Tag: Religion

There are No Self-Made Men in God’s Kingdom

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals6 Comments

Men at Work

Sam Walton – the founder of Wal-Mart – is a self made man.

He grew up during the Great Depression. His family was poor like most others. He had to pay his own way through College by working as a lifeguard. After college, he worked two jobs before serving in WWII.

Not until after the war did he catch a break. Using the money he saved, along with a loan from his father-in-law, he bought into a franchise, before opening his own store – Walton’s Five & Dime – and eventually Wal-Mart. His success as the owner of Wal-Mart earned him the title of America’s richest man.

We love stories like Walton’s. It motivates and inspires us. It drives us. That’s because it tells us if we work hard enough, we can become whatever we want. It’s the American Dream.

When it comes to our job, that way of thinking is fine, but we must set that aside when we turn to our relationship with God. Hard work doesn’t earn us success and acceptance with God. If we think that way, we are in trouble because there are no self-made men in God’s kingdom.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

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Post adapted from my most recent sermon: Rest Not Works

How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World? | Part 4

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

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What do we need to know in order to be an effective witness as a disciple of Jesus?

Continuing in Matthew 10:16-42, we also learn how to be an effective witness as a disciple of Jesus.

(1) We have to use our heads (16)

In verse 16, Jesus tells us we are to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. While we are sheep in the midst of wolves, we don’t have to be stupid sheep. We can use our heads to determine if a situation is not beneficial.

There has to be balance. While we are to be as wise as serpents, we are also to as innocent as doves, so we shouldn’t scheme or trick people.

(2) We must realize everything happens according to God’s plan and He will provide us with what we need because we are valuable to Him (19-20; 29-31).

God is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. Nothing happens outside of His control. If we find ourselves standing trial for our beliefs, we can be confident it’s part of God’s plan. Our trial is actually an opportunity to spread the gospel.

When we are called to give an account for our beliefs, we can do so confidently, knowing the Holy Spirit provides what we need. If it is boldness, He will give us boldness. If it is courage, He will give us courage. If it is knowledge of what to say, He will give us the words to speak.

All this means we must rely on the Lord, trust in His plan, and know we are valuable, as we take His message to the world.

(3) Know when to move on (23).

There will be instances when people won’t accept our message. Then there will be times when those same people persecute us. When we face persecution by a whole community, it is time to move on. There are others out there who will accept our message, so we must move on and begin to share our message with them.

(4) Fear God instead of man (26-28).

The fear of men shouldn’t keep us silent. Instead we should fear God. God has the power not only to kill our bodies, but our souls as well. He has the ability to punish us for all eternity. Those who don’t fear Him will face that punishment. So we should fear God instead of man.

The result of fearing God is freedom. Freedom to proclaim Jesus’ message to all. Freedom because we no longer fear what man can do to us.

(5) True peace doesn’t come by avoiding conflict (34-36).

Jesus did not come to bring peace. Jesus came with a message that creates conflict, even conflict in our own families. In order to be an effective witness for the gospel, we have to understand the gospel creates conflict. Not between Christians, but between Christians and the world as we spread the message of the gospel. Understanding that can help us prepare for conflict as we go out with the gospel.

(6) Put Jesus first (37-39).

Two thoughts run though these verses. First, we must put Jesus before our own families. Now this doesn’t mean we don’t take care of our families. It means our belief in Jesus is not based on our families agreement. As well as it means we are willing to be taken from our families because of our beliefs.

John Bunyan faced that decision in his life. In England, there is a State church – the Church of England. In John Bunyan’s time, it was mandatory for you to attend church services.

Bunyan didn’t agree with the Church of England. He thought it was corrupt and void of the true gospel. Instead of attending the state sponsored church services, Bunyan attended an underground church where he would preach the true gospel.

His preaching led to a trial, conviction, and sentencing. Bunyan’s punishment was to be three months imprisonment. Three months came and went, but Bunyan wasn’t released. Instead, the State held him in prison until he agreed not to preach anymore. Bunyan was unwilling to meet their demands. As a result, he ended up spending twelve years in prison. Twelve years away from his family. Twelve years knowing that if he only agreed not to preach the gospel he would be released. But Bunyan stuck to his guns.

He was willing to spend time away from his own family because He put Jesus first. Are we willing to do the same?

If we are going to be an effective witness for Christ, we must be willing to give up all for Jesus, which is the second thought running through these verses.

(7) Know some will accept our message (40-42).

Knowing some will accept our message, should motivate us to continue on. As well as we should be willing to face persecution, knowing what we are doing, the message we are spreading is not in vain.

Conclusion

Reflecting back over the narrative, we learn Jesus’ disciples will face persecution, but it is worth. It is worth it because disciples of Jesus experience a restored relationship with God that results in eternal life.

Not only should our future hope serve as motivation to spread the gospel, but knowing the Lord empowers us and prepares us for our mission should as well. Jesus doesn’t send us out without telling us what to expect. He doesn’t send us out without a game plan. He doesn’t send us out without empowering us for ministry. He provides us with what we need to accomplish His mission.

Knowing these things should motivate us to turn to Jesus as our Savior and serve as His Disciples. Our path won’t be easy, Jesus doesn’t promise us that, but it will be worth it.

So if you call yourself a disciple of Jesus, spread His Word!

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Post adapted from my recent sermon: How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World

How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World? | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

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Why would we want to be a Disciple of Jesus?

Continuing in Matthew 10:22-39, we are motivated to be a Disciple of Jesus because

(1) Jesus is worth it.

Serving God, being in His will and His promises are greater than any comfort this world offers. Nothing will provide ultimate fulfillment but Jesus. He alone provides a restored relationship with the Father and eternal life, which are the next two motivations.

(2) We experience a restored relationship with God (32-33).

Those who stand as Jesus’ representative to the world can count on Jesus standing as their representative to the Father. It is important Jesus stand as our representative. It is crucial He acknowledge us to the Father. If He doesn’t, our relationship with the Father is not restored. Instead of experiencing peace and eternal life, we experience eternal damnation. Those, however, whom Jesus represents have a restored relationship with the Father.

(3) We experience Eternal Life (22; 39).

A restored relationship with the Father results in eternal life. Those willing to give their life to spread Jesus’ message, and those who persevere to the end, experience eternal life. God makes that promisse. Since He is the All-Sovereign, All Mighty, Ruler of the Universe, the Creator of all things, we can trust His promises.

(4) Our persecutors will be punished (26).

All those who persecute God’s people, and never repent and turn to Christ, will be punished. Nothing is hidden from God. Every action against God’s people will be accounted for. Christians will be vindicated in the end. Our message will prove to be right. Our suffering will not be in vain. God’s name will be upheld.

We should want to be Jesus Disciple because:

  • Jesus is worth it.
  • We experience a restored relationship with God.
  • We receive eternal life.
  • Our Persecutors will be punished.

Realizing all the advantages we have in Christ, facing persecution for our beliefs pale’s in comparison to what we will experience in the life to come. Putting that into perspective should help us stand in the face of persecution now, and should motivate us to go out proclaiming the gospel as Jesus’ Disciples.

Looking Forward

What do we need to know to be an effective witness as a Disciple of Jesus? I will answer that question next time.

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Post adapted from my recent sermon: How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World

How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World? | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

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What can we expect when we take the gospel message to the world as a Disciple of Jesus?

Matthew 10:16-24 tells us what to expect, and it is not your best life now.

(1) We can expect to be hunted by wolves (16)

Wolves are fierce protectors of their territory. If you have ever seen the movie The Grey you know what I mean. A group of men are traveling home from working in a remote Alaskan camp. A few minutes after take off their airplane goes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Instead of waiting for rescue, they set off in search of civilization.

As they do, they realize wolves are after them. One by one each of the surviving members are picked off, until one person is left. Without knowing it, their plane crashed at the edge of a wolf pack’s territory. Every step brought them closer to the wolves’ den.

As we go out to spread the gospel, we are entering wolf territory. Jesus sends us out as sheep. Sheep are natural prey of wolves. Like these men we too are hunted.

So as we go out with the message of the gospel, we are guaranteed to attract the attention of wolves. Wolves that don’t want us in their territory. Wolves that want nothing more than to take us out because we are spreading a message they don’t like.

(2) We can expect to be punished (17-18)

In order to get rid of us, these men, these wolves will deliver us over to courts and synagogues.

Reading through church history, you find most of the disciples were persecuted, even killed at the hands of courts.

Paul, one of the churches greatest missionaries, suffered at the hands of authorities. He was held in Roman jails. Flogged numerous times. Five times he received thirty-nine lashes. Forty would have resulted in death.

The church today experiences persecution.

  • Indonesian churches are being forced to close right now.
  • 900 Christians were murdered in Nigeria for their faith in 2012.
  • 191 Christians have been arrested and detained so far this year in Eritrea.
  • In Germany, a human rights courts recently rejected hearing cases of alleged discrimination against three UK Christians. One demoted for wearing a cross necklace to work. Another disciplined for refusing to conduct a same-sex marriage. The third fired for refusing to provide relational counseling to same-sex couples.

Lest we are naive, persecution is beginning to happen in the United States. We may not be imprisoned or put to death for our beliefs, but we are consistently marginalized as our society marches toward secularism.

  • In Manhattan, churches can no longer use public schools as places of worship.
  • The media continues to blast Christians for their beliefs, especially when it comes to same-sex marriage. We saw that with Tim Tebow and Louie Giglio recently.

We may not face intense persecution in the States, but persecution exists. Disciples of Jesus can expect it to occur.

(3) We can expect our own families to turn against us (21)

Jesus expects families to be divided in their loyalty to Him. Just because a father comes to Christ doesn’t mean his son or daughter will, and vice versa. Just because a sibling proclaims Christ doesn’t mean the others will. So in our families we can expect divided loyalty to Christ.

Divided loyalty may lead to persecution. Jesus speaks of family members handing each other over to be put to death. In some parts of the world this occurs today. Especially, in regions where Christianity is despised. Family members are disowned for professing Christ. In some cases, their life is sought by their own family because they are seen as an enemy.

So as we spread the gospel, we can expect our own family members to turn on us.

(4) We can expect to be hated and criticized (22)

When I lived in Fort Worth, I would talk to this one guy fairly often at the coffee shop. He was an atheist. If our conversation steered clear of Christianity, he was pleasant. As soon as we started talking about Christianity, however, a distinct change took place. Anger and hatred shone through in his tone and facial expressions. He hated Christ and those who followed Him, and it showed.

Hatred for Christ is not just reserved for coffee shop atheists. Listen to certain radio programs or read certain newspapers and you will find a hatred for Christianity exists in the media and larger culture.

It is only natural we be hated and criticized.

In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus tells us we are not above Him. He is our Master. Our Leader. Our Savior. If people hated Him and criticized Him, they will hate and criticize us. If they rejected and killed Him, they will do the same to us. It has nothing to do with our likableness or personality. Rather, it has everything to do with what we believe.

The gospel is offensive.

It tells us we are all sinners. Corrupt, broken, rebels who need to be fixed. Fixing we can’t do on our own. We can’t remove our own sin. No amount of good works, or sacrifices will do. We can do nothing to reconcile our own relationship with God.

Thankfully, we have Jesus. He is the only one who reconcile our relationship with God. He does so through the cross.

Until we admit we are sinners, repent and turn from that sin, admit Jesus is our Savior, we remain enemies of God. Until we recognize He took the punishment we deserve. Until we admit those things, our relationship with God remains broken. We face His punishment, His Wrath for all eternity.

That message is offensive. Not only are we telling people they are sinners, who are corrupt and broken. We are also claiming Jesus is the only way to a restored relationship with God. Nothing else will do it. No amount of works. Nor any other religious belief. Jesus is the only way to a restored relationship with God and eternal life. Those who don’t believe in Jesus experience eternal punishment in hell.

Because our message is offensive, people hate us, which is what we can expect as Jesus’ Disciples.

Summary

Jesus’ Disciples can expect:

  • (1) To be hunted by wolves
  • (2) To be delivered over for punishment
  • (3) To have their own families turn against them
  • (4) And to be hated and criticized.

After reviewing a list like this, no one can accuse Jesus of sugarcoating what His disciples should expect as they go out with the gospel. He doesn’t attempt to deceive anyone. He shoots us straight. He tells us the cost.

Looking Forward

Who is ready to sign up to be Jesus’ disciple? Who is ready to have wolves hunt them? Who is ready to have their families turn on them? Who is ready to be hated and criticized? Who is ready to be persecuted? Doesn’t seem too appealing. Why would we want to be a Disciple of Jesus? I will answer that question next time.

Resource

Post adapted from my recent sermon: How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World

How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World? | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

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Have you ever been sold on something that is too good to be true?

When I was first looking for a job out of college, I interviewed with several sales organizations. Like any new grad exploring a career in sales, the allure of making a lot of money quickly and easily captured me.

One company I interviewed with sold me on their process. They promised to set all my meetings for me with customers who were interested and qualified. All I had to do was show up and close the deal. Sounds good, but there were several red flags. Red flags that should have alerted me to the fact it wasn’t going to be as easy as they made it out to be.

The recruiter wouldn’t tell me much about the position. He just wanted me to attend the interview, which wasn’t an interview. It was their chance to sell me on a commission only position. The sales man did a great job because everyone in attendance was not only offered the job, but we all took it. A new pack of naive sales associates were ready to strike it rich.

Right then and there, I should have realized this job wasn’t as easy as they made it out to be, but I had to learn the hard way. A month later, no sales, a hundred dollars spent on gas, hundreds of miles traveled to worthless meetings with customers who were not interested or pre qualified, I threw in the towel. I realized everything they told me was a half truth. It had to be because no one would take the job. Deception was the trick up their sleeve.

Not so with Jesus. He doesn’t deceive His Disciples. He doesn’t sugar coat their mission. Jesus shoots them straight. He tells them exactly what to expect. He paints a picture of what will happen. The picture Jesus paints is not only reserved for the Twelve but for us as well.

Over the next three posts, we will take a look at Jesus’ painting. I’ll do that by answering three questions:

  • (1) What can we expect when we take the gospel message to the world as a Disciple of Jesus?
  • (2) Why would we want to be a Disciple of Jesus?
  • (3) What do we need to know in order to be an effective witness as a Disciple of Jesus?

Looking Forward

Next time, I answer the first question: What can we expect when we take the gospel message to the world as a Disciple of Jesus?

Resource

Post adapted from my recent sermon: How Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Treated By The World

How To Avoid Conflict In The Church | Part 4

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Practical2 Comments

How To Avoid Conflict Part 4

How Do We Avoid Conflict?

(4) Don’t speak evil against one another.

James says,

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (Jas 4:11–12)

Speaking evil against another is harmful speech. Harmful speech could be anything from: Questioning legitimate authority, to slandering someone in secret, to bringing false accusations against them.

Conflict arises when we want recognition from others but someone else stands in our way. Our flesh tells us to remove the obstacle by criticizing and judging others.

Politicians are a great example. Debates, TV ads, and bill boards are all designed to defame their opponents and gain an advantage. From a worldly perspective it seems to work, but the result is conflict, which is what we want to avoid.

To keep conflict out of a community, we have to watch what we say. Harmful speech doesn’t build others up, it only tears them down, creating tension between you and them.

How do we keep ourselves from speaking evil against another?

James’ tactic is to expose what evil speech and judging another actually does. He tells us speaking evil against, or judging another, means we speak evil against and judge the Law of God.

As if that is not bad enough, he takes it a step further, telling us we also take God’s right to judge away from Him. As our Creator, He has the right to judge us. We don’t have the right to judge another. When we act as judge, we infringe on God’s right.

What does James mean by judging another and the Law? 

For James, judging others holds the idea of criticizing another with slanderous remarks, or pronouncing their damnation when we have no basis to do so.

We speak evil against or judge the Law when we slander or judge others because the Law demands we love our neighbors.

In other words, we observe what the Law says, – love your brother – think through it, and decide it is not worth following. When we do that, we are essentially saying the Law’s command is wrong, and is not worth anything.

Conclusion

Conflict occurs in a sinful world. It doesn’t have to occur in our churches though. James provides the necessary tools to keep conflict at bay. He tells us:

If you want to avoid conflict, take James’ ideas and apply them to your life.

Question for Reflection

  1. How is your speech?

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