Transformed lives is still the norm!

In the beginning of the church, God displayed to the known world what happens to people who are forgiven and redeemed, saved from the bondage of sin. Acts is Luke’s eye-witness account. From it I know about that dramatic change wrought by God to those who believe in Jesus Christ and gave their lives to Him.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42–47)

Is this the norm? Does this still happen? Some people say that the church today should be more like the early church with a greater demonstration of the power of God in their lives. If these verses describe what they mean, it would be wonderful, yet church history has brought issues that have changed things. I don’t offer those changes as excuses, only explanations.

In North America, life’s pressures have Christians busy with work, family and all sorts of activities that pull them away from Bible study, fellowship that includes eating together, and prayer. In many other parts of the world, these activities have stopped or gone underground because governments have made them illegal.

Signs and wonders have fallen into question. Many theologians teach that these served a purpose then but are no longer part of God’s plan. Many Christians think that miracles have ceased, and without them, awe for God’s power has also faded. Adding to this is the tendency of media to bypass stories that glorify God or draw favorable attention to God’s people. Living for Christ seldom gets any press.

Believers are still willing to share. The stories of their generosity also seldom hit the news. As one reporter told me, if it bleeds, it leads and good news does not bleed, usually. Besides that, government has taken over the role of caring for the needy. We now rely on unemployment insurance and a host of other resources. Christian people offer soup kitchens but so do others. We no longer rate high in helping one another or the poor, and even if we did, it would not reach the press.

Over the centuries, the Spirit of God has prompted revivals where the church experiences renewal and people are drawn from ignoring God to salvation. I’ve heard that in some revivals the change in Christians was so dramatic that when they walked down the street, the Spirit touched others on the other side of the street and brought them to their knees before God in repentance and faith.

Perhaps that is the desire in our hearts when we say we should be like the early church. We want to be effective in our witness so that when we share our stories and our lives with each other, the world sees it and people are drawn to the Lord Jesus. As I read the above passage, I see that it is not that simple. If we want to be like those first Christians, we must devote ourselves to being together, to Bible study and prayer, having all things in common, selling our stuff and using the money to meet needs. This is not a description of Sunday church attendance, but a day by day focus on the things of God.

There is no mention in Acts of those new Christians having hobbies or spare time. It does not say anything about their employment because it was not the most important thing, nor does it mention themselves or their children being enrolled in lessons, sports, or other activities. These people were glad to eat together and generous of heart, praising God and not interested in awards or rewards. Could modern-day believers in our culture actually live like that? Could the persecuted church in other parts of the world enjoy that kind of togetherness without fear of being arrested or worse?

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Jesus, I cannot answer my own questions. I know You can do whatever You want with us. The changes in the first century were instigated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. We are called to live for You in a totally different setting and challenged by many issues that did not exist at the time covered by Luke when he wrote Acts. As it has been said, every generation must work out its own theology and how to live it in the time in which we live. They had their challenges and so do we. All I can ask is that You enable me to obey Your will today in my world in ways that bring You glory.

The importance of daily practice . . .

Chambers throws out a challenge: “If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome.”

The Bible says that I am to live as a disciple of Jesus in the same way that I became a Christian . . .

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6–7)

How did I receive Him? His part was to awaken me to my sinfulness and to His power over sin. My part was to confess (agree with Him) my sin and submit to the Holy Spirit, letting Him fill me with His power. This is not only true for initial salvation, but also applies to daily life and spiritual growth.

When any Scripture seems to speak only to the unsaved, Chambers thinks of how those verses apply to Christians. That is, every challenge in the Christian life is the same as the challenge of receiving Jesus and walking in faith. Jesus says . . .

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13–14)

God saved me by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He works in me both to want His will and to obey it. This is the salvation that I need to put into practice in daily life and that life is also narrow and difficult, not wide and easy. However, as Chambers says, practice in the small things enables victory in the crisis situations. If I cannot resist even the most mundane of temptations, how can I resist those most dangerous?

This practice includes spiritual disciplines. Peter describes them as adding virtue to virtue . . .

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5–8)

Without doing the daily stuff, I will not be ready for the tough stuff, yet Chambers thanks God for allowing the tough stuff, those difficult challenges that test His people for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many “sons unto glory” which means God will not shield me from what is required to be like Jesus. Otherwise, I’d be a weak and ineffectual person.

I once felt insignificant to God because I didn’t sense Him calling me to do important things. Yet in the very beginning of my Christian experience, He impressed upon me that everything that happened in my life would be used as part of His make-over plan, that I would be transformed and like Jesus. Could there be a greater calling?

Yet it to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ takes a great deal of discipline in the ordinary things of life. Can I mop the floor with thankful joy? Can I be gracious to telephone solicitors? Can I be patient with rude neighbors? Can I glorify God when I want a pat on the back instead?

The list of daily stuff is long and that is a good thing — I need the practice.

Why Easter Friday is good . . .

Deuteronomy 21:1–22:30; 2 Corinthians 5:11–21; Psalm 38:1–22

Good Friday is still fresh in my heart. The OT reading points to what happened that dark day: “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:22–23)

Being hung on a tree was a sign of being cursed, cursed for sin and for crimes punishable by death. The NT says that the “wages of sin is death” and as a sinner I deserve that curse. But Christ was cursed for me. He was hung on a tree (the cross), and because of what He did, my debt is paid and I no longer live under a curse. That is why I call that horrid day a ‘good’ Friday.

As I work through this devotional book called Connect the Testaments, I cannot always see the connection, particularly  between the laws and my life today. I know that those laws have truths and principles behind them, even though not all of them are for today, for this era of grace. However, there is a simple and plain relationship between my actions and what Christ has done for me. I am free from the OT laws and the curse I deserve, but that freedom is meant to prompt me to live for Christ — not for myself. I am called to live as a free person should live, called to live for God’s kingdom and for His glory.

However, the NT reading for today does connect with that thought. It says, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died . . . . Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:14, 17–21)

Sometimes I fail to follow God’s calling. When that happens, “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty . . . . Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.”

The last part of these words describes the spiritual battle that occurs when I’m determined to obey God with all my heart and soul. Jesus defeated sin and death and Satan at the cross and in rising from the dead, but the war is not ended. This victory is something like the difference between D-Day and V-Day in WWII. The battle was won long before the final victory was declared.

To put it another way, the enemy attacks are something like a bell that keeps on ringing after the rope is no longer being pulled. The bell’s power is gone, but it moves anyway, like a chicken with its head cut off. He is defeated but taking his time dropping out of the skirmish. (Pardon the mixed metaphors!)

The last part of that psalm is my prayer for today’s battles: “Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (Psalm 38:18–22) Yet this is a prayer I know is already answered, for Jesus promises to never leave me. He is my Savior yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. Because He was willing to die for me on that Good Friday, I can count on Him to never be far away.

Life is not random

From small things like needing to look for a parking spot to large things like being betrayed by someone I trusted, God continues to keep His most precious promise. Life is not random.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28–39)

He works to make every event in my life a good thing, good in that it is a tool in His hand to shape me into the image of Jesus Christ. That is a good thing, the best thing. It is my destiny as His child, and my glory that is certain, set in the heart of God and easily within His power.

What can be said in response to this amazing truth? The above passage offers rhetorical questions. If God is for me, who can be against me? No one, for no one can do anything to me that He cannot use in this marvelous plan. He gave me Jesus, the most and greatest He could give. Anything else that I need is nothing compared to this Gift.

Who can charge me with anything? God has forgiven me and declared me righteous, not because of anything I have done or can do, but because I have Christ. His righteousness has been exchanged for my sin. No matter what others might hurl at me, He stands before me to bear the brunt. Nothing can hurt Him; He takes the fall for me, and rises again to live forever.

Nothing can separate me from His love, nothing in life with its trials and threats, nothing in death  or in the unseen powers of the spiritual realm. I am in Christ and He lives in me. That means that I am more than a conqueror.

The answers are clear. Evil at its worst has already been met and mastered at the Cross. God turned suffering’s most awful triumph into total defeat. That happened and on that scale. It may happen on a much lesser scale in my own life because I am united to Christ by faith, but because His Spirit has invaded mine, then I can do as He did. “In all these things” that are desolating and heartbreaking, all physical pains, mental agonies, and spiritual midnights of my soul — I am “more than a conqueror.”

I have no brave valor or stoic resolution. Creeds, codes and philosophies are okay but insufficient. I can overcome only because of “Him who loved” me. In His sovereign love, nothing that comes against me is outside of His grand and glorious purpose for me. Because of this and because He lives in me, praise God, no event in my life is random and victory is a sure thing!