Church History: The Secret of Success

Why bother to study Church history? For the same reason we study World History and American History and human history in general – to know where and whom we came from and to learn from their successes and failures. The early centuries of Christianity were exceedingly fruitful. We need to discover again their “secrets” to success.
The most obvious secret is their deep conviction that the gospel was true. That man was condemned and had no hope of rescuing themselves. That Jesus, the Son of God came from heaven to earth as a baby, grew to a man who lived a perfect sinless life and died, taking the sins of all mankind with Him to the grave. That He rose again, appeared to hundreds of people, and ascended to the right hand of God in heaven. Those who believe the gospel to the marrow of their bones will declare it. They can’t help it – it just bubbles forth like lava from a volcano.
Another insight we gain from church history is the practical expression of love among Christians. They took to heart Jesus’ command to “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). It was a different kind of love – a selfless, generous, genuine love that stood out in the world. Tertullian said that the pagans remarked, “See how these Christians love one another.” Christians who were filled with the love of Christ expressed that love in practical ways within the church and without.
And strangely, persecution watered the soil of many souls. Huge crowds gathered to watch Christians meet their death in the colosseums of Rome, drawn by the thrill of blood and gore. But the courage, faith, and Joyful disposition of the martyrs pierced their own hearts so that many of the onlookers came away as believers in Jesus Christ.
Now look at the witness of the church today. Are we still convinced that the gospel is true? Are we living out the command of Jesus to love one another? And what of persecution? Here in the U.S., it is largely a minor matter, but in other places in the world, it is life and death. In either case, how we respond to persecution can speak louder than anything we say. And we dare not leave out the presence of the Holy Spirit who is the power behind it all. Are you filled with the Spirit, Beloved? Then be bold, be loving, and be brave. The lost world is watching. Be a witness to someone today.

Grace

Joy asks a thousand questions a day – that’s how she learns and so I try to be patient with the never-ending stream of “Why?” and “What?” and “How?” Yesterday she saw some honeybees in the ligustrum bush and started asking about what they were doing which became how do bees make honey. So after her bath, we surfed YouTube for videos about bees.  She loves to learn new things and I love to help her explore the world around her.

But sometimes she asks questions with a different motivation. We have rules in our house that have been in place all her life. They haven’t changed just because she isn’t here all the time anymore. She knows the rules well, but sometimes she will ask the question hoping to catch me off-guard and give her a different answer. I may be old and slow, but I’m no dummy. The rules are the rules.

God gave the Israelites the law – the commandments and regulations that must be strictly observed to maintain a relationship with Him. He is holy and righteous and His people must live holy and righteous lives. The law was given to instruct them in His ways and ensure their standing before Him. But the people failed to keep the law – “Everyone did as he saw fit” (Jud 21:25). Which meant they did not obey God’s law. Man was and is still sinful. Sin demands death. The Israelites relied on animals to die in their place, but that was not enough.

Then Jesus came on the scene. He said that He came to “fulfill” the law and the Prophets – but not to abolish them (Matt 5:17-20). What did He mean? The purpose and demands of the law had not changed. What changed was how one approached God. Under the law, all the rituals and rules – God’s “house rules” – must be followed to a T. But Jesus came “full of grace” (John 1:14). He lived the perfect life that man could not live. And He died to fulfill “every jot and tittle” of the law. Jesus – God in flesh – shed His divine blood to meet the demands of the law. All who receive Jesus’ work are under grace.

That means if you are a believer, you can breathe a sigh of relief because Jesus did all the hard work for you. And He sent His Holy Spirit to live in you and help you live out your holy standing. The rules haven’t changed, but how we obey them has. Beloved, you cannot; but Jesus did. Now you can live in grace.

Let me Wash His Feet

“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” John 13:1 NKJV
This passage in John 13 is where Jesus washes His disciples’ feet before the meal, a job usually done by a servant or other “lesser” person. It was not a pleasant chore, but a necessary one and a traditional sign of welcome. Yet there was no servant to wash the men’s feet, and clearly all of the disciples thought themselves above such a menial and distasteful task. No doubt they all looked at the others and thought, “You should be the one to wash our feet.” They never imagined who would.
Their Lord rose from his place, removed his outer garments and took the towel and basin to the pitcher of water and poured. Imagine the shocked silence that filled the room at the sight of their beloved Teacher, kneeling before them. When the task was done, Jesus told them to take His example and live by this expression of humility and service.
I have pondered this scene in my mind and something strikes me about it. John (who was the only gospel writer to record this scene) never says that anyone washed the feet of Jesus that day. Perhaps one of them did, but surely John would not leave out such an important detail.
There will come a day – sooner or perhaps later – when I will see Him face to glorious face. When I bow before Him in grateful adoration, I want to wash my Jesus’ feet. I want to hold those beautiful feet in my hands. I want to splash water from the River of Life (Rev. 22:1) on His feet.
The gospels record two occasions when women washed and anointed Jesus’ feet. But the feet they caressed did not bear the scars from the cross. Those precious marks would come after their acts of love. They washed the feet of Jesus their Teacher; I want to wash the feet of Jesus my Savior. I want to touch the imprints left by the nails and kiss the scars that bought my redemption. He bears the marks of His love for me on His body, on His hands, His feet, His side and His brow. I want to show Him “the full extent of my love” (Jn 13:1 NIV), that I will love Him forever – “to the end” (NKJV).
I want to wash my Savior’s feet. The feet that kicked against the swaddling clothes in the manger. The feet that carried the Teacher to the shores of Galilee. The feet that walked the dusty road of the Via Dolorosa. The feet that bore the weight of His body and the weight of my sin on the cross. Those beautiful, glorious nail-scarred feet bear the marks of my redemption.

Church History: Why The Past Matters

I wish I had taken the time to get to know my parent’s pasts – their youth, their childhood, passions, interests, crucial points in their lives, and their relationships. I wish I had had the opportunity to interview my grandparents to know them better. But we didn’t live nearby (we were a military family) and I was caught up in my own life. We should want to know the lives of those we love. We should want to know our own history. Maybe that is why I am so passionate about the history of the Christian Church. I love the church, I have been in church since the cradle roll. I want to know the church’s story because the church has shaped my life.
We start today to study Christian History – the part that begins where Acts ends. The part that most Christians don’t know. But this is rich stuff and it has shaped the church you are part of today. It shaped this nation and the world for many years, although those years and lessons are a distant memory. The church has changed dramatically since Paul made his way to Rome – some changes were good, some not so much, but every change still echoes through the ages.
Why am I so taken with this stuff? Because – watch your toes – the current generations are ignorant of the history of their faith, and it shows. We are repeating the same mistakes our fathers and mothers made and we are falling prey to the same deceptions – albeit dressed in more modern fashions – that caused so much division and heartache in the past. Many of our current issues in the Christian faith have their roots in the past. But most of all, we know little to nothing about the heroes of our past. We have forgotten how these men and women stood firm against persecution and fought – and died – “for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Their examples should inspire and encourage us in these days when the church is being targeted. We need their resolve for the battle ahead.
There is a reason that Scripture tells us to “remember” – because forgetfulness is costly. We will study people and places and decisions and doctrine. We will feel the whips of persecution and the sting of tyranny. But we will also celebrate the overwhelming response of men and women who found faith in Christ worth living – and dying – for. Join me every Monday for this walk through history.

The Command of Love

I’m looking at the “Love Chapter” – 1 Corinthians 13 – Paul’s discourse on all things love. I realize that love, as the Bible defines it, is not something we are to seek – it is something we are to give. It is something we do, not something we demand. I cannot find one verse in all the Bible that tells me to spend my life looking for love. What I find is Jesus saying, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). Did you know that this is the only time in the Gospels that Jesus prefaces His words with “This is my command . . .”? He said it two more times – in John 13:34 and 15:17. I believe He means it.
I’m reading Paul’s words and weighing my actions this week against them.
“Love is patient . . .” Well, I blew that one. Multiple times.
“Love is kind . . .” Not as much as I should have been.
“It does not envy . . .” Um, maybe I should stay off Facebook.
“It does not boast . . .” I got this one – I am proud of how humble I am!
“It is not rude . . .” I am a Southern woman; we are not rude – but we can be quite insistent.
“It is not self-seeking . . .” Sometimes we have to look out for ourselves, at least that is what modern psychology says, right?
“It is not easily angered . . .” Well, this is getting uncomfortable.
“It keeps no record of wrong . . .” Sigh.
“It does not delight in evil . . .” Whew! Finally, one I can claim.
“But rejoices with the truth . . .” Sometimes the truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
“It always protects . . .” I do try to be a protector.
“Always trusts . . .” Ouch.
“Always hopes . . .” Lord, forgive me.
“Always perseveres . . .” I got nothing.
I clearly have a long way to go. But I found some good news. John wrote “Let us love one another, for love comes from God. We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:7, 16). This is the only way we can obey Christ’s command. The love that Paul endorsed is holy, enduring, perfect love that comes from God alone through His Holy Spirit. When we are filled with God’s love first we become a conduit and it changes our hearts as it flows through us to others. And that, Beloved, is the kind of love that never fails.

A Church in Danger

Have you noticed that there is a lot of hero worship in Christendom? There are “rock-star” pastors with thousands of followers and Bible teachers who sell out auditoriums around the country. I’m not saying popularity in the church is wrong. Jesus had quite a crowd that followed Him and hung on His every word. Take the fellow in Luke 9: “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you where you go.’” (v. 57). He wanted to be part of Jesus’ entourage. But Jesus didn’t encourage this would-be fan. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head” (v. 58). I believe Jesus was saying, “This is not going to be the high-life you’re expecting. I don’t have a multi-million-dollar mansion to put you up in. I walk hot, dusty roads and sleep where I can.”
What did you expect from Jesus when you chose to follow Him? A solution to all your problems? A good reputation in the community? A full life with heaven thrown in after it’s all over? Just a few verses before He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (v. 23) Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. He might have also told the man, “Don’t hook your wagon to me unless you’re prepared to die.”
In case you haven’t noticed, there is a war going on between good and evil, between light and darkness. God’s people are the enemy of the present ruling authorities who are bent on the church’s destruction. If you choose Jesus, you need to know that you are also choosing self-denial, persecution, rejection, and suffering. That is what the Lord endured. Why should we expect any less?
I look at the modern church – particularly in the West – so comfortable in our air-conditioned sanctuaries. Where is the suffering? Where is the persecution? Where are self-denial and the cross? I’m pointing my finger at myself. I believe the enemy’s strategy against the church in the U.S. is not a full-on battle, but to make us relaxed and contented while he waters down our theology and sugarcoats our worship. Just before he hits us with an all-out assault.
I realize, Beloved, that this is not a warm and happy message. Take it as a warning. If our Christianity is comfortable, maybe we’re in more danger than we know.

Doctrines of the Faith: God the Father

The Apostle’s Creed is the core doctrinal statement of the Church. It outlines every foundational statement of the Christian faith. The opening statement says: “I believe in God the Father . . .” What does that mean? Are we “all God’s children” as many philosophers and modern songwriters have claimed?
Deuteronomy 32:6 is the first mention of the Lord as “Father.” Moses declared: Is He not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” In this sense, God is called Father because, like a human father He is instrumental in creating life. As man’s Creator, He is The Force of life. But the Old Testament people did not relate to God as a personal Father.
Jesus addressed God as Father in His prayers – often using the tender name “Abba” as little children would do – and he called Him “my Father” on multiple occasions when speaking to his disciples. In the prayer He taught them, said, “This, then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name. . .’” (Matt 6:9). He set this forward as a term of reverence. It was a step closer to the kind of relationship that He had with God but was still a formal declaration of devotion and veneration.
But go with me now to the tomb. When Mary Magdalene encountered the resurrected Lord in the garden, He told her to “Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (Jn 20:17). Now His Father was the disciples’ Father – and subsequently our Father. (On a side note: Jesus first called His disciples servants, then He called them friends. But after His resurrection, He called them brothers.)
Paul wrote that all who come to Christ Jesus “receive adoption as sons” [and daughters], and are full heirs with Christ. We are granted “the Spirit of Sonship” and that same Spirit “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom 8:15-16). He also wrote that “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (v. 9). No Christ – no Spirit – no Father.
God is indeed the Creator of all people, but He is not the Father of all people. He is the Father of every person whom He chooses to come into saving faith through His Son, Jesus. Beloved, is that you?

And If He Does Not . . .

Three Hebrew youths stood before Nebuchadnezzar. They had refused to bow before the King’s statue even though every other official in Babylon had put their faces to the dirt in homage to ninety feet of gold. They knew that the penalty for their actions was certain death. But what the king was asking would compromise their devotion to the God of Israel. And they would not.
Nebuchadnezzar gave them one more chance to obey his edict and bow down. “But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.” And he added an ironic punch line: “Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Dan 3:15).
“Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to rescue us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand.’” (v. 16-17). What confidence! What faith! I want a faith like that.
Yet – they gave room for God to be God. They said, “But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (v. 18). They believed and trusted God, but they did not demand God to act in their favor. And if He chose not to, they would not cease to worship Him, even to their dying breath.
Decisions are going to be made today that will greatly impact my family – especially someone I love with all my heart. I have prayed for God’s favor. and I am trusting Him for the outcome, believing He can “turn the heart of the king” (Prov 21:1). But if He does not . . .
I will still trust Him. I will still believe in His faithfulness. I will still worship and serve Him. I will still teach His Word. I will still give my heart and life to Him. I will still believe that He is good. Oh, it will hurt, but I will still declare that He is God – my God – and that His judgments are right. You see, in all my prayers I have prayed most earnestly for His will – His good, pleasing, and perfect will (Rom 12:2). And if His will is not my will – He is still God. My holy, heavenly Father. And hers.

I Want a Faith Like That

“Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.” Hebrews 11:36-37
Would you be willing to die for your faith?
Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) and James (Acts 12:2) were the first of many to die for the faith throughout Christian history. The martyrs of Christianity deeply move me. Believers like Perpetua, a young woman who, despite the pleas of her beloved father and the knowledge that she would leave behind a very young child, refused to recount her faith, but went courageously and gloriously into the Roman arena. Like the Apostles in Acts 5:41, she counted herself blessed to suffer for her Savior. Today in the West Christians typically deal with harassment and rejection, but I am convinced there is coming a day – very soon – when we will suffer like believers around the world who are martyred for refusing to deny Christ. I want a faith like that – one that stands the ultimate test.
But is the threat of death the only time my faith needs to endure? Every day, choice by choice, we either confirm or deny that we belong to Christ. Am I denying my Savior in the things I watch and listen to? Does your internet history prove or deny your faith in Jesus? What does my bank account say about where my treasure is? Do your conversations and language say you are Christ’s? What about the way I act toward others? When believers follow the world and our flesh, we are denying that Jesus is Lord of our lives. The consequences may not be death, but rather the slow demise of our faith. For if we deny Jesus in these lesser, daily decisions, how will we ever stand in the face of true persecution? In the face of death?
In the accounts of the Christian martyrs, many people came to faith in Christ by witnessing the strong convictions of these believers in the face of death. We have the same opportunity to be a witness in our everyday lives. The world is watching. They need to see believers who so firmly hold to the truth of the Gospel that they will not deny that Jesus Christ is Lord, in big and small things. They need to know that He is worthy of our undeniable devotion.
I want a faith like that because I have a Savior like that. What say you, Beloved?

All About Love

Love. Paul called it “the most excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31). It is also the most demanding.
1 Corinthians 13 is all about love. When we consider this chapter, we tend to go right for the “Love is patient, love is kind . . .” (v. 4f) and it is good to know what love looks like in action But verses 1-3 hold the core truth: the greatest spiritual gift requires the greatest degree of humility. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
Paul shines the spotlight on the most Christ-like behavior we can convey: self-sacrifice. He declares that giving ourselves to others is the ultimate expression of love. Jesus was the flesh-and-blood example of perfect, holy, eternal love because His motivation was perfect, holy, eternal love. In contrast to Jesus’ sacrifice, Paul warns us that if we surrender all that we have, including our very lives, but are not motivated by love, our actions gain us nothing of eternal significance. But oh, how we will be remembered in history.
Love and humility are the twin sisters of Christian discipleship – you cannot have one without the other. Jesus gives us the perfect example in John 13:1-5, as he humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ nasty feet. Verse 1b says: “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them with a perfect love to the end” (NASB).
I want to love with as near to “a perfect love” as is humanly possible. But that’s the problem – it’s not “humanly possible.” So how do I do the impossible? John said, “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16). I can only love like Christ if I allow God’s love to flow through me to those around me. That’s why anything done for the sake of appearance is “a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.” It’s a lot of attention-grabbing noise – but it’s not love. And if it’s not love, it’s nothing.