Your Expiration Date

Whenever I have yogurt in the refrigerator, my wife Reva will examine the expiration date.  If it is even one day past the date stamped on the yogurt, she will throw it out.  She does that because she doesn't want me to get sick as the yogurt's time is up.

My faith belief (some theologians would disagree) is that we all have an expiration date.  The Biblical foundation which I reference this is:  Hebrews 9:27:  "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." Also, Psalm 139:16:  "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

The Bible describes one of the attributes of God as omniscient.  He knows everything.  I believe that God knows exactly when, where, and how we will die (assuming Jesus does not come back prior to our physical death.)

Imagine, if you will, that you are home alone.  You are sitting in the kitchen.  On the kitchen table is the "Book of Life."  You know that your name is written in it (assuming you are a Christian).  Besides your name being in the Book - the date and time of your death is also recorded.  Here is the question:  "Do you peek into the Book and look for your name so that you will know the date and time of your death?" or "Do you choose to have nothing to do with knowing when you will die?"

  For the vast majority of people the answer is very simple.  They will say, "no."  They do not want to know.  They will point out many reasons not to look.  Eventually, someone will say, "We should live our life every day like it is the last day of our life."  That sounds very philosophical but the truth is, "Who does that?" Does anyone really live their life like that?  

The Bible tells us that Jesus has come in order that we might have life and life abundantly (John 10:10).  So the question then becomes, "Do we live our life abundantly?"  Can we keep our life in focus and not be consumed or distracted by fear?  

When you talk to a married couple about the happiest times in their lives, you might be surprised that it is not when they finally accumulated a certain degree of wealth.  It was when they started out together with very little.  As many couples will tell you, "When we started out we could put everything we owned in a U-Haul truck," but they were "happy."

Fear keeps us from living life abundantly.  We can be distracted by so many things, that before you know it, it seems that life has passed us by.  As Christians, we tend to forget that Jesus counsels us not to worry so much but instead to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you.  

Living in the moment instead of tomorrow is very difficult for most people.  In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites manna from heaven in order to feed them when they had left the slavery of Egypt and were marching to the promised land of Cannan; however, He also commanded them not to hoard any of the manna.  The reason God gave this order was for them to learn to trust God. It will be God who will take care of our needs.  This is one of the oldest promises in the Bible and God always keeps His promises.  Perhaps not all of our wants, but clearly our needs.  

Social psychological research has identified the secret to being content:  "To be thankful for what we have."  Do we really need to keep getting more "stuff?"  

I for one, would open the book.  I would want to know my expiration date.  I would then live my life with a greater sense of urgency.  To tell all the people I am close to how much I do love them.  To get my accounts in order.  To get closer to the Lord and serve Him with more passion.  To prepare myself for the last chapter of my life and the greatest journey and adventure of all.  To meet Jesus who will take me to my loved ones in Christ, and then introduce me to the Creator of the Universe - God.

In Search of the Holy Spirit: Part III

This now takes us to our last question, "How do we share that faith with others?"  This involves the ultimate goal and purpose of Christ's Church.  The Greek word for church means an assembly or gathering of people called out in loyal obedience to God.  The church began by people meeting in other people's homes.  Nowhere in the New Testament is the church used as a building.  It wasn't until many years later that buildings were made in which people held church services.  Nowhere in the New Testament is Christianity referred to as an isolated, private religion.  The church is always described as a body of men and women who have come together out of love for God.  Jesus Christ is the head of the church.  In fact, the church is referred to as the "Bride of Christ."  The mission of the church is very clear.  Jesus tells us these words, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  (Matthew 28:19  NKJV).  This is referred to as the Great Commission.

The Apostle Paul tells us that all of us make up the Body of Christ - the church.  Jesus Christ is no longer physically here in body.  Thus, if He wants a task done He has to find somebody to do it.  He's counting on all of us, as a congregation of believers, to do it.  Every member of the church has a personal responsibility to take part in the mission of the church.  To let the Word go forth, that God loves us so much that He gave His only son to die for us that we might have eternal life with Him.  This is referred to as the "Good News," the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Research points out that approximately 85% of individuals become Christians by the simple fact that a friend or relative invited them to church.  The early church grew quickly by this same process.  Today, church research reveals that 5% - 10% of people who attend church go far past just inviting people to church.  This 5% - 10% of church members are willing to witness for Jesus Christ and tell other people why they love Jesus.  They are clearly not ashamed of the Gospel.

The Bible tells us that all Christians, all members of the Body of Christ, have different spiritual gifts.  These spiritual gifts include the "word of wisdom,"  the "word of knowledge," the "gift of faith," the "gift of healing," the "working of miracles," the "gift of prophecy," the "discerning of spirits," the "gift of tongues," and the "interpretation of tongues."  (I Corinthians 12:8-10).  All of these spiritual gifts are for the purpose of building the Body of Christ to share the Good News in our community and throughout the world.

Thus, the ultimate goal and purpose of Christ's Church is bringing people into a saving and personal relationship with Jesus Christ; helping them grow spiritually in the Christian faith; and sending them out into the world to witness to others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One last question remains.  Why should a person search for the Holy Spirit?  If we consider that millions of people are searching for some type of happiness in their lives, we can formulate a reasonable answer.  Americans spend billions of dollars annually in search of happiness and peace of mind.  They attempt to do this through reading "self-help books," becoming involved in alcohol and other drugs," developing "eating disorders," and engaging in "love affairs."  They typically do this because of an emptiness inside of them they cannot fill.  The reason for this behavior can be explained theologically.  We are created in the image of God; as a result, we cannot have peace within ourselves until we are in fellowship with God.

Loving Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit will enable us to find the happiness and contentment we have been searching for.  Our search for the Holy Spirit will be fulfilled when the nature and character of Jesus Christ is seen in our lives.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  (Galatians 5:22-23  NIV).  

Christ leaves us with these words as we strive to be faithful to His Great Commission:  " . . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  (Matthew 28:20  NKJV).  

In Search of the Holy Spirit: Part II

This takes us to our next question, "How do we grow in our faith?" How do we get to the second level?  This level requires that we come to the realization that it is unequivocally impossible to live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit.  It requires that we crucify our ego and become totally dependent on Christ.  This means that we must let go of our pride and develop the capacity for humility.  It is not possible for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fall upon a person filled with pride.  God's anointing comes only upon people who are totally yielded to and dependent upon Jesus Christ.  To crucify our ego means to die to our fleshly desires.  God cannot use us to His full purpose until we crucify ourself.  Our  goal is to eventually reach the level where there is none of our self and all of God in us.  To be able to say, "Not my selfish will but thy divine will be done."  To crucify our self literally means obeying God at any cost.  The first step at this level can be found in the last chapter of the Gospel of John.  Jesus has risen from the dead and before His ascension into heaven He prepares Peter for the mission that will take the rest of his life.  He doesn't ask Peter if he has a seminary education or any other credentials.  The only thing He asks Peter is, "Do you love Me?"  We must first be able to say, "I love Christ."  When we can say that with a passion, we are ready to continue our journey in the search of the Holy Spirit-filled life.

We've been talking about the Holy Spirit, but just exactly what is the Holy Spirit?  The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit is not a thing but rather a person.  "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come."  (John 16:13  NRSV). The Holy Spirit is referred to by many different names such as the Comforter, the Helper, the Counselor, the Paraclete, the Advocate, and the Holy Ghost, but mainly the Holy Spirit.  He is also part of the Holy Trinity:  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

All Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit; however, not all Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit.  The Apostle Paul said these words, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit."  (Ephesians 5:18 NIV).  The Greek word for "be filled" is second person, plural, present, imperative, and passive.  This means that it is for every Christian and not just for those who feel they are special.  Secondly, since this is in the present tense, we are to continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Sin can drain us of the filling of the Spirit, and thus we need to repent and pray for God to fill us again which may require being filled wilh the Spirit several times a day.  Thirdly, this is an imperative which is a command rather than just a suggestion.  God orders us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Fourthly, it is in the passive voice which means that God does the filling and not we.

What all of this means is that when we yield ourselves to God and pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, truly believing that we cannot do anything apart from Christ, we are allowing God to take control of our lives and transform us.  In this dynamic process we are being equipped with the greatest power on earth.  Jesus said these words, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."  (Acts 1:8 RSV).  The Greek word for power, in English, is dunamis from which we get the word dynamite.  It is an energy and strength beyond human comprehension.  It is the same power that Jesus manifested in all of His healings and miracles.  It is also the same power which is given to all Christians if they claim it.  "Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases."  (Luke 9:1  NKJV).  We just have to believe in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

To grow in our faith also means reading our Bible every day; this will allow God to speak to us as we continue our spiritual journey.  Praying frequently throughout the day allows us to praise God and remain in fellowship with Him.  Jesus says we must believe like children which means being open to the Word of God with total dependence, trust, and sincerity.  (Luke 18l:17).  We just have to believe to receive the full blessings of God.  Saint Augustine gave us these words to live by, "I believe in order that I may understand."

In Search of the Holy Spirit: Part I

When I was a teenager, I wanted to know how to dance.  However, when I asked the girls how to do it, they simply said, "Go with the music."  I said, "I don't know how to go with the music.  You've got to show me where to put my feet, or I'll never learn."

This is an attempt to do just that - to show you exactly where to place your feet so you can learn.  It's dedicated to the people who spent years of their lives trying to find the secret of living a spirit-filled life.

I believe there are three levels we are trying to reach.  The first level is becoming a Christian; the second is growing in the Christian faith; and the third is sharing that faith with others, the ultimate goal and purpose of Christ's church.

Our journey begins with the first question, "What is a Christian?"  The answer is a follower of Christ, i.e., a person who tries to live by the words and actions of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said in John 3:3:  

" . . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Also, in Acts 1:4:  " . . . for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."  To be born again and to be baptized with the Holy Spirit is accomplished by any person who believes the following statements:

• I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
• I truly repent of all my sins.
• I believe by His death at Calvary, Christ paid my sins in full.
• I accept Jesus Christ, by faith, as my personal savior and pray to by filled with the Holy Spirit.  In keeping with the teachings  of Christ, a Christian should also experience a water baptism.

The second question:  "Why should we want to be a Christian?"  The main reason is to be able to love God and prepare ourselves to spend eternity with Him.  

In the beginning, God created the universe as well as the earth.  The first human beings were Adam and Eve.  They lived in the Garden of Eden, given dominion over the world and had fellowship with God.  God gave them one commandment:  "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."  (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV).  Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived them into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  As a result, the relationship between them and God was broken and they were cast out of the Garden of Eden.  

They did not physically die, but rather spiritually died.  The spirit inside them was fractured and inactivated.  That spiritual death was passed down to all of their descendants.  To understand this more thoroughly, it is important to point out that we are composed of three separated but interweaving parts referred to as body, soul, and spirit.  (I Thessalonians 5:23).  The first part of us is our body and refers to the physical structure.  The soul is the psychological part of us and has to do with our mind which involves intellect, emotions, and behavior.  The spirit is the innermost part of us which allows us to have fellowship with God.  This is what was fractured or even died due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

Since God is holy and cannot tolerate sin, we couldn't possibly stand in His presence or have fellowship with Him anymore.  However, God still loved us and wanted us to return that love.  This was seen in the Old Covenant which we also call the Old Testament and is commemorated by the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Covenant Code at Mt. Sinai.  The Old Covenant was basically an agreement that He would be our God and we would be His people.  The Old Covenant could not save us from our sins nor could it place us into a personal relationship with God.  It was basically a guide until Christ came.  When the time came, God sent His Son into the world to preach the Gospel, which is the Good News:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16  NKJV).  When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead, the New Covenant came into effect and eternal life with God was now made possible.  By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, our spirit is reactivated and is no longer dead as we become one with the Spirit of God.  By the shed blood of Christ our sins are washed away.  His Spirit joins our spirit for new life and we are born again.  By believing that Jesus is Lord we can have a personal relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hopefully, what you have read so far makes sense.  However, it is made incredibly difficult for many people to understand.  The reason is because, " . . . the god of this world had blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God."  (II Corinthians 4:4  RSV).  Thus, many people are blinded by an evil presence in the world referred to as Satan who does not want people to receive salvation.  In other words, Satan, who was formerly an angel and cast out of heaven, is going to take as many people as he can with him to hell.

The amazing thing about God is that we really don't have to get our life in order first before accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior.  None of us is sinless and as a result we will never be worthy to be in communion with a Holy God.  When we are saved by the grace of God and given new life, the power of the Holy Spirit will begin the process of helping us to get our life together.  The bottom line is that everyone who receives Jesus Christ as their personal savior will receive the gift of eternal life.

Many people are concerned about the Jewish people; however, according to the Bible they will be converted to the Lord through the intervention of Christ before the end of history.  (Romans 11:25-36.)  The next blog will be the second of three parts "In Search of the Holy Spirit."  

Do You Care?

In the spring of 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers came to Cincinnati to play the Reds.  The first African American to break Major League Baseball's color barrier took the field.  Jackie Robinson immediately heard from the fans.  Some of the fans behavior of booing and heckling became so bad that the team captain of the Dodgers, Pee Wee Reese, walked over to Robinson and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Pee Wee Reese kind of sensed the sort of hopeless, dead feeling in me and came over and stood beside me for awhile."  Robinson recalled, "He didn't say a word but he looked over at the chaps who were yelling at me and just stared.  He was standing by me, I could tell you that."  The hecklers soon stopped.  "I will never forget it," Robinson said.

Mrs. Jackie Robinson later said, "I wanted to hug him (Reese) for everything he did for Jack and my family."  Joe Black, a former Brooklyn pitcher said, "Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the majors, the World Series.  When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time a White guy had accepted us . . . When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, "Black people love you.  When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us."

What does it mean to care?  It means to care because someone needs care.  How do you show that you care?  You show that you care by doing something for someone.  Can you remember a time in your life when someone reached out and touched you when you needed it?  It may have been a financial gift.  It may have been a hand on your shoulder.  Whatever it was, perhaps like Mrs. Jackie Robinson, you may have thought, "I will never forget it."

We can touch the lives of others when we decide to care.  One of the great reasons for the church to exist in the world is to provide a place of caring as the local church.  A place where everyone can feel loved and accepted.  Out of that love comes a sense of mission to help the community in which we live.  The greatest care comes when we allow ourselves to be vessels for Christ to work through us.  The Great Commandment comes down to this:  "Love God, Love neighbor."  When we are faithful to that command, Christ can touch lives through us.  What greater way to show our caring than to alleviate or even remove the physical, psychological, or spiritual pain of another human being.  We show our caring when we let the Word go forth in our community and throughout the world.  

A Tale of Two Grails

The ancient legend of the Holy Grail is the story of how people may spend their entire lives in the quest for something sacred.  It all begins at the foot of the cross on the evening we refer to as Good Friday.  A man named Joseph of Arimathea went to the governor, Pontius Pilate, and asked permission to bury the body of Jesus.  He then went to the cross and looked up at Jesus.  In his possession was the golden chalice from which Jesus and the apostles drank from at the Last Supper.  Joseph took the golden cup and held it toward Jesus' side.  Blood from the wound inflicted with a spear by the Roman soldier flowed into the cup.  After burying Jesus in a new tomb, Joseph and his followers then took the cup to Glastonbury in England.  It was there that he formed an order of the knights whose assignment was to guard and protect the precious chalice.  The chief of these knights was made their king.  One of the most famous kings was King Arthur and Sir Galahad was one of the most valiant knights.  The chalice became known as the Holy Grail.  (The term "grail" comes from the Latin gradale, which meant a dish brought to the table during various stages or courses of a meal.)

Legend says that at certain times the king unveiled the golden cup that had held the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  Only the most noble, valiant and pure of heart could look upon the cup.  When the knights looked upon the chalice a radiant light fell on their faces as they beheld the glorious sight which filled them with rapture and strength from on high.  Legend holds that many years later the chalice vanished and throughout history there has been an everlasting search to find the Holy Grail.

The legend of the Holy Grail is an interesting story of humankind's search for the sacred.  Will anyone ever find this first grail?  Perhaps it will truly be a never ending search.  However, there is a second story to the grail which is not a legend.  It is the story of Jesus of Nazareth who is the Messiah.  He is the anointed One, the Christ.  The cup which He drank at the Last Supper with His apostles we still celebrate to this day.  During this Passover meal, Jesus explained that he would be the Lamb of God.  The symbolism of the Passover meal under the Old Covenant would be transformed through His crucifixion.  The bread would now represent His own body and the cup His own blood which would be shed for the forgiveness of sins.  It was through the shed blood of Christ that the search was now over.  A dynamic, energizing, and transforming personal relationship with the Lord was now possible.  Perhaps the apostle Paul said it best in Romans 5:8:  "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."