What Kind of Sign is Your Life?

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

In the previous article (Life’s Not Fair!) we looked at the life of Joseph, and saw how he was treated unfairly. He had to live many years as both a slave and a prisoner, suffering for wrongs he never committed. But he never abandoned God’s calling in his life, and the dreams that God had given to him as a youth. The result was that he prospered in everything he did, and people were drawn to him, and trusted in him. His life was like a giant billboard, testifying about his faith in God, and people looked to him for help.

What kind of sign is your life? When the difficulties of life overwhelm you, what do people read in you? Do they see a person of faith trusting in the love and grace of God, or do they see someone who complains and gets angry over the trials of life?

The church in Thessalonica was a shining example of believers facing adversity in the days of Paul. They faced tremendous persecution for the stand they took for Christ, and their faith was like a big billboard proclaiming who they were trusting in, as Paul wrote: “among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4)

Paul prayed for these believers in Thessalonica the prayer that is recorded above. When God calls us out of the kingdom of darkness and brings us into his kingdom, it is not something we have earned or deserve. We simply receive his calling in our life by faith. But once he brings us into his kingdom, it should be our goal to become worthy of his calling. It is not something we can do in our own strength, which is why Paul prayed that the Thessalonian believers would receive God’s power to accomplish his purpose in their lives, and that their actions would be prompted by faith instead of fear, or anger. They faced tremendous persecution and suffering for following Christ.

He then goes on to give the reason why he prayed for this: “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him.” Our lives are to be a sign to others that the message of Jesus is real. The strength by which we are to face trials and suffering to display this sign is “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The grace of God is a power that nothing in this world can overcome. Paul goes on to write later in the letter: “May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)

Facing loss of family, job, and even life for the result of believing in Christ is not something most people in America have to face. Yet many Christians around the world today do face these kinds of trials as a result of their faith in Christ. Their life is a sign to others that the gospel of Jesus is true, and that it is possible to forsake the ways of the world and fully trust in God.

One of the places where this kind of persecution is currently happening today is in Nigeria. Here is a letter from a believer in Nigeria as posted on the Christian Aid website this week:

I want to give you the following story, just told me by Pastor Darlington Elekwa, who was discipling the boy. Darlington was one of my student leaders in the early '80s:

“I learned just this morning how my beloved boy, John Nfon Nsima, was murdered in cold blood by terrorists at Gada Bako, Nasarawa Gwom. He was only 20 years old. One of John’s colleagues was taking him home on a motor bike. About 100 Muslim youths waylaid them, demanding that they declare that they have become Muslims. The rider of the motorbike did, but John refused. He maintained that he was a Christian and would die a Christian. Right there, they cut him down on the spot with axes and machetes. They gave the other one some cuts and let him go.

This surviving colleague of John's who rode the motorbike told us the story. We have gone round all the hospitals in search of his remains, but to no avail. Unfortunately his body must have been among hundreds of others given mass burial. We are obviously proud of our late brother who stood gallantly and refused to deny Christ even in the face of death.”

You can read more here.

John Nfon Nsima’s life in Nigeria was a sign that pointed people to Jesus. God made him worthy of the calling in which he was called. And through God’s grace, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ was glorified in him, and now he is glorified in Christ.

How about your life? What kind of sign are people reading in you? Is the name of Jesus glorified in you? Or do you look like the majority around you in the world today, walking in the kingdom of darkness?

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14)

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Life’s Not Fair!

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, provides a wonderful illustration of the truth that while life is not fair, God is in control at all times, working things out to accomplish his purposes. Life may not be fair, but God is, and he has the last say in every matter.

If there was anyone who ever seemed to have a “right” to complain that life was not fair, it would certainly have been Joseph! As a youth God gave him certain dreams about the future which showed that his older brothers would one day be bowing down to him. These dreams, together with his father’s favoritism, caused a deep jealousy and anger among his older brothers. So one day they took advantage of a situation out in the fields to get rid of him, and sold him as a slave to a caravan of traders heading to Egypt. An unfortunate incident, but some could claim Joseph caused some of this problem himself by his arrogant attitude.

Once he reached Egypt however, the story takes on a whole different tone. Joseph is purchased by a wealthy and influential person named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) and the captain of the palace guard. The story shows how God blessed Joseph in this new occupation, and how Potiphar recognized that blessing, as the Lord gave Joseph “success in everything he did.” Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household, and “with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” He apparently became a very wealthy man because of Joseph.

But Joseph had one problem: Potiphar’s wife. She kept making advances towards him! Joseph’s response was: “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Joseph was trustworthy both to his earthly master and to his heavenly one. He did not give in to temptation. Unfortunately, when the wife saw she could not get her way with Joseph, she wrongly accused him of attempting to rape her, and Joseph was convicted and put in prison. Not fair! Joseph did all the right things, and look what he got in return!

But Joseph did not wallow in self pity while serving his time in prison. He again succeeded with God’s blessing: “the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:21-23)

Then one day Joseph put his ability to understand dreams to good use, by interpreting the dreams of two different prisoners. One was the cupbearer of the king, and the other the chief baker, both of whom had been thrown into prison for reasons we do not know. Each had a dream that greatly disturbed them. Joseph listened to the dreams and gave the interpretation to each one, as God revealed the interpretation to him. The cupbearer was to be restored to his former position, but the baker was to be executed. It happened just as he stated, and he asked the cupbearer to remember him and help him get out of prison. But when the cupbearer got out of prison, he forgot all about Joseph! Unfair! Here was Joseph being good and faithful in everything he did, but he just couldn’t catch a break. A righteous and talented man like him was just wasting away his life in prison for crimes he never committed. Life seemed so unfair!!

But God had a master plan. He had not abandoned Joseph. Everything that had happened to Joseph was part of his perfect plan for his life, and also for the lives of many others. The key here, I believe, is that Joseph never seemed to despair and give up hope. He continued serving God, and was continually blessed, even while he served as a slave first, and then later as a prisoner.

Finally, one day his chance came. Pharaoh the king of Egypt had a dream that none of his magicians could interpret. The cupbearer all of a sudden remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream and the dream of the baker who was executed some two years earlier. So he tells Pharaoh about it, and Pharaoh apparently investigates the matter and orders that Joseph be brought before him. Joseph is cleaned up and given a shave and brought before Pharaoh. Little did he know that all the “unfair” things that had happened to him through the past several years were a preparation for that one day before the king. He interprets the king’s dream which was a prophecy about seven years of abundant harvest followed by seven years of severe famine. Joseph recommends that they store up grain during the abundant years to have available during the years of famine. Everyone agrees with the interpretation of Joseph, and Joseph is promptly made second in command of the entire nation of Egypt, second only to the king. Talk about a rags to riches story – this one beats them all!

Later, during the midst of the years of famine, all the surrounding countries come to Egypt to buy grain, because they are the only ones who have any to sell. Joseph, of course, is in charge of the storehouses of food. So imagine his surprise one day when his brothers show up from his homeland to buy grain! They of course do not recognize him, and bow down before him to ask for food to feed their families back home. Joseph’s first dream from so many years earlier had come true! Eventually he makes himself known to his brothers, and arranges for the whole clan to be brought to Egypt, as there were many more years left of drought. The entire Hebrew nation was preserved during that time as a result of Joseph being in the right place at the right time.

As you can imagine, Joseph became very wise and very wealthy. He learned a lot about life and “fairness” and also about how God works everything out to accomplish his purposes. So when his brothers came to him after their father died, fearing that he might take out revenge on them, he replies with the verse we quoted above:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

He was not bitter towards his brothers at all! He could have said the same thing to Potiphar or Potiphar’s wife, and something similar to the cupbearer who forgot about him: “You messed up and did the wrong thing which was not fair and hurt me, but God took that circumstance and used it for good, and we are all blessed as a result.” Life is not fair, but God is. We may not be able to see the results of current injustices that we are suffering here in this life, but in time God’s justice and his plan will always prevail. He’s the Creator. He wrote the story. He knows the ending, because he wrote it!

It takes faith to believe that God has the kind of knowledge, foresight, and power to make all things work together for his good purpose in the future. The key, as it was in the life of Joseph, is to not stop believing and to not give up hope. When life deals us something unfair, we have two ways to respond. We can respond with anger and bitterness, complaining about our unfair circumstances. Or we can respond in faith, believing that God is in control and will use our unfair circumstances somehow for something positive. One response will reap sickness and despair, the other one health and confidence, the kind of confidence that the world, with its belief in evolution and no master designer controlling everything, cannot understand.

Joseph the dreamer never stopped dreaming, and never gave up hope. He suffered unfairly as a slave and a prisoner for many years. One day his dreams came true, far beyond his wildest imagination. Have you given up on your dreams? Have you believed the lie that the enemy tries to sow in our minds that life is not fair, and so we should just give up hope? Joseph was alone and separated from his family, suffering the unfair circumstances that caused him to be a slave and a prisoner for years, but God had not abandoned him. He simply had to keep faith and wait for his time to come. God never abandoned Joseph, and he has never abandoned you either!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:28-31)

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Are You a Model Believer?

And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia… They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:7-10)

Are you a “model believer?” This passage gives us a good description of what was considered a “model believer” in the early church. It was someone who turned away from idols (and idolatry) to serve the living and true God. It was someone who set their hope for the future on Jesus, and his eventual return to earth to one day set up his physical kingdom here. As we saw from the passage in Colossians in the devotional last week, it was also someone who set their hearts and minds on the things above, where Jesus currently is, and not on worldly things.

But to fully understand what a model believer is as defined in these verses in 1 Thessalonians, we need to define “idolatry.” The word “idol” means an image, and in the context of the biblical literature it referred to man-made images of deities or “gods” that people worshiped. The image itself is man made, and therefore has no power of its own.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)

The Bible clearly teaches that the worship of images as idols is the result of rejecting God as their Creator, and that this leads to immoral behavior:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. (Romans 1:18-25)

Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 10 that idolatry was associated with demonic powers. Participating in idol worship was to be a participant in demonic activities. This was especially true during his day and age with food that had been sacrificed to idols, which was in direct contrast to the partaking of food in the Lord’s Supper:

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:14-21)

Interestingly, there appears a whole word group in the Greek language used in the New Testament for idols and idolatry that does not limit itself to just images. This word is used in Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5, for example, and is equated with immorality and “greed.”

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5)

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

This follows along closely with what Jesus taught about pursuing wealth, which can become an idol: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24)

Another interesting observation about the Greek words for idolatry is that they were often used in a list of sins and closely linked to the Greek words pharmakeia and pharmakos. We have discussed this word group in previous articles, and have noted that in our English Bibles they are most often translated as “witchcraft” or “sorceries.” But it is also the same word group from which we get our English word “pharmacy” and could be properly translated “medicines” or “drugs.” Here are the passages where both the Greek word for idolatry and pharmakeia or pharmakos are used:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 – pharmakeia is translated “witchcraft” here.)

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21 – pharmakeia is translated “magic arts” here.)

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8 – “those who practice magic arts” here is from one Greek word “pharmakos” – similar to pharmakeia which means “magician, sorcerer, or one who poisons with drugs”)

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15 – “those who practice magic arts” is one Greek word, “pharmakos,” as in the verse above.)

Let’s now return to the text in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 where we are told that the “model believer” is one who turns away from idols “to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” There is a tremendous amount of text written in the New Testament warning believers to avoid idols. Are we to assume that idolatry was simply an old fashioned belief system that was strictly tied to worshipping images in pagan temples? Hasn’t modern day “science” disproved all that and eliminated idolatry, at least in developed “modern” cultures?

I think not. The old idols have just been replaced with new ones that aren’t so new at all. They just have different names. Greed and love of wealth are still around, for example. And so is pharmakeia and pharmakos. It’s just that they are seldom practiced outright with witchcraft anymore, but instead with science and modern day medicines and drugs. Our evolution-based science has supposedly eliminated the need for the supernatural, so it is simply replaced with humanism and the same belief that we don’t need a Creator God, because we now have science, technology, and medicines. These are our modern day idols, and the demonic influence behind them is as strong as it has ever been in the history of man. Paul’s description of idolatry in his day and age is just as true today:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. (Romans 1:20-22)

The truth that Paul wrote about images that were idols is also true today: “We know that an idol is nothing.” For just as man-made images serving as idols had no evil power in and of themselves (it was the worshipping of them and the demonic influence behind them), so too most idols today are not evil in and of themselves. Science, technology, wealth, and medicines all have good purposes. But when they replace our faith and worship of God, they become idols and tools that Satan and his army of demons can use. The “model believer” will not trust in them, but trust in God alone, waiting patiently for Jesus to come back to earth and set up his kingdom. The model believer is heavenly minded, and not worldly worthless. Are you a model believer, or an idolater?

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Before and After Pictures

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— (Colossians 1:21-22)

Weight loss advertising is in full swing these days, and one of the most effective means of advertising weight loss products or services is to publish “before and after” photographs. The “before” photos show an over-weight unattractive person, and the “after” photo shows a slim attractive person who has supposedly used a specific product or service to lose weight. So the “before” photo is “ugly” and undesirable, and the “after” photo is “beautiful” and desirable.

There are “before and after” pictures in the spiritual realm as well. As we have discussed in previous articles, there are two spiritual kingdoms co-existing in the world at this present time: the kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan, and the kingdom of light ruled by Jesus Christ. Everybody walking the face of this earth is in one of these spiritual kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness is the majority kingdom, and the one we are born into by default because of our inherited sin nature. It takes a spiritual rebirth to come into the kingdom of light where Jesus rules. Jesus himself said that only a few will find that narrow path:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

In the letter to the Colossians (and other places) Paul elaborates on this by saying that when we live in the kingdom of darkness, we are enemies of God. Our thinking is wrong, and our behavior is evil. In this condition of walking in the darkness, we are on a road to destruction.

But when we humble ourselves before God and receive the forgiveness Jesus offers, our spirits are recreated and we become a new person: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) In this new spiritual state we are “holy before God, without blemish and free from accusation.” To be “holy” before God means that you are special – God has a special plan and purpose for you! In the physical realm you sill have an imperfect body and you still have the sinful nature present, but in God’s eyes you are perfect! God is not limited by space and time, so he can see you as you will be in the future, in the resurrected life in heaven.

So here are the spiritual before and after pictures:

BEFORE: alienated (separated) from God, an enemy of God, wrong thinking, evil behavior

AFTER: holy before God (united with him for a special purpose), no blemishes or imperfections, not guilty of any of your sins, because Jesus Christ already paid the punishment with his blood sacrifice on the cross

Please note that a changed spiritual life should result in a change of behavior as well! But this will depend on where our hearts lead us, and how much of our hearts are consumed with the love of Jesus and heavenly things, or with temporal worldly things:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:1-10)

What does your spiritual picture look like today? Is your spiritual picture the “before” one, or the “after” one? What have you set your heart’s desire on for today, tomorrow, and your future?

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The Most Remarkable Person You Will Ever Meet

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Colossians 1:15-19)

How well do you know Jesus? In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he wrote what is one of the most comprehensive descriptions of Jesus that was ever written. I see at least 10 attributes here:

1. He is the image of the invisible God. The apostle John wrote that no one has seen God at any time, but that Jesus came to earth to reveal him to us (John 1:1-18). If you know Jesus, you know God.

2. The firstborn over all creation. Jesus existed before anything else in the physical universe was ever created.

3. He created all things. Obviously number 2 has to be true first. If Jesus created everything that is a part of creation, he had to exist before the things he created existed!

4. Everything that exists was created for Jesus. Jesus owns everything. If Jesus owns you, doesn’t it make sense to know as much about him as you can? The most important questions you should be asking Jesus are: Why did you create me? What do you want me to do?

5. He is before all things. Similar to number 2, Jesus has always been around. He is eternal. He was born in the flow of human history as a baby on Christmas, but he existed before then.

6. In him all things hold together. Jesus is not only the creator of all things, he also is the force that keeps all things alive, or in existence. He is the energy source of the universe. He is the one who electrifies and keeps every molecule or atom in its place.

7. He is head of the body, the church. The word “church” here, also described as a “body,” consists of all born again believers in the kingdom of light. The body, or church, is a single living organism, with one head who controls the whole body. That head is Christ. This is not to be confused with “church” organizations, which are restricted by geography and usually appoint other heads besides Christ to direct their organization/business.

8. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead. Jesus was the first human being to rise from the dead in a new body. Death’s power could not keep him in the grave. He is now the “firstborn” among all those who follow him in the resurrection from the dead.

9. In everything he has first place. Jesus is the most important person in the universe. No one can compare to him in dignity, honor, power, glory, majesty, beauty, or any other adjective we can think of to describe a person. He is higher than all kings or spiritual powers, and he is our high priest before God.

10. All the fullness of God dwells in him. Jesus is perfect. He lacks nothing! Every good thing about God exists in the person of Jesus Christ. All of God’s divine attributes exist in Jesus. Jesus has no limits. He knows all things, and is not limited by time or space. He can be everywhere at all times. While you may not be able to get an audience with some famous person here on earth, Jesus has the ability to give you his full attention and see to every one of your needs and concerns! He’s not in a hurry either. You can take as much time with him as you need.

While all of these attributes make Jesus the most remarkable person you will ever meet, even more remarkable is what he has done and accomplished for us. Jesus’ obedience to God in dying on the cross for our sins allowed God to welcome us into his kingdom through Christ:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

…and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. (Colossians 1:13-14; 20-23)

Jesus did all the work that we could not do to overcome sin and death, and earn a place in God’s eternal kingdom. We can never measure up to Jesus’ standards. We can never be perfect like him, and we can never accomplish the things that only he could accomplish. How wonderful that we don’t have to! We can have all our sins forgiven and become members of God’s kingdom, as members of Christ’s body, with Jesus as our head. Jesus loves us, and he provided the way to become a part of his body, the church, and be part of God’s kingdom.

But just understanding who Jesus is is not enough. Satan and his host of demons in the kingdom of darkness know who Jesus is, probably even better than most “Christians.” But they are not part of his kingdom. We need to move beyond just knowing about Jesus, and begin to have a relationship with him. We meet him and become part of his body by having our spirit recreated. Then, we acknowledge him as our head, and begin to understand our role in his body and in God’s kingdom.

This is where true health begins! We need to meet Jesus and be reconciled to God through the rebirth process, and then understand the purpose for which we were created. Have you met Jesus yet? He is the most remarkable person you will ever meet!

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What is Your Goal in Life?

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

What is your ultimate goal in life? Do you have any goals, or do you merely follow the circumstances of life and just try to survive?

Paul was a person with definite goals in life. As we have seen in previous articles, he was afflicted with some kind of physical disability and suffered from sickness. But he never used his illness as an excuse to give up or stop him from accomplishing God’s purpose in his life. He was driven by his purpose in life which defined his goals:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

So what is “this” that he had not yet obtained, and what is “it” that he had not taken hold of yet? These terms refer back to what he had just written in the previous verses:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

These verses make it very clear what it was that Paul valued in life: “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul was very well educated and once had a very prominent status in society as a leader in his religious class, but that became worthless to him in comparison to the value he placed on “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” This value and desire shaped his ultimate goal in life: “I want to know Christ…” He already knew Christ as he had met him on the road to Damascus many years earlier, but he saw his relationship to Christ as a continuing growth process. He learned each day how to live more by faith and how to allow Christ’s power to work through him in increasingly greater ways during the difficult circumstances he faced. “Knowing Christ” was not a one-time event for Paul, but a daily learning experience that one day culminates after dying the physical death and meeting Christ face-to-face in the resurrection: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Christ knows us perfectly, but we don’t know him perfectly yet.

Paul wrote these words to the church at Philippi while sitting in prison. He understood that the result of knowing Christ and serving him was a road of suffering and persecution. So when rough times came, they did not cause him to alter his course through life. He saw that his sufferings in his service to Christ were a way of sharing in Christ’s sufferings, which result in physical death, but then a resurrection from the dead in triumphal power. So he did not set his heart on or value the things of this world, because he knew where his true citizenship was, and what kind of future awaited him:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21)

What is your ultimate goal in life? Are you running the race of the course set before you with the goal of winning the prize that God has for you in the future? Do you realize that our sickly “lowly bodies” and sufferings are part of this temporary life, but that those whose citizenship is in heaven have new bodies waiting for them in a place where there is no suffering and death? Are you consumed with the needs and troubles of this life, or are you consumed, like Paul was, with knowing Christ more? We live in a day and age that values physical knowledge and science built upon a faulty foundation of faith in evolution. But the value of knowing Christ has far greater advantages, especially in the life to come, and is a value that should shape our goals in this life as we look to finish the course God has set before us. What is your goal today, and for the future before you? As you look to the future, is knowing Christ better one of your goals?

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

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Who is Your Head Pastor?

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:8-15)

There has been much written over the centuries speculating as to why these shepherds around Bethlehem were the first to hear about the birth of the Messiah on that first Christmas evening. Historical documents seem to suggest that shepherds were among the lower cast of society during those days, being considered dishonest “shady characters” along with the Jewish tax collectors of the day. But one thing we can see from the text in Luke, is that they responded to the message of the angelic host in faith, and went to Bethlehem to see the baby that was born in the line of the great Old Testament shepherd, King David, and that would one day fulfill all the prophecies and become the great Shepherd of the flock of born-again believers.

In our English translations of the Bible, we have two words that mean the same thing and are translated from the same word in the original Greek language. Those words are “shepherd” and “pastor.” The term can refer to someone who is occupied tending livestock such as we see in the Christmas story in Luke, or it can refer figuratively to rulers and leaders. In secular classical Greek, for example, Homer, Plato, Socrates and others used the term metaphorically to refer to leaders, rulers, commanders, and others. In other ancient texts among the Sumerians and Babylonians the concept of pastor is used figuratively of both rulers and divinities, with the people under their rule being their “flock.”

In the Old Testament portion of the Bible the LORD God is often referred to as pastor, although the English word almost always used is “shepherd,” such as Psalm 23, one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. Likewise in the New Testament, the only person to be referred to as “pastor” by name is Jesus, the Messiah and heir to the Davidic throne. The term is used 18 times in the New Testament, and most of the time it refers to Jesus or God. In Hebrews 13 Jesus is referred to as the “great” (Greek word “megas”) Shepherd:

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

The exceptions where the term “shepherd” does not refer to Jesus are Luke 2, the shepherds in the fields at the time of Christ’s birth (see above), and Ephesians 4:11. In our English translations of the Bible, only in Ephesians 4:11 is the word “pastor” used:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11-12)

In all the other references “shepherd” is chosen. In our modern day English, the term “pastor” is usually associated with a religious leader in a church organization. But as we have already seen, in the Bible the term was used almost exclusively for Jesus. The use in Ephesians 4:11 does not specify an office or official position in the church. It is linked together with “teacher.” The leaders described in the New Testament churches were described by different words: elders (also translated "overseer" or "bishop") and deacons. Specifications are given for the offices of elders and deacons (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1,) but never for “pastors.” Pastor is never attached to anyone’s name outside of Christ, leading one to believe that it was more of a function than a title.

I think we can learn a lot about the term shepherd/pastor in Jesus’ great discourse in John chapter 10:

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:1-16)

It seems to me that Jesus is very clear here: there is one flock and there is one shepherd. So what about the reference in Ephesians 4:11? Maybe we can get a clue from Jesus’ words to Peter just before he left the earth and ascended to heaven: Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (John 21:16)

Who do the sheep belong to? Jesus said “Take care of my sheep.” We belong to Jesus. He is our head Pastor. There is only one flock, and only one shepherd/pastor. In John chapter 10 Jesus refers to the others who tend the sheep as either thieves and robbers, or “hired hands.” The thieves and robbers in Jesus’ day were the religious leaders who opposed Jesus because he threatened their power base. “Hired hands” or employees don’t usually look after affairs with the same care that the owner does.

But when we are reborn into Jesus’ Kingdom, we become co-heirs with him. (See Galatians 4:1-7 and Romans 8:14-17) We are no longer employees or slaves in God’s Kingdom, but adopted sons. We have a new motivation to serve Christ, our head Pastor. We represent him in our service to the flock. It is true that the verb form of “shepherding” or “pastoring” was used of the church leaders: the elders and deacons. (See Acts 20:28 for an example.) But the job of shepherding is not limited to only leaders in the church. There is only one Pastor, and all shepherding is done under his leadership.

So why did the angels first appear to these Jewish shepherds around Bethlehem that first Christmas night when Christ was born? We probably cannot fully know the answer to that question, but who else would recognize and understand the significance of the birth of the “mega-Shepherd” than those who were shepherds by profession and responsible for the food of the people? They may have been outcasts in their society, but they heard the angelic message and responded in faith – the first ones to do so that Christmas night so long ago.

Today, we are in dire need of true leaders who will shepherd Jesus’ flock. As elders in the church are called to shepherd just as Peter was, one of the things we see they are responsible for is caring for the sick. According to James, the brother of Jesus and one of the elders serving in the church at Jerusalem, elders are to pray and care for the sick:

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:14-16)

Who will accept the call of Jesus, the head Pastor over the one true flock, and tend to his sheep? Who will pray in faith with the power and authority that Jesus offers to affect true healing for the multitudes that are suffering in the 21^st century? Who will deal with the disease and effects of sin and receive the forgiveness from Jesus that cleanses and heals? The great Shepherd, our one and only “head Pastor,” came into the world on Christmas, and the world has never been the same. The power that created the world humbled himself and entered the flow of human history as a helpless baby, but he was only recognized by a few humble shepherds, while he lay in a simple shepherd’s manager. Who will recognize the head Pastor today? Will you?

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