Author: BJ Armstrong

Hebrews 11

What would you do if you knew that you could not fail?  The question is designed to evaluate your faith.  It is a hearty challenge that requires us to stop and define why we could not fail.  Consider the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1.   It says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”   If we have faith, we will act.  We will act assuredly of the things in which we hope.  More than that, our actions are driven by our full conviction of the Truth.  So, as long as we have faith, we cannot fail.

So, what would you do if you could not fail?  The truth is that I am afraid to answer the question.  When I attempt to, I see that I think way too small.  Consider the examples Paul uses in Hebrews 11.  He calls out Abel’s offering, Enoch’s cheating death, Noah and his ark, Abraham sacrifices Isaac, Jacob traveling to foreign lands, Sarah and her baby, Joseph takes over Egypt, Rahab welcomed spies, Gideon won the battle, Barak conquered Sisera, Samson massacred an entire army of Philistines, Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, David became the king, Samuel prophesied for all of Israel, and all the prophets, well, you get the idea.  This is a list of the faithful.  This is what the faithful do.

So, what would I do if I knew I could not fail?  Apparently, I would do what I am doing now. Unfortunately, doing what I am already doing doesn’t get close to the life that God created for me.  That’s true for you too. Sadly, few of us ever determine to become the creatures of infinite joy that God created us to be.  Why not?  I find an interesting answer from C.S. Lewis.  He says,

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

It is time that we ask God, directly, what we are missing.  We need not be afraid of the answer.  Do you know why?   The truth is that you cannot fail.  You cannot fail because you have already won.  Jesus paid for this victory on the cross.  All we have to do is claim the victory and relish in His glorious celebration.

 

Lewis, C. S.. Weight of Glory (Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis) (p. 27). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Colossians 4, 1 Thesalonians 1 & 2

Imagine for a minute that you are locked up in prison.  Considering your immediate surroundings, how do you feel?  I imagine that missing people would be at the top of the list.  You might also include some of the conveniences of home.  For sure, I would be thinking about food.  But, all of that leaves something short and prison has a way of taking it from people.  That something is purpose.

When was the last time you considered your purpose in this world?  Now, that might be too heavy of a topic to conquer today, so let’s water it down a bit.  Think about the last week, or so, of your life and tell me, what defines you?  For me, it’s work.   Now before you freak out judging me, know that my life’s work is not all about greed and conquest.  I get to do some really good things with really good people and I find it incredibly rewarding.  But, there is a catch.

Go back with me to being locked up in prison.  How many of us would be begging to get out so that we can get back to work?  I mean really.  Would I pray, “God get me out of here so that I can help people find a better house?”  Not likely.

I had this conversation with myself as I read through the first section of Colossians 4.  Remember, Paul is in prison.  What is he thinking about?  He is thinking about living his purpose, no matter what. Listen to his request in verse 3. “pray for us, that may give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ.”  Do you find anything interesting about that request?

Think about it.  Paul is in prison but doesn’t pray for his own freedom.  He doesn’t even disguise it.  My prayer would be “set me free so that I can…”.  That’s not Paul.  Paul knows that his own welfare is irrelevant for God. Instead, Paul wants people to hear about Jesus.  That’s it.  Whatever it takes.   Yes, even if that means he stays in prison.  That’s what defines him.

Of course, we are not in prison, we are free.  Problem is that we have confused our calling.  When we think of opportunities, we get excited about the prospect of more time, more money, and more status.  Until we, like Paul, understand that opportunities open the door to sharing Christ, we will always miss them.

 

 

2 Corinthians 8-10

What was the last fundraiser you attended?  Maybe you didn’t even attend an event, but instead were solicited on the telephone.  Organizations have become very good at getting money out of us.  Often, they include a full dinner, drinks, and live entertainment.  Once the dinner is complete, an inspirational speaker takes over. The purpose of this speaker is to get you back in touch with your emotions.  You know the drill, the speaker gives a testimonial about the great impact that the organization is having on the world.  But, he will quickly remind you, the job is not done.  If we had just a few dollars more from each of you, we could…

At this point in the evening, you are one of two people.  The first is desperate to leave before the commitment cards are passed and the second understands the need.  Which are you?  Do you reach for the pledge card?  One more question.  Did you ever give too much?

Maybe you remember the feeling the next day.  “Oh no,” you think.  How could I have pledged so much?  This is when you remember the mortgage payment, the car payment, and the tires you so desperately need for your car.  I’m willing to bet that more than one of us has considered reneging on their pledge.  I mean, who would know?

Not much has changed in 2,000 years.  In today’s reading, we hear Paul challenging the church of Corinth to make good on their pledges.  That’s right.  At some point, the church heard of the need for the saints in the church of Judea.  There was no mistaking it.  The generous gifts from the church of Corinth were needed.  Just like you, they made a pledge.  And no different than us, they were second-guessing their decision.

Paul wisely steps in.  Now, at first blush, Paul seems a bit passive-aggressive to me.  It comes from the guilt that he incites.  How does he do that?  First by reminding them of their enthusiastic commitment (v2).  Then, he talks of the embarrassment that accompanies not giving what was promised (v4).  Do you hear guilt?  I do, and I hate it!  This is where I have to be careful.

I could very easily get caught up in accusing Paul of being passive-aggressive.  If I did, I would then justify why it would be ok for the Corinthians to not fulfill their commitment.  Who wins in this scenario?  Nobody!  Well, maybe Satan.

As is often the case when reading scripture, I must be willing to look at the text with new eyes and an open heart.  Do you know what I see when I do that?  I see Paul celebrating the eagerness and joy of the Corinthian church (v2). I see Paul praising them for the positive influence they had on the Macedonian church (v2).  I see Paul reminding them that the investment they are making will be multiplied many times more than they can imagine (v6).  And, I see Paul giving them permission to recalibrate their commitment (v7).  Clearly, Paul has a much bigger purpose in mind.

In conclusion, Paul gives us one last reminder.  It is our generosity that proves we are obedient to the good news of Jesus Christ.  After all, without the generosity of Jesus, we have nothing (v14, 15).

Romans 16 & 1 Corinthians 1

I just finished a strength’s finder assessment.  Like other behavioral assessments, it tells us how our behavior shows up naturally.   Clifton Strengths calls them talents.  In Bible language, we call them gifts.  What is the difference between your strengths and your gifts?  Not much, really.  It all comes down to how you use them.

There is something about behavioral assessments that we all love.  After all, it is describing us.  More than that, they typically identify things that we are good at and, we tend to enjoy the things we are good at, so we get the warm fuzzies.  But, there is a dark side to these reports that we may not pay much attention to.  It’s the opposite of our strengths.  These are our weaknesses.

Now, Clifton Strength’s does not come right out and say what our weaknesses are.  Instead, they highlight my top 5 strengths.  These are the things that I am really good at.  It would be easy to stop right there.  In fact, I should just go focus on those 5 things and life will be great, right?  Wrong.  Do you know why?  Well, according to Clifton Strenght’s there are 34 profiles.  That means that I am not great at 28 of them!  Ouch.

Believe it or not, this is by design.  Romans 12:4-6 tells us that “in his grace, God has given us certain gifts for doing things well” (NLT).  Problem is, we are not each given all the gifts.  In order to experience all the gifts, we need to be connected to each other.  Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians.  Verse 4 explains that through Jesus, we are not lacking any gift.  That means Clifton would show me with all 34 profiles!

Of course, it doesn’t work that way.  We have to remember that this letter was written to the whole church, not an individual (v2).  Therefore, it is in the church, connected to other Christ-followers that we are fully equipped, “not lacking any gift.”  Are you sharing yours?

 

Acts 24-25

We are suckers for entertainment.  Good entertainment does lots of things for us.  Perhaps the most simple is passing time.   I confess, I just binge-watched Ted Lasso.  That’s 22 shows at an average of 35 minutes each or 12.8 hours.  Yes, I can hear your judgment.  Before you go there, check out these stats on binge-watching.  Apparently, you are doing it too (and yes that makes me feel better).

Ted Lasso is a great example of entertainment because that show does exactly what entertainment is supposed to do; hold our attention and give pleasure or delight to the customer (so says Google).  But, at what point does entertainment lose its value?  What would make you stop watching Ted Lasso?  Let’s take a look at today’s reading and see what we find.

Read back through Acts 24:22-27 and pay attention to Felix.  Now, Felix was the governor who had just heard the Jews’ case against Paul.  Rather than offer a quick conviction, Felix delays.  Not only would delaying the case allow him to defer responsibility, but it would also give him an opportunity to have some time alone with Paul.  In some weird way, Felix was looking to Paul for entertainment.

Remember what Google said about entertainment.  It is designed to produce pleasure or delight.  This was true for Felix.  In fact, he even invited his wife, Drusilla to come along.  Unfortunately, this encounter quickly became less than entertaining.  For most of us, this comes from boredom, but not Felix, not this time.  Instead, Felix becomes alarmed while listening to Paul (v23).

In order to determine why Felix became alarmed, let’s examine the conversation.  Paul spoke about faith in Jesus Christ and reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment (v24-25).  Somewhere, in this conversation, Felix became agitated.  Let’s see if we can figure out why.

Imagine Felix listening intently as Paul talked.  If he was anything like me, I can see him nodding in agreement when talking about Jesus and righteousness.  “yes, this is who we are created to be,” Felix would agree.  “Preach on brother.”  Of course, when listening intently, he begins to contrast his own life with that of the righteous.  With every new word, he sees the gap widen.  The reality of that large gap begins to look insurmountable.  Unless… “I changed,” he considers. “What would it take for me to be that righteous?”

This is where the entertainment ends.  The list of changes becomes overwhelming.  Felix would easily remember his faults, big and small.  He may start with the little white lies, no big deal there.  Then, he remembers the drunkenness and debauchery. Perhaps he moves on to the bribes and the affairs.  But “don’t sweat it,” he thinks, “I’ve got this under control.”  Maybe he does have it under control.  At least it feels that way until Paul starts in on the coming judgment.  Now, there is no way out.  ALARM!

As I thought through that scenario, I was reminded of an excerpt from  Knowing Christ Today, by Dallas Willard.  He says “We can fail to know because we do not want to know—because what would be known would require us to believe and act in ways contrary to what we want. It often strikes first-time visitors to large cities, such as New York City, how the residents have taught themselves not to look at the problems surrounding them—for example, the homeless or victims of muggings. Looking makes you responsible. Avoidance is one reason for the lack of knowledge among humanity—knowledge can be and often is rejected.”

It’s that simple.  Felix rejected – no, he ran from – the knowledge that Paul offered for the simple reason that knowing it would require him to act contrary to the way he wanted to act.  Ouch!

We all have the same choice when the Holy Spirit calls.  How are you responding?

 

As I read Acts 9, I am stuck on the notion of calling. In fact, we get two interesting looks at callings today. First, God is literally calling Saul (v4).  Second, but no less powerful is a calling of Ananias.

To start, it’s helpful to identify what a calling is.  According to Os Guinness, “Calling is the truth, that God calls us so decisively to himself, that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have, is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service.”

I like that definition and without a doubt, it describes Saul.  Beginning in verse 19, Saul is a new person.  The Gospel has overtaken his heart and become him.  It is no different for us.  When we are called, and we respond affirmatively, it affects every aspect of our lives.  In fact, it requires our instant and passionate reaction.

That freaks me out.  Why?  Because I don’t always give God my instant and passionate reactions.  Ok sure, there are times when I live with a “special devotion,” but dynamism?  What gives?

To answer that question, it is worth considering a second definition of calling.  This one is from Oswald Chambers.  He says, “God gets me into a relationship with Himself whereby I understand His call, then I do things out of sheer love for Him on my own account.”

Effectively, Chambers is saying that our calling is the natural outflow resulting from our contact with God.  This is what I see in Ananias.  In verse 11, Ananias is being summoned to do dangerous work with Saul.  The invitation is a direct result of his talking with God (sometimes we call that praying).  Then, Ananias responds just like Chambers suggests, “out of sheer love.”  Why else would he risk his life?!

So that brings me back to my freak out.  If I am living without a calling, I am also living without any special devotion and certainly no dynamism.  Sadly, as Chambers suggests, that lack of call is a direct reflection of how in touch we are with the nature of God.  It’s that simple.

Thankfully, this situation does not have to be permanent.   When we seek Him, “He calls us back to that for which we were created— to worship the Lord God and to enjoy Him forever. And then out of our deep worship flows our work for Him.” (A.W. Tozer)

It took Saul three days of blindness to finally seek and see (v9).  How long will it take you?

 

Works Cited

Guinness, Os.  The Call: Finding and Fulfilling The Central Purpose Of Your Life. (p. 4) .  Thomas Nelson

Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition. Discovery House. Kindle Edition.

Tozer, A. W. (2009-02-16). The Purpose of Man: Designed to Worship (p. 95). Gospel Light. Kindle Edition.

If –  then.  It’s a conditional response.  If something happens, then this will be the result.  It’s predictable.  Conversely, if something doesn’t happen, then you can’t have that result.  Makes sense, doesn’t it?  In John 14, Jesus uses five if statements. Did you notice?

Verse 7 “if you had known me”

Verse 14 “if you ask me”

Verse 15 “If you love me”

Verse 23 If anyone loves me

Verse 28 If you loved me

Now here’s the thing.  Each of these is tied to a result.

Verse 7 – If you know me, [then] you know my Father

Verse 14 – If you ask me, [then] I will do it

Verse 15 – If you love me, [then] you will keep my commandments

Verse 23 – If anyone loves me, [then] he will keep my word

Verse 28 – If you love me, [then] you will rejoice (tense adjusted)

One thing strikes me as I read these.  They are all reactionary as opposed to actionary.  What I mean is that no additional action is required on my part.  Learning about Jesus and knowing him (v7), for example, means that I also know God.  Nothing further is needed from me.  Continue with verse 15.  Our love for Jesus is all that is required for obedience.  In other words, keeping his commandments is a natural outflow of our love for him.  Now, follow the rest through.

As I review Jesus’ If-then statements, I see that I overcomplicate my relationship with him.  I only need to know him.  It is that simple.  To know Him is to love him and, as you can see, our lives become rightly ordered if only we put Him first.

Luke 24

I am an external processor.  What does that mean?  It means I like to talk.  Well, that’s part of it.  You see I like to talk about thoughts and ideas that I have not fully formulated.  As I do, I gain clarity find direction.  There is another benefit.  I also get to hear your thoughts.  Sometimes, I find that my direction is completely off and the conversation reels me back in.  No matter the outcome, I am always encouraged and emboldened by the people that are willing to engage in these conversations.

Today, in Luke 23, we see the disciples engaging in a similar conversation.  They are recounting the last couple of days up to and including Jesus’ death.  It’s a grim conversation, to be sure.  Even so, the conversation helps them process.  Through it, they will gain clarity about how it happened and what is next.

Follow the story now as a curious stranger joins the conversation.  I can picture the disciples getting all worked up at this man’s ignorance.  No, they are not annoyed, they are provoked.  “What things?”  That is all the man asked, but it is enough.  They spend the next several minutes telling, in detail, the events of the last few days and how they unfolded.  It would be like telling someone about last night’s game.  Whether your team won or lost, the story is filled with passion and emotion.

Of course, for the disciples on this walk, hope was lost.  They are filled with sadness.  They are filled with defeat.  Jesus knew that and he was disappointed.  How many times had he told them?  How many times had he forecast his own death?  How many times had he shared that these events would bring boundless joy?  Until at once, he couldn’t hold back any longer.  “You foolish people,” he cries! (verse 25).

While the rebuke was stern, it was necessary.  Now with their attention, the curious stranger was able to reel in the conversation.  He reminds them of the prophets, the predictions and the scriptures that point to the Messiah.  He reminds them of the suffering that would occur and also of the ensuing glory.

Now, we know how the story ends.  We know that soon after this walk, Jesus would reveal himself.  But, before then, as they shared with each other, their hearts were warmed.  More than that, their hearts burned (v32).  This is different than the sadness and defeat they experienced just moments before.  Don’t you feel their excitement, exuberance even?  That’s what I want!  Don’t you?

As I reflect upon how they went from sadness to exuberance, one thing is clear.  Jesus.  It was not his presence, though, it was his story.  You see, the disciples found life in recounting the events.  Then, they experienced true joy when Jesus connected the events to hope.  Don’t you know that he does the exact same thing for us?  We would do well to talk out the gospel message the same way more often.

Luke 11

If you grew up around the church, you learned the Lord’s prayer.  Not only did we recite it in every service, but it was also a song.  Now, the good part about that is I know it by heart.  So do you.  The only time I get in trouble is when I go to a different church.  I never know if they have trespasses or debts.  It gets me every time!

Did you know that’s what happens when you memorize like that?  I get so worried about which “right” word to use that I forget all about what the words actually mean.  In Luke 11, I think Jesus is far less concerned about the actual words and far more worried about what they mean.  Let’s slow down for a moment, and consider how this perfect prayer is constructed.

Father, Hallowed be your name

This first line is about who God is.  First, he is our Father.  Thinking deeper into that, we know that he is our creator.  In fact, he is not just my creator, but the creator of the universe.  He is the Father of all things.

Now, Father is a common name for us but God, our Father, is anything but common.  That is why we use the specialest of all special words Hallowed.  To be hallowed is to be truly set apart.  Yes, it is about being revered and honored, but it is more.  It carries with it holiness and consecrated.  Perfection in one word.  I think it is fitting.  It is only God that gets this title.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done

This is a statement of hope and our deepest desire.  It asks him to bring the perfect righteousness of his kingdom, right here, right now.  To make such a request requires humility and surrender.  You see, when we ask for God’s kingdom to come, we are confessing that it is better than our own.  Additionally, we are asking that His will reigns supreme over us.  That means that my kingdom and my wants are not just secondary to his, they are irrelevant to his.

Give us each day, our daily bread

A simple request for provision.  I need to be reminded that it is a request, one day at a time.  It’s not about provision for the year, or for retirement, just today.  Then, of course, it’s bread.  Why not steak?  I mean, if you are going to ask, then go big, right?  This simple request leaves the provision up to God.  If he wants to give you more, he can.  We, however, will be content today, with the simplest of God’s provision.

And forgive us our sins

This line puts us squarely in the jaws of grace.  It is a reminder that we are less than perfect.  We have fallen well short of God’s expectations.  It is also our confession that we do no measure up and have no means of payment.

For we forgive everyone who is indebted to us

Fittingly, this falls after our request for forgiveness.  For me, it is a fitting reminder that if I am to receive God’s grace, I must also extend grace to those around me.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

This last line acknowledges our humanity.  We know that in the moment, we will make poor choices.  We also know that God is a great protector.  He can, and in fact, promises to deliver us when temptation and evil show up (1 Corinthians 10:13).

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, and ever

Sorry, that line doesn’t exist in the Bible.  I don’t know when or who added it but it is a fitting and dramatic ending for the song, leaving my heart right where it needs to be with God at the center.

Mark 15

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  Those were the last words of Jesus. At that moment, he was alone.  He could feel it in his soul.  It was empty and hollow.  The pain was too much to bear.  The physical torture had taken its toll, not to mention the mental anguish.  Just yesterday, his best friends betrayed him.  Not only did they hand him over, but they also denied knowing him.  Even the political system didn’t go in his favor.  Pilate took the simple and self-serving route.  He could have set him free.  He didn’t.  No help.  No people, no angels, no God.

Maybe you have been there?  The circumstances of life have stacked against you and they just keep coming.  Perhaps your friends have betrayed you, just like Jesus.  Maybe it’s illness or financial pressure that keeps you from living a joy-filled life.  It could be death.  For many, it’s more than one at the same time.   That is when we cry, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Do those words signal the end of our faith?  Are they the suggestion that we have found such ongoing despair that we no longer believe God is good?  Maybe not.  According to John Calvin, these are words of strong faith.  It is only the faithful, in fact, that are able to question God in this manner.  It stems from the foundation of promises that God made to us.  We cry out because we know them to be true.  We want them to be true, we need them to be true.  They are true.

Today, we know that Jesus’ death was temporary (1 Corinthians 15:4).  We know that He now sits at the right hand of God (acts 7:55).  Because of this, we also know that God’s delay was temporary.  It was perfect.  Just enough that Christ would facilitate our redemption.  Today, it is this redemption that we build our lives upon.  While it may not relieve us from the troubles of this world, it does assure that we can have peace, hope, and love, today, forever, and always.