Christmas

I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26

My Christmas gratitude.... Nicodemus?

In the most important conversation in human history, Jesus tells a probing Nicodemus one night, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:6-8).

And it is here where our entire faith and hope hinge.

When I was born again, I had no idea where the Holy Spirit came from (Though I do know its source). I had no idea why the Spirit has chosen to fill me (Though I do know because of the meritorious cause of our justification - the blood of Jesus Christ). I have no idea where the Spirit is going to next (Though I do know it will be wherever a new believer is).

Wesley said "The wind bloweth - According to its own nature, not thy will, and thou hearest the sound thereof - Thou art sure it doth blow, but canst not explain the particular manner of its acting. So is every one that is born of the Spirit - The fact is plain, the manner of his operations inexplicable."

The one thing God always asks of us is to trust in Him. Genuine faith is trusting that we may not have all the answers, but that is okay. When we are inwardly renewed by the Holy Spirit the moment of genuine faith, we begin to understand what this means.

Indeed, I don't know why God chose me - but, in no uncertain terms, I am unequivocally sure that He has, by the presence of the Holy Spirit that captured and transformed, and continues to do so every moment of my life here.

When Nicodemus tiptoed to Christ that night, He invoked a conversation that revealed a secret kept before the start of time. When we are born again, everything is anew. The eyes and heart I perceive life with are everything the Old Testament champions of faith longed for, and they are everything we can ask for in this life. Assurance of God, assurance of His immutable character and Love, and assurance that this Helper indwelling in me is my minutely reminder that a eternity of joy is just around the corner.

Thanks be to God... and thanks be to Nicodemus.

The Body of Christ in (or out of) New England

My wife and I are constantly weighing the choice of moving out of New England to raise a family. While it is taking the rest of America much more time to deviate from its Christian roots, New England has essentially dismounted from Christianity, becoming instead a secular region governed by self-sustainment, humanism, pluralism, and everything that America wasn't founded on. Unfortunately, I guess, many of our friends and family are located here, and thus it is for obvious reasons, the magnet to stay in the region.

When these things come up in discussion, liberal humanists (any atheist, Universalist or agnostic) are quick to point out that this country was founded on religious freedom. Of course. But the issue is whom founded it, and on what principles religious freedom was founded upon. For instance, almost 95% of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were deeply-grateful Christians, and language from every important historical document is reflective of the deep and true faith and reliance on God Almighty that early America had.

A microcosm of what has happened to America, particularly New England, was in today's Boston Herald (the link below).

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1219085&format=comments#CommentsArea

Today, all the things that this country was founded on has all but disappeared. Accordingly, this country is in the middle of a transition from a semi-moralistic (as much as any country can be, at least) world power, to a subservient, confused, secular country. This has nothing to do with poor global economic strategy and bad math SAT scores; these are minor symptoms of a rotting illness that defines America today - just like delivered Israel did in the days of Aaron, delivered America in these days have turned their back on their God of deliverance, creation, hope and sustainability.

Being a Christian American today is like being on a sinking ship; as I start to think about passing things onto the next-generation, I can't help but be concerned by the country the next-generation of Americans will grow up and live in. What has happened to America is yet another tragic chapter in the book of humanity, and should serve as a constant reminder of why we all need to repent both singularly and corporately and turn to our only hope.

While our country falls, importantly, this needs to serve as a reminder of the dangers of putting our hope into anything that isn't God, especially the things that seem wholesome and pure. Even though our country was once made up of mostly Christians, it still was not the body of Christ. When we put our hope in family or country or self, we show we are as lost as we always were; when we put our hope in God and in the family of God, only then we can know even though the ship may be sinking, we will always be delivered. And this deliverance won't necessarily be with family members, our neighbors, our co-workers and our fellow Americans - nor was it ever to be- it will be with those scattered around this world and history that have put their faith in the one true God.

Jesus came to save sinners (John 1), and/but He also came for His sheep, and made it clear that there was no human bond that would be strong enough to disrupt His separation of sheep and goats (Luke 11:17, 12:49-53). In fact, He came to "divide" even "Father from Son", (Luke 12:50-52), perhaps the most intimate and historically important human bond there is. This is a part of following Christ that is both the cross we bear and the abundant blessing we receieve; it's being saved and joined with others, yet divided from others whom we have established strong, meaningful bonds with. It's being part of a country we adore, yet being part of a country we do not rely on for our identity or our deliverance.

Thus, I've come to conclude it really doesn't matter where in this country me and my wife raise our family - for when two or three are gathered in His name, so will be Christ (Matthew 18:20). Even more, He is with us always (John 16-18). There are Christians in Pakistan right now (very persecuted ones, at that) that are more of our family then the guy who lives next to us, or even some of our own biological family or best of friends, will ever be. That is an astonishing truth we need to grasp and understand. The family of God has no boundaries: ethnical, socio-economical, generational, or physical.

This is what it means to be part of the Christian family. It does not change. Even in or out of New England.

Amanda Knox and Legalism

Like many Americans and Europeans, I have been watching the Amanda Knox case from afar with interest. For those who have not, Amanda Knox was a college student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, when one of her three roommates was murdered; she was charged with the crime (along with her boyfriend, a drifter, and a bar owner) and convicted around 6pm eastern time yesterday (midnight in Perugia).

To understand the background of the case, Perugia has a large cohort of foreign (many of these American) students whom study there for a semester or year. The economy is heavily reliant on these students, but, like almost all college students, nightlife is a big part of the experience. The residents in Perugia seemingly resent the students way of life - Amanda Knox was no exception.

Let me just say three things. Amanda Knox was supported by her native Washington family the entire time; they are completely broke now, but they showed amazing support (parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, etc) for the entire two-year period in which she was held. Second, there was not one piece of forensic evidence against Amanda Knox. Zero. Thirdly, I was talking with a Boston University professor friend of mine today, and he made the interesting point that the State Department will probably get more involved, and ensure that Amanda Knox will be freed during one of her appeals in the Italian courts. This way, Italy doesn't demonstrably concede their justice system is corrupt, and the Obama administration can save face a bit, as the general consensus to this point is they have done nothing to stop this gross injustice. Let's hope so. But this is all speculative and peripheral to my point.

As Amanda Knox was leaving the courtyard after the guilty verdict, hundreds of Perugians - joining what I'm sure to be millions of others across the globe- could be seen cheering outside, glad to see the debaucheror sentenced to rot in a foreign jail.

Like those whom picket in front of Planned Parenthood (for the record, I am 100% pro-life), and roll up their window in disgust as the homeless beg for change, the message from these folks is clear - You are a bad person, and you - not I - deserve punishment and judgement.

In theology, we call this legalism. Legalism is trying to "work" your way to heaven in some part; it goes hand-in-hand with thinking you can be morally better-off than someone else. I don't have mixed feelings, or wake up confused about, or even dislike, legalism. I hate legalism.

From His words, I suspect Jesus hates legalism too.

Jesus didn't reserve harsh words for Herod or Judas or the Jews calling for His blood (or getting His blood). He used his harsh words for the legalists:

"They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." (Matthew 5)

This world is full of legalists. They are lining the streets of Perugia as we speak, and will be waiting in line for church tomorrow. In every sense, in and out of religion, "they tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." Matthew later records Jesus putting it a different way: they point out the speck of dust in your eye, but they refuse to remove the plank of wood in theirs (Matthew 7). They say "I may not be perfect but look at her". They stand up and exclaim, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector!". (Luke 18:11). They say "look at me, I have a job and a family and I try to do the right thing every day, but they..." They say "she was a flirt and a slut and she deserves jail."

This is legalism. It is as rampant as humanism right now, but it's much worse. Where humanism denies the need for the Gospel, legalism takes the Gospel and hides it in the depths of the earth, and then masquerades as the Gospel.

Legalism is always artificial, ignorant, and a sure sign of non-regeneration. It is antitruth, antilove and antiChrist.

There is one alternative to legalism.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30.)