The good news of Christ
My Lord and my God,
The kingdoms of this world cause turmoil.
Man destroys everything he touches.
Corruption produces more corruption.
The poor suffer, the commoners die.
Our hope wavers not.
Our faith still shines brightly.
The power of Christ works mightily.
Save us, Lord, we plead.
We thank you for our peace of heart.
We praise you, Lord Almighty.
Your love is undiminished.
Come for your people, Lord Jesus!
We pray in the Lord. Amen!
The answer to the question: because it works! The world is large and scary, and although we see ourselves as Christians as great warriors for the faith standing our ground, it is doing a great job of containing the gospel and our works of service to the walls of our church buildings. In the 21st century we fear the world more than we fear God (Psalm 2:1-12).
I. John 11:47-50. “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” the psalmist asks. After all, don’t they know that it’s useless to fight against the God that created the universe and sustains us? It didn’t stop those in power from scheming to put Jesus to death and thus falling into God’s plan to bring about redemption for mankind. God’s wrath for them is expected (Romans 1:18-23). In the 1st century, Christians did not shrink back from the world’s attacks but were emboldened because they feared God (Acts 4:24-26).
II. Hebrews 1:2-8. It’s vain because God has set His Son on His holy hill in Zion, who will destroy His enemies with a rod of iron (Hebrews 10:26-31). The best that the world could muster to oppose the gospel in the 1st century fell woefully short (Acts 4:27-28) because God had planned beforehand how to bring about such a salvation (Acts 2:23-24). Since none can oppose His will, we should fear God and not the world.
III. Matthew 10:26-28. It is with fear and trembling that mankind should approach God. The world can only kill the body, not put body and soul in hell. Therefore, it is God we should fear. We should work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) and take refuge in God, not the false friendship of the world. When the world sought to intimidate early Christians, they prayed for boldness and it was given to them (Acts 4:29-31). We too must be of those who do not shrink back and are destroyed but of those who through faith preserve their souls (Hebrews 10:35-39).
Is the church (and not God) a refuge for you to escape the world or a gathering of warriors regrouping to battle the world?
The fire on a lit match casts no shadow. If Christians are light, then why do we often rely exclusively on worldly means–signs, advertising, an attractive facility–to compete with the darkness to get noticed? Jesus and the 1st century disciples didn’t have billboards or business cards. And, while some of this is useful (Luke 16:8) for us, the greatest periods of growth in the Lord’s church came about by preaching truth and doing good (Galatians 6:7-10).
I. Acts 10:36-38. Jesus reaped what He sowed. While on this earth, He viewed every interaction as an opportunity to advance the gospel, so much so that He was known for going around and doing good. Even when He spoke, He wasted no effort to show the world that God was among them (John 7:40-46). So, our every word and deed ought to show the world Jesus (Colossians 3:17) to increase His kingdom.
II. Matthew 25:37-40. Preaching truth and doing good is light in a world of darkness, and so different than any of the worldly efforts we could employ to get noticed. And, because it is hard, we may grow weary. Jesus promises to be with us (Matthew 28:18-20), so we are never alone. If we persevere as a church and in our personal ministries to shine our light on a stand for all to see, we will be rewarded.
III. Ephesians 4:15-16. So, we must view every interaction we have out in the world and with each other as an opportunity to show Jesus by preaching truth and doing good. Rather than seeing the church as a refuge–God is instead (2 Samuel 22:2-3)–to escape the world, we must see it as a base to regroup (Acts 13:1-3) so we can serve. Only by shining light can we compete with the darkness to overcome it and grow.
We must pray that God will give us opportunities to preach truth and do good and that we will see them. Then we can serve as a church and develop personal ministries in every interaction and situation.
Holy Father in Heaven,
Your name is blessed among the nations.
Your salvation is reaching more and more people.
The angels of Satan weep and gnash their teeth.
Secure us in the safety of your fold.
Help us face the battle squarely.
Stiffen our spines by your Spirit of grace.
Keep all temptations at bay.
Give us growth from strength to strength.
In us be glorified forever.
In Christ we pray and offer thanks. Amen.
It’s common knowledge that it’s a bad idea to bother bear cubs. So fierce is the expected retribution that determined and fierce ‘soccer moms’ who seek advantages for their human kids are often called ‘mama grizzlies.’ Normally referring to Himself as male in scripture, God does refer to His love for us and how He feels when we sin in more feminine terms–as a bear robbed of her cubs.
I. Hosea 13:4-8. With His people falling into spiritual adultery, God has Hosea, in the 8th century BC, take a prostitute for a wife to illustrate how His people’s unfaithfulness hurts Him (Hosea 1:2-3). Then, in a series of comparisons, God shows His justice as a lion devouring them, His patience as a leopard lurking, and His love and hurt as a bear robbed of her cubs.
II. 2 Samuel 7:12-16. It is the unfaithful and who drag others away by their unfaithfulness who have robbed God of His cubs–us who strive to be His treasured possession. And like a true mama grizzly, He is angered and hurt by how we turn away from His commands. That’s how He loves us! David desired to build a temple for God, but God said it would be a son who would do this.
III. Romans 8:31-39. Fulfilled at first in Solomon, we see that this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus whom He disciplined by the cross. God’s love was so fierce for His Son … and for us that He had Jesus bear our sins in the punishment that should have been ours. This love for His people today is so strong and fierce that nothing can separate us from it in Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, we must imagine that our sin has the same effect on God as it did so long ago, that when we are dragged away by it, He is a bear robbed of her cubs. How fitting that the closest thing on this earth to explaining how He feels towards us is a mother’s love. Happy Mother’s Day!
One hymn we sing brings prayer into a never-ceasing part of our daily lives by asking us four questions:
Ere you left your room this morning, Did you think to pray?
When you met with great temptation, Did you think to pray?
When your heart was filled with anger, Did you think to pray?
When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray?
I. Acts 1:1-26. Told to wait in their time of transition, God’s people prayed. For about ten days, Jesus’ followers waited for the Holy Spirit to come upon them, and in that time they decided to find a replacement for Judas. Rather than just picking someone whom everyone liked and might give their group a morale boost after Jesus had ascended, they prayed about it first, and prayer characterized Christians’ lives throughout Acts. So, we who are waiting for our coming transition to eternity when Jesus returns (Hebrews 9:27-28) ought to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
II. John 14:12-14. When God’s people don’t inquire of Him, bad things happen (Joshua 9:14-15). On the other hand, we have record of great encouragement and growth when they do (Acts 4:31). Jesus invites us to submit to Him in prayer, promising that He’ll do what is within God’s will and not our own (James 4:3-4), so that glory will go to the Father. It pleases God when we pray without ceasing for ourselves and others to be filled with the knowledge of His will and are saved (Colossians 1:9-10). But, we have to believe that God will work powerfully through our prayers for His purpose.
III. 1 Timothy 2:1-4. We have to believe that powerful things will happen when His people pray. When the Israelites sinned with the golden calf, Moses prayed, recognizing that their only distinction from other peoples in the world, was God’s presence working powerfully in them and through them (Exodus 33:15-17) and God did all that Moses had asked. We in the New Testament time are told to intercede on behalf of others in all situations and circumstances because God desires all people to be saved. So, are you praying that the saved may be strengthened and the lost led to Christ?
Jesus’ church today is a continuation of what we can read about twenty centuries ago. Since prayer was so much a powerful part of their daily lives, shouldn’t we pray without ceasing as well?