Why do I need a “relationship” with Jesus?

In my reading and listening to Pastors from decades past to present day, I consistently hear them speaking of the need for a relationship with Jesus. Many consider themselves Christians because they believe in the historical account of Jesus. Often they look like they are living decent, pious lives. Yet, so often these same people have a nagging question as to what this relationship with Jesus is all about; why do others seem to experience a pervasive joy or peace they consistently miss? Time and again I observe it being much harder for these pious people to enter into this relationship because there is no overt or obviously gross sin pointing them to their need for this saving relationship. However, this misses the point:

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Isaiah 53:6

Even the folks who behave is a very holy way go their own way. This self-directed approach to life is all it takes to separate us from God. Without a relationship with God made possible through Jesus, then we keep going our own way; we continually go astray. That is why we need a relationship. Our belief in Jesus as the incarnate, atoning, resurrected, ascended, Lord whose Spirit dwells within us opens the door to that relationship into which we must step and continue to walk. When we step into that relationship, we are granted His voice. Come back to the next post for more on His voice.

By God’s Grace: Blessed, not cursed

Three verses punctuate the extreme gift that God’s grace is to me (to all!):

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus actually became sin. His torture, crucifixion and death was not a symbolic gesture. He took into Himself every aspect of our fallen existence and every rebellious decision. As a result of Jesus being the scapegoat, I am righteous as soon as I believe; as soon as I receive Him. Furthermore:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14

Jesus became a curse so that I can receive the blessing of God. Hanging there on torment upon the cross was not a token. He who was glorified with God from prior to the existence of the universe (John 17:5) took upon and into Himself all those curses from the Old Testament that were inflicted upon mankind for our rebellion so that we could enter into all those blessings that we could never earn.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

Ever wonder what happened to all that wrath of God from the Old Testament. One could compare the Old Testament to the New Testament and think they are two different Gods: an angry, vengeful one and a kind, loving one. The truth is that there is only one God and His wrath arose out of His holy and just nature that never changed. At the same time that He is holy and just, He is loving and kind. Because He is holy, he could not just turn a blind eye to our rebellion and sin. Because He is loving and kind, He took all that wrath (chastisement) out on Jesus so we could exist in peace. It is the same God, but we no longer experience His wrath because it was all expended on Jesus: He who became sin and He who became cursed. All the punishment was exhausted in the crucifixion and what we now have from God is the offer of peace.

Faith Fuel: An example of hearing from God

I wanted to share a personal example of hearing from God. This is not a particularly intimate or risky example for I certainly can think of times when I have heard more clearly or profoundly from Him. However, this example is one that shows the multiple ways Jesus will confirm what He is speaking.

As I write this, it is tax season. As a self-employed person, my income is up and down and often unpredictable. Yet, I have to estimate what my tax obligation will be at the end of the year and pay those taxes along the way. My wife has been in school until December of 2012 and so there have been some student loan funds that softened some of my own financial valleys. Now those funds are gone. Until a few days ago, I had no idea how I would pay the big tax bill I expected to finish out 2012, pay the first quarterlies of 2013, and pay everything else that had to be paid. My wife had not yet landed a job.

And I was anxious. And I prayed. I prayed that Jesus would give me clear indications of certain decisions we had to make. I prayed for clear direction regarding my wife’s job search and options. I prayed for my own business to pick up. And, I prayed that beyond these surface concerns, that it would be His best that He drew us into despite the specifics I had been asking about. I listened.

To paraphrase what I heard back, Jesus said, “You have seen how I provided for you these past years; how I have kept my promise of provision to you. Your faith and trust has grown. Now, I am still promising to provide for your and your family, but I am not going to tell you specifically how. It is time for you to take the next step of faith. It is time for you to truly release your grip of financial control and become deaf to the voice of scarcity. I have got this!”

I asked others to pray for me. I gave them permission to pray what was on their heart and to pray riskier prayers than I may have thought of. They prayed that I have confidence in His greater plan. That I trust and not react by choosing lesser things. That I grow in unity with my wife in all these things.

Jesus, on this same day, brought me in the normal course of Bible reading to these verses:

And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.  For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:22-32

You may call that a coincidence, but I call it divine intervention. Jesus spoke to me directly, confirmed it through other faithful followers of Jesus, and convicted me through His written word. It was not simply an optimistic sense that all would be okee dokee. It was a call to repent from the sin of worry (which is essentially a manifestation of unbelief) and a call up to greater faith in Jesus. It was consistent with scripture and consistent with God’s own nature which is both merciful and holy.

Finally, there were the results. I am cautious about this part, because I do not want to promote some idea that God is a cosmic vending machine. Even if the results had been otherwise, the important thing would have been for me to trust deeper. However, I will mention the results because I sensed they were little, “Atta boy!” bits of encouragement from Jesus. The draw for March was larger than I believed. The tax obligation was lower that I believed. The very day I chose to step from the sin of worry and trust far more deeply in God’s promise, a new and exciting job opportunity became a possibility. And I am more at peace.

However, because I chose to believe that God was speaking these things, I would have been more at peace even if events had gone in other the other direction. And that is why it is so crucial to seek diligently His voice.

Nourishment for the Newborn: Complete Joy

Awhile back I, along with several other mighty warriors, began to study 1st John one verse at a time.  While I did not comment on every verse, there were certain ones that spoke more profoundly to me. There were a number of verses that I never got around to in those emails and that I would like to speak to in this format. To do that, I thought it wise to recap and revise those earlier comments.  The first such verse was 1 John 1:4:

These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

This verse is short but power laden.  To believe that such joy, “complete” joy, is possible puts a stop to one of the enemies flaming arrows (see Ephesians 6).  Have you ever felt like “this is all there is; my life is just full of pain, or at best, just marked with numb mediocrity”?  I think the enemy wants us to settle for pain, boredom, desperation or just quiet resignation to a joyless life.  The lie is: “sure there will be joy – later in heaven, but for now you must just trudge along from one painful event to another.”  We even take on this false martyrdom believing that piety is correlated with suffering. This lie keeps us from making the impact we are called to make for the kingdom.  After all, who is attracted to what a joyless person has in their life; but to experience joy even in the face of adversity – that draws folks attention.

So, how do we experience complete joy?  Well, this passage suggests the starting point is right where we are at – the written word of God.  Let the Word dwell richly in your hearts and you will begin to experience joy.  I am not suggesting that is all there is to it, but dwelling in the word of God it is the essential starting point. It is in the bible that we learn the nature of God, we learn the promises of God, we learn the desires of God, we learn His parameters for our lives, and we learn the love of God that He has for us personally.  The whole bible is a love letter from God to us individually.  As such, if we ignore the one surest, clearest voice of God, then how can we begin to experience His joy?  It is the starting point of all worship, praise, communion, obedience, and understanding.  It grows faith, hope and love.

Nourishment for the Newborn: The Bible is so hard to read, so why read it?

Pastor Brad – @bradvg said something the other night that gave me a fresh perspective on a particular verse that I have had on my mind. The verse is Hebrews 4:12:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (NASB)

He talked about having a relationship with the Holy Bible. That is, not to just read it out of obligation and not to look at it as dry words on a page. Rather, look at is as the personal thoughts and feelings of God. Enter into reading it as one enters in to getting to know another person. It reveals the very personality of the Father. And, yes, just like in any long-term relationship there are times when the communication is deep and powerful and times where it is more passing on helpful information.

This all spoke to that one phrase describing the word of God as “living and active“. It is true. When I come to the Holy Bible and invite Jesus to speak to me through the written word, I draw closer to Him. I understand more and as I understand Him more I love Him more. That is why I (we) should read it.

Further evidence that the word is “living and active” is that often when I re-read a passage, I gain some new insight. The verses speak to me where I am currently in my walk. Resist, therefore, reading the Bible out of duty or habit. Instead, approach it each day as a time of discovery; an unveiling of the heartbeat of Jesus. Actively invite Him to speak a new thing through an old verse.

Nourishment for the Newborn: What’s all this about praising God?

Jesus quoted the Isaiah Prophet to announce His coming; to proclaim why He was in the world (Luke 4:17-21):

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD… Isaiah 61:1-2

This prophecy goes on to say:

And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:2-3

Perhaps it is because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but the phrase “mantle of praise” stood out to me these last couple of days. The word mantle is used many places in the old testament. A mantle was the outer cloak or covering worn for warmth and protection. It was the ordinary persons only blanket. It came to represent spiritual covering as well and a mantle was a symbol of authority.

So, to have a “mantle of praise” implies that praise entirely covers the person, keeping them warm and protected. It also implies that God’s authority is resting upon the person. It makes sense, then, that to be covered in praise would be the counter to a “spirit of fainting”. Where fainting implies shrinking away in fear or cowardice, being covered in praise for the God of the universe, El Shaddai, the All Sufficient God, El Gibbor, The Mighty God, would keep one warm and protected spiritually;  give courage and strength.

So, when we praise God, we are keeping the focus of our spiritual gaze directly on He who can take on any threat. When we praise God, we put on the mantle that gives us strength and courage. Perhaps God also receives something from the praise of His followers, but I believe He asks for our praise mainly for our benefit; mainly to keep us safe, warm and protected. Even when God seems to be asking for something for Himself, He is looking out for us.

Nourishment for the Newborn: A life of gratitude

A walk of faith in Jesus is marked be growing gratitude. This attitude of gratitude begins when we recognize that God is giving us something totally undeserved. By our fallen nature and acts of rebellion (collectively referred to as sin) we may be alive physically, but we are dead spiritually apart from grace. This death is what we deserve. However, Jesus was not satisfied with giving us what we deserve. Instead, he deems us worthy of taking on himself our sin in his torture and death on the cross so that we might become the righteousness of God (see 2 Cor. 5:21). Such a gift is beyond comprehension and is entirely sufficient to call forth a lifetime of gratitude.

However, He does not end there. He also calls us into the spiritual life of His resurrection. In this life in the resurrection, Jesus brings us some amazing gifts:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; Isaiah 61:1

As Jesus speaks good news into our afflictions, binds up our broken hearts, proclaims our liberty, and shows us the freedom of a life in Him, our gratitude grows more and more pervasive. Ultimately, we can begin to be grateful even for painful events because we anticipate His love showing up in the midst of the toughest of times. We can participate in this attitude of gratitude in how we pray. The Apostle Paul gives us a simple formula for this:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

On the first reading of this verse, most of us – including me, figure the thanksgiving part of praying is for good things Jesus has already done for us or possibly for good things we can expect him to bring later as he answers our supplication for help. Such a reading is espoused by the NLT version which end with “… and thank him for all he has done.” However, there is no reason to limit it to only past events or future hopes. The thankfulness Paul admonishes us to adopt includes the present circumstance also. I suspect that Paul had the present circumstances most in mind because one cannot easily be grateful for something and anxious about it at the same time; the gratitude pushes the anxiety right out of the picture.

So, if there is something difficult I am facing right here and now that I am tempted to feel anxious about, I need to begin thanking Jesus for that very circumstance. I can genuinely thank Him for even tough circumstances in many ways: if I am suffering the consequences of poor choices, I can thank Him for the discipline of it (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6); I can thank Him because I am learning to lean on Him more completely; I can thank Him because trials bring about patience and perseverance (James 1:2-4, Romans 5:4); I can thank Him for the good that He will bring about (Romans 8:28); I can thank Him for the chance to witness in the midst of tribulation (a most effective witness I might add); and I can thank Him that I am even alive to experience whatever comes my way. After all – the world nor God owes me anything, nevertheless, I can count on His promises regardless – and live a life of gratitude.

Nourishment for the Newborn: A new heart

I will endeavor to say little about this great Truth for followers of Jesus, because the scripture says it so well and so often. Yet, even though it is repeated often from many different perspectives, few of us truly apprehend this Truth: We who follow Jesus have a good and noble heart.

King David sang out for it:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

The Prophet Ezekiel foretold it:

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Jesus explained the need for it:

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:22

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

And Jesus promised it:

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. Luke 8:15

The Apostle Paul said the most in explanation of it:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— Colossians 3:10

John, the Apostle Jesus loved said it this way:

No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9

And the Rock, the Apostle Peter explained it this way:

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

And yet, I grew up indoctrinated with the notion that my heart, the essential core of who I am, was depraved and evil. To think otherwise would be dangerous and prideful. And, this lie that even those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior remain depraved is one  of the greatest ways Satan keeps us in a position of defeat. The truth is that we are already seated next to Jesus (Ephesians 2:6) in victory and we are His brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29). That is diametrically at odds with the notion that we are depraved to the core of who we are.

This is NOT to say that we are not capable of revisiting the sins of our past, as though trying to raise the corpse of our former selves. But, believing we are depraved to the core is the best way to insure we will wallow in old sins. It is also NOT to say that we do not need Jesus. To the absolute contrary: it is a recognition that we can only reclaim the heart God intended for us from the beginning through Jesus. There is no pride in that; pride would be claiming we are the “righteousness of God” by our own means.

Instead, humility requires us to accept that we are the “righteousness of God” because to do otherwise would be to reject this amazing gift Jesus gave us. He became sin for us in some way I do not understand and to reject that would be the pride which we fear. I am glorified. Wow, that is hard for you to read when I say it about myself and I bet it would be harder still for you to say about yourself. But, I am glorified according to Romans 8:30. I have the heart God intended for me – the heart of Christ. It is a good and noble heart and I am meant, as you are meant, to live in the truth of this new heart.

I have that new heart as a Christ follower whether I embrace it or not. If I reject it or allow it to be wrapped in a veneer of sin, then I am stifling the work of Jesus. I am denying those around me the glory of Jesus that He intended to pour through me. Again, I recognize that it sounds prideful but it is not because the recognition always points back to the true source: Jesus, the Son of God. Is He not capable of such a miracle? I believe so.

I thank John Eldredge for his insight into this in “Waking the Dead”

Nourishment for the Newborn: Who is this “enemy” I keep hearing about?

Perhaps this describes your thoughts, “I believe in Jesus, but who is this “enemy” I keep hearing about? Folks talk like Satan or demons are really exist rather than some mythical concept of evil and it sounds a little freaky.” This is a tad ironic, though, since believing in Jesus implies by necessity belief in a spiritual reality that we do not commonly see with our eyes or touch with our senses. However, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that Satan and his minions are real:

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Next in importance to believing that Jesus is the Son of God who is your Lord and Savior, recognizing that there is an enemy of your soul, Satan, is the next most prominent truth to embrace. I talk about Satan’s origins a little in this prior post on pride. The enemy wants to keep you from living fully in God’s plan for you and if he convinces you he does not exist, then his battle is nearly won because he can operate in stealth mode. After all, how many of us would knowingly choose to listen to a demon? And yet, because we are ignorant of their existence, we often inadvertently do listen to them.

This enemy and those spiritual beings that serve him are not abstract concepts; they are real and they hope to deceive you and keep you from living in power and victory.  The enemy’s main weapons against you are subtle lies that sound like truth. We need, therefore, to continually be asking God to reveal His truth to us through prayer and through studying His unchanging word, the Bible.

We should not become overly interested in the enemy. That is as much a trap as disbelieving in his existence. Our fascination, rather, needs to remain fixed on Jesus while we fight the enemies darkness and lies with God’s light and truth.

Nourishment for the Newborn: If I am dead to sin, why do I still commit sin?

If we have been made a new creation through Christ, died to sin, and been made righteous by receiving his forgiveness through faith, why do we still commit sin?

I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Romans 7:19 (NLT)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:19 (NASB)

At times, we have all felt the way Paul described in Romans 7:19. One of the chief ways the enemy tries to get us to forget who we are in Jesus is by putting temptation within easy reach. We can always escape temptation, but when we chose to embrace it instead, the enemy jumps at the chance to speak condemnation into our hearts. Our response is often to feel lingering shame and simply give up and start believing that picking sin is inevitable. The response God wants for us is to confess the sin and turn it over to Him.

Being sanctified (being made holy) is both a position and a process. The very instant we believe in our heart and confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we are in the position of being holy before our Father. This is also referred to as being justified. And, as we confess and turn our sin over to Jesus and let him cleanse us of unrighteousness, holy living becomes more and more prevalent in our lives. This is usually referred to as sanctification. This concept should never be used as an excuse to sin by saying, “Oh well, we all sin and are forgiven, so what does it matter.” And it is also wrong thinking to believe our salvation hinges on how holy our thoughts, words and deeds are.

The certainty of our sins being washed clean by the blood of the Lamb removes Satan’s ability to speak condemnation and despair into our lives. Absent this assurance, we become paralyzed and ineffective in walking out God’s plans for us. Seeing sin decrease while holiness increases in our daily lives is evidence that we are turning consistently to Jesus to lead us. Absent such evidence, we must earnestly ask Jesus to reveal the barrier to becoming more like Christ. We should ask, “Have we truly received Him or just encountered Him? And if we have truly received Him, what are we refusing to surrender to Him?” Are we clinging to some sin, some worldly good, some relationship, or some other aspect of ourselves that stops Jesus from working in us? He will not force Himself on us; He will wait until we yield to Him.