Transformed

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

-- Matthew 16:18

Early followers of Jesus were called "Little Christs" because their new-found faith had changed their lives for all to see. This odd group of people from all walks of life--rich and poor, male and female, and slave and free--were utterly different from the rest of society. They had somehow grown more generous and caring to both neighbors and strangers alike. And they willingly sacrificed their time and resources for others to ease sorrow and correct injustice.

In a word, they were transformed.

This says much for the effectiveness of their leader, an obscure rabbi from

a distant corner of the Roman Empire who just happened to be God's own Son. Few recognized it at the time. But because some did follow Jesus in faith, millions in future generations would help change the world for the better.

Modern-day Christ-followers must also be transformed and live out Jesus' actions and principles through their daily interactions with society. Christ's disciples used this very strategy to guide their own lives. They recognized that Jesus the Leader was also Jesus the Follower. That’s because Christ spoke constantly with his Father (God) in prayer and always sought his guidance. 

"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing," explained Jesus, "because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

Throughout his ministry, Jesus acted with a sense of urgency. He knew from the foundation of the world that he had only a few brief years to save mankind. And it was in this brief period that Christ preached God's word, healed the sick, raised the dead and forgave all those who asked him. He even asked God to forgive his own executioners because they didn't realize what they were doing. It was the ultimate act of generosity.

Jesus changed the world 2,000 years ago. But can his Church--that's everyone who claims him as their Lord and Savior--still make a difference in the 21st century? It certainly can if the past is any indication. In fact, it's because of the Church that the world has benefited from the rise of science, hospitals, universities and agriculture. The Church also led the call to abolish slavery. And as modern-day Christ-followers, we're still to follow his admonition to be salt and light to a dying world in need of guidance, truth and character.

A skeptical world is watching. May the Church continue to show its transforming love in action.

Why Not?

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

-- John 9:3

Why?

It’s a simple three-letter word. But it’s also the big question that people have been asking for centuries.

Why did I lose my job? Why does my neighbor’s child have cancer?
Why is my nation at war? And why did that hurricane have to devastate the community?

There are often no easy answers. But one thing is clear: we live in a deeply flawed world where terrible things can and do happen to the wrong people. Jesus -- who lived a perfect, sin-free life -- was unjustly tried and executed for a crime he didn’t commit. The good news is that our God is One who specializes in turning the tragic into the miraculous. Through him, the seemingly pointless, random or even cruel can emerge as testimonies to his power and grace.

Several years ago, a young marketing executive lost her high-paying job at a Silicon Valley high tech firm. How could anything good come from an unexpected layoff? With her position eliminated, she no longer had to represent her company at an industry trade show near Washington, DC. And the flight she would have taken was aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9-11.

That’s an example of a “why” that only becomes clear in retrospect. But other

reasons for adversity are more evident. Sometimes, it’s a simple matter of us getting what we deserve. If we commit a crime, live dishonestly or mistreat others, we shouldn’t be surprised when we face the consequences. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked,” the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians. “A man reaps what he sows.”

We can also become victims of other people’s sins. According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives each year in America. That's almost 30 per day. Bad things can also happen -- particularly to Christ-followers -- because of satanic attack. That’s because the more faithful we are to Jesus and his purposes, the more of a threat we become to the devil. 

There is a price for us to pay, and being a Christ-follower doesn’t exempt us from life’s sorrows. But our faith does give us the power to overcome them and grow stronger in the process. The Apostle Peter -- the one Jesus nicknamed “The Rock” and who eventually died for his faith -- knew all about it:

“Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire,” he wrote in 1 Peter. “Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return.”

Yes, God can even use satanic attacks to do his will in the world. When the early church was persecuted, the faith actually spread across the Roman Empire as Christ-followers fled and settled in areas that had never heard the Good News of Jesus.

Trouble has been an unpleasant fact of life since the earliest chapters of the Bible. Because of our fallen nature, the human experience will always involve disaster, crime, disease and injustice. So until Christ's return, maybe we shouldn’t ask why bad things happen. The more relevant question is why not.

Daredevil

I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.

-- Joshua 1:9

Are you the type who shies away from scary or dangerous situations? Or are you more of a thrill-seeker who actually seeks excitement and adventure? 

If you don’t mind taking a few risks, there’s always skydiving. And you might be surprised by the sport's relative harmlessness. The United States Parachute Association reports that there were just 24 fatalities out of the estimated 3.2 million skydiving jumps made by its members in 2017. On the other hand there’s BASE jumping, which stands for Bridge, Antenna, Span, Earth. Considered by many to be the world’s most dangerous sport, BASE jumping involves parachuting off of objects--like buildings, cliffs and towers--at heights lower than 1,000 feet. 

It’s probably hard for most people to relate to such fear-inducing

daredevil activities. But every day, Christ-followers like you and me face intimidating challenges. And they’re obstacles that we have no hope of conquering on our own. Poverty, hunger, crime and disease are just a few examples. Since we’re to serve as God’s hands and feet on Earth, is it any surprise that Satan uses fear as his primary weapon against us? It’s the Devil who plants the seeds of doubt that cause us to ask ourselves, “What if...” That’s the two-word question that leads many to seek the safety found in procrastination and delay.

Christ-followers, however, are called by their Creator to be bold and courageous. But what does courage really mean? First, it’s not the absence of fear. Instead, it’s more about moving forward in spite of fear. Our God stands with his people. And we can be encouraged by the everyday people he’s enabled to accomplish extraordinary things. We read in the Scriptures that David--an obscure shepherd boy--killed the fierce giant Goliath with a single well-aimed stone from a slingshot. This is the same shepherd boy who eventually became the King of Israel and the one God called “a man after My own heart.” Likewise, the Apostle Peter literally dove into the deep end when he accepted Jesus’ call to walk on water. Although he would one day deny even knowing Jesus when the going got tough, Peter ultimately became a bold preacher who led many to faith in Christ. Two books of the New Testament also bear his name.

“With God with us, who can be against us?” wrote the Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Romans. And this is more than a rhetorical question. Christ-followers can take heart that our Creator is preparing us now for what will be required of us later. Whatever we fear in life, we can rest assured that we don’t face it alone. In fact, it’s when we’re in God’s presence that we’re the most protected. We just need to come to our Father in prayer, listen for his response and guidance, and then obey accordingly in faith.

That’s how we’ll find the boldness and courage to make a world of difference--even if it’s making that difference one person at a time.

Vital Signs

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:17

When you have doctor's appointment, chances are that a nurse will put a thermometer in your mouth to record your temperature, and a cuff around your arm to gauge your blood pressure. She might also put her fingers on your wrist to measure your pulse. These vital signs establish a baseline of your body's general condition to help spot abnormalities and illness. 

There are biblical parallels to this practice. For example, Jesus monitors the vital signs of the churches that proclaim his name. But rather than checking blood pressures and heart rates, he looks at key indicators like love, faith, service and perseverance. It's no coincidence that Christ is called The Great Physician.

We read in the Gospels that Christ--with just a touch or even a word--healed

lepers, the blind and the paralyzed. He even returned two men and a young child from death: all miracles that helped confirm his prophetic role as Emmanuel: God with us. But Jesus' healing was much more than physical. It had (and still has) both eternal and spiritual significance. In our 21st century culture that worships vitality and outward appearance, Christ sees our real condition like an X-ray of our souls.

What's the prescription for healing in our churches? Believers certainly can't help themselves. The simple answer is a simple faith in him.

The New Testament's Gospel of Luke records that one desperate woman--who had been plagued by bleeding for years--believed in faith that her cure lay in touching Jesus' garments. And she was right. Luke also tells us about a Roman centurion who sought Jesus' healing for his deathly ill servant. Remarkably, this would-be enemy of Israel trusted the ability of Christ's word alone. Matthew 8:10 tells it this way:

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

The body of believers called The Church was never promised a problem-free existence. Acts, Luke's follow-up narrative to his gospel, reveals the conflicts and persecution faced by early Christ-followers. And these struggles, both internal and external, continue to this day in one form or another--and will until Jesus' second coming. It's only then that we'll finally experience complete health in mind, body and soul. And it all starts with believing in Jesus' power, asking for his help and having faith to the end.

"Daughter, your faith has healed you," Jesus told the beleaguered woman who sought his touch of restoration. "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." 

May The Church do the same.

God's Waiting Room

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

-- Micah 7:7

Americans are good at many things, but waiting isn’t one of them. We love our fast food, microwave popcorn and next-day deliveries. We specialize in multitasking. And we sometimes even judge others by the speed and features of their smartphones.

We also have no time for delays. However, efficiency experts report that on average, we still spend nearly an hour each day waiting. That covers common scenarios like waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for the waitress to take our food order, and even waiting to fill up the car at the gas pump. (All told, that’s about three years of waiting by the time we reach age 70!)

But waiting isn't always a waste—particularly when it comes to God. It’s actually an essential part of his plan for our lives: that process that enables us to grow and become. This concept might be difficult to grasp because the human perspective of time differs from the Creator's. While he

sees the past, present and future, we see only what's happening minute by minute. That's why we want to know (now!) when we’ll find another job, when we’ll sell our house and when we’ll find a spouse. And exactly when will we finally be healthy again? Inquiring minds want to know.

We don't have a clue. But God has known the answers since the foundation of the world.

The Apostle Peter puts our waiting into perspective: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends," he wrote. "To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."

As Christ-followers, we need to understand that what happens while we're waiting is often more important than what we're waiting for. Ask anyone who has spent grueling hours at the hospital contemplating the health and future of a loved one. Did their soul-searching experience bring a closer dependence on God? It should have. After all, it's when we're so humbled and powerless that we realize we can do nothing on our own and need him the most.

Downtime and anticipation are necessary components of our 24/7/365 world. So let's make the most of them in God's Waiting Room—a place where we can look for ways and opportunities to say yes to him with a sense of expectancy and hope. Whether we understand it or not, his timing is always perfect.

"Be still, and know that I am God," the Lord tells us through Psalm 46:10. "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."