The day you believed in Jesus was the day that the real battle began. For just as surely as there is a God who loves you, there is also a devil who hates you.
It has been said, "Conversion has made our hearts a battlefield."
So we have a choice in this spiritual battle. We will either win or lose—gain ground or lose ground.
You can't be a "spiritual pacifist." To fight a spiritual battle, you need spiritual armor. It's time to "man up" (or "woman up") and put on the whole armor of God.
The apostle Paul lays out the components of our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:13–18, using the various pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would wear to make his point. Having spent a lot of time being chained to them, he probably asked a lot of questions, and had an excellent working knowledge of ancient weaponry and warfare.
Each piece of the Roman soldier's armor is interconnected to the others; all of it must be used. In the same way, it is not for us to "pick and choose" what pieces of armor we want (or don't want) to wear.
First, you need to put on your "utility belt of truth." As Ephesians 6:14 says, "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth."
When I was a little boy, I remember being amazed by Batman's utility belt. It had his Batarangs, Batcuffs, rebreather (for breathing underwater), night vision goggles, and much more—all the things that the "Caped Crusader" needed to fight crime.
Problem is, both it and he are not real, so let's consider the belt of real crime fighters: policemen.
Officers refer to this belt as their "Sam Browne." It consists of their radio, handcuffs, holster and gun, Taser, chemical spray, flashlight, holder for extra magazines, baton, etc.
The officer needs that belt when he is out and about, doing his duty, and the same was true for the Roman soldier.
The belt was essential. Why? Because the breastplate and the sword's sheath were attached to it. It also held up his tunic, giving him freedom of movement. If the Roman soldier's belt came off, his breastplate would fall off, along with his tunic.
So what does it mean to "gird your waist with truth," practically speaking? The utility belt of truth represents a life and mind that is pulled together and is ready to serve for the glory of God.
The utility belt of truth speaks of having integrity and truth in your "heart of hearts." David said, "Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6 NKJV).
The opposite of integrity is duplicity. Duplicity is hypocrisy—trying to lead a double-life.
The person who tries to live this way is a "sitting duck." But a true soldier of Jesus Christ cannot live that way. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:4, "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."
I encourage you to put on your belt, and live truthfully.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Go Where They Are
He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.
— John 4:3–4
No orthodox Jew would ever go to Galilee through Samaria. In fact, he would avoid that area altogether. It was faster and more direct to go through Samaria, but the Jews did not want to go that route because they hated the Samaritans. They already disliked the Gentiles, but in their minds, a Samaritan was even worse, because the Samaritan was essentially a Hebrew who had intermarried with others. And so the Jews wanted nothing to do with them.
So where did Jesus go? He went to the place that no other Jew would go. And who did Jesus go to? He went to a woman. Today that doesn't seem like a big deal, but in this culture, the Jewish men often looked down on women. And this woman not only was someone a religious Jew wouldn't talk to, but she was an outcast among her own people because of her multiple marriages and divorces—and the fact that she was living with a man at present.
I love that the Bible says Jesus needed to go to Samaria (see John 4:4). Why? It was because a woman who needed to hear the gospel was there. We need to go as well. We are to go whenever to whomever to wherever God directs us. Long before Earth was even created, a decision was made in eternity that Jesus Christ, God in human form, would have an appointment with a burned-out, immoral woman of Samaria and unfold the gospel to her.
We need to go to where people are. Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church. But He did say that the church should go to the whole world. And so we need to engage people and reach them with the gospel.
So where did Jesus go? He went to the place that no other Jew would go. And who did Jesus go to? He went to a woman. Today that doesn't seem like a big deal, but in this culture, the Jewish men often looked down on women. And this woman not only was someone a religious Jew wouldn't talk to, but she was an outcast among her own people because of her multiple marriages and divorces—and the fact that she was living with a man at present.
I love that the Bible says Jesus needed to go to Samaria (see John 4:4). Why? It was because a woman who needed to hear the gospel was there. We need to go as well. We are to go whenever to whomever to wherever God directs us. Long before Earth was even created, a decision was made in eternity that Jesus Christ, God in human form, would have an appointment with a burned-out, immoral woman of Samaria and unfold the gospel to her.
We need to go to where people are. Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church. But He did say that the church should go to the whole world. And so we need to engage people and reach them with the gospel.
An Essential of Evangelism
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
— Colossians 4:5–6
Jesus, the master evangelist, used something that many Christians seriously lack today, which is tact. Tact has been defined as diplomacy, sensitivity. One definition of it is skill and grace in dealing with others. Isaac Newton defined tact as "the art of making a point without making an enemy."
There is a built-in offense to the essential message of the gospel, but we don't have to make it worse by being insensitive to people. And far too often this happens. I have watched it. You probably have too. A Christian will walk up to an unbeliever and start the conversation with something like this: "Hey, heathen. Did you know you are going to hell?" That is not the way to build a bridge.
When Jesus approached the woman at the well in Samaria, He asked her a question. He drew her out. He engaged her. Evangelism is a dialogue, not a monologue. And the best way to engage a person in a conversation is to listen. In starting a conversation, the objective is to build a bridge. That is what we want to do. Ask people about themselves. Everyone's favorite subject is themselves. And as they talk, engage them. Ask them questions. You don't have to cut people off. You don't have to contradict them. You don't have to insult them. Just listen.
Sure, there is a place for point and counterpoint. Sure, we need to defend our beliefs. But no one has ever been argued into the kingdom of God. And I have seen Christians win the argument and lose the soul. But I would rather win the soul and listen and engage and give and take. As you do this, you will know from the conversation how to respond with the gospel message. Listen patiently. And then respond appropriately.
There is a built-in offense to the essential message of the gospel, but we don't have to make it worse by being insensitive to people. And far too often this happens. I have watched it. You probably have too. A Christian will walk up to an unbeliever and start the conversation with something like this: "Hey, heathen. Did you know you are going to hell?" That is not the way to build a bridge.
When Jesus approached the woman at the well in Samaria, He asked her a question. He drew her out. He engaged her. Evangelism is a dialogue, not a monologue. And the best way to engage a person in a conversation is to listen. In starting a conversation, the objective is to build a bridge. That is what we want to do. Ask people about themselves. Everyone's favorite subject is themselves. And as they talk, engage them. Ask them questions. You don't have to cut people off. You don't have to contradict them. You don't have to insult them. Just listen.
Sure, there is a place for point and counterpoint. Sure, we need to defend our beliefs. But no one has ever been argued into the kingdom of God. And I have seen Christians win the argument and lose the soul. But I would rather win the soul and listen and engage and give and take. As you do this, you will know from the conversation how to respond with the gospel message. Listen patiently. And then respond appropriately.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
God's Deliberate Plan
Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
— Acts 2:23–24
If you have ever lost anyone suddenly, unexpectedly, you know exactly how devastating it is. It tears you up inside. You don't even know if you will be able to survive it. It can seem like a fate worse than death.
This is how the followers of Jesus felt when He was taken from them and murdered in cold blood before their very eyes. We have the advantage of knowing the whole story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But these first-century followers of Jesus were living it in real time. It was their hope that Jesus would establish His kingdom on earth, and they would rule and reign with Him. He was their Lord. He was their Master. He was their everything. And then suddenly, unexpectedly, without understanding why, He was betrayed by one of their own. And when Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished!" that is how they felt. It was finished. The dream was over. The end had come. But really it was just the beginning.
Everything was going according to plan—God's plan. The incarnation was for the purpose of the atonement. Jesus was born to die that we might live. When the wise men came and brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the child Jesus, each one of those gifts had significance. They brought gold because He was a King. They brought frankincense, or incense, because He would be our high priest, representing us to God. And finally, myrrh was an element used in embalming, because Jesus was coming to die for the sins of the world.
Much has been said about who was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. But it was the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God for Jesus to die—and to rise again.
This is how the followers of Jesus felt when He was taken from them and murdered in cold blood before their very eyes. We have the advantage of knowing the whole story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. But these first-century followers of Jesus were living it in real time. It was their hope that Jesus would establish His kingdom on earth, and they would rule and reign with Him. He was their Lord. He was their Master. He was their everything. And then suddenly, unexpectedly, without understanding why, He was betrayed by one of their own. And when Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished!" that is how they felt. It was finished. The dream was over. The end had come. But really it was just the beginning.
Everything was going according to plan—God's plan. The incarnation was for the purpose of the atonement. Jesus was born to die that we might live. When the wise men came and brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the child Jesus, each one of those gifts had significance. They brought gold because He was a King. They brought frankincense, or incense, because He would be our high priest, representing us to God. And finally, myrrh was an element used in embalming, because Jesus was coming to die for the sins of the world.
Much has been said about who was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. But it was the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God for Jesus to die—and to rise again.
Unlikely Candidates
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
— John 20:1
Maybe you are one of those people who was always the last picked for the team, the one who was always overlooked. I have good news for you: God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people. And God loves flawed, ordinary people.
They didn't come any more flawed or ordinary than Peter, Mary Magdalene, or John. Peter denied the Lord three times. Mary Magdalene was once possessed by seven demons. John, one of the Sons of Thunder, had his flaws too. But God used these three people as the first missionaries to go into the world and tell everyone that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
God also blesses those who seek Him with all of their heart. Mary put it all on the line for Jesus. The Bible tells us that while the others stood at a distance during the crucifixion of Jesus, Mary stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus could visibly see Mary, this woman whom He had cast seven demons out of. She was the last at the cross. And she was the first at the tomb.
There is a blessing for those who take time to seek the Lord. The Bible tells us, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6–7). We need to seek God with all our hearts. That is what Mary did, and how she was blessed. As she was seeking the Lord early in the morning, she found the risen Christ. And if you will make time for Him, you will find Him too.
They didn't come any more flawed or ordinary than Peter, Mary Magdalene, or John. Peter denied the Lord three times. Mary Magdalene was once possessed by seven demons. John, one of the Sons of Thunder, had his flaws too. But God used these three people as the first missionaries to go into the world and tell everyone that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
God also blesses those who seek Him with all of their heart. Mary put it all on the line for Jesus. The Bible tells us that while the others stood at a distance during the crucifixion of Jesus, Mary stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus could visibly see Mary, this woman whom He had cast seven demons out of. She was the last at the cross. And she was the first at the tomb.
There is a blessing for those who take time to seek the Lord. The Bible tells us, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6–7). We need to seek God with all our hearts. That is what Mary did, and how she was blessed. As she was seeking the Lord early in the morning, she found the risen Christ. And if you will make time for Him, you will find Him too.
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