Vision Nationals: Vision 2030

If you've ever wondered, "How can I, an American, participate in God's global purposes to bring the gospel to all nations?". Here is one suggestion.

God's Spirit is on the move bringing the good news of Jesus to peoples all over the world. India is one area where the gospel is exploding and there's a fantastic organization over there called Vision Nationals raising up natives to plant churches all around the country. Right now, they're raising funds for their Vision 2030 campaign where they have 500 called and qualified church planters ready to go who are simply waiting for funding.

What's amazing is that it only costs $50/month to fully fund one of the rural church planters ($50 a month!) and $150/month to fully fund an urban planter. As of a few days ago, they have 41 of these men funded. My hunch is that if even a small percentage of the Christians in Seattle jumped on board with this initiative, all 500 of these men could go begin their full time work bringing the gospel to the staggering number of people in India who desperately need Jesus. As individuals and/or small groups, let's use our abundant funds to magnify His name for the eternal joy of the Indian peoples!

Here's a direct link to the giving page.

We're Going Home

A sermon God was gracious to let me preach a few weeks ago:

Here's the link

bg

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

God gave me another opportunity to preach His Word at First Baptist Bellevue. This time it was on the glorious Psalm 103. Again, thank you so much for your prayers. I could tell He was with me as I preached it on not very much sleep =P

Getting On The Pulpit

God gave me a wonderful opportunity to preach His word yesterday morning at First Baptist of Bellevue. This marks my first time ever preaching at a Sunday church service, and I'm thankful to Pastor Marty for giving me this opportunity, to all who came out to hear me and, to everyone who supported me in prayer. Trust me, as I was up there preaching, I could certainly tell people had been praying for me! All of the support and emails leading up to this reminded me of God's love for me, and I'm thankful for how He showed His love for me through all of you.

The sermon was on Luke 15, and you can find the recording here:



bg

Hating Jesus

I love that Jesus doesn’t mess around. He gets straight to the point. Listen to His words:

The world… hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil

John 7:7

That’s bold, Jesus. You claim the world hates You, and You give a startling reason why the world hates You. You say the world hates you because you testify about us that our works are evil. You’re a straight shooter.

Some people unashamedly proclaim their hatred towards Jesus. They know that He testifies that our deeds are evil, and they don’t like that. They’ll call Him narrow-minded, arrogant, and judgmental because He dares to call them evil. Jesus breeds division they say, and He and His followers cause all kinds of the societal ills we see. This certainly isn’t surprising considering the hard things He says. It’s natural to react to Him in this way because we don’t like being called evil.

Vocally proclaiming your hatred for Jesus is one way to react to Him calling you evil, but there’s another way to hate Jesus that’s far more subtle than that. This method of hating Jesus is hard to spot, and many of you reading this might be practicing it without even knowing it. It takes different forms, but at its core, it denies that He said anything like this at all. It denies that He testifies that the world is evil and in an effort to explain statements like John 7:7 away, it redefines Him. It recasts Jesus into a “new” or “fresh” light. It spouts off phrases like, “What Jesus really said”, or the “core” teachings of Jesus, or “Jesus is all about inclusion”. It will lump Him in with other religious figures like Mohammed and Buddha. He becomes another moral teacher or spiritual guru or good example. It will claim to love His teachings like the golden rule and turning the other cheek, but it will conveniently ignore John 7:7.

Its proponents might say they love Jesus, but because they’re changing or denying His testimony, they’re actually hating Him. Their language may be loving and flowery and peaceful, but it only conceals their hatred. They hate Him because He calls us evil, so they redefine who He is.

Jesus is not just good. He is God.

Jesus is not just teacher. He is Savior.

Jesus is not just gentle.  He is Judge.

Jesus is not just moral. He is Master.

Jesus is not just kind. He is King.

And He’s no ordinary King. An earthly king that receives so much hatred would strike down His enemies. Not so with Jesus. He testifies that you and me and the world are evil.  His testimony is true.  But He doesn’t stop there.  He deals with our evil.  Jesus bore our hatred even unto death on a Roman cross.  And He rose from the dead victoriously conquering all hatred and sin and death.  He loves His haters by dying for them.  When we see His love for us, our hatred melts into love for Him.  In whatever way you hate Jesus, lay down your arms.  Stop fighting Him.  Follow Him.

Clarity

 

What is this picture?  If I had the opportunity to ask some of you what it is, I’d probably hear a variety of answers.  Some would say a bird (see the beak and the featherish things?).  Others would say a grassy knoll (those aren’t feathers, they’re blades of grass!).  Still others would say something entirely different.

Now that we’re thoroughly confused, I’m going to give you a hint, but it will require you to scroll down a bit.  I’ll meet you a few screens below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep scrolling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost there…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a little farther…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey there!  I’m glad you decided to join me down here.  Are you ready for your hint?  Here goes:

Now do you know what the first picture is?  Of course you do.  It’s a cat looking at the sky!  Some of you might have picked up on that right away, and if you did, feel free to gloat over all the rest of us.  For the rest of you, endure the gloating, think about what just happened, and consider the following:

• We can’t know for sure what Picture 1 is until we see Picture 2.
• Even though we called Picture 1 a bird or knoll or something else, Picture 1 was a cat, is a cat, and always will be a cat.
• Go back and look at Picture 1.  You will not see a bird or a knoll.  You will see a cat, and even if you try to see it as a bird or knoll, you just won’t be able to shake the cat. 

This is a wonderful illustration on the nature of Reality.  Think of Picture 2 as the Way Things Are, and Picture 1 as the Way We See Things.  We see the world in a variety of different ways.  To revisit the picture analogy, some see it as a bird, others see it as a grassy knoll, and still others as something entirely different.  This manifests itself in dozens of worldviews ranging from atheism to Islam to Buddhism to postmodernism to new spirituality to Christianity.  Knowing what each picture represents, let’s revisit the bullet points above

We can’t know for sure what Picture 1 is until we see Picture 2

Some called Picture 1 a bird.  Others called it a grassy knoll.  Still others called it something else.  And maybe, some rightly called it a cat.  Who is right?  If all we have is Picture 1, we can’t know for sure.  We must see Picture 2 before ever making a correct claim about Picture 1.

In the same way, the Way We See Things differs from person to person.  One person’s an atheist.  The next is a Muslim.  And the next is a Christian.  Who is right?  If all we have is multiple Ways of Seeing Things, we can’t know for sure.  We must see the Way Things Are before ever making a correct claim about the Way We See Things.  Someone who knows the Way Things Are must reveal to us the Way Things Are, or we will be left to open speculation forever. 

That Someone is God.  Yahweh.  The God of the Old and New Testaments who has revealed the Way Things Are through His Words written in the Bible and ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power

Hebrews 1:1-3

Even though we called Picture 1 a bird or knoll or something else, Picture 1 was a cat, is a cat, and always will be a cat

Everyone in the world could say Picture 1 is not a cat.  But that doesn’t mean it is not a cat.  We don’t define what Picture 1 is.  Picture 1’s creator defines what it is.

In the same way, our interpretations of reality don’t define reality.  I may see a bird in Picture 1, but that does not make it a bird.  I can say my worldview is the Way Things Are, but that does not mean my worldview is the Way Things Are!  There is only one Way Things Are, regardless of the Way We See Things.

Jesus said:

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

John 14:6

and:

I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die

John 11:25-26

and:

Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 4:14

These statements are true whether you believe them or not. 

Go back and look at Picture 1.  You will not see a bird or a knoll.  You will see a cat, and even if you try to see it as a bird or knoll, you just won’t be able to shake the cat

Once you’ve seen the cat in Picture 2, Picture 1 is always a cat.  When we see the true Way Things Are, the Way We See Things changes.  We look around the world and say, “Of Course!  It’s so obvious!  It can’t be anything other than a cat!”  Everything we see falls into place, and it all reflects the Way Things Are, and other Ways We See Things don’t make sense anymore.  As C.S. Lewis says, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

May God grant you the eyes to see the true Way Things Are.

Who is He?

When we consider the meaning of Christmas, we jump (as we should) to Jesus’ birth. Shortly after considering His birth, images from childhood Christmas plays and church nativity scenes fill our minds. We think of wise men, shepherds, sheep, stars, and a manger, and hopefully these images warm our hearts.

But sometimes we stop there. We stop at the images. We know what happens in the story, and similar to childhood memories of Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings, we categorize Christmas as a tale that inspires us, but still something that remains separated from reality. We’re focused on the What, but it doesn’t affect us because we forget about the Who.

Who is this baby Jesus? Let’s look at part of the story:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem…After coming to the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother

Matthew 2:1,11

What did they do when they saw this child? Did they give it baby talk? Did they hold him? Let’s look:

and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.

They worshiped Him! A helpless, probably crying, tiny baby child caused these men to fall on the ground in awe and praise. Who is this baby Jesus?

He is not only a moral teacher. He is not only a prophet. He is Immanuel. God with us. Let us remember this Who. God did not wait for us to come to Him, but freely came to us to rescue us from our sin, failures, rebellion, folly, shame, and hell. Let us join the wise men and fall to the ground and worship Him.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Common Comments

Have you ever found yourself asking questions like, “Where did the time go?”  Or, “How time flies!”  Some of the most undeniable and common things like Time surprise us.   Listen to how C.S. Lewis says it:

Notice how we are perpetually surprised at Time. ('How time flies! Fancy John being grown-up and married! I can hardly believe it!') In heaven's name, why? Unless, indeed, there is something about us that is not temporal.

Yes indeed, Mr. Lewis.  There’s something in us that is not temporal:

[God] has also set eternity in the hearts of men

Ecclesiastes 3:11

We were born here, but we don’t belong here.  We belong in eternity, and our common comments of surprise express our longing to return home. 

Virgin Births

Skeptics like Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher ridicule Christians for embracing the miraculous. One of their favorite punching bags is Jesus’ virgin birth. A virgin giving birth to a son is ridiculous, right? Isn’t that assertion alone enough to discredit all of Christianity?

Some Christian types will crumble to this argument and deny Jesus’ virgin birth happened -- or at least call it unessential. They will say we’ve learned a few things in the last 2,000 years. We’ve progressed beyond needing fairy tale stories about miracles. Let’s take the essentials from the Bible and move beyond the primitive stories that litter it. We might be able to stick to small miracles like a little healing here and a little coincidence there, but a virgin birth? That’s just over the top.

Both groups presuppose that virgin births are impossible. Therefore, when they see it in Luke, they immediately conclude that Luke is a liar, a fake, or taking desperate measures to continue a myth. My advice to both groups is to look at the story again. If they would look, they would find they share that presupposition with an unlikely person: Jesus’ mother. Notice what she says after Gabriel announces to her that she will conceive and bear a son:

And Mary said the the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’

Luke 1:34

One important thing to note here is that Mary’s not asking ”How will this be” in the sense that she doesn’t believe she will bear a son. She’s asking it in such a way that says, “Ok, I believe you that I will bear a son. But I need details here! What will be the events that happen for me to bear this son? After all, I’ve never been with a man!”

Mary, just like Dawkins, just like Maher, just like the “progressive” Christian types, just like you, and just like me, knows that babies don’t just appear in wombs. Up until this point, she would have called a virgin birth impossible. But after the angel tells Mary how she will give birth as a virgin, he tells her:

For nothing will be impossible with God

Luke 1:37

She then responds:

Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word

Luke 1:38

Now we see that Mary believes in virgin births, but it’s only after the angel tells her that it’s possible. The impossible became possible to Mary only after the she learned the impossible is possible. For all the world knew, virgin births were impossible. They only became possible when God intervened. Mary presupposed that virgin births were impossible, but after she found out that nothing is impossible with God, she took His word for it. Skeptics presuppose that virgin births are impossible, so when they hear that nothing is impossible with God, they say that God is impossible. But could it be possible that virgin births are impossible, except when God intervenes? Could it be possible that God reserved the virgin birth -- something so miraculous, so over the top, and so (dare I say) ridiculous -- for a once-in-a-universe opportunity? Mary thinks so. Christians think so. What do you think?