Waiting For The Lamb…

March came in this year like a LION… and then STAYED…like a lion…and would not leave. I don’t mind winter here in Minnesota, but Punxsutawney Phil promised that spring would arrive early. And yet, winter stayed like a lion.

Each Sunday and Monday we were greeted with more snow and more snow. Now, I don’t mind shoveling except for the fact that I separated my right shoulder in a hockey game in January and it made shoveling painful and prolonged healing in my shoulder and ended my hockey for the past two months. And, without playing hockey, it has been hard to see any reason for living in the cold climate.

 

We had so much snow that it eventually got to the point where there was nowhere to throw the snow. The last storm brought so much snow that even my snow blower couldn’t launch the snow over the banks that lined our sidewalks, driveway, and alley. Twice I climbed up a forty foot ladder to remove three to four feet of snow off the roofs of my house.

The calendar exclaimed that spring had arrived, and yet snow and more snow was our reality. Hey, where is the lamb; I thought that was supposed to come? Why was he delayed?

And then, even though it was still very cold outside, the sun’s rays started to break through and caused the snow to start melting. Day after day the sun broke through and caused the scenery to change. Spring did come! The lamb had finally made his appearance!

As I looked out on my yard today and saw the grass and plantings appearing, I thought of what the disciples of Jesus must have been going through right after His death and burial. All hell appeared to have broken out as the One they had put their hope in had been put to death. And death, like the cold of winter, stayed… and wouldn’t leave.

Perhaps they thought; "Hey, where is the lamb; I thought that was supposed to come? Why was He delayed?"

“And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24:20-21)

Many today wonder, as evil seems to be running rampant over this earth; "When will the Lamb come? Hey, where is the lamb; I thought that He was supposed to come? Why was He delayed?"

My friend; He hasn’t delayed for no reason; He is preparing a place for us to be with Him! And, by the way, no matter how bad it looks to you, He is still in control of everything in this world.

 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

He is coming back as He said He would.

“Now when He (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Let this time of year when the church celebrates the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus become a time of hope for you. Although it seems that the “cold dead winter” has come to stay, “spring” will arrive soon. Don’t be discouraged by the bleakness in your life, He is coming!

Keep waiting for the Lamb, He will come!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

 

 

I Quit!

No more! No way and no how am I going to keep trying to keep the law! I can’t; never could! That is why Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. In this He established a new covenant; a new way in which we are saved by GRACE (see Hebrews 8:7-13)

So I quit. I stop. I rest in Him and Him alone because instead of getting mad at us, He made a way for us to be in right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

 “… immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work he does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:4-10 MSG)

“The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for.

And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.” (Philippians 3:7-12 MSG)

So, I quit! I’m no longer trying on my own for perfection coming from the law. I only want that which comes through my faith in Jesus. For Him I take the loss of everything and I look on everything as naught because I believe that nothing can outweigh the advantage of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. All I want is to know Jesus Christ and the power of His rising.  All I want is to know my Lord and in Him to abide.       

All Scripture is taken From The Message Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

 

 

“Tattooed by God”

Trends come and go in cycles and if you hang around long enough, you will see the trend repeat itself more than once in your life time. The funny thing to me with trends is how the generation that “starts” them does so thinking that they are new and never had been done before!

 

One of the trends that has me baffled is the trend of tattoos; the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible ink. For some reason in this age of “doing my own thing” and “being a unique individual”,  everyone seems to have to get a tattoo; and many of them look the same. Tattoos aren’t new; they’ve been around a long time…

Should a Christian get a tattoo or body piercing? Well, the Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28).

The New Testament does not say anything about whether or not a Christian should or shouldn’t get a tattoo. But, the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. And it is something that each of us should ponder, rather than assume that it is OK with God to do so.

The Bible says; “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (Romans 14:13-14).

We were bought at a price and therefore we should glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20). Simply put; we belong to God and I believe that we should make sure we have His clear “permission” before we mark our bodies with tattoos or piercings. He is our Savior and our Lord.

Did you know that we are already “tattooed” by God? The Bible says that “…His Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1b) “… And I will write on him My new name” (Revelation 3:12b)

Did you know that God has already “tattooed” your name on the palm of His hand? The Bible says; “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…” (Isaiah 49:16a)

Did you catch that? We may forget about God, but God doesn’t forget us! He has His children “tattooed” on His hands perhaps to remind Himself of how much He loves you! He is yours, and you are His; He will never forget about you!

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

ANASTASIS

ἀνάστασις

an-as'-tas-is

From Strong's Concordance: "a standing up again, that is, (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, general or by implication (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth): - raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again."

The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.  ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹ Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope

¹² Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

²⁰ But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸ Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Effects of Denying the Resurrection

²⁹ Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? ³⁰ And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? ³¹ I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ³² If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ³³ Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” ³⁴ Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

A Glorious Body

³⁵ But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear^[f] the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

            ⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?
            O Hades, where is your victory?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians Chapter 15)

 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

 

What are You Buying For Your Lamp?

As I have said in the past, one of the things that I like to do when I’m not playing hockey is to walk around hockey rinks to look for pucks to take home to my growing collection. Recently, while taking one of these walks, I wasn’t really enjoying the walk, not because I hadn’t found many pucks, but because it didn’t bring any real joy. I decided that I would drive to another hockey rink to look for pucks hoping to change my mood. 

While in route, a thought occurred to me; “Did I want Brasso or Oil for my lamp?” The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins came to my mind. It is a story from the Bible that tells of ten virgins who were all waiting for the Bridegroom to come:

 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  (Matthew 25:1-12)

I continued on my way to the next hockey rink when once again the thought came to my mind; “Did I want Brasso or Oil for my lamp?” NOTE: Brasso is the brand name of a multipurpose product created to clean, remove tarnish and leave a brilliant shine on certain types of metal.

I replied, “I want fresh oil!”

“Then turn the car around and head home”.

I knew what that meant. If I want fresh oil for my lamp, I needed to respond and set aside time to spend with God; in communication, in worship, in reading the Bible, and in prayer. I needed to spend time with God.

The question before me had to do with how I would spend my day. Would I spend it “applying Brasso” to make who I was and my ministries look fresh and bright? Or would I be more concerned with what was on the inside which comes only from a relationship with Him.

I thought of Jesus’ words to the religious leaders two thousand or so years ago;

“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:26-28)

So, I headed home and spent the next several hours with God; in communication, in worship, in reading the Bible, and in prayer. and He filled my lamp with fresh oil ready to shine for His purposes.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Motorcycles, Coffee, and the Eye of the Farmer

By Larry Houghton 

The day had started out like most Fall mornings, with frost heavy on the last of the green grass. Lawn chairs now look out of place sitting lonely in the back yard. The vine winding its way through the fence is covered In a silvery coat of what is to come.

I sometimes find it difficult to ignore the whispers of winter yet refuse to accept it as my future. Then one day I awake to find a cold suffocating blanket of white death has conquered the last warriors of warmth and buried them where they will remain until winter moves on. 

Now, I am fully aware that this blanket of depression to me is someone else’s prize of winter bliss. But I must be honest with myself and those reading this and proclaim that I am a southern boy and don’t mind telling you that winter is a struggle for me. So, this particular morning I am thrilled that the forecast tells me that the sun will hold off winter for yet another day and allow me to roll the bike out of the garage and ride.

A few hours pass while a handful of bikers sit in the clubhouse and sip coffee and share stories and struggles while the suns warmth raises the temps to an expectable riding level. Then it’s down the road we go, headed to a small cafe that makes a very good bowl of soup. I find myself looking forward to the warmth of the café as the east wind creeps its way through my jacket and gloves. The leather vest is little protection from the biting sting of cold as it fights to get to the skin hiding under the layers of leather and cloth. Somehow I still find the ride fun and exhilarating. I always feel so alive and free when I am riding the last few rides of the season. As if I have stolen back the day from the would be thief. 

Most of the fields have been harvested leaving the rolling hills lying naked and open. Broken stalks and empty cornhusks litter the ground where just a few weeks ago perfectly planted rows of crop stood tall. The ground seems to be waiting for the cold northern air to bring the blanket that will cover it for the next 4-5 months.

As our motorcycles thunder down the road I consider the sowing and reaping ritual of the farmer who prepared the soil and then carefully placed the seed in the ground. Did he consider the orchestrated effort of the soil and seed fighting the elements to yield a crop? Do I consider the orchestration of sowing and reaping that plays out in my life?

I ponder how I spend little time sowing the love of Jesus and then wonder why the harvest is so spars. What seed am I sowing. Am I sowing a crop worth harvesting or am I actually planting those weeds of doubt and thistles of pain in peoples life?

I think we all go through life planting seed of some kind. I'm afraid however; I too often plant seeds of doubt or fear and then drown them with torrential storms of worry and complaints.

I question whether I keep my eyes open for good soil that God has prepared where I could plant a seed of hope. 

Jesus said we often harvest a crop that we did not labor to sow; what a blessing to share in the harvest. To know that we might play a part in someone finding the love of God in the day is such a blessing. 

So in the future, as I travel life’s road as it twists through the fields of coworkers and neighbors. I pray that God open my eyes to see the fields white with harvest; to know when the time is right to plant and when to reap; to water with words of encouragement and hope.

The sun seems warm on my back now as we roll to a stop in the small cafe parking lot. Just inside the door I can see folks sipping coffee and enjoying a hot bowl of soup. I silently ask God for wisdom and the eye of the farmer. 

Always ride the narrow road and stop in and see us again.
- Larry




© 2011 Larry Houghton     ALL RIGHTS RESERVED USED WITH PERMISSION                               

 

                       

Are You Ready?

By Pastor Chik Chikeles, Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Saint Paul

Used by permission. All rights reserved

Hey gang, are you ready?
- Does your relationship with God make you sure that you will go to heaven when you die?
- Does everyone you know have a relationship with God that makes them sure they will go to heaven when they die?

- Do you care?

In light of recent world events that the Bible has foretold, will you take stock of your life and consider what really matters?

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 4-8
"4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Gospel of John Chapter 3 verses 16-18
"16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

You get one opportunity in this life to make the choice to secure your eternity. If everything I have ever shared with you is not true or comes to pass, then how would it hurt you? How would your life be worse off? But if everything I have shared with you is true and you do not believe in what the Bible proves is true, then you have gambled and will lose everything. 

If there is no everlasting life, then when I come to the end of my life, then I have led a good life and that's that and everyone is better off by me living a good life.

But if it’s true that Salvation is only found in a relationship with God through what Jesus has done for us on the cross, and you choose to not accept that free gift, then you have lost everything. Yes, it’s what I believe, but I do not force that on anyone. Whatever you choose to believe and base your life on, know that I care about you and do not judge or diminish your beliefs. I ask for the same.

The Bible tells us: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." ( 1John 4:18)

Trust the Love of God during these difficult times. 

Please know that I care enough to tell you these things.
If there is anything you care deeply enough about, please feel free to share that with me as well. I live my life everyday as if I will be in the presence of the Lord. I also make plans like I will never die. Either way, where ever I wake up, I have something to do. http://www.ccsaintpaul.org/

What are YOU living for?

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."