You are never more like Jesus than when you are serving. (I stole that from someone.) As I read Matthew 25:31-45, I was caught be verse 37: "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you something to drink?" Jesus' answer was, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me" (verse 40). Here's the translation: We see and serve Jesus when we see needs and serve people.

In verses 31-45 Jesus is separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep are the righteous and receive eternal life -- they are the ones who serve others. The goats are the one who are on Jesus' left and did not serve others. They go away to eternal punishment.

Remember that Jesus said this just a few days before He was crucified. Why was service and taking care of people's needs on His heart? That's what Jesus was doing -- serving the people and preparing to die for our sins on the cross. Mark 10:45: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and to give His life as a ransom for many." You are never more like Jesus than when you are serving. And service will help you see Jesus.

"Do you have any last words?" That question is asked to a person that is to die for a crime. Reading Matthew 21-24, I just realized these were some of Jesus' last words. Let's take a listen.

With great foresight Jesus tells of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and signs of the close of the age. He closes by urging us, "Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44). Jesus wails on the religious leaders with seven "woe"s that challenge their hypocrisy and then wails over Jerusalem's coming desolation (Matthew 23). I guess He wasn't trying to win a popularity contest. He answers trick questions with great savvy (Matthew 21-22) and asks those who are trying to trap Him, "If David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" This refers to King David's inspired words (Psalm 110:1) that say, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right end until I put your enemies under my feet.'" No one could answer Jesus' question that challenged them to probe the mysteries of who He is -- fully God and fully human, having existed forever in the past as God and also being born at Bethlehem.

My observations/response:

• Jesus is certainly no whimp but powerfully challenges people to know the "Truth" so that they can be prepared for His return.
• I wish that I could have such clarity on life -- Jesus is so perceptive!

Your thoughts?

The picture is taken from the Mount of Olives and looks down on present day Jerusalem. The perspective helps us to see how much higher the Mount of Olives is and it also shows a bit of the valley in between the Mount of Olives and the eastern wall of Jerusalem. The second picture is of the Mount of Olives looking from Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives has a large cemetery where the deceased lie in hopes of meeting Jesus there when He returns to earth and raises the dead. It is there that Jesus spoke Matthew 24-25; there that Jesus ascended into heaven and there Jesus will return (Acts 1:9-11).

Odd, isn't it, how so many people cheered Jesus and then called for His crucifixion? But maybe it's not surprising considering how fickle the human heart is (Jeremiah 17:9). It's just hard to believe sometimes that the Lord's way and not my way is going to be best.

Jesus came to be King over all  -- even how we live our lives. But it can be a struggle when we face correction. It takes such grace to give and receive godly correction. But that's where we find out who our true friends are: "Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6; see also Proverbs 15:5; 9:8-9; Psalm 141:5).

Got friends? (The picture portrays Judas' kiss of betrayal.)

Palm Sunday and Holy Week are nearly here! I'm excited for Sunday and the week ahead. Hope to see you there!

Should we deliberately do ministry out of our weakness? Paul boasted in his weaknesses and said, "When I am weak, then I am strong."

I met a young man that aspired to be a pastor but after I heard him speak, I struggled with the idea of him as a pastor. Why? 1 Timothy 3:2: "A (pastor) must . . . be able to teach." The man was very confusing to listen to -- not able to teach.

So here's a question -- should he be a pastor because he's incapable or should he not be a pastor because he's incapable?

What do you think?

Following Christ is about showing off God's power through our lives. The apostle Paul did this by how he preached (1 Corinthians 2:4-5), how he endured hardship (2 Corinthians 4:7-11); and how he responded to his "thorn in the flesh" -- a matter that he asked the Lord to take away three times and the Lord said "No" three times (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). The Lord promised him that his grace would be sufficient; that there would be strength for his weakness. Paul concludes, "When I am weak, then I am strong." That's curious. We are strong when we are weak. Why? That's when the Lord's power shows through us.

Do you realize how this redefines everything? Pick whatever illness -- cancer, diabetes, appendecitis, anything -- all our bodily weakness is our opportunity to show off God's power. Pick your temptation -- anger, worry, lust, pride, jealousy, anything -- all our fleshly lusts become our opportunity to show off God's power through the Holy Spirit working through us (Romans 8:12-13). Pick your career -- business, law, government, services, education -- it's all our opportunity to show off God's power working through us. Pick your family role -- child, parent, sibling, cousin, anything -- it's our opportunity to show off God's power working through us (1 Corinthians 13).

So here's your opportunity to "show off" God's power. What's he been doing in your life?

"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).

Jesus has become wisdom from God for us. There was a time that Jesus was not wisdom from God for us and that there was a time that He became wisdom from God for us. This happened when Jesus accomplished our salvation and when the Holy Spirit applied our salvation. Jesus' life and death on the cross and resurrection accomplished our salvation. He lived a perfect life and so was a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 4:15; 9:24-26). Because of this He became our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. When God calls us into faith in Christ, Jesus becomes wisdom for us. Previous to this, we thought Jesus to be irrelevant or foolish. But then we understood that we need righteousness, holiness, and redemption and that faith in Jesus brings this wisdom. Paul frames it this way in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

"Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God."

Let's pray for this wisdom from God to be received by many people in 2010!

God calls us to salvation through the preached message of the cross. Throughout 1 Corinthians 1 we've learned about this idea of "call." Apostles are called (1). Christians are called to be holy (2). We put our faith in Jesus when we call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (2). God called us into fellowship with Jesus (9). Because of God's call we view Christ as the power and wisdom of God and not weak and foolish (24). There is a time "when you were called" (25). God chooses and subsequently calls the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to shame the wise (26-28). Like Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus' effective call, we are spiritually raised by God's call. "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus . . . " (30). Verse 4 makes so much more sense in this light. Note who gets the thanks. "I always give thanks to God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus." So this is one more reason that we "boast in the Lord" (31). 

It was a great morning to worship and be together. It is a great privilege to hear what God is doing in your lives. A number of people mentioned serious challenges they face. I hope that our focus on the cross and our boast in the Lord will linger long in your spirit so that God gives you grace for the week ahead. We are all going to need that!

I wonder what God's call will be in your life this week.

It was a great day together! I truly enjoy the moments we have as a congregation -- the worship was outstanding; the fellowship was a delight; the food was abundant; good to hear the report from our mission team -- a good day! I wonder how God is going to show himself to the team members now that they are back home. Will they be missionaries here, too? Will all of us be missionaries where we are planted?

Isn't it odd how many people think the message of the cross is foolish but have never really checked out God's side of the debate?

Besides Epicureans and secular humanists, there are other "wise" systems -- often they are spoken best at funerals. Here's one that makes my stomach turn -- "God needed more angels in heaven, so that's why he had to die." Or, at my friend Les' funeral -- one of his buddies gave some reflections that went kind of like this: "We went 4 wheeling and got stuck in the mud together. We drank beer together. Les really lived." That's a "wise" system. You only go around once in life. Go for the gusto. Have fun with your friends. Then you'll really live. Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die. THAT CAN'T BE ALL THERE IS! Check out John 10:10.

I love 1 Corinthians 1:29: "so that no one may boast before Him." That's the point of the cross (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11). Many, many layers of pride get peeled off of us at the cross. It sounds like this: "Lord Jesus, I am sorry for my sins." "Father, not My will but Yours be done." "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do."

My favorite story today was from Art. His friend didn't want to watch the movie about Christianity. Art asked why. His friend said, "That's not what I believe." Art said, "How do you know?" So the friend decided to give it a look. Several weeks later, he said to Art, "You were right." And Art said, "I wasn't right. It was God talking to you." In other words, Art understood that spiritual leadership in a conversation is not about winning the point but about joining God in His work; it's not about the debate but about God revealing Himself.

Thank God for His gift and the awesome privilege to preach "Christ crucified."

Stay true.

While a seminary student, I initiated a year long debate which occurred most Saturdays between three Jehovah Witness leaders from the Twin Cities and a team that consisted of two friends and myself. Our aim was to discuss the Bible and debate our differences. It was never easy to go into these Saturday morning debates. Yet, in spite of our differences, both sides respected one another. And, I think these JW leaders may have begun to discover Jesus Christ as the Son of God (a pivotal line of thought was the Revelations passages which say "I am the Alpha and the Omega; the First and the Last.").

In a postmodern, pluralistic world one would think that respectful dialogue about differences could frequently happen. I do believe it's very possible with many people. However, there are a few issues to navigate. One issue is what the other person thinks or believes about you and your convictions. Are you going to jam your religion down their throat? Are you going to judge them? Or, does your friend realize that you would like to share his/her journey and talk about his/her questions and issues? From our side of the conversation, there are issues, too. We're perceived by some as not exhibiting God's love; by others as reinforcing the Republican versus Democrat divide; and even by some as "angry".

So I propose two things. First, that we engage people with a passionate yet respectful dialogue. And second, just make the point as often as you can in your circle of influence -- that a passionate, respectful dialogue about faith is a good thing. I think that's a great way to honor what Jesus did on the cross for us.

What about all the different denominations? Don't they damage the idea of Christian unity?

"Is Christ divided?" Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 1:13. The answer is "No." Christ is unified in every sense. He is relationally unified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). His heart has no division in its expression of love toward His people: "He showed them the full extent of His love" (John 13:1). He is fully God and fully human and will always have these two natures in complete unity forever: "He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:24). Christ is not divided. Nor should His body be divided. "The body is a unity, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12).

So how do we approach various denominations? As a church we associate with Converge Worldwide (aka Baptist General Conference) and the Minnesota-Iowa Baptist Conference in order to advance the good news of Christ together. We also join with other churches in ways that advance the message of Christ crucified and share the love of Christ in practical ways. Common Cup is a shared ministry of many churches in our area that serves physical needs of people. Our church is a strong participant. We do make it a point to team up with other churches and so to honor the fact that Christ is not divided.

A curious fact -- studies have shown that there were up to 16 churches in the city of Rome by the time that the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Romans. At an early stage, many congregations had formed in Rome. This is an example of how the local church can have many individual, congregational expressions and yet be a part of the larger body of Christ.

A silly joke -- a man was stranded for 7 years on an island; finally he was rescued and he showed his rescuers around his primitive camp before leaving. They noticed three huts and asked him why he had three huts. The first one is where i go when the afternoon rains come. The second hut is my place of worship. "What about the third hut?" his rescuers asked. "That's another church," the man said. "A few years ago there was a bad squabble and there was a church split."

Your thoughts?