When Jesus came He was constantly serving. I mean constantly. It is rather a remarkable and mind blowing thing to think that when God incarnated, that is became a man, He did not do so in a way to lord Himself over us. Quite the contrary. He came to serve us. He came to save us.

When you talk about Jesus with your friends, how often do you emphasize the service of Christ? I wonder if we don't try and use Jesus to fix people as opposed to proclaim what He has done to save them. Sometime I wonder if we don't think about evangelism as a means of telling people how to fix themselves so that they make themselves good enough for God. We think we are to say, "He sinner, repent (by which we mean 'fix yourself') or else you'll be in hell." But that is not how we are to speak of Jesus at all!

Rather, when we speak of Jesus, we should speak of the One who came to serve us and save us, not to condemn us unless we "fix ourselves." When we talk about Jesus, we need to be sure we are speaking of a loving God who knows our struggles and our failures. He know our hardships and our sorrows. And, yes, he knows our sins. But this is what is so wonderful about Jesus, he didn't come to fix that stuff. No, far better! He came to redeem us, to declare us righteous even when we are not. He came to conquer our struggles, He came to forgive our sins, He came to pour out all of Himself so that we can have life with Him eternally. This is how we should talk about Jesus!

Make a goal for yourself this month to sit down and read the entire Gospel of Luke. As you read, be caugh up in the wonder of this God who serves the broken, the outcast, and the marginalized. Sit in awe as you see Jesus forgiving sinners. Try to control the joy when you realize that you are among those whom Christ has redeemed and forgiven. And then go out and tell your friends that He has done the same for them. He's not waiting to do it for them, they don't have to be fixed, He has done it for them. Let this Jesus shape the way you speak of God's salvation!

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

In a recent Christianity Today interview with Tim Keller, an influential pastor in New York City, he was asked the question "Are doubts that believers face the same doubts that unbelievers face?" I thought his response was interesting. He said,

It's your society that gives you the doubts. If you go to the Middle East and ask people what makes Christianity implausible, they're not going to say, "Because there can't be one true religion." They're going to say, "Because of how oppressive America has been as a Christian nation, and if you look at their culture, it's lascivious and debauched."

If you ask Americans, "What makes Christianity implausible to you?" they're not going to say, "Your popular culture is filled with sex and violence." They will say, "How could there be one true religion?"

Christians are living in the same culture that is blasting unbelievers with this is what is implausible about Christianity. If they lived in another culture, they'd be blasted with something else. So they probably are dealing with the same things [as non-Christians are] intellectually.
Christianity Today v. 52, number 6, June 2008. p. 38.

I think that this answer is incredibly insightful and can be applied to our situations with our friends who don't know Jesus. And, though I think he is absolutely right as to why many Americans do not want to follow Jesus (i.e., His exclusive claims), what we can take from this answer is that the way we talk about our faith is going to be shaped by the objections people raise. So, you are not going to emphasize that Christianity is the only way to people who are upset by the lack or morality a so-called "Christian" nation has produced. That is not their hang-up.

When discussing the faith, we need to make sure we are dealing with the questions people are asking. So, for the American who struggles with whether or not Jesus can really be the ONLY way, it is incumbent upon us to explain why Jesus can be the only way and is the only way. And to the person who is troubled by the moral laxity in America, we agree wholeheartedly with their assessment (we are a pretty sinful nation) and explain God's view on sin and the grace he gives to all of us who have fallen away.

So, to bring this home, find out from your friends and coworkers what is keeping them away from Christianity. Be willing to ask the hard questions, "Why is it that you don't go to church?" "Why don't you believe in Jesus?" and so on. Don't ever anticipate an answer, you never know what someone will say. But, be willing to go home and pray about their answer and seek direction from God and your brothers and sisters here at church as to how to deal with their objections.

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

As I was contemplating putting together this section of the newsletter, my intended purpose was to help equip you to talk about Jesus with your friends. The last few installments have offered insights on how we are to embrace our non-Christian friends with the Gospel and how we can defend the truth of the resurrection. These are things that I think are very important for us to know as we go out with God's word to enlighten the world about the reality of Jesus' reign. But it struck me as I sat down to put together this month's article, these may not be the questions your friends are asking. My goal is not to equip you to have imaginary conversations, but rather, my goal is to aid you in the conversations you are already having or to deal with the questions you yourself may be struggling to answer. So, this month I am asking for your help. I want you to send me questions that you would like to see answered. This way I am not answering questions no one is asking and we can use this article to be of some real benefit to you. If you would like, please email me, call me (805-532-1049), or ask me a question on Sunday that you would like to see dealt with and I will do my best to answer your questions in this section. If you have heard or had a question, chances are very good that someone else is asking the same thing and by answering it here, we will help equip each other to share Jesus. No question is off limits! This section will become more interactive and useful for us as we set out to tell people the Good News, that Jesus died for the sins of the world and has risen to give us everlasting life!

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

"Did you see that?" This is a common question we ask those around us when we see something spectacular. Maybe we are at a sports game and a great play takes place, or maybe we see a car accident, or maybe a surfer riding a huge wave. When we see something that is shocking or exciting we ask the question, "Did you see that?" because we want others to be in on what we just witnessed. If the other person missed it, we try to explain what we just saw.

When the apostles wrote the Gospels, they have set out to tell us what they saw, Jesus risen from the dead! They knew he died on the cross and they expected him to stay dead. But then something spectacular happened, he rose again and appeared to them! This convinced them that Jesus was no only their savior, but God in flesh conquering death for sinners, that they set out to tell the world about it. You can read about their experiences with Jesus after his resurrection at the end of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and at the very beginning of the book of Acts. From the Bible we have ten appearances recorded (and there may have been more). He appeared to different people in different places at different times, thus demonstrating to many that he is alive!

But, as with all Biblical truths, people have set out to disprove these appearances. Many people will argue that the disciples and others may have seen Jesus, but these visions were hallucinations. What they were seeing was what they desperately hoped to see and not the resurrected Jesus in the flesh. Paul Little says, "[The Hallucination Theory] is plausible until we remember the common laws observed by modern medicine that apply to such psychological phenomena."

First, it is worth noting that hallucinations usually occur with people who are very imaginative and have a nervous makeup. But Jesus appeared to numerous people, not just imaginative, nervous people. He appeared to Thomas, for example, who, rather than being nervous and imaginative, was completely skeptical and had totally given up on Jesus.

Second, hallucinations are pretty subjective. That is, they are different from person to person. No two people have the same hallucination at the same time. We have accounts of Jesus appearing to two people (Luke 24:13-35), to at least the eleven apostles (Luke 24:36-50), and to 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Third, hallucinations typically take place at certain times and in certain places with ideal hallucination circumstances. These encounters with Christ took place both inside and outside. They happened in the morning, during the day, and at night. There is no real pattern to them. They happen for a while and then just stop taking place, unlike most psychic experiences which are regular and continuous.

Fourth, hallucinations take place in the minds of those who so intensely want something to be a reality that they project that reality into existence. But everyone thought Jesus was done for and no one expected him to walk out of the grave. They were all hiding, trying to save themselves.

Finally, hallucinations don't eat. Jesus is constantly eating and cooking after the resurrection (Luke 24:30,41-43; John 21:10-13).

These were no hallucinations! Jesus actually rose from the dead. As 1 Corinthians 15 says, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" and "But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

According to the Bible, our faith hangs on one central fact of history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In I Corinthians 15:17, St. Paul says, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." That is, if Jesus is dead, there is no reason to be a Christian, there is no reason to go to church, the whole thing is a wash. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die! But Paul goes on in verse 20, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!" We are no longer in our sins because Jesus has been raised. Clearly, this is an important issue.

There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection. It is important for us as Christians to be able to explain why we believe in the resurrection. There are a lot of arguments against the resurrection that require us to be able to say why we believe Jesus rose. In this article I want to give you a few good defenses of our faith, so that you can demonstrate to your friends that Jesus has, in fact, been raised, and our sins are forgiven.

There are two facts that must be explained when we deal with the resurrection: the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus after his death. In this article we will deal with the empty tomb, and next month we will examine the post-resurrection appearances. The fact that the tomb was empty has to be explained. Christians claim Jesus was resurrected, but non-Christians may argue one of the following things:

1. The disciples came and stole the body. This is the earliest explanation. Matthew 28:11-15 even records that this was come up with by the Jewish religious leaders to cover their tracks and make Pilate happy. The soldiers were to say that the body was stolen while they slept. But, if they were asleep, how do they know what happened? Furthermore, the disciples were in no place to steal the body. They were hiding after Jesus' death. They were afraid of the same fate for themselves. Why would a bunch of wimps who were scarred of the Romans on Thursday suddenly get gutsy and set out to take them on that Saturday night in front of the tomb? It is inconceivable from what we know of the disciples that they would have stolen the body.

2. The Jewish leaders or the Romans stole the body. But why? They all wanted Jesus dead. What would they gain from moving the body? Further, when the disciples began to preach the resurrection, all these two parties would have had to do to prove them wrong would have been to show everyone where the body was.

3. The women went to the wrong tomb on Sunday. Some claim the tomb was empty because the women arrived at the wrong tomb. Therefore, what they said was false and if they had gone to the right tomb, everyone could have seen the dead Jesus. But no one ever did that. Why? Because the women, who saw where Jesus was buried, returned to the same spot. If the women had gone to the wrong tomb, to prove the resurrection claims wrong, someone just had to go to the right tomb.

4. Jesus didn't die on the cross, he just passed-out, woke up the next Sunday, and walked out of the tomb. This is called the swoon theory. This theory doesn't show up until the Eighteenth Century, most likely because no one around the time of Christ would have conceived of a survival after the beating Jesus had taken. The Romans were killing experts who didn't fail too often. But, let's say for the sake of argument that he didn't die on the cross. How likely is it that Jesus could have been beaten nearly to death, hung on a cross, left for dead in a tomb with no food, water, or care given to him, and then, on Sunday, push a big stone away and walk out of the grave? Not very likely. His feet may have hurt from the holes.

Certainly, there are more arguments out there, but these are the most popular. Our salvation rests on the sure fact that Jesus actually came back to life on the third day after his death on the cross! What a blessing this Easter reality is for us Christians! Remember to tell your friends that Jesus is risen for their salvation! He is risen, indeed!

Book Recommendation:
Paul E Little, Know Why You Believe. Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, CO. 2003. This book is brilliant in dealing with arguments for the Christian faith!

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

Last month in "Speaking of Jesus" we discussed how evangelism is the delivering of good news. You are simply telling people what Jesus has done for them. And that is what evangelism is. Period. However, that is not all we are called to do as Christians when it comes to our relationships. The more and more I think about evangelism (which is derived the Greek word meaning "good news") the more and more I become disenchanted with the way the church has typically done evangelism. Too often we operate with an "I'm right / they're wrong" mentality. Evangelism ceases to be an endeavor to introduce the life saving / changing Gospel of Jesus and an argument over who is right and who is wrong. And, to be honest, this is not an argument we really want to enter into, so we ourselves run from evangelism.

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, wonders if the way we talk about evangelism and mission isn't part of the problem. In his book The Radical Reformission he says we need to leave behind this language of "outreach." That word sounds too much like we are keeping people at an arm's length away from us. We can throw Jesus at them and walk away. Driscoll says we should start seeing our mission in this world as one that doesn't so much "reach out" to it, but one that embraces it. Instead of standing on a soap box and telling the world how to fix itself, we as the church should embrace the world and love our neighbors.

For me, this is a total shift in thinking. And I love it! We are not out to conquer the world and prove ourselves right. This "us who are right vs. they who are wrong" attitude does damage to our attempts at sharing the gospel. Our attitude should be one of sinners loving each other through life's highs and lows and sinners delivering the good news that Jesus has redeemed the highs, the lows, and you, and even me!

Not to go off on too much of a tangent here, but this is one reason why it is so critical for us to have confession on Sunday morning. Obviously, it is important because we need to receive forgiveness from Christ for our own sins. But in a secondary way, it reminds us that we are poor miserable sinners. We are only here by grace. We only know about Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus because God is gracious to us and forgives us. It is not because we are somehow better than non-Christians. Honestly, I see the lives of some non-Christians and am struck by how they really are "better" than I am! But we are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. We all need Jesus. So let's embrace the culture with this redeeming news!

Book Recommendations
Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission. Zondervan Publishing House, 2004.
Mark Driscoll, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. Zondervan Publishing House, 2006.

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus

We have been brought up to think that there are two topics you don't talk about in public: religion and politics. These topics are divisive and make people uncomfortable. Conversations can escalate pretty quickly when what we believe is put on trial by those we are close to. It is never fun to have these uncomfortable conversations.

And yet we find ourselves in these conversations from time to time. The sudden fascination with spirituality in America has forced the conversations upon us! So how do we respond? Are we going to be prepared to have these conversations when they come up? Are we going to be willing to even maybe start one of these conversations? After all, Christ has called us to tell people the good news about the salvation he has won for us on the cross, but sometimes we just don't feel ready. What if they ask questions I don't know the answer too? What if they corner me or attack my beliefs? How will I respond?

These are all questions we plan on helping you deal with in our new section here in the newsletter called "Speaking of Jesus." It is my hope and prayer that through this series of articles you will begin to feel more equipped to talk about the saving work of Jesus Christ to your friends and family. The goal here is not to teach you how to win arguments, but rather, to help equip you to share good news. After all, that is what Christ has called us to do, deliver news.

Think of evangelism like this: you woke up this morning and made yourself some coffee, walked outside in your robe and slippers and you picked up the paper. The headline read: "Man Rises from the Dead after Three Days" The article reads something like this, "Jesus Christ, a man from Jerusalem who claimed to be God and was crucified 2,000 years ago for his comments, has come back to life! When asked what the meaning of all of this was, he said, 'I came from God to suffer for the sins of the world. If people put their faith in me, they will be forgiven and saved.'" You quickly run inside, "Honey, did you hear? Jesus is risen from the dead! Our sins are forgiven!"

That is all evangelism is. Delivering good news! It is telling people that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day for our salvation. That's it. Period. Now, this will raise questions on the side of the person you inform. They will wonder how reliable the story is, why they need forgiveness in the first place, and why your view on Christ is better than the Mormon's down the street. We will deal with these issues in this section of our newsletter. It is my prayer that God will work through these columns to help you feel more confident in sharing your faith.

Book Recommendation:
Lee Strobel, A Case for Christ. Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.

Pastor Bob

Labels: speaking-of-jesus