Set Apart & Sent Away

Saul was on his way to kill Christians. It was his goal in life, to wipe Christianity off the face of the planet. And from man's perspective, it would not be such a hard task, considering this schism faith had only been around a few years.

But then, on that fateful trip to Damascus to kill more, "suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground a heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' It was then that Saul met Jesus and believed.

A vision came to both Ananias and Saul, but the message to Ananias had more information. What the Lord told Ananias and had not yet told Saul was this: "This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentile and their kinds and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

And so Ananias went to Saul and placed his hands on him, prayed over him, and Saul regained his lost sight, received the Holy Spirit and was commissioned on a new task.

Paul, after some time, joined the church of Antioch, where Barnabas also was. And the Scriptures say that while they were ministering God there, "the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Countless times people from the church have been called out by God to a task and commissioned by the church.

This time, it's my turn. 

On Sunday, March 8, in a four of New Testament Baptist Church services, on missions emphasis Sunday, the elders and deacons of the church will lay hands on me and pray over me, commissioning me to that which God has called me to - to His work, and His church.

And then I shall be sent away to Italy, in just three short months!

Seeking the Kingdom of God for 21 days

Last week I posted on how it only takes 21 days to make a habit. 

And yesterday I posted on how I / we need to stop worrying about all the things around us and focus on the One who holds everything in place - Jesus.

So, in lieu of all the new years resolutions already broken, let's make a 21 day commitment.   A small one. 

What do you think of reading 21 verses of the Bible a day for 21 days? And we'll do it together. 

The first chapter of Peter's second letter has 21 (coincidentally) verses and I was hoping to memorize it recently. But then I thought of including you, my readers. And when I say memorize, I don't mean for you to be able to spew out every word, by heart, verbatim, at the drop of a dime. 21 days may not be enough. But, as you read it everyday for the next 21 days, you'll be surprised how familiar you are with the passage, even being about to recite parts of it!

The writer of Hebrews says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (4:12). 

And Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Even in the very chapter that we will commit to our minds, Peter says, "no prophecy was ever made by an act if human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21).

One way that we can seek the Kingdom of God is to soak in what He has told us in His Word. 

And I'll help you out from time to time. Every few days I'll be posting, providing some insight into a word or phrase in the chapter, pointing you to other places in the Bible that Peter is referring to or explain the Greek word that Peter uses (remember, they didn't write the Bible in English!). 

And, of course, I'll also be posting about Italy. The main purpose of this blog is to get you closer to God while informing you on how to get the people of Turin closer to God as well.

Here's the passage for the next 21 days. Read it at least once a day, but try to hear it once a day as well. Read it aloud or have someone read it to you as well as reading it on your own. And stick to the same version for best results.

Storms

Last night I spent much of the evening balancing out my checkbook, figuring out where the bulk of my expenses went, calculated if I had come out even in my budget and all other not-so-fun things when the economy is down.

However, I set myself up well. Mostly.

I finished college with a small amount in my savings account, it wasn't much and wouldn't support me for too long, but it was something that I could put away for Italy, grad school, my kids. I then received more than double that amount in graduation gifts. And since I've been living at home and working as often as able (and scheduled), I've been able to save most of it. 

From the beginning of signing on with Avant to start churches in Turin, where Jesus is desparately needed, I decided to pay my own way through support raising (paying for flights, materials, handouts, etc.). These costs are necessarily to raise the support needed to get to Turin and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to this city that has so much, but in the end, has nothing without Jesus. Many missionaries like me, before arriving in country use their incoming support to raise additional support, as this is a ministry both now and for later. 

But, as many people are already skeptical about what I'm doing, I decided to forego the explanation of why this support raising is a valid ministry and pay for all the costs myself. Making less than I hoped, my total income since I graduated was almost exactly what I've spent on the initial steps on getting to Italy, in that way, I broke even. God has provided the funds needed through working at Barnes and Noble to pay for all the costs of support raising.

And then there was gas. And Christmas. And so, my bank account is lower than it was in May.

This morning I went to West Pines Community Church and heard a great message delivered by Pastor Robey Barnes. The passage he spoke from was Matt 14:22-33, where Jesus walks on water. This was the final message on the series about storms in our lives. 

That historic day, after feeding 5,000 men (plus women and children) with five loaves and two fish, Jesus sends the disciples off on the Sea of Galilee and goes up on a mountain to spend time with His Father. Afterwards, He starts catching up with the boat by walking on water. Mind you, there's strong wind driving the boat and it's sometime between 3 and 6 in the morning. The disciples see a figure on the water, and never having heard of or seeing anything like this in all their lives, they think it's a ghost. Jesus says, "Take heart; it is I. Don't be afraid." And Peter asks Jesus if it's really Him, to command Him to come out. And Peter joins Jesus on the water, walking toward Him.

We aren't given the specifics of what happened. Did the water become solid? Did they hover over the water? Did they splash or even get wet? But we do know one thing: when Peter saw the wind, he got scared and began to sink.

It was never about the water. The water wasn't  holding him up. The water was just water. It has no power in itself to hold standing people up. 

And it's not about faith, either. Many movies talk about just having faith and things will happen. There is no good universe that wants good things to come to you. Faith, by itself, changes nothing. And faith in something with no real power (a false god, the orbit of the stars, the universe, yourself), cannot make water hold a standing man up.

It is, has always been and always will be about Jesus. 

Jesus held Peter up in the water. It is in Him that all things hold together (Col 1:17)... even in the molecular level. He can cause the chemical properties of water to turn to those of wine (John 4), command water to hold Himself and Peter up, He moves atoms to walk through what we call solid (John 20:26).

By the looks of everything, Peter depended on the water to hold him up. He was not hanging onto Jesus. In fact, when he got out of the boat, he was not even near Jesus. But He had to step onto the water and with each step trust that the water was going to hold him. But all along it was Jesus holding Him up.

By the looks of everything, it's our finances that feed us, clothe us, and make sure we are provided for with good health and entertainment. 

Jesus said (Matthew 6:25-33), 

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (Note: these are the same words He said to Peter.)

So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously and he will give you everything you need.

I've thankfully come out even so far and hope to continue. I'm a penny pincher and proud to be so. But as I look at the whole of my life savings and realize that I am asking people to support me in this ministry or showing others how wonderful our God is who provides for all our needs, physical, emotional, eternal, I realize my finances are out of my control. I am slowly falling short of where I need to be. 19 weeks and I need to be in Italy for my team, for Torino. But I know that God will supply all my needs. And if this is indeed wht He has called me to, He will provide (1 Thess 5:24).

How will you wait out this storm? Waiting in the boat for something to change your life that is actually waiting for you, standing in the water? Will you set out in faith in the wrong thing and sink? Will you worry about things that you have no control of?

Or will you trust God and look to Him, seeking His kingdom above all else and watch life fall into place more beautifully than you could have planned for?

The Atheist Bus Campain - Part 2

[Disclaimer: This is hugely condensed, so please do not consider this the whole argument. If you would like to discuss further, let me know.]

In my last post, I wrote about an atheist ad campaign which was motivated by the Christian belief that non-Christians "will be condemned to everlasting separation from God and then you spend all eternily in torment in hell... Jesus spoke about this as a lake of fire prepared for the devil". They call this belief "irrational."

And so I posed the question: Do you know why hell exists and why it is completely in line with Jesus' character?

And now I shall attempt to answer it, begining, not with hell, but with God, for everything starts with Him (Col 1:15-18).

God's Justice

The common response to a person's exclamation, "well that's not fair!" is "well life's not fair!" And, I propose, that God, by the common definition, isn't fair either. But He is just. 

So what's the difference between being fair and being just? Fairness, in this sense, is often "In comparision to him, I deserve just as much/more!" The kid in the playground who gets two chocolate bars and you just get one. The car in front of you who didn't get a ticket for going 18 mph over the speed limi, but you did, for just going 10 over. A good child who dies young, while the wicked grow old. And you might agree, that's not fair!

But it might be just. The kid with two chocolate bars bought it with his own allowance money for getting all his chores done, and you didn't make your bed twice, so could only afford one. It's not even handed, but it is just. No, you weren't going as fast as the other guy, but you were breaking the law, and receiving a ticket for speed is just regardless. And as for the child and the old, while it may not be fair, who are we to tell God what is and is not just?

Moses says of God: "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." The psalmist says of God, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne" (Ps. 89:14). The verses on God's justice abound in the Scriptures. But beyond that, God is just, because He is the measure of Justice. He declares of Himself: "I, the Lord, speak the truth, I declare what is right." 

Imagine existance without creation. The only thing left, is actually, no thing, but God. Before creation, before anything was created, only the non-created, eternal being existed, and He is God. There was no beauty, besides Him. No glory, besides His. No love, besides the love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No justice, save the Trinity's own righteousness. No sin at all, because He is perfection and sin is all that falls short of Him and what He declares "good".

God's Justice and Us

We all sin, do we not? We lie, get unnecessarily angry, we covet and make excuses for not answering God's call. God's righteousness demands that we get what we deserve. And sin deserves punishment. Therefore, we will all stand before God and be judged (2 Timothy 4:1; Matthew 25:31-33). Though life may not have been "fair," God will serve justice. He is bound by His character.  

At this point I would like to pause and give you an example of when God was "not fair," from Jesus' own parables (Matthew 20:1-15):

For the Kingdowm of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

At nine o'clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whaever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o'clock he did the same thing.

At five o'clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them 'Why haven't you been working today?'

They  replied, 'Because no one hired us.'

The landowner told them, 'Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.'

That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o'clock were paid, each received a full day's wage. When those fired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day's wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 'Those people worked only one hour, and yet you've paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.'

He answered them, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair! Didn't you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take you money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?'

The workers thought that they deserved more than those who worked late, and sure, those who worked less, deserved less. But those who worked longer did not deserve more because they agreed to the pay ahead of time. They got what they deserved. It was the latecomers who didn't get what they deserved, but more!

And finally, to hell

And so it is with us. We all deserve hell. This is true because

1. We all sinned (Psalm 53:3; Romans 3:23; your own conscience).
2. The just payment of sin is death (Romans 6:23), punishment with everlasting destruction and banishment from God's presence (2 Thessalonians 1:9) (among other things).

Like what was cited above: "There is no one who does good, not even one" (Ps. 53:3). And God cannot let sin go unpunished. He is a just God, and let us thank Him for it! Imagine if we had an unjust God - then life would truly be unfair! An unjust God, even if He were "good" by our definitions (which is good most of the time, like a "good" person), would let evil run rampant! How many times have you thought someone was good because they let you get away with something? Is that the god you want? What about the reverse: how many times have you thought someone was evil because they let someone get away with something you thought they shouldn't have? But, thanks be to Him! He is just.

Even better is that, God, like the master of the vineyard, gives more than deserved to some. John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive [Jesus] who believed in [Jesus'] name, he gave the right to become children of God." That is to say, not everyone is God's child, as is a popular belief. Jesus Himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). That means that not all get to the Father. Those that do, only come through Jesus, as the above verses (and others) state. Though we all deserve separation from God, death and hell, God has graciously provided, through the Son's substitutionary death on the cross, that some may enter into His glory. 

So can good people who don't believe in Jesus go to heaven? Let's see what the Bible says:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 14:6

 "I [, Jesus,] am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

God is just by punishing sin. But He is even better than that by having given His Son to die for us (remember we just celebrated Christmas and the reason why He came), so that in His death, those who believe in Him may live, though we definately don't deserve it!

The Atheist Bus Campaign - Part I

It's true. You can read about it here.  

There is an atheist organization in London that has raised £135,000 (that's US $362,844) to run ads on buses, in train stations, and on the streets on LCD screens.  

And what is it exactly? 

According to the article: 

... 800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen.

My biggest question is why does the atheist care? If (s)he believes there is no afterlife, what's it to him/her that someone else believes in one? Well, this is what they said:

... the campaign was originally started as a positive counter-response to the Jesus Said ads running on London buses in June 2008. These ads displayed the URL of a website which stated that non-Christians "will be condemned to everlasting separation from God and then you spend all eternity in torment in hell … Jesus spoke about this as a lake of fire prepared for the devil".[*] Our rational slogan will hopefully reassure anyone who has been scared by this kind of evangelism.

[*] Notice that they didn't give the URL for the Jesus Said ads, which is jesussaid.org. 

The ads are also on buses in Spain and Washington, DC. They suggest these ads "brighten" bleek January days. Apparently the founder of the Atheist Bus Campaign skipped all the good and found what she was looking for: an accusation. If she really read what Jesus said, if she really understood the power of an almighty God, and not thought of God as an impersonal, unfeeling, just-less force, then maybe she would have understood.

So who's keeping it a secret? Do you believe in a real place called hell? Do you know why it's there and how it is completely in line with Jesus' character? 

I'll answer this next time. In the meantime, you think about it. What would you think if you saw atheist ads all over public transportation? What do you think when you see Christian ads? If Jesus said you have to believe in him to be saved (and He said so much more than that!) and died to open heaven to those who believe and yet you also believe that good people will go to heaven - did Jesus die for nothing?

Beginnings and Endings

Last January marked the beginning of a year full of lasts. My last semester. My last first day of class. My last day all-hall meeting. My last chapel. The last time I see some friends before Italy. The last time to Chicago before Italy.

And most recently: My last Christmas home.

Christmas is the most traditional thing my family does. Noche Buena at Lelo & Lelas. Christmas morning at home. Christmas breakfast at Tio & Tia’s. Christmas afternoon back at Los Lelos. Nothing changed. If anything went a little off schedule, someone had a cow.

And as much as things stay the same, really, they change.

So it was and it wasn’t my last Christmas home, all depending on your definition of “home.”

This year my dad’s side of the family and us went to California to be with my new niece, Rosi. She’s too young to travel, so we all went to see her.

This year, everything was different, even though we tried to keep some things the same, like my mom making frijoles, Papa made lechon, and taking turns opening gifts in the morning.

As so, since graduation, my “see you later” to my friends may just be fulfilled in heaven, because we have no idea when the next time we’ll see each other again is.

And this Christmas, well, I leave to Italy in June and I wont be back for nine months. That means I miss Christmas. And New Years.

As I said goodbye to 2008 just minutes ago, it hits harder and harder that 2009 is the year of my Big Move. In 6 months I’ll be heading to Turin, a of a million people. To tell them about Jesus. And I’ll miss Christmas, but I won’t be without the reminder of the resurrection. And I’ll miss New Year’s, but I will celebrate it knowing we are closer and closer to Christ’s return (if He doesn’t come back before then). And that’s the plan. Because showing other people the Way to eternity, the Way to Jesus, is more important than anything else.

From Incarnation to Incarnational

Did we just celebrate the incarnation of Jesus?

Do we really know what the incarnation is all about?

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine excitedly mentioned the word the Apostle John used to speak of Christ's incarnation. In English it's usually translated "dwelt" but in Greek it's "tabernacled" (John 1:14). That is, as the glory of God was contained and present among the people of Israel in the wilderness, so the glory of God was contained and present among the people of the earth in the incarnation.

Paul, like wise speaks of the incarnation as gracious and glorious:

"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross" (Phil 2:6-8)

And why does Paul tell us this? To exhort believer to: "make [him] truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had" (Phil 2:2-5).

Churches often speak of "incarnational ministry." And it references the incarnation:

• in- (entering);
  
• -carna- (flesh);
  
• -tional (state of being)

or, fleshing out in ourselves what Jesus did when He fleshed out what it was to have God among man. Paul calls us to have the same attitude that Jesus had. And it should be easier for us, because we aren't God: "thinking others as better than yourselves" -- imagine God thinking others as better than Himself! And yet, He gave everything, His throne, His omniscience, His omnipresence, His glory, for dirty diapers, hunger, sweat, tears and finally, death. Why? Out of love for us. To reunite our sinful selves with Him.

And so we are to give our everything to Him first, and in giving ourselves to Him, we follow Jesus' example, and give ourselves to others, our friends, our neighbors, those whom we share the street with, people in our city, people in need, and for me and some of you readers out there, the people of Turin.

Incarnation. The state of being entered into flesh.
Incarnational. The state of being like Christ.

"Counselor, Comforter, Keeper"

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.

Ps. 27:1, 14

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.

Lam 3:22-26

These words mean so much to me right now. It is evident in so many ways of the spiritual opposition and pressure I am facing - the fight upstream. Yet in the midst of the disappointment, the fear and anxiety, it is good that I wait for the Lord - for His deliverance, for His faithfulness to shine through, for His provision, and for His grace. There is still so much to be done in my life, but He is in the business of making all things new (Rev 21:5), including myself.



As for the title of this post, from the song "Wonderful, Merciful Savior". Listen to the song here.

Humbled x2

Last Thursday I received news from two different pairs of people delivering the same message, which God used to give me a dose of humility.

The first came through a skype message from some missionary friends. After a a very short amount of small talk, they announced to me that they would be supporting me at monthly! These are people who live off the donations of others and out of their own personal salaries are giving to me and my ministry. The second came from another couple in the family who I know are constantly pinching pennies. They told me they wanted to support me through giving monthly!

I tried to refuse both of these offers because I thought it was out of their budget. But they both insisted it was the right amount. They are giving sacrificially with a mind that knows God is the ultimate owner of all things. I know that all four of them will be praying for me often. I know that both couples love God and are concerned with ministry.

What baffles me is what so humbled me: These four have such a greater view of investing into the kingdom of God than I had! While I am bashful, they are openly giving. While I refuse, they insist. God has called me to see the grandness of His Kingdom, to work His fields and to reap a harvest. Why am I amazed that He would provide in such unexpected way? Knowing He works in unexpected ways, why do we persist with our expectations?

I will sow far and wide and wait and see what God will bring. And I will revel in the surprises and continue to allow myself to be humbled.