"When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”" (Acts 4:7, NRSV)
"let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." (Acts 4:10, NRSV)
"There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”" (Acts 4:12, NRSV)
Peter and John are being questioned by the chief priests and the scribes because of the healing they did to a lame man and for proclaiming that Jesus is the Resurrection of the Dead in the temple. The accusers have the audacity, as they did with Jesus, to ask them by what power or name did you do this action? It is a great question—a question that they probably don’t want answered.
Peter answers them by saying it is Jesus, who know they guy you killed, the guy God raised from the dead. What a strong statement—Peter basically says how dare you ask—look at what you have done—you kill—we bring life and healing to people. You kill, God brings life—not much of a contest.
Then with further confidence, he declares that there is salvation (eternal life) in no one else! No other name under heaven.
We lack the confidence of Peter—we are given a relationship and saved under the only name under heaven. Being a follower of Jesus is not just being a member of another religion. The Apostles and Jesus himself state this is only under Jesus’ name. Being a follower of Jesus is an exclusive claim, an exclusive faith—that is openly inclusive for all to proclaim.
Bottom line, others (religions, faiths, people) can only bring death, but Jesus, who is the resurrection and life, brings victory (exclusive victory)!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Exact Imprint of God
"Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs." (Hebrews 1:1-4, NRSV)
In that past month I have had numerous conversations with people who misunderstand the trinity—or what the Triune God is about. Now that is not all that surprising to not understand the trinity: three persons in one God. It is a mystery and beyond human logic. I don’t expect people to understand it. But I have had several people (church goers included) misunderstand who Jesus is.
One encounter with a person claimed he understood that Jesus was God’s son, but not God. This person wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness, he was raised in a church that proclaimed the trinity—he had just missed the point. He had missed the point that Jesus is God. That Jesus is the creator, that Jesus is the sustainer, that Jesus is the redeemer. Jesus is the heir of all things and is the all in all.
I love this phrase in the opening of the Book of Hebrews; He is the exact imprint of God’s very being. We have the image of God, but Jesus has the exact imprint—He is God in the flesh. Jesus has inherited all things, included the name of God which is, “I AM”, therefore everything else is “I AM NOT”
When we are relationship with Jesus than “WE ARE” when we are not in relationship with God in the Flesh “WE ARE NOT”.
Lord Jesus, help me to release who you are, help me to abide in you, because everything else is NOT in comparison to you.
In that past month I have had numerous conversations with people who misunderstand the trinity—or what the Triune God is about. Now that is not all that surprising to not understand the trinity: three persons in one God. It is a mystery and beyond human logic. I don’t expect people to understand it. But I have had several people (church goers included) misunderstand who Jesus is.
One encounter with a person claimed he understood that Jesus was God’s son, but not God. This person wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness, he was raised in a church that proclaimed the trinity—he had just missed the point. He had missed the point that Jesus is God. That Jesus is the creator, that Jesus is the sustainer, that Jesus is the redeemer. Jesus is the heir of all things and is the all in all.
I love this phrase in the opening of the Book of Hebrews; He is the exact imprint of God’s very being. We have the image of God, but Jesus has the exact imprint—He is God in the flesh. Jesus has inherited all things, included the name of God which is, “I AM”, therefore everything else is “I AM NOT”
When we are relationship with Jesus than “WE ARE” when we are not in relationship with God in the Flesh “WE ARE NOT”.
Lord Jesus, help me to release who you are, help me to abide in you, because everything else is NOT in comparison to you.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The Gospel of Judas
There was been a lot of hoopla about the new released Gospel of Judas. National Geographic did a big special on Sunday, most of the major media outlets have covered it. Instead of reproducing a lot of the comments about the Gospel of Judas, I thought I just link you to a good blog about it.
Ben Witherington: The Sad Truth about Judas
Witherington has several posts responding to the Gospel--all of them which you should read.
The bottomline is this 1 document written by Gnostics some 300 years after Jesus and Judas, doesn't reveal anything about what the early church believe and knew about their relationship, but reveals only what a heretical group that formed 100 years after the earlier church believed.
Ben Witherington: The Sad Truth about Judas
Witherington has several posts responding to the Gospel--all of them which you should read.
The bottomline is this 1 document written by Gnostics some 300 years after Jesus and Judas, doesn't reveal anything about what the early church believe and knew about their relationship, but reveals only what a heretical group that formed 100 years after the earlier church believed.
The New Motive
"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. . . .‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”" (John 13:33-35, NRSV)
The new commandment? Loving one another doesn’t seem like a new commandment. Wasn’t loving your neighbor as yourself essential to the Law for Israel? Love isn’t new, but the motive behind love is new. We don’t love each other to benefit each other. We don’t love our neighbor because it does them good for us to love them. We don’t love each other because it makes us feel better about ourselves or somehow is a good work for us. Rather we love each other because Jesus loves us. Loving each other is a response to the Love that Jesus gives us. Loving each other is a way of glorify our Lord.
So what is the type of love that Jesus shares with us. Just prior to this “new” commandment Jesus realizing that the Father has given everything into his hands (wow! Everything is in the hands of the Son—that is trust!) turns to his disciples and washes their feet. He serves them. The love that Jesus shares with us is one of a servant—one that goes above and beyond to care for each other. We in turn must serve each other and the world.
The new commandment of love is really a new motive to respond to Jesus’ love—which is ultimate expressed on the cross. Now that is going above and beyond to serve—dying on the cross.
The new commandment? Loving one another doesn’t seem like a new commandment. Wasn’t loving your neighbor as yourself essential to the Law for Israel? Love isn’t new, but the motive behind love is new. We don’t love each other to benefit each other. We don’t love our neighbor because it does them good for us to love them. We don’t love each other because it makes us feel better about ourselves or somehow is a good work for us. Rather we love each other because Jesus loves us. Loving each other is a response to the Love that Jesus gives us. Loving each other is a way of glorify our Lord.
So what is the type of love that Jesus shares with us. Just prior to this “new” commandment Jesus realizing that the Father has given everything into his hands (wow! Everything is in the hands of the Son—that is trust!) turns to his disciples and washes their feet. He serves them. The love that Jesus shares with us is one of a servant—one that goes above and beyond to care for each other. We in turn must serve each other and the world.
The new commandment of love is really a new motive to respond to Jesus’ love—which is ultimate expressed on the cross. Now that is going above and beyond to serve—dying on the cross.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Refusing the Help we Need
Sometimes we just refuse help. No matter how dire the circumstances or how painful it is, we just refuse help.
Last night was one of those moments. Andrew, who is suffering through a poking-of-the-eye-with-the-toothbrush injury refused to take his eye ointment. The night before we woke up several times in the night whimpering and putting a cloth to his eye. Nevertheless it made for a miserable night for all of us. After taking him to the doctor, and the doctor thinking that he just irritated the eye and nothing was wrong, prescribed an eye ointment. Last night after the fury of his birthday (which was a grand event) Andrew refused to take his eye ointment (his being over-tired didn’t help the process). It took over 30 minutes of calming him down and bribing him, until eventually we had to overpower him and give it to him by force. He refused his eye medicine even though he was complaining about his eye.
People are like that. Sometimes we just don’t want help, even though, we know we need it, even though we know we are suffering, we refuse to take the help. People are that way with Jesus all the time. This world is full of death and suffering, and when you open up the doors for people to see Jesus they refuse the only help they really need.
Pray for Andrew to be open to receive the help he needs for his eye, and for people around us to receive the help that Jesus offers to them.
Last night was one of those moments. Andrew, who is suffering through a poking-of-the-eye-with-the-toothbrush injury refused to take his eye ointment. The night before we woke up several times in the night whimpering and putting a cloth to his eye. Nevertheless it made for a miserable night for all of us. After taking him to the doctor, and the doctor thinking that he just irritated the eye and nothing was wrong, prescribed an eye ointment. Last night after the fury of his birthday (which was a grand event) Andrew refused to take his eye ointment (his being over-tired didn’t help the process). It took over 30 minutes of calming him down and bribing him, until eventually we had to overpower him and give it to him by force. He refused his eye medicine even though he was complaining about his eye.
People are like that. Sometimes we just don’t want help, even though, we know we need it, even though we know we are suffering, we refuse to take the help. People are that way with Jesus all the time. This world is full of death and suffering, and when you open up the doors for people to see Jesus they refuse the only help they really need.
Pray for Andrew to be open to receive the help he needs for his eye, and for people around us to receive the help that Jesus offers to them.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Proclaiming Death
"In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11:25-26, NRSV)
The words of Institution of the Lord’s Supper—we say them so often, they seem to roll off our tongue or pass through our ears without a second thought. But when I read them, hear them, or say them, they also seem to strike me as odd. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”, “you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Those are odd things to repeat and hear over and over again.
It is interesting that Paul states that when wee participate in the Lord’s Supper we are in the action of proclaiming. By taking the Bread and the Wine as a community we are making a proclamation to the word. I usually don’t think of my participation in the Lord’s Supper as proclamation but I think of it as a way to remember and reflect on what Jesus has done for me. But yet, Paul clearly states it is a proclamation not an act of remembrance. By participation we are standing on our soap box to the world and proclaiming—proclaiming what?—proclaiming the Lord’s death. (?)
Whoa! Doesn’t it seem like we should be proclaiming his resurrection, his victory over death. That is such an odd thing to say, we proclaim death…
Well, we do proclaim death. The path of following Jesus is death. Death to this life, death to sin, death to slavery, and our ambitions and lusts— but in that death is true life. A life of servitude to our king, a life of freedom, a life of joy, an life that is everlasting.
In our proclamation of death we proclaim true life in Jesus.
The words of Institution of the Lord’s Supper—we say them so often, they seem to roll off our tongue or pass through our ears without a second thought. But when I read them, hear them, or say them, they also seem to strike me as odd. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”, “you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Those are odd things to repeat and hear over and over again.
It is interesting that Paul states that when wee participate in the Lord’s Supper we are in the action of proclaiming. By taking the Bread and the Wine as a community we are making a proclamation to the word. I usually don’t think of my participation in the Lord’s Supper as proclamation but I think of it as a way to remember and reflect on what Jesus has done for me. But yet, Paul clearly states it is a proclamation not an act of remembrance. By participation we are standing on our soap box to the world and proclaiming—proclaiming what?—proclaiming the Lord’s death. (?)
Whoa! Doesn’t it seem like we should be proclaiming his resurrection, his victory over death. That is such an odd thing to say, we proclaim death…
Well, we do proclaim death. The path of following Jesus is death. Death to this life, death to sin, death to slavery, and our ambitions and lusts— but in that death is true life. A life of servitude to our king, a life of freedom, a life of joy, an life that is everlasting.
In our proclamation of death we proclaim true life in Jesus.
Monday, April 03, 2006
The Lord is on my side
"With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." (Psalm 118:6-9, NRSV)
How often I forget that the Lord is on my side—He is walking with me. With that knowledge and relationship it should be easy for me to walk confidently in this world, not with arrogance, but with a trust knowing that God has a plan and purpose for me and my family.
Yet, I feel I protect them from the world. I feel I can guard them. I forget that God is at my side and theirs and he loves them more than I do. Hard to imagine that someone can love my family more than me, but thankful that He does, because I don’t do a great job of loving them all the time.
Lord, help me to not fear, but trust in you and recognize that you are at my side.
How often I forget that the Lord is on my side—He is walking with me. With that knowledge and relationship it should be easy for me to walk confidently in this world, not with arrogance, but with a trust knowing that God has a plan and purpose for me and my family.
Yet, I feel I protect them from the world. I feel I can guard them. I forget that God is at my side and theirs and he loves them more than I do. Hard to imagine that someone can love my family more than me, but thankful that He does, because I don’t do a great job of loving them all the time.
Lord, help me to not fear, but trust in you and recognize that you are at my side.
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