Author: BJ Armstrong

1 John 4:7-12

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

The deli counter of a crowded grocery store is no place to be standing after a long day of travel.  Facing me, was a middle-aged woman with slicked-back hair and jagged teeth.  My thoughts ran wild.  “This is going to take a while.   It shouldn’t, though.  I just want some turkey.  I’ll make it easy for her.”   As she began her greeting, a huge smile took over her face.  She asks me simply “what can I get ya?”  “I need a ½ pound of honey-roasted turkey,” I replied trying to arrange my face to match her exuberant smile.  “Oh man,” she starts, “I have the best honey-maple turkey you’ll ever eat.”  “Do you want to try it?”  “Sure, I’ll take a ½ pound,” I replied hoping to speed her up a bit.  “you don’t want to try it?  I love cutting it.”  That was the turning point for me.  “Really?” I thought in disbelief, wondering how in the world this particular loaf of pressed meat was better than all the others.  “Sure, why not.  I’ll try some.”  She proudly walked to the slicer and pranced back with a two thinly sliced and perfectly stacked pieced of honey-maple turkey.  I pulled them apart handing one to my daughter, quickly consuming my portion.  She was right.  The turkey was amazing.  She was beaming as she put me in my place “I told you, so.”  After completing my order, she says, “next time you come back, I’ll cut you the cracked pepper turkey.  It’s even better.”

The following day, as I loaded my King’s Hawaiian bread with that amazing honey-maple turkey, I wondered if she knew what she did.  In a few short minutes, she was able to reverse my smug, pompous and impatient attitude.  In turn, she filled me with joy, peace, and love.  This was exactly the gift that I needed this Christmas season.

In my reflection, I wondered, how could so much love come from someone so ordinary, in circumstances so mundane?  How could I come away feeling so special?  The answer, of course, is because that’s the way Jesus does it.  Think about it.  He was born to ordinary parents, in a simple little town.  He picked ordinary people to work with and all of them did extraordinary things.  No fanfare, no fancy parades.  Only love.

Merry Christmas!

Titus 1-3

For years, Titus followed Paul.  He traveled with him, studied with him and learned from him.  Paul is the model of a Christ-follower.  Only Jesus would be better.  Thankfully, Paul had only one intention with Titus.  To show him Jesus.  We have a word for this process.  Discipleship.

We are first introduced to Titus in Galatians.  Then a young Christian, he traveled with Paul teaching the gentiles.  Since he, himself, was a Gentile, he was the perfect example of how salvation is available to everyone.  This was just the beginning for Titus. As his faith grew, so did his responsibility.  Under Paul’s guidance, he mastered Biblical principles and proved his reliance on the Holy Spirit.  This is why Paul recognized him as a leader.  Discerning that he was ready for more, Paul challenged him to lead.

To help prepare Titus, Paul wrote the letters that we now read as the book of Titus.  They are his instruction.  You see, Paul was sending Titus to the churches in Crete.  He would be their leader.  This was no small assignment.  Titus would need to appoint and guide strong leaders for the church (Titus 1:6-9).  Once in place, Titus was instructed to teach the people.    They needed a wise leader that knew the Biblical principles of marriage, Christian living, and good works.  Clearly this is a huge undertaking.  Thanks to strong leaders like Paul, Titus is able to take on this huge role.  It was his discipleship that propelled him.  More importantly, it was his discipleship that enabled the Church to be Spirit-led and God-honoring.

I have two big questions from Titus.  First, who is discipling us?  Do you have someone that encourages you in the Way of Christ?  Maybe it’s your pastor, maybe a good friend.  Take a minute to reflect on the way Paul discipled Titus.  First, he was an example.  then, he encouraged and finally, he challenged.  The evidence of Titus growth from Paul was obvious.  Your growth from your discipler should be obvious too.

The second question is related to the first.  Who are you discipling? Titus accepted Paul’s challenge because it was his duty as a Christ-follower.  It is ours too (Matt 28:19).  What is your challenge?  How can you server or who can you a disciple?  It might look like serving in the nursery, or joining a small group.  Perhaps, you’ve participated in a group for a long time.  Now, it is time to lead one.  There are countless ways to serve Jesus.  I know that you have heard him calling.  Answer him today.

 

 

What does the holy spirit do?  In How To Be Filled With the Holy Spirit, AW Tozer says “the Holy Spirit came to carry the evidence of Christianity from the books of apologetics into the human heart and that is exactly what He does.”  Today, we get a clear picture of how the Holy Spirit works.  Acts 8:4-12, 26-40 documents his works through Philip, a committed follower.

Simply put, the Holy Spirit lives inside those of us who are willing to host him.  When we do, only one result is possible.  Transformation.  This transformation exists in the life of the believer.  As Galatians 5:22-24 puts it, the believer gets love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.  Those, however, are only part of the picture.  Philip is proof.  The heart conditions created in the believer by the Holy Spirit lead to greater things.  To put it another way, being filled in that way results in action.

When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they will act.  But, appropriate action requires direction.  We see this clearly in Philip.  When persecution went wild in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit scattered the disciples.  This was a safety measure.  It’s not the first time God leads his followers away from danger.  Remember Joseph and Mary?  In Matthew 2:13, an angel of the Lord prompts them to take Jesus to Egypt. There, they will be safe.  Philip wisely listens to the Sprit’s prompting and soon finds himself in Samaria.  Incredibly, the Holy Spirit didn’t just lead Philp to a safe place.  He also sent him to a place where he could live fully.

In Samaria, Philip’s heart overflowed.  He could not contain the joy of Christ and did exactly what Christ-followers are called to do. Share the good news.  Verse 5 says he “proclaimed to them the Christ.”  Guess what?  It worked.  The crowds “paid attention,” resulting in healing and “much joy.”  In other words, an entire community was transformed.  This kind of change is not possible by a man.  Philip may have done the sharing and the preaching, but the Holy Spirit changed their hearts.

As I reflect on today’s scripture, I am captured by ONE thing that explains who Philip was.  You see, this post was supposed to be about who him.  Ironically, this post is about Philip and who he was.  Its just that who he was is best described by the Holy Spirit.  To summarize, Philip gave up everything for God.  He became nothing so that the Holy Spirit could become everything.

Judgment, condemnation, punishment, and pain.  That’s what we expect.  It’s justice.  Especially for a criminal.  Death is justice for the truly sick ones.  Those that have murdered or committed other acts of brutality.  It’s what they deserve.  That is not true, however, in God’s economy.  His way is different.   Today, in Luke 23:26-43, we see it first hand.  Jesus befriends a criminal.  More than that, he promises him a place in heaven.  How is this justice?  How is this fair?  Was Jesus not thinking clearly?  This amazing story gives us great insight into our just and loving God.  The answers to the questions lie between the criminal’s heart and God’s love.

“Out of the heart, the mouth speaks,” says Jesus in Luke 6:45.  This simple wisdom is powerful.  In today’s story, we have two criminals.  One is mocking Jesus.  In his heart, the first criminal believes that Jesus is an imposter.  His hardened heart prevents him from seeing the possibility that Jesus is who he says he is.  He can’t even pretend.  The second criminal, however, reveals his hopeful heart.  He acknowledges his fear of God and defends Jesus.  Somewhere, in his heart is a belief that God is who he says he is.  Hanging on the cross, death was near.  He thought had nothing to gain. Out of each man’s heart, they spoke.

If we question Jesus’ wisdom in this matter, we should remember who he is.  I like his reminder to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7. “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Do you know what the best part about that is?  God defaults to love.  I’m betting that he didn’t see perfection in the second criminal’s heart.  He forgave him anyway.  Why?  Because he will stop at nothing to be with us.  It is the very same reason that he will leave the 99 sheep to look for 1 (Matthew 18:12-24).  Simply put, his love for us cannot be contained.

There is one secret to unlocking the power of God’s love.  Of course, we have to believe, that’s a given.  The Bible says that we also must confess (Romans 10:9-10).  Isn’t this exactly what the criminal did?  Do you know what Jesus would have said to him if he’d kept his mouth shut?  Nothing.  That’s right.  His silence would have been a ticket to Hell.  What is your mouth saying about God today?

Mark 10:46-52

He was blind.  Unable to work and unable to carry on a normal life.  He was a beggar.  Sitting on the side of the road, day in, day out, hoping someone would toss him a few bucks.  What hope could there be for a better future?  None, until he hears about a man that performs miracles.  The man was named Jesus.  As luck would have it, he heard that the man was coming his way.  There was excitement in the air as Jesus approached and a flurry of people trying to get a better position.  Bartimaeus only had one option.  To cry out.  “Have mercy on me,” he shouted.

If the story stopped there, you could tell me how it ends.  It is obvious because we know the character of Jesus.  He saves people.  He is a healer.  The only requirement he ever puts on people is to believe.  In fact, he asks us directly to express our beliefs (Romans 10:9-10).  There is a problem though.  Not everyone agrees.

Bartimaeus discovers it first hand.  As soon as he expresses his belief and reaches out to Jesus, they immediately pull him back.  Verse 48 says that they rebuked him and told him to be silent.  In other words, they said “hey, shut up you, idiot!”  I’m sure they were forceful and intimidating.  True faith, however, promotes persistence.  Frustrated by the people, Bartimaeus realized that he needed Jesus to save him from more than just eyesight.  He needed freedom from these wretched people too.  So, he shouted louder.  Loud enough to get Jesus’ attention.

Yes, crying and shouting to God will get his attention.  Do we know what to do once we have it?  Bartimaeus knew with 100% clarity what he wanted.  “I want to see,” he says in verse 51.  In an instant, he was cured.  Thankfully, Bartimaeus’ request was clear, not muddled.  What if he said, “Hey, I’d really like a more comfortable blanket or, I need a bigger bowl to collect tips in?”  I love that he didn’t ask for those easy things.  He asked for the impossible, with clarity and specificity.  Not only did he ask, he believed.

We have an advantage over Bartimaeus.  Jesus died and sent us the Holy Spirit.  That means we have his attention.  It means that our tears and shouts are not wasted.  He hears them.  In fact, just like Bartimaeus, he wants to radically change our lives.  He is there, waiting for us.

 

Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-23

Imagine Joseph’s surprise when Mary shares her news.  As the words are coming from her mouth, his heart drops.  She’s pregnant.  But how?  But, why?  He thought they were perfect together.  How could she go and do this to him?  Why did she agree to marry?  His mind races with questions while the anger and frustration build.  But, he was a reasonable man and, he loved her.  He resolved at that moment to control himself and not shame her.  It was not over, however.  His heart and mind would continue to stew on the matter.

As Joseph considered his options, according to verse 20, an angel appeared to him providing specific instruction.  More than that, the angel provided hope and security amidst his uncertainty.  The angel gave Joseph a clear path to follow.  Angels, become a common thing for Joseph.  He continues to get council and direction from them in chapter 2.  Joseph’s response was always, yes, I will go.

As I think about Joseph, I wonder about the unique privileges he was given. First, he played a huge role in the Christ story.  Second, he was directly guided by angels.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be directed by angels too!  How do we get that?  If we are to know how Joseph got it, we must know Joseph better.

First, Joseph was had a Holy bloodline (Luke 2:4).   If we are not careful, we will use this as an excuse.  We may believe Joseph was given special privileges because of it.  Guess what?  Jesus says otherwise.  Through his sacrifice, we become part of his royal priesthood (2 Peter 2:9).  Like Joseph, we’re part of this larger context.  We can be part of a much bigger story, but there is one catch.  We must be ready.

To be ready, we must do as Joseph did.  Look back again at Matthew 1:20.  It says that “as Joseph considered these things.”  What do you think Joseph’s consideration looked like?  If it were us, it might look like worry.  Or, maybe an endless list of strategies to get out of the situation.  Clearly, that wasn’t true for Joseph.  His consideration must have included God.  I imagine him in prayer and reviewing scripture.  Maybe he found comfort in the Psalms or wisdom from the Proverbs.  We don’t get that kind of detail, but we do know the result.  He was given a clear direction.

I believe that we are all able to get direction from angels.  Actually, we get a better opportunity.  Through the gift of Jesus, we get the Holy Spirit.  The real question is, do we hear him?  You see, Joseph ordered his life so that he recognized the angels when they came.  Furthermore, he was also able and willing to turn their direction into immediate action.  Today, we get a privilege that Joseph did not have.  Every minute of every day, we get the power of God at our fingertips, through the Holy Spirit.  He is not a privilege to a select few, we have all been chosen.  Now, the choice is ours.  Will we order our world to hear him?

 

Isaiah 36 & 37

Trouble will come.  Even to the faithful.  Hezekiah proves that in our reading today.  He had been a faithful king, returning the land to God.  He restored the temple and reorganized the priests to present it as a holy place for God.  He brought worship back, providing sacrifices and burnt offerings to God.  He reinstituted the Passover, commanding all of Judah to participate.  Hezekiah was faithful in all he did.  “He did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered” (2 Chronicles 31:20-21).  And yet, trouble came.

As we read today, Hezekiah’s faithful kingdom came under attack by Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.  He attached them where they were most vulnerable, in their faith.  Threatening to take their city and kill everyone, Sennacherib argued that God could not and would not save them.  That he would be just like the god’s of other cities that he had easily overthrown.  Why would it be different, he asked.  His talk rattled the city and sent fear through their leader, Hezekiah.  This is where faith and leadership collide.

While he may have been overcome with fear, Hezekiah knew where to put his hope.  First, as we see in Isaiah 37, Hezekiah seeks wisdom.  It is important to note who Hezekiah seeks wisdom from.  It was Isaiah, his most trusted prophet.  He knew that Isaiah was a Godly man that would give him direction from the Lord.  When the words of Isaiah were brought to him, Hezekiah’s faith was quickly restored.  This restored faith resulted in further action.  Prayer.

Something strikes me about Hezekiah’s prayer.  It is all about God.  Hezekiah is reaffirming who God is.  He acknowledges his most high position and sovereignty.  Hezekiah invokes God’s power not for his own salvation and maintenance of his kingdom, but for God’s sake alone.  Hezekiah’s true faith allowed God to prove to the world that He alone is Lord.

As I reflect on Hezekiah’s actions, I wonder about my own faith.  When I encounter trouble, do I invoke God for my own salvation, or do I see the opportunity for God to expand his kingdom?  If you have trouble in your life today, consider praying, as Hezekiah did.

 

Ezra 7-10

As a teenager, I remember my mother questioning me about my friends.  You become the company you keep; she would tell me.  I knew what she meant. Many of my friends were not scholars or great athletes nor did they have any desire to be.  More importantly, they did not share my belief in Jesus. Consequently, I often found myself engaged in behavior that was counter to who I wanted to be.  I knew this, but, at the time, giving up all of my friends seemed like too big of a cost.  You already know.  If we want to live a Christ-following life, we must be prepared to make some adjustments in our lifestyle.

I recalled this as I studied Ezra this week.  He was given the task of re-populating the Temple in Jerusalem.  God provided everything that he would ever need to do so.  It seems like it was easy.  Think about it, he received special permission from the king to take the Israelites and relocate them.  Then, he was given access to the king’s treasury.  More so, he was given authority to take as much silver and gold as he could carry from Babylon.  This turned out to be 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500 pounds of gold, 20 gold bowls and 2 fine articles of polished bronze (Ezra 8:26).  Clearly, he was well funded.  To top it all off, God granted him safe passage (Ezra 7:31).  For Ezra, it seemed, nothing could go wrong.  Until it did.

As they were settling into their new land, Ezra became aware of sin in their lives.  His investigation uncovered cause of the sin. It was the bad influence of the peoples they had just fled (Ezra 9:1).  To make matters worse, they had brought many of the people with them.  Now, the ones that came along were special.  They were their very wives and children.  You see, they had intermarried while they were still in captivity.  Unfortunately, they had “taken up their detestable practices.”  If the Israelites were really to choose God, they would have to remove these wicked influences.

The real work of Ezra’s leadership was just beginning.  The next several years would test his medal as he challenged the Israelites with God’s laws.  If you continue reading into Ezra 10, you will see that the people do choose God.  Their choice, however, comes with a disturbing cost.  They would have to leave behind the relationships that they had built.  It was, Afterall, these relationships that were causing them to fall.  They had to choose.  Love God, or love the world.  So do we.

1 Kings 11:26-40, 12:25-14:20

“I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:38”)

That’s quite a promise.  God gave it to Jeraboam as he became king.  As I reflect on it, I am amazed at the big promises that God makes to people.  He offers them freedom, power, riches, and this time, for Jeraboam, he offers up a dynasty.   That’s a big deal!  It’s a serious promise that Jereboam will be remembered.  That his life, his family and future generations will matter because of his life.  If you haven’t read today’s verses yet, I’ll give you one guess as to what happened.  It’s not hard to figure out.  I mean, Jereboam is not exactly a household name.  Why not?  The promise was conditional.  Jereboam did not hold up his end.

Before God promised Jereboam a dynasty, he said: “If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then…”.  You see, if Jereboam did not put God first, then the promise was null.  Of course, Jereboam did everything but worship God.  It seems as if he had no intention of serving God.  In fact, his actions suggest that he was only in it for himself. Thankfully, we are not like Jereboam.  Right?

Most Sunday services at Eastview include a baptism.  Baptism by immersion, we believe, is the outward expression of our inward desire to follow Christ.  To put God first.  This baptism is among the first steps of obedience in becoming a Christ-follower (Romans 10:9).  The tradition, at Eastview, is to ask the baptizee this simple question.  “Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and do you take him to be your personal Lord and Savior?”  Today, I’ve been thinking about that phrase as it related to Jereboam.

Jereboam accepted the promise of God with the conditions given. And, he didn’t follow through. I fear, that sometimes we also accept the promise of God without intending to follow through.  In reality, we easily accept him to be our Savior but want nothing to do with him being our Lord.  Isn’t that what Jereboam did?  Give me everything, so that…. “I.”

I am grateful for the reminder that Jereboam provides me today.  All too often in my quest to be a good and influential leader, to establish a legacy and a dynasty, I miss the only important thing.  God gives, so that… “HE.”  Dynasties are not awarded to the best leaders.  God gives them only to the faithful followers.

When was the last time you watched a soap opera?  If you are a fan, you probably relish in the scheming and plotting against each other.  Every episode is filled with these stories.  They never end.  Sadly, real-life can be that way too.  Today’s reading of Genesis 27 is a prime example.  Everyone in the story plays a role.  What’s really amazing to me is that they are supposed to be faithful.  I mean, they are in the Bible.  Shouldn’t they be our role models?  Consider the actions of each character.

• • Rebecca – encourages her son to lie.  She conjures up a scheme that will give him the birthright reserved for the firstborn son, Esau.  
  • Jacob – tricks his father into giving him the first-born blessing
  • Isaac – really?  He has the voice of Jacob but he feels like Esau?  Does that work?  Nobody is that stupid.  I wonder if he didn’t know exactly what was going on – – in fact, Isaac knew, had been told, that Jacob was the chosen one
  • Esau – seemingly innocent but don’t forget that a few chapters ago, he signed everything over to Jacob.

As I read and re-read this passage, I fail to see what we are supposed to learn.  The conclusion of the chapter leaves the family in shambles.  Isaac dies, Esau wants to kill Jacob and Jacob flees for his life.  Just like a soap opera, right?  This, clearly, is the result of their deception.  Their sin.  None of the family put God first.  No member exhibited the faith or behaved according to God’s will.

In my search for something redemptive with this story, I found one thing.  It ends.  The lies, the drama, and the hate.  They stop.  How?  We don’t get much insight into that until Genesis 32.  In short, Jacob finally has it out with God and emerges with a new understanding of who he is.  Jacob develops faith.  The result?  Jacob and Esau reunite.  Peacefully.

I wonder how their stories would have changed if they had followed God sooner.  What if Rebecca would have reassured Jacob that God would honor his promises?  What if Jacob refused to win by deception and called upon God instead?  What if Esau responded with the Love of God instead of hate?

Maybe the hardest part of this story is seeing where we are trying to deceive in our own lives.  Let’s ask God to reveal those things to us.  Our challenge is to surrender them to God and, by faith, give him room to work.  He promises not to fail us.  In fact, he promises that we will prevail.