Chasing a Thought... — Chasing the Truth

The Most Precious Time of the Year

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

We often say that “Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.” Yet, for believers, Easter truly is the most precious time of the year. While at Christmas we rejoice in the love and grace of the Father in sending His Son, this sending makes little sense without the wider context of Easter. Easter tells us the “why” of Christmas. It is through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross that the Cradle is made important. Jesus was incarnated as a man to live as a man to die as a man to save mankind. Easter is the central event in human history and in Christian belief, for it demonstrates to us the saving work of Christ on our behalf. It is by His death on the Cross that God satisfies His wrath and judgment towards our sin (Rom. 3:21-26). Christ takes our place so that we can have His. This is what Paul argues in 2 Cor. 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” He became poor that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). He became a man that we might become children of God (John 1;9-13). While we may feel the warm and fuzzies at Christmas, the Easter season reminds us why there can be any joy at all. Praise be to God for the sacrifice of Christ and the hope of salvation that we have in Him.

 Died for our Sin, Raise for Our Life

In addition to the death of Christ, Easter also calls into mind the resurrection of Christ and the significance that it has for our future and our faith. The death of Christ would merely be a sad story without the victory of His resurrection. In fact, if Christ had only died but did not rise again, then our faith would be useless. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:14, 17, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Not only is the death of Christ important, His resurrection is equally important. They are two parts of one miraculous work of God which together deals with our sin and promises eternal life. Christ died to pay our debt, and He rose to secure our life—spiritually and physically. Our resurrection is bound up in Christ’s resurrection. We are raised because He was first raised. We have hope of a future glory because Christ has already been raised in glory. Thanks be to God then that Paul testifies, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20).

 A Serious Responsibility

Easter then is a chance for Christians to rejoice in the hope and salvation that we have found by faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose up for our complete salvation. It is also a chance for us to share this amazing news—this Gospel—with the world that is still lost and dead in their sins. Unbelievers do not have salvation and hope like we do, because they do not know the Lord who has died for them and raised for them. They are blind to the light of Christ. This Easter we need to be bold in our witness and to utilize the opportunities that God grants to reach out to a lost and dying world with the word of life and hope. Here are a few ways that you can intentionally reach out with the gospel this Easter.

  • Join us on April 16 for Community Outreach. We will be inviting people to our Easter services. God may also grant you a chance to share the gospel with someone.

  • Write down the names of 3 people or families that you can personally speak with about church and the gospel. These could be people you work with, neighbors on your street, or friends. Take a moment each day from now until Easter to pray for God to open doors for you with this person and to prepare their heart for the gospel. For people to be touched by the gospel, they first have to be touched by you.

  • Give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Giving to the offering enables us to support missions and missionaries right here in North America that the gospel might be heard and churches might be planted.

Lakewood can be a beacon of light and hope in our community but only if each of us is willing to reach out to our friends, family, and neighbors by consistently sharing the gospel with them and inviting them to join with us in worshipping Christ. God has given us this task to be “ambassadors for Christ.” When we own that task and put time, effort, and sacrifice into it, then we will see that God works in and through us to help more people to see the importance of Easter because they will see the Person of Easter—a loving Savior who stands calling to them—Jesus Christ the One who died for our sins and rose again for our life. Let us all Glorify God and Make His Name Known.

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God's Judgments Contain Hidden Graces

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God's Judgments Contain Hidden Graces

God’s judgments contain hidden graces. That is probably a surprising statement because we tend to think about judgment—and especially God’s judgment—as painful, terrifying, and devasting. Of course, God’s judgment is terrible. However, the prospect and pronouncement of judgment from God is also something that contains hidden grace—at least on this side of heaven.

Salvation Trumps Suffering

Salvation Trumps Suffering

Pain, evil, and suffering do not win the day. Perhaps we struggle to believe that God has good reasons for allowing such things. Perhaps we struggle to hold onto the goodness and love of God in the present moment. This is precisely the point when we can comfort ourselves and others with the future promise of God. One day there will be no more tears or pain or death. God will himself comfort us for we shall see Him face to face.

Suffering Reveals Who God Is

Suffering Reveals Who God Is

What we mean by this is that suffering reveals things about God and His character that we wouldn’t know or experience otherwise. There are certain aspects of God’s character that would be unknown apart from an experience of evil and suffering. How would we know that God is compassionate if we never had a need? How would we realize that God is both just and justifier if there never was the evil of sin? How would we experience the comfort of God if we never felt loneliness, pain, or grief? How would we know that God as healer if there were no hurts?

Pain Is a Megaphone

Pain Is a Megaphone

“Pain insists on being attended to.” What an insightful statement. Pain is something that cannot be ignored, and God knows it. We are lulled into a deception about our own sinful condition, but God uses pain and suffering to wake us from our stupor—“to shout” to us. In other words, God allows for suffering and evil to get our attention so that He might draw us back to Himself. For in reconciliation with Him is the promise of healing and the wiping away of every tear.

When the Problem of Evil Gets Personal

When the Problem of Evil Gets Personal

Knowing why God allows suffering and pain won’t make me feel any better. It’s been said before that Job still had to face empty seats at the family dinner table even though he discovered (to some degree) that God had been doing a great work in his life even through his difficulty and grief. Asking why won’t lead me to an emotionally satisfying place, but it can lead me to a fruitful discovery nonetheless. Asking why leads us to some discovery about ourselves and our God that can lead us into a deeper relationship with and love for a God infinitely bigger, wiser, and more majestic than I can imagine.

Knowing Why Won't Make You Feel Better

Knowing Why Won't Make You Feel Better

“How can a good God who loves me allow me to feel do depressed and despairing? Why would He allow me to experience such terrible pain and suffering? Have you ever heard someone ask a question like this? Have you ever asked a question like this yourself? I’d venture that most of us have at least thought something like this even if we never put words to it. When we face difficulty and pain, our first inclination is typically “Why God?” Why do bad things happen to good people? Simply put, there are no “good people.” But we can take it a little further than this. This question has often come on the lips of Christians who know God and understand the gospel. They know that they aren’t a good person but a sinner saved by God’s grace. So, let’s take the question a bit further, “Why does God allow suffering and difficultyfor His children?” That might be an even harder question.

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Boys are Boys. Girls are Girls. That's Good News.

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Boys are Boys. Girls are Girls. That's Good News.

God has made humans in two genders—male and female (Gen. 1:26-27). Each person from conception is made in God’s image according to God’s design for their sex and gender (Ps. 139: 13-16). These genders are inextricably tied to our biology and are fixed. In other words, biological sex=gender. Sex and gender aren’t realities that can be chosen or changed because of disordered feelings that we have about our bodies. Binary gender (maleness and femaleness) is God's wise design for our good. There are many in our world right now who are struggling and confused about who God made them to be. They are inundated with messages everyday that drive a spiral into deeper and deeper confusion. Let us be a people who are willing to tell the truth about God’s good design, who are willing to listen and pray with those who are struggling, and ultimately who are willing to lead them to a place of hope and healing through a relationship with Jesus. The Cass Report has demonstrated that medical intervention isn’t the answer for those suffering confusion about who God made them to be. The Bible gives us the solution by making plain God’s good design and promising transformation through the gospel.

Take Up and Read

Take Up and Read

We often think that the best way to understand the Bible is to get the help of an aid. We say to ourselves, “I need to get a commentary. I need to get a study Bible. I need to find a good preacher or teacher.” These are wonderful and wise actions to take, but they are not the most fundamental piece of understanding the Bible. They are important and indispensable parts of a robust understanding of the Bible, but they are supplemental. It can be easy to become a commentary junkie. If aids are supplemental, what is foundational to understanding the Bible? My simple argument is that the best way to understand the Bible is to read (and re-read) it for yourself.

Every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday

Every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday

This month we are approaching Easter Sunday which we often call Resurrection Sunday, for it is a remembrance of that first Easter Sunday on which Jesus Christ our Lord rose from the grave. While it is good and right for us to celebrate Easter each year, perhaps we also need reminding that every Sunday is a resurrection Sunday. Indeed, each Sunday that we gather is a continued celebration of the Risen King and of our expectation of His return to rule and to reign forevermore.

On Counterfeit Quotations and Habits of Excellence

On Counterfeit Quotations and Habits of Excellence

I love pithy quotes. They ring in the ears in a way that helps us to remember something important. They summarize a truth with brevity and brilliance in such a way that they stick firmly in the mind. In fact, this is one of the reasons that I love C. H. Spurgeon. He was a master of language and always seemed to know how to turn a phrase with ingenuity and acuity. The problem with quotations, especially in the age of social media, is that they are often misattributed.

6 Core Pieces of Financial Wisdom

6 Core Pieces of Financial Wisdom

I recently had a conversion that caused me to reflect on some simple statements that reflect a biblical worldview of wisely using money especially as it relates to obtaining and maintaining financial stability. These 6 statements aren’t all that could be said about money and certainly don’t address a variety of issues that are often part of our financial picture. However, they get at the core elements of wisdom in finances and give folks a starting point towards stewarding what God has given in a faithful way. I'm certainly not saying anything here that hasn’t been said before, but I hope that you find it faithful to the Scripture and helpful to your soul.

When Sin Corrupts Love

When Sin Corrupts Love

“Feeling loved” and “being loved” are not always the same. If a perfect world, we would feel loved when we are being loved, but sin corrupts both our perceptions of love and our displays of love. We can often feel loved without actually being loved. Conversely, we can often be loved without feeling loved. This is the confusion over love and its perversion that erupts in our culture over and over again.

When Virtues become Vices

When Virtues become Vices

What an odd thing it is that virtues can become vices when misused or misapplied. Of course, this is the story of the history of the world. What God has designed for good, man perverts to evil. Recently, Andy Nesalli has published some great articles on how various virtues can be exercised sinfully if we are not careful to tie them to truth and wisdom. I recommend these articles heartily to you and also to trace down the great compendium of resources that he cites or recommends within each article. Happy reading!

Oh Soul, Be Not Downcast

Oh Soul, Be Not Downcast

The Puritans have often given us great writings to help us as we walk the pilgrim way of the Christian life. I recently came across a brief passage that encouraged me greatly. Justin Taylor’s blog over at The Gospel Coalition cited the following section from English Puritan William Bridge’s A Lifting Up for the Downcast (Banner of Truth, 61-63). May it lift up your soul today!