Inspiration – Page 4

Am I a Bigot?

September 24, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Holding Worn Bible Sunlight Reverence - 900

The guy in the t-shirt promoting abortion, the sexual revolution, social victimization, and open borders said that I was a misogynist, legalist, and racial bigot because I did not agree with his t-shirt. Am I?

Honestly, I felt the arrow. Maybe I harbor hidden bias. Perhaps I don't love the world as Jesus does. Then I remembered some verses from the apostle John that give perspective.

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. -- 1 John 3:18-19 (ESV)

Our own hearts are not infallible in evaluating our standing in righteousness. God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything. His verdict is the one that matters. (Now, there is a t-shirt for Christians: God's verdict matters.)

What Does Love Look Like?

What does it mean to love the world? Well, we know God does. What does his love look like?

First, he didn't allow the world to define love or what was needed. He looked beyond the deceptive thoughts of people bound in sin, and blind to true beauty, and gave the only gift that would free us and restore the glory of humans. He gave to meet the needs we had misidentified, so we could enjoy a greater liberty than we could imagine.

In order to prove my love, do I have to agree with everyone? It would be anything but authentic love to promote what I believe is destructive.

Second, he gave himself at great cost. It wasn't just a theory he was promoting. He didn't give a new ideology or fresh idea on how to structure society. He came into our dilemma and accepted the eternal consequences of our condition so that we could enter his condition as righteous before God.

Third, he loved us as people. Each of us has a unique story of need, though we share a common alienation from God because of sin. Jesus doesn't deal with us as a subset of society classified by our ethnicity, sex, or social standing. He loves persons!

Authentic Love

Someone asked me if my biblical worldview prevented my loving the LGBTQ community. Instead, it compels me to love the people who may identify or be classified by those letters.

I know and love many people who have been classified in this subset -- and I am eager and willing to love many more. I am just not sure what loving a subset of society means. In order to prove my love, do I have to agree with the particular agenda of that subset? It would be anything but authentic love to promote what I believe is destructive. If Jesus had loved like that, he would have abandoned us to our own wishes, consigning us to the misery of self-delusion forever. I can respect their right to believe without affirming their belief to be right.

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Jesus' love was expressed in that while we were yet bound in deception and ignorant of our desperate condition, he did what was necessary to set us free. (See Romans 5:8.) Love is costly, and it expresses itself in actions. It cares more for the condition of another than for our own comfort and ease. (See 1 Corinthians 13.)

If I listen to the angry voices telling me who I am, I will either shrink from being real, or I will strike back and lose my sense of peace. Either way, I will be weak and cowardly. Confidence comes from knowing God's verdict and accepting it as final. That frees me to see any person as created in the image of God, valuable and worth loving. It also releases me to hear God, my Father when he lovingly tells me that I have hidden bias he wants to eliminate. I like being loved like that, and I want that for everyone.

Christianity Works Only in Its Most Radical Form

September 17, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Man carrying Cross Walking Christianity Devout Serious - 900

After 30 excruciating minutes of expressing deep frustration with his personal life, Peter confessed, "I gave up on Christianity during college days. It just didn't work." He went on to describe how hard he tried to stay inside the moral boundaries as outlined in the teaching of the Christian church he attended, but never could. In an effort to be authentic, he decided to abandon the standards and live like most of his friends.

Peter is an example of the thousands of former churchgoers who now identify on religious surveys as "nones." The now have no affiliation with a church. Some wear that identity as a badge of freedom from religion.

A Broken Form of Christianity

It is now coming to light that the form of Christianity that has been promoted for several generations is not the form that Jesus taught and lived. From the Roman Catholic's sex abuse scandal to the slowly dying Protestant congregations, to the garish consumer-driven spectacle affecting Evangelicalism, the evidence seems to suggest that something isn't working.

Disciples like those who brought transformation to cultures in the early days of the church are few today -- and rarely noticed by the church culture. The model disciple today seems more interested in gaining and maintaining relevance to the culture, rather than offering an alternative to the steady march toward meaninglessness.

The agenda of secular society is gaining momentum while we Christians try not to be perceived as contrarians. We must not offend. We must not confront. We must lose or ignore our convictions. We must change our core beliefs. All the while, millions are fraught with life-destroying addictions, dysfunctional relationships, and twisted identities.

Only Full Abandonment Satisfies

When the popular brand of Christianity eliminated the power of transformation from its core, multitudes were doomed to live in their spiritually defective condition with nothing stronger than willpower to confront their afflictions. It is no wonder we have normalized behavior that is prohibited by both Scripture and common sense. If we can't change, we must adapt. We now call that progress.

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Early Christianity offered radically changed lives, as evidenced by the apostle Paul's comments:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

-- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV)

The early church was not a gathering of good people trying to be better. They were captivated by the One who was raised from the dead. They had been transformed by him.

But radical Christianity is not just for the extreme outcast of society. Even regular church attendees are often beset by disappointment with their level of spirituality. They are discovering that a partial buy-in cheats the seeker. Any hold-back denies the bounty of grace. Only full abandonment to God's love satisfies the yearning of the human soul, which was designed to be loved fully.

Living By the Spirit

Jesus describes a life far beyond external standards and man's ability to achieve them. He spoke of forgiving your enemies. Turning your cheek to insults. Eliminating hatred, anger, lust, greed and vengeance. He described disciples as lights in the darkness, salt in society, and houses built on a foundation that no storm can topple.

He commanded people to do things they couldn't so he could do those things for them and through them. "Stretch forth your hand," he commanded a man with a withered hand. "Lazarus come forth," he said to a dead man. Later, his apostles followed suit, giving instructions that can only be obeyed by those born of the same Spirit that raised Jesus from death. "Love without hypocrisy," "outdo one another in showing honor," "bless those who persecute you," "live in harmony with one another." The implication is that when a Christian does these things, it is coming out of his new life -- the one he shares with Jesus by means of the indwelling Spirit.

Those who are born of the Spirit are infused with a radical love that demonstrates a radical alternative kingdom.

These displays of love have death-defying power in them. This kind of love cannot be defeated. It annihilates hate. It exterminates fear. It will not stop at the edge of human hardness. It will still be reigning when all the ideologies of history lie bankrupt in the pit of shame.

It Took a Radical Act of God to Redeem Us

The form of Christianity that settles for theological propositions, transcendent principles, altruistic projects, and moralistic practices doesn't work!

It took a radical act of God to redeem us. It required a costly death, a miraculous resurrection, and a glorious ascension. Nothing short of that would have solved our problem. The radical act of grace demands a radical response of faith. God's grace toward us does not produce a half-hearted moralist who is trying to get better. Those who are born of the Spirit are infused with a radical love that demonstrates a radical alternative kingdom.

Watch That Vending Machine!

September 13, 2018 by Dudley Hall

I was surprised to discover that some 1700 people are injured each year from vending machines, including 2-4 fatalities. But after some thought, I can identify. I have shaken more than one and even kicked a few. After all, those menacing thieves just take your money and stand there with no apology, and they offer no recourse.

Then, I thought about the people I know who have perceived of God as a vending machine. They have kicked him, shaken him, and finally rejected him just because he didn't belch out the goody they thought they were getting when they did their part.

It is easy to see why so many view God in this way. We live in a transactional world. We have been sufficiently warned that there is no free lunch. You get what you pay for.

Sadly, the message of the church is often a transactional one. We hear it often, as some spokesperson for God reminds us that if we only put in the right coinage, God will spit out the blessing we have selected. We merely need to know the currency that he accepts and identify the buttons to press.

Kicking the Vending Machine

Myrtle was a handful. I'm told she was once the beauty of the town. Now, however, she looked hard and hopeless. She demanded her way in the local church, the community and in her dysfunctional marriage.

When a counselor asked why she was so negative, she revealed that God had let her down. She had prayed for her sick child to be healed, but the three-year-old girl had died. "Prayer doesn't work." She said. "God is a hoax. If he were any good at all, he would hear the prayers of hurting people like me."

For Myrtle, prayer was the coinage inserted into the vending machine god. It malfunctioned.

Charles and Sarah had returned from the mission field. They were not only tired from years of hard service in poor living conditions, but they were also depleted in their souls.

They had been eager to go and serve the poor and lost, assured that God would bless them for their sacrifice. They did not see much success from their work, and their own children had turned against God and the church. "I just feel like God let us down," Charles mumbled.

Avoid the Vending Machine God

We don't do well trying to negotiate with God. We don't have anything he really needs. He has negotiated with himself to provide for us what we really need. God the Father promised some humans unimaginable blessings for their obedience. No one could fully obey. God the Son became a human and obeyed. He received the fulfillment of the promise.

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Our only hope is to be included in the Son's identity. That is exactly what he offers. We buy without money and without price. (See Isaiah 55:1.) It is true that nothing is free. Jesus paid a heavy price for our privilege of enjoying fellowship with God. His radical grace calls for a radical faith that embraces his life as our own. We then find ourselves giving and serving out of his abundance rather than in an effort to gain it.

Avoid the vending machine god. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has prepared for us a feast-table in the presence of our enemies. Humbly we accept his invitation to "come and dine." His blessings are beyond number, and his willingness to bless is beyond measure.

Lessons From Elijah on Depression

July 30, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Considering all the reports about the plague of depression affecting all ages in our society, we are looking for some answers. We just finished up a two-week training course for young men ages 16-25. I was amazed that so many of them describe depression and anxiety as a significant problem for them and their peer group. There is no age group immune to this growing angst. Maybe we can find some help from an incident recorded in Scripture. It is found in 1 Kings 18-19.

In summary, Israel was in rebellion against God and the prophets of Baal were influencing the society in destructive ways. Elijah forced a confrontation with them by challenging them to a god-contest. The god that would answer by sending fire on the altar would be the winner. The Baal prophets went first and spent hours begging their god to respond. Nothing happened. Then Elijah built an altar and even poured water on it and around it. When he prayed, the God of Israel answered by consuming the whole thing, water and all. Israel responded by declaring that Jehovah was the true God after all. The prophets of Baal were slain, and Elijah took off for the capital city. He was pumped by the victory on Mt. Carmel.

But then he learned that Jezebel, the wife of the weakling king Ahab, had put out a contract on his life. This time, instead of running with the favor of God upon him, he ran in fear deep into the desert. He knew he didn't have the right to kill himself, but he begged God to take his life. He was exhausted, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. All the color had faded from his vision. His hope was very dim.

God’s Response to Depression

It is here that we learn of God's approach to this condition.

Your value is inestimable. We need you. Jezebel is not the final word. Her threats are empty.

First, he met Elijah's physical needs. An angel of the Lord baked him bread and provided fresh water. He encouraged him to sleep. We are beings with bodies. We aren't just souls or spirits. Sometimes we must address the physical aspects of our life. Sometimes nourishment and sleep are needed more than going to another church meeting. Of course, there are those who think the physical is all that matters and would treat such exhaustion with chemicals only. Their personal worldview does not allow for us being more than body and mind.

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Second, God met Elijah's psychological need. The angel touched him and talked to him. We are unique beings that include a psychological makeup that needs care. A touch from a friend is a healing balm for one experiencing isolation. We thank God for those skilled in listening and drawing us out of our darkness. But, we are more than minds and feelings.

Third, God met Elijah's spiritual needs. All the talk in the world will not meet the needs that lie behind the psychological. We are spiritual beings. We thrive on truth. When lies have lodged in our minds and doubts have captured our hearts, we need an encounter with the living truth who loves unconditionally.

Hearing the Gentle Voice of God

Being energized by the help of the angel of the Lord, Elijah went down to Mt. Horeb and entered a cave. This is Mt. Sinai, where Moses had met with God. Some say that the cave that Elijah entered was the same as the one Moses was in when God passed by and showed him his goodness. (See Exodus 34.)

Elijah was looking for God. He had seen God do mighty things in the Baal contest, but things had gone wrong since then. Jezebel was not supposed to have happened. Why would God let this wicked woman cause such turmoil? Maybe Elijah had tried putting God in his own mental box. He needed to see the true majesty of God. He can't be bribed with our obedience, coerced by our passion, or contained in our imagination. He can reveal himself in the might of the wind, the terror of an earthquake, or the awe of fire, but he is not limited to those.

God repeatedly asked Elijah what he was doing there. It wasn't because God needed the information. Elijah needed to face his disappointment and hear the gentle voice of God telling him to get on with his assignment. God can't be boxed. He refuses to be bribed. But he is willing to work with his weak and wounded children without rebuke or rejection.

Give God the Final Word

Depression is serious. We grieve over lives lost because people gave up hope. There can be many influences that push us there. We must not be embarrassed to acknowledge that we are physical, psychological, spiritual beings that need help. We aren't designed to make it without each other, and certainly not without God. God cares for the whole person. He has angels, both human and spiritual that can help. Please don't give up.

The cave is an excellent place to encounter God's grace, but he will send you out of it to complete your assignment. Your value is inestimable. We need you. Jezebel is not the final word. Her threats are empty. God's word, revealing himself to you, is life-giving and eternal. Listen for the gentle voice of God.

Being Human is Awesome, but Terrifying

July 7, 2018 by Dudley Hall

I guess the first time it hit me was at 25 years old. We had our first child, David, and as I stood looking through the window to the hospital nursery, I thought, "This child will live eternally in either heaven or hell, and I have been charged with the responsibility to guide him. Oh, my!" Being human is terrifying. What was God thinking to grant such power to humans that we can affect his creation so radically? It is an awesome reality. What is so awesome and terrifying about being human?

Designed to Name and Rule

Humans are creatures made by a creator with the design to rule over creation for its good and God's glory. The fact that we are humans means that we are limited. In other words, we are not the creator. We do not know everything (omniscience), nor do we have power over everything (omnipotence). And, of course, we cannot be everywhere at once (omnipresence). God designed us to rule over creation while worshipping our sovereign and loving creator. It is awesome beyond comprehension.

We have been granted the status of sons of God, conveying our privilege of relating to him as father and being heirs in his family. We are his partners in his earthly work. We are to discover and develop the treasures of creation and structure them to reflect his majestic creativity and love. The first human received the capacity and responsibility to name the animals. That means that we can discern the true nature of things so that we can manage them properly. When we misname, we mismanage.

Designed to Decide

Humans have a design of either male or female. They are equal and mostly the same, but their differences are significant. They represent the constant dynamic of structure and creativity. It has been described as order being challenged by chaos for the purpose of growth. God designed male and female humans to be interdependent. The first female came from the male. All other offspring came from the female. Not only are both essential to life on earth, but their differences are also sacred. All attempts to erase the differences are attacks on reality. The end of such efforts will not be good. It will be less than humanity’s design calls for.

Because of our design, we are decision-makers and our decisions matter. In fact, every decision we make moves the whole world toward chaos or ordered life. There are no inconsequential decisions. We never take a day off from making world-changing decisions. That is terrifying! It means that what I do affects others who don't even know what I am doing.

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For instance, when I disregard a healthy diet, I am affecting my wife, who will probably be the primary caregiver if I am sick. It affects whether my grandchildren will have quality time with their grandpa, which will affect the trajectory of their lives, which will affect their grandchildren. It affects those whose jobs my work provides, which affects their families and future. It affects the entire healthcare system in the nation and the world… ad infinitum. It's awesome. I can change the world today! It might be only a slight change, but it is change no less. I should want desperately to change it for good.

Designed for Purpose Beyond Weakness

There is a problem. Humans are not only limited by their "creatureliness," we are wounded by our sinfulness. Like our first parents, we are burdened with guilt over rebellious actions, shamed by our spiritual nakedness, and fearful of rejection and death.

Sadly, we followed not only the path of Adam and Eve but also that of Cain. He had the choice to confront his error and correct it but chose to see himself as the mistreated oppressed. His resentment led to hostility toward his brother, and finally, Cain eliminated him. Cain demonstrated that one cannot live without gratitude, and resentment makes gratitude impossible. History records the various attempts to live meaningfully without addressing the "fallenness" problem. Millions have died needlessly because some humans tried to manage the creation without considering the default selfishness of all fallen humans.

The burden of being a human beset by debilitating weaknesses, but conscious that our decisions matter is too heavy for many. They want another reality, so they become substitute creators and make up new ones. Some have declared that only a few elite are capable of managing the rest, and have found ways to construct governments which first serve but ultimately enslave the masses.

Designed for Restoration

Some have removed the creator and surmised that the only reality that counts must come from us, so we make our own meaning. Others conclude that there is no meaning to our decisions. They don’t matter in the long run, because no long run exists. We could go on. The proposals are numerous -- all with a guarantee of failure.

There is great news. God, our creator, is also our Redeemer. He has acted in history to restore humans to their original design. He became a man in Jesus and reversed what Adam and Eve did. Like Abel, he offered the proper and final offering, forever removing rejection from those who trust him. We are human again. It is awesome. Let's change the world today.

God is Building His Church. Just Keep the Light On

June 3, 2018 by Dudley Hall

When I left my little country church and went off to the university to prepare for my calling as a minister, I felt a little intimidated by those who came from larger churches with more sophisticated ministries. After all, there wasn't much in the way of entertaining church services at my church.

Mr. Jack would lead the congregational singing, but many of the hymns seemed to drag unnecessarily. Mrs. Mildred would play the piano in a kind of staccato style. The same deacons took up the offering every Sunday. The pastor was in training at a Bible school and came to the church field only on weekends. Well, you get the picture. I was tempted to be embarrassed by my church.

But, we must remember that God has not made provision for a plan B. It is his Church, and he is committed to its success.

God is Building His Church

It seems there are many today who embarrassed by the Church. It takes a beating in the media, which is to be expected, but it also is being dismissed by its own. Some are even demanding it catch up with the culture as if the culture were the norm for truth and morality.

It is easy to find things wrong with churches and even the Church at large. After all, it is made up of humans who have confessed to being sinners and needy of God's grace. The Lord we worship is perfect, but all the rest of us are in-process, discovering more of his love and being transformed at different paces.

But, we must remember that God has not made provision for a plan B. It is his Church, and he is committed to its success. He is building it. When all other social structures have fallen, it will still be standing.

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Keep the Light On

Here's the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey used to say). It was a Wednesday night prayer meeting at my country church. The usual 15-20 people were there. The same folks were praying similar prayers. A visitor slipped in. Of course, in such a small, tight-knit group, he stood out. You could see whispers during the prayer meeting as members were asking each other who it might be.

Finally, just before the benediction, he stood and asked if he could say something.

You don't know me, but I am a traveling salesman. My route brings me by this church on Wednesdays twice a month, on my way to Atlanta. I have been doing this for most of twenty years. I did not go to church as a boy and have not seen the need for whatever churches do. But, I always noticed that regardless of the weather there was a light on here. I have been by on cold rainy nights when only three cars were parked, but your light was on, and you were here.

I've had some hard times lately, and in the middle of it all, I have come to know Jesus as my Savior and Lord. One of the reasons I could never fully dismiss the reality of God was my memory of this church and the light always being on. Thank you.

Not perfect. Not sophisticated. Not highly trained. Not entertaining. But they kept the light on. So, will the Church of the living God.

Scratching the Adam Itch

May 22, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Recently, I have been bothered by a foot fungus like Ring Worm. It seriously itches! Finally, I consulted with a doctor and progress is being made. Also, I have learned something about an itch. It begs to be scratched, and it feels so good at the time -- but it doesn't help the cure. I first heard the term, "Adam's Itch" from Alan Bias when he was referring to our tendency to gravitate toward the Law rather than the Spirit.

Since the shame of the Garden of Eden, humans have sought to regain glory by striving to live up to a standard of acceptance. That is what the apostle Paul called "flesh." It is futile and egregious.

For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. -- Romans 8:7 (ESV)

It reveals a blindness to the depth of sin and gives rise to efforts to make up for our wrongs. Sin is much more than a violation of a standard. It is the choice to yield to the mastery of evil. We continue to sin because we are slaves to the evil power behind it. The existence of the Law is not sufficient to overcome it.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. -- Romans 7:15-17 (ESV)

As I referenced earlier, an itch begs to be scratched. The Adam Itch is no different.

The Adam Itch

The tendency to rely on human efforts to qualify for blessings also reveals a misunderstanding about relating to God on the basis of Covenant. The "If you will obey, I will bless" concept from the Old Covenant is undoubtedly true. God cannot bless disobedience. If we either deny his order in life or ignore it, we will move into disorder. But obedience must be complete.

When it was evident that God's vessels of mercy couldn't fully obey, God instituted another covenant in which Jesus as our representative obeyed and received all the blessings of the fulfilled covenant. We are blessed in him alone. Our efforts to gain personal blessings apart from trusting him are dead works.

As I referenced earlier, an itch begs to be scratched. The Adam Itch is no different. People like to hear formulas for success based on something we can do. We love doing more and trying harder. We rush to listen to the newest sales pitch about how to get God's favor by practicing a new approach to obedience.

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The Fast God Has Chosen

One of the texts that many use as a formula for success is Isaiah 58. It addresses the people of Israel as they are practicing their worship activities with vigor. They are scrupulously doing what the instructions said regarding temple worship, including fasting and praying for guidance for their own direction. Yet, God is not responding.

They are perplexed. They have pulled the lever of religious obedience, and he is not delivering the expected blessings. They are practicing "Israel's folly." They have interpreted God's selection of them as an end in itself. They are oblivious to the needs of the society around them. They evidently believe "God chose us for us." Fasting was an extreme form of showing sincerity and zeal. They were serious about getting God to act in their behalf (much like alarmed Christians in today's culture). They had chosen a severe fast, but it had to do with their efforts to qualify for God's intervention. Through the prophet Isaiah, God explains that the fast he has chosen is not the same as the one they have chosen. He chose Israel to be vessels of mercy to bless those around them. He will act consistently with his own mercy towards the Israel that chooses that fast.

There was only one Israelite that chose that fast. He represented the whole people of God when he came as Messiah.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. -- Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

The next time someone is offering to scratch your "Adam Itch," refuse. It feels good for the moment, but it is inflaming the problem.

Blessed to Bless

Since he met the conditions Isaiah had given in chapter 58, he gets the benefits mentioned in the remainder of the text. There are several "thens" listed:

Then, your light shall break forth, and God's righteousness will protect you. (Isaiah 58:8) Then God answers your request with his own presence. (Isaiah 58:9) Then, your original glory is restored. You will be fully human again. (Isaiah 58:10-12) Then, you will live in the delight of the Lord. (Isaiah 58:14)

Jesus lived with such blessings. The good news is that because we who believe in him are in him, we receive such blessings based on his obedience. Because Jesus fasted in this way, we can feast on his obedience. One of the blessings we get but can overlook is vitally important. We get to share his mission. We can't just gather the blessings for ourselves like Israel was doing. He was our representative in covenant with the Father. We are his representatives on earth. We extend his mission by embracing our calling as vessels of mercy, sent to bless the world. We are blessed to bless. God loves those who still endure the curse of sin, so he has sent us with the love that captured us. The blessings continue to flow through us toward those in need.

The next time someone is offering to scratch your "Adam Itch," refuse. It feels good for the moment, but it is inflaming the problem. There is no religious lever to pull. If you want to do something, focus on Jesus. Trust him. Delight in him. Look up and see those around you whom he loves and extend your hand to make the connection. The river of grace flowing through you to others will stop the itch.

Does God Govern in the Affairs of Men?

April 26, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Illustrated Hand of God holding World Governments Flags Nations Control - 900

Benjamin Franklin in his address at the Continental Congress expressed his belief that God is active in the affairs of men and that humans who build and administer government must look to him. He said, "I have lived Sir a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of the truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men."

As storm clouds continue to rise in our politically unstable world, many feel like the sky is falling. They might believe in God, but they aren't sure how much he acts to intervene in the affairs of nations. We can find comfort in the story of how God intervened in Egypt in the time of Abraham's descendants.

Sold Into Slavery… For the Sake of the World?

Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, was mistreated by his own brothers, and it led to quite a strange journey for him. Sold to merchants, he was a slave in Egypt. Though he acted appropriately, he was accused falsely, thrown into prison, and forgotten by those he helped. However, when the Pharaoh needed a manager, Joseph was ready.

And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. -- Genesis 45:7 ESV

Joseph spoke these words to his brothers who had sold him into slavery which had caused a lot of pain in his life. However, he became the ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh dispensing the food to those affected by famine. He recognized that God's grace had been ruling even in the sinful and selfish acts of the brothers.

We must not define the grace of God in terms of ease or comfort. God's grace is so big that it rules in every circumstance to bring about God's loving purposes, without violating the dignity of human choice. Joseph knew that it wasn't all about him. God would one day have a nation that would display his order in the world. Joseph was a link in the chain, a sub-story in the big story. Ultimately that nation would be made up of those submitting to the kingdom of God as expressed in Jesus, the king.

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God’s Grace Even Through Israel’s Slavery

God's way includes placing his image bearers right in the middle of the world's crises to rule for the benefit of many people -- and they rule by serving. Joseph is the prime example. He was strategic to God's plan to bless not only those starving in famine but also those who would live centuries later. If Joseph had not been there, Jacob's family would have died, and there would have been no Israel, no kingdom, no Messiah, no salvation.

Grace was working from the big picture of global blessing. What looked like injustice and catastrophe at the time was woven together by grace to bring the Savior to the world.

God’s grace is never uninvolved in time or history. He moves things along toward his goal of displaying his unimaginable goodness.

God even manifested his grace through Israel's slavery. After Joseph brought his family to live in Egypt to survive the famine, they lived there approximately 400 years. But the subsequent government leaders were harsh in their treatment and regarded them as slaves. This abuse prepared the people for a deliverer. Comfortable people don't cry for a Savior.

Because of their harsh treatment, but mostly because God had made a promise to Abraham, God showed his mighty strength to take his people out of Egypt. The whole known world got to see the mighty hand of God displayed in behalf of his people.

God’s Grace is Still at Working Today

God’s grace is never uninvolved in time or history. He moves things along toward his goal of displaying his unimaginable goodness.

He is involved in our lives today. What might look like total disaster, is God's opportunity to reveal his loving control of all things. It is not time to run for the hills in fear. It is time to lift our heads. God has enough grace to reveal his sovereign grace in our day.

We don't faint with fear. We march with confidence. God has a purpose, and he will accomplish it -- and we get to participate. Since He is active, we are.

Jesus the Gardener

March 30, 2018 by Dudley Hall

The Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene, designed by C.T.G. Formilli (1927 – 1932), is seen in the Brompton Oratory (Immaculate heart of Mary) Catholic church in London, England.

Jesus has many titles. He is the Son of God; the Son of man; the Lamb; the Messiah; etc. But seldom do we call him the gardener. Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for a gardener when she went to the tomb on Sunday morning and couldn't find Jesus' body. She asked him where the body had been taken so that she could attend to it. He revealed himself as the resurrected Lord. But there is a real sense in which her mistaken assumption was correct: that he was the gardener.

Adam was the first gardener. He was created by God to manage the Garden of Eden with a view to expanding to the whole world. It has always been God's intention to rule the earth through his human partners -- one garden at a time. We are all too familiar with the story of how Adam and Eve sinned and were exiled from the Garden. A curse came upon all the earth because of their sin, and the garden of the earth felt the effects of neglect, including all societal structures.

Authority Over Creation

Later, God chose the descendants of Abraham as his partners and gave them a land to manage. They too sinned and were exiled into Babylonian captivity. Then, God sent his Son. He appeared as the final Adam, and as corporate Israel, to accomplish what neither of them could. After he had paid the cost of their failure, he arose from the dead -- in a garden, as the first fruits of a new creation. Those who are "in Him" are assigned to manage the new garden.

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While with his disciples before his death, he had shown them what it looked like. He sent them out into the villages to herald the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Since he sent them, they had his authority to heal, cleanse and deliver. He spent 40 days after his resurrection with various disciples speaking to them about the nature and implementation of the Kingdom. Then he ascended to the right hand of the Father. Finally, there was a man (God-man) ruling God's creation.

It has been testified somewhere,

"What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that your care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Now in putting everything in subjection to him he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him, But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

-- Hebrews 2:6-9

Heralding the Presence of His Kingdom

After his ascension, the disciples were sent to the whole world to herald the presence of the Kingdom of God. This is the mission of the church in our day. It is what we do in the meantime based on what Jesus has already done while we wait until we receive resurrected bodies in the culmination of the new creation.

We are working in his garden under his loving rule. We are privileged to be his partners sharing in his life and mission. We live with confidence in him though we face daunting tasks while living in a world that reels from the chaos of sin. The great news is that He is already on the throne and no one rivals him. He wins, and we share in his victory. As we glimpse at the garden through the eyes of John, the human author of The Revelation (chapters 21-22), we see the garden in the final form.

Let's identify our personal gardens and get to work.

He Called My Name

March 26, 2018 by Dudley Hall

Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus who had been healed by him. She was deeply grieved at his death. Though disillusioned, on the first day of the week she came to the tomb where Jesus had been placed. He was gone.

As of yet, none of the disciples understood about the resurrection. For Mary, confusion was mounting. She had hoped that Jesus would restore Israel to a place of prominence in the world and thereby judge her enemies. She had some vague notion of a final resurrection of the dead, but Jewish teaching concerning such an event was sketchy.

She had watched the obvious evil in the civil and religious authorities as they unjustly put Jesus on trial and brutally crucified him. And then to top it all off, his body was missing. She couldn't even grieve properly. Her world must have been spinning out of control. Stressed beyond belief, she was begging what looked like the gardener, to tell her what they had done with the body. She was willing to get it and find a suitable place for it.

Fully Known, Fully Loved

Then, one word settled her soul.

Like a stiff breeze blows away the fog; like a flipped switch vanishes darkness in a scary attic; like the first sight of home for a child lost in the woods, that word brought immediate comfort. He called her name, "Mary."

She no longer needed to know all the "why's." She knew she could trust. Everything made sense, though it no longer had to. He had defeated death. He was alive. He knew her, and he still loved her.

He knows me. He knows me thoroughly.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether ... My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. -- Psalms 139:1-4, 15

We, humans, tend to think that we can't be both fully loved and fully known at the same time. We fear that if someone fully knows us, they surely won't fully love us -- so we hide the true self, hoping for love. We would like to be transparent. It would shed our hypocrisy and make us feel more authentic, but it is too costly. If others ever discover what goes on in the dungeon of our inner being, or even if they discover what we have done, we will be lucky to avoid jail. Needing love, we trade away being known.

Jesus knows. And he loves us fully.

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God Has Acted. New We Respond.

He has gone before us to live an obedient life in our behalf, thereby reaping the rewards that he transfers to us. He has died to fulfill justice. He has been resurrected from the dead to verify the divine acceptance of his sacrifice. He detoured his trip to the right hand of the Father to tell his disciples that all has been done to assure our participation in his eternal life. He came out to tell Mary and all other disciples that He knows not only our name but everything about us -- and he loves us.

What does it mean that he both knows and loves us?

Your sins are forgiven. Jesus' resurrection verifies God's acceptance of his sacrifice. The final sacrifice has been made. There is no need to try to pay for personal sins. Your shame has been covered. No more hiding behind the bushes in the garden. He sees through your bushes and loves you still. You are no longer categorized as a hostile. You are in the family with the rights of a son. Your body will also be resurrected. You share his life in total. One day your now decaying body will be resurrected like his. Your life can be empowered now by the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave. He will respect your choice. But you do make a choice. God has acted. Now we respond. If he is not raised, the whole Jesus' story is a myth. Forget about admiring the teaching of Jesus as a great moral leader. If there is no resurrection he is a fraud. If he is raised, it is the only way through death to life. No one else has died and been resurrected to never die again.

Listen! Do you hear him calling your name?

Where Does God Live?

March 16, 2018 by Dudley Hall

majestic sunset over misty mountains+++image composite+++

Humanity has always searched for the secret of life, the holy grail, the source of wisdom -- the throne of God. We tell captivating stories about the search. We make blockbuster movies about it. The heart looks desperately for ultimate reality; where God lives.

We all need a god to trust. It is part of our being. We are trusting someone or something at all times. Some are looking to the mysteries of magic. Others take pilgrimages to the past. Still others are enamored with the fantasies of the future. The search is universal in its practice.

Well, there is some hope. The prophet Isaiah records the words of God:

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite..." Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

It seems that God has two addresses. He lives beyond time and space, and He lives with those who know they need Him.

The High and Holy Place

First, let's examine the high and holy place. It doesn't mean that God delights to distance Himself from us. It means that He is by nature in another category from us. He is not the projection of our own imaginations. He is not humanity in a better state. He is distinct. He is creator, rather than creature. He is the source of life, rather than the recipient. He gives without diminishing His resources. He loves without condition. He is beyond time, and He transcends space.

Humankind did not make Him in our image. We are made in His. He is beyond the capacity of man's imagination; deeper than the speculation of the wise man; better than the best of all things. He is so high that He must descend to our level of cognition. He is so omniscient He must reveal for us to know him. He is just in every decision and merciful in every act.

With the Low and Contrite

Yet, He so wants us to know and enjoy Him that He became a human like us so we could relate. We can't and don't need to ascend to the heavens to find Hhim. We are not required to deny our humanity to please Him. He has come to us--to do for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. He has done the work necessary for our reconciliation, and then He has quickened our spirit to know both our need and His provision.

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He can be found with the person who has a contrite heart. That is the one who has been awakened to the perversion of his own heart. He or she has paused in judgment of the wickedness of others to confront the potential of evil in their own heart. The evil of Adolph Hitler is the same evil that lies in the human heart. Unless it is overcome by the power of the cross, it will manifest in ways that bring embarrassment and destruction. The contrite know this.

They also know that God loves to revive the lowly. Only He can give hope to helpless slaves of sin. He can be trusted. He has never failed to keep His promise. He is good and can't do bad!

The search reaches its goal when we realize that God has found us.

The Lord Has Spoken

February 28, 2018 by Dudley Hall

A favorite scene in the popular movie Forrest Gump shows Forrest running and a crowd following him. He has been running for two years and not saying a word. He stops, and the following crowd can’t wait to hear his profound first words. After the breathless pause, he says, “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now."

Not the profundity they were expecting! When people, whom we deem significant, finally speak we long to hear what they say. Who is the most significant person in the universe? Of course, it is God himself. When he speaks, something happens.

He spoke, and creation came into existence. He spoke to Moses, and Israel as a covenant people came into existence. He spoke fully by sending Jesus as the Word of God to reveal his thoughts in a way that any hearing heart could understand.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son whom he appointed he heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. -- Hebrews 1:1-2

Jesus, Lord Over All

Jesus has been made Lord over all (Acts 2:36), and his words carry the weight of sovereignty. Contrary to current fantasies, everyone's words do not have the same weight of truth. Jesus is truth, and all his words are true. As he closes out the most famous sermon ever preached, he said,

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. -- Matthew 7:24-27

The significance of this declaration was that Jesus was differentiating between his interpretation of truth and that which the religious leaders had called the word of God. Even today, Bible verses interpreted without the aid of Jesus, the living Word, are a form of manmade religion, and they can be very dangerous.

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The Foundation of Truth

The cosmic battle has always been about the truth of what God says. The serpent challenged God's word to Adam and Eve. Pagan religions denied the word of God as it was given to Israel. Herod tried to stop the word of God from being fulfilled by killing the young boys when Jesus was born. The Pharisees had replaced the word of God with their own traditions.

Jesus told a parable about his kingdom in terms of sowing seed, and it revealed the various responses to the word of God. The devil stole some of the seeds. Some were scorched by persecution. Some were choked by the busyness of daily life. Some fell on good soil and produced fruit -- the same fruit as the wise man who built on the rock. It is a clear teaching of scripture that the words of the Lord are essential.

We can reject them in favor of some other opinion. Or we can neglect them by refusing to take advantage of their availability. Either way, we lose. Neglect has the same effect as rejection in this case. The word does not produce life.

A house built on anything but the rock-solid truth of God's word revealed in Jesus is going to fall at some point.

The original Liar is actively replacing God's truth with lies. These lies that replace the word will produce death. One of the most prominent lies is that we can ignore the words of the Lord and still succeed in his creation. But his words don't fail.

A house built on anything but the rock-solid truth of God's word revealed in Jesus is going to fall at some point. The rain will come. The winds will blow. The house will fall. Whether it is one's personal life, the family, the business, the church, or the government -- it will not stand.

Listening to the Lord

God has shown his mercy in giving us his word and the promised power to align with it. Rejecting his mercy is serious. He will continue to love the fallen as a Father cares for his children, and there is no pit too deep that he can't deliver, but there are consequences that follow foolishness -- which cause pain to many.

It is not a light thing when a person or a society rejects or neglects the word of God. Mocking Jesus and his words might seem to be funny on late-night talk shows, but there are rains coming to reveal the foolishness of such.

But there is great promise to those who hear and embrace the word of the sovereign Lord. A house built on that solid foundation will withstand whatever comes against it. It will be productive as the seed of the word grows. Since Jesus is Lord, we should listen to his word and be eager to make it a priority to implement it in every aspect of our lives.

Jesus is lord -- and he has spoken! What he says is profound. Listen. Hear. Build your house on it.

What Does Love Look Like?

Authentic Love

A Broken Form of Christianity

Only Full Abandonment Satisfies

Living By the Spirit

It Took a Radical Act of God to Redeem Us

Kicking the Vending Machine

Avoid the Vending Machine God

God’s Response to Depression

Hearing the Gentle Voice of God

Give God the Final Word

Designed to Name and Rule

Designed to Decide

Designed for Purpose Beyond Weakness

Designed for Restoration

God is Building His Church

Keep the Light On

The Adam Itch

The Fast God Has Chosen

Blessed to Bless

Sold Into Slavery… For the Sake of the World?

God’s Grace Even Through Israel’s Slavery

God’s Grace is Still at Working Today

Authority Over Creation

Heralding the Presence of His Kingdom

Fully Known, Fully Loved

God Has Acted. New We Respond.

The High and Holy Place

With the Low and Contrite

Jesus, Lord Over All

The Foundation of Truth

Listening to the Lord

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