loss, and finality.  Jesus came to give life.  John 1:4 “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”  In Christ we pass “from death to life“ (John 5:24). John 10:10 “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” John 14:6 “I Am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

It’s a pitiful sight – depressed and fearful followers. What reassembled this fearful group to be the mighty and fearless evangelists that would turn the world upside down by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout all of Jerusalem and to the entire known world?  Was it their intense love for people?  Their desire to be known as a great evangelistic team?  Was it their adherence to a hollow creed or resistance to cultural change?  Was it their compassion for sick and needy people?  Can any of these things truly fuel the fiery witness and furnish them with the boldness they possessed?  Their courage and preaching finds its source in the bodily Resurrection of Christ.  G. Campbell Morgan stated that, “As a matter of fact the most powerful incentive to witness was the seeing of Christ after resurrection, as when He arrested Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus.” The Scripture states in Romans 1:4-5 concerning Jesus Christ our Lord He is “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By Whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name.” The very existence of the Christian Church rests upon the fact that Christ rose from the dead.  The resurrection of Christ from the dead is why we preach and why missionaries are sent.  The command to evangelize the world stems from the radical truth that Jesus is risen.  The relationship between the resurrection and an evangelistic passion is striking.

The Gospel of Matthew chapter 28 records, (vv.5-6) “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said… (v.19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:5-6, 19).

The Gospel of Mark chapter 16 records, “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.  And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’” (Mark 16:14-15).

The Gospel of Luke chapter 24 records, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:45-48).

The Book of Acts chapter 1 records, (v.3) “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. … (v.8) and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:3, 8).

After Peter healed the lame man in Acts 3 he addresses the men of Israel and said, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15).

Peter on another occasion as the spokesman for the apostles said, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:29-32).

Paul’s boldness amidst persecution and the laying of foundations in his mission endeavors stemmed from Christ’s resurrection. Paul said, “That I may know Him (a deeper knowledge and intimacy with Christ – experiential knowledge) and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:10).

This is the thrust of the Gospel that we carry to all nations, that Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world has risen bodily in victory over death. We can say with the Apostle Paul, that in Christ there is no condemnation (sentence of execution), for “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34).

Let the fact of the resurrection mount us with all boldness as we set forth the word of life to a lost and dying world, because Jesus “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).  This is the exclusivity of the Christian message.  Only those in Jesus Christ will be saved.

The good news? “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”(Romans 10:13).

Our responsibility? “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear vwithout someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17).

Much of the world will respond as these men did, “We don’t talk about that.”  We must graciously persist that people do talk about the eternal state of their soul and Jesus Christ who came to save people from their sin.  It’s not about being more “religious.” Hindus have outdone us in festivity and faithfulness. The stunning garments of religion dress people up for hell. “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

It is a high honor to be ” a witness to His resurrection” (Acts 1:22).

SLH

Every Christian is faced with a very important decision.  Are you going to drink alcohol or are you not going to drink alcohol?  Both decisions are deliberate, neither decision is passive, and your default settings are not trustworthy.

I first posted this information on September 17, 2012. A few days later my daughter traveled from Colorado to visit her grandparents in Ohio. On September 24th (exactly one week after I issued biblical warnings about drunkenness) my daughter went to dinner with her grandparents, aunt and uncle, and her two cousins. While her aunt, uncle, nephew, and niece were traveling back to their home (less than 10 minutes from saying goodbye to my daughter) they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. My daughter returned to the scene of the accident with her grandparents and amidst the shattered glass and blood, put her arms around her two cousins to comfort them.  She was there when her aunt was pulled from the car.  She looked back and made eye contact at which time her aunt moaned when she saw her two children.  The following morning (September 25) Emilee’s aunt, a young mother of two children, died (this happened just a little over five months ago).

Let’s be clear as we carefully address the issue of alcohol as a beverage. We can not just approach this issue emotionally or reactionary.  For example, we can not say that because someone dies by a driver who was texting that all texting on a phone is wrong.  Neither would we conclude that just because someone falls asleep while driving – jumps lanes, and commits vehicular homicide – that all sleeping is wrong.  But are we simply talking about texting? and sleep? things that are quite neutral in themselves when done in the right environment.  Or, are we talking about something that has proven to have controlling power and destructive results regardless of the context?  Is there something inherent in alcohol that is “dominating” and “dangerous”?  Do we find Scripture address alcohol with any of these concerns?

Before you take a sip, consider a personal testimony, a Scriptural testimony, and society’s testimony.

I.  Personal Testimony

I started drinking beer when I was fifteen.  My Christian parents did not drink. I was not peer-pressured to drink. I just wanted to. I was no stranger to Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, wine coolers, cold cases of Budweiser, warm cases of Schaefer, and a destructive assortment of other alcoholic beverages.  I was a social drinker and a binge drinker.  I enjoyed a good buzz and I enjoy being plastered.

• I know the thrill of sitting around a table with friends playing drinking games.
• I know the adrenalin of breaking into the liqueur cabinet of my friend’s parents for a free bottle.
• I know the regret of sliding down a telephone pole and not feeling the one inch splinters piercing my hands (that is until the next morning when I was sober and could feel the pain). Proverbs 23:29, 35 “Who has wounds without cause?”… “‘They struck me,’ you will say, ‘but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it.’”
• I know the gut-wrenching pain of being hammered by an overdose of vodka and gin. Proverbs 23:32 “In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.”
• I know what it is to have a high-school classmate crouched down and vomit behind a car at a party b/c he drank too much, and when the police arrived everyone panicked and fled, and this young man was run over by another classmate who put his car in reverse to escape the police. Star soccer player turned paraplegic at a high-school party.  Proverbs 23:29-30 “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? - Those who tarry long over wine.”
• I know the reality distortion that alcohol introduces.  Dangerous things seem safe, vulgar words seem proper, tough guys don’t look so tough, and strange women don’t seem so strange.  Proverbs 23:33 “Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.”
• I have vowed many times while hanging my head over a toilet that I would never touch another drink (and I meant it), but the next party would always prove too tempting.  Proverbs 23:35 “When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”  It was the sickening hangovers that initially created my interest to experiment with other drugs. If I could get the same or better ‘high’ with less sickness and hangover then I was in.  The vortex of addiction was getting stronger.

I thank the Lord for His mercy and His free gift of grace – the forgiveness of sin in Christ.  I praise God for deliverance and the transforming power of the Gospel through His Son by His Spirit.  I was born again at age 21 (six weeks after I could legally drink and get into nightclubs – a day I had longed for), but everything radically changed.  I was born again.  Scripture teaches that life in Christ is a different quality of life from those who do not know Christ.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
• Romans 13:13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in…drunkenness.
• Galatians 5:19, 21 The works of the flesh are evident…, [Paul makes a list, of works that are clearly out of bounds - and on that list is “drunkenness.” He then says, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
• 1 Peter 4:3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

My wife’s experience was different than mine.  Though she had never taken a sip she experienced, up close and personal, the danger and damage alcoholic excess could bring into a family.  Alcohol with its effects of drunkenness and destruction has left both my wife and I with a realistic view of it’s highly addictive and deceptive nature.

I’ve tasted it, enjoyed it, loved it, hated it, abused it, have been left near dead because of it, almost killed several of my friends while driving under it’s influence, and thankfully have been delivered from its enslavement.

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

But Christians are not arguing whether drunkenness is right or wrong.  Scripture clearly answers that question in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.”  What Christians are asking is if they can have a beer or two or five, or if they can have a glass of wine with dinner, or a shot of Wild Turkey bourbon before bed.

There are basically two Christian perspectives on the use of alcohol as a beverage with varying degrees for each position: (1) “the Bible commends the use of alcohol, it is a gift from God, so drink in moderation," or (2) “the Bible clearly forbids all use of alcohol so God commands His children to abstain."

II.  Scriptural Testimony

Proverbs 23:29-35 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. 31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. 34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”

Finding out where a believer ought to stand in reference to alcohol and the Bible is not as simple as choosing a single proof text and building an entire lifestyle around it (this is not only sloppy - it’s dangerous).  An exhaustive study will not be attempted here, but in order to navigate this issue carefully and accurately we must explore at least three questions as we study the Sripture:

1. After weighing the restrictions and the allowances (and both exist) what is the predominant emphasis of Scripture?
2. Is the alcoholic beverage being argued for today the same wine that was allowed in the Old and New Testament? Or, are today’s beverages (with advanced technology, distillation, and staggering amount) the “strong drink” that is restricted?
3. If after a careful handling of the first two questions your Scripturally informed conscience views an alcoholic beverage as a God-given gift in the spirit of Psalm 104:15, and after study you are not convinced that most alcoholic beverages being sold today are the "strong drink," do these conclusions alone settle the issue?  There is a third question that must be asked - what should believers do with the freedom(s) they believe  they have a right to exercise?

III.  Society's Testimony

There a few questions the believer must answer as we allow society's testimony to weigh in.

I’ve never seen a beer commercial featuring battered children hiding in closets, helpless women, hopeless men, abandoned sons, neglected daughters, broken lives, fractured families, absentee fathers, depressed mothers, or teenage amputees.  It’s all about beautiful people, fashion, success, and one big party!  Somehow that 12 ounce can of beer is presented as the secret to popularity and fulfillment.  That dark bottle of Guinness is marketed as instant intellectualism.  That cold smooth Corona is marketed as an instant party on the beach. "Stay thirsty my friends" is a slogan for adventure!  The commercials haven’t changed much since I was a boy, and I’m assuming from the staggering statistics of alcoholism and alcohol influenced crime that it still sells.

The US Department of Justice says,

• that a majority of criminal offenders were under the influence of alcohol alone when they committed their crimes (not drugs but alcohol).
• that for the 40% of convicted murderers being held in either jail or State prison, alcohol use was a factor in the homicide.
• alcohol is a factor in 40% of all violent crimes today.

The National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence says that 5.3 million adults − 36% were drinking at the time of their conviction offense.

Teen alcoholism statistics: 26.4% of underage persons (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%.

Insurance companies are aware of the risk.  Many alcoholics (and former alcoholics) are either denied or pay extraordinary premiums.  So, we’re not talking about whether you like the red Lexus or the black BMW, or even whether you like to drink caffeine products or not.  We are actually talking about something that has negatively affected society globally.  We are talking about a controlling substance where more than 1 out of every 10 people who try alcohol become addicted.

The larger issue is what people do with the freedom they perceive is theirs?  With any perceived freedom it helps to ask four questions:

1. Are your choices motivated by the glory of God (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31)?  Remember, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

2. Are your choices helpful for you and others (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23)?

• People argue that it’s lawful.  But this does not settle the matter, because Scripture ‘qualifies’ lawful things – ‘things we have a 'right' to do.’  1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.”
• World Health Organization reports that the harmful use of alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths each year.
• 320,000 young people between the age of 15 and 29 die from alcohol-related causes, resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group.  We just had a funeral at Highlands Baptist Church for a young girl who died from alcohol disease.
• There exists a high probability that alcohol will not help you, your spouse, or your children.

3. Do your choices have a high risk of dominating you or others in a negative way (1 Corinthians 6:12)?

• Information from the World Health Organization shows that there are an estimated 140 million alcoholics around the world!  Alcoholism cares not for national borders, ethnicity, language, or social standing.
• 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.”
• More than 1 out of 10 who take their first sip become addicted.

4. Do your choices build up or tear down others (1 Corinthians 10:23)?

• 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful, but not all things build up.”
• Alcohol is proven to be associated with many serious social and developmental issues, including violence, child neglect and child abuse.
• Alcohol is notorious for tearing down lives and families.

Where does alcohol land in light of being:

• glorifying,
• helpful,
• dominating, and
• building up or tearing down?

Conclusion

As God's children desiring His glory, helping and serving others, not being dominated, and building up, we can not ignore the facts.

1. Alcohol is rarely, if ever, helpful in building people up.  This is a FACT.
2. Alcohol has approx. 140 million addicts world-wide.  This is a FACT.
3. There is an extremely high probability of alcohol dominating you and others whom you influence. This too is a FACT.
4. Alcohol has a long history and a venomous reputation for tearing lives down and ripping families apart.  This is a FACT.
5. Approx. 15% (that’s more than 1 in 10 people who drink) become addicted.  This is a FACT.
6. Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”  This is a FACT.
7. Proverbs 23:32 “In the end [wine] bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.  This is a FACT.
8. Alcohol is enslaving and destroying many this very minute.  Many are in rehab, many have shattered their family, many have died prematurely, many are in prison – this is a FACT.
9. You most likely will regret taking your first sip, but you’ll never need to regret abstinence.  This is a FACT.

So before you take a sip (or before you take another sip) consider this threefold testimony.

Grace and peace.

Child 1: My dad is better than your dad.

Child 2: No he isn’t!

Child 1: Yes he is!

Child 2: Oh yeah? My dad is better than your dad times 100!

Child 1: Times 1000!

Child 2: Times 10,000!

Child 1: Googolplex!

Child 2: Infinity!

If you are grieved and disillusioned you are not alone. When childish behavior surfaces in ministry a theological deviation has occurred. In the First Letter to the Corinthians God is evaluating a local church located at Corinth, a church not entirely unlike churches in America. Paul takes his scalpel and begins to cut out the cancer in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 1 and 3 with his indictment that they are still acting like unbelieving people. The mature Christian is “characterized by the Spirit” not “characterized by the flesh,” but the Corinthian church didn’t get this yet!  Sadly, we don’t seem to be doing much better.

Paul reveals in detail the specific problem in v.3 “there is jealousy and strife among you.” In being divisive these Christians are behaving “only in a human way” (v.3) and “merely human” (v.4). What revealed this immaturity? Sloganeering. Celebrity status. A party spirit. “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” (v.4).

The works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 (ethically and morally) are evident.  This list is a good indicator of what Paul meant by “worldly” behavior (this is not a list of questionable preferences or styles, but something that is evident). In this list of fifteen works six of them have to do with divisions. In contrast, however, a person “characterized by the Spirit” is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.

• kindness is not weakness (neither is assertiveness real strength – it may just be intimidation & manipulation by an insecure person)
• joyfulness is not ungodliness or irreverence
• gentleness is not femininity – a rugged outdoorsman can be gentle
• self-controlled is not passive-aggressiveness (sadly, the latter being a trait not uncommon among pastors and missionaries)

In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Paul says that he and Apollos are servants of God (v.5). This is God’s refreshing evaluation of those who serve Him – only “servants”, not “celebrities.” Paul goes on to make a startling statement – “the planter and the waterer are nothing” (v.7). Servant leadership stands in vivid contrast to ministers who not only believe their own headlines but write them. The eternal Son of God was born in poverty, escaped to Egypt because of a murderous human king (whom He created and to whom He gave power to rule), who’s parents faced ridicule, who was scorned by the religious elites, who was despised by hyper-traditionalists, who was accused of being a friend of sinners (as if that is something evil), and who was beaten, scourged, mocked, shamed, and crucified. This is our Master.

Paul challenges the misperception of ministers by emphasizing that the real work is accomplished by God. Notice the theocentric emphasis of 1 Corinthians 5-9:

v.5 “the Lord assigned to each (the ministers)

v.6 “God gave the growth”

v.7 “God who gives the growth”

v.9 “we are God’s fellow workers”

v.9 “God’s field”

v.9 “God’s husbandry”

v.10 “according to the grace of God”

There is nothing amazing about the worker. It’s the Master the worker serves who is amazing! What’s staggering is that God would actually choose to use any of us. We are mere instruments through whom God accomplishes His work. We must grow up and mature out of our childish favoritism and realize our work will be tested and rewarded (v.8). We are in this together because there is an essential unity between planter and waterer (v.8). So rather than being rivals we should humbly admit our dependence on each other (v.8). God designed us, His church, to be interdependent not independent. It’s time to take off the Lone Ranger mask and humble yourself.

Paul and Apollos have one purpose. This is true unity and ought to be the beauty of every Christian ministry (not independence and personality-centered but interdependent and Christ-centered). Sadly, this is often not the case. Instead we are splintered, have become rivals, and fail to plant and water as we should because we have claimed small corners of the field “as ours!” We advertise our corner of Planting Ministry against another’s corner of Watering Ministry. We throw rocks because our ministry hasn’t captured the attention of spectators. We quietly attribute the success of other’s ministry to “Satan.” Does that sound familiar? Have you not read in the Scriptures where blind and proud religious elites made a similar accusation? We cut down other’s work then take credit for the growth in our work. We even have people stand to applaud them for “their” work if they are on “our side” of the field. We eclipse other workers in our scramble for attention, and worse, we eclipse God.

Grow up!

1 Peter 2:1-2  “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

A newborn baby is wonderful – even amazing.  The tiny fingers, the alert eyes, the fragile frame. But a thirty-year-old with the mindset of a toddler is a heartache! An infant who acts like an infant does not concern us – its normal. An adult who acts like a baby – making little messes everywhere and getting into things that he shouldn’t – this is disconcerting. The tragedy is when the church has 23, 31, even 54 year-olds that are acting like one-year-olds spiritually. Paul confronts this and says in essence “grow up.”

Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4, “for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ hare you not being merely human?”

Sloganeering is not healthy. A party spirit does not create unity. Celebrity status in ministry only creates division. It’s not about us – it’s about God.

Is it truly Jesus we intend to follow or our own agenda? Is it His church we intend to help build or will we waste energy crafting our own legacy and fortifying our own personal empire? Will we accept shame as quickly as we’ve accepted honor? Will we embrace nothingness as quickly as we’ve embraced honorific titles? Will we accept persecution as joyfully as we’ve accepted comfort? Will we thank God for a prison cell as much as we thank Him for a pulpit? Will we welcome leanness as quickly as we’ve welcomed high quality restaurants and Starbucks? Will we welcome ignominy as quickly as we’ve taken a public platform?

The marks of meekness, gentleness, and selfless service will reveal the genuineness of our confession. It will become evident whether we clothe ourselves in the garments of humility or in the obnoxious fashion of arrogance.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16). May the tribe of those who radically serve Jesus and Him alone increase in 2013 and may we march to the beat of His drum – the Word of truth (John 17:17).

Let us Scripturally adjust our conception of ministry and serve God in humility and brokenness. Let us endeavor to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us work together to engage our communities for the glory of God. Let us take part in spreading the fame of Jesus Christ to unreached peoples as the body of Christ. This can only be done as we “grow up” and “mature” and “put away fleshly behaviors” and work together in unity.

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

SLH

Eight weeks after we arrived in Kenya for our first term as missionaries we traveled to Naro Maro. Our friends who lived in that area told us about a farming family nearby in Nanyuki who had just buried their 21 year old son. This college boy had been home from London for the Christmas holidays and was out duck hunting with his father. After shooting a duck that landed near the river’s edge he moved carefully forward to fetch his prey. Little did he know that even with shotgun in hand he had less than two seconds of life on earth remaining. As this young man reached down to claim his prize four tons of screaming murder broke the surface of the murky water with its mouth wide open. In one seamless thrust this large monster used its ivory shears to sever the boy’s head from his body. Though the hippopotamus is a herbivore it is extremely temperamental and territorial. On that beautiful African morning hunter became hunted, and a boy was launched into eternity in a flash of dark motion.

Scripture warns us about the uncertainty and brevity of life. Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

I wonder what was going through the boy’s mind that morning? Christmas, holiday, duck for dinner, friends, marriage, no pressure from college studies, a prosperous future? I would guess many of the same things that are going through our minds at the close of another year. If your life, like that young man’s, ended abruptly where would your next safari take you? Would tomorrow be your first day in heaven or your first day in hell? There is no matter more serious than eternal life. What keeps you from repenting of your sin and believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Mark 1:15)? Is there something you want so bad in this life that you are willing to die and go to hell for all eternity to enjoy it for a few earthly moments? Now is the best time to square with the reality of your relationship with Christ who is eternal life. John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Read the Gospel according to John. The purpose of this letter is clearly stated, “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14).

Bible-believing Christians not only affirm the terrifying reality of sin and human evil, but also that Satan is a real personality who hates God and His creation.  Peter compares Satan to a lion about to ambush its prey.  The murderous rampage at Sidney Hook elementary school gave us an accurate glimpse of who Satan really is, but also why Jesus came to save.  We forget this.  We are horrified when we get an accurate glimpse of Satan’s activity and sin’s effects (and we should be).  Only a fool walks through the Serengeti unaware of a potential ambush.  Even the frailest of Africa’s plain’s animals are keen enough to know when the devourer is near.

When sin rears its hideous head above the surface of our manicured affluent American culture we are shocked.

We blame anything that might quickly remove responsibility from our shoulders so we can get back to our “safe” and “normal” life of ease.  Jesus followers do not have the luxury of smoke-screening the real issue.  Blatant moral evil affirms the truth about the depravity of human beings and the danger of unbridled sin.

Jesus believed in the reality and brutality of Satan.  Jesus neither minimized nor sensationalized Satan.  Our Lord simply stated a truth.  Satan is a murderer.  Jesus said this Himself in John 8:44, [the Devil} “was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The devil’s time is limited, his prowling days are numbered, and justice will be fully realized.  ”Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25).  Wickedness will not endure forever, evil will not be overlooked, and violence will not be no more.  Why?  Because the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.  Just a little while longer and the King of kings will cast Satan into the lake of fire.  This is the purpose of Christmas.  1 John 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”  Christ came not for tinsel, trees, or candy canes.  Jesus came to eradicate sin and conquer death.

Christmas is not absent of shocking and unspeakable horror.  The devil’s murderous nature is seen shortly after Christ’s birth in Herod’s sadistic plot to satanically devour little children.  The Lamb of God’s arrival had the devouring lion’s full murderous attention.  This sad account is recorded in Matthew 2:16-18. “Then Herod… became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under… Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they care no more.’”

The Christmas narrative was not the first time Satan had incited a man to murder innocent children, and sadly, it wasn’t the last.

Note the context of 1 Peter 5:8-11 which calls believers to action. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The Lamb of God Has Conquered the Devouring Lion

Amidst our grief an insecurity we can hope in God because His Son, Jesus Christ, will completely abolish the tyranny of Satan and his chaotic evil.  Jesus will return to cast Satan and his demons into the lake of fire and eradicate evil forever.  The last chapter of this story is not open for discussion.  Read Revelation19:17-20:15.  The Prince of Peace will destroy the Prince of Demons.  The Lamb has defeated the devouring lion.  There will be a day when Satan the Destroyer, who incites people to kill, will be banished from ever influencing fallen men again.  What happened Friday was Satanic, but wickedness will not endure forever because the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

Revelation 17:14 “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

There is hope amidst tragedy because there is hope in God.

• Our hope is not that we are safe in this world.
• Our hope is not that this won’t happen again.
• Our hope is not that a tragedy won’t happen on our very own doorstep.
• Our hope is not that justice will be served in full today.

Our hope is that God, the judge of all the earth, will do right!  Our hope is that the Devouring Lion’s prowling days are numbered.  Our hope is that the Lamb of God has conquered the devouring lion and He will triumph over His enemies.

SLH