The Living Water of Easter

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you Living Water." 

John 4:10 

To me, this is the greatest time of year...it is the Easter Season.

Tomorrow is Good Friday; it is the day which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth; the Lamb of God dying for the sin of the world.

Due to that one, final act of God Himself in the atonement for sin, Christians often say that God has provided a way, 'to set you free...'
The implication is 'free from sin, free from guilt, free from being enslaved by the pleasures of

natural things that have overtaken our senses in this life.'
And all of this is indeed true.

Yet the problem is that most Christians struggle with living what they believe; therefore, saying 'God can set you free,' often sounds more like an advertising slogan than a theological and spiritual truth.

If Jesus Christ is the most important person who has ever lived, and I would argue that He is because of the follow facts:
- More music has been written of Jesus than of any other subject in the history of the world.
- More literature has been written on the subject of the Christ and Christianity than on any other subject ever known.
- More art has donned the walls and hall of palaces, humble homes and museums concerning the Bible and the Christ than of any other person or thing in the world.
- More students have studied Him and His Work, more followers have pursued Him and more martyrs of willingly died in His name than of any other Work, pursuit or name on planet earth.
- Jesus on Nazareth has influenced more people in politics, education, science and, of course, religion than all other people combined. 
- He has contributed, through His teachings and followers, to more of the poverty stricken being fed, clothed and housed; more orphans cared for and adopted; and more recovery centers for drug-addicted, alcoholics and unwed mothers than that of any other person or teaching that has ever existed.

I might also add that there is no more controversial or debated subject in the last two-thousand years than Jesus of Nazareth. 

Given these statements, I submit there has never been a more important person who has ever lived in the history of the World.
And this being true, the day of His death should be considered the most important day that has transpired since the Creation of the Universe by the very hands of God Himself.
A day, which, was later validated in its work through Christ's own Resurrection; for without the Christ dying for the sin of mankind, there is no need for a Resurrection to life.

Having said this, there is still the problem of our faith being more of a slogan than a reality in life. 
You see, for most people outside the Church, it does not matter what people SAY they believe; it matters what their life demonstrates in their belief.

The non-believing world sees exactly what we can see in society from Christians and non-Christians alike.
Unfortunately, for both, the divorce rates are very similar.
The cases of sexual, physical and mental abuse among those claiming to be Christians and those claiming no faith at all are strikingly close.
As for charitable giving, do Christians even still tithe?
And for the strong pro-life Catholic faith, the rates of abortion for those claiming to be Catholic are higher than any other religious group and higher than the national average.

These are just a handful of facts, but it is evident as to why our modern hypocrisy tends to drive people away even when our faith and theology is correct.
There are no words we can speak if our actions according to our professed faith repel people.

For the Christian, especially at this time of year, it should all be about showing God's love in a practical way.
In other words, demonstrating the 'Living Water' we are supposed to be in the world.

One man rightly said:
"The Church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members."
                                                                                          ~ Wm. Temple

Yet, sometimes we forget that we aren't in church for ourselves, but to worship God in His Glory.
We don't give to support a minister or a Church, we tithe to worship God.
We aren't supposed to do anything that reflects upon us but rather shows the reflection of God through us.
We are to give grace as we have been given; to those in need, whether it is a helping hand or a loving heart.

The Church, therefore, does not exist for itself, but for those who need to be touched by the grace of God which was made available to us through Christ's work, which took place in six hours, long ago, on the first Good Friday.

Those outside the Church, if we are blessed enough, may very well at times accept the Christian at face value concerning the 'transformed life' we say we have.
This is especially true if our lives have evolved into that 'Living Water' Jesus spoke of so long ago to the Samaritan Woman.

Some may even admire our 'conversational' prayers with God known among Evangelicals or those with a deep Spiritual life.

The individual Christian's friendliness, optimism, joy...these things often surprise people who have a stereotypical view of what it means to be and act like a Christian.
Many only have what they have heard of Christians to go on; when they finally do meet this animal called an 'Evangelical' or a 'Christian,' our words and actions either validate what they have suspected or it is so different that they thirst for more.

That's what Jesus meant when He spoke of 'Living Water.'

Yet, the one problem we do have as Christians, a problem that we can NEVER shake, nor should we desire to shake, is the fact of our theology.
Christian theology is unlike any theology of any other religious faith; it is now, and will always remain a barrier...and here's why:

- The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is baffling; to some it is utter nonsense because even a kindergarten-aged child can tell  you 1+1+1 does not equal ONE. But in God's economy, it does.

- The Doctrine of the Atonement is confusing. 
The Atonement is the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for the sin of mankind so that the wrath of God would be appeased; this reconciled man to God and God to man.
That means that the Christian MUST believe that Jesus of Nazareth died for every sin that has ever been committed by every person who has ever lived or will ever live.
To some, this is not only confusing, but also down right insanity.

And, by the way, most Christians cannot articulate clearly for themselves or anyone else how one man so long ago can satisfy God's Wrath during a six-hour period in Jerusalem during the first century.
This too, adds to our difficulty.

- The Doctrine of the Virgin Birth, again, another cornerstone teaching of the faith.
Yet, this teaching is so controversial and so unscientific that many Christians have abandoned belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Believe it or not, statistically, there are more followers of Islam who believe in the Virgin Birth than Christians.

- The Doctrine of Grace and Forgiveness; this teaching is the one most people cannot accept.
While the others have their difficulties, if a person is seeking and inclined to believe in 'a' god, usually they will come to these and be open to acceptance.
Yet, when it comes to grace and forgiveness, this becomes a road block because nobody gets something for nothing in our world.

The teaching is that mankind could not save himself, so God did it for us and extends to us grace and forgiveness if we believe on Him and the work of Jesus Christ.
It's that simple; there's no reward-based good work program to get into Heaven. 
There is nothing we can do to earn heaven or forgiveness.
Grace is by faith, which is the only way to please God in the first place.

You see, if we could earn forgiveness or if we deserved forgiveness, then it wouldn't be grace.

Grace is something that you need but don't deserve; this is what makes Christianity different than any other religious faith on earth.

These things I have mentioned, while seemingly simple to a Christian, are very difficult for a non-believer to overcome.
These will remain a barrier because, Biblically speaking, they cannot yet see.
The non-believer does not have spiritual eyes of faith or an unlocked heart by love.

Due to our belief and our theology, Christians are, by the very definition of our name, a subculture within any society where we are found.

Now, there are some who will make sweeping promises to non-believers, teaching that everything is going to be better and even make you wealthy if you believe.
Somehow, in their minds, greater faith is to propel people into a privileged class.
But honestly, this only works for a little while; eventually, the show leaves town and the people who were hurting before they arrived hurt long after they are gone.

The truth is that the Christian faces the same struggles as everybody else.
Jesus isn't a pill that remedies all our ills; the faith should not be treated as such.
As Christians, we aren't guides; only God can guide us to Himself, but He does use His people to reflect His nature in the world.

A person once told me, concerning people coming to the Lord, 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...'
They were right, but my job isn't to force Living Water down any person's throat; my job is to help make them thirsty.

You see, true followers of God have no claim on any type of moral superiority; any person that truly comes to God comes to Him out of need, nothing else.
The Christian moves forward and grows in God's Truth, not by making all the right decisions; instead, it is more about responding appropriately to all the wrong choices we and others have made.

Above all else, the individual Christian and our churches, should be known as people and the places through whom God dispenses His grace.

The truth is that most people draw conclusions about God and His Church and His Faith by observing other Christians.
You see, the vast majority of people will never read Christian Theology; yet, they will know true belief of a Christian by watching them.

All the more reason to seek to become Living Water.

Sometimes Christians get in a rut and we whine about the help we need to God; yet, we must never forget that we are the ones that God uses to help others.
Again, Living Water.

Those who remain skeptical through the magic of Christmas and the wonder of Easter are such because they cannot see beyond our human fallibility.
In short, they have seen Christians like Jacob, men who live in a ethical netherworld; or like David, who was a moral failure; or like Peter, someone who denies even the Lord. 

In other words, they have seen churches speak of missions but know that the particular church cannot think beyond its own parking lot. 
Living Water must flow beyond the borders of our normal thinking.

Often, Christians are accused of being judgmental.
Well, when I'm tempted to judge another, even after all I have been through in my life with cancer and with churches, I remember that I, the individual Christian, I am the one who embodies God's presence on the Earth today.

And the same is true for you.
You and me, with our failures, our sins, our shortcomings. 
Each person is different in how we have fallen short of the glory of God; yet, we've all fallen short for we falter in various ways.

Although this is true, I'll give you another truth: God chose us to embody His presence on earth because we are now, what people need to become - recipients of grace.
And while we may have failed at the faith in the past, those failures are never final because God redeems all things unto Himself and restores them.


As He does with our life, so He can do with the lives of others; our destiny, regardless of what has happened, is eternity with Him...in His perfection, forever.


Until next time, win one for the good guys as Living Water.

Prayer & Results

I am going to ask a question that millions upon millions of people wonder about each day of their lives:

"What is the deal with prayer?"

Every religion has 'prayer' or 'time of meditation' as a facet of belief and practice; yet, we do not fully understand what we are doing or what is happening except to say that we are communicating with God Himself.

Let me say this before I miscommunicate truth; there is only ONE faith which leads to God - the Christian Faith.
There is only ONE Savior of humanity: Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.
And the believer's destiny is simple: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

As far as prayer goes, it is simple; while remaining complex.
A child understands it; yet, the greatest theological mind cannot decipher prayers' depths.
Personally, I've always wondered was Jesus actually talking to Himself when He prayed, since He boldly stated the fact, 'I and My Father are One.'

Then there is the issue of 'how long are we to pray?'
Some can spend hours upon hours in prayer, gaining callouses on their knees and fervency in their spirit.
Others pray quietly, simply, even directly...so much so that it may seem they hardly pray at all in what might be described as the normal or usual 'format.'
Then there are those who are like me → I rarely spend hours in prayer, but rarely does an hour go by without communicating with God in prayer.

Prayer is not so simple after all.

Without question, without hesitation, without reservation, I KNOW I was healed by God, largely due to the power of the prayers of the faithful.
But I also know that there are millions of people who have even more people praying for them in their life-threatening situations; yet, they won't be healed or delivered.
Knowing this, it begs a question concerning the 'answering' of prayers and how prayer works.

Does prayer influence God's decision?
If I pray enough to I gain favor?
Since faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, does that mean I have little faith in prayer because I've never moved a mountain?

The truth is that anybody who has been a Christian very long knows what it is like to have a prayer that goes unanswered.
Yet, the Christian will rarely back down when confronted with a prayer not being answered; we tend to be very faithful and loyal to believing in the power of prayer.
Interestingly, though we believe in prayer, most Christians don't engage in it regularly and certainly, none of us do the same way.

Though Christians do have their issues and disagreements concerning prayer, I do wonder if any of us understand what is actually taking place.

In reading a recent book, I came across some great thoughts and images concerning prayer:

George Muller, the great compassionate man who cared for more than 10,000 of Britain's orphans began each day passionately pleading with God to meet the astronomical needs of the orphanage he oversaw.

Bishop Lancelot Andrews (Church of England) would spend 5 hours every day in prayer.

Charles Simeon, we are told, rose each day at 0400 to begin a 4-hour regimen in prayer. 
At this, most modern Christians would joke, 'Do you know what the '0' stands for in '0400?' 
'O' my God it's early!'

The Sleepless Ones, is a unique name for a group of nuns in a particular order who pray in shifts so that every minute of every 24-hour period so that there is constant prayer taking place.

The legendary Susanna Wesley had a brood of children giving her little peace or quiet. So, she did what any good mother would do, throwing her apron over her head, gaining privacy, and began to pray for them all.

The great Martin Luther would pray between 2 and 3 hours daily.
Luther truly believed that Christians ought to be able to pray as naturally as a cobbler makes a shoe.

Truly, these are some of the bulwarks of the faith, but what of the average man or woman sitting in the church pew? How often do they pray?

Well, the truth of the matter is that it matters little whether you are behind the pulpit or in the pew with the congregation, the average for Christians in prayer is about 10 minutes a day.
And while this is better than not praying at all, it hardly seems right that an average person will spend more time in the bathroom on a daily basis than they do talking with God.

In fact, most Christians tend to look at prayer as more of a burden than they do a joy or a privilege.

And how people pray publicly is another story altogether.

Among Baptists and other evangelicals like Pentecostals, when I hear their prayers to the Lord, sometimes it sounds more like them telling what God ought to do or how others in the congregation ought to behave and believe.
In more moderate to liberal churches, I've heard prayers become more like a call to action against society.
Neither of these are Biblically accurate.

Technology and Science has added to the confusion and doubt concerning prayer.
Truly, technological advancements and scientific discovers has tainted those with a weaker faith in the fact that some could not reconcile the two within their own brains; one must give way and rarely does one ignore scientific achievement because it is evident and can be touched in a way that God cannot.

In the old days, man would bare his heart before God if there was an issue or concern in his life.
Today, we have rehab centers and support groups to encourage us and show us sympathy; all taking the place of where the church once was the only reality of help.

But the actual question of prayer is this: Does it do any good?
And the follow-up is much like it: If God does really care and prayer works, is He listening and when is He going to act?

All of these things are very confusing and try our sensibilities when what we have asked for of God is not the reality on earth.

Bottom Line: If Prayer is anything at all, it is the place where man and God meet.

Philip Yancey pointed out that there are two things that trouble Christians when it comes to prayer:
- Why God doesn't act the way we want Him to act.
- Why we don't act the way God wants us to act.

Friend, prayer is the place where these two issues meet.

You see, in prayer God is not conformed to our will; but our will is conformed to God's will. 
Therefore, we begin to understand why God doesn't do the things we always desire of Him; more likely than not, we soon begin to understand our failure in serving God on earth the way He desires, becoming more like His Son in the process through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the repentance of the heart.

When these things happen on a personal level, on a spiritual level something else begins to happen: We begin to see HOW God answers the prayers we have offered to Him.
It is in that moment of repentance and confession that spiritual growth takes place.
As spiritual growth takes place, our blinders and clouded vision of the world is removed.

Then, and only then, do we begin to see as God sees - with the eye of faith.

Yes, prayer is confusing and Christians do not fully understand what is taking place.
Yes, prayer is the place where we meet God in a spiritual communion; a communion where we begin to change to become more like Christ.
And yes, prayers are answered every day; we just can't always see them because the eye of faith sometimes gets cloudy...they only way to remove that cloud is through prayer.

Friend, if you ever doubt that, just go back to the very first blog I ever wrote; you'll see the reason why this blog is called, 'Cancer with Christ' and hear the story of a man whose life was saved by the healing power of God as thousands of people around the world began to unite their hearts one to another in the mystical and spiritual act of prayer.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.