Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 37

How Can I Know God?

If you are wondering, “How can I know God,” here are three different answers you might hear: 

1. “We cannot know God.” 

This is the position of many people today. If you look at any of the recent religious surveys, it is clear that don’t knows are on the rise. That may well be your position too: You don’t feel able to commit yourself to a firm confession of faith, but on the other hand you would not want to say that you are an atheist, so you say, “I don’t know.”

Some of us will speak with a friend or colleague or neighbor who is a don’t know. They ask what you did over the weekend, and you mention that you were in church. They say, “That’s great if you find it helpful, but I’m an agnostic when it comes to these things.” 

You could say to them, “Well, I can understand why you would think that. It says in the Bible ‘No one has ever seen God’ (John 1:18). So how could any of us know? But have you ever considered the second half of this verse? It says that God the one and only has made Him known!”

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). 

2. “We all know God.” 

This answer is surprisingly (and disturbingly) common among Evangelicals. Evangelical Christians have long talked about having a quiet time. A quiet time is an excellent thing, and I hope you have made a commitment to have a regular quiet time. But my question is, “What are you going to do in that time?” 

In the past, what Evangelicals meant when they talked about having a quiet time was a regular time of Bible reading and prayer. Christians through the centuries rightly believed that God speaks to us through the Bible and that we speak to Him through prayer. But as large parts of the church have drifted away from the Scriptures, many people have latched onto the idea that we can listen to God simply by being quiet.

It has become common among Christians to think that listening to God means being quiet and listening to our own hearts. But here’s the problem with that: God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). 

If you believe that you listen to God by listening to your own heart, then what have you done? You have put your own heart in the place of God. If you make an idol of your heart, that will inevitably lead to a life of following the impulses of your own heart. And who knows where that will lead you? 

John’s Gospel does not say, “In the beginning were our hearts, and our hearts were with God, and our hearts were God.” It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh, and he has made the Father known.” 

That is why the Bible says that the “entrance” of God’s Word gives light (Psalm 119:130, KJV). We do not have entrance to God through any other way, except the Word of God. You won’t get to know God by reflecting on your own thoughts and feelings on the sofa with some Christian music on in the background. You listen to God with an open Bible!

3. “Jesus Christ knows God.” 

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:18) 

A. No one stands beside the Lord Jesus Christ.

About who else could it ever be said that he or she is eternal, personal, divine, creating, life-giving, incarnate Son of God? No one else stands beside Him. 

Who else could ever say to us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)? Rest assured of this: You will not find a higher way than you find in Jesus Christ. You will not find more reliable truth than you find in Christ. You will not find a better life than you find in him. 

B. No one else will ever go beyond Jesus Christ.

We live in the world of upgrades, where every product eventually become obsolete as we move on to the next model. No one ever upgrades on Jesus Christ! No one has ever gone beyond Jesus Christ, and no one ever will—in this world or even in the world to come. 

A man by the name of H. R. Mackintosh wrote this about Jesus, “Never in any experience of God here or hereafter will you or I ever find anything that is not already there for us in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.” [1] 

At the end of the Bible, John, who wrote this Gospel, was given a glimpse into heaven, a vision of the future. He saw the people of God gathered with great joy in the presence of the Lord with every tear wiped from their eyes, and he said, “The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them into springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17). 

When parents take children to a theme park, the instinct of the children when they arrive is to run off and explore the rides—the swings, the slides, or whatever else may be there. Heaven will not be like that. 

When God’s people are in His presence, it is not that they are welcomed by Jesus Christ and then go running off to explore the celestial playground. Jesus Christ is the joy of his people in heaven. He is the center of it all. They never move beyond Him. Everything that God’s people enjoy forever comes from him, and no joy is theirs without Him.  

There is no greater joy than to meet and to know Jesus. 

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



Photo Credit: Unsplash

5 Key Connections: Fitting In, Singing, and more

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian content around the web, including one on spiritual benefits of singing and another on finding union with Christ when you aren’t fitting in with others.

3 Spiritual Benefits of Singing in Church (Daniel Darling, Core Christianity)

When I’m enduring a trial, I always go back to the lyric, “When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds, within the vale.” 

Our singing matters, which is why the Bible is full of rich examples and powerful instruction to the people of God to not only recite and read and study God’s truth but to sing it, over and over again, to each other.

Union with Christ When You Don’t Fit In (Heather Nelson, Crossway)

In order to be in safe, secure relationships within safe and secure communities and churches, someone has to go first. Someone has to take the risk, the plunge, into vulnerability. It’s the only hope of connection. I cannot empathize with pain that I do not know about—that you have hidden from me or others. One troubling aspect of the modern-day church in America is that there are few people who are brave and courageous enough to risk going first.

The Bible is More Than the Sum of Its Books (Mark S. Gignilliat, Christianity Today)

If God is the author of Scripture, then its choir of voices, litany of outlooks, and variety of genres are a singular, even if complex, witness to God’s incredibly gracious act of speaking to his people: not just then but now.

How to Apply the Gospel to Kill Your Sin (Jen Oshman, GCD)

Like the Galatians, we have to stop looking inside ourselves for the power to change and instead, go back to the gospel, the only source of lasting change. The gospel is the only information powerful enough to change the human heart and break our patterns of sin, even those besetting sins we can’t seem to shake.

Why Do Christians Worship Jesus? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Verse 18 is the conclusion of the entire introduction to John’s Gospel, which explains why Christians worship Jesus. These verses give us a seven-fold description of the unique glory of Jesus Christ: He is the eternal, personal, divine, creating, life-giving, incarnate Son of God.

Unusual Does Not Equal Untrue

During a recent dishwashing experience, something happened that I think may be a first in history. I got a bacon splinter!

You read that correctly. I tried using my hand to clear a rack that I use to cook bacon in the oven (picture a rack placed above a cookie sheet that allows the grease to drip onto the sheet). Suddenly, my cleaning and deep thinking were painfully interrupted. I looked at my finger and there it was. Hardened, dried bacon pierced and lodged into my finger.

We’ve all heard of splinters from wood, but bacon? I thought, “No one is going to believe this happened. This is just too unusual.” My wife laughed, but then we tried for about an hour trying to get it out, to no avail. So, I walked around with a piece of pork in my finger for a whole day.

Do you find all of this unusual? It definitely is! It is unusual, but not untrue. And this phrase carries some truth for Christianity. The world often says that the claims of Christianity are far too unusual, silly even. However, unusual does not equal untrue.

Here are some components of Christianity that are both unusual and true:

The Creator of Man Became a Man

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14)

How is that for unusual? The Creator of all things, including every human that has ever existed, took on the form of a human. The invisible God revealed Himself by clothing Himself in flesh like ours.

We live in a world that thinks that this is far too unusual to be true, yet God’s inerrant Word says, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman” (Galatians 4:4) and, “He was manifested in the flesh” (2 Timothy 3:16). This is all very unusual, but unusual does not equal untrue.

According to Philippians 2:6-8 Jesus Christ…

Was in the form of God
Emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant
Was born in the likeness of men
Was found in human form

At one time a man walked the earth who was 100% man AND 100% God? Yes! That is Jesus Christ. It is unusual for a man to—

Live a completely sinless life (Hebrews 4:15)
Claim to be pre-existent (John 8:58)
Have the ability to permanently forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7)
Teach that all of Scripture points to him (John 5:39; Luke 24:27)
Walk on water (Matthew 14:22-33)
Do so many signs, wonders, and divine deeds that there is not enough room on the planet to exhaustively document them (John 21:25)

Unusual, but not untrue! By God’s grace, I’m more confident that Jesus is God than I am confident that my name is Kyle Green.

The Creator of the Cosmos Came to Earth as a Baby

It gets even more unusual. Our Creator didn’t come to earth as an adult but as a baby.

The baby that Mary held in her arms in Bethlehem was the God who created her (Matthew 1:23). What do you think was going through Mary’s mind as she looked into his divine eyes? She was holding Jesus Christ, the God who spoke the world into existence (Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 11:3)!

Charles H. Spurgeon called Jesus “the infinite even while He was an infant.” Inspired by this line, I like to call Him the Infant from Infinity!

The Creator of Life Tasted Death for Us

It is unusual for someone like Jesus to die for someone like you and me. The innocent, sinless Creator of all life, died for His death-deserving enemies? The Sinless, dying for the sinner?

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 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. (Romans 5:6-8)

Jesus Christ tasted excruciating death that we may taste eternal life (Hebrews 2:9-10).  The glory of this good news is so heavy that even holy angels long to look deeply into it (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Celebrating Christmas Every Day is Unusual

God came to earth to save us (Luke 19:10). He came miraculously as a baby. Yet, He didn’t come to be rocked and swaddled, but to providentially be betrayed, rejected, beaten, crucified, and raised from the dead (Luke 9:22).

He did that so that all who believe in Him may be rocked and swaddled in the love of the Father for all eternity. Those who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ can celebrate Christmas every day with great joy.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:9-13)

Unusual, but not untrue.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

True Peace Comes at Great Cost

The way some people talk about peace seems very
degrading to me. They talk about it as if it is a trick of the mind. As if we
just need to clear the papers off our desk and close our eyes,
then—poof!—stress is gone and peace arrives. This is such a low view of peace,
coming at such a low cost.

This also depicts too high a view of humanity. Peace is
inside us, they say, and stress is something always outside
us—expectations, assignments, troublesome people. If we can avoid or manage
those then we can live in constant peace.

But as sinners, we are not naturally at peace with ourselves. We need someone to pay the cost of our sin, and then to change us from the inside. Only then can we have true peace!

The Cost of Peace

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:13-14)

We can find “peace of mind” when we organize our work life
and managing stress. Yet these things cannot achieve our highest need: peace
of soul.

We all will face death and judgment. The stress of our souls
comes from our awareness, however deep it may be, that there is a life after
this one and we need to prepare for it.

Jesus Christ came to earth go give those who believe in Him
as Lord an eternal peace of soul. His peace does not come merely from listening
to his teachings, but by having faith in Him, because he paid the penalty for
our sins.

Let’s say you get caught speeding. The policeman gives you a
ticket, and then delivers a moving lecture on the dangers involved in speeding.
You are so convicted by the policeman’s speech that you commit yourself to
always following the speed limit in the future. A month goes by like this. Are
you at peace? Perhaps in your mind, but not in the mind of state who rules over
you! You haven’t paid your ticket.

Feeling convicted and committing to change your behavior
does not bring you true peace. Payment for your wrongdoing is the catalyst for
peace.

We have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and we will not know true peace until our sins are paid for. This is why Ephesians calls Jesus “our peace,” because He paid the penalty of our sins. Consider the cost that this verse indicates—this payment required “the blood of Christ.”

So, true peace came at a great cost and it was paid by Jesus
Christ.

We Hold Ourselves Back

For to set the mind on the flesh is death… (Romans 8:6)

If peace has been accomplished in Jesus Christ, so why are
we without it in much of our lives? We live in a state of unrest, worry, existential
angst because we hold ourselves back.

Here are two reasons why you might not have this peace.

1.) You Have Set Your Mind Against Christ

The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. (John 12:48)

This peace is offered to us through Christ alone. So it follows if you reject Him you reject peace also. Christ teaches on this in John 12, where He reminds those who reject Him that there is judgment waiting for them.

But for those who are in Him, who believe in Him, He provides refuge from that judgment, giving lasting peace.

2.) You Believe in Jesus, but You Have Set Your Mind on Yourself

This is the opposite of the example of the speeding ticket. Here, all is good. Jesus has provided peace for your soul, and yet you still don’t have peace of mind. Why? Because you are not reflecting on the reality that Jesus is Lord.

Here are a few verses to memorize and treasure on this
point:

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” (Matthew 11:27)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:34-35)

The Spirit Compels Us Onward

…but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

We discussed how Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins,
and how we need to believe in Him to find peace. And I want to address a
possible misunderstanding. In talking about how peace comes when we find refuge
from judgment, we might mistake the cause of our unrest to be God’s judgment
rather than our sin.  

To put it another way, we might think, Well, sin isn’t the problem, God’s judgment is the problem! If He chose not to judge us, then we would be just fine. Now that sounds a lot like the criminal who says, “I’m not sorry I stole. I’m sorry I got caught!”

To go back to the first half of Romans 8:6 (quoted above) we need to remember that sin brings death. It is not a harmless habit. It erodes everything about us—our desires, our skills, our relationships.

God’s judgment stands in loud opposition to sin. In this way, we can see how God’s judgment is interwoven with His love. His desire for us to have life, “and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). That abundance of life includes true peace!

Listen to what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit:

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8)

The Holy Spirit isn’t just trying to “rain on our parade,” the
Holy Spirit pushes you toward the thoughts that will bring you to lasting
peace! If you remember your sin, you remember your savior. If you remember your
failures, you’ll look to the righteousness of God. If you remember the
judgment, you remember Jesus is your refuge and peace.

So, don’t fight against the thoughts of sin, righteousness,
and judgment today. Follow the promptings of the Spirit, believe and find rest
in Jesus Christ, and enjoy the lasting peace God promises!

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Why Does Jesus Call Peacemakers “Sons of God”?

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“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Why? Because God has peace in Himself. Think of all that Scripture says about peace in relation to God. Let’s gaze on the glory of God together for a moment.

The Bible describes God as the God of Peace (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 15:33). God has peace in Himself. Think of the complexity of the Trinity and all God is. There is no tension between Father, Son, and Spirit. The persons of the Trinity are one in purpose, one in love. God is the God of peace.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is described as “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). When He came into the world, the angels said “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace! Goodwill towards men!”

The Bible says that Christ is our peace. All our peace is going to come from Him and through Him. He came into the world to make peace, and He did it by shedding His blood on the cross (Colossians 1:19-20).

The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Peace” (Matthew 3:16). When Jesus was baptized, Matthew tells us that the Spirit of God descended on Him as a dove. Everyone knows that the dove is the symbol of peace.

The greatest revelation of the glory of God ever to be made in this world was at the cross where His love and His justice meet. Why are His love and His justice meeting there? Because He’s making peace.

God’s glory is revealed most fully in His making peace through the cross. When you make peace, you display His likeness.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” When you make peace, you reflect the likeness of God. People see a reflection of His glory. Think about how God makes peace, and what it’s going to take for you to do this hard work.

This is a sermon clip from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” from his series Momentum, Volume 2.

Why Do Christians Worship Jesus?

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:18) 

John is referring, of course, to Jesus Christ, who is the subject of his Gospel and indeed of the whole Bible. How can Jesus make God known? How can He do what no religion has ever done and what no other person—past, present, or future—can ever do? 

Verse 18 is the conclusion of the entire introduction to John’s Gospel, which explains why Christians worship Jesus. These verses give us a seven-fold description of the unique glory of Jesus Christ: He is the eternal, personal, divine, creating, life-giving, incarnate Son of God.

1. Eternal 

In the beginning was the Word… (John 1:1) 

It does not say, “In the beginning was God and no one has ever seen him or made him known.” It says, “in the beginning was the Word.” What this means is that God speaks. 

It has often been said that all religions are like blind men trying to describe an elephant. One blind man gets hold of its tail, and says the elephant is like a long thin rope. Another blind man gets hold of its trunk and says, “No, the elephant is like a long flexible tube.” A third blind man stands next to the elephant and says, “I don’t know what you guys are talking about. You must be blind! The elephant is like a huge wall made of leather.” 

Those who want to critique faith tell a story like this and say, “No one has ever seen God. We are like blind men trying to describe an elephant.” A good response to that story is: What if the elephant was able to speak? What if the elephant could say, “Let me tell you who I am. I am a very complex animal with a trunk a body and a tail. Listen to me, you blind men, and I will tell you who I am and then you will be able to make sense of your experience!” 

In the beginning was the Word. God speaks and He has made Himself known, otherwise we would never be able to know Him. 

2. Personal 

The Word was with God… (John 1:1) 

The Word is not simply an aspect of God, or a characteristic of God, like His mercy or His love. There is distinct personality here. That’s why John goes on to say, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). We are bumping up against the most marvelous, complex doctrine of the Trinity here. 

3. Divine 

The Word was God. (John 1:1) 

This Word is a divine person. He is not part of the creation, like the angels and ourselves. The Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1)—distinct personality and divinity. You find the same thing in verse 18: He is the only God and He is at the Father’s side. 

4. Creating 

All things were made through him… (John 1:3) 

The creation gives us some knowledge of God (Romans 1:20). Why is that? The creation is God’s handiwork. It was made by Him and it contains an impression of the One who made it. 

5. Life-giving 

In him was life… (John 1:4) 

J. I. Packer says, “Here is the Bible’s answer to the problem of the origin and continuance of life, in all its forms: life is given and maintained by the Word.” [1] 

What makes me alive? The question should be: Who makes me alive?  

In him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28) 

6. Incarnate 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us… (John 1:14) 

The baby in the manger that we celebrate at Christmas was the eternal word of God. He was called “Immanuel,” God with us. 

7. Son of God 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) 

Why do Christians worship Jesus? Because He was at the Father’s side from the beginning. He is the one and only Son, He has come down from God, He is God with us, and He has made the Father known. Jesus is the eternal, personal, divine, creating, life-giving, incarnate Son of God.

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



Photo Credit: Unsplash

5 Key Connections: Forgiveness and Progress

Here are 5 key passages from recent Christian content around the web, including one on the kinds of progress the Bible promises.

I’ve Been Forgiven. Now What? (J.D. Greear Ministries)

The necessary complement to forgiveness of sin is a release from the power of sin. It’s the other side of the salvation coin: If you are forgiven, you’ll be changed. If Jesus’ death releases you from the penalty of sin, then his resurrection life starts to release you from the power of sin. The two always go together.

What Did Jesus Teach about Evangelism? (Jerram Barrs, Crossway)

We are to observe the way God’s moral perfection shines forth from [Jesus]. We see how he lives a human life that is fully conformed to the image of God. We hear him committed to speaking only the words the Father wants him to say, and to say every word in a manner that delights the Father’s heart.

The Bible Promises These Two Kinds of Progress (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Never be discouraged that a work is small if Jesus Christ is at its center! The kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed. It may be small now, but it is part of something glorious that will last forever. 

A Letter to the God of “Again” (Courtney Yates, GCD)

Jesus, I am so grateful you are the God who never grows tired of “again.” I’m so grateful you are strong enough to exult in monotony. You created each of your children, every star in the sky, and the cattle on a thousand hills. You made them each separately and never grew weary in the process.

Follow the Leader (Kay Fuller, Risen Motherhood)

Identifying our Shepherd’s voice comes through a life-long pursuit to know God, immersing ourselves in him through prayer, through his word—the Bible, and through the wise counsel of dedicated Christ-followers. God’s voice will always align with scripture; it will never be contrary to scripture, nor will it ever persuade toward disobedience or a destructive path.

Thoughts for Those Who Struggle with Evangelizing

If you’ve ever wrestled with the idea of sharing your faith with those around you, let me assure you you’re not alone.

As an introvert, I’ve spent years of my life trying to fly under
the radar and to avoid having awkward or confrontational conversations about
faith. Yet when I got serious about my faith several years ago, I felt the
Spirit burdening my heart for the lost.

I still think I’m a lousy evangelist, but I’ve learned a few
things I think will be a source of encouragement to you in your pursuit to tell
others about Jesus.

Two Truths about Evangelism

Before we proceed, let’s get a couple of things out in the
open.

1. Sharing our faith is a critical component
of the Christian life.

A recent Barna study found
that only 64% of Christians believe it is the responsibility of every Christian
to share his or her faith with others, a 25% drop from the same question asked
25 years prior.

But the Bible is clear on evangelism. Take Matthew 28:19 for example. Jesus said, “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

And consider 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, which reads, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself … and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.”

These are just two of many passages promoting evangelism. God
has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation, and it’s our job to
represent Jesus and carry that message to the world.

2. We cannot save anyone.

Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t try our best to lead people to Jesus, it just means the decision is
between the person and God. Our job is to present the decision to the
unbeliever. It is up to him or her to respond.

Four Things to Help You Evangelize

With those two foundations in place, here are some practical
steps for sharing the gospel:

1. Practice Empathy

Just after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Lord wept over the city. He knew the devastation that would come because of the messianic misconceptions held by the Jewish people, and it broke His heart. He wept for the people because He had the peace they were looking for, but they rejected Him (See Luke 19).

Effective evangelism begins with empathy. Jesus cried because
He truly cared about people. They weren’t just a checkbox on His list or an
annoying obligation He had to fulfill. These were real people who needed Him
for life.

2. Pray

Prayer could be an item on just about any checklist, but it
is especially critical here. Approach God in the following ways and see what
happens.

Ask Him to open your eyes to opportunities to share your
worldview or invite others to church. Pray for those at work and school whom
you know need Jesus. Ask the Spirit to prepare their hearts to be receptive to
the gospel. Pray that you will receive the right words to say when the time
comes.

3. Live with Integrity

Your lifestyle is the best conversation starter you can ever
have. When others might fudge on their timesheets but you accurately record
your time, people will notice. When you tell the truth even to your detriment,
people will take note. When you show kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve
it, others will wonder what’s going on.

When they ask you why you act the way you do, then tell them
the truth!

4. Invite People to Church

Inviting people to church is the easiest way to introduce them
to Christ. If you’ve been in church for even a little while, I bet you have
felt the Spirit move in the service. Your pastor spends all week in preparation
and prayer for the service; he is God’s mouthpiece for delivering the gospel.

Some might bristle at this suggestion, claiming that
invitation is not evangelism or that doing so is a copout for our personal responsibility
to share Jesus.

Invitation isn’t the only way we should share Jesus, but it
is a great place to start, especially if you’ve never shared your faith before.
Sometimes a simple invite is a way to break the ice to have conversations about
Jesus.

Once, I invited a co-worker to my church. He asked, “Why
would I go to church?” I told him he could learn more about Jesus, and then we
had a conversation about my faith.

Not Sure Where to Start?



1.) Use Your Own Story

Using your own story is one of the most powerful ways to
share Jesus.

My wife and I fostered and eventually adopted two boys who
had been removed from their parents’ home. When people ask about our experience,
I get to use that story as a way to tell them about God and the work He’s done
in our lives. Some have told me, “You saved those boys’ lives.” And I like to say,
“No, God did.”

Every Christian has a story she can tell. I used to think I had
no story since I grew up in the church and I surrendered my life to Jesus at a
young age. But that’s just a lie the devil likes to tell to keep us quiet.

As Erin K. Casey wrote in her book, Get
Personal: The Importance of Sharing Your Faith Story, “Your story is
not really about you; it’s about God. . . Your story is simply a way for people
to see God more clearly.”

2.) Use Open

Unlocking the Bible has put together a free website that enables Christians to share the God of the Bible with others. It has 50 sessions that take a comprehensive journey through the Bible story, showing how it all points to Jesus Christ.

Check it out, and consider inviting someone you know to go through it with you!

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The Story of Goodness

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Goodness is the only investment which never fails.” This is a pretty sentiment, and it is true. However, it is only true if one’s understanding of goodness is rooted in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Why is this the case? Is it not possible for goodness to exist outside of Jesus Christ? To answer these questions. Let us look at the story of goodness, given to us in the Bible.

1.) Goodness Created

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1: 31)

God created for six days. As he looked at it all he saw that
it was indeed “very good.” Everything God made had goodness in it. The first good
comes right after God creates for the first time:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. (Genesis 1:3-4)

Therefore, Goodness comes from God, and it cannot exist
outside of God. He did not discover goodness for the first time in Genesis 1, God
knew goodness for an eternity before, because He is goodness.

God’s goodness was given to the first humans, Adam and Eve. As
a gift from God, they partook in God’s work alongside Him. But we all know what
they did next. They had the knowledge of good, but they desired the knowledge
of evil also. So, they ate of its and, as Pastor Colin Smith says, “we have all lived it with
ever since.”

Having sinned and carrying with them the knowledge of evil, humanity could no longer partake in the unhindered union with God. 1 John 1:15 explains: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

2.) Goodness Restrained

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. (Exodus 33:19)

Moses was the leader of the Israelites. He was God’s chosen
man, and he led the people out of slavery. Moses stood up to Pharaoh. He did miraculous
signs. Surely, this man was good.

But even he was not good enough to be in union with God’s goodness.
Consider the language here. God says that “my goodness” will “pass before you.”
There is not much union here. There is a witnessing, but not a connection.

And if you know the story, you know the witnessing was very restrained. Not only does God place Moses in a cleft of a rock, but God also keeps His hand over him until the very end (Exodus 33:21-23). That’s not a great view!

I often go to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play baseball.
There are a few seats throughout the stadium whose views are obstructed by
support beams. Consider if you asked me to take you to a game, and I said, “Sure!
But you’ll sit directly behind a support beam, and I’ll have my hands
over your eyes until the very end.”

That’s not unhindered access. Things are not as good as they
were in Eden. There’d be no point in me doing this to you at a baseball game, but
why did God do this to Moses?

It was an act of grace, for God told him, “man shall not see
me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Since mankind had darkness in him—thanks to the
knowledge of evil—unhindered access to God’s goodness would have killed Moses.

3.) Goodness Near Us

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

The more time the Israelites spent with God, the more they learned how to live near His goodness. God gave them instructions on where He was to dwell, so that He could dwell amid His people, and so they would be safe.

Psalm 23 offers a beautiful praise to the Lord, believing in
His faithfulness and goodness. The psalmist has complete confidence—God will always
be good, and He will always be near.

Notice, however, the implied separation. The psalmist says God’s goodness will “follow” him. And he talks about dwelling the in the Lord’s house. Goodness exists in the house of the Lord—not in the psalmist. Goodness follows the psalmist but is not equivalent to the psalmist.

Once again, the big problem inside humanity is the presence
of evil. God cannot exist in an impure place—“In him there is no darkness at
all.” Humanity needed something to change on the inside, and that’s exactly what
God had planned.

4.) Goodness Came for Us

God sent His incarnate goodness, Jesus Christ, into the world
in order to defeat the sin and evil inside of all who believe in Him. Here’s a
wonderful passage of the Bible to memorize:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy… whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7, emphasis added)

5.) Goodness Inside Us

            “…have
tasted the goodness of the word of God…” (Hebrews 6:5)

Jesus promises believers that He gives the Holy Spirit to us (Acts 1:8). Unlike in the days of the Old Testament, the Spirit does not live near us in a tent or a temple, but inside us (1 Corinthians 16:19-20)!

This can happen because in Christ we are made pure. And, similar
to how Adam and Eve ate of the fruit that brought them death, Christ offers us
fruit that nourishes us and brings us life.

The word of God nourishes believers. And much more than the
kind of restricted witnessing that Moses did, we can taste the very goodness of
the word of God. True believers will not only taste goodness but will eat it up!
And then, true Christians will produce goodness, according to the power of the
Holy Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness… (Galatians 5:22, emphasis added)

How amazing is that! The Lord has not only redeemed us to
His goodness, but He also once again made us to play a part in His work! And, guess
what? That’s not even the end of the story.

6.) Goodness Perfected in Us

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God. (3 John 1:11)

In our current state, the Lord’s grace has enabled us to imitate His goodness. This is how we know we can be sure of our salvation, in that we do good works. So, do good works and enjoy assurance!

The word imitation is important here because when we do good works we are not doing them out of our own power but the power of God. Any goodness we have comes from Christ, any righteousness we display is Christ’s, and any love we show is Christ’s.

This is why we struggle still in doing good. Christ is perfect, but we have not yet been perfected ourselves. But, God promises He will do that in the life to come (Philippians 1:6). There, we will have a kind of union with Jesus and His goodness that is unparalleled here on earth, or even in Eden.

So true goodness in us comes from God. When we invest in goodness, we know it will never fail. God never fails!

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The What and Why of Biblical Hospitality

When we understand what hospitality is at its core, how believers are motivated to show it, and the rich blessings that it brings to both guest and host, I believe we will approach the practice of biblical hospitality with joy and eagerness. 

Hospitality’s Dual-Core

The word hospitality may bring to mind a hospital, or the hospitality industry (hotels). Both would be appropriate associations. In both hospitals and hotels, a guest or patient is offered a place to sleep and food to eat. 

This is what we typically think of when we hear the word hospitality: room and board, offered for free. 

But biblical hospitality is more than room and board. The word hospitality can be found in the ESV Bible four times (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 5:10; Hebrews 13:2; and 1 Peter 4:9). To summarize, these verses show that hospitality is both action and affection, receiving and loving a stranger. 

You might ask: why is this distinction important? And the answer is that it is possible to offer all the components of hospitality—food, a bed, a shower—without love, but this is not biblical hospitality.

Anyone can do acts of hospitality, the outward dimension. But there is an inner dimension of hospitality that requires a change of heart. 1 Peter 4:9 says we are to show hospitality to one another without grumbling. If we grumble or complain while giving food or lodging to someone, we have not truly shown biblical hospitality. 

This is because hospitality is the glad reception of the stranger. Hospitality engages the stranger with both our hands and our hearts. But, Peter takes this one step further and expands the usual use of hospitality.

Show Hospitality to One Another

We know we are to be hospitable to strangers, but consider what Peter says in 1 Peter 4:9: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Peter writes that we are to show hospitality to one another. Hospitality is not only for people we have recently met but also for people we regularly see!

You are called to show love to the new kid at school, your Muslim neighbor, your atheist cousin, an illegal immigrant, a political refugee, or someone with a criminal history. But you are also called to love and receive the widow that sits beside you on the pew at church, or the young couple with children that live far from their families.

Serve these people. Feed them, clothe them, and invite them into your home. But most importantly, invite them into your hearts by loving them with the love of Christ Jesus. Biblical hospitality is not merely a work of our hands but involves a work in our hearts.

A Stronger Motivation

We answered, What is biblical hospitality? Now we turn to answer another question, Why show hospitality? What is our motivation? 

One simple answer is that God commands hospitality from us in Scripture (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). Yet, our natural reaction to law (what is commanded) is sin and rebellion (Romans 7:7-11). 

For Christians, the strongest motivation to show hospitality is not God’s commands (the Law) but His love for us in Christ (the gospel). This is not unique to hospitality—the gospel ought to be the driving motivation for all our good works. 

Any other motive fails to produce the same effect. When I obey a command out of a sense of obligation, I am far less likely to obey that command with joy and eagerness than when I obey a command out of a sense of gratitude. This is true of hospitality. 

And we have good reason to respond in gratitude. Jesus gave himself as living water to quench our spiritual thirst (John 7:37-38). He gives us his Church as our temporary spiritual lodging on earth (1 Peter 2:5), and Heaven as our eternal home (John 14:2-3). Those who were not God’s chosen people (Gentiles) have been welcomed into the family of God by Christ, and this is why we are called to welcome and live in harmony with one another (Romans 15:5-7). 

We have been graciously loved and received by God in Christ. So gratitude, not guilt, is the strongest motivation for us to love and receive others with joy and eagerness.  

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Most use this phrase in reference to Genesis 12:2, where God says to Abraham: “I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” The meaning is that God’s blessings to Abraham are meant to spill over to all the families of the earth, which we recognize as the future blessing of Jesus Christ (Genesis 12:3). 

This is the purpose of God’s blessing to Abraham: that others would be blessed. But the phrase is also true in another sense, since “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). In other words, the result of my blessing others is my own state of blessedness. 

Personal gain is not our main motivation to show hospitality, but hospitality does have a good result in the lives of those who practice it. We can approach hospitality with joy, knowing that it will be as much a blessing to offer hospitality as to receive it.

The purpose of your blessedness is to bless others. The result of your blessing others is that you are blessed even more. This isn’t the lackluster gospel of prosperity. This is the lavish grace of God. He gives to us, that we might give to others, and in that giving we might receive even more of his kindness. 

Are you hesitant to open your heart and home to others? Do not be afraid. Seek out opportunities to show hospitality (Romans 12:13), for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). You are blessed by God in order to be a blessing to others, and by God’s grace you will be blessed by Him when you are a blessing to others. 

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