Born to Die

We all have a birth day, a particular point in time where life began for us. At some point in life we begin to realize that we are not immortal. We see grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and even siblings die. Although death is all around us we still get the idea that we will live to be 70, 80 or 100 years old. Surely we won't be one of those who die young. Our focus is on our hopes and dreams and all the things we want to accomplish. Nobody likes to think about death's inevitability. We see our purpose being fulfilled in life and not death.

It wasn’t so for our Lord Jesus Christ. In His life he was the exact representation of His Father in heaven and He demonstrated how we should live on earth but His mission was fulfilled in His death. He said "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" Matthew 20:28. Long before there was time, God had a plan to create mankind. Being omniscient, he knew that man would fall prey to Satan and sin, so even before Adam existed, God formulated a redemption plan.

God is perfect. He is holy. Nothing imperfect or unholy can dwell in His sight. Apart from reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ we have no righteousness. Our sin, our disobedience, our iniquities require expiation, and the only way to make atonement is with life-giving blood. "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" Leviticus 17:11. Sin is such a grievance to God that it must be covered in blood, the very life of the flesh. "...without the shedding of blood is no remission of sin" Hebrews 9:22.

When Adam and Eve sinned through disobedience, God slaughtered an animal to make a covering for them. The dead animal's hide provided a covering for their skin and the blood of the animal provided a covering for their sin. Many years later when God gave Israel the law, He instituted a sacrificial system where the blood of bulls and goats would be used to make atonement for man's sins. "But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" Hebrews 10:3, 4. The priest would go to the altar every day, offer the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never make a dent in the sin problem. But our High Priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, once and for all!

The Bible teaches us that all things point to Christ and His mission to redeem mankind. When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised a redeemer. The promise of a Messiah was given to Abraham, the father of faith. The Ten Commandments demonstrated how imperfect we are and showed us our need for a Savior. There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that foretell Jesus birthplace, details of his life, his mission, his nature, his death, and his resurrection. When the time was right, Jesus was born into the world. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We saw his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1:14. Jesus’ purpose was to glorify God in the flesh, and ultimately give his flesh as an offering for the very people He created.

During this season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let’s not forget His subsequent death, burial and resurrection. That is the “rest of the story.”

Watch and pray

When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy. – Corrie Ten Boom

The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray. – Samuel Chadwick

When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end. – R.A. Torrey

But have we Holy Ghost power – power that restricts the devil’s power, pulls down strongholds and obtains promises? Daring delinquents will be damned if they are not delivered from the devil’s dominion. What has hell to fear other than a God-anointed, prayer-powered church? – Leonard Ravenhill

Satan cannot deny but that great wonders have been wrought by prayer. As the spirit of prayer goes up, so his kingdom goes down. Satan’s strategems against prayer are three. First, if he can, he will keep thee from prayer. If that be not feasible, secondly, he will strive to interrupt thee in prayer. And, thirdly, if that plot takes not, he will labour to hinder the success of thy prayer.” – William Gurnall

Prayer is the master strategy that God gives for the defeat and rout of Satan. – Wesley L. Duewel

The prayer of the feeblest saint who lives in the Spirit and keeps right with God is a terror to Satan. The very powers of darkness are paralyzed by prayer; no spiritualistic séance can succeed in the presence of a humble praying saint. No wonder Satan tries to keep our minds fussy in active work till we cannot think in prayer. – Oswald Chambers

I learned as never before that persistent calling upon the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God. For Christians in these troubled times, there is simply no other way. – Jim Cymbala

Depend upon it, if you are bent on prayer, the devil will not leave you alone. He will molest you, tantalize you, block you, and will surely find some hindrances, big or little or both. And we sometimes fail because we are ignorant of his devices…I do not think he minds our praying about things if we leave it at that. What he minds, and opposes steadily, is the prayer that prays on until it is prayed through, assured of the answer. – Mary Booth

Prayer is an acknowledgment that our need of God’s help is not partial but total… Yet many of our church prayer meetings have dwindled in size and influence. Ultimately, the explanation can be traced to spiritual warfare. If, as the hymn writer says, Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees,” then we may be sure that he and his minions will be working hard to discredit the value of united prayer. The Evil One has scored a great victory in getting sincere believers to waver in their conviction that prayer is necessary and powerful. – Alistair Begg

The enemy uses all his power to lead the Christian, and above all the minister, to neglect prayer. He knows that however admirable the sermon may be, however attractive the service, however faithful the pastoral visitation, none of these things can damage him or his kingdom if prayer is neglected. – Andrew Murray

Death is Inevitable

This week has seemingly been all about death. Right now our General Manager is in California for his father-in-law's funeral. A few days ago we found about about the death of a good friend. His dad flew him from Kansas to Minnesota to buy a motorcycle. While he was driving it back to Kansas he was killed by a truck driver. He was only 39 years old and leaves behind a young wife and two young children. He was a godly man and loved by everyone in Meade County, KS and beyond. What a shocker! Then one of my former co-workers from Westwood One in Phoenix informed me that an old friend of mine has terminal cancer and may only live a few more days. Death is such a downer. The only good news is that they all are Christians. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

All of this has caused me to be very pensive and introspective. James 4:14 says "Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." Tomorrow is not promised to us. We need to live life to the fullest. Live each day as if it's your last. And we need to cherish our friends and family members while we have them.

The Final Frontier

A few years ago I read a book by John Eldredge called "Wild at Heart" that caused some introspection. While reading it, I kept wondering if maybe I should head in another career direction. I have worked in radio since 1972 and specifically in Christian radio since 1984 but this book made me wonder if God had something else in mind for me.

At the end of 2006 I resigned from my position with Family Life Radio in Tucson, AZ without any idea of what I was going to do. I worked with H&R Block for about two months before landing a job with Westwood One at their Metro Networks news room in Phoenix. They had just started a new internet division and I was hired as their Senior Web News Editor. Looking back in hindsight, God used this 15 month stint to create within me a strong desire to return to Christian radio and appreciate what I once had.

I sent out some resumes and received responses from Charlotte, St. Louis and Meade, KS. Although there was strong interest from the other two stations, it was Great Plains Christian Radio in Meade, KS that invited us to come out for an interview. This is not a place I would have chosen but it was obviously where God wanted us. So me and A'Lisa packed up all of our worldly goods (or at least all we could carry) and abandoned Phoenix for Southwest Kansas.

God used that hiatus from Christian radio to give me a renewed vision and a fresh perspective. Obviously He wanted to bring back the zeal that I had when I first chose radio as a career. Suffice it to say, living in Meade was completely different. There are only 5000 people in all of Meade County, whereas the city of Phoenix has 4,000,000 people. The biggest problem with living here is the lack of convenience. WalMart is 40 minutes away and any major city is 3 hours away.

The Lord gave us many ministry opportunities here. Not just radio ministry but pulpit supply all over SW Kansas and eventually I joined the staff of our church part time. Our church provided many opportunities for both of us to use our spiritual gifts. But now it's time for a change and hopefully this will be our final move. Radio is a transient business and I've worked all over the country but we're ready to settle down.

Last week I was offered the Operations Manager position at our sister station in Abilene, KS and I accepted. This past weekend we secured a beautiful new house that's only two years old and it's near the radio station. It will be nice to live closer to cities like Topeka and Kansas City but more importantly I will have the opportunity to work in management again. God has given me many years of experience along with talent and abilities. Now He can use what He's given me to help make this station successful. Everything happens for a reason and it's always according to His schedule.

"All glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20

The State of the Union

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1

This is what the word of God says about government and our responsibility. Obviously that's not what some people want to hear. You can choose to accept it or reject it. As a Christian, I've been called to witness for Christ, not challenge authority.

Look at the big picture. Christians started most hospitals and many universities. Until about 1960 Christians cared for the poor and the needy as Jesus commanded. When Christians abdicated their responsibility the government stepped in and began welfare. We stood idly by and allowed the schools to kick God out and ten years later the Supreme Court decided it's legal to abort babies. Now the government steps in to insure the uninsured and Christians want to revolt. The blame lies with God's people for not caring for "the least of these."

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Right now I'm studying in Genesis and 2 Chronicles. We can look back in hindsight and see how God orchestrated things to get the people of Israel where He wanted them to be. God put Joseph in a position of power so that his family would survive by moving to Egypt. God allowed them to be enslaved for 430 years so that they would separate themselves from pagans and return to worship only Him. (Before their enslavement in Egypt, the Israelites were marrying pagans and practicing idolatry).

In the books of Kings and Chronicles we see good kings and bad kings. After the days of Solomon, kings and the people became so evil and idolatrous that God allowed the Babylonians to conquer and capture Israel in 586 BC. Once again God allowed enslavement of His people to bring them back to the One True God.

God has prophesied what is going to happen in the end times. He is in control of the situation in the world and in the United States. And just like in the Old Testament, sometimes God allows certain leaders to come to power to bring His people back to repentance and to set the stage for the end time scenario. He calls us to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. He promises to hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land.

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Resurrection Day

One of the things I love about this time of year is how various colors emerge as nature resurrects from its winter death sentence. This is also the time of year when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. With remarkable accuracy, Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testaments prophecies concerning his life, death, burial and resurrection. Here's the account from the Gospel of John...

Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her. So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. John 20 11-20

Not only did Jesus appear to his immediate disciples after His resurrection but He also appeared to over 500 of his disciples! At the time the apostle Paul wrote about this fact many of the witnesses were still alive who would corroborate his story. Paul himself persecuted Christians until Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, years after His ascension to heaven. Here is how Paul describes the good news about Jesus death, burial and resurrection...

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 1 Corinthians 15:3-9

I believe these things by faith, but still there are many skeptics today. However many agnostics and atheists like Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell took the initiative to actually study the claims of Christ. The overwhelming evidence lead them to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Even Josephus the 1st century historian attests to evidence of Jesus' resurrection...

" ... About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and as a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared." Josephus' Testimonium Flavianum, from Antiquities of the Jews 18:63-64

The Gospel of John closes with the reason for his writing. It's so that you will be presented with the factual truth about Jesus and hopefully come to believe his claims. We who believe in Him have hope beyond the grave... because He rose from the dead, so shall we!

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31

What's Good about Good Friday?

I stand amazed at the great lengths God would go to just to save us. You might say, "Why do I need to be saved? What am I being saved from?" It all goes back to the Garden of Eden. The story is found in the Book of Genesis. God created Adam and Eve and gave them simple instructions which ultimately they disobeyed. God had warned them that their disobedience would result in death. They chose to listen to the temptation of Satan rather than the clear command of God. The result was their banishment from the Garden, eventual physical death and separation from God. However God promised that he would provide a way of reconciliation for them. Since we all descended from Adam and Eve, the same curse is upon us, we're born, we die and without God's intervention we would be eternally separated from him in a place of torment...fire and brimstone.
God says we are all born as sinners. Some will readily admit to being sinners but others believe we are basically good. The problem is that we have the wrong standard. We think we're good because we're not as bad as others who may be drunks, murderers or thieves. God is the one who sets the standard and His standard is nothing short of perfection. "...For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood." Romans 3:23-25
I don't understand why God loves mankind but I'm just glad that He does. He loves us so much that He provided a way of escape from eternal punishment. If we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and allow Him to have control of our lives, we can become righteous in God's eyes. "...When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:6-8
I'm currently reading through the Gospels as we approach Resurrection Day. It's good to be reminded of the price that Jesus paid to redeem us from the penalty of our sin. The cross can be minimalized to jewelry or clothing adornment but it was the most brutal form of execution ever known to man. But God decided this would be the method by which Jesus would willingly give up His life. "... Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face." "...So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull. There they nailed him to the cross." John 19:1-3,17
That's what makes Good Friday "good". Jesus suffered the ignominious death on the cross but it was "good" for us because He became the substitute to appease a holy God on our behalf. I don't have to understand it, I just need to believe it and accept it by faith. "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Goals for 2010

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

3. Spend quiet time with God daily.

4. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Thank God for each day.

5. Be positive. Think on the good things.

6. Seize opportunities to serve others.

7. Develop talents, skills and abilities.

8. Spend more time outdoors. Develop healthy habits.

9. Restore broken relationships.

10. Find joy in the journey, rather than focus on the destination.

11. Don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best.

12. Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.

13. Read more books. Continue to learn new things.

14. Don’t compare your life to others.

15. Dream more while you are awake.

16. Smile and laugh more.

17. Care for the widows, orphans and less fortunate.

18. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

19. Control yourself and remain alert.

20. Be humble and God will lift you up in due time.

New Year, New Spirit

Last month we celebrated Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately for many people the story ends there. However, Jesus went on to live 33 sinless years, sacrifice His life on the cross and on the third day He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures.

Hopefully you received some nice gifts for Christmas. Over 2000 years ago, God gave us the very best gift ever given. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised another divine gift, the Holy Spirit. "He gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4,5

On the day of Pentecost (50 days after Jesus' resurrection) the promise of the Holy Spirit was realized. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 Then Peter stood before the crowd in Jerusalem and preached the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over 3000 people became Christians that day.

Just like the original disciples, when we choose to make Jesus Lord of our lives, we receive His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the down payment for our coming redemption and inheritance. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13, 14

We are all God creatures, but not all of us are God's children. The Holy Spirit gives us the assurance that we belong to Him. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:16 Do you have that assurance? The Holy Spirit is also the one that brings conviction in our lives. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." John 16:7, 8 Later in that same passage (16:13) Jesus informs us that The Spirit will be our Counselor and Teacher. "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth."

Sometimes we want to pray and the words won't come. Other times we just don't know the right words to say but the Holy Spirit is our silent prayer partner. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26, 27

We live in a hurting world and the Holy Spirit is the one who comforts us in our pain. Before He left his disciples Jesus said, "I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16, 17

We are to give freely from what God gives to us. He comforts us so that we can return the favor to those around us who are hurting. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

It's a new year, time for a new beginning. God doesn't want you to try to make it alone in this world. You can have the comfort, peace, wisdom, guidance and strength of His Holy Spirit today. Just talk to Him and tell Him you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and allow Him to have control of your life. He loves you and has your best interest in mind. Today is the day!