When I was a young believer, someone told me that one of the reasons why God created the physical seasons was to illustrate the spiritual seasons that a Christian will pass through in his or her life.

Jesus talked a lot about the significance of seasons (Matthew 21:41, 45; Luke 12:42; 21:30; John 4:35; 5:35).

Paul told his young apprentice Timothy to “be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

To borrow the title of Robert Bolt’s play about Sir Thomas More, Timothy was to be “a man for all seasons.” A person who can stand in the face of every season—great, good, bad, horrible, unmentionable—and not to be moved.

Paul was such a person. Consider his own description of the seasons that he passed through during his ministry:  Continue Reading…

“The signs of a true sent one were performed among you with all perseverance.”

~ 2 Corinthians 12:12

We live in a day where perseverance (a mark of those who are truly sent to the Lord’s work) is a lost art. So much so that I fear for the future of God’s work. Why? Because the ability to persevere under pressure is a mark of those who are called to the work.

People today throw in the towel at the drop of a hat. They’ll stay in a job for a few years, then if the pressure gets too much, or it’s not conducive to their happiness, they’ll quit. The same with a relationship. The same with a business venture. The same with a church.

My first experience with an authentic church lasted eight long years. I’ve talked about it elsewhere, but that experience was so intense that we crammed sixteen years into eight. The church saw two bloody splits, lots of glory and a good dose of gore.

Many times I wanted to get out of dodge. Often, I wasn’t happy. It wasn’t meeting my needs. But I knew the Lord wanted me to stay. Not just for myself, but for the church (that is, the people). And not just for the church, but for something I didn’t know back then . . . for other churches and people in the future that didn’t exist at the time. Continue Reading…

“For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest . . .”

~ Hebrews 4:10-11

Years ago I came to the place in my spiritual journey where I gave up trying to live the Christian life.

Yep. I gave it up for Lent.

Here are five reasons:

1. I was sick and tired of failing and feeling frustrated at my attempts at being a “victorious” Christian.
2. I came to the eye-opening conclusion that I couldn’t live the Christian life. If the Christian life was going to be lived, the Lord Himself was going to have to live it.
3. I discovered that Jesus Himself didn’t try to live the Christian life. He said, “By myself I can do nothing.” Over and over again, Jesus testified that He did nothing of Himself, but lived by His Father’s indwelling life instead.
4. I concluded that Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” wasn’t a special experience that only Paul had. Continue Reading…

“For we know in part . . .”

~ 1 Corinthians 13:9

When I was in my early 20s, I was active in serving the Lord. I was a serious student of the Scriptures and people would often ask me questions about various issues.

Like many 20-somethings, I fell into a particular trap that I see many others who preach and teach fall into today. It’s the pressure to have an answer for every question posed to you.

There’s an idea that somehow got into the evangelical Christian mind. That idea is that if you teach the Scriptures, you are obligated to have a conviction on every issue that the Bible addresses, let alone mentions.

I don’t know who invented this idea, but it’s just plain wrong. And it leads to all sorts of problems.

On the one hand, certainty is overrated. On the other hand, the idea that we can’t be certain about anything doesn’t square with the New Testament (nor with reality). Continue Reading…

 “Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words.”

~ George Eliot

In a previous post, I pressed the question, what constitutes a true friend? I thought the responses were great. They were so good I’d encourage you to read them all.

As promised, I’m going to answer the question also.

Let me first say that friendship is paramount to me. I cherish my friends, and I’m always open for God to forge new friendships in my life. For me, friendship is one of the most treasured things in life.

I can’t prove this, but I have a notion that I haven’t yet met the people who will end up being some of my closest friends.

Jesus once said to His disciples:

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

So what makes a true friend? Continue Reading…

“How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?”

~ John 5:44

Charles Spurgeon once said that the jewels of the Christian are his/her afflictions.

I’d add that those jewels are rarely seen by human eyes.

The word “blessing” means to speak well of. Blessing is the word from which the term “eulogy” is derived. (The Greek word translated “blessing” in the New Testament is eulogia.)

Sadly, most of us wait until someone dies before we eulogize (bless, speak well of) them. (I’ve written on this previously, in fact.)

Let’s be clear. We have but one Person to please. Impressing people isn’t the name of the game. Today’s heroes are tomorrow’s zeroes. The story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra teaches us this lesson in spades.

The story is found in Acts 14:11 & 19. In the space of 8 verses, the same people who set out to worship Paul and Barnabas were ready to send them to their deaths.

What changed their minds about the two apostles so radically and rapidly? The “evil report” (rumors) leveled by Paul’s detractors in Pisidian Antioch and Iconium.  Continue Reading…

It’s great to be back in 85 degree weather here in Florida. Some of you wanted to know why I didn’t blog Thursday or Friday.

Last Wednesday, I flew to Orcas Island (where I met rain and 45 degree weather). Leonard Sweet (whom I affectionately call Lynyrd Skynyrd) kindly invited me to be the guest speaker/facilitator for his 2-day Spring advance in his home in Orcas Island.

This was the second time I made the uncommon journey to Orcas. To give you a flavor of what that trip is like, let me rehearse the first time I visited Sweet. After arriving to his home in November 2010, the first thing I said to him was, “Which mob boss did you rat out? This is clearly part of the witness protection program!”

That first trip made me feel as though I were living out a deleted scene in Trains, Planes, and Automobiles.

I flew from Florida to Atlanta, and was laid over for several hours in Atlanta. Caught the red-eye in Atlanta to Seattle, WA (a 6-hour trip). Then there was the 2+ hour drive from Seattle to catch the ferry (someone picked me up and drove me, which was nice).

We missed the ferry, however (which I understand is not uncommon). So we sat in the car for 3+ hours waiting for the next ferry to leave (it was freezing outside). Then the 1-2 hour trip on the ferry to Orcas (I can’t remember how long it was as I believe I repressed the memory). Then the car ride from the ferry drop-off to Sweet’s home.

Yep, witness protection program. Continue Reading…

I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.

~ Luke 7:47

Women have a large part to play in the New Testament story. They funded Jesus’ earthly ministry (Luke 8:1–3). They were also the most faithful of His disciples, staying with Him to the bitter end.

But of all the women mentioned in the New Testament, none can compare with Mary of Magdala.

Magdala was a city along the Sea of Galilee. The town was very unclean—filthy and unkempt—and known for its rampant prostitution. Continue Reading…

 “Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.”

~ Matthew 11:6

In Part I, I listed three reasons why Christians become offended by God and how to avoid them.

In this post, I want to address being offended by others.

What do I mean by being offended? T. Austin-Sparks once said, “If you get upset, offended, and go off and sulk, and nurse your grievance, you will die.”

The word “offend” in the New Testament means to trip, stumble, or fall away. I’m using the word here with a specific connotation. Being offended is to get so upset with someone that you hold a grudge against them or retaliate actively or passively. Hurt feelings aren’t the same as being offended. But often, Christians choose to be offended when their feelings get hurt.

With that in mind, here are eight things I’ve learned about being offended by others:  Continue Reading…

1.      It remits sins (Matt. 26:28).

2.      It gives life to those who consume it (John 6:53).

3.      It causes us to dwell in Christ and He in us (John 6:56).

4.      It is the means by which Jesus purchased the church (Acts 20:28).

5.      It is the means by which Jesus becomes our atonement through faith (Rom. 3:25).

6.      It justifies us and saves us from wrath (Rom. 5:9).

7.      It redeems us (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:9).

8.      It brings those who were far away from God near to Him (Eph. 2:13).

9.      It grants us the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14).

10.    It brings peace and reconciliation to God (Col. 1:20). Continue Reading…