Called for His Glory!

January 31, 2024.

4 Because you are precious in my eyes,  and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.  5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.  6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
-Isaiah 43:4-7(ESV)-

Recently I found the following words floating around the internet:

God chose Noah.  God chose Abraham.  God chose Isaac.  Got chose Jacob.  God chose Joseph.  God chose Moses.  God chose Joshua.  God chose David.  God chose all the prophets.  God chose the 12.  God chose the 72.  God chose Paul.  But you….you somehow chose God?  No.  If you are a Christian, God chose you, arranged for you to be born at the time and place of his choosing, and arranged for you to hear his gospel. – He regenerated you by his birth and justified you, forgave your sin, and gave you faith to believe.  He called you and redeemed you.  You were completely incapable of choosing God had God not first chosen you.

I wish I could claim those words as mine, and I don’t know who wrote it, but they’re powerful words and all completely true!  The truth is that if you are a true Christian, indeed God elected you (chose you).  The word “elect” appears 19 times in scripture.  That’s enough to say how important it is.  Let’s get the idea out of our heads that we should “accept Jesus as Lord”, and grasp the idea that it’s impossible for us to willfully accept Jesus on our own strength and choosing.  If you remember Church Membership classes, you’ll know the T in the TULIP acronym stands for Total Depravity.  Basically it means that since the original sin of Adam and Eve, all humankind is totally and completely fallen, and we’re incapable of desiring God and pursuing God on our own.   This is why the Gospel message is indeed “good news”, because Jesus’ work on the cross nulls and undoes all the effect of sin – death (Rom. 6:23).  God knew we couldn’t reach God on our own and that’s why Jesus was sent to us, so God chooses to send his only begotten son - Jesus, to start the justification, salvific, sanctification and glorification process.  Now the end goal is for God’s glory and many of us fail to see that.

To the outside world, Christianity is selfish like every other faith, whereby every other faith works for selfish gain.  The outside world thinks the end goal and the prize is to get to heaven.  On the contrary and I would argue, the prize in itself is a right relationship with Jesus Christ for Gods glory!  That prize is to be desired and enjoyed, even if heaven were completely out of the picture.  Luckily for us, Jesus is not just a part of heaven – JESUS IS HEAVEN, and I don’t want a heaven apart from Jesus – it’s also impossible to get to and be in heaven without Jesus, so let that all sink in (John 14:6)!  Our passage in Isaiah 43:4-7 indeed is about the ancient Israelites, but can be applied to us as believers in the new covenant as well too.  You are precious, you are honoured and you are loved in the eyes of God.  If there is any doubt or concern, know that it is temporary and the God we serve beckons us to not fear!   The final verse describes God does not call (epikeklēntai - call upon) everyone, but for those he does call (choose), God carefully prepared him, shaped him, and made him for God’s glory!  That’s the end game – for God’s glory!  Knowing this, I want you to feel loved, feel hopeful, feel appreciated, because you mean so much to God!  Do not fear, do not worry, and know you are called for God’s glory!  Christian, at times you may be rejected by bosses or coworkers, by enemies, by friends, by family, but you have a place with God for his glory and there is no higher calling!  Keep fighting the good fight and if you ever feel rejected or low.  Let me know about it, because I care for you too and you’re not alone!

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For Eternity!

January 24, 2024.

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
-1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (ESV)-

Dear Christians, the days are short and there is much more work that needs to be done!  Some of you have been working with Jesus on sanctification for a while.  Yes, Jesus does all the lifting in salvation, sanctification and even glorification, but what I mean is that some of you have been wrestling with one-off sins or habitual sins for a while.  Especially with habitual sins or stronghold sins, you’ve been grieved, or you’re grieving for the fact that you’re not grieved enough and keep on falling into the same pattern of falling into the same sins.  I implore you, DO NOT GIVE UP!  Focus on eternity with Jesus, because eternity is at stake!

I am convinced that what we do in this life has eternal consequences in the life thereafter, in the heavens and in the new earth.  Paul speaks of the glory that is yet to be revealed in 1 Cor. 2:9.  Oh if only we could catch a glimpse and a foretaste of what eternity with Jesus really implies.  Our God is faithful, and he plans for unimaginable gifts and an abundant eternal life with him.  If we only knew what’s in store in heaven and the new earth in a tangible and concrete way, I’m convinced that we would greatly desire to avoid all kinds of sins as much as possible.  I’m also convinced that if we were of the mindset that eternal consequences are not delayed, but would impact us tomorrow, we would also steer clear of many unwanted habits.  The sad reality is that we tend to think our current actions have dire consequences sometime many years from now, or not even at all.  I once heard as Christians that we burn God’s grace most of all, compared to all other people.

Paul also speaks of the wisdom or rulers of this age are doomed to pass away.  I will add that if we had a constant eschatological view in mind for today, our minds would be so focused not on fleeting forms of temporal happiness and pleasure, but on eternal joy – and what if I told you that God wants to sanctify you during the process of wrestling with sin?  I believe that’s exactly the case!  I believe God allows us to go through periods of spiritual dryness, and periods of greatly wrestling with ongoing temptations just so we are made more Jesus Christ-like!

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:3-5).  You are definitely not alone in whatever uphill battle you’re going through.  I implore you to keep fighting the good fight, devote your focus on Jesus Christ and his eternal worth and surely goodness will come out of it.

As another practical adage, I solemnly swear from personal experience that the more we spend deep and honest time in scripture reading and prayer, there is a supernatural effect whereby we naturally are compelled to not indulge in sinful strongholds, whatever they may be.  The battle starts in the mind and the best way to remove a bad thought is to replace it with a Godly one (not just any thought).

Please have eternity with Jesus in mind!  Pray that Jesus overcomes any blockage or hindrance to intimacy with him, and pray that Jesus gives you a new desire to seek him in eternity in all that you do! 
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Just Being Honest

January 15, 2024.

14 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. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
-John 1:14-18 (ESV)-

Is honesty the best policy?  In many cases, that’s probably the case, but at the same time how we say things is equally important.  In the world of business, often times results are the only things that matter.  If sales are up, profits are up, shareholders are happy, products are innovative and user-friendly, often times the ends justify the means.  Admittedly, I originally come from the world of construction and if deliverables are not met the project fails.  In that world, many concepts remain “paper designs”, because they don’t work in reality and ideally every project must meet the standards of the Roman philosopher and architect Vitruvius: firmness, commodity and delight.  If a building is not durable, does not hold value and is not aesthetically pleasing it fails.  Once again, it’s all about results.  If you come from any of these backgrounds you may be shocked to hear that according to the gospel, the ends do not justify the means and the focus should not solely be upon the end product.  There is a difference between man’s economy and God’s economy!

In God’s economy, God’s truth must always accompany God’s gentleness and meekness.  I’ll pause and say that I’m still learning these principles myself where I’m also not the best with how things are said.  Sometimes my own bluntness offends others where it’s unnecessary and my own “emotional quotient” is lacking.  Whereas Christians are constantly called to be more Jesus Christ-like, how many of us forget that Jesus Christ came with perfect grace and perfect truth (Jn. 1:17)?  Tim Keller once said, “Truth without grace is not really truth and grace without truth is not really grace.”  These are profound words! 

The sad reality is many people come at any topic from either the grace camp or the truth camp, and many people think they’re 100% right and always right!  I’ve had the unique experience of serving in both a predominantly liberal congregation and also a predominately conservative congregation with regards to many topics including salvation, human sexuality, scriptural relevance, other religions, etc.  From my experiences, I’ve witnessed many people in the camp of being liberal perhaps lacking on the side of God’s truth (as evidenced in Sola Scriptura authority) and yet strong in the gentleness aspect of God’s grace.  Conversely, I’ve noticed many in the conservative camp lacking on the side of God’s gentle grace and strong in God’s truth.  If you’re in the liberal camp, you may honestly think you’re being truthful.  If you’re in the conservative camp, you may believe you’re being gracious by being honest and only honest and I may be skating on thin ice here, but I find that’s not entirely accurate in either case.  Surely vegetables are healthy to eat, but if they’re being swallowed in a package of spikes and thistles, a hungry person will reject it! – so business people and results driven people, heads-up!  Noteworthy to mention is that heavily results driven people may also have a difficult time with God’s patience when dealing with the process of desiring Godly change in people.  Remember, it’s God’s economy here and not man’s economy where people are the products and people are the process, in accordance to God’s timing (not man’s).

In either situation, it helps to spend significant time with those that disagree with you (even though it’s difficult), because then you start to gain priceless insights.  As Christians, we may have the greatest message to share (the Gospel), but if it’s not received well, you may have lost your only chance where the Gospel is effective in practice.  Mother Teresa once famously said, “We’re not called to be successful, but faithful” – whereas in faith, there are all kinds of human failures and stumbling, but there is a divine process in it where God gets the glory as long as we’re faithful.  God’s glory is both process oriented and also result oriented (grace and truth) to bring about salvation but also sanctification.

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Overcome Me!

January 10, 2024.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”  24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”  26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.  28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
-Mark 9:21-29 (NIV)-

This passage is one of the true stories demonstrating Jesus’ sovereignty above all.  Another classic example would be the story of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:33-34).  Surely Nebuchadnezzar didn’t want to behave like a wild ox and so God overcame his disposition.  In Mark 1:21-29, we see another example where a man’s disposition is overcome.  The man acknowledges a lack of belief and asks Jesus to help overcome it – and Jesus did!  We see that clearly, evil is real and so are demons.  For some reason, many Christians don’t want to talk about demons or supernatural evil.  Either they don’t believe, are afraid or find such topics unfruitful.  We shouldn’t be afraid and all scripture is good for teaching and training (2. Tim. 3:16).  We also shouldn’t attribute all rebellions to the work of demons when our hearts are also often rebellious (Romans 8:7).  Notably, Jesus is not only Lord of the physical, but also Lord of all supernatural as in the case of Jesus commanding the demon to come out. 

The other amazing observation is when we carefully check the footnotes in our scripture.  Verse 29 in our bibles has a footnote whereby it reveals some manuscripts mention prayer and fasting as the method by which some demons are cast out.  We can actually dissect this passage in so many ways, but in this case, I want to focus on Jesus’ sovereignty.  As we continue in 2024, some of us may still linger on troublesome thoughts from 2023 or are unsure about what 2024 can offer.  In any event, I implore you to have your full trust in Jesus Christ!  He is sovereign over the physical, supernatural, our flesh, our minds, the will of others and everything else!  Overarching and I repeat, please place your complete trust in Jesus Christ (not partial)! 

Remember that James 2:19 mentions, “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”  The difference between us and demons is that we have a limited view of Jesus for those that follow him, and we choose to trust in Jesus, whereas the demons have a complete understanding of who Jesus is and still choose to be in defiant rebellion.  The demons continually choose not to trust in Jesus.  I know it maybe hard at times and especially when life becomes challenging.  Truly Satan and the demons make it harder to find Jesus during extremely challenging times and that’s a part of their evil plans.  Rise above that!  God has given you every tool in your spiritual arsenal to do so!  Remember that James 4:8 also says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you….”  Trust Jesus!  Know he is sovereign over all, and can overcome even our unbelief for his glory!  He cares for you, he loves you and he is not far away. 
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No Division

January 3, 2024.

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

-1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (NIV)-

It’s 2024!  Happy New Year!  I personally commend the people of St. Andrew’s, Moncton on being on this journey and continuing to follow after Jesus Christ!  Where are we now?  Where have we come from?  A little over a year has already passed since my brief tenure at St. Andrew’s, Moncton.  Has it been a great year overall?  Yes!  Am I thankful?  Of course!  Has it been an easy year?  No!  Listen, I get it!  Leading up till now there have been a number of changes in a short time that many people are not accustomed to.

I would categorize all of them to be “growing pains” and actually, the majority of them are “good problems” to have.  I would consider the majority of them good, because they’re all signs of growth and life.    Here is what Prov. 14:4 (ESV) says about this: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” Picture the manger as the church.  If the church was clean, it would be empty.  The church is only messy, because it has people in it – such is the life of the church!  If you want a church with no challenges, then find a church that closed its doors permanently, and otherwise known as a relic in history (an aftermath of decay or disappearance).

I implore you, however, do not falter in faith or be divided on account of any of these matters, imperfect people (in particular leaders and movers), or the Gospel!  If division is to occur, then let it only be between truth and heresy as dictated by God’s Word (Matt. 10:34-36) and then let’s cling to God’s truth together!

When Paul wrote his letters to the church in Corinth, it was riddled with all sorts of divisions.  Much like our congregation, it was full of all kinds of mixed background people.  In particular Paul was concerned about the divided loyalty of the church in Corinth!  In 1 Cor. 1:10-17, surely a number of those people listed were great leaders, but as a whole the people fixed their gaze on something and someone other than Jesus Christ.  In the case of us, any one of the above listed changes could be viewed as stumbling blocks, dividing wedges or cause anxiety. 

Hear what Paul has to say:

1)    Let there be no divisions and be united to Jesus Christ who within himself is the exemplary model of unity and the uniting force we are to seek.  –vv 10, 13
2)    Jesus’ crucifixion unites all of us to him (and to nobody else).  -vv 13
3)    Remember your baptism as the outward sign you belong in this unity to Jesus (and not another). -vv 13
4)    Paul (as a leader, like any leader) is imperfect and liable for failure –vv. 14 – 16
5)    While baptism is important, he (like any Christian), is not sent to baptize to make disciples of himself.  Paul’s mission was to preach (share and deliver) the Gospel! -vv 17
6)    Let Paul’s urgings be distilled to the power of the cross – vv 17

I will close with this:  It’s 2024 and we’ve come a long way in a short period of time.  We won’t find a perfect church in this life, but we will in the heavenly realms and a little patience, grace and humility goes a long way (that goes for me and everyone else). In addition, the church wouldn’t be the church without you and I personally thank you! With God’s help, let’s make 2024 great!