Faithful on Fridays Blog

In 1956 Johnny Cash, country singer and songwriter, recorded a breakthrough hit that has endured for decades: I Walk the Line. Here’s a sample of the lyrics:

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,

I keep my eyes wide open all the time.

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds,

Because you’re mine … I walk the line.

Even though he wrote those lyrics to his first wife his heart was undoubtedly crying out to God as well. He experienced many years of sinful behavior and heartache but God never turned his back on Johnny and slowly drew him back to his first love: Jesus.

Psalm 1:1-2 teaches us that truth as well:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. 

Walking the line, the straight and narrow, has a promised blessing given to those who choose God’s path for life. The Hebrew word for blessing means to keep advancing in our God-walk which results in peace, joy, and righteousness. The family who isn’t influenced by the ungodly walks in His blessings, the family who doesn’t take a stand for unrighteousness walks in His blessings, and the family who won’t take a seat with mockers of God will also walk in His blessings.

This believing family isn’t simply happy which indicates you have momentary, favorable circumstances in your life but the blessing of Psalm 1 is deeper than that; it’s God pouring out His love in tangible but also invisible ways as well. Experiencing peace and joy, welcomed into His presence, and clothed with spiritual power are included in this kind of family. 

Jesus instructed us about this walk of life:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 NLT

The Psalmist gave three warnings but also the antidote to receive His blessing: delight and meditate on God’s law. That’s not the Ten Commandments but God’s written directions for life that lead to His blessing. His Word promises all we need to be prosperous, successful, and productive in life but reading, thinking, or meditating on scripture will cost you something: time.

As you Walk the Line this week keep a ‘close watch on your heart’, spend some time with your ‘eyes wide open’ reading Jesus’ teachings and instructions and ‘keep the ends out for the tie that binds’ (thanks Johnny) and you’ll hit the bull’s eye every day experiencing a life of His blessings.

Tell Him today, “Because You’re mine … I walk the line.

 Eph. 1: 3-14

Have you ever opened a jar of whole pickles and noticed how they are tightly packed together and sealed? Well, that’s how Ephesians 1:3-14 seems to me. It’s one incredible, ginormous paragraph that Paul wrote while sitting in prison. He was undoubtedly encouraging himself as he penned those words of promise and revelation for our souls.

Before we begin these weeks of delving into his words it’s necessary for us to understand a key phrase: in Christ. Volumes could be written about this phrase but in a nutshell, being in Christ means that you are a faithful follower of Him through His forgiveness. He has taken away your sin and given you His righteousness. When that happens the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart and gives you divine guidance every day. Consequently, where we go, He goes. What we hear, He hears. What we see, He sees. Kinda scary, huh? When we are in Christ Jesus (‘in the Beloved’ or ‘in Him’) we receive a new identity; the old is gone and the new has come. We are no longer identified by our sinful self, the old man, but we receive a heavenly citizenship with heavenly privileges in the new man.

Now, when you think heavenly you probably think of when you die and go to heaven. Even though that’s true, that’s not what Paul is talking about. He’s talking about the here and now; he’s talking about those privileges that are given to us by the Spirit of God for today. 

Do you remember that God created us ‘in His image’? He desired a people who would willingly love and follow Him as a son follows a father. He made a representation of Himself in us and when we become His follower we are restored to that image. That’s being in Christ. Paul had a revelation of that image and in fact uses that phrase, and no one else does, over 30 times in the book of Ephesians and over 200 times in the rest of his writings! I think he’s making his point. It is crucial, as faithful followers of Christ, to internalize what it means to be in Him. 

Next week we’ll be unpacking those verses to see what legitimately belongs to us and be reminded of His promises. I want to walk through that paragraph in Eph. 1 with you and become, as Mark Driscoll says, revelation receivers. The Holy Spirit will give you new life as you read and meditate on His Word as it’s written to you, the Church, and no one else. Metaphorically, it’s the Head (Jesus) speaking to His body (us) in order for us to remain strong and enduring in faith. So, take a few moments this week to read and re-read those verses from Ephesians 1. You’ll be overwhelmed at first, everyone is, but watch for that key phrase, in Christ, and let it’s marvelous meaning flood your heart and mind.

We saw last week that Paul’s final destination was Rome since he appealed his case to Caesar Nero; it really wasn’t his idea, it was God’s Plan. It seems that preaching the gospel in the most prominent city of the world, Rome, was Paul’s final mission. 

Rome was a wealthy and extravagant hub that was filled with art, silver and gold treasures, famous writers and architects as well as the poor and those on government welfare. Nero was already preparing his famous Circus Maximus and Colosseum to not only provide public entertainment with gladiators and other showmen but for the persecution of Christians in just a few years.

We find Paul (Acts 27-28) on his journey by water to this formidable city with opportunities to show God’s power through the gifts of the Spirit as he prophesied of physical injury during a storm and final loss of the ship. An angel visited Paul in 27:22-24 and confirmed yet again Jesus’ own prophecy of his voyage to Rome. Paul alerted everyone and gave them courage that there would be no deaths and his faith in God will prove his words to be true. 

Sometimes evidence is what it takes for others to believe God’s power and our New Testament faith reflects that assurance that when God says it you can take it to the bank.

When the ship arrived on an island Paul had even more opportunities to show God’s power through divine healing of himself and others (vs. 4-8) before he arrived at Rome. Paul shows us how vital it is for us to be ready to share our faith whether in season, so to speak, or out. When we least expect it God will privilege us to share some aspect of our faith with someone who needs it; we simply need to be ready.

When he finally arrived in Rome his imprisonment continued for several years and Paul took every opportunity to write, preach, and teach those who came to hear him. We know he wrote four prison epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while incarcerated but he also had limited freedom to preach to great numbers of Jews and Gentiles alike. 

Paul boldly and openly focused on the Kingdom of God that was inaugurated with Jesus’ resurrection and proved His Kingship by testifying and teaching from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Many Jewish people responded to his teaching and many Gentiles responded to the evidence Paul gave of Jesus’ claims: undoubtedly His healings, deliverance from demons, and many miracles.

The Book of Acts began with God pouring out His Spirit on 120 people in an upper room and Paul’s writings teach us that He’s still doing it today for those who are open and willing. We can expect evidence of His power, as Paul did, as the Spirit gifts individuals at His discretion (1 Cor. 12:11): Our mission is to be ready and willing to be His representative on the earth.

God’s Family

The Church is Christ’s Church and He’s possessive, even jealous over her. He created and has sustained His Bride for two millennium and is returning on the last day to finalize the marriage. This love affair began in Jerusalem, advanced throughout the world, and is completing its circular cycle back to Jerusalem where Jesus will return. His Church is destined to remain His Bride and spouse for all eternity and Satan simply does not have the power to overthrow or vanquish her. He tries to triumph over her in futile attempts, however, Christ’s Church grows stronger with persecution. Truly a mystery. 

Corporately, we’re all in this family regardless of our time period in history or our place on the planet. We are a community of saints and for that reason the apostle Paul gave us instructions on family behavior. Families can be difficult, even dysfunctional, but we are encouraged by Jesus and other writers of the New Testament to forgive and love. It’s the same command in the Church family.

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone— especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:10 NLT

Since individual churches resemble families we lovingly care for one another in spite of our differences. We obviously won’t agree on everything, we’ll have different opinions and perspectives, but we’re commanded to love, forgive, and serve one another. There’s a unique sense of unity when you worship with your church family, fellowship over a meal, and celebrate Holy Communion together. The book of Acts tells us that when others observe this great joy and generosity among believers they are drawn to praise our Lord and often get saved as a result. That’s a good reason to experience this love relationship. 

Our church family is also the household of God. The way we conduct ourselves is seen by the community and speaks volumes. The Church is God’s household, His inheritance, His people, His kindred, and He desires to communicate to and through us by His Spirit. 

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 NLT

Let’s strive to develop family unity in our churches and depend on His Spirit to lead us in the way.

Paul’s personal testimony included a supernatural encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, however, the risen Christ appeared to him again in Acts 23:11 with an another assignment.

“Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Acts 23:11 

Even though it took several years Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled after Paul defended himself to three other rulers: Gov. Felix, Gov. Festus, and King Herod Agrippa. Paul seemed excited to share his faith with these influential men who were also used by God to keep him safe from the death threats of some Jewish leaders.

Acts 24:10-21 gives the account of Paul explaining his New Testament faith to Gov. Felix. He called it The Way and described his faith as worship of the God of our fathers, belief in the Law and Prophets (Old Testament), hope of the resurrection for both the just and the unjust, and a clear conscience toward God and man. In reality Paul connected his faith to his actions in life and the way he treated people. 

Felix and his Jewish wife Drusilla were intrigued by Paul who helped them connect the Old Testament to the New: the Jewish Messiah was Jesus. He reasoned with discussions of righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment; Paul knew good doctrine was important to faith since it gave credence to his beliefs.

In this historical account of Paul’s life from the second half of the Book of Acts we find Felix followed by Festus (Acts 25) who also wanted to know this infamous man named Paul. It was clear that Jesus’ prophecy must be fulfilled, therefore, Paul refused to go back to Jerusalem where his life was threatened and an unfair trial awaited him. He stood firmly in his rights as a Roman citizen and appealed to Caesar, subsequently Festus replied, ‘then to Caesar you shall go!’

The last ruler to hear Paul’s defense of his faith was King Agrippa (Acts 26) and he hit the king hard questioning why it’s too incredible to believe that God raises the dead? Paul repeated his experience with the risen Christ who spoke to him in Hebrew with the following assignment:

“… to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me.” Acts of the Apostles 26:18 

Paul completed his testimony to Agrippa by preaching the gospel: repentance from sin, the suffering and death of Christ in our place, and His resurrection from the dead. The king decided Paul was crazy thinking he could bring him to faith in Jesus and sent Paul on to Rome, to Nero. 

Paul knew his end was inevitable but had received courage from Jesus Himself in order to complete his assignment. He was ready to go.

Imagery of the Church

While Jesus walked this earth He was teaching and ministering to the future as well as the present Church. It was a concept that needed explanation and He used several wonderful word-pictures to help us understand the deeper meaning. 

The first one is that the universal Church is His Church; I will build My Church and the powers of hell will not conquer it (Matt. 16:18). He bought and paid for the Church with His own life and He’s passionate about her. This is an extremely personal and intimate image to comprehend. So intimate, in fact, that He used another word-picture for us: marriage. Being one with another person in marriage can’t get any more intimate but that’s the type of ‘oneness’ He wants us to understand. We are set apart for Him, a distinct people-group, like no other, and He’s as jealous for our time and attention as a husband for his wife. In this spiritual union or oneness with Christ we are reminded of our standing with Him throughout the New Testament. We are called holy and clean, glorious, without spot (blame) or blemish (guilt), and we are cared for. The Church is a glorious cameo of woman taken out of man and reunited to His side in love and commitment (Gen. 2:21-22). 

This picture of you and I united with Christ is true but sometimes we forget that it’s also a corporate truth as well. All believers, everywhere, from and for all time, are part of the Church: 

… all of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

The universal, corporate body of Christ may have different names, different styles, different languages, and even some different interpretations but Christ views all of us, in our unity as well as our diversity, as His very own bride whom He loves. He cleanses us with His Word, considers us faultless, and as we submit to the Church we submit to Him. This is a great mystery, but it’s an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. As I have traveled the nations God often reminds me of these truths. I’m able to worship and celebrate Him in the midst of Christian Arabs, French nuns, Germans, Italians, Greeks or Russians. One year I attended a Roman Catholic Church in Germany where the service was in Latin, the sermon was in German, and I speak only English. I asked God to show me how to participate with this body of believers and He did. I quietly sang my own words during the hymns and we all sang the ‘alleluias’ in the same language. It was inspiring.

Let’s constantly keep in mind the bigger picture of Christ and His Church, never forgetting that we’ll be attending services with those saints throughout the ages, from all cultures and perspectives, and we’ll experience unity with them. What a mystery yet a glorious image. 

As we approach the finish line in the Book of Acts we find Paul giving his personal testimony several times before groups of people (Ch. 22&26). Comparing those accounts with his actual salvation experience (Ch. 9) really drives home several valuable points concerning our own personal testimonies.

First of all, Paul knew his type of audience and spoke their language. Not just their literal language (like Hebrew or Greek) but also their cultural language: Jew or Gentile.

And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 1 Peter 3:15-16 

Paul gave us a great model for making our defense or well-reasoned argument for God’s participation in our life as he identified with his listeners (Acts 22:1). A good testimony is simply speaking to people about who God is and what He’s done in your life. When you share the love God demonstrated to you through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and allow that love to flow to others through your testimony people pay attention. 

I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise Your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that You alone are just. Psalms 71:15-16 

Your testimony is never focused on yourself or your background but always on Christ and how He saved a sinner like you.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 

Your personal testimony should be short and sweet, no more than 3-5 minutes long as you explain what God did, not what you did, in your life. When you share with others don’t use religious terms or quote the Bible but simply tell what your life was like before Christ, how you came to Christ, and your life after Christ. It’s as simple and yet as powerful as that.

Explaining to others, as the Spirit opens the door, how God changed your life through faith in Jesus gives others a sense of hope that if He’ll do it for you then maybe they have a chance. God uses a variety of ways to draw people to Himself; tell others how it happened to you even if it’s simply being raised in a Christian home, that’s OK; not everyone has a Damascus Road experience (Ch. 9).

… that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Colossians 4:3b-4c 

Final Episode- Good Friday

Irony. It’s when one thing is said and its opposite implied. That’s what Good Friday means to a Christian. How can it be ‘good’ when at the end of the day the plan is execution?

But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. Isaiah 53:10 NLT

I’ve shared some symbolic stories from the Old Testament in these last six Fridays of Lent, however, the death of Christ is not symbolism: it’s reality. Therefore, a final question must be asked. What does the descent of Jesus Christ into hell, Sheol, mean to me? What’s the value of those three days in my life?

First of all, Jesus’ presence in hell proves His authority over Satan. The evidence was presented, He was made sin itself, and that offering was validated. Secondly, the record of charges against us was expunged. God hit the ‘delete’ button and He erased our sin nature that Satan held over our head.

If that wasn’t enough, Jesus restores us spiritually to our position before the Fall. When He returns I believe we will be physically restored as well, but for now, as we eagerly await His return, we rest in that truth. It allows us to declare to the devil, as he tempts us to sin, that he was defeated by Christ. It allows us to stand against him, fight the good fight of faith, and be victorious in life now.

And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Ephesians 4:10 NLT

Jesus fulfilled every prophecy in scripture concerning the Messiah. He knew the Plan from the beginning and He accepted the mission. Now it’s our turn. Will we accept the mission to share our faith with others? Will we take every opportunity to bring a word of encouragement and hope to those who need it? 

I now understand more clearly the irony of Good Friday and what Paul was trying to convey in this passage. My hope is that this teaching conveys it to you.

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Philippians 1:20-24 NLT

As the Holy Spirit moved throughout the church in the early days (Acts 21) we find people regularly recognizing His voice and responding to it; what a great example of New Testament faith. Paul was confronted by some believers who told him, ‘through the Spirit’, not to go to Jerusalem (21:4) and when he arrived at another port, staying with Philip the evangelist and his daughters, he was urged again not to go to the Holy City. 

Let’s look at Philip a little closer, who’s called ‘one of the seven’ (vs. 8) and his daughters who regularly and accurately prophesied. Acts 6:3-5 describes the Twelve Apostles learning how to delegate; that’s an incredibly vital character trait of leaders. They undoubtedly saw how far they were being stretched studying the Word, preaching, teaching, and caring for people and realized others were needed to assume some of responsibilities to lighten their load allowing them to stay focused. 

Isn’t that true in our churches today? It’s important for our pastors to have the necessary time in their day to study and pray receiving revelation from the Spirit for their teaching and preaching; that time is crucial for our churches to grow and stay healthy. Paul later taught that the various ministries of the church would be the new way to ‘serve tables’ or care for people (1 Cor. 12). We need to understand that the pastor is not the end all of the church but only one facet of her ministry; the entire body of Christ is responsible for actively caring and loving her people.

What about these four women, the daughters of Philip? We’re only told that they prophesied or delivered God’s words of encouragement, strengthening, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:1-3), on the other hand, Paul also encountered Agabus (vs. 10-12) who operated in the church as a Prophet (Eph. 4:11-14) delivering his predictive message from God by prophetic act:

He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’”Acts of the Apostles 21:11 NLT

There was deep love among the believers toward Paul and they feared for his life but Paul wouldn’t be deterred by their emotion; he knew he’d not only be imprisoned but eventually die for the sake of the gospel. 

The prophesies were fulfilled in Jerusalem and Paul was arrested, beaten, and imprisoned (vs. 30-36) but he never lost focus of sharing his testimony of what God had accomplished in his life.

New Testament faith learns to recognize and respond to the Spirit’s voice and guidance but sometimes our emotions can interfere with our ability to accurately hear. When we spend time with God, seeking His will and ways we can be confident, as Paul was, for His will to be done.