Share the Gospel with a Friend

Share the Gospel with a friend

If you were asked by a friend how to be a Christian, what would you say? Do you know how to walk someone through what the Bible teaches to be saved? What does that even mean? Saved?

Sin problem 

Begin by explaining that the world God created is not the way it was meant to be. People are not acting the way God intended for them to act either. When men and women hate, war, fight and destroy themselves and each other - they are not acting as their creator intended. The Bible calls this "sin." It's basically disobeying God. Or going against His will. It's a problem because it separates us from God.

Sadly, everyone has to deal with this problem because everyone sins. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We're all lost so to speak and need someone to guide us back to the original plan God had for us.

God's Solution - Jesus

That's where Jesus comes in. He is the "middle man" between us and God. Jesus came to earth about 2000 years ago, was born a baby, grew up in modern day Israel as a Jew, claimed to be God, and lived a sinless life! Having never sinned put Jesus in a unique place. He was arrested and accused of many wrongs that he didn't do. So when they sentenced him to death, he was dying an innocent man!

The Metamorphosis

There is an illusion performed by magicians today called the "Metamorphosis." In this illusion, the magician is tied up, placed into a burlap bag, which is also tied tightly. The bag is then locked up securely in a large wooden trunk. The magician's assistant then climbs up on top of the trunk and raises a bar with a curtain attached to it high hiding her from sight.  She lowers it each time as she counts "three, two, one". Upon saying, "one," the magician is suddenly holding the curtain and there is no sign of the assistant. He drops the curtain to reveal the trunk still tightly locked. It is unlocked, the bag untied and inside the assistant emerges hands tied just as the magician's had been.

In an even more amazing fashion, Jesus, God's son, changes places with you just like the Metamorphosis. The saint for the sinful. The righteous for the guilty. How exactly does occur? Let's take a look behind the curtain!

God's Love

We already mentioned that God created you. And by virtue of being your maker, he also loves you. In fact, the Bible says that God loved you so much that "he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God actually knew ahead of time that evil men would put Jesus to death on a Roman cross. But that's not the end of the story! God also knew that after 3 days, he would raise his son from the dead! Jesus would be the first man to ever die and then resurrect to live again. This time, living a life that would never end. No ending! No death!

Our Part

God's part is done. He sent Jesus. Raised him from the dead. And offered the invitation to all of us. The invitation is to simply believe this incredible story of sin and salvation! Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  

God also tells us to stop sinning. Again and again, in the New Testament, Jesus would say to people he met, "Go and sin no more." The Bible calls this "repentance." "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30 I love the youtube video of the Honest Preacher who just gets real and says, "Guys! Stop it! You're making me look bad in front of God!"

Finally, being baptized is the signature act of God's saving us. What happens when we're baptized? Many things. The Bible says, our sins are forgiven (Acts 2:38; 22:16); we are clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27); we receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38); we are given a new life (Romans 6:1-4); and we're saved from our sins (1 Peter 3:21).

In Conclusion

So, your friend may not have enough time for you to explain every detail about salvation. That's okay. In fact, it may be more appropriate to share more of this amazing story over a period of time. Don't stress over it. Allow them to ask questions. Try not to use "Christianese" or words that people in the church know, but are not all that common to others like "redemption" or "sanctification." Keep it simple. Your knowledge is great, but remember, your best witness is your own story! Don't forget to share how you came to know the Lord. It may prove to be your best means of sharing the Gospel with your friend.

Room to Escape

Escape from Port-au-Prince Success!

What a fun week! Sara Blasko, our children's minister, and I constructed our very own KCC Escape Room. The idea came up as an evening activity for High School campers attending Wilderness Christian Assembly.  Three groups of campers came through it Monday evening and had a blast! This week the Escape room is open to anyone who wants to register at our church website and go through it. We're taking donations for a 2018 mission trip to Haiti. Ironically, the title of our escape room is "Escape from Port-au-Prince" which is the capital of Haiti!

What is an "escape room?" It's a very popular type of entertainment for groups of 4-8 people who are all "locked" in a room with 60 minutes. The goal is to solve a series of puzzles and locks using only clues and hints within the room and try to "escape" before time runs out. There are other variations from room to room, but that's the basic premise.

These escape rooms have popped up all over the U.S. Each room has a different theme and they vary in difficulty. Sadly, they aren't cheap. Participating in many escape rooms can run around $25 a person! But they have become very popular for birthday parties, bachelor parties, and the like.

As Christians, we face temptations that entrap us. Sin can be enticing, appealing, and attractive. While we try to resist, even the strongest follower can fall. And once we give in, it can be difficult to escape its grip. Paul described his struggle like this:

"For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing."

Romans 7:18b-19

We can take comfort in knowing not only do other Christians face the same sins we do but so did Jesus Christ. There's not any temptation that has come against us, or that ever will, that has not been experienced by other human beings. Or as King Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun."

That leaves us all in the same spot - facing temptations that everyone experiences. What hope do we have? Here it is! Paul writes such a cool phrase to his son in the faith, Timothy, that many have committed it to memory.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Timothy 10:13

That's the key! That's the answer! God will provide a way out of your temptation so that you will not fall into sin! Just like going through an escape room, you can find that way out and escape your situation! When Potiphar's wife made unwanted sexual advances towards Joseph, he made his escape by running away! Every time we are tempted to sin, there is a way out. We just have to find it.

There is great satisfaction when a team escapes the room. It comes with a feeling of victory and accomplishment. Escaping from the wages of sin is no less rewarding. Pray that God will help you every time you face a temptation to find a way out!

 

How long is a day in Genesis 1?

What is the meaning of "day" in Genesis 1?

There is much debate about the meaning of "day" in the Bible when it refers to the days of creation. This is happening in order to synchronize the theory that the earth is billions of years old and then it took millions of years for evolution. And while it may be convenient to attempt to twist the scripture, I find it unnecessary.

First, let's look at the "long day" argument. The idea that the "days" in Genesis were not really 24-hour periods.

a. Since the sun isn't created until day four, there is no way to delineate the first three days of creation. They could be millions of years.
b. Jesus says in 2 Peter 3:8 that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. God is not confined by time and could have taken as long as he wanted.
c. A day can mean an indefinite period of time like the "day of the Lord." or a day can also refer to a period of history like "back in my day..." Perhaps one of these is used in the Genesis account.

My response to each of these points is below:

a. It is true that the sun, moon, and stars aren't created until the fourth day, however, at the conclusion of each day God states that there was "evening" and there was "morning" delineating a 24-hour day with traditional Jewish markings of beginning in the evening and going until the next morning to define the day.
b. Yes, the Lord is not confined by time, nor space, nor matter. But the context of this verse refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ. There is no correlation between the definition of a "day" nor connection to the Genesis account.
c. Yes, the English word "day" can be taken to mean longer than a 24-hour period. However, as we're about to see the Hebrew word "yom" translated "day" in our English Bibles is not that liberal in usage.

The days of creation were 24 hour periods of time. And here's why.

1. Each of the days is delineated by the terms "evening" and "morning." The Jewish day began in the evening and lasted 24 hours until the morning had passed and evening came again. If each of the days of creation were not 24 hours, God would not have stated this with each one of them.
2. God refers back to the days of creation while giving the ten commandments in Exodus 20:11 when He says, "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day." There is no reason to think Moses is not referring to a literal day. 
3. Finally, the Hebrew word "yom" which means "day" in English is used 359 times in Scripture and always refers to an ordinary day. 

It seems reasonable that in the Genesis creation account each day refers to a 24-hour period of time. If we chose to believe otherwise, we would also need to deal with the issue of death and decay before the fall in Genesis 3 when sin and death entered the world according to the Bible. This opens up a whole other topic of discussion.

The LORD is my Rock

My daughter takes in the Grand Canyon from North Rim

Our family recently took a vacation to several National Parks out West. It was a lengthy, ambitious trip as we drove about 5000 miles and spent well over 60 hours in the car. We drove across the arid, desert plains of Iowa and Nebraska, then through the majestic Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Finally arriving in Arizona, we settled in preparation to visit the Parks. I had heard the names of the parks we would visit but I had no idea what I was about to experience. One Scripture that came to mind was what David wrote in Psalms:

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." - Psalm 18:2

Each day I took pictures of the places we visited. I posted the images along with a scripture from my daily Bible app reading plan on my Facebook page. I was struck by God's amazing creation. The sheer size of these mountains and canyons is mind-boggling. Some towered overhead; Others dropped to precipitous depths.

Zion National Park

Our first visit took us to Bryce Canyon National Park in Bryce, Arizona. This park featured towering spires, known as "hoodoos" in a natural amphitheater. I ventured down the Navajo Loop trail, which was classified as an "easy" 1-mile hike and it wasn't long before I felt the walls of the canyon surrounding me. I had no difficulty walking down into the canyon, however, as people came back up I noticed their heads down and their breathing labored. I successfully finished the hike, but given my lack of conditioning, I left the other more difficult hikes to those more younger and fit than me.

"In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."  - Psalm 95:4

The next day took us to Zion National Park in Utah. Zion is known for its incredible hikes and mountain climbing options. One hiking trail, called Angels Landing, ends up with a series of 21 steep switch-backs and then out onto a narrow pathway where a chain railing has been installed for hikers to hold on to. Only a couple weeks prior to our trip a 14-year-old old girl had lost her footing and fallen to her death while on this trail. Needless to say, we didn't feel up to that hike!

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2

My view descending the Navajo Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon

Finally, to wrap up our National Park visits, we drove to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.  This spectacular mile-deep canyon immediately took my breath away. The reason pictures don't do it justice is simply because of its vastness. I calculated the Grand Canyon was roughly 32 miles long! So, when you do take a picture, you are only capturing a fraction of the entire canyon.

Our trip out West strengthened by Christian faith because I saw first-hand the amazing creation of my God. Scholars may debate how these canyons originally formed, but what remains is that they are there. Their beauty, vastness, and power point me to a God who is indeed omniscient and omnipotent.

Did God know Lucifer was going to rebel against Him before He created him?

Did God know Lucifer was going to rebel against Him before He created him?

The current sermon series is called "Tough Questions." I thought I would tackle one this week in the KCC E-news. It's a challenging one, but here are my thoughts.

The Bible teaches that God is omniscient, which means He knows everything (Psalm 139:2-4; Proverbs 5:21). He knows what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen. In fact, He transcends time, so we can simply say, God knows. If God knows outside of time, then the question is not did he know before, but "why" did he create Lucifer if he would rebel?

Lucifer was originally an angel, a created heavenly being. He led a rebellion against God (Ezekiel 28:17). And just like man, God seems to have given angels free-will. Lucifer and a third of those in heaven chose to rebel against God (Revelation 12:4).

I think God created man, heavenly beings like angels, and even Lucifer himself in order to have a relationship with them. And in order to have a two-way consensual relationship, God gave them free-will. They were not forced to have a relationship with their creator, they were able to choose to have one (Acts 17:26,27).

My basis for this is being a parent. My wife and I chose to have children. We knew we would love them. However, unlike God, we are not all-knowing, so we don't know how our children will feel towards us when they are older. We hope and pray they chose to love us and maintain a healthy relationship with us. But we have no guarantee because they have free-will to choose. So for argument's sake, let's assume we did know that 1 out of every 3 children we have would rebel against us. Would we still have chosen to have children? I think the answer is "yes." For the love of those children who would choose to keep a good relationship with us, we would have still had children. The flip side are offspring who would be forced to love and obey us - kind of like an appliance or power tool - does what we need, but is not capable of filling our relationship void.

Even though God foreknew that 1/3 of the angels in heaven would rebel against Him and be removed from heaven, He still chose to create them. He didn't create robots to be programmed and do exactly as they are told. He chose to make free-willed beings - both angelic and human - so that we might love Him.

Another theory floating out there on the Internet is that God needed a "bad guy" in order to send Jesus to "save" us from sin and eternal hell. This too is a valid possibility to consider, but I think primarily God's ultimate decision to create was to make beings who would reach out to Him, love, Him, and ultimately make their homes with Him.

Easter isn't just once a year

The Easter holiday is this Sunday! For Christians around the world, it is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He not only taught like no other teacher, made outlandish claims to be God in flesh, but backed up his words through His victory over physical death. It is recorded in the Christian Bible,

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve."

- 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthian church that this event is the most important event in their Christian faith. I would go so far as to say it is the most important event in all of history! Without the resurrection of Jesus, our faith would not stand apart from other religions around the world. Christianity is the only religion whose leader has died, rose from the dead, and lives eternally. Leaders from all other religions (Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, etc) have all died and are dead to this day. History was changed forever by the resurrection of Jesus. Because Jesus conquered death, he could say to those who would follow him,

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

- John 14:6

It's important to note that Jesus' death and resurrection occurred according to the Scriptures. We call that prophecy. It was predicted by Old Testament prophets and even Jesus himself that this event would take place.

"After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."

-Isaiah 53:11 

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so that Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

- Matthew 12:40

Easter marks the yearly celebration of Jesus' resurrection. However, Christians observe the Lord's Supper on a weekly basis to commemorate this event as practiced by the early church in Acts. Luke writes in Acts,

"On the first day of the week we came together to break bread..." 

- Acts 20:7 

The "breaking of bread" was referring to the Last Supper given to the disciples of Jesus prior to his arrest. He encouraged his followers to "...do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).

As you celebrate Easter this Sunday, remember these 4 things:

1. This earth-shattering event changed the course of history. 
2. No other religious leader has accomplished this miraculous feat. 
3. The resurrection was predicted before it happened. 
4. Celebrate the Lord's Supper to remember Jesus death and resurrection weekly

Is your shirt causing you to sin?

I just read this week in my daily Bible reading plan from Leviticus (Let's Read the Bible Together)  that we should not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material (Lev. 19:19). You may have come across this verse if you are reading along with us this year through the Bible. There are similar commands to this one in Leviticus that might make one scratch their heads.

"Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed" Lev. 19:19
"Do not mate different kinds of animals." Lev. 19:19
"Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together" Deut. 22:10

What is the writer talking about when he refers to mixing of two different types? And is this a commandment we should be obeying yet today? Some Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists would say, "Yes!"

Well, first of all, when the Bible warns against mixing two different types together, whether it be seeds, animals, or fabrics - it's a metaphor for the nation of Israel to not intermix with the foreign, secular nations around them. In Deuteronomy, we read:

"Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you." Deuteronomy 7:3,4

It's clear throughout the Old Testament that God chose the nation of Israel to be his holy (set apart) people for his purposes and glory.  They were to be different than the nations around them. Commands such as not mixing two types of fabric together were given so the people would remember God's desire for His people to live differently.

Since we do not live under the Old Testament Law with its over 600 commands, we are not bound by these decrees. Today, we live in the New Testament era. Jesus fulfilled the law by obeying all of it and then made the one and final sacrifice of dying on the cross, therefore taking the punishment for not obeying the law upon himself in our place!

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to filfill them." Matthew 5:17

If we don't live under the Old Testament and the law, but the New Testament, what does that look like? Simple. Grace. We live in a time when God's grace is available to those who would believe in Jesus and accept his gift of forgiveness of sin - in other words, GRACE.

"For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

 A. J. Jacobs wrote the book, "The Year of Living Biblically," after he devoted himself to reading and living entirely by the commands, principles, and teachings of the Bible - both Old and New Testament, for one year. It's an insightful, sometimes comical look, at what it would look like today if someone took the Bible (mostly the Old Testament Law) and tried to practice it to the letter today. It's a fun read, but keep in mind A. J. Jacobs is at best an agnostic and doesn't distinguish well, if at all, between the two testaments in the Bible.

There is a new television show coming out this fall on CBS called, Living Biblically. I haven't seen an episode from it yet, but based on the main character, Chip Curry's, "God Squad," assembled to give him guidance, it appears it will be another attempt to combine and follow both the Old and the New Testament laws and teachings. So, while it may be humorous, keep in mind that no one, save one, has ever been able to keep all of the Bible's Old Testament commands. 

Where does that leave us today? Well, the teachings of the New Testament are still applicable today. And they are written for us, Christians. Again and again, we are told as Christians to not be like the world.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2a

 Christians are to be set apart from the ways of the world similarly to the nation of Israel was to be different from the evil nations around them. We live under a New Testament, a new covenant, where grace reigns supreme.

You shouldn't need to read a book or watch a television show to see how living Biblically according to the New Testament looks - you should just be able to look around you at your Christian brothers and sisters!

(All Bible references are from the New International Version)