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Jesus, My Super Hero

1/29/2022

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. --Philippians 4:13

In a world that is deteriorating at all levels and evil seems to prevail everywhere you look, it’s not hard to idolize strength and victory. Looking back I can remember during my childhood years, “Super” Heroes on the television, in magazines and comics. We idolized these super heroes with their triumphant stories of justice and victory over evil. Though they were mere cartoon figures, to many of us, they became more of a reality than the actual heroes who built our country and died for our freedom. These days we still see an influx of super heroes rising on the scene. And it’s no wonder, being that we live in a fallen world where evil seems to triumph over good.

So through life and experience one of the things I’ve come to see is that all of humanity is (and has always been) screaming for justice. So what do we do? We create these idols… these pillars or “heroes” that we can look at and cling to during the tough times. Whether those idols are cartoon figures, your parents or some famous person who stood through the tests of time, whatever or whoever it may be, it all points us to something bigger. And that’s the battle between God and Satan… The battle of Good verses Evil. The great thing is we know the ending! We’ve read the book, we’ve seen how it all ends but right now we’re still caught somewhere in the chapters that talks about persevering through trials and times of injustice.

The only real hope for a lost and dying world is Jesus. You know it and I know it. But as we wait with joyful hope for our Saviors return when He will triumph over evil there is still a crying world that seems to have lost all hope. A world made up of the fictional but real “Gotham City” or “Metropolis,” which screams for justice and mercy. That’s the reality we live in. And we have the answer. We have the real Superman! The real Super Hero and His name is Jesus. Jesus not only saves people from hardship He saves people for eternity. That’s something NO OTHER super hero can do. Jesus is our true Super Hero. The One who is not only the greatest of all time but the One who created all things including any and all “Super Heroes” throughout the centuries and who wants to turn each one of us into super heroes who will likewise fight for justice and mercy.

If there’s one thing I cling to it’s Jesus my Rock and to know that through Him I can do all things. Through Him I am a super hero. "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come." We have exchanged the mortal for the immortal and we have received POWER unlike any other earthly power when we believed in Christ (Acts 1:8; Eph 1:13-14). Like the super heroes of old, WE are the super heroes of today. What an amazing picture that is. Christian, don't forget... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

May God continue to bless, guide and empower you as you look to Him as the one and only true Super Hero.

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Pillars of the Christian Faith Pillar Five – The Church

1/22/2022

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WHAT IS CHURCH?
The word church in the Bible comes from the Greek word Ekklesia. Ek “out of” and klesis, “a calling” … meaning “called out ones.” The word ekklesia, can also be used to describe a gathering of people. So, what is church? Church is a gathering or group of believers who are called out by God for His purpose. It is important to note when the Bible mentions the word church, it is never talking about buildings, religions, or denominations. Church is more about a relationship; with God and with people.

WHY IS THE CHURCH CONSIDERED A PILLAR OF CHRISTIANITY?
In the Old Testament, God used the nation of Israel to be His mouthpiece to the world. God established covenants to maintain His relationship with Israel. The covenants included sacrificial, civil and moral codes of conduct. The sacrificial system was all about maintaining their relationship with God, which included priests to carry out the duties to reconcile man with God and prophets who spoke God’s words to the people. The civil codes were all about maintaining their relationship with one another as they would become a great nation. The moral codes were all about human dignity and worth. But it was also to understand sin, it’s consequence and the blessings found through the sacrificial system that God provided. The most important point is that God used the nation of Israel to bring Jesus into the world. All the laws and commands pointed to Jesus. Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law and ushered in a new covenant. The “old” covenants with Israel were all about works. The “new” covenant is all about faith in Jesus and being saved by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” The new covenant tore down the “dividing walls of hostility” between Jew and Gentile. Gentiles (non-Jew) who were excluded from citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise are now included through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The new covenant, filled with hope, blessings and salvation for all people, has made the two groups (Jew and Gentile) one. Through Christ, we can all come to God. Church is a “new covenant” people and the new covenant is the foundation of Christianity (Eph 2:11-22).

JESUS BUILDS HIS CHURCH
In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asks the famous question, “who do people say I am?” Then He asks His disciples, “who do you say I am?” This is a foundational question. Your answer to who you say Jesus is, not only holds eternal consequences but carries a rather weighty global impact. As the Biblical account shows us, Peter answered the question with a resounding, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus blesses Peter saying that answer was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven. Jesus goes on to call Peter a rock. Then Jesus says on this rock I will build my church. A few things to note about this passage… 1) Your answer to who you say Jesus is will either be revealed by God or by man (the right answer as opposed to the wrong answer). 2) The church will be built on “the rock” … this is not speaking about Peter even though Peter’s name means rock. “The rock” is the foundational confession that Peter just made stating that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God. When a person confesses that Jesus is the Christ, that person becomes part of the church. 3) Jesus will build His church; means HE will build it not man and He WILL build it; it will not fail. 4) Since the church is “the called-out ones,” Jesus (God) does the calling. This is not something that man chooses, signs up for or is coerced to do but rather simply responds to the inner call that comes from God. God reveals His truths and man responds by believing and saying, “You are the Christ!”.

COMMANDS AND ORDINANCES FOR THE CHURCH
There are two commands for the church to follow: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-40). There are two ordinances for the church to observe: Believers baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the outward expression of what has already taken place in your heart. It represents dying to your old self and being born again. It is also a public display that identifies you with the church and as a follower of Jesus (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:38, 9:18, 16:15, 16:33; Ro 6:4). The Lord’s Supper symbolizes the body and blood of Jesus that ushered in the new covenant. Observing the Lord’s supper is a statement of faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins. After Jesus ate the meal with His disciples during the iconic “Last Supper,” He said, “do this in remembrance of me.” (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Co 11:17-34).

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
The church are those saved by God through faith in Jesus and His “atoning” sacrifice made on the cross for the sins of the world (Ex 30:10; 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10). The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work that God has prepared in advance (Eph 1:13, 2:10; Acts 1:8). The church uses the word of God (the Bible) as the prophetic voice for the church and for the world (2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 1:1-2). The church is a nation in itself, a royal priesthood of believers, chosen by God to declare His praises (1 Pe 2:9). The church is the vehicle that God uses to display all His wisdom and glories to the heavenly and earthly authorities (Eph 3:10). The church is called to go into all the world making disciples of Jesus (Mt 28:19-20). The church is likened to a “body” with many parts (Ro 12:4-5; 1 Co 12:12-13) and Christ is the head (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18, 2:19). The church is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16).

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Pillars of the Christian Faith - Pillar Four "Salvation"

1/8/2022

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Salvation in the general sense is the state of being saved from something. On the spiritual side it is the state of being saved from God’s wrath brought on by our sin.

Because God is a holy God, our sin separates us from God. We talked about that in the first pillar. The Bible tells us we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard (Ro 3:23) and the wage of our sins is death (Ro 6:23). The truth is EVERYONE is on their way to hell because we have all sinned against God and are cut off from His presence forever. But Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) sums it up with this… “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” And Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6), because only Jesus could offer His life as the perfect sacrifice for sin. His life for our life. That’s the deal. No one else was, is or could be able to make that sacrifice. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t save our children. We can’t save anything. In fact, Paul tells us we are dead in our sins (Eph 2). How can a dead person save anyone? Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, had to come down to earth, live a sinless life and die on the cross as an “atoning” sacrifice (see the video) for the sins of the world. That was God’s plan before the creation of the world. And your name was written in that plan. Sin is not something that caught God by surprise and had to resort to plan B. NO, the plan for salvation was needed when He created us in His image with freedom to choose and think for ourselves. Because of freewill, “we are all like sheep who have gone astray…” (Isa 53:5-6). But God knows all things and planned our salvation before creation.

The Bible paints a clear picture. In the beginning things were all good. Until sin entered in. Now we live in a sin-filled and fallen world. All humanity is held sway by the curse (Genesis 3). All humanity needs Jesus. It’s not just a Jewish thing or American form of religion. And it’s not exclusive but rather inclusive. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

The Gospel of Jesus (or Good News of Jesus) is that you can be saved today. Right now. You don’t have to try and make yourself right with God, you can’t. The only way to make yourself right is by trusting Jesus and what He did on the cross. Make Jesus your Lord and live for Him. Read the Bible, obey it, tell people about it and bring Him glory by building His kingdom. Experience life like never before. That’s good news. That’s the gospel of our salvation.

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Why Resolutions Don't Work

1/1/2022

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It’s all psychological. As a pastor/teacher/disciple maker, I’ve learned a long time ago, “The transfer of information does not lead to transformation.” Christianity is not just a one-time decision you make or a mind thing, it’s a lifestyle that develops through constant practice. In the same way, a person cannot change just by a resolution or positive thinking. If that were the case, then we could all live sin-free lives. And it’s not just Satan’s fault either. We need to own up to our bad habits and decisions. Let me show you three factors based on science and creation that affect our thought process.

1) Our brains are wired to seek pleasure. God created us that way. Of course, His intent was that we would fulfill all our pleasure needs through Him. But then sin entered in. Science reveals that when we find pleasure and enjoyment in something, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is what causes addictions and habits and plays a huge role on how we feel and the decisions we make. Not enough dopamine will make us feel nervous, depressed, anxious and even suicidal. Too much dopamine will create a façade where everything becomes about fun and games and as soon as we start to come down from that high, we find ourselves “jonesing” for another joy fix. The truth is we are all addicted and looking for that next dopamine rush. As justified joy junkies we pump our veins with every type of sensual pleasure under the sun. This is idolatrous and the leading cause of sin. If not checked, our resolutions are nothing more than a list of pleasure pleasing principles coming from our idolatrous addictions. Basically, we will always choose what brings us the most pleasure. If seeking God is not pleasurable, He will be pushed aside to allow other activities in. These things become our idols. God should always have first place in our pleasure-seeking process. If not, that would be a great resolution to begin the year with. Make that your prayer. Ask Him to help you find pleasure in Him rather than the things of the world.

2) But it’s not that easy. As idolatrous sinners we are plagued by what psychologists call “Cognitive Dissonance” (CD). CD is basically the disunity between your thoughts and behavior. Like Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41). In other words, I know I shouldn’t eat so much sweets, but I keep doing it. My mind is telling me one thing while my body (flesh) is telling me another. Like Paul’s dilemma in Romans 7, where he finds himself doing the very things he despises. These are all cases of CD (the disunity or battle between your convictions and behavior). The psychological effect of CD is uncomfortable, which is the very opposite of the dopamine rush we are addicted to. To relieve this discomfort and pump more dopamine through our veins we simply compromise on our beliefs and convictions to match our behavior. What was once taboo we justify so we can still find joy and unity between our behavior and convictions. That’s why resolutions fail, and bad habits are hard to break. It all leads to discomfort, which your body and mind reject.

3) But wait! There’s still another factor working against our resolutions. Science calls this brain activity “Neuroplasticity”. Our brains are always learning, always adapting and changing. This is a good thing, depending how we use it. Our brains are made up of millions of neurons that work together to develop our thought process. As we keep seeing, doing or thinking the same things, certain neurons will begin to fire together developing a solid pathway, one to another. An Illustration of a short cut is a great example. At first you have to make your own trail but if you keep using the short cut it eventually leaves a path and becomes the main trail. That’s what neuroplasticity is all about. In order for a resolution to have any lasting affect you must work at developing a new pathway for your thought process. But remember, the pathways that are currently working have been developed by the two previous factors talked about, our fleshly weakness and pleasure pursuits. That’s why a resolution is still only a thought and often fails. You must work at developing new pathways for these thoughts to take root and begin to establish a new habit. That’s why they say it takes 21 days to break a habit. As you continue to do things differently your neurons develop a new pathway and reject the old. As they say in science, “Neurons that fire together wire together.” And, “If you don’t use it you lose it.” One of my favorites you’ve heard me say before, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

May the Lord bless each of you abundantly in 2022. And may we always seek to glorify Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

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Jesus, My Super Hero

Pillars of the Christian Faith Pillar Five – The Church

Pillars of the Christian Faith - Pillar Four "Salvation"

Why Resolutions Don't Work

KHCN

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Jesus, My Super Hero

​Pillars of the Christian Faith Pillar Five – The Church

Pillars of the Christian Faith - Pillar Four "Salvation"

Why Resolutions Don't Work

KHCN

Archives

Categories

Pillars of the Christian Faith Pillar Five – The Church