Engaging the Truth

2010... No Regrets!

It is hard to believe, but another year has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that 2009 was quickly approaching, and then it was gone. This is a glaring reminder to me that this life is temporary, a vapor, and is forever fleeting. This life lasts for but a season, yet eternity will last forever.

Because this is reality, a critical question that each of us must ask is, "What will I do with 2010?" Will we allow the status quo of being average in our walk and witness for Christ to be our theme in 2010, or will we live on the edge for Christ in radical obedience, regardless of the cost?

In today's message from Philippians 3:9, Paul set's the tone as he reminds us that we are to be found in Christ, and that our salvation is not based on the law nor on our own self righteousness, but rather our salvation is hinged on the atoning work that Jesus performed as He gave his life to pay the penalty for our sin.

Will 2010 go by quickly? Most likely. Will 2010 be a year in which God works through us in a mighty way to draw people to Himself and for His name to be glorified in all the earth? That depends on how far we are willing to go in denying ourselves in-order for His purposes to be fulfilled in and through our lives.

Don't look back on 2010 with regret. When 2010 is over, look back knowing that you lived the year sold-out to Christ and the mission that He has tailored specifically for your life.

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Merry Christmas

As I see our culture fall farther into the black hole of the commercialization of Christmas, I've been asking myself this question, "In a one sentence, how can I sum up the meaning of Christmas, from a Biblical viewpoint?"  

It's easy  -  even in religious circles  -   to not necessarily forget the real meaning of Christmas, but to minimize it.  I believe that we have saturated and watered down the true meaning of Christmas, and in many cases, it hasn't been intentional.  However, in many cases, we've been lulled to sleep by the world around us and have become desensitized to it's real meaning.

Therefore, what is the real meaning of Christmas in one sentence?    I believe it is this:  Jesus Christ was born to die, in-order that through His birth, death, and resurrection, those who believe in Him, might have eternal salvation. 

As strange as it sounds, Jesus was born to die, and His birth and death were not without reason.   You and I have a debt called sin.   God detests sin and because we are sinful (Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23), there must be a substitution made for our sin.  Who or what is this substitution?   It is Jesus the Christ.   He willingly and humbly was born in a manager / feeding trough in a little town called Bethlehem, He lived a sinless life, He poured Himself into 12 ordinary guys with zero ministry credentials - yet they turned the world upside down because they learned from the Christ, and He died a brutal and humiliating Roman execution.   Why?   So that we might live.

Don't forget the real meaning of Christmas this year.   Enjoy the season, enjoy the time off, but don't forget that Jesus was born to die.

In today's audio message, listen to what Matthew tells us about this Christ-child.

I do not wish you Happy Holidays... I wish you a Merry Christmas.

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Everything as Loss

Matt Chandler, a pastor in Texas, was recently faced with a challenging situation - a brain tumor. Many might face this situation with fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Yet, as Matt prepared for this serious and risky surgery, this is what he said:

"I am grateful for the men of God in my life, namely John Piper who taught me to hold my life cheap and to join with Paul in saying “I don’t count my life of any value or as precious to myself if only I might finish my course and complete the work that He gave me to do to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. I’m nothing, I just have a job. God keep me faithful on the job and then let me drop and go to the reward.” Without this strong view of God’s sovereign will, I’m not sure how you don’t despair in circumstances like mine."

As, you listen to today's message from Philippians 3:8 in which Paul counts everything as loss and rubbish when in comparison to Christ, I can't help but think of Matt and his perspective of this earthly life.

My prayer is that you will be encouraged as we engage God's Word, and be in prayer for Matt Chandler and his family.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Defend the Truth

As our family has been going through some challenges recently, I have been reading through 1 and 2 Corinthians. What an eye opener this has been! The thing that amazes me about these writings by Paul is truly how much he willingly endured and suffered for the cause of Christ. Paul's resolve and tenacity reminded me that as followers of Jesus Christ, we can embrace, accept, and even give thanks to God and be grateful in the midst of our struggles. This concept may sound somewhat strange, but a watching world, who is desperately seeking something to dull the pain of this life, will definitely take notice when we praise God during the storm.

Satan would like nothing more than for each one of us to abandon the faith that we have in Jesus Christ when times become difficult, challenging, and discouraging.  However, I believe John Huss summed up the life lived for Christ beautifully when he said, "Seek the truth, teach the truth, love the truth, abide by the truth, defend the truth - unto death."

In today's message from Philippians 3:4-7, Paul teaches us that the things of this world that we may consider to be gain, should be counted loss for the cause of Christ.

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Risk Anyone?

Are you and I risk-takers for God?

When we surrender to Christ for the long haul, I am convinced that you and I will encounter situations on the this journey that will require us to take risks. Do you know how I know this? Just look at Scripture. Take anyone in the Bible who laid it all on the line for the sake of the call and you will see a group of risk-takers that were sold-out to God and his plan. Noah and building the ark for over 100 years. Joseph in the pit and in prison and then exalted to second in command. Job and the loss he encountered, yet he remained faithful. The disciples who "forsook all and followed Christ", Luke 5:11. The apostle Paul who endured constant hardship, yet would not quit. And the ultimate example, Jesus Christ, who endured the cross, despising the shame, in order to be obedient to the Father. All of these took risks, and did it willing. Why? Because the call is the call.

From the world's perspective, these people were nuts. Yet in God's economy, they were simply faithful and obedient.

In a recent article by Andree Seu, she beautifully sums up risk-taking for the Gospel when she said, "God is glorified in the demonstration of the difference between our natural ability and His miraculous power. Risk-taking is nothing fancy, just an everyday pressing into little things that we have no confidence of doing without the help of God."

In today's message from Philippians 3: 1-3, we learn to rejoice in the Lord, and to also not have confidence in the flesh. If you and I are relying and depending on the flesh, our own abilities, and the things of this world, we will never be a risk-taker for God. Why? Risk takers for God all have one thing in common... God is everything in their life - nothing else remotely compares.

How about me? How about you?

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Happy or Content?

God has been convicting me of something over the past few days. The more I have meditated on this, the more I realize that my conviction is from the Lord. You want to know what God has burdened me with?  He has convicted me with the understanding that happiness and contentment are not the same thing.

Happiness is rooted in how I feel. The problem with this is that when I do not feel happy, I am not happy.  Happy is based on my circumstances. If my circumstances are good, I'm happy. If my circumstances are difficult and challenging, I'm not so happy.

Contentment on the other hand, is not based on my feelings, but rather "in" the hope that I have in Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday today and forever more. When I focus on Christ and the price He paid to set me free, the focus is off of myself and I realize how grateful I need to be for being rescued from the penalty of my sin.

Happiness is never satisfied because it is rooted in selfish focus on ourselves. Contentment is always satisfied because it is rooted to the spotless atoning work that Christ carried out through the blood-stained cross and the empty tomb.

In today's message from Philippians 2:28-30, Paul reminds us to rejoice and be glad. How in the world could Paul, who was writing from prison have the audacity to instruct us to rejoice and be glad?  Simple. He was content because his hope was based on the saving work of Jesus Christ, and not on anything that this world had to offer.

Are you happy or content?

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Unknown for God's Glory

Many times God uses the relatively obscure people to do great and mighty things. I believe God uses unknown people for a variety of reasons. However, one stands out more than others: He uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary so that ultimately, He receives all the glory.

If we are truly going to be surrendered ministers (servants) of Jesus Christ, we must embrace and exhibit a radical concept in today's culture: Being secure in our relationship with Jesus Christ to the point that we strive to serve others, without looking for any recognition. Easy to do? Not! Our flesh gravitates toward exalting self. Yet, Christ commands that if we are to truly follow Him, we must deny ourselves, and this means that we must deny our desire to exalt ourselves.

In today's message, we learn about Epaphroditus - a relatively obscure man - who was a fellow brother, worker, and soldier with Paul in the Faith. From the many people's perspectives, Epaphroditus was not mentioned much in the Bible, and therefore must not have been successful. However, his faithfulness to the cause of Christ outweighed any earthly recognition that he could have received.

Are you content to be an unknown for Christ as He works through you for His glory?

Be encouraged, and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Prove Your Character

When I think of those who I know who exhibit and display genuine godly character, the common denominator in these people's lives is that their character has been "proven" and has stood the test of time. But what does it mean to possess proven character?

Proven character is developed and "proven" as one's character is tried, tested, and refined by difficult and challenging circumstances. Without challenges to test one's character, it is impossible for the character to been genuinely proven.  Think about it...  in order for a person's character to pass the test, the character of that person must go through a testing process.

For the believer in Jesus Christ, character that is constantly being refined is paramount to the believer becoming more like Christ. As we live this life each day, we must understand and embrace that if we genuinely desire for our lives to be more like Christ, we must go through the valley's of life, knowing that our character is being strengthened and proven.

In today's message from Philippians 2:22-24, Paul reminds us that young Timothy is a man of proven character. How about you?  Has your character been proven? Is your character currently being tested and refined?  Are you currently in God's pressure-cooker of character refinement?

Do not lose heart! Stay the course, be steadfast, and endure the testing. God has a plan and a purpose to prove your character.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon

Trust and Obey

As a boy, I can remember singing a song in church called "Trust and Obey". I can vividly recall the words of this song which say, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey".

As I grow older, these words ring resoundingly true. We can say we are for Christ, we can do all the religious things that we are told to do, say the right things, wear the right things, yet, if we do not genuinely place our trust in Jesus Christ through obedience to the call that He has placed on our lives, all the other stuff we do is completely irrelevant.

In today's message from Philippians 2:19-21, Paul reminds us of the trust that he has in Christ Jesus.  Not a passive trust. Not a religious trust. Rather a trust that is active, intentional, and urgent to surrender all that we have and all that we are to the lordship of Jesus Christ, regardless of the cost.   How about you?  How about me? Does this type of trust in Christ describe us?

Be encouraged and be Engaged in the Truth.

Psalm 115:1

Jon

An Urgent Testimony

What is the worst comment that someone could say about you? Think about it. I'm sure as you are pondering this question, that possibly several comments have come to mind that would be hurtful, or even downright degrading.

Now, let me rephrase the question. If you are a professed believer in Jesus Christ, what is the worst comment that someone could say about you? Is your answer different now from that of the first question? As I have thought about this second question, a comment that would sting deeply for me would be, "Hey, I didn't realize that you were a Christian." Not that we beat people over the head with a Bible, or insist on wearing a choir robe to secular employment, but if we truly are a disciple of Jesus Christ, shouldn't we be different, even though we are in the world? Not religion, not rituals, but shouldn't we exhibit the characteristics of Christ (if we are genuinely one of His) so that the people that we encounter on a daily basis know we are Christians? People at work, at school, at the store, on the ball field should observe our lives and say, "There's something different about them, they are at peace, they have genuine joy - even when things aren't going their way, they do not react in anger when mistreated, they love the unlovable, they even put others before themselves."

Is this what those around us say about you and me? Or, do those who encounter us throughout our day think, "They are a Christian? You have got to be kidding me? If that is what a Christian is, why would I want to sign up for that when I am already living that way?"

In today's message from Philippians 2: 16-17, Paul instructs us to "hold fast, or hold forth" the word of life. The word of life is the transforming message of the Gospel. It is the glorious message of how God, through His Son Jesus Christ, rescues and delivers those who place their faith in Him and Him alone, and then those individuals intentionally and urgently share the testimony of their transformation as the hold forth the Gospel message.

What is the worst comment that someone could say about you if you are a professed believer in Christ?

Be encouraged as you strive to shine the light of Christ and be engaged in the truth.

Psalm 115:1

Pressing on toward His calling,
Jon