I think this is the most books I have ever read in a single year. I haven’t always kept track, but I’m glad I am keeping a list of the books I have read. I look back on this list and think, I can’t believe it was less than a year since I read that book! I am in a completely different place now than I was then. It seems like a lifetime ago.


And that’s the beauty of books. Once you read them, you can’t unread them. They are with you. You may not remember much from them, but they become a part of you. They are resources you can draw from, memories you can reflect on, and adventures you can relive.

I came across a quote in A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin, recently that has become one of my favorites:

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one.

1. Jesus: A Theography, by Len Sweet and Frank Viola
2. Whispers, by Dean Koontz
3. Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge
4. Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton
5. Watchers, by Dean Koontz
6. Pilgrim Heart, by Darryl Tippens
7. Pathfinder, by Orson Scott Card
8. Ruins, by Orson Scott Card
9. Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold!, by Terry Brooks
10. The Black Unicorn, by Terry Brooks
11. After You Believe, by N.T. Wright
12. A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
13. Prey, by Michael Crichton
14. A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin
15. Where Is God When It Hurts?, by Philip Yancey
16. Scarred Faith, by Josh Ross
17. The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns
18. A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin
19. Just Like Jesus, by Max Lucado
20. The Door to December, by Dean Koontz
21. Ender in Exile, by Orson Scott Card
22. From Eternity to Here, by Frank Viola
23. Airframe, by Michael Crichton
24. A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin
25. Breathless, by Dean Koontz
26. The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan
27. A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin
28. The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan
29. They Smell Like Sheep, by Lynn Anderson

Yep. It’s here.

Anyone who knows me is probably not surprised by this post and is probably surprised it hadn’t come sooner.

For anyone who doesn’t know me, let me confess something. I am a Whovian. I belong to the Doctor Who fan nation. I have a t-shirt, two mugs, a Sonic Screwdriver, an iPhone case, and more. In other words, I really enjoy watching the longest running sci-fi show in the world brought to us by BBC featuring a time-traveling alien guy who always seems to find trouble and always seems to kick trouble’s teeth in.

The 50th anniversary special was the largest simulcast screening of any show ever. It was shown in over 90 countries and viewed by countless millions around the world. So what is it that makes the Doctor so popular? Is it the concept of time travel? The scary aliens and monsters? The historical figures? The witty writing? The cool companions? The quirky, lovable, fearsome Doctor?

I’m sure it’s all of the above. But there’s something more. There is something within the show that appeals to our deepest human emotions and desires. No matter what the situation, the Doctor never loses hope in humanity. He brings out the best in people. He takes ordinary folks and makes them extraordinary. The Doctor offers humanity hope, adventure, and a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Doctor Who brings elements of the gospel to the masses in a way that preachers behind a pulpit just can’t. And guess what, (surprise, surprise) the gospel resonates deep within the human soul regardless of race, gender, nationality, socioeconomic status, or religion.

EVIL IS REAL
The Doctor is never afraid to call evil for what it is. When the Daleks show up to “exterminate” the human race, the Doctor will never be scene having a philosophical discussion about the relativity of morality. No. He sees evil. He calls it evil. He does everything within his power to stop the evil.

We live in a world that is so convoluted morally that it is difficult to see through the haze of “whatever”-ness. “You’re OK, I’m OK” may sound good as a book title, but it simply doesn’t work in real life. Evil is real. Right and wrong do exist. There are some things that are absolutely bad (see Ephesians 6:12). Morality is not relative in the real world. We can’t do whatever we want. Some things, some actions, and some people are simply and truly evil. The Doctor resonates with us because he has the guts to call it like it is.

HUMANITY IS WORTH SAVING
There is something about the human race that is special and lovely and brilliant in the sight of the Doctor. Other alien species cannot figure out why the Doctor would go through so much effort to protect this “pale blue dot” of a planet. The Doctor sees what others cannot. He see the beauty, the potential, the perseverance and endurance of our species. He knows our will to survive, but he also knows out inability to save ourselves. So time and time again, the Doctor eagerly and willingly saves the Earth and the human race from certain destruction.

That’s what we all want, deep down inside – someone to fight for us even though we don’t deserve it. We long for someone to love us for us, not because of what we can give in return. We want someone who can look past the fallenness, the brokenness, the sinfulness, and love us anyway. That’s exactly what God gives us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“DON’T WANDER OFF”
Every time the Doctor gets a new companion and shows them an alien world he gives them the simple command, “Don’t wander off.” And what do they always do? They wander off. It makes me wonder if the Doctor tells them that in order to get them to wander off, the whole “reverse psychology” thing. Regardless, those who travel with the Doctor will most certainly wander off and find themselves in risky, dangerous, life-threatening situations. And often they are on their own to work their way out. It provides and opportunity for personal growth and experience. They have to learn on their own that traveling with the Doctor is not safe, but they wouldn’t grow otherwise.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus will necessarily include risks and dangers. Jesus told his disciples to “take up your cross and follow me.” The life of a disciple is never meant to be boring or safe or dull. After all, we have already died. What can man do to us? The life lived by faith, following the Holy Spirit, is a life of adventure knowing that whatever happens we are going to be okay. “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

“HE WILL KNOCK FOUR TIMES”
One of the saddest scenes in the show is when the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) sacrifices his own life to save the life of one single elderly man. He knows it’s the right thing to do, but that doesn’t make it easy. He willingly gives up his own life to save the other man, but he’s not happy about it. Even though the Doctor knows he will be regenerated, death is always the scariest of foes. Yet time and time again the Doctor, without thinking twice, puts his own life on the line to save those he cares about.

Jesus, even knowing the glory that awaited him, went to his death with tears in his eyes and fear in his heart. He did not go quietly into that dark night. He raged against the dying of the light. But he never thought twice about it. He didn’t try to weasel his way out of dying. And he did to save all of humanity, yes. But he also did it to save you and me individually. He swapped places with us. “God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

HE BRINGS OUT THE BEST
The Doctor pretty much always has a companion, a traveling buddy. These companions begin as regular, unassuming, unimpressive people. And while the Doctor never actively seeks to transform them, simply being around and traveling with the Doctor is enough for them to undergo some pretty incredible changes. Rose went from a retail worker to “BAD WOLF.” Martha Jones was a physician, and she ended up saving the Doctor and the world. Donna Noble was a temp. secretary and she became the DoctorDonna. Amelia Pond was just a little girl who waited, and she became…well, the Doctor’s mother-in-law. Clara Oswald was just a nanny, and she became the impossible girl who salvaged the Doctor’s own time stream.

All throughout the Bible, God has a knack for taking ordinary men and women and turning their lives into something extraordinary. Gideon was a coward. David was a shepherd. Peter and John were fishermen. When people follow Jesus, change happens on its own. When people commit to obeying God, their lives are transformed beyond anything they could ever imagine.

IT’S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE
The Doctor travels around in an inconspicuous blue police phone box called the TARDIS. Because of some nifty Time Lord technology, the whole ship is much, much larger on the inside. Every new co-traveler is taken aback by this impossibility. From the outside, it’s nothing more than a blue wooden phone booth. But on the inside it’s the most powerful vessel in the galaxy.

Stick with me on this one. The church is bigger on the inside. I’m not talking about the building, though that would be really sweet. But the people of God gathered together in worship to him and service to others really is bigger on the inside. From the outside looking in the church can seem unimpressive and impotent. In order to really understand the magnitude of the Lord’s church, one must step inside and become a part of it. It’s truly amazing how big of an impact such a small group of people can have in the world. Twelve men driven by the Holy Spirit “turned the world upside down.” No collective group of people has had as big an impact on the world than the church. No matter how small it may seem from the outside, the church, when powered by the Spirit, is bigger and more powerful a force than you could ever dream.

If you aren’t a fan of the show, now you are probably beginning to understand why I like it so much. If you ARE a fan of the show, I hope you are beginning to realize the reasons for the mass appeal. Whereas the world keeps pushing filth, foul language, sex, and gratuitous violence, Doctor Who offers love and hope and greatness in the midst of some pretty terrible circumstances.

So keep watching. Keep dreaming. Keep laughing and crying. And keep looking for the gospel message from here to Gallifrey.

Allons-y!

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11
I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4)

This is one of the most baffling passages in the Bible, so I am not going to even attempt to unpack and explain everything in these verses. Simply put, the world was a whole lot different before the flood. But the main thing to notice is that this sounds very similar to Greek, Egyptian, and even Norse mythology. Some beings known as “sons of God” mated with mortal women and gave rise to “heroes” and “men of renown.”

Could these “hero” legends have evolved into religious myths concerning the gods?

Another interesting passage in the early pages of human history is found embedded within the genealogy of Genesis 10:

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city. (Genesis 10:8-12)

Nimrod was a famed hunter, warrior, and city founder. Assyria, Babylon, Akkadia, Ur, Chaldea – the roots of these mega-cities and empires are traced back to this one man. I would not be surprised at all if many religious cults could trace the origins of their god(s) back to a guy like Nimrod.

In fact there is strong evidence that Zeus, the head god of the Greek pantheon, can be traced back to a mortal man, a strong warrior/civic leader, from the island of Crete. The Greeks borrowed and expanded many aspects of the Minoan religious cult surrounding Zeus. (https://cliojournal.wikispaces.com/Minoan+Religion+and+the+Ancient+Greeks)

CREATOR VS. CREATION
It was not just men and women of strength and renown that inspired deities. The ancients would also attribute aspects of nature to the gods, like the sun, the sea, the rivers, the harvest, etc. Animals became symbols of the divine. Even abstract concepts and emotions were embodied by the gods – love, beauty, war, knowledge.

Gods for everything and everything for the gods. Paul explains this phenomenon better than I can:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. (Romans 1:21-25)

You see, mankind started off with knowledge of the Creator. He revealed himself to humanity. He created humans so that they might seek a relationship with him. He created mountains and rivers, the sun and the stars, the seasons and oceans so that we might know something about him. Creation points to God. But humanity, from the beginning, was so awe-inspired by creation that they began worshiping created things rather than the Creator.

So does God get mad and strike us dead? No. He simply gives us what we want. If we want created things more than we want the Creator, so be it. But any man-made religions are based on lies. They are powerless. They are futile. They lead to nothing but chaos.

THE GODS VS. THE GOD
Anyone who claims that all religions are essentially the same has either never studied religions or does not take any notion of religion seriously.

Speaking to the matter at hand, the gods of Greek mythology are nothing like the God of the Bible. The Greek gods are known for affairs, arguments, wars, gossip, jealousy, betrayals. Studying about the Greek gods is more like watching a bad soap opera than a religious experience. They bring out the worst of humanity. They demand worship more than they deserve worship. They are gods to be appeased. Their worshipers better do the right things in the right ways at the right times – or
else…

The Greek gods could not care less about having a relationship with humans, unless it’s a carnal “relationship” or they need to use men for a certain task that they are unable/unwilling to do themselves.

This is what Paul means when he says, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie.” None of the things that are “true” about the Greek gods are true about THE God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob desires a loving relationship with all of humanity, not because he needs us but because “we are his offspring” (Acts 17:28, Paul quoting the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus).

He is not a god to be appeased. He is a God who is pleased by his children when we seek to follow him. He has not distanced himself in any way from humanity. We have distanced ourselves from him, and he has even taken the divine initiative to break down those walls of separation. God asks us to do certain things and calls us to a certain way of life, not because he is unwilling to do so himself, but because he already has done so himself. He never asks us to do anything that he is unwilling to do or has not already done.

THE AMERICAN PANTHEON
This could be a whole book within itself. But I think that we still have our Mount Olympus today. We still have our pantheon of gods today. For some, Olympus is on the East Coast in Washington, DC. They revere the president, congress, and the supreme court in a way that should only be applied to God. They rely on the government. They seek to appease the government. Patriotism is the highest value and being a good citizen is the highest goal.

To others Mount Olympus is marked by a large, white HOLLYWOOD sign. That is the home and meeting place of the gods. We even call those people “stars,” as if they are so high above us, and “celebrities,” as if they are the ones to be celebrated. And I tell you what, if you want to find a pantheon of gods that closely resembles the Greek pantheon, don’t turn to Scripture, turn to the silver screen and the red carpet.

We still, to this day, have fallen into the same exact patterns that Paul lays out in Romans 1. We have worshiped created things, the image of mankind, rather than the Creator, in whose image we are made. We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie.

You think western civilization has come a long way since the time of the ancient Greeks? Think again.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:9-15)

Cannot be contained           Easily
contained

“Living Water”

“Dead” Water

The woman thought Jesus was trying to tell her about a
spring located somewhere nearby that she didn’t know about. But Jesus, as he is
wont to do, is communicating on a whole other plane of understanding. So if
Jesus is not talking about an actual spring or stream of water, what else might
he be talking about – something pure, always changing, fresh, life-giving, and uncontainable?
I think that sounds like a great description of the Holy Spirit.

Last Sunday night at our evening worship service, the sermon from Proverbs ended with a passage that has really stuck with me. The reason it stood out is because it’s one of those verses that is so counter-cultural it borders of blasphemous (against society, not God). It’s something you would never hear on a TV show or during commercials. It won’t be on billboards. It’s so outrageous that it’s best left well within the recesses of that dusty old Bible on the shelf next to Chicken Soup for the Soul. In fact it’s so radical that I dare say if all of God’s people would put this verse into action, the entire US economy would be flipped on its head.

Give me neither poverty nor riches,
   but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
   and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
   and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Utter madness. Hogwash. Apparently Agur son of Jakeh has forgotten that America was founded on Christian principles, chief among which is capitalism. If everyone were simply content with their “daily bread,” then there would be no need for credit cards, department stores, or layaway. This is a Christian nation, Mr. Agur. Don’t you go spreading your “contentment” filth all over the place. Especially this time of year. We are even celebrating Thankfulness and the Life/Birth of Christ in the only good and proper way- buying more stuff.


Certainly Jesus himself would have something to say about that. Jesus wants us to be happy, and I won’t be happy unless I get more stuff, duh! I bet Jesus never bought into this “daily bread” mumbo jumbo.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:9-11)

Yeah but….those are only two passages. You can’t form a whole argument around two verses!

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

Well, okay. But… 

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)

Alright, four verses, big deal.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)

What, are you anit-American or something?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Why do you hate your country?

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:14-16)

Now you’re just showing off.

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

I don’t even know…

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today… If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need… There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:4-5, 7-8, 11)

I guess God just doesn’t understand the way economy works. There has to be a growing gap between the rich and the poor. If the rich don’t get richer, who’s going to provide for the poor? If we just share everything and give stuff away then we aren’t being good stewards of our money. If the poor and the rich are treated as equals, then there wouldn’t be any incentive to get rich in the first place!


God’s economy is just not practical. It would never work in the real world. Now excuse me, I have to look through the ads for all the Thanksgiving Thursday sales. That’s the American thing to do. Now be a good citizen and forget all this gratitude, contentment, and relying-on-God nonsense. There are some great sales on big TVs…

Evangelism.

That is one of the scariest words in the Christian dictionary. Evangelism is kind of like diet and exercise. We know we should be doing it. We have every intention of doing it more. But it’s just so hard to find the motivation and the time.

But it doesn’t have to be that daunting of a task. Telling others about Jesus should be as natural as telling people about that new restaurant that opened up down the street. Being a witness for Christ shouldn’t be any more difficult than telling about that AWESOME trip you took during Spring Break.

Shouldn’t be, but it is. I think it’s because we have stopped relying on and listening to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Witnessing the resurrection wasn’t enough to really turn the disciples around. Even 50 days after the resurrection the disciples are still in hiding, keeping to themselves. They don’t break out and begin winning the world for Jesus until they receive the Holy Spirit.

“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.” (Acts 1:8)

Jesus knew the disciples couldn’t do it on their own, and he never expected them to. He knew it would take a greater power than the human will in order to spread his kingdom. We talk about “willpower” but the human will is not very powerful. No, it was going to take a divine wind to fill the sails of this ship called The Way.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

But if you are still skeptical about your ability or calling to be Christ’s witness, here are five ways you can allow the Spirit to do great things through you.

1: GET IN TUNE WITH THE SPIRIT

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

As Christians, we each receive the same gift, the Holy Spirit himself, upon our baptism (Acts 2:38). Unfortunately many of us fail to recognize the work of the Spirit for what it is. Events and circumstances are chalked up to “luck” or “coincidence.” We have “chance” encounters. What we don’t realize is that the Holy Spirit works best behind the scenes. He doesn’t want any of the glory or recognition for himself, but he doesn’t want to be ignored either.

Once we are more in tune with the Spirit, we will begin to view every encounter as a divine appointment. Every person is a soul. Every stranger is a potential brother or sister. If we don’t keep in step with the Spirit, he may just leave us in his dust.

2: LOVE

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

Jesus said that he himself is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is the embodiment of love. No one ever loved like Christ loved, and no one ever revealed the Truth like Christ did. As Christ’s followers, we must be speaking the truth in love. Truth without love leads to pride and arrogance. Love without truth leads to shallowness and superficiality.

When speaking the truths of Christ to a skeptic, atheist, nonbeliever, etc., love must be overflowing with every word and action. It’s like the old saying goes, “They won’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.” When we share the good news, it’s because we genuinely care for and love that person, so much so that we will try whatever we can to introduce them to Jesus Christ.

3: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.” (Acts 17:22)

This is also one of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” But it is so true when we are trying to be witnesses for Christ. We must meet people where they are. It helps to realize that everyone is religious. No, they may not “go to church,” but for some people the bar is their church – or the concert hall or the sports stadium or the movie theater. Everybody has a god. Everybody worships something/someone. Everybody has some sort of belief about how the world works, what is right and wrong, and what happens when we die.

Our goal should be to understand where people are and go meet them there. Affirm what is good. As they get to know Christ they will begin to correct what is not so good. And, above all, pay attention to the questions they are asking. Everyone asks questions. But is the church providing answers to questions that aren’t being asked?

4: WALK THE WALK

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

Christians have been pegged by the world of nonbelievers as judgmental, hypocritical, homophobic, unloving, uncaring, and out of touch with society. Ouch. You see, the world knows something of the gospel that we Christians seem to forget: If you claim to follow Christ, you can’t keep hiding behind the mask of “I’m not perfect, just forgiven.” Christ has called us to a new life, a better life, a holy life. If Christ is Lord, start acting like it!

The unbelieving world is excellent at seeing through our masks, our Sunday garb, and our blatant hypocrisy. If Paul had to beat his body into submission so that he would avoid these traps, then how much more so should we be on our guard. How we live matters. Period. Our actions can either provide evidence to our testimony or they can discredit it altogether.

5: REMEMBER YOUR JOB

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

I think one of the biggest reasons people don’t talk to others about Jesus is because they think they don’t know enough. They are afraid of getting things wrong or actually leading people away from the Truth. But we must remember that converted hearts, transformed lives, and salvation for souls is NOT OUR JOB. That’s God’s business. He’s better at it. He has more experience. Let him do his job. Our job is to plant the seeds. Let God give the growth.

This would be like a witness in court thinking that it is completely up to here to win the case for the defendant. But it’s not up to the witness – it’s up to the attorney and the judge. Don’t go jumping into roles that are above your pay grade. We may be God’s co-workers, but he is still the boss.

John chapter 3 tell two stories about two men. One is Nicodemus – a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, the Rabbi of Israel, living in Jerusalem. The other one is John the Baptist – a charismatic prophet living in the wilderness.

I wish I were more like John the Baptist. But I am Nicodemus.

Nicodemus knew the Scriptures. He would have them memorized, beginning to end. Genesis through Malachi, always on the tip of his tongue and the front of his mind. Nicodemus had it all figured out. He knew what God wanted, how God wanted it, when God wanted it. He ate right, prayed right, worshiped right, and lived right. He knew the system. He worked the system. He loved the system.

John the Baptist didn’t simply know God’s word, he knew God. He knew what a relationship with God was all about and that God couldn’t be manipulated into owing us anything for our good behavior. John came to let God out of the box.

Nicodemus had a curiosity about Jesus. But he was about as curious of Jesus as I would be about a new store that opened up in the mall. He came to Jesus at night, when no one would be watching, just to check things out. Immediately, he defaulted into his old rabbinical suck-up mode, trying to flatter Jesus while making himself look better.

John the Baptist wasn’t just curious about Jesus, he was consumed by him. John was teaching people nonstop that Jesus of Nazareth was the Lamb of God, sent from heaven, who has come to take away the sins of the world. John was attempting to work himself out of a job. If he pointed enough people to Jesus, eventually John would have no more followers.

Nicodemus knew all the ins and outs of Scripture, but he didn’t know what it all meant. When Jesus challenged him to go to a deeper level of faith and understanding, Nicodemus responded with wit and sarcasm. When his system began to break apart, he fell back on his old defense mechanisms to soften the blow. But the damage was already done. Jesus had completely upended Nicodemus’ whole world. His precious “system” was laid bare. The true light had revealed it for what it was – empty, shallow, and deserving of death.

John the Baptist simply and humbly said, “Jesus must increase and I must decrease.” Did you catch that “must?” In other words, there was no other way it could ever work out. This is what must happen. It’s not that John was resigning his post because he couldn’t compete with Jesus. It’s that John always knew his was a “losing” position. Everything John had worked for up to this point he gladly and willingly surrendered to the cause and message of Jesus the Messiah.

Nicodemus scurried back into the darkness like a cockroach escaping the light.

John the Baptist remained in the limelight, proclaiming the kingdom of God and the Messiah, until it cost him his head.

I think the church is full of people like Nicodemus, and I’m one of them. We are curious about Jesus so we will show up on Sundays, while it’s still socially acceptable. Then we scurry off back to our homes and out of the light. We are content to simply be admirers and respecters of Jesus but nothing more. We can’t afford to have Jesus completely flip our world upside down. No, we would much rather remain curious about Jesus than consumed by him.

We think our flattery, our admiration, and even our worship of Jesus is enough to get us “in.” We do all the right things in the right ways at the right times with the right people. We’ve followed the “5 Steps of Salvation” and we participate in the “5 Acts of Worship.” We have a system, and our God fits very nicely into our system. We’ve got it all figured out.

We memorize and teach our kids John 3:16 because it fits nicely and neatly into our system. Yet we completely skip over 3:8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Now what are we supposed to do with that, Jesus? That doesn’t fit our system. You mean the Spirit moves people to live and to go and to preach and to work wherever and whenever He chooses? But Jesus, you must realize that everything must be done “decently and in order.” That’s just crazy talk, Jesus.

Or what about 3:14-15, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Whoa, now Jesus. Rein it in a little bit. It can’t be that simple. I mean, sure, all the people had to do in Moses’ day was look up at the metal snake-on-a-stick and they were saved. But we can’t have just anybody walking in our church doors on Sunday claiming that they are already saved. We have to have some sort of litmus test, something we can control, something we can monitor so that we can decide and know for sure who is in and who is out. How else are we going to know who can and who can’t serve on the Lord’s Supper table or say a closing prayer?

You’ve got to think inside the system, Jesus.

Your answer is “No?” You’re telling me, Jesus, that it doesn’t “work that way?” Well, that’s okay I guess. We can just do church without you.

…and Nicodemus scurries back out into the night.

There are two kinds of people in the world. Okay, there are WAY more than two kinds of people, but I’m only going to focus on two kinds right now. In order to explain the two kinds of people, I am going to turn to the 1980s cult classic Better Off Dead and the popular SciFi/Fantasy book series A Game of Thrones.

THE FIRST TYPE
In Better Off Dead, starring a young John Cusack, there is a scene where Cusack’s character, Lane, is practicing to make the ski team. He and his buddy, Charles, head to the top of a very difficult ski course full of trees, jumps, twists, and turns. Charles is pessimistic and warns Lane, “Dying when you’re not really sick is really sick, you know. Really!”

THE SECOND TYPE
In the George R.R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire (AKA Game of Thrones) there is a religious order in the sea region of the Iron Islands. This religion is centered on whom they call “The Drowned God.” The priest and his closest followers are known as “drowned men.” They practice a form of extreme baptism where the priest will hold the other guy under the water until he literally drowns. Once the guy stops struggling and floats lifeless on the waves, the priest then drags him to land and revives him. After this ritual the priest declares, “What is dead can never die, but rises harder and stronger.”


TO DIE OR NOT TO DIE
So which type of person are you? The kind that lives their life trying to avoid all risk, all danger, all possibility of death until one day you simply get too old to keep on living? Or are you the kind of person who stares death in the face, laughs at danger, and gets off on taking risks?

I would guess that most of us are somewhere in the middle. That’s why we have roller coasters. They give us the thrill of risk and danger but with the safety of harnesses, seat belts, and those constricting metal bars.

But what kind of life does Jesus call us to?

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Paul in his letter to Colossae is right in line with the words and warnings of Jesus:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

When you make the decision to follow Christ, you are forfeiting your life. You die. You lose your life. And by doing so, you are raised again to a new life, a better, fuller, eternal life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

WORTH DYING FOR
What in your life is worth dying for? My wife, my kids…that’s about it. My iPad isn’t worth my life. My car, my house, my job – not worth it. But I would gladly give up my life to save my family.

What about your faith? Here’s where some toes are going to be stepped on. If you faith consists of nothing more than showing up to church on Sundays, then that is not a faith worth dying for! If someone told me that I had to either stop going to a certain building on Sundays or else I would be violently executed, guess what – I’m sleeping in.

That’s why the stories of Christian martyrs shake us up so much. They DIED for the things we take for granted. They were MURDERED, not because they went to church but because they confessed Jesus as Lord. If you asked them what it means to follow Jesus, their answer would have very little to do with “going to church.” Following Jesus means dying to yourself, marking yourself for death, and taking seriously the call to “take up your cross” EVERY – SINGLE – DAY.

DISCIPLESHIP vs. THE AMERICAN DREAM
I think the church is guilty of “baptizing” and spiritualizing the American Dream. We teach our kids to do well in school, participate in sports, land a part time job, and score well on their ACT/SAT so that they can get a scholarship to the college of their dreams. While in college parents push their kids to major in something “practical” so they can get a high paying job straight after graduation. Work a while, save up money, get married, buy a house, two cars, a boat, and a dog. Have kids and teach them to repeat the cycle.

I have NEVER heard a Christian parent ENCOURAGE their child(ren) to become ministers or missionaries. If they come up with that idea on their own, the parents might relent but will still demand that they minor or double major in some other field to fall back on. Because God forbid that our children should face hardships and struggles for the sake of spreading the gospel, right? Oh the bitter irony.

We take our kids to Sunday school and teach them the names of the disciples (to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me”). But we just kind of stop there. These 12 (really 14) men were chosen by Jesus to a specific task – make more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). In other words, the Twelve were sent out to teach people how to live like they lived AND how to die like they died.

Only one out of 14 died of old age.

Jesus called them one by one:
Peter – crucified upside down
Andrew – crucified on an X-shaped cross
James – beheaded with a sword by Herod Agrippa; the first disciple to be martyred (Acts 12:1-3)
and John – died of old age in Ephesus BUT had multiple attempts on his life including one instance where, tradition says, he was thrown into a large vat of boiling oil but was saved by an angel from God (sounds like the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego)
Next came Philip – scourged, thrown in prison, and crucified
Thomas, too – run through with spears
Matthew – Killed with a halberd (a long, pointed battle ax)
and Bartholomew – flayed alive and then crucified
James, the one they called “the less” – beaten, stoned, and bludgeoned with clubs
Simon – crucified along with Thaddeus
also Thaddeus – crucified along with Simon
the twelfth apostle Judas made, Jesus was by him betrayed – hanged himself after turning Jesus in to the authorities
Yes, Jesus called them
Yes, Jesus called them
Yes, Jesus called them
And they all followed him


There were also Matthias and Paul who were added to the number of disciples.
Matthias – stoned and then beheaded
Paul – beheaded with a sword in Rome

Let’s take Paul’s example. We like Paul. We teach our kids about his missionary journeys, his miracles, his teachings, and so on. And when he says things like, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ,” we teach our kids to be good people, because Paul and Jesus were good people. But we don’t EVER encourage our kids to follow Paul’s example when it actually comes to spreading the kingdom. Paul didn’t play it safe. He had no Plan B. He dove head first into the very situations from which we try to protect our kids.

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin,and I do not inwardly burn? (2 Corinthians 11:23-29)

Yep, that sounds like the Western Christians American Dream in a nutshell, right?

THE WORLD IS NOT WORTHY
One of my fears is that the church is churning out children and teenagers worthy of this world. We are producing “good citizens,” star athletes, and math wizzes all under a “Christian” label. And the world is just waiting, drooling, stomach growling in anticipation for our students to leave our youth “programs” so it can sink its teeth into their juicy, fattened, sheltered souls.

Parents, you ARE NOT doing your child any favors by raising them this way!

I have two young boys – a three year old and a nearly two month old. It is my prayer that when all is said and done, they will grow up to be people of whom it can be said, “The world is not worthy of them.”

But that involves risk and danger.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging,and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. (Hebrews 11:32-38)

Lord God, please shape me and my family into the kind of people of whom the world is not worthy. Let us not be content to live comfortably under the guise of American Christianity, but teach us what it means to truly be your disciples. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death reunites us.

Amen

Have you ever really paid attention to the people and places that Jesus considered important during his ministry? Have you really noticed the kind of folks Jesus felt most comfortable with, the ones he called his family, the men and women he spent most of his time with? Has it occurred to you the places Jesus felt most welcomed, most received? The places Jesus could be himself? The places he called home?

We get a glaring contrast in John 2 between two places, two groups of people, and Jesus’ reaction to both. One is the Temple, the seat of all Jewish religion, the hub of worship, the house of prayer, the epicenter of God’s presence on earth. The other is a wedding party in a Podunk town where there is *gasp* wine, merriment, and celebration.

We would think Jesus, you know – the Son of God, would feel more at home in…the Temple. But we would be wrong. Check out the brilliant comparison and contrast between these two locales in John 2.

Jesus is God on earth. John 1 says that the Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us, or pitched his tent alongside us. Jesus is the embodiment of everything the Temple was supposed to be. When Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem, it should have been like returning home. It was anything but.

How would you like it if you went away for a while, say on vacation, and when you got back your neighbors had decided to use your garage and driveway to host their yard sale? Jesus got to the Temple and saw all the buying, selling, and trading that was happening right at the main entrance to his house!

That’s why I think Jesus always felt most at home in small towns with the few genuinely faithful people he could find. He never stayed the night in Jerusalem – always Bethany. He spent the majority of his ministry in and around Galilee, not Judea/Jerusalem. His home was with the people, not with the political and religious powers. He would rather be at a wedding feast any day than put up with the man-made religious institutions of his day.

Today there is no physical Temple. There hasn’t been for close to 2000 years. But Jesus feels right at home with the people, his people, the church. The church is his bride, he is the bridegroom. The church is the Temple in which his Spirit resides. The wedding feast is being prepared as we speak – and I doubt they will run out of wine this time. So while temples and cathedrals may stand magnificent yet empty, Jesus has always been and is still right at home with each of us.