Now is the Time

As the post-resurrection narrative continues, Jesus reveals himself to his disciples and is seen by many, some of whom the Apostle Paul, writing years later, notes are still living, just in case anyone wants the story corroborated. Then follows the ascension.

But for the rest of us, the post-resurrection period means a return to something I call regular church. Even the more liturgical churches often refer to the Sundays after Pentecost as ordinary time. Where does this leave us?

^{Joel 3:14} Multitudes, multitudes
    in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.

I believe it leaves many — multitudes in fact — faced with a decision. What are they going to do now, having once again been confronted with a day that celebrates that in history one man, and only one man, predicted his death and resurrection and then… resurrected?

We who are part of the church sometimes speak in terms of the gospel imperative. This means simply that the answer needed; the response needed; is needed now. Sometimes when I was very young my parents would ask me to do a particular chore and I would want to put it off until later, or even indefinitely. My father would very firmly say, “Now!”

How I hated those words.

But that is the essence of the gospel.

^{II Cor 6:2b} I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

^{Joshua 24:15} But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

I have had a lifelong love affair with Christian books and music which only lately I’ve been able to explain to people by way of an analogy.

Imagine it’s a very hot summer day and you are sitting on a dock at the edge of a very cool, refreshing lake. Your discomfort will disappear if you just get into the water, but you sit hesitating on the hot deck boards, not sure if you want to go in or not.

Finally a friend runs down and simply pushes you off the dock. With a splash, you are suddenly cooled and refreshed.

Like so many, I often struggled with Bible reading and scripture study. I needed someone to push me of the dock, so to speak, into the text, and that’s what Christian authors and Christian musicians did for me way back when, and continue to do today. Their books and songs propel me into the text, and into passages in the text I might not ever have considered.

Okay, so what’s that got to do with the imperative of the gospel we’re discussing today?

Your friends, co-workers, extended family, neighbors and fellow-students need to immerse themselves in the refreshing waters of God’s truth, and make that decision to cross the line of faith. You are the person to give them a nudge off the dock. You have been put in their lives to help them take next steps.

Don’t be afraid. The water isn’t over their heads. They just need an extra push, and that can be your way of explaining it: “Would you like to take the next step in becoming a follower of Jesus?”

Studies show that many people in our churches are simply trying to discern next steps; they are waiting for someone to tell them what to do next.

…Continue reading:

• a 2012 C201 article about the importance of knowing how to “close the sale”
• a 2008 Thinking Out Loud article; see the second last paragraph (in italics) which describes someone who is watching from the outside instead of entering in

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living in Two Worlds

This poem, Pilgrim Reflections is from the blog Pilgrim Song by David W. Fisher:

Pilgrim Reflections

Reflections as I close another day on life’s pilgrimage:

The journey’s long, the going tough
And oft’ the pathway’s very rough
But sovereign grace will be enough
‘Til I get home.

The storms may rage, the billows roll
And fears assail my troubled soul
But I won’t let them take their toll
While here I roam.

The Lord is strong and holds my hand
And while I sojourn in this land
A member of the pilgrim band
I’m nearing home.

Encouraged by my brother’s prayers
That lift me o’er my daily cares
Every burden Christ now bears
‘Til I get home.

When I arrive on heaven’s shore
The cares of life concern no more
I’ll praise my God and Master…for
I’m finally home.

David Warren Fisher, 2007.

What does that home look like?  At Right From the Heart Ministries, we read this:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” – John 14:3

What do you suppose heaven is like? I think most of us have our preconceived ideas about it to some extent.

The most common image is a place of clouds where people wear white robes and halos, and do nothing except play harps with goofy smiles on their faces. Well, that certainly is NOT what it is like. What a bore!

But, what is heaven really like? Jesus spoke very little of it, but He did say this, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. I go to prepare a place for you.” What is heaven like? It’s like home, with a loving Father. It’s a place of security, a permanent place to live, and a place of refuge. A place where there is no sorrow, no pain, but rejoicing and praise for our Heavenly Father. There’s a longing within all of us to find home. Heaven is like home with a Father and loved ones as they’re supposed to be.

How can you be sure you’ll get to that home? Is there a map or rules to follow? No, it comes through a person, Jesus Christ. As He talked about a heavenly home, He added that He is the only way for us to truly come home.

Finally, Gina Han, writing at Gracepoint Devotions looks at what it means to live here, but as Citizens of Heaven.  This devotional is based on Philippians 3:12-21, where Paul is talking about those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Click the reference before reading what follows.

What are the characteristics of  “those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ”?  What are the characteristics of those whose “citizenship is in heaven”?  Which group do I belong to and how does my life show this?

The characteristics of those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ are that they live for their appetites (“their god is their stomach”), they take pride in dishonorable things (“their glory is in their shame”), and they live for the rewards of this world (“their mind is on earthly things”). These are what it means to live as an enemy of the cross of Christ, because Jesus on the cross is the exact opposite of these things. It’s Jesus denying and emptying Himself of all His own rights for the sake of saving others. It’s Jesus denying his own appetites and physical desires; it’s Jesus choosing the honorable values of sacrifice and humble obedience to God whereas an enemy of the cross would take pride in stepping on others to push himself to the top, or would take pride in using others to satisfy his own desires; it’s Jesus becoming obedient even to death on a cross because of the “joy set before him” – choosing the eternal rewards of heaven knowing the true joy that awaited him over the fleeting and temporary counterfeit rewards of earth.

Apostle Paul is also an example of one whose citizenship is in heaven. He says that he “presses on” to fulfill the purpose for which Christ redeemed him. He says that he forgets what is behind and strains toward what is ahead – “to win the prize for which God has called him heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Apostle Paul is all about citizenship in heaven. Through all of his imprisonments, floggings, shipwrecks, labor, toil, going without food, water and sleep, and the daily pressure of his concern for all the churches – he said, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace,” (Acts 20:24), and he was able to indeed say at the end of his earthly life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing,” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

We don’t have many of these kinds of persecutions that Apostle Paul faced, in these times and in this country. But we do have the gods of this age that seek to blind us to the reality of heaven and lull us into living for this earthly life alone – for the comfort-seeking, pleasure-seeking, self-aggrandizement and self-centered life that is lifted up as glorious, when really in light of heaven and in light of the cross of Jesus, this is shameful. That’s the kind of life that would stand in stark opposition to the cross of Christ. But how often and how prone I am to actually live as an enemy of the cross many moments throughout the day, when I give into my self-centered perspectives or emotions about something, instead of submitting them under God’s perspective and God’s Word.

One aspect in which this plays out is that as Apostle Paul thinks about his citizenship in heaven, he does all he can to take hold of the purpose God has for him. I imagine that he often thought about seeing his Lord face to face on that day, and longed to say that he lived his life for the purpose Jesus had for him, the purpose for which Jesus took up the cross. I long for this; this is what I strive for and strain toward. But how many times am I tempted to think thoughts like, who am I kidding, how can I live this kind of life of love and joyful sacrifice which is His purpose for me when I am just full of my own sins and insecurities and fears; or I need to go through a shaping and pruning process in terms of my character flaws and sins, and I feel hopeless that I will ever change and be able to fulfill God’s purpose for my life.

But those are the times that I can actively choose to say I will look ahead to my citizenship in heaven, where there will be no more sin, where I will finally experience God having completed His work in me, instead of throwing in the towel, following an earthly perspective that says I should not need to struggle with myself in this life but be physically and emotionally comfortable. That kind of thinking is still centered around me – what I can and cannot do; what I can and cannot have; how I can or cannot change; instead of a surrender and obedience to a life of denying myself, a life of the cross. As I push through these kinds of doubts and fears, daily I am committed and challenged by the example of Apostle Paul to strain toward what is ahead – my citizenship in heaven.