Monthly Archives: March 2010

Remember and Persevere

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“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”1

A man who flew his own plane, or so the story goes, got tired of the long automobile trip from the airport to his country cottage which was situated on a lovely lake. So he equipped his plane with pontoons so he could land on the lake in front of his home. However, on his first trip with his newly equipped plane, he headed for the airport as he had always done. As he was going in for the landing his terrified wife yelled, “What are you doing? You can’t land on the runway … you don’t have any wheels!”

“Fortunately, he was able to swing his plane around and head for the lake. After he landed safely, he heaved a big sigh of relief and turned to his wife and said, ‘That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever done!’ Then he opened the door, stepped out of his plane—and fell directly into the lake!”2

I doubt very much the validity of this story but it does illustrate how easily and foolishly we forget.

How quickly the ancient Israelites forgot how God miraculously delivered them from slavery in Egypt, how he parted the Red Sea for them to cross safely, and how the pursuing Egyptian army was drowned … and as soon as things got tough en route to the Promised Land, they grumbled, they doubted God, and they criticized and blamed Moses.

And how quickly so many who live in the U.S. forget—forget the basis of our incredible blessings of freedom, liberty, and opportunities; how our nation was founded on biblical principles; how Western law is based on the Judeo-Christian ethic and the Ten Commandments; and the reason “In God we trust” is engraved on our money!

Furthermore, when we get too comfortable, we easily forget that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We criticize and blame even good leaders when things don’t go the way we want. And to our peril we are seeking to throw out the Bible, the Ten Commandments, and anything that resembles God and Christianity. And how quickly we forget that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”3

And how quickly I forget the blessings of God when things go wrong in my life—and even when things go well.

Suggested prayer “Dear God, in the words of the hymn-writer Robert Robinson: ‘O to grace how greater a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; Seal it for thy courts above.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jude 1:17-18;20-21 (NIV).
2. From Illustrations Unlimited. Cited in Encounter magazine (Australian edition). www.actsweb.org/au.
3. Psalm 33:12.

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Jesus Christ–Will He Ever Return?

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Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”1

I have borrowed the title of today’s Daily Encounter from Newsmax magazine that, several months ago, wrote an article on this topic and later reported that it drew the largest response from any previous Newsmax offer. This shows that there is a very strong interest in this subject. So the question is: Will Jesus Christ return to earth as he promised he would some 2,000 years ago?

No enlightened person would deny the fact that Jesus Christ was here on earth two thousand years ago any more than they would deny the existence of Julius Caesar. Both were undeniable persons of history. However, Jesus made a claim that no Caesar ever did—or could. Jesus promised he would come back to earth again. Millions of Christians sincerely believe that he will. But is this fact or just wishful thinking?

According to Bible scholar, Mark Hitchcock, “Jesus’ return is explicitly referred to 1,845 times in the Bible—1,527 times in the Old Testament and 318 times in the New Testament.2

“The second Coming [of Jesus] is mentioned in 23 of 27 New Testament books.

“Out of the New Testament’s 260 chapters, there are 318 references to the Second Coming.

“Jesus’ Second Coming is mentioned eight times for every reference to his first coming.

“The final prophecy of the bible deals with the Second Coming of Jesus.3

“People are exhorted [encouraged] over fifty times to be ready for the return of Jesus.

“Jesus Christ himself refers to his return twenty-one times.”4,5

Jesus IS Coming Again. As every prophecy written (several hundred years ahead of time) about Jesus’ first coming was fulfilled in minutest detail, we can be just as certain regarding his second coming.

What if Jesus should come today? Would you be ready or would you be left behind? As Jesus, referring to himself, said, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”6 For help to be sure you are ready for Jesus Christ’s return read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the promise in your Word that Jesus is coming again to earth to take all his true followers to be with him forever in Heaven. Help me to be absolutely sure that I am ready for Jesus’ return. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: For more details on this topic read the article, “The climax of History.” at: http://tinyurl.com/climax-history.

1. John 14:1-3 (NIV).
2. See Zechariah 14:3-4 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7.
3. Revelation 22:20.
4. For example see Matthew 24:2-30; 25:31, John 14:3; 21:2-23.
5. 101 Answers to the Most Asked Questions About the End Times, p. 200, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon. (c) 2001 by Mark Hitchcock.
6. Matthew 24:44 (NIV).

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Standing by the Stuff

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“For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarries by the stuff: they shall part alike.”1 Or as the New Living Translation puts it, “Do you think anyone will listen to you when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment [supplies].”

Have you ever noticed that, when someone works real hard to build a group, a class, or an organization from scratch, and when it is up and running successfully, how someone wants to take it over and run it—and sometimes ends up killing it?

I’ve seen it happen in churches more than once. I’ve had it happen to a support group I had started. When I returned after a six-week summer mission trip, it had been taken over by one of the members . . . and soon died.

“An admirer once asked Leonard Bernstein, celebrated orchestra conductor, what was the hardest instrument to play. He replied without hesitation: ‘Second fiddle. I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.’”2

In King David’s day some of those who went to battle wanted to keep for themselves all the spoils of that which was conquered. They didn’t want to share the glory or the spoils with those who stayed behind the front lines and took care of the “stuff” (supplies and equipment).

In God’s economy, Christians will not be rewarded on the basis of his/her rank or position. Whether one is a church leader, Sunday school teacher, or janitor; the president of a company or the new kid working in the mail room—each will be rewarded on the basis of their being a faithful steward of the gifts and abilities with which he/she has been entrusted. What God is looking for to do his work on earth are second, third, and fourth fiddlers who are not seeking to glorify themselves but to serve God by serving others and thereby bring glory to God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, whether I am a fifth or a first fiddler, I thank you for gift/s and the abilities you have entrusted to me, knowing that all have been given by you. Help me to be a faithful steward and use me to help extend your Kingdom and bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Samuel 30:24 (KJV).
2. “Chapel Talk” by Adrian Dieleman www.trinitycrc.org/sermons/jn03v30a.html

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Counterfeit Christians

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“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”1

A Daily Encounter reader asks, “How can you tell if a preacher is a fake-healer, or if a Christian is not for real?

Les Nixon shares how “at one time there was a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest being held and, always the practical joker, the real Chaplin decided he would enter. After deliberating long and hard, the judges unwittingly awarded Chaplin the third prize behind two impostors.” So you often can’t tell the fake from the real by outward appearances.

Pharisees were the religious elite of Jesus’ day. They knew the Bible cover to cover; that is, the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) as the New Testament hadn’t been written then. They knew their doctrinal teachings by heart. They had all the outward trappings of religiosity . . . but for many of them it was an outward show. Furthermore, they loved their doctrines more than they loved people and used them to control people. Jesus not only knew the same Scriptures, but he was real and saw through these religious play-actors—and didn’t mince words with them regarding their phoniness.

Sad to say, there is no shortage today of play-acting teachers, phony religious leaders, counterfeit Christians, and those who love their religion more than they love people—and use their religion to control people. In some countries some even use their religion to force people to convert to their religion and torture or kill those who fail to convert.

So how can we tell the false from the real?

Mary Jackson-Medrek, another Daily Encounter reader, said, “I work in a bank and one time I was reading about counterfeit bills (notes). The story said that FBI agents don’t study counterfeit bills to learn how to spot one. They study real bills and know them so well that they can spot a phony a mile away. That’s what we should do as Christians. Study God’s word so that if we hear something that isn’t right we can spot it immediately!”

Like Jesus, we also need to be real ourselves, know the Scriptures, and know what a real Christian is so well that we will also be able to spot a phony a mile away.

“Beware of false prophets,’ Jesus warned, “who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a love for and an understanding of your Word so that I will learn and always know your Truth. Also, please help me to be real and so like Jesus that I will be able to ‘spot a phony a mile away’—and never become one. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).
2. Matthew 7:15 (NKJV).

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Adultery: Caught in the Act Part II

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“When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman [who had been caught in the act of adultery], He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’”1

Yesterday we talked about the jealous, religious bigots who wanted to do away with Jesus and brought the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus for his judgment. Apart from making the hypocritical accusers look like idiots, Jesus teaches us a powerful principle in dealing with sinful acts that are self-destructive (which all sin is of course).

Can you imagine how terrified this woman must have been? The punishment for adultery in her day was death by stoning. And here she was caught in a deceptive trap and brought out in public. However, the crucial principle to understand is that before Jesus told her to go and not commit adultery again, he met the basic need in her life, the lack of which was driving her into acts of sin.

This is such a profound truth—it desperately needs to be understood. Counselors tell us that many a prostitute, for example, is a woman who has been hurt deeply by her father or another significant male . . . often having been sexually abused as a child. Thus she is very angry at men because she had been violated and her own needs for loving acceptance were never met. And now, as an adult (or teenager), she is not necessarily doing this consciously, but in one way or another she is hitting back at her father (or her violator) by becoming sexually promiscuous. She also may be desperately searching for the father’s love she never received as a child and is thus looking for love in all the wrong ways and places, or she may be trying to prove to herself that she is wanted as a woman. This, of course, never works and only makes a woman feel more used and unloved for the simple reason this kind of sex is never love. (Some men do the same thing in looking for the mother’s love they never received.)

When Jesus dealt with the adulterous woman, he looked beyond her outward sinful acts and could see her damaged emotions and unmet need for loving acceptance. While he didn’t condone her sin nor condemn her for it, before telling her not to commit this sin again, Jesus first met the deep unmet need in her life—the lack of which was undoubtedly driving her into acts of sin—that is, the lack of loving acceptance. In all probability, for the very first time in her life this woman was loved and accepted by a man for whom she was—and not for what she had to offer. What Jesus did was meet her deep unmet need for a father’s love. In so doing he healed her deep father wound, delivering her from her compulsion to act out in self-destructive sinful behavior.

How unkind, how misunderstanding, and how un-Christ-like it is of me to condemn people for their acts of sin without even trying to understand the cause or causes behind their behavior, let alone trying to meet their unmet needs. Added to our sinful nature is the lack of love that drives us into so many acts of sin; only unconditional love and acceptance will ever take us out again.

Keep in mind, too, the reason Jesus was able to help this woman was because she admitted her sin and didn’t try to deny it—the total opposite of her accusers. Only those who admit their sins and faults can ever be forgiven and freed from them.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to admit my sins and faults and see the reasons behind my self-destructive behaviors . . . and lead me to the help I need to overcome. Also, help me to understand the same for others who admit their sins and faults, and use me to be a part of the answer in helping to meet the unmet need in their life . . . the lack of which is driving them into acts of sin. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 8:10-11 (NKJV).

*NOTE: Today’s Daily Encounter is adapted from I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications, (c) by Dick Innes (2010 edition), pp. 166-167. Available at: www.actscom.com/store

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Adultery: Caught in the Act Part I

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“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.”1

The woman being caught in the act of adultery “alone” and being brought to Jesus for his judgment is a dead giveaway of the motives of the religious bigots who brought this woman to Jesus. For instance, where was the adulterous man? Actually, the stones in their back pockets were for Jesus—not for the woman. She was merely a pawn in the game these hypocritical religious leaders were playing. They were intensely jealous of Jesus and were out to destroy him.

You can imagine these bigots gloating among themselves. “Whatever way Jesus answers, he will be dammed,” they figured. “If he says to punish her according to the law of God, we will accuse him of having no mercy. If he says to let her go free, we’ll accuse him of breaking God’s law.”

So there they stood encircling Jesus and this terrified woman. They were like a pack of hungry wolves waiting to pounce on their prey—in this case the prey being Jesus.

What did they care about the woman? Nothing.

“Now, teacher,” they sarcastically addressed Jesus, “this woman was caught committing adultery—in the very act no less. God’s law demands that such a woman be stoned to death. What is your judgment?”

Jesus ignored them. He stooped down and wrote on the ground . . . maybe, just maybe, writing the names of the men in the group who had also committed adultery? Whatever, they were persistent. So Jesus stood up and answered, “True, God’s law says she must be stoned to death. Go ahead. Stone her.”

However, after a brief silent pause, with a burning look into the eyes of every one of this woman’s accusers—a look that pierced the depths of their consciences—Jesus added, “Hold it! One condition—let the man who has never sinned cast the first stone!”

Wham!

The silence was deafening. Now more like frightened puppy dogs, the accusers tucked their hypocritical tails between their legs and got out of there as quickly as possible.

And then, Jesus, with a great heart of compassion that understood this woman’s deepest need, said, “Where are your accusers? Isn’t there anyone left to condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she replied, “they’ve all gone.”

Then Jesus made a simple but profound statement: “I don’t condemn you either. Go, and don’t commit this sin anymore.”2

To be continued.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from pointing a critical finger at others when I myself have also committed the same or a similar sin. And like you, and because of your forgiveness of me, help me to have compassion on those who admit and confess their sins. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 8:2-6 (NIV).
2. See John 8:1-11.

NOTE: Today’s Daily Encounter is adapted from I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian Communications, (c) by Dick Innes (2010 edition), pp. 166-167. Available at: www.actscom.com/store

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Promises … Promises

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“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”1 In other words, God always keeps his word and his promises.

As a school child I was taught the importance of keeping my word and my promises. “It is a mark of character,” my teacher emphasized. Unfortunately, the following story which I read some time ago, typifies far too many people in today’s “hang-loose” society and, pathetically, far too many business people.

According to the story, “There was a rich young man who became critically ill and was taken to the hospital. His condition worsened, and his doctor told him that he wasn’t sure if he’d recover, but that they would do all they could for him. The man was terrified and said to the doctor, ‘Please, doctor, do everything you can, I don’t want to die, I have so much to do yet in life, and if you can help me get better, I’ll even donate $10,000 to the fund for the new hospital.’ The young man happily began to improve and recovered, and a few weeks later was released and went home.

“Several months later he ran into the doctor who asked him how he was doing. The young man said, ‘Doc, I haven’t felt better any time in my life.’ The doctor said, ‘that’s great because I wanted to ask you about the money you said you would donate to the new hospital fund. You remember you said if you got well, you’d like to donate $10,000. We could really use that now.’ The young man said, ‘Man, if I said that, I must have been really sick.’”2

Keeping one’s word and his/her promises is indeed a mark of character. May it be said of you and me, “He is a man of his word,” and/or “If she says she’ll do it, you can count on her to do it.” And what about our promises to God? May we always keep them.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that I can always depend on your word, knowing that you always keep your promises. Help me to be a person of my word and always keep my promises. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Isaiah 55:11 (NIV).

2. Author and source unknown.

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Pornography and Sexual Addiction

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“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Would you be made whole?”1

Another Daily Encounter reader asks for help saying, “I have a problem with pornography and masturbation. I am 24 years old, and ever since I was in my early teens I have not been able to shake my addiction to these habits. I have resolved many times to put an end to these habits, but each time I find myself returning and am unable to control myself. I feel so guilty about praying because I will have to ask for forgiveness over something for which I have asked forgiveness before. But I can’t help myself when I start wanting these things. Pornography has taken over my life.”

Dear Henry (not his real name), regarding being addicted to pornography and masturbation. By admitting that you are addicted to these behaviors, you have taken the first step in your recovery.

Sometimes external acts of sin (such as what you are struggling with) are the fruit of a deeper root. If this is so, when we are hiding this deeper sin or fault, we tend to confess a lesser sin all the more vigorously. You indicated that you came from a very dysfunctional family background so your addiction could easily have its roots in your not ever feeling loved as a child. As a result your addictive behaviors are used to anesthetize the pain caused by this deeper painful root.

So first of all, pray and ask God to show you if your addiction is the fruit of a deeper unresolved problem or unmet need in your life, and to reveal to you what that issue is.

Second, to overcome your addiction it is important that you get into a sexual addiction or similar support group to help you stop acting out through pornography and masturbation so you can confront and resolve the pain that is the root cause of your addiction.

Third, pray and ask God to lead you to the help you need to overcome. Most of us are not able to resolve these issues alone. If necessary, seek capable Christian professional counseling to help you resolve these issues because, if you don’t overcome the pornography, it could readily destroy your relationships, especially within a marriage. Addictive masturbation can do the same.

Remember, too, that God doesn’t expect us to become perfect, as that is impossible as long as we live in this broken sinful world. God’s goal is not to make us good either. It is to make us whole; for only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our actions, our behaviors, our attitudes and our relationships be wholesome. So always pray that God will help you to become whole and to lead you to all the help you need to be made whole.

For those whose struggle may not be with this issue, remember that any habit we consistently use to avoid facing our inner, hidden pain is also an addiction—such as being a workaholic, a shopaholic, a TV-aholic, a chocoholic, food-aholic, a religious-aholic, an intellectual-aholic . . . and any of a score of other addictive behaviors.

Suggested prayer: “In the words of the hymn writer, ‘Search me, O God and know my heart today / Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray / See if there be some wicked way in me / Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 5:6 (ASV)(NIV).

NOTE: For suggested “Resources in Counseling” visit http://tinyurl.com/counseling-resources.

Also, see the article, “Masturbation: Is it a Sin?” at: http://tinyurl.com/naqhru.

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Imagine There Is a Heaven

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You may recall that, On March 4, 1966, the following quote of John Lennon of Beatles fame was printed in an interview by reporter Maureen Cleave in the London Evening Standard:

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

This caused quite an uproar but I wonder if, at that time, The Beatles across the UK society might have been more popular than Jesus. And just how popular is Jesus today in the UK? I don’t know but the way so many people in the U.S. today want to get Jesus out of the public arena, do they perhaps believe that they or the leaders they put their trust in are more popular than Jesus? And do they agree with John Lennon’s song, “Imagine” which said:

Imagine there’s no Heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today.

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace.

The tragedy is that John Lennon was murdered in December of 1980 and at some point, if not already, will discover that there is both a heaven and a hell and will know in which one he is—or in which one he is not!

It doesn’t matter if The Beatles were more popular than Jesus to some or many in their heyday. Jesus remains forever and will always have the last say for both time and eternity. Furthermore, when here on earth Jesus promised that he would come again and take all his true believers to be with him in Heaven forever.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house [Heaven] are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”1

Men will come and go. False Christs and false prophets will come and go, even heaven and earth as we now know them will pass away, but the Word of God—including God’s promises—will remain forever.2

Please read the article, “What If There Is a Heaven?” online at: http://tinyurl.com/8jcepz and whatever you do, make sure you have your “Passport for Heaven” before leaving earth. It’s totally without charge. You can see how to get it at: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your promise that you are preparing a place in heaven for all your true followers. Please help me to be sure that I am ready for heaven should you come today or when I pass from this life—whichever should come first. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian

1. John 14:1-3 (NIV).

2. See Matthew 24:35.

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God: Our Refuge and Strength

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“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”1 “For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”2

The online video, “The Cougar vs. Bear,” a film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, is a powerful and moving illustration of how God knows when his children are in need and is an ever-present help in time of trouble … and of how God takes care of his children when we daily commit and trust our life to him.

To watch this video on your computer go to: http://www.flixxy.com/bear-animal-nature-film.htm or www.flixxy.com/game-of-survival.htm.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you always hear the cry of your children, and are always an ‘ever-present help in trouble.’ Again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please help me never to stray from you and thereby distance myself from your help and protection when needed. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV).
2. Psalm 61:3-4 (NIV).

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