Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 36

What Will I Find When I Look at Christ?

My invitation today to every person who is sincere in searching for the truth, but has genuine questions: “Come and see.” Come and take a look at Jesus Christ for yourself. Don’t let a garbled version of the truth put you off. Don’t let distortions of the gospel hold you back. This is too important for that. Come and see!

That is the reason why the Gospel of John was written: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). What will you find when you take an honest look at Jesus Christ? 

1. You Will Find Jesus Christ Knows You Completely 

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48) 

We are not told what Philip was doing under the fig tree. Maybe he was reading the Bible, praying, or confessing some sin. That may be true, but we are not told. We are not told what was in the heart of Nathaniel, but whatever it was, it was already known to Jesus.

You find something similar in the story of the woman at the well, when Jesus says to the woman, “You have had five husbands.” He had never met her before, so how could Jesus possibly have known this? The woman goes into the village to her friends and says, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). You see her logic: No one could have known this, except God, who knows all things! 

Spurgeon says something that many of us have experienced, “How often have I heard inquirers say, ‘It seemed to me, sir, as if that sermon was meant for me, there were points in it which were so exactly like myself, that I felt sure someone had told the preacher about me.’” [1] 

Jesus Christ knows you completely. Why would you ever run from someone who knows everything about you and still loves you? There is no reason to run from him and there is nothing that you need ever try to hide from him.  

2. You Will Find Jesus Christ Opens the Door of Heaven 

“You will see greater things than these… Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:50-51) 

Jesus essentially says to Nathaniel, “You have been moved by the fact that I knew exactly what was going on with you when you were sitting under the fig tree. Well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! You will see heaven itself opened!”  

Whatever you have experienced in the Christian life, you ain’t seen nothing yet. You will see heaven opened and the angels ascending and descending—what the world longs to see, but cannot apart from Jesus Christ. 

A Principle 

The principle is very simple: “You will see greater things than these” (John 1:50). God will give you more light when you follow the light you already have. Nathaniel has been open and responsive to what he knows of Jesus, and on that basis, Jesus says that he will see more. 

Believe in Jesus Christ as far as you know Him, and you will know him more. If you demand to have all your questions answered before you will follow, you will never believe. But if you are willing to believe on the basis of what God has shown you, Christ promises that you will see more. 

The Christian life is one of faith seeking understanding—not the other way around. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 

A Picture 

The picture relates to the coming of Jesus into the world, and it is taken from the story of Jacob (Genesis 28). One night, Jacob had an extraordinary dream in which he saw a ladder (or more accurately, a stairway) that extended from earth up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. 

There is a broad stairway between heaven and earth. There is intense activity on the stairway. Angels are ascending and descending! And what do we find at the top of the stairway? The Lord Himself (Genesis 28:13)! 

Earlier in this chapter, John writes, “No one has ever seen God; the only God who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). So whenever God is made known, it is through the One who is at the Father’s side. This must mean that what Jacob saw was a manifestation of the Son of God, poised at the top of the staircase as if ready to come down into the world!

Now here in the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man! The Son of God has become the Son of Man. The One who stood at the top of the stairway, in heaven, with angels ascending to Him, now stands at the bottom of the stairway, on earth, with angels descending on Him.

Jacob saw the Son of God remotely, at a great distance, in heaven. Nathaniel saw the Son of God in the flesh up close and personal. This is why Jesus Christ came into the world, so that you could come into a greater knowledge of God than was even given to Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, and so that you should know the blessing of “God with us” in Jesus Christ.

Christ is Seated at the Right Hand of the Father 

Christ is not at the bottom of the stairway now. Hebrews tells that He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High far above the angels (Hebrews 1:4). Heaven is open! Angels are ascending and descending as they are sent out to serve those who inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).  

How are you going to get through this week? Our God will supply all that you need according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). 

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[1] C. H. Spurgeon, from the sermon:“Nathanael and the Fig Tree,” #921, March 20, 1870.http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons16.xiv.html 

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This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Responses to Jesus,” from his series Meet Jesus, Part 1.  



Photo Credit: Unsplash 

5 Key Connections: Resurrection, Persecution

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian content around the web, including one on how the resurrection is the turning point in history, and another on how to face persecution.

Turning Point of World History: The Resurrection According to Acts (Brandon D. Crowe, TGC)

On one hand, everything changes when Christ is raised from the dead. At the same time, the Scriptures are fulfilled, which means the resurrection isn’t fundamentally new, but a goal anticipated for thousands of years.

1 Peter 4:12-19: Three Principles for Christians Facing Persecutions (Josh Moody, God Centered Life)

Rather than run away from what is moral when we are facing persecution, we should run towards what is moral and good and right. Why? God is faithful. Our Creator is faithful. We can trust him.

What Does Jesus Do? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Faith begins here: You believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Then you personalize it: “If he can do this for the world, then he can do it for me!’

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as often as you become aware of sin in your life, you have a Savior to whom you can come.

The God Who Knows You (Jen Oshman, GCD)

The unchanging God of the universe knows us. The all-knowing, all-powerful Creator knows you and me. Our God, who does not waver, who does no wrong, whose mercies endure forever, knows those who know him.

Fostering Hospitality (Russell Meek, Servants of Grace)

My wife is the hospitable one in our family. I’m more like the ogre who would rather stay in his cave while the world swirls outside. She’s taught me a lot about what biblical hospitality means and how to extend love to the people around us.

Have You Come to This Conclusion about Yourself?



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I meet a lot of people who tell me that they have always been Christians. Well, have you ever been awakened and convicted of your own sin? Have you ever come to that conclusion about yourself? Because that’s the first mark of being a Christian. Of course, this happens in different ways, at different times, and with different degrees of intensity in different people. So how would you know if this has happened to you?

When you are awakened, you will come to the clear conclusion that you are a sinner. You will say, “I have already sinned enough in my life to fully deserve the eternal condemnation of God.” That’s the first thing that happens when you become a Christian.

Have you come to this conclusion about yourself? When you do, the pride, the swagger, the self-righteousness, and the pretense will all be gone. You will feel that you are a person whose only hope is in Jesus Christ. And hope will have begun for you.

This sermon clip was taken from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Awakened and Convicted,” from his series Snapshots of a Godly Life, Part 2.

Behold the Faithfulness of Our Savior

Faithfulness is often a target for our modern culture. Being in the same place for a long time apparently means you lack initiative, aspiration, or innovation. Some people assume that being in the same relationship with the same person for your whole life is just plain wrong. And many distrust anyone who is too committed to one worldview.

But from the outset of the Bible, God makes it clear that He will be faithful to us and that God’s people are to be faithful to Him alone. As Christians, we believe this and strive for this. But as people in culture, we are pulled in every direction away from it. I invite you now to return to the center, to gaze at the faithfulness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in order to increase your fruit of faithfulness.

Jesus was faithful to His mother, even when she didn’t understand Him.

And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” (Luke 2:48)

Jesus’s mother, Mary, did not always understand everything about Jesus. In the above verse, we see she is confronting the boy Jesus as to why He was not with them. As any mother would be, Mary was worried sick! But this was no regular boy, Jesus was the Savior of the world, the promised Messiah, and a person of the triune God.

Surely, there would have been other moments like this throughout Jesus’s lifetime. As God of the universe, Jesus “would have had the right,” as we like to say, to be angry with her. To say, “You really don’t get it, do you?” Or, “don’t you know who I am?” But in the face of someone misunderstanding Him, Jesus responded with grace and faithfulness.

In his sermon “Giving as Much as You Know of Yourself,” Pastor Colin said, “Jesus spent three years in public ministry, but before that He was a carpenter for about 20 years. He cared for his mother. He offered himself to God, as much in his carpentry and in caring for His mother as He did when he preached the gospel and performed the miracles.”

Jesus perfectly served his mother, and his father, even though at times they did not understand Him. Can we say that about ourselves? Are we faithful to those who don’t get us? Do we serve those who don’t give us as much respect as we think they ought?

Jesus was faithful to His friends, even when they criticized Him.

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (John 11:20-22)

Perhaps “criticized” is too strong of a word here to describe what Martha said to Jesus. And even if she was criticizing Him, she seems to take some of it back in her next sentence. Yet the effect is still there. She is bothered that Jesus was not around when Lazarus seemed to need Him the most.

I don’t know what happens to you when you’ve been working hard and then someone criticizes you for something you didn’t do. But I do know what happens to me! I fill up with rage, I turn away, and I start muttering to myself. This person has no idea how hard I’ve worked today. He has no right to say that to me. And I either begrudgingly do what they asked, or I don’t do it all!

Jesus, however, said to Martha: “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:23). He was faithful to His friends. He knew their pain, and He did not abandon them in their time of need.

Jesus was faithful to His disciples, even when they denied Him.

[Peter] began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:74-75)

Imagine yourself at work or school. A supervisor comes over to you and says you are in big trouble. You are going to be fired, or expelled, even though you did nothing wrong!

As you are led down out of the building, you see your best friend in the middle of a crowd of people. And you hear him or her saying to the others, “No, I’m not friends with them! I barely even knew them. In fact, I swear I did not know them at all!”

The next time you see that person, what would you say? I can’t believe you would do that! We’re done. I’ll never forgive you.

But Jesus was faithful to Peter. He welcomed Him back, allowing Peter to express his love for his friend, Jesus. And Jesus kept His promise to have Peter be the rock upon which the Church was built (Matthew 16:18).

Jesus was faithful to His persecutors, even when they killed Him.

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. (Luke 23:33-34)

When we are treated wrong, we like to make a fuss about it. When we can prove that someone has done us wrong, we are unlikely to let it go.

Now, much of what we consider “persecution” in America is not that at all. I don’t deny that there is persecution, but web algorithms pushing Christian content away into the recesses of the internet is not it. Yet even if it were, Jesus gives us a stunning picture as to how we are to respond to true persecution: “Father, forgive them!”

Let us be faithful to the people God has called us to be a light to.

Jesus is faithful to us, even though we rejected Him.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:7-9)

And here’s the kicker. The family member who didn’t understand Him, the friend who criticized Him, the disciple who denied Him, and the persecutor who killed Him is no different than us.

Christ died for us, even though we were still sinners! We were enemies of His Lordship; we rejected His commandments. But Christ was faithful to us all the same. He loved us, and He came for us.

His faithfulness is unmatched, unparalleled on earth. Even so, let us spend our lives gazing and chasing after the perfect faithfulness of our Savior.

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Luther Taught Me to Have Faith Again Today

These present days of Christian life can feel disjointed—I have been reborn, but am not glorified. Or, I have been made alive to the things of God, but am not without the sin He hates.

How Can I Relate with God, Though I Still Sin?

I have received the grace of Christ in justification—I trust that God credits Christ’s righteousness to me. I trust too that God will make me perfect in future glory, and that He is making me more like Christ by the power of the Spirit on this earth. But even while knowing Christ’s beauty, love, and hope, I have sorrowfully sinned this day.

So, though having been reborn and having hope in eternity, I have found a question concerning my day-to-day fellowship with God percolating within me: How do I relate with God at this present time, amidst the reality of my present sin that is incompatible with my new and future life in Christ?

Luther’s Answer Is Daily Faith

Reformer Martin Luther explains how living in constant fellowship with God on this earth depends upon ongoing faith. He writes that God “deals with us according to our belief in Christ until sin is killed.”

Though my basis for approaching God cannot be that I have refrained from selfishness or that I have loved God will all of my being this day, I can approach God with faith in Christ. I can commune with him through faith that my burden of sins is removed from me—not strictly my burden of past sins, but the ones that would have just this day earned damnation for me, if not for Christ.

Daily Faith in God’s Grace

The gospel was not only true at the point of my conversion, and will not only be evident at the time of my glorification, but is in effect this minute. My Christ-purchased fellowship with God is preserved and available, though I am not without sin. This in-between time seems designed to continually remind me of God’s kindness anew—as I continually must acknowledge my need for this grace.

I require a sustaining, presently-saving work of God—a work no less necessary to keep me from wrath than my initial rebirth. And, I can never be without the gospel because I am saved again every day. I am not suggesting that I must be re-justified, or born again again. My one-time justification instantly ushered me into the realm of peace with God (Romans 5:1).

But, as Paul teaches, Christians are presently “being saved” by the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18, 15:2), and are presently “being guarded” in a state of peace with God by his power, which takes place through the continual relationship with Christ of faith (1 Peter 1:5).

God knows I am not perfect; I am not to approach Him as if I were. He knows I am not made to stand independently of Christ; I am never to approach Him as if I could. I come before the Father in Christ with faith—yesterday, today, and until faith becomes sight.

Daily Faith with Full Assurance

Luther describes faith as ongoing in the Christian life: “Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God’s grace.” And this is how God would have me approach Him, with full assurance of pardon and certainty of salvation—for I do know Christ, and this is true to how I know my Lord to be.

Luther continues: “This kind of trust in and knowledge of God’s grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures.” Not only are my questions of practical fellowship with God met with God’s daily grace, these questions are spun through Christ into new praises of the present day’s preservation.

In this practice of imperfectly coming before Him, God impresses upon me a glad, bold, happy certitude that none of this salvation stems from me. I could not earn it at first, and I cannot sustain it at present. But nevertheless, it is sustained! Salvation for today is delivered by the God whose mercies are new toward me every morning (Lamentations 3:23).

Daily Faith That Sustains Good Works

When I do come before this kind God, then, I desire that I might bring to Him not only the confessions of how His grace has been needed, but my thanks too—offerings of glad, good works that his grace has wholly enabled and inspired.

Luther describes how faith is connected to a willing spirit:

Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.

Doing good works—this aspect of my fellowship with God—is sustained through daily faith as well. For faith is completed—it finds its fitting outlet—by works (James 2:22); if faith in God’s assurance of grace is not continual, neither will works be. But as faith is exercised, works flow.

I think the Christian life will continue to feel disjointed—for, I am declared righteous, but do not live fully righteously. But God’s grace is laced through each phase of the pilgrimage to support it all—not only justification and glorification, but also this present day’s salvation. Luther has taught me to exercise faith in the Lord again today—that this present, imperfect moment in time meets a grace perfect and preserving.

Every day until sin is no more, God communes with me once again through faith in my Lord.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

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Martin Luther, Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, n.d.), 5, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther/prefacetoromans.pdf.

Ibid., 6.

Ibid.

Ibid.

What Does Jesus Do?

I want to draw your attention to two marvelous statements from John 1. As I have reflected on these verses, what has impressed me is that there really could not be a clearer statement of what Jesus Christ does, and what He is able to do for all of us today. 

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). 

These two great works of Christ—to take away sin and to baptize with the Holy Spirit—lie at the center of Christian life and experience. So today I want us to focus in on these two statements that tell us what Christ does for all who will come to Him. 

1.) Christ Takes Away Sin 

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) 

Remember that John was in the wilderness, and that vast crowds were coming to him. His message was, “You are going to meet God and you had better get ready to meet Him.” People came to confess their sins and to be baptized, indicating their need to be washed. John saw Jesus walking toward him, and he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

John was speaking to people who knew the Old Testament, and that is where we must look to find what this means. 

i. The Lamb is a substitute. 

Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up…instead of his son. (Genesis 22:13) 

In the book of Genesis, we have the extraordinary story of how God tested Abraham: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). 

Abraham goes to the mountain with Isaac, and Isaac says: We have “the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7)? Abraham says, “God will provide for himself the lamb” (Genesis 22:8).

Isaac’s life is spared because God provides a ram, caught in a thicket, which takes the place of Isaac on the altar of God. The ram was a substitute for Isaac. The death sentence falls on the animal instead of the boy. 

You might wonder, What kind of God would ask Abraham to do such a thing? Look to the New Testament. There we see that the sacrifice God provided was His only Son, whom He loved. And the whole point of the ancient story is to give us some sense of what it meant for God not to spare his only Son, but to give Him up for us all (Romans 8:32). 

Christ, who was with God and is God, is the Lamb provided by God as the substitute whose life was given in the place of his people. 

ii. The Lamb is a sacrifice. 

They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses…And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. (Exodus 12:7, 13) 

We come to the story of the Passover when the judgment of God swept through the land of Egypt where God’s people had been slaves. God’s people sacrificed a lamb and painted the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses and God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The life of the lamb was given; the blood of the lamb was shed. 

Roll the story forward, and in the New Testament, John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Jesus is the substitute who will stand in your place. He is the sacrifice whose blood will be shed on your behalf. 

iii. The Lamb is the sin-bearer. 

Isaiah makes it clear that the Lamb is a person (Isaiah 53:6-7). The Lamb of God will come among us as a servant. He will be despised and rejected. The Lord will lay on Him the iniquity of us all. He will be led like a lamb to the slaughter. 

Christ died to take away sin. Sin, as a barrier, has been dealt with by Jesus Christ. That goes for sin in your mind, heart, desires and imagination, as much as sin in your words and deeds. 

So, what must I do when I become aware of sin in my life? I must give it to Him, because He is the one who can take it away. Christ takes away sin, and there will never be a time when I do not need Him to take away the stains, the failings, and the sins for me.  

Faith begins here: You believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Then you personalize it: “If he can do this for the world, then he can do it for me!’ 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as often as you become aware of sin in your life, you have a Savior to whom you can come.  

2.) Christ Gives the Holy Spirit 

“This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:33) 

Baptize means to dip, immerse, drench, or saturate. If you roll these together, baptize speaks to us of an abundant supply.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God—the third person of the Trinity. So to be baptized in the Spirit is to be drenched, saturated, or filled with the very life of God Himself (Ephesians 3:19). 

Think about what that would mean: If you were immersed in water, there would be a certain wetness about you. If you were dropped into a tank of sewage, there would be a certain odor about you. Whatever you are immersed in will impart something of its nature to you.  

Jesus Christ immerses people in the Holy Spirit of God. If you were to be drenched in the Spirit of God, there would be a certain holiness about you. You would find new thoughts in you, and new desires. When certain desires arise in you, you would be able to resist them. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is in you. 

Notice, what Christ does is described in the present tense —”baptizes.” So this is not just a one-time thing. It is an ongoing outpouring of the Spirit in the life of a believer. 

The Ministry of Jesus 

The ministry of Jesus is to take away sins and to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and He never does the one without the other. He takes away sin and goes on taking it away. He drenches in the Holy Spirit and goes on pouring Him out. So, in Jesus, there is forgiveness for the failings of yesterday and there is strength for the challenges of today.

Don’t settle for outward forms of religion! Jesus Christ says to you today, “I have come to do for you what no religion in the world can do, and what no other person in the world can do. I have come to take away your sins and to baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  

To the humble and to the hungry this is the most marvelous news. Are you ready to join those who are saying, “I will follow Christ. I will walk with him. I will believe in him and look to him”? As you do, you will find life indeed.

This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Knowing Who Jesus Is,” from his sermon Meet Jesus, Part 1.



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5 Key Connections: Hospitality, Sovereignty

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian content around the web, including one on how we can share God’s love through hospitality and another on resting in God’s sovereignty.

How to Share God’s Love through Hospitality (William Boekestein, Core Christianity)

One of the best ways to show unchurched friends, family members, and neighbors, that you love them is to tell them that they are wanted at your church. It isn’t a club designed to keep outsiders away but a universal family of God.

Resting in God’s Sovereignty over My Anxiety (Laura Elliot, Revive Our Hearts)

My trials—my anxiety and depression—are a part of the fire that God is using to purify, strengthen, and test my faith, the outcome of which, my sanctification, will result in praise and glory of my Savior! How precious a gift . . .

How Can I Know God? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

John is telling you that if you get to know Jesus Christ, you have truly come to know the living God, who no one has ever seen. John’s Gospel was written so that you may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).

Why We Need The Law (Jen Oshman, GCD)

Without the law, we are prone to believe that we are sin-free. But with the law, we are crushed. We realize that, on our own, we are ruined. We see that, in our own power, we will never be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

But the law is not meant to leave us hopeless and helpless.

11 Powerful Ways Every Single Believer Can Glorify God (Mark Altrogge, the blazing center)

I believe the primary reason he creates us and then saves us is for his glory. And he is not some vain, self-centered God who just wants all the glory. The more we see and know God’s glory and give him glory, the more joy we experience in him.

3 Three-Word Phrases I Tell My Kids

Parents are always communicating with their children. A touch of restraint on the arm, an encouraging word after school, or a hug before bed all convey important truths. From the casual smile across the dinner table to the tear-filled conversation before bed, every exchange with my kids is an opportunity.

For Christian parents, one goal must shape every interaction: to help our children grow in their knowledge and love of God. We want them to believe and embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ!

There are on-ramps to discuss the gospel in many of our conversations with our children. And many of these conversations with my kids can start with these three-word phrases.

“I love you”

I grew up in a home where I never questioned my parents’ love. My mother and father both told me (and showed me) that they loved me on a regular basis. I thank God for this—I now realize how much security and stability this gave me.

Children first learn what love is from their parents. So parents must communicate love to their children in a way that is not dependent on performance. My kids should not only know they are loved when they score a soccer goal, when they bring home a good report card, or when their painting wins a local prize.

If parents are teaching their children about real love—and ultimately about God’s love—they will remind their children of their love in good times and bad, during times of correction and praise. Every instance of instruction is an opportunity.

Parents must tell their children “I love you,” and they must say it in a way that is full of grace.

“Please forgive me”

Any two people living in close proximity will sin against each other. Often. This is a sad fact of our fractured world.

Before children turn two or three, parents must think about discipline. They will have hard talks during which they help their children confess their sins to God and others. But one of the most powerful conversations a parent can have with their children is when the shoe is on the other foot.

I have needed to seek forgiveness from my kids many times. I have yelled at them in anger and impatience, I have joked at their expense, I have been deliberately unkind as a form of retaliation. This is, sadly, only a partial list.

My confession to my kids is both necessary, because God commands it of me (James 5:16), and important, because it teaches them vital truths about being a Christian.

In my confession, I teach my children about sin. We are all sinners; we will not lay aside these selfish hearts as we age like some pair of toddler pajamas. And sin has consequences. Because sin offends God, we must confess our sin to Him. When we sin against others, we must seek reconciliation.

I try not to make excuses when I confess my sin to my children. I acknowledge the ways I have hurt them and express my sadness and regret for my actions. We discuss Jesus’s work on the cross for me: I can be sure God has forgiven me because Jesus died, was buried, and rose. And then I ask them to forgive me, explaining that they will bear a cost in forgiving me (not holding a grudge, not retaliating, not bringing the incident up as a weapon in the future). There is always a cost to forgiveness.

We talk and then we pray. We hug. I hope this practice creates a culture of humility, short accounts, and eager reconciliation in my family that my children will remember and take with them. What better way to get to the heart of Christianity than to forgive each other and treasure the work of Jesus together!

“God loves you”

This wonderful truth is the foundation of all gospel hope, and we must say it often to ourselves and everyone around us. God really does love you (1 John 4:10)!

God’s love is the foundation for all our belief and the proper motivation for our obedience. When children ask why our family goes to church, there’s an enormous difference between an answer that describes our duty and an answer like this: “God loves us and wants us to worship him” (see Romans 12:1).

When I remind my kids of God’s love, this provokes all kinds of related questions.

How does He show us His love? How can we know His love? Why does He love us? How do we experience His love? Where do we learn about His love? How should we respond to His love?

These are questions of discipleship—both ours and our children’s! They naturally lead to conversations about the cross, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, spiritual disciplines, and the local church.

Parents are long-term disciplers of their children, so we should seek out these conversations, even when our kids respond with questions that are difficult or unrelated.

Conversations Matter

Parents aim to surround their children with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our time, our actions, our sacrifices, and our priorities all speak loudly to those nearby.

Our conversations matter most of all. And big conversations—conversations of eternal importance—can begin with these smallest of phrases.

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Patience Adorns the Believer

I have spent a lot of time in waiting rooms. Hospitals, doctor’s offices, urgent cares, pharmacies—I’ve known them all already, known them all. And many times it was the I’ve-already-read-through-this-magazine-three-times kind of waiting.

You know, I always found it a bit presumptuous how hospitals refer to visitors as patients. The term, being a homonym for patience, seemingly presumes that waiting quietly, staring at the wall, is just a part of who we are. As if we feel most comfortable amid the delay!

Patience doesn’t just get tested in waiting rooms. Arenas for patience are all around us. We need patience in traffic, throughout our relationships with others, and during the difficult seasons of our lives. Patience comes in different forms at different times, but one constant is our discomfort.

So what’s the benefit of it? Paul lists it as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but what good is something that initially brings discomfort and unease? As I’ve reflected on this, here are some conclusions I’ve drawn:

1.) Having to Wait Rouses Us from Prideful Thinking

As a child, I spent many Saturday mornings going to the doctor. Even then, I found it a tad inconsiderate my doctor’s made me wait as long as he or she did. My schedule wasn’t completely open; I didn’t have all day!

But even if I did, I reserved the right to spend it the way I wanted to, which, for my younger self, would have been a morning full of Calvin and Hobbes, Nintendo, and Nerds candy.

Yet, there I was, waiting for the doctor. I couldn’t do anything about it. All I could do was dream about what I could have been doing elsewhere.

Waiting has a sobering effect because it forces me to recognize the world does not revolve around me. This phrase may be well-trodden and clichéd, but in practice, I often forget its principle. I still get angry when I have to wait in a long line, or when I have to go through something difficult.

Waiting flusters us. That’s a good thing because in doing so it has the power to make us aware of our own prideful mindset. It helps us step outside the moment and confront our assumption that we were too important for this to happen to. But having to wait is evidence that we are in fact not important enough. It’s humbling!

Consider Job: God’s Word calls him “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). Yet he was subject to much sorrow, much tribulation, and much waiting!

Why did it happen to him if he was “blameless and upright?” In short, Job would learn it happened because the world did not revolve around him.

2.) Patience Orients Us to the True Center

The first point above discussed how having to wait can rouse us from prideful thinking. In other words, it humbles us. I think in many cases this is something we do not choose to happen to us. Having to wait goes against the narrative we tell ourselves about ourselves—that we are the center of our own lives.

But if we are truly humbled by having to wait, we learn this is not true. It hurts, but we can’t go back. And we then must choose what to do next. Some people get trapped here. Having removed themselves from the center, they leave it empty. And this brings about a terrible sense of purposelessness: What am I to live for now?

If this is you, I want to encourage you to orient yourself with reality. The Bible tells us that there is a purpose for all things, and we can find that by looking upward to Jesus Christ and then outward to serve others in His name.

Upward

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.” (Revelation 7:15-16)

This verse gives us two reasons to have hope in Jesus as the meaning of our lives.

First, in this vision of the future, Revelation shows us that Jesus is sitting on His throne. He is the King, and those who believe in Him and glorify His name share in His eternal victory. Jesus alone is King, so at the end of it all you are either with Him or against Him. The purpose of your life is to cast your eyes upward, to believe in Jesus, and to make Him the Lord of your life.

Second, this verse also shows us that Jesus is a good king. His followers are completely satisfied in Him. There is nothing that is lacking—illustrated by these people experiencing no hunger, no thirst, and no uncomfortable weather! If you come to Him, Jesus will satisfy your every need.

Outward

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Followers of Jesus are called to live in a place of patience, humility, and servanthood. This is how we carry ourselves, wherever we go.

In our patience, we learn that we are not the center of the world but Jesus Christ is. And so we serve Him. Part of serving Jesus entails serving others. In other words, serving others’ needs is effectively serving the needs of Jesus.

Listen the words of our Savior:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:35-40)

A quick application here is to say that times of waiting are blessed moments because they remind you that Jesus is at the center, and He commands us to care for others. So, thank the Lord for His reminder, and turn to those around you, considering how you can care for them!

3.) Patience Adorns the Believer

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Growing in patience means knowing you are not at the center and then re-orienting yourself to the true center, Jesus Christ. As a result, patience brings you toward greater service and love.

Patience is a beautiful fruit of the Spirit, and, as Peter states, it is a hidden thing. Some may see it, but many people will not and won’t give you credit for it.

But God does, and He finds it precious. So be patient and adorn yourself not for others but for Him!

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Evangelist, Share these Four Truths about Jesus

I once heard a pastor share a mind-blowing observation from the book of Acts, concerning the work of the evangelist: The word love does not appear in this account of  God’s gospel being shared with the world.

So apparently the apostles could preach the gospel in the book of Acts without saying “God loves you.” Or if they did, the book of Acts doesn’t paint that picture for us.

Becoming Better Evangelists

Let’s be clear: God does love people. But when an evangelist leads with “God loves you,” we may leave people with the impression that there is nothing wrong. No relationship to be mended, no sin to be forgiven, and no wrath to be satisfied.

The gospel is certainly about God’s love. The cross is certainly about God’s love. But as Paul reminds us in Romans 5:8, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (emphasis added) God’s love is displayed when we recognize that Jesus’s sacrificial death is for us, undeserving sinners. If we first understand that we are God’s sworn enemies, traitors who deserve a traitor’s death, we can hear God’s love as the good news it truly is.

Since many today don’t view themselves as undeserving sinners, “Jesus loves you” probably isn’t the best place to start when sharing the gospel. So what should we say? Evangelist, Peter’s sermon in Acts 10 gives us four key truths about Jesus to share when evangelizing. For each truth, I will give an evangelism example.

1. Jesus Is Lord of All and He Brings Peace

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed… (Acts 10:34-37)

Peter starts his impromptu sermon to the Roman centurion Cornelius by saying that he knows God doesn’t show ethnic favoritism. Rather, in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to Him. This is wonderfully good news to Cornelius, who was in fact “an upright and God-fearing man” (v. 22).

Peter continues to say that God’s message is about peace brought by Jesus. Since Jesus is Lord of all, He is uniquely qualified to bring peace to people from “every nation.” Sadly, Jesus’s universal Lordship is not widely accepted by many today in our highly subjective culture. Rather, ultimate authority and power are ascribed to the self.

When we hear things like “don’t tell me how to live my life,” this really means, “I believe I am Lord of my life.” This mindset can make the work of an evangelist especially tough, but we must champion this truth: that Jesus alone is Lord of all.

Evangelism Example

“Most people live for themselves, for their own goals, dreams, and passions. But what if someone’s quest for happiness conflicts with another’s quest for happiness? In that scenario, individual freedom creates hostility and conflict. The Bible tells us that we do not rule our own world, but that it is ruled by one Lord: Jesus. When people live for him, rather than for themselves, they find unity and peace.”

2. Jesus Physically Lived, Died, and Rose Again

…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead… (Acts 10:38-41)

Next, Peter speaks about Jesus’s ministry, his death, and his resurrection from the dead, all of which others’ eye-witness accounts attest to. This is an especially important place to begin when sharing the gospel today. The gospel isn’t a game of make-believe or a fairy-tale. It is real.

Evangelism Example

“Jesus was a real human, and He brought real healing. He accomplished real good in real places for real people. He really died. And even after He died, He was really raised to life. He physically appeared to His disciples, and they ate and drank with Him. It wasn’t a delusion or shared psychosis. It was real. He was real.”

3. Jesus Is Appointed to Judge

…And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead… (Acts 10:42)

Again, Peter presents Jesus in a way that feels uncomfortable. Jesus is the one appointed by God to be judge.

Many people today cringe at that word. “Don’t judge me” really means: “I am my own judge.” Again, this position is not up for grabs. Jesus alone is appointed as judge. Though it is hard to be an evangelist, we need not be ashamed to say this; Jesus commanded His disciples to testify to this truth.

Evangelism Example
“We live in a world where everyone wants to judge and no one wants to be judged, but the Bible tells us there is only one judgment that ultimately matters. What do you think about Jesus, and what does Jesus think of you?”
4. Jesus Offers Forgiveness of Sins for Everyone Who Trusts Him

…To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

When Peter shares the gospel, this is where he begins: Jesus has universal power and authority. He brings us the peace that you need. Jesus really and physically lived, ministered, died, and rose again; Jesus is appointed to judge sin. And finally, Jesus offers forgiveness of sins to everyone who trusts in Him.

Evangelism Example

“Christ purchased your forgiveness on the cross by His blood. That is the source of your forgiveness. But your faith in Jesus is the way you receive that blood-bought forgiveness. And this is offered to everyone who would believe in Him. It is for you and it is for me. Would you like to receive forgiveness for your sins? Put your trust in Jesus.”

A Final Encouragement: You Are Not Alone When You Share the Gospel

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. (Acts 10:44)

This is both the encouragement and prayer of the evangelist: that God is working and will continue to work through the ministry of his word by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Reader, be encouraged by this reality: when you share the gospel, you are not alone.

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