Christianity is a lifestyle of self-denial and discipline: one of total surrender and obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Some view this as a constraining, boring, and old fashioned way of life. But we only have one life to live. We can seek to find our own way of life, or we can give our life back to God and discover true abundance.

“Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits”  — Psalm 103:2

These words were spoken by King David of Israel. He knew God and followed after the heart of God. He was a frail, flawed human like all of us, but because he kept God first on the throne of his heart, he experienced a life full of God’s presence and intervention. I would like to mention several of the benefits of living the Christian life in an effort to persuade some and challenge others:

God gives me lasting peace in a tumultuous world. It guards my heart and mind from fear, worry and anxiety. It is not fragile and fleeting, but beyond my understanding and stronger than life’s storms and uncertainties. He gives rest for the weary soul.

His joy is my strength – not just physical strength, but the part of me which will outlast this aging body. Jesus delivers from depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. He renews my mind, which can be so easily polluted with all the things I see and hear. He gives a sound mind that is not tormented with suicidal thoughts.

God gives wonderful counsel free of charge in His Word. When I apply it to my life, the result is that I live a more abundant life. I have great help in my relationships, such as marriage, children, parents, co-workers, friends, and yes, even enemies. That’s what life is really made up of – relationships – and having a personal one with Jesus makes all earthly ones even better. His office is always open, and He is never on vacation.

Jesus is ready, willing, and able to give all types of healing – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I don’t need a psychic, medium, or holistic therapist to overcharge me for their services. I can activate my God-given faith and access His healing power.

God has knowledge of and provides for all of my needs. He supplies them from His great resources and riches. Most of the time I am unaware of how He is constantly doing this, and often I have to trade my worries in for a whole-hearted trust in Him.

I choose to indulge in good, clean fun. There may be many other self-indulging options available that offer unrestrained but temporary pleasures, but God lets me choose – and when I choose, I also live with the consequences. Consequently, I’ve chosen to live a life free of regrets, guilt, hurt relationships, or punishment. When I also confess and turn from wickedness, I will be given an escape from God’s judgment against sin.

I experience pure love from its very source, which is God. Love that never fails and is so deep, so wide, and so forgiving that it’s difficult to understand, because there is nothing like it anywhere else in life. I know God as my heavenly father, which makes me one of His sons. Even if your father was abusive, neglectful or absent from the home, God is a kind and everlasting Father whose family is always growing because He keeps adopting more children.

Jesus has empowered me to live a lifestyle free from self-destructive addictions like smoking, alcohol, drugs, pornography, gossip, and complaining. I reap the benefits of a moral lifestyle with no regrets. God has cleaned the proverbial skeletons out of the closet of my life. And when new ones die and want to make their grave in my heart, Jesus comes with resurrection power over past hurts, pain, guilt, and shame.

There are many more examples, but perhaps this sampling will give you an idea of why I am convinced that being a Christian, not just claiming the title, is the best life possible!

How do you “be” a Christian? What makes a person a Christian? Is it a personal decision or a personal experience? Are there different types? Many people have asked these questions.

Think of what it means to be a witness in a court room. You are called to the stand to give your account of what is being scrutinized and judged. You are allowed to speak because you were present first hand at the occasion that is on trial. You give your personal rendition of what happened: what you saw, how you felt, what you did, and what others did. You have sworn to tell the truth – all and only. After you have your say, you step down from the stand and are seated in silence. Now that your testimony has been given, it’s up to the jury and judge to make a decision based on what they have heard and observed. Your words may be argued against by the next person on the stand. They may refute and oppose everything you said. But they, too, have sworn to tell the truth.

After all parties have had their say, it’s decision time. The powers present in the judge and jury will determine the outcome of the case. They have power to sentence someone to a prison term or to acquit them and release them from the charges against them. You remain seated and silent as the verdict is read and the case comes to a close. You are just a witness, but your words carry great persuasive power. Your words will influence life altering decisions for some who hear them.

Think of the idea of being a Christian again. Think of the defense Jesus used when He was being tried before Pilate, before being sentenced to death by crucifixion. For the most part, He was a silent as a lamb before the shearer. Pilate asked Him if He was aware of the power he had over His life. Still, Jesus was silent. It wasn’t until after his death, burial, resurrection and ascension back into Heaven that His witnesses came to the stand to speak of what they saw, heard and experienced while Jesus was among them.

Thousands upon thousands of people from all around the world are still speaking their testimony to a suspicious, critical, condemning, skeptical and questioning court room as Jesus sits down and lets His witnesses take the stand. Their words persuade some and provoke others. There is no denying them. They speak with authority and confidence. Their words fall upon deaf ears and into searching hearts. They speak with Earthly languages as ambassadors on a mission. They speak in heavenly languages with an utterance and power from another realm. They speak with authority which has been given to them from the One whom they represent. The entire world stands guilty before the judge of all the Earth. After His witnesses have all had their say in the great courtroom of the universe, Heaven’s judge will give a righteous decree.

“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 (NIV)

How many times have you found yourself in this particular quandary? You’ve purchased gifts for your children or someone you love. Now it’s your responsibility, as the loving individual, to assemble the gift. You open the box, carefully laying out the parts. You say to yourself, “This should be easy.” Some pieces fall into place easily, while others seem to need some extra coaxing. A bolt here, a washer, bolt or screw here. It all seems to make sense. Finally, you are finished!

Oops, not so quick. What are those extra nuts, bolts and that extra piece? You didn’t see where those should have gone. Upon the realization that the gift wouldn’t work as it was intended without those parts, you finally decide to pull out the directions and follow them. How often we find ourselves doing just that with our lives here on earth, a to a much larger degree, our existence after this life as we know it has passed?

We attempt to live our lives according to our own set of rules or our own interpretation. Our propensity is to lean toward that which is most convenient, most comfortable or most pleasurable without regard to the final outcome. The world’s philosophy becomes our barometer for what is right or wrong. We find that it’s our ever-changing culture that dictates our actions rather than the never-changing word of God. However, as we wander through this life, we find that pieces are missing. Inevitably, life isn’t what it’s meant to be. We feel as though life is not complete.

After years of looking for what was missing, I have finally discovered the missing piece. I have found that I need to “read the instructions” before I continue to attempt to build life’s puzzle. It is essential to not merely browse the directions periodically but follow them at all times. Only then will you be assured to complete life’s puzzle successfully. Do you want success? Do you want peace and joy in your life the way that God desires for you? Try applying these words from the Bible:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  –Proverbs 3:5-6

As you submit to this Godly wisdom, you too will find comfort in knowing that you’re following heavenly instructions meant to complete you and bring true joy to your life.

Growing up with my family, I lived on a military base. My father served in the Air Force for 20 years. The fun part about growing up on a military base was that there were tons of families. Tons of families meant that there were tons of kids. Many afternoons after school, I would come home, do my homework and then go outside to play with my friends. We would ride bikes, play basketball, play hide and go seek, or tag.

My parents had two main rules that I had to adhere to while playing outside:

1. Don’t leave the military base.
2. Don’t go into anybody else’s house.

My parents emphasized not to break these rules, because a stranger can harm you and life outside of the military base is not as safe as it is on base. Although I couldn’t fully understand the rationale behind their rules, I honored them. Eventually, after looking at all of the airplanes and soldiers standing armed at the gates each day, I believed that life was indeed safer on the base. After all, these men protected our country and I lived down the street from them. My parents were right about being safe by obeying their boundaries.

I liken the experience to sheep in a field, being led by a shepherd. The shepherd feeds them. He nourishes them. He shelters them. He protects them. The sheep follow him because they have learned over time how he cares and that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt them.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The sheep learn and understand that the shepherd will lay down his life for them. He sets boundaries for the protection of the sheep. He leads the sheep to new pastures in unfamiliar territories so that the sheep can have fresh green grass and a nourishing place to grow. The shepherd knows his sheep. The sheep know their shepherd. They spend much time together and share many experiences together. The sheep learn over time that the safest place they could ever be is wherever there shepherd is.

As a young child, sometimes I would ride my bike close to the gate. I wondered what it would be like on the other side. Sometimes, I wondered if things were really as bad as my parents said they were. Despite all of my wondering and questioning, I trusted my parents’ character enough not to cross over. They were the ones’ with whom I shared my life’s greatest moments. They loved me. They fed me. They protected me. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere that would separate me from their love, trust, and provision.

So it is with Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd and we can be rest assured that whatever he asks of us, whatever instruction He gives, whatever path He leads, we can trust His character. Although we may not understand what He commands, His commandments are for our good. They are for our protection. They are for our nourishments. And that wherever we go, as long as we are in His care, every need will be supplied. Submission to Jesus Christ is surrendering to knowing that Christ’s character and provision is greater and more valuable than anything outside of where He leads us. He is the Good Shepherd. Trust and follow Him today. You’ll never go hungry. You’ll never be lonely. It is the safest place that one could ever be.

What words should be said when someone receives Christian baptism? What words were said when you were baptized?

If you were like most people, the baptizing minister would have used the phrase “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” This is not surprising. Jesus himself spoke those words when he was speaking to a group of his disciples after his resurrection from the dead. He commanded them to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” It is thus not surprising to expect that these words should be repeated during water baptism. Nor is it surprising that so many who baptize today repeat these words during the act of baptism.

What is surprising is that the original listeners did not repeat these words when they baptized. The first sermon was preached just ten days after Jesus ascended to Heaven. The speaker, Simon Peter, told his listeners that in crucifying Jesus Messiah they had been instrumental in the death of a man who had the approval of God. Realizing their error the crowd asked what they could do about it. Simon Peter told them they could do two things. First, they could renounce the habits and mindset of their past life which had led them to condemn an innocent man. Second, they could align themselves with the one whom they had previously opposed. Simon Peter’s words were “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). Three thousand accepted his challenge and were baptized.

Further accounts of Christian baptism appear in the early history of Christianity. An administrator of the widows’ fund, Philip, went to Samaria where he preached “the name of Jesus Christ,” and both men and women were baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” We also have record of the apostle Paul baptizing a dozen disciples. They, too, were baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul himself, at his conversion, had been told to “be baptized, and wash away [his] sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” For Paul there was no doubt as to the identity of “the Lord.” Three days earlier “the Lord” had accused Paul of being the Lord’s persecutor (by killing Christians). Paul asked, “Who are you Lord?” The Lord replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Paul was thus baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

The evidence for Christian baptism points to the use of the name Jesus when receiving baptism. There is no record in the New Testament that the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 were ever used in baptism. We are thus left with a choice to make: We can follow the example of the early Christians or we can repeat the words of Jesus. For which choice shall we opt?

It is a question of authority and interpretation. The early Christians interpreted the words of Jesus to mean that they were not to repeat the words of Jesus in baptism. They were to obey them which, based on their practice, meant invoking the name of Jesus. A post-apostolic interpretation is to repeat the words of Jesus, generally without invoking the name itself, that is, Jesus.

It is also a question of authority. Whose interpretation is more authoritative? Is it the interpretation of those who were trained by Jesus? Or is it the interpretation of those joined hundreds and thousands of years later? Will the apostles be judged by our example or will we be judged by theirs?

What is the Godhead? When I hear a word used that I don’t understand, I usually pull out a dictionary and try to find its meaning. The New Cyclopedic Theological Dictionary defines “Godhead” as an old synonym for diety. Translated from the Greek theotes, it refers to the state of being God, and to the sum total of God’s nature. The question is what does the word Godhead mean, and what does it mean to those who search the scriptures for the meaning of life?

Many Christians would probably say that the Godhead is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Some would go so far as to say that there are three persons or even three Gods in the Godhead, i.e. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. I find this difficult to believe and understand since if you do a diligent study of God in the Bible you will find from the very beginning that there is only one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord.” Jesus used this scripture when He was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” And He went on to say that we must love this one God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

The apostle Paul used the term “Godhead” when he was trying to explain to the church in Colosse who Jesus was, when he said that all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt, or lived in the body of, the man Jesus Christ. The fullness of the Godhead is much more than Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It consists of everything that God is. Quoting from the Theological Dictionary:

“God is an invisible, personal, and living Spirit, distinguished from all other spirits by His divine attributes. He is:

1. Eternal – God dwells in eternity. Time has no effect on Him.
2. Self-existent – He was not created; He was the creator.
3. Self-sufficient – Since the eternal, self-existent One was uncaused by anything or anyone, and was prior to all else. He is not dependent on anything or any other being for His sustenance or continuation.
4. Infinite – God has no limitations.
5. Immutable – Unchanging. His divine character and attributes remain constant.

Some other major attributes are omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all knowing) and omnipresence (present everywhere at once). The Bible also adds that God is love, good, merciful and gracious, perfect and holy, faithful and just. God’s final revelation of Himself is Jesus Christ. In other words, to know God, one must seek to know Jesus Christ.”

God is our Advocate, beloved bridegroom, savior, redeemer, deliverer, and healer. The apostle Thomas came to this great revelation when Jesus appeared to him after he had doubted. Thomas proclaimed to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for calling Him Lord and God. But said, “Thomas, because you have seen me you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”

In conclusion, “don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.” Col 2:8-10. Everything that God is you will find in Jesus Christ.

One of the purest holidays of the year is upon us. Thanksgiving remains unique in that it may be one of the least exploited of the major holidays Americans celebrate – don’t tell the retailers. What a blessing it is for those of us who can still corral the family and enjoy the bounty and relationships God has granted us. How refreshing it can be to sit around and talk about the things for which we are thankful.

If you’re like me, it may have been a while since you have recounted your blessings. This Thanksgiving may be an opportune time to reflect on the many gifts God has given to you. What are some of the things you are most thankful for? How many wonderful things are you taking for grant it? Allow me to highlight just one of those gifts.

I am grateful for many things, not the least of which is my ability to see. Our eyes are an incredible gift. No doubt, those who deal with the severe inconveniences of blindness or partial blindness would admonish the rest of us to savor all that our eyes can take in. Consider how vastly different the world would seem if you were blind. Better yet, imagine how drastically different the planet would be if no human being or animal could see! Without the gift of eyes, almost nothing would be the same.

Our eyes are not a mistake or a random organization of cells; they are astonishingly complex organs. “10 million photo receptor cells. That’s what the light sensitive retina of our eye contains… And what do these cells do? Capturing the light patterns formed by the lens and converting them into complex electrical signals.. which are then sent to an area of the brain, where they are transformed into the phenomenon that is vision… For the human eye to function properly, 40 fundamental components need to be simultaneously present and working properly in tandem. It is an organ with irreducible complexity.” (www.sonaandjacob.com/reason.pdf)

Our eyes are stunning gifts from our Creator. They are not organs that accidently mutated over millions of years. Even Charles Darwin admitted, “To suppose the eye… could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree!” (The Origin of Species by Natural Selection 1859, p217) The eye stands as an icon of creation and a great testament to the existence of an Intelligent Designer to whom I am eternally indebted.

Perhaps you would join me in a prayer of thanksgiving: “Ten million thanks, God, for our eyes through which we visually feast on your awesome universe. At every turn we are struck by your incredible inventiveness. There are many of us who are still thankful for all You have made. Your brilliance is on display and we are the grateful beneficiaries.”

Ordinary days will come. No matter how much we might pray for them to go away or wish that there was a “next button” to skip to the next church service, it won’t happen. Often I have found myself discouraged by these seemingly monotonous, never-ending days. I want God’s kingdom to be set up on earth. I want to see demons slain on the battlefields of darkness. I want to see God’s army rise in unity, with each of us knowing our individual role. I want revival to sweep across the world, coupled with a drastic political change that people think is impossible. I want to be part of it.

Since you’re reading this article, I imagine that you also want these things.  Excitement about what is going to happen fills my soul when I talk about the possibilities of what God could use me for.  My face beams after a powerful church service or district function.  Then the ‘ordinary’ days roll around: those ever-slow-crawling days that fill the gaps between the services.  It dulls my excitement and almost crushes my spirit.  So slow, so boring.  It is vital that we don’t allow hope to vanish in the ordinary days. They are more life-changing than they first appear.

This path began two years ago for me, during a conversation with my father. That conversation planted the seeds so that I could later grasp a new understanding of what these days truly meant. He told me, “Not all days to come will be magnificent, but what lies ahead in the future is wondrous.” He referred to the ‘boring days’, which will fall between now and the wonders that await my life. The ordinary days. God wishes to teach us on the very days which I had come to despise. But what does He want to teach us? Patience? How to be strong in Him? No matter what His lesson may be, He wants us to know that the ordinary days must come before the miraculous. How can we slay demons if we do not know the way? How can we witness to people if we don’t delve into the Scriptures?

It’s foolish to believe that a person can wait to be used by God and then, when the moment arrives, God will just slap that person upside the head with knowledge. There may be circumstances in which He will do that, but how can one expect God to use them at a moment’s notice if they fail to study and build a relationship with Him? Why would He use them when there are others who have studied and built that relationship? One can pray all they want for knowledge, but first they need to search the Scriptures. It’s all there. They need to pray for the wisdom to understand God’s Word, not for a divine revelation born from slothfulness.

It feels as though I live off the exciting days, and wither on the ordinary ones. That’s not the way it’s meant to be. The boring days, when God seems not to be moving, are integral to the Christian’s growth because they are the days that precede the wonders. They are the days that God teaches the lessons that will prepare us to do His work in the wondrous days ahead, if we will allow Him to do so. I hope that every morning when I wake up and think to myself, “Another ordinary day…” I will also add “…that will help shape my life.” Do not lose hope in the ordinary days; they are meant to be life-changing.

Deep in the tropical forest a jeep loaded with a half dozen cartel desperados is careening cross-country in pursuit of a lone, beleaguered lawman. As these blood-thirsty criminals catch sight of our hero, two hand guns and three machine guns simultaneously open fire. He zigzags as dirt and woodchips are kicked up on every side, but not single bullet grazes his body. Stumbling toward cover the lawman tucks, rolls and releases two quick rounds in the direction of his pursuers. As luck would have it, one of his bullets flattens a tire while the other punctures the gas tank, causing the jeep to roll over and explode, killing or maiming every one of our hero’s enemies.

In the next scene, the lawman has retrieved one of the fallen enemy’s machine guns. After deftly disabling several compound guards, he walks boldly into the command cartel’s center and opens fire. This time, everyone he shoots is riddled with holes. How convenient!

How is it that three machine gunners and two hired gunman can’t hit our hero, but he can kill a dozen men with one machine gun? The answer: Hollywood cheats. In the movies, sometimes a fender bender results in major injuries, but, at other times, a rollover accident that sends a car off a bridge into a raging river leaves the driver with a small cut on his forehead which slightly inconveniences him as he breaks a window and exits the car under water, so he can swim down river and escape those who wished him dead. The screenwriters get to make it up. They don’t have to be honest. They can always bring the story around to their preferred endings.

That may work well in movies, but real life doesn’t work that way. St. Paul said it this way: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) In real life there are consequences.

I fear that our society has become so media-influenced that many people have begun to believe that life’s rules can be changed; that they can beat the odds just like 007. They see so many movies in which a husband or wife cheats on their spouse, negotiates a lucrative settlement, and rides off into the sunset with their new lover, that they truly expect their affair to end up that way. But Hollywood is cheating. Real affairs break hearts and leave children abandoned. Cheating in real life leaves people lonely and untrusted. Incidentally, few of us will ever have the kind of money movie characters seem to have when they are finished abusing everyone in their life.

Movie characters can sin and evade the consequences. They don’t have to deal with reality like you and I do. But, remember, movies are so unrealistic that it requires a great deal of effort to produce a single scene. For example, director Stanley Kubrick once asked Shelley Duvall to repeat a scene 127 times for The Shining. When Charlie Chaplin ate his boot in The Gold Rush, he did 63 separate takes of that scene. In fact, since his boot was actually made of licorice, he ended up being taken to the hospital for insulin shock due to the high sugar intake. One producer estimated that it takes 400 hours of raw footage to produce an average film.

I’m sure every reader is aware that Hollywood cheats, but I’m not sure we all realize just how many messages Hollywood preaches that have adversely affected the morals and values of our society. Think about the many politically or socially charged movies that have been released throughout the years. Powerful messages are conveyed, but the viewers don’t always stop to consider how much Hollywood cheated when they made their case. You and I live in the real world. We might want to think twice about letting Hollywood serve as our moral or political compass, because Hollywood cheats – big time!

You can find this article and more from John Hanson via Acts II Ministries.

One look at Jesus will never suffice.

Mark is the only gospel writer to record the healing of the blind man of Bethsaida (8:22-26).  It occurs between two events in which the disciples were encouraged to take another look at Jesus. In addition to a miraculous healing, both the writer and the Savior show us that just one look at Jesus will never suffice.

After spitting on the blind man’s eyes and putting his hands upon him, Jesus asked him if he saw anything.  He said that he saw “men as trees, walking.” A healing had occurred and his eyes could see; but the neural pathways had not been formed in the brain.  He could see the parts but not the whole.  He could focus on one part but the rest was a blur.  Russell Grigg, in his discussion of relevant clinical case histories,¹ concludes that the man “was still mentally blind.” He suffered from a “perceptual incapacity known medically as agnosia” in which “he could not make sense of what he was seeing.”

Eventually, and with enough visual experience the man’s brain would have developed the pathways necessary to make sense of the whole, but Jesus wanted to hurry the process along. He laid His hands on the man again and formed the needed neural pathways in the visual cortex of the brain.  The blind man then “saw every man clearly” (8:26).

Like this blind man from Bethsaida, we all see Jesus in part and must look again to see Him clearly.  Immediately before this healing, on the boat trip to Bethsaida, Jesus warned the disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.  Although Jesus had provided two vast multitudes with bread, they assumed He was rebuking them for their failure to bring sufficient bread. They could not see the whole picture: He had twice provided bread and could do so again. He challenged them, “Having eyes, see ye not?”  They saw that provision was not the issue (Mt 16:5).  He was the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35).

After healing the blind man in Bethsaida, Jesus took the disciples to Caesarea-Philippi. There He asked them, “Who do men say that I am?”  Upon first inspection, Jesus does have a lot in common with the prophets from Israel’s past. He reminded some of John the Baptist, others of Elijah, and still others of a writing prophet like Jeremiah (Mt 16:14). Everyone could see His prophetic ministry, but none could grasp the bigger picture.  They could not see the uniqueness of Jesus’ role and person. Jesus challenged the disciples to look again. In a moment of revelation, Peter saw clearly that Jesus was not just another prophet brought back from the dead.  He declared that Jesus was the anointed of God, the embodiment of the messianic prophecies.  The pieces had come together in an epiphany when the Father enlightened the “eyes of Peter’s mind” (see Ep 1:18).

Let us take another look at Jesus today.  One look will never suffice.

¹ Russell Grigg, Walking trees…:Modern science helps us understand a puzzling miracle Creation 21(4):54–55 September 1999 (All description of the clinical aspects are derived from this article.)