What Proof Do You Have?

Yesterday I asked the question "What Is the True Evidence Of Your Faith?".  Today I'd like to ask "What proof do you have?". 

I was reading in the 5th Chapter of Mark today and in a very short space Jesus told someone to have faith and to believe.  I looked both of those words up and they have much the same meaning.  They both refer to having faith or believing in something with no "real" proof to back it up.

As we try to reach those who don't know Jesus, one of the questions is what proof do we have?  That's a tough question to answer, especially because a lot of people are skeptical. 

We can show them the Bible.  In our lives it represents the Word of God.  To others it is just a book.  You and I both know that there are enough little inconsistencies in there that if someone is looking for a reason to doubt they will find one. 

Now you and I know that there is historical evidence of Jesus' existence independent of the Bible.  And if someone were truly willing to take the time to do an in depth study I think they would come to see that as well.  The problem is that takes time and commitment and most people just aren't that interested.  So what should we do?

As I've said before, I think the personal testimony is one of the most effective witnessing tools we have.  What kind of real life difference has believing in Jesus made in my life?  How is my life tangibly better with Jesus than without? 

You see until we can answer "what's in it for them" the proof generally won't matter.  But once they are ready for some proof, what do we have to offer that is short and sweet and can get them interested in learning more?

I think it goes right back to the personal testimony.  What is it that convinced you?  I think we all have stories where we can look back in our lives and see things come together in a way that are too much to be circumstantial.  We can look back and know without a shadow of a doubt that God intervened in our lives for the better.

Yeah but won't I sound foolish?  Maybe.  But let me ask this.  Do you think believers are the only ones that see where God has intervened in their lives?  Or do you think it is possible that many out there who aren't believers have experienced that same thing?  They just never connected it with God.  To hear you make that connection may be all the "proof" they need.  Just to hear you express something that they sensed deep down inside but didn't know what to call it, may be all that is needed to make that connection.  That is the proof they are looking for.

So have some fun and spend a little time looking back in your life and remembering those times where you can see God intervened.  Relive those times.  Thank and praise God for those times.  Now remember those times and share them next time you get the chance!

What Is the True Evidence Of Your Faith?

I believe the true evidence of your faith is how you handle a crisis of unimaginable proportions.  It's easy to handle the good times.  It's how you handle things when life heads south that counts. 

That was never more evident to me than this past weekend.  You see a 25 year old man was murdered last week.  This man was the child of some friends of mine.  He was a med student at the U of M where he was murdered in his apartment.

We have known this young man and his family since all of our kids were in high school.  By all accounts it would be hard to find a finer, more gifted young man out there.  He was a young man that touched more lives than might be expected for someone his age.

There are a couple of lessons that I think we can learn here.  Number one is the example that Paul set in the way he lived his life.  He was a man of God who lived life to the fullest, and he did it with a great big smile on his face.  Scripture tells us to run the race to win and Paul certainly did that. 

The second lesson leads back to the question I asked in the title.  What is the true evidence of your faith? 

It's no wonder that Paul turned out to be such a fine Christian young man.  You see he is from a fine Christian family who live their faith every day.  And that faith was never on display more than it was this weekend.

You see Paul was a runner.  The community held a vigil at the high school track on Saturday night. 

http://photos.mlive.com/kalamazoogazette/2013/07/lovee_your_familyzip_2.html

Put yourself in his families place.  Just days before they had learned that their son/brother had been murdered.  How would you handle that?  It's hard to know for sure so let me just tell you how they handled it.  

With a grace and hope that could only come from the comfort of their faith in God.  The whole family, while sad at the loss, still had a smile on their face and you could see the joy that they were experiencing, even in the middle of their pain, hearing all the people in the community share their memories of Paul. 

At the funeral today it continued.  They talked about all of the miracles that have come about in the middle of this tragedy.  They were praising God for all of the good things that were starting to come out of their son's death.  They were praising the fact that someone came up after the prayer service on Sunday night and let them know that he/she had just accepted Christ because of Paul.

Could you do that?  Would your faith carry you through like that?   Faith in Christ has many times been described as the comfort or peace that surpasses all understanding.    Do you have that kind of faith?  Would you like to?

Then maybe you should meet Paul's friend and Savior, Jesus.  I know nothing would make Paul happier.  Nothing would make Jesus happier.  And, you'll have to trust me on this, but nothing will make you happier in the long run than having Jesus beside you the rest of your life and into eternity.

So if you don't know Jesus yet then just simply introduce yourself to Him.  Ask Him to give you the salvation and comfort that he gave Paul.  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…." 

Wow! Jesus In Your Face

The over riding picture that most people have of Jesus is peaceful, kumbaya Jesus.  I like the picture the following Scripture paints as well. 

Mark 3:1-6(NKJV)

1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 

2So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 

3And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 

4Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 

5And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored £as whole as the other. 

6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Here is what I see.  Jesus is willing to engage in debate and discussion as long as they are serious about the debate.  But once it gets to the point that He knows that they aren't at all interested in serious debate but are instead just trying to set him up, what does Jesus do? 

He goes junk yard dog on them.  He gets right in their face, with anger.  He "hits" right back with a question of his own.  Then stares them down.  Then boldly heals the guy right there in front of them, effectively daring them to do something about it.  How much more in your face can you get then that?

Now am I suggesting that we got out and try to attract people to Christ with this attitude all the time?  Of course not.  What I am saying is that these is indeed a time for righteous anger.  There is a time when get in your face is called for.  Don't use it often, but when you do, use it effectively!

The Sabbath Was Made For Man, And Not Man For the Sabbath

Mark 2:27-28(NKJV)

27And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 

28Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

I like referring back to this Scripture anytime I see religion getting too complicated.  It seems that man has a tendency to create new rules and rituals where non existed before.   To what purpose?  I think it is about control more than anything else. 

I think man has a tendency to twist the rules to mean things that the rules were never intended to mean.  Let me give you an example from Mark 2.  Here is a fuller version of the text above.

Mark 2:25-28(NKJV)

25But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 

26how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

27And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 

28Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

What is another name for the Sabbath?  The Day of Rest.  That is it's whole purpose.  Back then there was no such thing as the weekend.  You pretty much worked 7 days a week.  The Sabbath gave people a chance to rest and recharge.   Look what the Priests translated that into.

You can't do any "work" whatsoever on the Sabbath.  You have to sit around on your butt and do nothing.  Now for some people that is OK, but to others that doesn't really help them rest and recharge.  It would drive me crazy.

You see there are many of us out here that find doing things that some would call work very enjoyable.  As an example, I love to work on my own car.  It gives me a great sense of fun, enjoyment, and satisfaction.  These are all feelings and emotions that help me recharge.  But according to the Priests of old working on my car on a Sunday would be forbidden.

Now let's go over to my common sense approach to God.  As I've said before, my favorite paradigm of God is God the Father.  As a parent yourself, as long as your kids are attempting to follow the spirit of your instructions, to rest and recharge, do you really care how they do it?  Isn't it best left up to them to decide what helps them feel refreshed and reinvigorated?  And if you feel that way about your kids, isn't it logical that God probably looks at it the same way?  I happen to think so.

So the next time you are be overwhelmed with do's and don'ts, rules and regulations, ask yourself this.  "Is this an example of Sabbath for Man or Man for Sabbath", and choose accordingly. 

For He Taught Them As One Having Authority

Mark 1:22(NKJV)

22And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Have you ever met someone who "taught as one having authority"?  What exactly does that mean?  I have met someone like that and so I'll explain what I think it means.

In my mind it means someone that has not just the book knowledge but the heart knowledge.  In other words they have read and studied it so much that it has become a part of them.  They know the subject so well that they can speak with authority without notes.

Years ago we had a missionary speak at our church.  His name was Dave Greene.  He had been a missionary in Africa for 30-40 years.  He was leading us in a Bible study.   He told us to follow along as he read such and such a passage.  I looked up and he wasn't really reading.  He knew it by heart.  A little later the same thing happened.  To me that is a great example of someone who teaches with authority. 

Do not be afraid

Do not be afraid

Matthew 28:10(NKJV)

10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

Do you know how many times the phrase "do not be afraid" or "do not fear"  appear in the Bible?  99 times.  If we were to expand it to similar phrases that give the same meaning I'm sure the number would be even higher. 

This seems to be a common theme in the Bible so I wanted to look a little deeper into it.  First let's define fear so we are all on the same page.

fear

1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Synonyms: foreboding, apprehension, consternation, dismay, dread, terror, fright, panic, horror, trepidation, qualm. Antonyms: courage, security, calm, intrepidity.

2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights. Synonyms: phobia, aversion; bête noire, bogy, bogey, bugbear. Antonyms: liking, fondness, penchant, predilection.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
4. reverential awe, especially toward God: the fear of God. Synonyms: awe, respect, reverence, veneration.
5. something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension; something a person is afraid of: Cancer is a common fear.

But how do we not fear?  Isn't that unrealistic?  To completely eliminate fear is probably unrealistic.  Let's face it, if I jump out from behind a door and scare the snot out of you, no matter how cool and calm you normally are you are going to get a jolt of fear.

What I think Scripture is referring to is the condition of living in fear.  No matter how bad things are, if you are a Christian, there is absolutely no reason to live in fear.  Living in fear or not is a decision.  Think I'm being too simplistic?

God tells us very clearly not to live in fear.  God does not set us up for failure.  So if God tells us not to fear you can be sure that God gives us the tools we need to make that happen.  The tools He gives us is our faith, Scripture, and a belief in Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us not to fear. 

Scripture tells us that God is in ultimate control and has a plan for our lives.

Scripture tells us that we can do all things through Christ.

Scripture tells us that God wants us to prosper in all things even as our soul prospers.

What more do you need?  Stop fearing and start standing on those promises!  Does that mean things will always work out perfectly and be all hunky dory in every situation?  Nope.  But what it does mean is that in the end it will all work out for the best if we truly have faith.

Let me give you and example.  Back in the 70's Chuck Colson went to prison for his part in the Watergate Scandal.  But out of the experience, because of his faith, came a multi decade, nation wide, prison ministry.  It all worked out to the glory of God in the end.

So how do you get this faith?  The first step is asking Jesus to be the Lord of your life.  Have you done that yet?  It's easy.  Just have a conversation with Jesus asking Him to take control.  "Dear Jesus…."

Now get into the Word.  Seek God's wisdom in the Bible.  You don't have to read it all at one.  Try reading 1 chapter a day in the New Testament and 1 chapter a day in the Old Testament.  Shouldn't take more than 15-30 minutes.  From there it is just a matter of taking control of your fear.  Anytime you feel the fear, lean on what you have learned in Scripture and then lean on God.  Make a decision to no longer fear.  

That's it?  That's all there is to it?  Well not exactly.  It is a decision that you will have to make again and again throughout your life.  Faith is like a muscle.  The more you exercise it the stronger it gets.  So over time it will become easier and easier, but it still all starts with a decision not to fear.

Have faith.  You won't be disappointed!

The Blessings of God's Timing

Being self employed and working right out of my home I have to be a self starter and goal oriented.  So most days there are things that need to be accomplished.  It's easy to get too focused and lose sight of why you are working so hard in the first place. 

I have found that occasionally God will step in and give ma a break if I will just listen.  I have learned over time to be more and more open to those breaks in my routine.  Today was one of those days.

I was watching by Grandson and I saw on Facebook that the Lake Michigan water temperature was around 79.  That is really warm for Lake Michigan.  All of a sudden God struck me with the inspiration to take my almost year old grandson for his first trip to the beach.

What a great time.  So nice to get a surprise break from work and to just create some memories.  God is sooo good!