Unecessary but Nice

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Yesterday I took my grandson Elijah (age six) out for a ride on his trailer bike. The front end of his monocycle attaches to the seat post of my bike and we ride together. We went 15 miles and tackled some pretty significant hills. The biggest one was about eight tenths of a mile long and rose about 170 feet. That makes it a four percent grade, not much in a car but pretty significant when you're pedaling up it with a 75 pound load on the back of your bike. The profile of the hill from my GPS makes it look even more difficult.

Elijah's trailer bike does have pedals, but most of the time he gets pretty lazy back there, content to freewheel and let Papa do all the work. When he does pedal along, if we're on a flat stretch of road it's almost impossible to detect any difference in the level of effort required on my part. But yesterday was different. Yesterday Elijah was very enthusiastic about going for a ride. And when it came to the hills Elijah was eager to help out. In fact, on a couple of occasions he was pedaling so hard that I'm convinced I could have stopped pedaling momentarily and he would have kept us going uphill for some distance.

I know that I would have made it up every hill in our ride without Elijah's help. His efforts were not required to successfully climb the 9 or 10 hills on our 15 mile ride. But when I was going uphill and could feel his little legs adding power and speed to our climb it felt good. It made my heart smile to know that he was giving it his all and doing everything he could to make our ride a success.

As I read Colossians today, I was struck by the greatness of Christ. Paul's words drove home the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of all! He created all things and rules over everything with all the rights of a firstborn Son. He existed before anything, and everything that exists is held together by Him. Yet, He chose to give us a role in carrying on His ministry after He ascended into heaven following His glorious resurrection victory.

I realized that Paul's words in Colossians 1 make it clear that Jesus doesn't need us to get His work done. He can accomplish His will by His own divine power without any of us lifting a finger to help. But He has honored us by allowing us to participate in His work here on earth for the salvation of mankind. It made me think about yesterday's bike ride. I would have gotten up those hills without Elijah's help, but it was good to feel his efforts on the back of the bike. It made my heart happy to know that we were in it together, part of a combined effort. I'm sure it makes Jesus happy when He sees our efforts to serve Him. He is not dependent on our contribution, but the joy of sharing His ministry with us is a blessing to Him, just as it is a blessing to us.

Creators for the Creator

(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Hebrews 3:4

I watched a video yesterday on wealth creation. It described how wealth can be created out of nothing. When someone has an idea, then takes that idea and turns it into reality, the real object, invention or improved product becomes something that someone else sees as valuable. The creator can then sell that object to the person who values it and consequently increase his or her wealth.

Where did the wealth come from? From the person who bought the object? Not really. The money would have never changed hands without the idea that was conceived in the creator's mind. The idea is that which created the wealth to begin with. Or is it?

Where did the idea come from? From the mind that conceived it? Certainly that is the case, but where did the mind itself come from, or the ability of that mind to create something new out of nothing? It came from God. The reason we are creative people who are able to conceive of something new, something that no one has ever thought of before, is because we are created in the image of God.

God Himself is the ultimate Creator. Just as every house must have a builder, so everything in all of creation must have a Builder too. That Builder is God, and when God graciously created us to be like Him so that we could have fellowship with Him, He became the ultimate Originator of every idea that has ever been conceived. Thus, God is the Builder of everything. Not just the trees and flowers and animals and people that are a part of nature. But even the cars, houses, office buildings, computers and cell phones that we use every day. Because if God had not made us in His image, if He had not made us creative like Him, we would be like the animals who cannot conceive of a doggie door, or a kittie litter box, or a hamster ball or the anything else that is not "natural."

We honor people who create something new with wealth for their useful inventions. But even more, we should honor God for everything that exists, even the things we invent. Because God is the Builder of everything.

People to be thankful for?

"We give thanks to God always for all of you." 1 Thessalonians 1:2

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and of all the things I am thankful for, that for which I am most thankful is people. Most of all, I am thankful for my family, those dear people God has knit me together with most closely, my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. But there are many, many other people for whom I am thankful.

Paul's words, however, are amazing if you think about them. Two words jumped out at me as I read this verse, "always" and "all". I recognize that these may not have been literal expressions, but knowing Paul, I wouldn't be surprised if they were. Paul says "We give thanks to God always for all of you." I was forced to ask myself, "Am I always thankful for all the people in my life?" What about the person who cuts me off in traffic? What about the fast food worker who messes up my order? What about the in-law coming for Thanksgiving dinner who always, always has to be "right" about everything? I've been reading "Tour de France, Tour de Force" lately and one of the competitors even talked about how thankful he was for the competition, the other competitors who rode so hard that it forced him to ride even harder.

Upon rereading Paul's words I noticed that he didn't say, "We are always thankful for all of you." He said "We always give thanks for all of you." There's a difference. I'm sure that my family is not always thankful for me, especially when I'm being selfish or I lose my temper. But they can always give thanks for me. And when I give thanks to God for another person, it will improve my attitude toward that person, even if I am not thankful for them at the moment.

As I look back on my life I am thankful for so many people. I am thankful for my godly mother who loved me and all five of her children unconditionally. I am thankful for my grandfather, who loved God and his family dearly. I am thankful for my wife, the most tenderhearted and sensitive person I have ever met.

But even when I look at the people in my life who have caused me pain or let me down, I can give thanks. I can give thanks for the things I learned from them, if only by negative example. I can give thanks for the ways I grew as a result of their hurt or disappointment in my life. I can give thanks for the privilege of forgiving them, even as I have been forgiven by God.

Perhaps you can take some time today or tomorrow and make a list of the people in your life, both past and present. Maybe it can take a form something like this, "I give thanks to God for [name] because..." I'm guessing that when you're done your heart will be overflowing with gratitude and your attitude towards some of those people will be just a litte bit better. Happy Thanksgiving!

Grateful

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith." Philippians 3:7-9

This is Thanksgiving week. It's time to count our blessings and thank our God for them. Traditionally this has meant thankfulness for the harvest, for food and shelter, for the necessities of life that God so graciously provides, almost always beyond our needs. Through the years as we Americans have gotten fatter and happier, it's meant less thanksgiving and more celebrating with feasting and football.

In Philippians 3 Paul puts things in perspective for us. For the sake of Christ Paul suffered the loss of everything, ultimately even his life, and never regretted it. He counted every earthly benefit as rubbish for the sake of knowing Jesus and being right with God through faith in him.

I wish I could honestly say I've reached that point of spiritual maturity. If forced to choose between Christ and the comforts of this life, I believe that by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit I would make the right choice. But since I'm not in that position, I have to confess that I still enjoy the many earthly blessing that God so graciously showers on me.

So as Thanksgiving approaches I will thank God for the beautiful and conformtable home that I live in. I will thank Him that it's in a nice warm climate where I can enjoy riding my fabulous road bike almost any day of the year. I will thank Him for hills to climb and descents to race down, and for good food to fuel up on after a long, hard ride.

But as I give thanks this year I will especially give thanks for my family. For a beautiful wife I've been privileged to love for a lifetime. For a daughter who is studying hard in pursuit of a career and a future for herself and her son. For another daughter who is working to teach immigrants about English and life in America. For a hardworking son-in-law who loves his wife and son. And especially for two handsome, happy, healthy grandsons whom I have been privileged to love all of their short lives and who bring me great joy every day.

And while I'm at it, I will also give thanks for the privilege of continuing in ministry, preaching and teaching God's Word to God's people without all the pressure of full-time ministry as a Senior Pastor.

Above all I am thankful for my Savior. For the righteousness of faith that He has bestowed on me through His perfect life, His willing sacrifice, and His glorious resurrection. I am thankful that because of Him I have the hope of heaven.

This Thanksgiving week I'm particularly thankful for my family. I am thankful that I can serve my family in love each day. I am thankful that I can seek to be a Christ-like example to them. I am thankful that I can pour the love of Jesus into their lives both through my words and actions. I am thankful too, that I can breathe the grace of God into the lives of God's people at Concordia as I share God's Word. I am thankful for God's forgiveness when I fall short, as I frequently do.

Yes, this Thanksgiving week I will take time to thank God that I am blessed beyond measure! No response could ever be adequate, so, what can I say, but "Thank you, dear Lord!"

Loved First

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

At the bottom of my blog is a picture of my bike. It's labelled "My Pastor's Appreciation Gift." I received that gift three years ago, but I keep that picture there because I'm still overwhelmed by it. That bike is one I could have never owned except as a gift. It's too good a bike for my caliber of cyclist. It's too expensive to purchase for myself. And it still the best ride I've ever experienced. So why did my congregation honor me with that gift? There's only one word to explain it... love.

When I received that gift I had been pastor of the congregation for seven years. I'm sure they never would have made such a gift to me when I first walked in the door. Yes, they were glad I had accepted their call, and they were pleased to have a pastor after a long search, but they did not yet love me enough to make that kind of sacrifice. So why did they do so after seven years? Because I loved them.

Now that doesn't make me a hero. I loved God's people and ministered faithfully to them not because I'm such a great guy. I did it because God first loved me and gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Because I know the wonder of God's unconditional, undeserved love for me, it enables me to love others.

All genuine love originates with God. God is love. A lot of the time, things that we call love are very self-serving. "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." But whenever love is freely given, without any expectation of return, and without any merit or worthiness on the part of the recipient, then we see real love that flows from God. Because that's how God loved us.

We would be completely incapable of loving and serving God if He had not first loved us. The only reason we can ever choose God is because God loved us from eternity and chose us in Christ to be His very own. So whenever I ride my bike or even see that picture of it I say, "Thanks be to God!" Because unless God first loved me I never would have loved God's people, who in turn loved me and blessed me with that gift.

Do you need some love in your life? Turn to God. He loves you unconditionally. When you experience His love in Jesus, then you will be able to love someone else. And when you love someone else, some of that love will come back to you. But it all goes back to God, since... We love because God first loved us.

Works or Workmanship?

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

I just finished reading "Lance Armstrong: Images of a Champion." It was interesting to read his own account of his first Tour de France win in 1999 and compare it with Johan Bruyneel's account in his book, "We Might as Well Win." Sometimes when you read two different people's accounts of the same events you will get very different stories. That wasn't the case in this instance. Lance agreed that it was Johan who first made him believe that he could win the Tour de France. Now, it's true that Lance could not have won even once, let alone seven times, without a huge effort on his part. Nevertheless, he may not have won at all, not even once, unless Johan had approached him to say, "I think you can win."

I thought of this when I read Ephesians 2 today. This chapter contains my favorite verses in the whole Bible, the verses I quoted above. In fact, a lot of Christians claim Ephesians 2:8-9 as their favorite Bible verse, but most don't include verse 10. Those first two verses remind us that we can never make ourselves right with God. The third verse gives God the credit for anything good we are able to accomplish.

This is a reminder we desperately need. In our sinfulness, we try to fool ourselves into thinking that we can earn God's favor by the good works that we do, as though, somehow they could offset, overcome or compensate for the sin in our lives. Because of our sinful pride we want the credit for those good deeds to go to us, as though we were responsible for them.

Our sinful pride tempts us to think that our situation is like Lance Armstrong's. His victory was initiated by the encouragement of Johan Bruyneel who convinced him that he could win. In a sense, you could say that Lance was Johan's "workmanship" because he prepared Lance in advance to win the Tour. But Lance knows very well how much training, effort, pain and suffering went into those victories on his part. Therefore, while some of the credit for Lance's victories should go to Johan, much of the praise is due to Lance for his own hard work.

The reality of our situation is completely different. In our situation all of the credit, praise and glory belongs to God and God alone. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God planned for us to complete long ago, in fact, before the foundation of the world. The fact that we are able to do anything good is not because of ourselves. It's entirely because of God and His grace at work in us, as Paul said in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Thus, if there is anything good in me, or if I am able to accomplish any good in my life, it is all because of Christ! The good in me is not my own, it is only because Christ lives in me and works through me.

I highly doubt that Lance Armstrong would ever give all the credit for his Tour de France wins to Johan Bruyneel. Some of it, yes. All of it, no. But that is exactly what we must do. We must give all the credit, all the glory and all the praise for every good work to God and God alone. God tells us that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) Only through faith in Christ do we become God's workmanship, new creations who are able to do the good works that God planned for eternity for us to accomplish to His glory. So thank God that you are saved by Him, not by your works. Thank GOd that it's His workmanship that matters, not your own works. On our own, we could never win, not even once.

Adventuresome?

And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him.... He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:16, 30-31)

This last chapter of Acts concludes a truly amazing story. God used a man who was arrested in Jerusalem, imprisoned in Caesarea, shipwrecked on the island of Malta, and finally detained under house arrest with an armed guard for two years, to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. It's hard to imagine that God could have devised a more round about way of delivering the Gospel to the heart of the Roman Empire.

When I think about the life I've lived, it is about as round about as the story of Paul in Acts, although not nearly as dramatic. Growing up in Michigan the grandson of a wholesale florist, I was supposed to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and take over the family business. God had other plans, and I ended up being chosen by Him to share the good news of Jesus for the rest of my life. In the process God moved me and my family from Illinois, to Minnesota, to Washington state, and finally now to Texas. In every place God had new adventures planned for us, and opportunities I had never dreamed of to spread the gospel.

Paul was an even more unlikely candidate to be chosen by God than I was. He was a Pharisee, the strictest sect of the Jews who were determined to make themselves right with God by their own efforts at observing the Law. Paul persecuted Christians and threw them in prison, before he was blinded by Christ and then had his eyes opened at his baptism. But through Paul, God taught us about his grace, turned the world upside down, and spread the Gospel throughout the known world.

You may think you're nothing special or that your life is pretty ordinary, but if you will put yourself in God's hands you may be surprised how He will use you to spread the message of His love in Jesus. You may even have some adventures you never dreamed of. Being used by God to share the Gospel is not always easy or painless, but it is exciting and full of adventure. So why not say a prayer and ask God to put you to work, starting today!

That's Incredible! Or not.

Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? (Acts 26:8)

What is incredible to you? It all depends on your perspective. About 12 years ago when I first went out to California and drove the Pacific Coast Highway, I thought it was incredible that there were cyclists on that road, climbing those huge hills by the Pacific Ocean. Then, about six years later, I did it myself! When I moved to the Pacific Northwest and first saw Mt. Rainier I thought it was incredible, then in 2007 I rode my bike up Mt. Rainier. When I first started watching the Tour de France I thought it was incredible that those men could race their bikes for more than 100 miles a day for three weeks. Then in 2008 I rode my bike from Canada to Mexico in three weeks. What seems incredible to a person all depends on their perspective (although, I must confess, the Tour de France still seems incredible).

Paul found it incredible that any of the people he was speaking to when he appeared before King Agrippa would wonder if God could raise the dead. That sounds strange, when you first hear it, because it's usually the exact opposite. People are usually incredulous when they hear about the resurrection. That's why, even though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the best documented event in all of ancient history, most people refuse to believe it.

But what you find incredible all depends on your perspective. When I first began to read about the huge quantities of complex specified information in the DNA of living cells I found it incredible. Then as I learned about the amazingly complex nano-machines inside of every single cell, I thought it was even more incredible. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that these discoveries simply demonstrate that life could not have arisen "accidentally" on its own, but must have been designed by our Creator God.

Once you understand that there must be a Creator who gives life to every creature, a Creator to put the awesome galaxies of the universe into place, a Creator who fashioned a world perfectly suited to us to enjoy, then nothing else is incredible any longer. God raising the dead? What's so incredible about that? Breathing life back into a lifeless body is child's play compared to designing and executing the miracle of life in the first place.

Sometimes people will read the Bible and wonder about some of the stories in it. Like the time when God made the sun's shadow go backward ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz. There's nothing incredible about that. If gravity can bend light (which we know it can) surely God has the power to do so. Or what about the Virgin Birth. If God can write the genetic code into our DNA, surely he can create the exact genetic code of His own Son in the womb of Mary. What's incredible all depends on your perspective. Let's not be incredulous when God tells us of his marvelous works and ways. Instead, let's honor and glorify him He is the One who is truly incredible!

Public Faith

And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. (Acts 21:5)

As I was watching the Tour de France last summer I watched Alberto Contador prepare for the individual time trial on the next to last day of the Tour. As he sat on his bike in the starting block he made the sign of the cross. At first I was surprised. Professional cyclists are not known to be an overly religious crowd. As I thought about it, however, I realized that being a Spaniard he was most likely raised in the Roman Catholic church. I have no way of knowing whether Alberto's act was simply superstitious, force of habit, or genuine devotion to God, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought about God and faith when Contador crossed himself.

I wonder what other people on the beach in Tyre might have thought when they saw Paul and his companions, along with fellow believers from Tyre kneel down to pray? What went through the sailors' minds, or the minds of other passengers on the ship? We have no way of knowing, but they probably thought about God.

Most of the time, our devotional acts take place inside the walls of our church, or inside our own homes. They are not generally seen by other people, unless they are fellow believers. I think Paul and his companions were setting a good example for us by kneeling down on the beach to pray before sailing away from Tyre.

I love it when I am in a restaurant and a couple or a family will join hands and say grace before their meal. I think it's neat when a football player who has scored a touchdown kneels down and points to heaven to give God the glory. It's very moving to me to see players from both teams kneel in a circle after a game to pray.

When private acts of devotion to the Lord go public, it's a good thing. We should not be ashamed of our faith. We should be eager to have others see that we love the Lord because He first loved us. So the next time you're out in public and have reason to pray, or thank God, or praise Him, don't hesitate. Go for it! God will be pleased and glorified.

Allegations Removed

It's not unusual to hear of allegations of wrongdoing against someone without ever hearing of their ultimate resolution. Recently, the media reported that 2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador had tested positive for clenbuterol. The banned substance showed up in a blood sample taken on the second rest day of the Tour de France. If all you ever heard was that allegation, it would be easy to think, "One more doping cyclist down the tubes." You had to read beyond the headlines to learn that the trace amount of the drug in his blood was consistent with eating beef that had been injected with the drug, something Contador claims he did that day. Most likely, unless Contador is ultimately found gulty of doping, these allegations are the last we will ever hear of the matter, because if the UCI (the agency that monitors drug use among cyclists) clears him, no one in the media will even bother to report it.

Something similar happened to Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They were stripped and beaten with rods and thrown into jail without any formal charges being placed against them by the magistrates of Philippi. These things were done to them based only on the allegation of some angry slave owners after Paul cast out a demon that enabled the slave girl to make money for her owners by fortune-telling.

God intervened, however, and Paul and Silas were miraculously freed from jail in the middle of the night when an earthquake threw open the jail doors and their bonds fell off. Upon hearing of this incident, the magistrates ordered Paul and Silas to be released quietly. Clearly they had not done anything deserving of the beating and imprisonment they received.

Paul, however, would not hear of it. In Acts 16:37 Paul told the officers representing the magistrates: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." Paul wasn't going to let the allegations against him to be removed quietly.

Why? Was Paul too proud to allow himself to be falsely accused? It wasn't a matter of pride. Rather, Paul did not want the name of Jesus Christ to be disgraced by the false allegations against himself and Silas. He insisted that they be escorted out of prison by the magistrates to publicly demonstrate their innocence.

Sometimes we may be tempted to let false allegations against ourselves or other Christians go unchecked. We may conclude that it's better to simply suffer quietly. Paul's actions remind us of the importance of standing up for the name of Jesus. When we are falsely accused of wrongdoing because we follow Jesus, we need to be concerned not just about our own reputation. We need to be concerned about the truth of the Gospel and the good name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask God for wisdom about when you should speak up to defend the name of Jesus and the truth of God's Word.

United for a Cause - or Not

Sometimes it seems easy to get people together for a cause. This weekend I saw a picture of the crowds of cyclists at Levi's Grand Fondo in Santa Rosa, California. It reminded me of the scene in Honolulu in September 2007 when I rode the Honolulu Century to raise funds for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Bikes and helmets and jerseys as far as the eye could see. Of course, it's never hard to get a group of cyclists together for something like the Grand Fondo. Just throw a big enough challenge at them, like 103 miles of riding with 8500 feet of climbing and they're in!

You would think that the easiest group to bring together would be a group of Christians. After all, they share the loftiest goal, to save souls, and the biggest challenge, to win the world for Christ. So getting Christians together should be a breeze. Or not.

In Acts 15 we see two examples that illlustrate both success and failure at bringing Christains together. The first example involved a dispute over whether Gentiles had to be circumcised and observe the law of Moses in order to be saved. The apostles and other church leaders convened in Jerusalem and "after much discussion" reached an agreement that faith alone saves and thay "should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." Now something tells me it was not as easy as a cursory reading of Acts 15 might make it seem. My guess is that some of that "much discussion" was pretty heated. Nevertheless, an agreement was reached and the Gospel continued to spread.

In the same chapter however, we hear of Paul and Barnabas planning a trip to visit and encourage the churches that were founded on their first missionary journey. Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. Paul, however, remembered how he had deserted them in Pamphylia and would hear nothing of it. Their disagreement became so sharp that the two men when their separate ways. In this case, getting Christians together was not so easy.

If you are a member of a Christian congregation, you may have some experience with how easy it is to get Christians together, or not. Most churches have had their disagreements along the way. Some of those may have even resulted in divisions. If you've had this kind of experience, you may be a little discouraged with the Body of Christ. But Acts 15 demonstrates that Christians have always had these kinds of problems. That's because Christians are sinners. Sometimes they manage to settle their differences and get together, and sometimes they don't. But that shouldn't cause us to give up on the church. Paul and Barnabas' disagreement led to two missionary journeys instead of one, so God brought good out of their disagreement, even though the disagreement itself was not good.

So please, don't quit your church just because there are some disagreements. There is no perfect church. There wasn't one in the days of the apostles. As much as possible, seek peace on your part and continue to work together with fellow believers for the sake of Gospel. In the end, God will be glorified.

What's on Your Face?

I'll never forget when I saw the picture of me that my wife took after the STP. I had just finished riding my bike from Seattle to Portland, 206 miles, in one day. It took 15 hours including rest stops. I didn't feel that bad when I got to the finish line at the park in downtown Portland. Boy, did I look rough! My face was grimy from the road and every feature clearly displayed the exhaustion in my body. It was truly a picture worth a thousand words.

In Acts 6 Luke reports, "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15). This was not an occasion on which you would expect Stephen to have a joyful or peaceful or bright countenance. Stephen was under arrest and on trial before the Sanhedrin. Surely this disciple knew what happened to Jesus when He was tried before the same body. He should have been anticipating the worst. Wouldn't his face reflect worry, fear, or perhaps even anger at being unjustly seized, and having false accusations flung at him? But his face was like an angel.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 tells us: "Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance." Stephen possessed the true widsom that comes from above. His face shone like Moses did after he had been with God on the mountain. He face was aglow like Jesus' was on the mount of transfiguration. His face reflected his faith, and it caused those in the Sanhedrin to gaze upon him intently.

What does your face reflect? I have to admit that too often my face reflects the worries and fears of the day. Too often my face looks weary and burdened like it did after the STP. This passage really made me think about how my face should reflect my faith.

Paul wrote: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) When we have the Spirit of the Lord in us to enable us to trust in Jesus, then our faces should be like Moses coming down from the mountain aglow, or like Stepehen's, shining like an angel. With the Holy Spirit at work in us through God's Word, we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever increasing glory, and our faces should show it! They should reflect the real freedom we have in Christ from fear and doubt.

Every week at Concordia our Pastors remind us to go out and shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the Word of life. If we try to hold out the Word of life to others while we have gloomy, frightened or angry faces, we won't be doing much shining. So the next time you look in the mirror, don't just think about how your hair is combed or whether your makeup is right. Ask yourself if your face reflects your faith in Jesus. Say a prayer for that to happen. Then go out and SHINE!

Spirit or Self?

Who's it all about? Have you ever asked yourself that question? We have a terrible tendency in life to want to make things all about ourselves. Two years ago I rode my bike from Canada to Mexico, in order to raise funds to buy ultra sound machines for crisis pregnancy centers. There was a temptation to make it easier for me by using some of the funds raised to offset the cost of the trip. There was a temptation to seek publicity for what I was doing so that I could be recognized. By the grace of God I resisted those temptations. Nevertheless, the temptation for self-promotion is always present.

In my Word for Today reading I was reminded how Ananias and Sapphira gave into that temptation. They owned some land that they weren't using and decided to sell their land and give the proceeds to the church to help the poor. But their real motive was self-promotion. They gave only a portion of the proceeds but pretended to give it all. They wanted to look good before men and in process, lied to the Holy Spirit.

"Who's it all about?" is a good question to ask ourselves when we do good. If it's all about us, what other people think of us, how good we look to others, then our motives are false and our good works will not be pleasing to God. In fact, if we do good things at church in order to promote ourselves, the wrath of God may fall on us. It certainly did fall on Ananias and Sapphira, in a big way! They died on the spot!

In reality, all of us are sinners and all of us are a mixed bag of motivations at best. There is often a little bit of selfishness in even the most unselfish things we do. Thankfully, the grace of God in Jesus Christ covers over those sinful motivations, and by faith, God is pleased with the good things we do to serve Him and those in need. But when we realize that something good we do or some gift we give is really all about us, then we are in trouble. Then it's time to step back and examine our hearts to see if faith is alive.

If the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts, whenever we recognize self-promotion in ourselves we will be grieved in our spirt and repent, seeking God's forgiveness. If self is at the center of our motives, however, we may make the same mistake that Ananias and Sapphira made in thinking they could lie to the Holy Spirit and get away with it.

So the next time you have opportunity to do good, examine your heart. Check your motivations. Ask yourself "Who's it all about?" If the answer is God, and the people He has called you to serve, then do it joyfully giving thanks for the opporunity to glorify God. If the answer is "Me!" then turn back to God in broken hearted repentance and ask Him to help you serve or give from a pure heart.

Power from Within? Not!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." Acts 1:8

When you want to cycle long distances one of the most important things to remember is to eat and drink frequently while riding. If you fail to do so you will "run out of gas", just like your car does when you fail to put gas in the tank. The power to keep going after 50, 75 or a hundred miles has to come from within... not! Yes, it does take inner strength and determination to keep going long miles, but if you don't get the power you need from the outside, all the inner determination you can possibly summon will not be enough. The power to keep going must actually come from outside of you, from the food and drink that you put into your mouth, down into your stomach, and into your bloodstream.

Jesus had given his disciples a huge task. "Go and make disciples of all nations..." That makes cycling a hundred miles look easy. How in the world could they ever hope to undertake such an impossibly great commission? Could they count on themselves? It almost seems as though they were doing that, because before the day of Pentecost arrived they added another apostle to their ranks to help carry out the Great Commission.

But Jesus told them clearly where their power would come from. He said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The power for them to carry on Jesus' ministry after his return to heaven, would come from within only in the sense that the power for me to keep going on my bike comes from within, that is from the food and liquid that I put in my stomach.

The power of the disciples would not come from themselves, but from the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would send from the Father to enable them to carry on his ministry. Yes, from the day of Pentecost onward, believers have been filled with the Holy Spirit, so in a certain sense, the power to do God's will and carry on Jesus' ministry comes from within, but only because God has put His Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Paul wrote, "our Gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction." (1 Thessalonians 1:5) The power to believe, to do God's will, to carry on Jesus ministry, to share the Gospel with others comes from the Holy Spirit, not from within us. We have no power within ourselves to do God's work and will. But when we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift of God's grace, we receive all the power we need to do everything God asks of us.

So how do we continually "fill the gas tank" so that we can keep going in doing God's will? Just as a cyclist has to keep eating and drinking, so we must continually feed on God's Word and the Sacraments, so that we can have the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.

Convnced

"But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense." (Luke 24:11)

Scientific truth is established through a rigorous process of repeated experimentation and observation. When a scientist seeks to understand a certain phenomenon he develops a hypothesis about what is going on. He then performs an experiment to test his hypothesis. When the same result is repeatedly observed the truth of his hypothesis is confirmed.

When the disiciples first heard the words of the women exclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead, they did not believe them. Their words seemed like nonsense to them. Why? Early Christians are sometimes portrayed as "gullible" fools who were duped into believing miracles by a master magician, Jesus. The disciples were not gullible. They knew that in their ordinary experience dead people did not rise. Yes, they had seen Jesus raise the dead, but in this case, the One who had raised the dead was dead Himself. Therefore, they did not believe the women's report.

However, something changed their minds. What was it? It was repeated experience of the same report, or their own repeated observation of the same phenomenon, Jesus risen from the dead, that ultimately caused them to recognize the fact of the resurrection. After the women gave their report, Peter and John observed the empty tomb for themselves. They heard the report of the Emmaus disciples who saw Jesus alive. Then, they observed the risen Lord for themselves. And not only that, they saw Jesus experimentally demonstrate that He was truly alive in the flesh by eating in front of them on more than one occasion.

When we ask ourselves why we should believe that 2000 years ago the impossible occurred, that a man who had obviously died in the presence of many witnesses arose from the dead on the third day, we can assure ourselves that we have good reason to believe. Ancient skeptics were themselves convinced by repeated observation of the facts. Luke, the historian, records those repreated observations for us so that we can "know the certainty of the things [we] have been taught." (Luke 1:4)

Surprise! (Not to God!)

Every day all kinds of things happen that we don't expect. We go to Starbucks for a latte and on our way out bump our hands on the door and spill our drink. We get on our bike for a ride and end up having to stop and change a flat tire. From our perspective life is full of surprises.

In Luke 22 Jesus told His disciples to go into the city and prepare for the Passover feast. They asked Him where He wanted them to prepare it. He then told them: "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." (Luke 22:10-12)

I imagine that the disciples were amazed when everything unfolded exactly as Jesus said it would. Or maybe they weren't at this point, after three years of following Jesus. Earlier in the week Jesus had told them about a donkey that He would ride into Jerusalem. (Luke 19:30) By this time, then, they probably expected and weren't surprised to see the man carrying a jar of water.

This account is just one illustration of the fact that God, and His Son Jesus, knows everything. Nothing surprises God. This is of comfort to me when a not so pleasant surprise pops up in my life. I may not have seen it coming, but God did. I may not understand why He let a certain trial come my way, but I know it didn't happen because God wasn't paying attention, or worse yet, simply didn't know it was coming.

As your day unfolds, full of surprises, be confident that none of them is a surprise to God. He has a good purpose is everything that happens to us. And because He saw it coming before we ever got there, we can be confident that He can and will help us through whatever the circumstance may be.

Hanging on His Words

"Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words." (Luke 19:47-48)

I have a Twitter account, but I'm not very good at it. In more than a year that I've been on Twitter I've tweeted exactly six times. I have three whole followers on Twitter. On the other hand, I follow Lance Armstrong on Twitter (from time to time) and he tweets several times a day every day. Lance Armstrong has 2,651,017 followers on Twitter. Now that's impressive.

Nevertheless, whether it's lowly me, or the mighty Lance Armstrong neither comes close to the impact Jesus had, and that's without TV, radio, internet, blogging, Facebook, Twitter and anything else to promote Himself. Nevertheless, Luke tells us that the Jewish leaders were afraid of trying to do away with Jesus, "because all the people hung on his words."

What was it about Jesus' words that made them so compelling? Some might argue that people hung on His words because He was such a great story teller. Jesus' parables are compelling. Others might say it was because He challenged the status quo. But neither of those is the real reason that people hung on Jesus' words.

Peter said it as well as anyone could on the one occasion when many people were turning away from Jesus because of His words. Jesus asked it the disciples wanted to leave as well and Peter replied: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

People hung on Jesus' every word because He had the words of eternal life. Jesus spoke the truth about sin that brings death, about his own death that paid for sin, and about his resurrection that brings eternal life. In a world where life itself is "terminal" those are words worth hanging onto.

Great Crowds

If you've ever watched the Tour de France you've seen the crowds. Thousands and thousands of people line the Tour route waiting for hours and hours to catch a glimpse of the riders for just a couple of seconds as they speed by at up to 35 miles an hour. In the cities the crowds will be ten to fifteen deep, especially behind the barriers near the finish line.

In the mountains it's even more amazing. People will climb thousands of feet up the mountainside to see the riders as they make their ascent. Since they're only going 10 to 15 miles per hour on the steep climbs the fans on the mountains get a much better view of the riders. Sometimes the crowds get so large that the motorcycles have to clear a path through the crowd for the cyclists to be able to ride through. I've even seen riders push fans out of their way so they can continue up the mountain.

I'm sure you've heard news reports of crowds getting so large and so unruly at soccer matches that fans have actually been trampled to death. Crowds of fans are pretty much the same no matter what the event might be. I've been to Christian music festivals where the crowds were pressing so hard against the stage that people in the front row were being crushed.

It wasn't any different in Jesus' day, although I was amazed to see it. I know I've read Luke 12 many times, but this morning I was struck by what Luke said about the crowds. "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples."

Jesus knew how to draw a crowd. But in the days before radio or TV, before newspaper ads or posters on telephone poles, before public address systems and walls of giant speakers, it's pretty amazing to think that crowds of many thousands would gather around Jesus. They were so eager to have access to Him, that people would trample one another to try to get as close as possible to our Lord.

What was the attraction? Grace and truth! John said: "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17) When Jesus spoke, people heard the truth. He spoke with authority. He told them to truth about themselves and about God. And in Jesus they experienced grace firsthand. He healed the sick, cast out demons, gave sight to the blind, and fed the hungry. This was grace in action. No wonder everyone wanted to get as close as possible to Jesus.

It's one thing to press in close in order to see a great cyclist, a great soccer match, or a great singer. But when people pressed in close to see Jesus, they were seeing the real thing. John said: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:18) And Jesus himself said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) Yes, I'd press in as close as possible to be able to see God in the flesh! I'm not sure how Jesus and his disciples handled crowd control.

Yes, Jesus knew how to draw a crowd, but that was not what he was interested in. He was interested in imparting life, eternal life to lost people. He did so by sharing grace and truth. And people found grace and truth attractive. Sometimes, churches are criticized for wanting to draw a crowd. If those churces are sharing grace and truth in order to impart eteranl life through faith in Jesus with lost people, then they are doing exactly what they should be doing.

In Need of the Physician

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)

A few months ago I made a doctor's appointment. My knee had been bothering me for several days and I couldn't even straighten it out completely. Just two days before my scheduled appointment my knee suddenly stopped hurting. I decided to keep the appointment anyway. The doctor examined my knee carefully and pronounced his diagnosis. "You're getting old." I wanted to say, "I paid you $25 to tell me I'm old? I've got a mirror that tells me that for free." I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, my knee was well and Jesus did say, "Those who are well have no need of a physician."

What Jesus meant, however, was that people who have already repented of their sin and received God's grace and healing are not those desperately in need of Jesus as their Savior. Rather, it is those who are trapped in sin and spiritually dead who need to be rescued by the Savior.

Because Jesus knew this, He frequently spent time with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other notorious sinners. And He was roundly condemned by the "righteous" folks for doing so. Therefore, when questioned Jesus reminded these religious people of why He associated with such "low life."

What struck me as I read this passage was how much like the Pharisees and teachers of the Law many of us Christians are today. We don't want to associate with notorious sinners, and we will gladly condemn other Christians who are willing to do so.

We have forgotten Jesus' words about the sick needing a physician, and we have failed to live up to His characterization of the church He died and rose to create. Jesus told His disciples, "On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prove stronger than it." (Matthew 16:18). Notorious sinners are literally trapped behind the gates of hell. If we are not willing to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, they will never be set free. Only God's grace in Jesus can ever free them from the chains of sin and death that have completely overwhelmed their lives.

So let's remember what Jesus said. People who have already been healed of their sin by God's grace in Jesus are not the ones most desperately in need of a physician. Those who are sick unto death need to be healed by the forgiveness that Christ purchased for them by His death on the cross. Let's use His cross like a battering ram to break down the gates of hell and set them free! Let's be the caring Physician's assistants who bring healing grace to those who have been made sick by sin.

When Opportunity Knocks

"And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

I'm always looking for an opportunity to ride my bike. I thought I would have more of them after I retired, but since I am now working part time again it seems as though the schedule is as tight as it ever was. In fact, I've found it harder than ever to find an opportune time to hit the road this summer. In the past, winter was the tough time to ride, so I would set up a trainer in my house and ride indoors to avoid the rain in the Pacific Northwest. Now however, the heat in San Antonio makes it nearly impossible to ride in the afternoon, or to set up a trainer in the garage, and since I really don't have anyplace to put a trainer inside, I'm not getting the miles I would like.

In the Word for Today reading, Luke tells us that after the devil had thrown everything he had at Jesus in the wilderness, "he departed from him until an opportune time." The devil is a lot like me. Just as I'm always looking for an opportune time to ride my bike, the devil is always looking for an opportune time to tempt us to sin.

What are those opportune times? They take many forms. Sometimes it's in the midst of conflict, when he will tempt us to say or do something we will later regret. Or perhaps it is a time when we've gone somewhere we shouldn't go, someplace we know we are prone to sin, whether that be in the real world, in cyberspace, on TV, or just in our own minds. Sometimes the devil finds an opportune moment simply because we are emotionally or physically exhausted and too weary to resist.

The main thing we need to remember is that because the devil is always looking for an opportune moment for temptation, we must be vigilant to resist him. Peter says: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9)

What a great formula for victory. Be alert! The devil is. He is alert for the opportunity to tempt us. Be self-controlled. If we exercise self-control temptation is a lot easier to overcome. Resist him. This can take some effort, since the devil is persistent when he finds an opportune time. There's a saying that goes, "Opportunity knocks but once, but temptation leans on the doorbell." Therefore, Peter tells us to stand firm in the faith. This is where our knowledge of Scripture comes in. Armed with the sword of the Spirit, we have the weapon in hand that we need to defeat the enemy.

So remember, even if you've just overcome everything Satan can throw at you, he may leave for a time, but he always looking for an opportune time to tempt you again!

Use it or lose it!

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. (Philemon 1:6)

Doctors understand that muscles which are not used atrophy. When muscles are inactive they lose mass and strength, as soon as four hours within the start of bed rest. This picture clearly shows the effect of atrophy in the legs of a man who auffered a broken ankle and was unable to put weight on his leg for some time. One of the most common causes of muscle atrophy is aging. As elderly people experience reduced levels of activity, their muscles begin to atrophy.

That's why I'm so glad to be a cyclist at my age. Riding my bike keeps me active both physically and mentally. I have to use the muscles in my legs to propel me forward. The muscles in my back are used to help support my upper body and keep me rigid enough to supply power to the pedals. The muscles in my arms are used to support my shoulders and to steer and balance my bike. The muscles in my neck get a strong workout as I lift and turn my head to see where I'm going.

But it's not only my muscles that get a workout through cycling. Doctors have discovered that cycling is a great activity to prevent the loss of mental agility that comes with aging and senile dementia. It is even a good prevention against Alzheimer's disease. When you are riding your bike your brain must process large amounts of data continuously to maintain your balance, direction and speed. All this activity keeps the synapses in your brain firing rapidly and keeps you mentally as well as physically fit.

The same is true spiritually as well. Paul told Philemon that he wanted him to be active in sharing his faith. Why? Certainly so that others would come to know Christ and find eternal life in Him. But there was a benefit to Philemon as well. Paul wanted him to be active in sharing his faith so that Philemon would have a full understanding of all the blessings that come from knowing Christ.

I've certainly experienced that in my own life. Through 35 years of sharing my faith as a pastor, I've grown tremendously in my understanding of God's Word and will. I've had to find the answers in God's Word to countless questions that people have asked. I've had to help people determine what God's will was in countless situations. I've had to overcome objections from unbelievers to many different aspects of the Christian faith. All of this has kept my own faith vital, strong and active.

So whether you're talking about muscle power, mental power, or spiritual power it's all the same -- use it or lose it. God wants us to use our faith actively by sharing it with others. As we do, our faith will grow and we will be strengthened in our relationship with the Lord and in our ability to serve Him.

Don't Join the Pack

When I ride my bike I usually go out alone. Part of the reason is schedule. It's easier to go out on my own than to look for someone who can ride at the same time. Primarily, however, I normally don't join in group rides because then I have to ride at their pace, and that is frequently a quicker pace than I would take on my own, since I am often the oldest rider in the group. One time since I've moved to Texas another cyclist who is on the same website on which I log my own rides contacted me for a ride. We went out together and I had to struggle for the next two hours to keep up. Group rides are often like this. They turn into what cyclists call "hammerfests" as everyone tries to show how fast they are and the whole group suffers along out of pride.

Of course, there is the danger of the "pack mentality" or "group think" in almost every human situation. It's easy to get caught up in and go along with whatever a crowd of people might be doing. I remember when I was a kid and a group of boys would dare someone to do something foolish. One dare probably wouldn't do it, but a whole group egging on the individual would generally get the job done, and usually with disastrous results for that person.

In Revelation 18:4-5 we hear a warning against joining the "pack." There John warns against the wicked city called Babylon, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.” (Revelation 18:4-5) In a similar vein Proverbs 23:20 warns: "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat." And Proverbs 24:21 cautions: "Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious."

It's important to watch what company we keep. "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33) The influence of others can be strong, especially when we as God's people are in the minority. So just as I might ride harder than I should in a group ride just to keep up, so too, we as God's people might condone or even participate in evils that we would otherwise condemn, if we are influenced too strongly by the larger group.

If we don't separate ourselves from the sinful society that opposes God will, then we can find ourselves dragged down by it, and in the end experience the same plagues of judgment that our sinful, unbelieving neighbors endure. So when you think about what to do for entertainment, or where to go for relaxation, or what to watch or listen to for liesure time, think about this danger of the "pack mentality". Remember this warning, "Come out of her, my people" and steer clear of those groups or situations that might influence you to sin.

Who Will Not Fear God?

One of the things I love about cycling is being out in God's creation. Before I moved to Texas I lived in Washington State. There was some awesome scenery there inculding Mt. Rainier, rushing mountain streams, and trees as tall as the sky. One of my favorite rides took me down to Puget Sound to enjoy the smell of the saltwater. But the Texas Hill Country has it's own beauty too. There are the evergreen live oaks, the cactus, the hills and valleys around every corner. Being able to ride through God's creation at 15 or 20 miles and hour in the open air on a bike gives you an appreciation of nature that you can't get on the freeway at 75 miles an hour.

I thought of all the beautiful sights I've seen on my bike as I read Revelation 15 this morning. Verses three and four include this song: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?" My sentiments are the same as those who sang the song of Moses in heaven. "Who will not fear you?" When I see the wonders of creation I cannot help but give glory to God.

Sadly, there are some who do not see it the same way. Their eyes have been blinded and their minds are held captive by Satan. Back in March I wrote about this in my blog and had one person post vile comments on my blog because I believed in creation, not evolution. He declared himself an atheist and proclaimed that anyone who believes in God is a moron and worse. He is not alone. Today there are several vocal atheists with best selling books who stridently condemn anyone who is "foolish" enough to believe in God. Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens and others refuse to acknowledge the glory of God in his creation, and will not give Him glory.

Those of us who have eyes to see how great and marvelous are the deeds of God in creation should thank God that He has made himself known to us. And those of us who can see how just and true God is in the cross of Jesus Christ should rejoice and give God glory for the salvation He has given us through His Son. In doing so we will join the saints in heaven in praising God and the question will be answered positively which asks, "Who will not fear God?" NOT US! We fear, love, and trust in God who first loved us by creating us and the beautiful world we live in, and by redeeming us through His own Son.

Pray for those who will not fear God. They cannot see the wonders of the Creator even though they are right in front of them. They see only "random accumulations of molecules" and "accidents of nature." Pray that the veil Satan has put over their eyes will be lifted, and they will soon join us in fearing God and glorifying Him.

Chosen Beforehand

Yesterday I picked up the latest copy of Bicycling magazine from the magazine rack in our house and read about the favorites in the Tour de France. It was interesting to read the article after the race was finished. The rivalry which was heralded on the front cover between Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador never materialized, due to some bad luck for Armstrong in the early stages of the race that cost him big chunks of time. The real battle in the Tour this year was between Contador and Schleck, who was also mentioned as a favorite, but was not really expected to win. Other favorites named included Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans and Dennis Menchov. Only one of those three finished on the Podium in Paris, so the writers for Bicycling were only half right about their top picks.

I'm sure it was nice for the riders who were chosen in advance to be GC contenders to read about themselves before the race even started, but it didn't change the outcome any. Writers can speculate all they want about who will do well, but the real race takes place on the roads of France and decides the winner.

There is one instance of being chosen beforehand that does make a difference, however. John tells us about it in Revelation 13:8: "All who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain." John warns that all those who are not among the elect will succumb to the seduction of the beast's blasphemy. They will not endure until the end. But the chosen ones will stand firm until the end and exhibit faith and endurance that will allow them to experience eternity with the Lamb who was slain.

This verse makes clear the fact that our salvation is a gift of God's grace. We are not responsible for our own salvation. No, in fact, we were chosen "in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." (Ephesians 1:4-5) Certainly, if God chose us before creation to be his own, then nothing we do could be the cause of, or contribute to our salvation. It is a pure gift of God's grace.

This is also a great source of comfort when life is full of tribulation and it's difficult to stand firm in the faith. We know that since we were chosen by God in advance, He will keep us safe in Christ unto eternal life. Our names were written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world.

There is actually some question whether that phrase (before the foundation of the world) should be connected with names written in the book of life or whether it refers to the Lamb who was slain. It really doesn't make any difference. Before creation God chose his Son to die for our sins and in eternity Christ consented to die in our place. As a result, it is as though he was slain before the foundation of the world. And at that same time, before the world began, God chose us in Christ to be holy and blamless through Christ, so that we could have eternal life with Him. The two go hand in hand, and because they do we need have no fear about the trials that may come before the end of time. God will preserve us safely to the end, because we were chosen and our names were written in the Lamb's book of life before time began.

So our situation is much better than that of the GC contender's in Bicycling magazine. Their pick didn't make a difference. Our being chosen beforehand assures us of eternal life in Christ. Praise God for his grace in saving us!

The Time for Judgment

"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great—and for destroying those who destroy the earth." Revelation 11:17-18

In the Tour de France, yesterday was judgment day. It was the final day in the Pyrenees and it included a mountain top finish on the highest mountain of the Tour, the Col du Tourmalet at almost 7000 feet. The Tour de France is won or lost in the mountains and in the individual time trials. Since Alberto Contador is a much better time trialer than Andy Schleck, Andy needed to gain at least 8 seconds on Alberto on the climb up the Tourmalet so that he could ride last in the time trial and try to match Alberto's split times. Andy's teammates set a furious pace up the mountain, seeking to tire Alberto. When his last teammate dropped off, Andy powered ahead, but Alberto stayed right on his wheel. Andy led the whole climb except at one point when Alberto attacked in an effort to break Andy. Andy, however, would not be broken and caught up to Alberto immediately. They rode almost side by side to the top of the mountain, where Alberto allowed Andy to take a well earned win.

On the podium, Andy received the prize for the stage win, but Alberto received the more important prize, the yellow leader's jersey. He will ride last in the time trial on Saturday, and will most likely win the Tour de France. Hence the fact that yesterday was judgement day.

The book of Revelation contains numerous references to Judgement Day. It repeatedly reminds us that the day will come when God will punish evil and reward good. Revelation 11:17-18 is one of those references. On Judgement Day Divine wrath will be poured out on all the unbelievers who were angry with God, all the evil doers who by their wickedness destroyed God's good creation.

On the other hand, Judgment Day will be a day of rewards for all true believers. The servants of God, both Old Testament prophets and New Testament saints who have declared the Word of the Lord and lived in reverent obedience to His will will be rewarded for their faith. And it won't be just the big names of old (like Moses or Paul) but even the small names like Bob who will be rewarded for their faith.

Many people, even some believers, think of Judgment Day with a sense of dread. Only those who despise God and His Word need fear the Judgment. God's servants, both small and great, have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Judgment Day for us will be a joyful day filled with God's gracious rewards. We should look forward to it even more than Alberto and Andy look forward to the podium in Paris.

The Never Ending Tour of Disasters

Yesterday's Tour de France was very exciting, but very disappointing for those who were rooting for Andy Schleck. Just as he was shifting into a different chainring to attack Alberto Contador on the Port de Bales he experienced "chain suck" and locked up his drivetrain. In trying to free it, he dropped his chain and lost 30 seconds trying to get it back in place. That mechanical incident cost him the yellow jersey, as Alberto Contador raced ahead of him and on to the finish line 39 seconds in front of Andy. That left Schleck 8 seconds down on the new wearer of the yellow jersey. But it was just one of a huge number of incidents that have knocked competitor after competitor out of the Tour de France this year. The toll has been staggering, and now, with two days still remaining in the Pyrenees this is beginning to feel like the never ending tour of disasters.

I've been reading the book of Revelation for the past week and I'm beginning to feel that same way about the apocalyptic events portrayed in John's revelation. First there's the seven churches with all of their sins and shortcomings. Then there are the seven seals. And when you get to the seventh one, suddenly there are seven trumpets. The punishments threatened and disasters pictured go on and on and on. It's enough to make you lose hope!

But that's not the purpose of the book of Revelation. It is intended to give hope. First, it's important to remember that John gives us a glimpse of the future from several different prespectives. The accounts of the end are progressive and recapitulative. The most important thing, however, is that they all lead to the ultimate triumph of Christ over Satan, and the victory of the saints who persevere to the end. Yes, Revelation 8:13 does warn us: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth." but that is not the end of the story.

The end of this year's Tour de France has not yet come, and there are still six or seven cyclists who have great chance of standing on that podium in Paris if they can avoid disaster and persevere to the end. Revelation makes it clear that the end times will bring much tribulation, but the end will come and Christ's promise from Revelation 2:10 will be fulfilled: "Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life." So just as the riders in the Tour will get on their bikes once again after their rest day tomorrow and pedal on towards Paris, so the saints of God must continue to be faithful even to the point of death, and just as surely as the Tour will end July 25 at the Podium in Paris, so too will Christ return and take us to be with him in glory!

Truly Worthy

For the past 10 days or so I've been watching the Tour de France. Stage 9 was utterly unbelievable! 127 miles of riding in 90 degree heat with 5 categorized climbs totalling 16,000 feet vertically! I don't understand how the riders do it. I would die attempting such a feat. Yet the two leaders of the Tour, Contador and Schleck, were dueling it out on the final climb, continually attacking and pushing each other to the limit, and ultimately catching the breakaway. And that was only one of six mountain stages in the twenty-one days of racing that make up the Tour de France. Truly, anyone who can make it to Paris in the top three places is worthy to stand on the podium at the end of the race.

Revelation Chapter 5 tells us of one who is worthy, much moreso than any Tour de France rider, or any other human being, period! This is the Lamb that was slain, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Revelation 5:12 says: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

The winner of the Tour de France receives many of those things, but their feats cannot even begin to compare with what the Son of God accomplished. After a day like Stage 9, it may seem as though the cyclists in the peloton have come back from the dead to ride again, but Jesus Christ literally, physically did die and rise again. He was slain for our sins and rose again for our salvation. That is why he sits on the throne in heaven and is acclaimed by the elders and angels and living creatures.

No one is worthy of the acclaim that Christ deserves. We may make certain sacrifices out of love, or for a greater gain later on. Jesus sacrificed everything for us, even for those who would not respond in love to His sacrifice for them. He gave His all freely and willingly.

One who is so worthy deserves everything we can possibly give Him. Team members will sacrifice their own standing in the Tour for the sake of their team leader. How much more should we sacrifice ourselves for the One who gave His all for us? We should be willing to devote our power and wealth, wisdom and strength to bring honor, glory and praise to Him. The man standing in yellow on the podium in Paris may be worthy, but Jesus Christ is so much more worthy that it defies comparison!

Grace Alone

In the past six years since I became an avid road cyclist, July has become my favorite month of the year. Before moving to Texas it was usually the month in which I got more miles on the bike than any other. But that's not the reason it's my favorite. July is almost fully consumed by the Tour de France. This year it begins July 3 and ends July 25, and I try to watch it every day (if at all possible).

Bike racing is not particularly exciting, unless you are a cyclist. Then you understand what these men do. They ride every day for three weeks (with just two rest days) at an average of about 25 mph for about a hundred miles per day. During this time they will spend six days in the high mountains, climbing thousands of feet each day. You can only appreciate what it takes to complete such a race if you are a cyclist yourself, and have ridden your bike more than a hundred miles in a single day, or climbed a high mountain on your bike. Then, you can begin (and only begin) to appreciate how difficult the Tour is.

The goal of most professional cyclists is simply to complete the Tour successfully at some point in their career. Only a handful have realistic hopes of winning the Tour. A few will be able to dream of winning a stage (one day of racing). For most, the best they can hope for is to become a "super domestic" (or teammate) for a real GC (General Category) contender. If they are able to help their teammate to the overall win of the Tour de France, the financial rewards will be significant, because every GC winner shares his prize with his teammates.

At a celebratory dinner on the night the race ends the winning team dines in style and converses joyfully about the great moments in which the race was won. Envelopes are handed out to each team member by the GC winner with a portion of the prize. Naturally the amounts vary, depending on how much the individual team member contributed to the win.

What do you suppose the teammates' reaction would be if the envelopes were passed out and everyone got the same amount? Or worse yet, suppose the winner passed out envelopes to every rider in the Tour (regardless of which team they rode for) with equal amounts. What do you suppose the super domestics' reaction would be?

It would probably be much like the workers in the vineyard who had labored hard all day under the burning sun and received the same amount from the owner of the vineyard as the workers who worked only one hour at the end of the day. Matthew 20:11-12 says: "When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us.'"

What Jesus was trying to teach us is that God doesn't owe us anything. We cannot earn salvation by our hard work. We can never be worthy of spending eternity in the presence of God, considering our sinfulness. So God's gift of salvation is just that. It's a gift, by grace alone. He doesn't owe it to us. We don't deserve it. We didn't earn it. But out of His goodness, God gives it to us anyway.

The Bible tells us that there will be rewards in heaven, for those who have served God faithfully here on earth. It also makes clear that those rewards will vary. However, none of us will be jealous of another. Nor will we question the size of our reward, or anyone else's. Because then we will understand that these are rewards of grace. God doesn't owe it to us. He gives it freely. And we will receive it gratefully and joyfully, knowing that the only One who deserves the glory He receives in eternity is Jesus, who earned salvation for us all.

Like a Child

Cycling is one of those sports in which the youngest riders are not usually the best. Not only does it take time to hone your skills as a professional cyclist, but it also takes time to develop the endurance and tenacity required to win a multi-day stage race, like the Tour de France. For this reason, most races have a category for the youngest riders that allows them to compete for a prize, in addition to the general classification victory.

In Matthew 19 Jesus turns things upside down (as he often does) by saying: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) In his Kingdom we must all become like the youngest of children in order to be "winners." What does He mean?

There are many things about God and His Kingdom that make no sense to the people of this world, things like, "Whoever wants to be greatest among you must be servant of all." Things like, "Whoever want to save his life will lose it." Things like the Son of God willingly laying down His life for sinful people. There are truths about God that we will never fully comprehend. Like the Trinity, One God in three Persons.

That doesn't mean we have to sacrifice our intellects to become Christians. The Christian faith is the most reasonable faith of all. We can use reason to understand how a just God must punish sin, and yet the same loving God will sacrifice His own Son to take our punishment for us.

Nevertheless, unless we are willing to accept some truths in a simple, childlike manner we will never have the faith we need to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A little child willingly accepts what a loving parent tells them as being true. God wants us to accept His Truth with the same kind of simple faith. Then we will be ready to receive eveything He wants to bestow on us.

Greater by Far

Most group charity bicycle rides are on Sunday. Before I retired, therefore, I had to choose carefully which rides I would participate in. Generally I chose one ride per year to be away from my job as pastor, in order to pursue my passion as a cyclist. Actually, I was pursuing my greater passion every Sunday by preaching and teaching. Nevertheless, I would sometimes joke with people that I needed to get a better "union" because as a pastor I had to work every weekend and every holiday. "There's something wrong with this picture," I would quip. Actually, I felt privileged to proclaim the Good News for a living, and still do! There is nothing greater than being able to spend your full time studying God's Word and sharing it with other people. So even though I worked on Sunday, it was never really "work" to me.

When He was questioned about healing on the Sabbath, in Matthew 12, Jesus used the example of the priests who regularly violated the Sabbath by working, offering sacrifices on behalf of God's people at the Temple. Jesus went on to say: "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here." By this Jesus meant that His sacrifice was greater than the sacrifices offered by the priests at the temple.

That wasn't Jesus' only reference to something greater in this chapter. Later on Jesus chastised the Pharisees for demanding a sign. He told them that the only sign they would receive would be the sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of the fish and came out alive. Jesus said: "now one greater than Jonah is here." By this Jesus meant that his death and resurrection would be a much greater sign than Jonah's rescue by God.

In addition, Jesus chastened the unrepentant people of his generation, stating that even the Queen of Sheba would condemn them, since she sought out the wisdom of Solomon. Then Jesus added: "and now one greater than Solomon is here." By this Jesus meant that those unrepentant people should listen to his wisdom, which was greater by far than Solomon's. In fact, Paul said in Colossians 2:3 that in Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Why did Jesus state that in each of these cases one greater than the former example was there? I believe Jesus was claiming His threefold office of Prophet (One greater than Jonah), Priest (one greater than the temple), and King (one greater than Solomon). As our Savior and Lord Jesus fulfills each of these roles crucial to our salvation. As our Prophets Jesus speaks the True Word of God to us. As priest, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all our sins. As our King, Jesus rules at the right hand of God, governing all things for the sake of His Body, the Church. Thank God for our great Redeemer Jesus! He is greater by far than all, just as it's greater as a pastor to "work" on Sunday than the ride your bike.

Got to Tell Somebody!

If you've read my blog you've probably seen the picture at the bottom of the page. It's a picture of the fantastic bike that I ride as often as possible. It'a bike I could have never hoped to own. That 2008 Trek Madone 6.5 is a VERY expensive bike. It was a gift from my congregation in Tacoma, WA. I continually tell people about this gift. It's one of the greatest gifts I've ever received in my whole life. Totally unexpected. Totally over the top. Totally wonderful to enjoy for many, many years. I just can't keep it to myself.

Matthew 9 tells us about a number of people who experienced that same sort of gift from Jesus, one they just couldn't keep quiet about. "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men." (v. 8) "After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region." (vv. 25-26) "Jesus warned them sternly, 'See that no one knows about this.' But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region." (vv. 30-31) "And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." (v. 33)

Notice in particular how Jesus warned the blind men not to say anything, but they couldn't help themselves. It's actually in Mark's Gospel that we learn that Jesus instructed Jairus and his wife not to say anthing about their daughter being raised from the dead. (Mark 5:43) He gave them "strict orders" not to let anyone know about this. Yet Matthew tells us "News of this spread through all that region." They couldn't help themselves.

For years I've loved a song by Don Francisco that tells the story of the raising of Jairus' daughter. At the end of the song is this passionate chorus, sung over and over again.

I got to tell somebody, I got tell somebody
I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me...

You know he gave me life when my hope was dead
When there was grief he brought joy instead
I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me...

I think it captures beautifully what Jairus and his wife must have felt. They couldn't help themselves. They just had to tell somebody what Jesus did for them.

I hope that the same is true for you and me. I hope that we cannot help but tell others what Jesus has done for us. I hope that we display his grace in our lives to others over and over again. Because there is no greater gift than the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

The Right Faith in the Right Place

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

I am amazed by the bike handling skills of professional cyclists! I have seen them take out a jacket from their back jersey pocket, put it on and zip it up while riding down a mountain descent at 40 miles per hour. I've seen them grab a feed bag while riding by at 25 mph in the midst of the peloton and shuffle through its contents, keeping what they want and discarding the rest before disposing of the bag itself. And all of this they do with no hands on the handlebars, frequently surrounded by other cyclists, or on unfamiliar terrain. They must have a great deal of confidence in their own bike handling skills or they would never attempt such feats! On the other hand, sometimes their confidence is misplaced, and they rub another rider's wheel with their own or misjudge a corner and a crash results. Unfortunately, those crashes almost always effect many other riders in the peloton, not just the rider who made the mistake.

In Matthew chapter 8 we encounter a man whose confidence is not misplaced. The centurion who comes to Jesus asks the Lord to heal his servant. Jesus immediately recognizes the faith that it took on the part of this Gentile to even make such a request, and agrees to come to his house and heal the servant.

The centurion's response is even more amazing, however. He draws an analogy between his own authority and Jesus', recognizing that just as he is under authority and does exactly what his superiors tell him to do, so he also has soldiers under his authority who carry out his commands. Thus, in complete humility, he confesses his unworthiness for Jesus to come to his house and instead asks Jesus to simply give the command and his servant will be healed.

When you think about the ramifications of this analogy, they are amazing. There was no need for the soldier to mention that he was under authority. He could have simply spoken of his authority over others to assert Jesus' authority to heal just by giving the command. The reason he draws the parallel to being under authority is to demonstrate his faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus himself said, "the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me." (John 14:31) Certainly this Gentile who was not a part of God's chosen people was of the "world" before he came to faith in Jesus. He learned what Jesus wanted him to know, that Jesus is the obedient Son of God who does exactly what His Father commands.

Thus, the Centurion knew that his confidence was not misplaced. He knew that Jesus would not be stumped by his request, or lack authority to act from a distance on behalf of his servant. The kind of faith he demonstrated is amazing, even to Jesus, who says that He has never seen such faith even among all of God's chosen people. The Centurion's was truly the right faith in the right place.

When we put our faith in ourselves, or in other people, we can be sorely disappointed. But if, like this faith-filled Centurion, we put our faith in Jesus Christ, as God's own Son who can meet our every need under any circumstances, we will have put our faith in the right place!

Narrow Gate

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

When I lived in Washington State there was a 15 mile paved trail near my house that I would frequently ride on. The Foothills Trail was used by walkers, runners, skateboarders, inline skaters, and of course, cyclists, but was restricted to any kind of motorized vehicles. In an effort to enforce this, whenever the trail crossed a road there were three large metal posts, one at either side and one in the middle of the paved trail. The posts were placed close enough together to prevent a car or an ATV from entering the path.

This was not a problem when I was riding on my own. However, sometimes I would pull my grandson in a trailer behind my bike. The trailer was wide enough to hold two children, and the wheels of the trailer would barely fit between the two posts. As a result, whenever I came to a street, I would have to slow way down and carefully thread my way between the two posts so as to not hit them with the trailer, which would have been disastrous for both me and my grandson.

I thought of this experience as I read Jesus' words above from Matthew 7:13-14. In fact, I thought in particular about Luke's account of Jesus' words. Luke quoted Jesus in this way: "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." The Greek word for "make every effort" is "agonizesthe". It's the root of our English word "agonize."

Jesus said that many would try to enter the narrow door and would be unable to. Why? I envision a problem similar to the trailer on the back of my bike that caused me to "agonize" each time I passed between those posts for fear of hitting them. Some people want to enter into eternal life, but they do not want to repent of the sin in their lives. They think they can hang on to their sin and continue in it, yet somehow still be saved. But the only road we can travel while holding on to our sin is the broad road that leads away from God and toward destruction.

Others think that the way to enter eternal life is to show up at the narrow door laden with all the good works and kind deeds they have ever done, as though these will be their "ticket" to heaven. Instead, those good works in which they place their trust become a "wide load" that prevents them from passing through the narrow gate. Rather, we need to come to the narrow door empty handed, repenting of our sin, and trusting only in Jesus to save us. Then He will throw open the gates to heaven and welcome us in.

So don't waste time agonizing over whether you're "good enough" to go to heaven. Instead, agonize over your sin in heartfelt repentance. Then put your faith in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Trusting in Him, you will find that one narrow road that leads to life, and by His grace spend eternity in heaven.

One Master

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

These words from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount were played out in real life during last year's Tour de France. Arguably the greatest professional cycling team manager in the history of the Tour, Johann Bruyneel, (whose teams have won 13 Grand Tour titles) had the two greatest current winners of the Tour on the same team, both Lance Armstrong (7 time winner) and Alberto Contador (2 time winner). As the race unfolded Bruyneel had to decide who the team was going to support in their effort to win the yellow jersey.

After Contador rode away from the rest of the contenders on a huge mountain stage, Bruyneel's decision became clear. He had to support Contador. If he had continued to try to support both Armstrong and Contador for the win, neither would have won and another team would have taken the yellow jersey. No one can serve two masters. If Bruyneel had tried to serve both Armstrong and Contador he would have failed them both. That's why when it came time for preparations for this year's Tour, Bruyneel went with one of the two, Lance Armstrong, on Team Radio Shack.

Jesus told us the truth in Matthew 6:24. You cannot serve two masters. If you try to serve God halfheartedly while your real goal is to obtain wealth, you will be sorely disappointed. If you get wealthy, your relationship with God will diminish, and you'll discover the emptiness of riches. If you seek to use your talents to serve God and glorify Him you may get wealthy in the process, but you will see your wealth as a gift from God to be used for His honor according to His will.

I'm convinced that the reason God commanded the tithe in Malachi 3:10 was simply because no man can serve both God and money. God understood that if we trust Him enough to give Him the first 10% of all that we receive, and truly believe that He is able to supply all our needs with the remaining 90%, then He really will be our One Master.

That's why God said, "Test me in this!" Once we've tested him we will recognize the joy and blessing of serving God as our One Master. But we have to test Him first. We have to take that big step of faith to give Him our tithe. As we do so, we will see Him provide our every need and we will also begin to experience the joy of laying up treasures in heaven.

This creates a positive feedback loop. As more of our treasure is dedicated to heavenly things, our hearts are more and more centered on the things of God. Serving God as our One Master becomes more and more natural for us. We rejoice to devote ourselves to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ask yourself who can take better care of you and meet all your needs? God or Money? The answer is a no brainer. Choose your master wisely.