Confusion, Truth & Grace

“We often confuse what we wish for with what is.” 

― Neil Gaiman, MirrorMask

The Christian is, quite simply, a child of God by adoption through the power of the Holy Spirit as He imputes grace in our souls while our sins are taken away.
God is immutable, omnipotent, and acts with finality.
Therefore, when God gives us His grace and takes away our sins, making the individual a child of God; the act of God is as permanent as His Son dying on the Cross.

Friends, that is what is - and it will always be.

Yet, when we sin, when we fall short, when we betray, when we act contrary to who we know we are and should be - we will forget the truth, as guilt overtakes our consciousness. 
If I could wave a wand and make one thing in the New Year different for every Christian's life, it would be that we never forget who we are and whose we are - regardless of our actions and thoughts to the contrary.

The various branches of the Orthodox Church use a massive amount of art and icons which point to Jesus; this is what we are to do as the "living stones" Peter spoke of so many years ago.
Yet, we must go beyond being an 'icon' for Jesus and be real, tangible; and being a true reflection of the Lord is never easy. 
Generally, we fall way, way short; but so does the art of the Church.

The art and icons of Christianity often portray Jesus as a tame, mild-mannered man.
But the Gospels show us a man who was far from tame; certainly, a man never tamed by the world or the religious structure.
Jesus is seen in the four Gospels with searing honesty, righteous bluntness and at times, He had little tact.
Jesus was unpredictable; for most, He was even hard to understand.

The problem with man modern Christians is that they want a tame Jesus; or, to put it another way, the 'Sunday School Jesus.'
But Jesus of Nazareth is unlike any person who has ever lived.

Do you know what the difference is between Jesus Christ and you or me?
You and I try to "live the life" of being a Christian.
Jesus Christ is the Life.

Unlike many in the Body of Christ today, Jesus was and is the sinless friend of sinners.
I wish more could say the same today; but most cannot.

In His time, the religious types rejected Jesus because He simply didn't fit their preconceived notions as to what the Messiah should be. 
Like many good Christians, He just didn't fit the religious mold.
Today, I believe we are doing the same thing in the opposite direction; while in His time, He was rejected because He didn't fit the religious model of the day, in our time the Gospels are being so dumbed down in many churches that Jesus means very little.
In some churches, Jesus is more like a benevolent, spiritual Santa Claus rather than a crucified, risen and returning Lord.

On the other side of the pew, there are still those to whom Jesus does not fit their pious attitude.
The truth is piety at the price of rejecting the very people Jesus loved makes for confusion among the brethren rather than unity.
Jesus had grace toward the sinner, while owning an unending hostility toward sin.

Remember the woman who was caught in the act of adultery?
Jesus' simple command was 'go and sin no more' after calling her 'daughter.'
And I believe in that one simple act, Jesus showed us the Father's true feelings concerning our sin in our lives; compassion for the weak sinner and forgiveness for the truly repentant.

Sadly, we live in a time when some would want to soften Jesus' hard line on morality or misrepresent it.
After the era of gay bashing, ostracizing divorced believers, hurting rather than helping those caught in sexual sin - it isn't hard to see why many in the world think the church is the enemy of sinners rather than their friend like Jesus.

Before Jesus was arrested, with His disciples, He boldly stated, 'I am the way...'
Another time, 'I and my Father, are One.'
If Jesus is not God, then He was one of the worst deluded people who has ever lived.
In contrast, Moses would have never compared Himself with Yahweh and certainly Mohammed would have never stated, 'I and Allah are the same.'

I bring these statement to the forefront because they show that Jesus was never confused about His identity nor His role in this world.
How unlike Christians today!

But Jesus' entire life stands or falls on His claim that He is indeed God in flesh.
I cannot trust His promise of forgiveness and grace unless He can back it up with authority.
Calvary and the Cross is either the greatest act of love for fallen mankind or it is the worst form of cosmic child abuse in history.
In His live and death, Jesus is the corrective to all our notions and assumptions about God; He showed us exactly who God is, what He does and how much you and I mean to Him.

That is why, without confusion, Jesus is who I want God to be.
And He is who I want to direct others to, without confusion, as I model His love and grace in my life.

Jesus is history's grand focal point.
Things begin to get fuzzy when we start to debate endlessly of our free will and divine Providence; yet, if we concentrate on Jesus and how He treated actual people in real pain, our mission in this world clears up considerably.

Jesus brought God near; He is Emmanuel. 
And Jesus reveals a God who comes in search of us; a God who seeks us in love.
The Koran never once applies the word 'love' to God; it is sad and so different than the New Testament Christ who knows that God is Love.

When Pilate stepped out before the angry mobs and stated, 'Behold, the man...' he could have just as easily said, 'Behold, the best example of humanity.'
For in Jesus, we see a God who would rather die for us than to allow you and I to die without Him.

Not long ago, I was facing death; not in a flash of a second, but in a real way, painful way, a manner in which my body was deteriorating quickly.
When I prayed, as others in the same condition do, I prayed in facing death to the One who has died; He knew all of what I was experiencing because in His love, He too died.

Scripture teaches us that by Jesus' wounds we are healed; not by His miracles, not by His teachings, but by His wounds - in other words, by the power of His sacrificial blood.

Now, that healing is first spiritual; but at times it is also physical.
I know, because I experienced both; the spiritual deliverance many years ago and the physical deliverance more recently from cancer.
But what I experienced is only a foreshadowing of what Jesus will bring to all believers in a massive, universal way.

As we go forward in this life, remember that we live our lives on 'Humanity's Saturday.'
We live in a time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday; it's Saturday to the world because Christ hasn't returned to resurrect the saints.
Our history is taking place between the promise and fulfillment.

It is a day which has no name, but should be lived to the fullest, without confusion, in truth and full of grace.
Until next time,  Happy New Year and go win one for the good guys.

Miracles & Suffering

In the past two years, God has allowed me to struggle with cancer, a defunct spleen, lose half a lung, a hurtful church experience and still be gracious enough to let me survive.

Yet, when I speak of having cancer and surviving, I have noticed various reactions that seem common.

For example, my Charismatic/Pentecostal friends look quite perplexed when I speak of my cancer in terms of the doctrine of suffering, while fully rejoicing in being healed.
On the other hand, my Baptist/Evangelical friends embrace the suffering and will state something like, 'You did suffer...and here's why..!' 

It is as if they have the solution to the question before it is fully developed; at the same time being skeptical of a supernatural healing.


The truth is that we live in a highly scientific age where knowledge is being communicated at a rate which has never occurred before in human history.
As such, the science of medicine sometimes replaces the science of good theology in explaining the unexplainable.
Still, there are true miracles and they are rare; if not, miracles would be called 'ordinaries.' 

I have known since I was a very small child that miracles were real and that they still take place in our modern world; yet, being real, I have wondered why there are so few of them.
On the floor of the hospital where I received the information that I would live and was cancer-free, I remember children being there - and they weren't expected to live.
Why are some people healed (like I have been) and not others?

This is a questions that I cannot answer, but I do know that miracles and other acts of God should not be theologically dissected.
Instead, miracles should be thought of as 'snap shots;' things that take place in the world which tell us a little more about God.

In looking to Jesus' first miracle, it took place in a town archaeologists cannot agree on with regards to location, is odd, and Jesus never even came close to repeating anything like it again.

The miracle of turning Water into Wine took place in a town called Cana during a wedding. 
Weddings in the Ancient Near East brought a shot of joy for a brief time into a drab life of the first century Jew.
At this particular wedding, the wine began to run out and while we are taught in Sunday School that this is of utmost importance, the truth is that it wasn't really a high emergency. 
The host or groom may have been slightly embarrassed over this social faux pas but that about it.
In this wedding Mary, His mother, seems to have been the host and she is the one who got Jesus involved; He turned water into wine.

If you think of a miracle as something that God performs locally showing what He is doing universally, this miracle and all others take on an entirely different meaning.
With me personally, I know that my human body conducts healing every day; but when I was healed of cancer, the healing and regeneration of cells took place at a much more rapid pace, to the point where it was eradicated in weeks.
Now, this wasn't as flashy or stunning as Jesus touching my body and commanding me to 'arise and walk,' but His power is just as effective.

Another thing I have noticed over the past two years is that fewer Christians today ask why God allowed certain things to happen; instead, this generation shows its pride by having the tendency to blame God.

In Scripture, the Gospels tell an account where the Pharisees and religious leader point out to Jesus a man who had been blind from birth.
They ask, as we might, 'who sinned? This man or his parents?'
In our language, they were asking if birth defects were caused by this man sinning in utero or if his parents sinned so horribly that it was imputed to the child in utero.
The Pharisees taught that either of these could be possible.

At this, Jesus overturned the common thoughts of the day concerning God and our suffering/sickness.
He simply said, 'Neither. It is so that the glory of God can be revealed...'
Then, of course, Jesus healed him.

But when Jesus said those words, you could have probably heard the grass grow.
He had an entirely different outlook concerning sickness and suffering.
Jesus looked forward to what God can do; He looked not at 'why' but 'to what end' is this man suffering.
The answer was that nobody sinned; rather, God's power might be displayed within him.
And this account - it isn't about sin, nor about the Pharisees stubbornness to look with the faithful eye; rather, it is about everyone's blindness, not the man's.

In my mind, I have no idea why I was sick as young or as bad as I was.
At first, I believed God wanted me to learn something in particular; to an extent I still believe that today.
But on the other hand, I also believe that my sickness wasn't about me at all.
Was my sickness about my inability to see or about the spiritual sickness of others?

I'll only know in eternity; I am willing to wait.

With miracles, I have found that faith may indeed produce miracles, but miracles do not necessarily produce faith.
This is true in Scripture and it is true in our time as well.
Jesus once healed ten lepers, only one returned to thank him - today, I wonder if the one would return.

When I was sick, every person in my church could see it and they knew it when I was healed.

But after a few weeks, I could read faces from the pulpit - the majority just wasn't that impressed.
Instead of producing more faith, the miracle within me seemed to produce antagonism towards me and my family with some. 
And I don't know how to explain this - but I have seen it repeated in the lives of others.

Studying Jesus' miracles in the Gospels are quite interesting.
Do you realize that Jesus healed any disease He wanted, but encountered sinners that He simply could not convince or convert?
In fact, the strongest words of grace, the greatest reaching for the lost Jesus ever did, were aimed at those who remained unrepentant.

In looking over today's modern 'miracle ministry;' I see little correlation to what Jesus did on earth; nor do I see His power.
The things that plagued the religious establishment in the first century still plague religious people today; hypocrisy, legalism, pride and the like.
Each of these are true spiritual problems that slice the jugular of the Body of Christ; yet, there are no know television ministry which deals with these things; only the material needs of life.
And this reveals to us a horrid truth about ourselves, we may be tormented at physical suffering; seldom are we tormented by our own sin.

After the feeding of the 5,000, John records later that many people who had been following Him left. It wasn't that they didn't believe the miracle; they believed it, but couldn't accept the teaching which followed in the days afterward.
This alone proves that miracles rarely encourage repentance and long term faith.
Maybe that's what happened at my former church; maybe that's what happens daily in each of our lives as we accept the natural explanations for supernatural occurrences.

Life today, for us, I tend to think of it as being on earth during that time between Lazarus' death and Jesus showing up and raising him from the dead.

It is here where we know the power of the Lord; yet we struggle to believe, while at the same time we want to believe amid the chaos and confusion of the world.

And in this chaotic state before the Lord's return, remember we are destined to face trials, the doctrine of suffering is still valid; for, if they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, the world isn't going to be convinced when someone rises from the dead.

Do you know what happened when the religious elite saw that Lazarus had been resuscitated to life by Jesus?
They tried to kill him again.

Do you know what happened to John the Baptist when he was sentenced to death?
He was later executed.

You see, Jesus did not solve the problem of pain and suffering in this world; this is not why Jesus came into the world.
But Jesus did counteract the fallen world and its pain.
As He walked this earth, every healing pointed back to Eden and forward to the Kingdom He will one day establish.

I have learned during this journey that Jesus Christ doesn't like what happened to me concerning cancer; but in His miracles I can see what He intends to do about it in the future.
And this brings me great hope.

For, Jesus' miracles are not supernatural at all; rather, they are natural occurrences in a fallen, unnatural world.
He is what is right and will set the wrongs of the universe aright when He returns.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.

Grace & Rejects

At Christmas, the world comes alive; without question, something is different than at any other time of the year.
Those who rarely go to church or praise God, suddenly are thinking of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth.

Things are different because, suddenly, Jesus is everywhere; He becomes inescapable.
And in this inescapable time of the Lord, I would ask that you think with me about those who are outside of grace; those who do not know the Christ; those who have been rejected by society, but can be accepted by God.

The greatest communication of who Jesus was is not of the Nativity Scenes with the Christ-child in the manger; although that is what is foremost in our minds at this time of year.
Instead, the best communication of grace through every day believers; that's where people get the real meaning of 'God with Us.'

Quite possibly, the best witness you can ever have is when we exercise our freely given grace with those who are vastly different than we are.
I'm certain everyone knows these people, the 'different' ones that are often rejected in life.
You know, different than 'normal' Christians, like bikers, poor people, foreigners or even gays. 

In a nearby church, those who were not of middle or upper class were customarily looked down upon by others. And it is often this way with those who are poor.
And while we will chide one another about this lack of grace towards the poor and rightly state that it ought not be that way, I must ask of our attitudes towards the homosexual as a Christian with the message of grace?

Among those that claim to be gay you will find that many of them do not want to be.
Throw out the window all issues concerning equality, same-sex unions and the like; forget about the recent public advances of the gay community. The truth still remains many homosexuals are tortured within themselves because they do not want to be gay.

The reason, quite simply, is because of the pain that is involved; regardless of how it is tossed

out in conversation, when a person claiming to be a Christian describes a homosexual as a 'Faggot,' it hurts them.

It also damages Christ's image, grace mercy and love.
Somehow, I cannot imagine Jesus using hurtful words in this way.
Jesus would condemn the act as a sin, He would point to forgiveness, He would ask the individual repent; but Jesus wouldn't hurt another person with His Words.

I use this example of homosexuality because it is an issue where people are truly on totally opposite sides; there is little 'grey' areas.
It is also a Biblical/Christian issue as well as a Societal issue; at some point, the Christian must decide how they are going to treat those who are different from them; especially on this issue because homosexuals have been hurt and vilified for years by misguided believers who seemed to spew more hate than love.

Grace is available for any sinner; and because it is available, Christians ought to be the people on earth who lead the charge in loving any person different than themselves.
And if you are a Christian who does not believe God's mercy and grace CAN extend to homosexuals, I'm  not sure you understand the nature of grace or of God.

This issue stirs within me because of something I saw up close and in person a few years ago.
At a particular event, I saw one of the most sickening things I have ever witnessed by a so-called 'church,' which owns national fame, protesting soldiers' deaths. 
They demonstrated, holding signs which said, "Praising God for AIDS."

To them, to anyone, I would ask simply, 'Have you ever seen an AIDS patient?'
AIDS patients closely resemble Cancer patients; while I don't know what its like to have AIDS, I do know what it is like to begin to waste away because of Cancer.
I would wish neither plague on any human being.

To those who seek to hurt others or ignore other people who are seeking grace and God, I cannot argue them out of their beliefs or deeply rooted passions.
But whether it is homosexuals, divorcees, unwed mothers, murderers or any other active sin in a person's life, I can only point to a revised, old truth:

Jesus loves them...this we know, for the Bible tells us so.

What I have found in my life, so many are familiar with judgement and not compassion from Christians and the Church.
We are the Body of Christ and should be reminded, the place where judgment and compassion meet is called Grace. 
Is this not what we see on the Cross?
Compassion and Judgment met; thereby giving us grace.

I recently read of 'Spatula Ministries.'
It has this name referencing the phrase, 'Scrape me off the ceiling with a spatula!'

This ministry was founded by a mother whose son confessed to her he was gay.
The mother didn't know how to deal with the issue, nor do literally thousands of parents and siblings. She founded the ministry organization more than thirty years ago, but parents and children are still dealing with the same, timeless issues all such families encounter.

Yet, this ministry has now become a healing place for those with gay children; it allows thousands of people to grow in grace and not reject their child whom God has given them; but to love them for who they are.

Now, this particular blog is about genuinely showing grace to others, especially those whom society and churches routinely reject.
I can think of no group of people who have been more rejected throughout the centuries than homosexuals. I can also think of no other group of people who need grace from the Body of Christ as much as homosexuals do because they have been so hurt by the actions of our fore-bearers and ourselves.

But ultimately, regardless of the sin, we are speaking of grace and rejects.

When I was headed to the desert in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, I was instructed that I should make my own funeral plans before I left.
It was odd being in my mid-30's and writing my own obituary; but I wrote the entire service and even picked who was to speak and sing.

During that time, I didn't really think about what others would say at my funeral.
But today, if my funeral was to take place and someone stood up and said:
"Pastor Jack loved the people our society has rejected..."

I would be perfectly happy into eternity.
The reason is because that's exactly what Jesus did.

Somehow, the church has gotten into this habit of rejecting those who are different.
As evidence, I point to the 11:00 hour on a Sunday morning; there is no time more segregated int he United States. 
Millions of people who have hundreds of things in common, including their faith, stay away from each other due to the minor difference in the color of their skin.

One reason, I believe, we don't show grace to one another over our differences is because we think being nice to each other means acceptance of sin.
That's not true.

Let me give you an example:
As a minister, I can never approve of divorce because it is disobedience to God, with the exception of the Biblical reasons we are permitted to divorce.
If I did support divorce for any grounds, for either party, at any time - it would betray my beliefs.
Yet, initiating a divorce for an non-Biblical reason is no greater sin than lying.


Therefore, a person in such a situation doesn't need a Christian beating them in the head with a Bible; they need open arms and an open heart to comfort them because they are hurting.


Another reason I believe Christians don't show grace is because it requires an element of self-cost; theologically speaking.
For example, the cost of God extending forgiveness to us was His Son dying on the Cross.

If you and I choose to extend forgiveness and grace to others, it must cost something from us or it is not truly grace.

It is also easier to condemn others than to extend grace.
But isn't this what Jesus attacked in the Sermon on the Mount; our willingness to accuse others of murder and have anger/hate in our hearts? 
You see, grace and understanding for any sin dies when the attitude becomes, 'us verses them.'

When Jesus came to earth, there were Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes; each of these groups teaching various moral methods and rules; each deriving their authority from what we now call the Old Testament.
Jesus began to minister and He then reduced the mark of a true believer down to one, single, solitary word - Love.

John 13:35

 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

If we could obey that command, we would conquer all bigotry and all logic of other religions in the world.

You see, the Christian is to be different than any other type of person in the world; just as December is different than any other time of the year.
People who have money or power tend to draw up lists of 'friends' and 'enemies.' 
The Christian is to do the exact opposite, we are to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and pray for those who seek to harm us.

The truth is that power without Godly love can become reckless and abusive.
Love without boundaries and grace can lessen the meaning of Godly love altogether and become a charity rather than a ministry.


The Christian, above all other people, knows in his/her heart to serve others who are different than we are; different spiritually, materially and even ethically.
We are to do this, not because they deserve it but because they do not deserve it.
Is this not what God extended to us in grace; for we are taught, 'While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.'

Hospice, AA, and Mother Teresa - the founders of these ministries and the people associated with these ministries faced a life-changing decision.
They could either spout out a Christian doctrine and talk a good fight; or, they could base something on Godly, Christian principles that was needed to those who were hurting and disperse grace.

Today, very few people can tell me who preached the sermon, 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'
Yet, very few can be found who have not been touched by either Hospice or Alcoholics Anonymous or the Ministry to the Sick and Dying that Mother Teresa founded.

The message is that those who have been rejected by the world, hurt by others and been sidelined by society; it is these to whom we are to extend our grace God has given us.

If you want to make a difference for the Lord this Christmas, don't simply decorate a tree or a house; decorate your life with trophies of grace.
And that grace is to be given to those who need it most.

Simply, in the words of our Lord, 'What you do unto the least of these, you have done unto me.'

Until next time, win one for the good guys.