' Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'~ 1 Cor 15:51-52, 55-57
Three years ago when I was first diagnosed with cancer, I knew in my heart that everything was going to be OK, regardless of how it would end.
I didn't want to die, but I knew the destination if the iron jaws of death closed upon me.
The above passage, gave me great strength because I knew what I was experiencing was only temporary but with God, when it was over, eternity awaited with Christ.
Knowing this...for me, Death had no sting nor victory.
This is also true for others who know Christ as I know Him; as our Lord and Savior.
Recently, I was privileged to perform the funeral of a lady whom I had pastored; her daughter and I have become friends over the years.
The last few years were rough on my friend as she cared for her mother; but she displayed the compassion, grace and love that her mother had years earlier to others.
This affected me to some degree because this was a special lady; but I know she'll rise again at the resurrection of our Lord.
I had lost a good lady to the Lord; a good Christian woman who was special to me and my family. I can honestly say I am thankful her mind has been restored and that she is with now with her husband and son; but most importantly, with the Lord.
But this was not to be the end.
Not only was a wonderful lady lost from the Earth, but we also lost a wonderful man.
Just before the dawn of the New Year, a friend of mine passed away.
He saw beyond my personal faults, looked passed my shortcomings, and remains one of the few, honest, true friends that has ever graced my life.
Cancer claimed his life just as it had threaten to claim mine; though I am thankful he no longer suffers from that horrid disease, I will greatly miss him as will many, many more.
When he was about to retire (North American missionary) I can remember him telling me that he wanted to 'finish well.'
It was a clear reference to the Apostle Paul's writing, where he knew he was about to be executed but also knew that he had 'finished well' for the Lord.
My friend truly finished well.
In a way, I believe every Christian wants to finish well; truthfully, the idea of 'finishing well' was the entire reason behind the beginning of this blog. I wanted to give a faithful witness that would remain long after I died.
But I didn't die and the blog remains a mainstay for my ponderings about the faith.
Yet, every Christian should want to not only finish well, but to do well for the Lord before we leave this world.
My friend was more than 20 years my senior; yet, we shared a special bond.
He grew up in a time much different than mine; a time when the Church began to lose respect throughout the American culture for various reasons.
Today, Americans live in a culture which is not only post-modern but also post-Christian; we look to the past, seeing what has been lost in hopes of one day regaining the respect, honor and strength of witness we once had.
The question many of my generation ask of the elder generation is simply: 'How did it happen?' or more pointedly...'Why did you allow this to happen?'
Historically, Christians have thrived in a sub-culture everywhere in the world.
The so-called 'sub-culture' of Christians of more than a generation ago in America, I have learned, although I didn't want to believe it, were right on target.
Many were legalistic, shrewd, uptight and at times rejected the very grace, love and compassion God teaches us in His Word; but morally, they were dead on.
In that era, 'Good Christians' didn't drink, they didn't use drugs, they NEVER divorced, nor did they have multiple sexual partners.
They believed that they had been entrusted by God with His Holy Truth; as such, they handled it and themselves very carefully in the world.
As the Church and the world entered the 1960's, there was an optimism born from the winning of WWII & the economic boom of the previous decade. Things were bright in America.
But then....
A young, charismatic President was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Throughout the South, violence began to erupt as peaceful demonstrations went awry.
Political leaders wanted to stop Communism in Southeast Asia; to the tune of nearly 60,000 captured, killed or missing young American troops. At the time, everybody knew somebody who had died in Vietnam.
Jane Fonda betrayed our soldiers, the Beatles took music by storm, Cassius Clay dodged the draft, and Marilyn Monroe died; it seemed as if America's iconic heroes had died as well.
And while America achieved the grand accomplishment of reaching the moon by the end of the decade, Americans also became use to seeing war, violence, protesters, and assassinations on television as both Martin Luther King, Jr and Senator Robert Kennedy were both killed before the nation's eyes.And then there was the Church...
What did the church do?
Well, the church sort of blew it; while they had the truth of God, had the right intentions; yet, that generation failed at communicating God's truth to the youth of their time.
As a new, fresh air among America's youth began to be embraced, the old ways were tossed aside as a new morality was accepted; and the church responded by shunning millions.
Draft Cards were burned, as were bras.
Some fled to Canada; many took to the streets.
The youth who refused to accept any authority began to question every established institution, belief and leader as the Church's teaching was set aside for one's own doctrine and thought.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:6Alongside the political, musical, religious and societal changes came one change that few were prepared for → the Sexual Revolution.
With the Sexual Revolution came teen pregnancy, illegitimate births and public welfare because of family break-ups, divorce and single-parent homes.
As a result of this new promiscuity, out-breaks of new diseases occurred, including the most deadly in the 1980's: HIV AIDS.
Truthfully, that revolution did nothing but enslave women; for, it was the men who got to play and walk away when things stopped being fun.
So today, my generation, Generation X, is looking across society and we see a landscape unlike any that has ever existed; at the same time, the interactions of the generation which follows, our children's generation, is unlike anything we've ever seen.
It is as if society has morphed into something foreign and grotesque concerning faith and morality.
Today we are warned of the dangers associated with smoking, with binge drinking and with multiple sexual partners.
The public schools are more concerned with my children learning how and where to recycle than they are with children knowing how to sign their name in cursive writing.History textbooks are skewed towards the opinion of the highest bidder; the government's involvement in a single American's life is greater than it has ever been.
And Christians are beginning to struggle over the issue of legalized drugs and the Church as a whole struggles, trying to figure out how to get more people in their doors rather than getting the message of Jesus outside of their walls.
Yes, my friend's generation of Church was right; the old church was right.
The problem, however, was not the accuracy of their faith or morality; their mistake was in the fact that they did not know how to communicate God's truth to that particular generation.
In that generation, the Boomers, the young looked different, they acted different, they smelled different; and the Church did not know how to respond to them with the message of the Gospel.
Why did that generation cut loose on every traditional value in American society?
Well, I don't know; but I do know it was a cry for help, for few rebel without an internal reason.
That generation had the answers of God and failed at getting the message to them.
That generation of the Body of Christ missed their chance; Gen X, let's not miss ours.
In the 90's, Generation X was called the 'Forgotten Generation by the Church' because the Body of Christ had evangelistic outreach for the Boomers, who left the church in the 1960's and also for the Millennials who were born after Gen X.
Being forgotten seems to have been distinguishing characteristic of my generation.
We were the latch-key kids whose mothers (Boomers) decided it was better to go to work than raise and nurture a family.
Well, that is, if the mothers decided to give birth at all; for we are the first generation to live under legalized abortion. If a person is 42 years of age or younger, they need to thank God they were spared and made it out of the womb alive.
But I digress.
Generation X was neglected because the Boomers who returned wanted to reach their own; then realized they needed to focus on the younger generation - which were the Millennials.
As such, Generation X now holds the truth of God in our hands, for we are the leaders of the Body of Christ → we stand at a Crossroads.
Like my friend, we need to finish well.
Somehow along the way, the thought of Christians being killjoys and God being against the sinner prevails.
Friend, that is nothing less than the whisper of the Serpent from Eden.
The truth is, Christians are not the problem.
People don't lock their doors at night, being afraid to go out or walk down a city street because there is a Christian outside handing out a New Testament.
No, instead people are scared because there is a generation of people who thinks only of themselves, their desires and their own pleasures.
This is not a generational issue; this is a sin issue.
In the 1990's, they said we were 'Grungers'; a new style and new music followed.
Today, they are called 'Hipsters', with the same characteristics.
And yet, the same desires, thoughts and issues that plagued my generation when we were young are attacking those in their 20's today.
No, the generation does not matter; sin is still as deadly as it has ever been.
Thankfully, since the moment Eve placed her lips on the forbidden fruit, a Cross has risen on the horizon of humanity so that our sin may be eradicated.
Do you know what the problem is?
It's the problem of every generation.
Christians fail to see people as they really are; many times we see them as we want them to be and how they can be beneficial to us or our churches.
That, my friends, is wrong.
We must forget about what we think, and we must look to the transforming power of Jesus Christ so that we can see people as they really are in the flesh.
But also, through Christ's power, see them as they could be in Him.
You see, the past generation, missed their chance and the souls of those who walked away from the Gospel were enormous; although some were reclaimed.
But if they had opened their eyes, they would have seen that people who were traditional Christians, like my friend, and those advocating a radical change in society weren't really that far apart.
For example:
- They protested for the Equal Rights of an oppressed race; they were right. But where were they rooted? In the Gospel, for Jesus died for all and Paul proclaimed that there was neither Jew nor Greek, etc.
- That generation clamored for equality between men and women; good for them.
Do you know who raised women to a level equal with men? Jesus of Nazareth.
- The young Boomers screamed against the war in Vietnam; fine. I disagree with their stance but I do know where the basis of a 'Just War' originates and I do know who hates war more than anyone. His name is Jesus.
- Sexual promiscuity were at record heights in that generation; instead of condemning them, the right response would have been to see how Jesus dealt with the woman caught in adultery. He forgave her, for she was repentant and ashamed, and told her to 'go and sin no more.'
There were other issues, but you get the picture.
One might agree or disagree with the ideals and stances of the Boomer generation (I know I have a bone or two to pick with them) but that is irrelevant.
What is relevant is that their issues concern and are related to the Gospel.
You see, the Gospel advocates for all rights for all people, regardless of gender, age, or race.
Although millions do not realize this fact, the truth is that in the ancient world there is no precedent for the oppressed except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is timeless in it's truths because God is timeless Himself.
My friend did His best for the Lord throughout his life, witnessed to many of his fellow Boomers, let many to the Lord, left a lasting legacy and finished well for Jesus Christ.
Although I was not present to see this happen, I am certain, moments after he slipped into eternity, he heard the words every Christian longs to hear at the end of their life: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'
I pray that I will be able to do the same; but not only me but others whom God allows me to reach for His glory.
Our challenge is simple: To live and teach the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and reclaim the power Jesus gave us, so that we can take it to the world.
Tonight, I leave you with a passage which was one of my friend's favorite verses, in hopes that like my friend, Dick Howie, you and I might win a few for the good guys before we are reunited in eternity.
No comments:
Post a Comment