Do You Love Me?

Have you ever heard that song, 

Do you love me, (do you love me) 

Do you love me, (do you love me)

Do you love me, (do you love me)... Now that I can dance... 

I can mashed potato... I can do the twist! 

I love that song! It ask a great question. "Do you love me?"

Everywhere we go there are people. Some may be saved and some may not know Jesus. Do you know Jesus? Has he changed your life? Do you love him? 

I have been hearing about an atheist who is fairly well known. When reflecting on a experience he had where a Christian approached him to share the gospel... The atheist questioned in his own mind why this did not happen more often. He pondered, "If you really believe what you say you do about heaven and hell. If you really believe what you say you do about Jesus. Then how much do you have to hate someone to not try and tell them the truth?" 

This is a simple yet heavy question. At times it is so difficult to talk to others about Jesus. Why is it so difficult for us? I know that sometimes I fear how people may respond. Sometimes I don't know what to say. Many times I forget that I have a message of love, of good news to those who are perishing. Lately I have been encouraged to grow in my faith and sharing my faith in these ways:

Find 2-3 fellow Christians and make a commitment with one another to hold each other accountable. Pray for one another. 

Make a list of ten people in your life... (maybe family, maybe neighbors, maybe co-workers) who you are unsure about their salvation. Hopefully you can think of someone who doesn't know Jesus. They are out there. I promise. 

Commit to pray for these people everyday and ask God to give you the opportunity and ability to share the gospel of Jesus with these people. Pray for their salvation. When the time comes... trust God and do it. It might be awkward at first if you have not done it a lot but it will become more natural and you will be filled with joy and strength because of your obedience.

Commit to talk with your accountability friends at least once a week about who you and they are praying for. Pray for each other and even ask if you can pray for one another's list. 

Don't worry about how to do it. Just build relationships. Start conversations. Live out in your life what you believe in your heart. Share your heart with others.

I want to encourage whoever reads this to not keep the "Good News" to yourself! Jesus taught us to love God and love others (Mk. 12:30-31). If we do... then we must tell them of his love! 

Blessings!

Say what...? Continually... sacrifice... fruit of lips?

I was reading the other day about worship and this statement really caught the attention of my heart...

"Many people foolishly believe God will accept anything offered by well meaning worshipers. It is clear, however, that sincerity is not the test of true worship" (MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry, 190).

What do you think about that? What kind of worship will God accept? We know from (John 4:19-24) that God desires worshipers who worship in spirit and in truth. Jesus explains to the woman at the well that true worship is about the attitude of a person's heart. So what makes a person's worship acceptable to God? How are we even able to come before God in worship?

Read (Hebrews 13:15). 

Jesus is the only way that we can offer to God worship that is acceptable. It is through him that we can offer a "sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (Heb. 13:15). It is by the cross of Christ that we are able to offer anything that is pleasing to God!

One of my favorite verses of Scripture about worship is Romans 12:1-2. Paul says that we are to offer ourselves as "living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship" (v.1). What does that mean? A living sacrifice. I often thought that I knew what it meant but really never associated it with Jesus and him being the only way we can offer acceptable worship to God. Let me explain...  

We read in (Hebrews 10:5-13), that Jesus offered for all time a single sacrifice for sin. Before Christ, there were many who offered multiple sacrifices to atone for their sins. But Jesus, the Lamb of God, has paid for sin. Notice (Hebrews 10:10). This is how the author of Hebrews can say as we read above, "Through him then (...) offer a sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15). Why does Paul say in (Romans 12:1) to offer ourselves as living sacrifices? A quick survey of Romans will show us why. 

Paul begins by explaining that all are condemned and no one is righteous (Ch. 1-3).

Then he explains that we have righteousness and peace through faith (Ch. 4-5).

Now Paul explains that we are dead to sin but alive in Christ! Read (Romans 6:3-11). 

Since then, through faith we are alive in Christ (which by the way is the only way to offer acceptable worship to God) we are able to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1). After what Christ has done for us... it is only reasonable. Consider... (1 Jn. 4:10). This understanding is reiterated again by Paul in (Gal. 2:20). 

Finally, consider this... What is worship anyway? It is more than singing songs. It is a lifestyle. We are worshipers. We are always worshiping something. Think again for a moment about (Heb. 13:15). The author says that we "continually offer." That means without ceasing! How do we do that? Well... we are already continually worshiping something. I humbly suggest that we must look to Jesus (Heb. 12:2). We must look to the cross! He is the only way, only truth and only life (Jn. 14:6)! 

Through Christ we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1)! 

Blessings!

One more thing for the really deep... 

Notice that the author of Hebrews says, "... the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (Heb. 13:15). What verse does that remind you of? 

Paul said, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

The words acknowledge and confess are translated from the same original Greek word... homologeo (English Transliterated, Strongs #3760). Believe me... Its all about Jesus!

Worship Him!   

 

The Wonderful Cross

I once heard someone say, "Man... You can't have enough songs about the cross." One of my favorite songs about the cross is Chris Tomlin's "The Wonderful Cross." A part of the chorus is:

O the wonderful cross

O the wonderful cross

Bids me come and die 

and find that I... may truly live!

Listen to it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skxiHGj6lIU

When you think about the cross... does it seem wonderful to you? What makes the cross wonderful? It was horrible! It was cruel execution. So why can we say that the cross was beautiful? The cross itself was not beautiful. It was not wonderful. We can say that the cross is beautiful because of what Jesus did for us on the cross! 1 Jn 4:10 teaches us that because God loves us, Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. I believe we can sing "O the wonderful cross" because worship begins with the cross. 

When Jesus "breathed his last" on the cross... one of the centurion that had crucified him responded in this way... "And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God'" (Mk 15:39). 

This centurion responded to the death of Christ with worship! For him... it began at the foot of the cross. He heard the cries of the cross! My favorite way to define true worship is, "Our response to who God is and what God did for us on the cross." Worship is who we are. It is what we do. We are responding. But to who? 

Today is Ash Wednesday. Today begins what most refer to as Lent. It is the season leading up to Easter. I encourage you to observe this time in some way... not because we must but in remembrance of the cross. One way is to read through the gospel accounts in the New Testament. Check out www.biblegateway.com and look for reading plans. They have one for Lent. 

There is nothing more beautiful than the cross of Christ. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). In order to truly live as the song says... we must be "...crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20). We must remember the cries of the cross! That is the gospel. That is wonderful. That is beautiful. 

Reflect on the cross as we approach Easter. Remember what Christ did for us. Gather with others to worship Him for what He has done. Celebrate His victory and His life! Worship Christ alone! We have reason to sing!!! This is our Lord... and He loves us. 

Blessings

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Mk 14:3-9, Matt 26:6-13, Jn 12:1-8

Just before Passover we find Jesus in Bethany. There is a party and He is the guest of honor. From a cross-reading of the gospel accounts we find that some of the other people present consisted of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Simon the Leper and various disciples including Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him). 

At this party we find a woman (Mary), who demonstrates extravagant worship of Jesus! Why would she do this? I mean there are many other people around, but she doesn't seem to even acknowledge them. To her it's all about Jesus. Understanding that Mary is the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus just raised from the dead (Jn. 11:38-44), we can begin to get a glimpse of why Mary is acting the way she is. She sees Jesus as Lord and worthy of worship. This heart of worship Mary demonstrates is also found in the story of Mary and Martha where Martha invites Jesus into her home and becomes distracted with the preparations while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to His words (Lk. 10:38-42). Mary is a worshiper! Mary is a Jesus lover!

This outpouring of worship from Mary's heart is contrasted with the irritated reaction the disciples demonstrated (specifically Judas) when they questioned her stewardship of this costly perfume (Mk. 14:4-5). They scolded her for her expression of worship. Jesus however felt quite different about her sacrifice. 

I think Mary understood what was about to happen to Jesus. She anointed His body beforehand for burial (v.8). She had obviously been transformed by Jesus. And as a result of this transformation she expressed her worship in a beautiful way (v.6b). 

I wonder myself if I am living a life like Mary lived her life. Am I expressing my worship to Jesus while others are simply reclining at the table or complaining about money? Does my worship even come close to resembling what Jesus would call a beautiful thing? 

I heard C.J. Mahaney preach on this passage recently and he asked the question, "Are you still skipping?" You see sometimes we allow ourselves to loose the passion our worship once possessed. C.J. urged us that when this happens we must get close enough to the cross to hear the cries of the cross! Remember what Jesus did for us! Remember that he poured out his blood for our sins! Remember the cries of the cross. The things Jesus cried out as he took the weight of the world's sins on himself! This is the gospel! Jesus saves! Jesus redeems! Jesus loves! We are living in a world where people are going to hell. It's true! We can help...

Are we living our lives in a way that demonstrates beautiful worship of Jesus? Who do we look like to the people we are with everyday? 

Mary or Judas?