Fighting For Faith

Do you take your salvation for granted? I do. I have for many years. I heard all the stories growing up. I have never questioned God's existence or that He sent His son to die in my place, for my sins. I am so desensitized by my play-like, superficial faith. Most of the time, I can't see what the TRUE, transforming Jesus dying the world's worst death (instead of me getting what I deserve) means for my life today.

I talk to many people who want to assume someone's salvation because they have been in church for years, they had a "good upbringing" or because they have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ many times over. However, the transforming power of God's grace does more than give us something to talk about, more than a moral way to live life; it does more than give us a cultural nameplate, more than a retro hub to commune with people we choose to be seen with. In my cultural bubble, the question "What church do you go to?" comes with a stereotype box of whether or not you are okay with tattoos, with drinking, with certain authors or with a certain kind of music MORE THAN, "Do you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving grace? Is He changing your life?"

In 1 John 2:28, 3:1, John says, "And now, little children abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming... See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

My question is simply this, who do you know better: the world or Jesus? Are you "abiding in Him"? I'll admit my answer to this question often varies. But it's His gripping love that brings me back, time and time and time and time again. We should always strive to DO what God has called us to DO (James 1), but we so often think knowing Him means having the answers from the Bible or attending our weekly groups or listening to the right kind of music. This is SO NOT what "knowing Him" necessarily means.

"Fierce love slips into Bethlehem, virtually unnoticed, as tears stream down the Virgin's face. It is heard in the baby's whimper as he's placed in the barren feeding trough. Then, at night, it secrets the family away, down to the isolation of despised Egypt, while a vicious despot slaughters toddlers. The glow of his fierce love grows on through the seemingly endless years of mundane family life in Nazareth. For a while the whispers about Mary die down, and then the Son explodes onto the scene.... The embodiment of the Father's love overturns the commercial interests of the religious, commands hatred of one's own family, blesses children and welcomes the demon-possessed." **

I sympathize with those in the categories of the overturned. My flesh feeds off the stuff He came to destroy! How utterly humiliating... this is why all glory is due to Him alone. Are we striving to make our churches look a certain way or are we striving to know and cultivate our love for the true Jesus? Are we striving to make our family members behave a certain way or are we longing for everyone to experience God's love that He poured out on the cross? Are we striving to get the next promotion at work or are we striving to make His name known alone?

I'm often striving towards my own end, not to God's. But then... I look up and I'm standing in the HUGE shadow of a mighty, mighty cross. Praise be to God alone.

Isaiah 55:12-13
"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."


**Elyse Fitzpatrick, "Comforts from the Cross" (pg. 76)

The Supernatural

I’m a sucker for a good novel. I’m totally fascinated by the supernatural. Since I am now free of syllabi, I’ve been reading all kinds of things… from Tolstoy to Rivers, Nabokov, Fitzpatrick and now, Meyers. Oh man, what a confession! If I just say her last name, maybe you won’t pick up on it. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, don’t worry about it. If you do, I only read the last one of the series, promise! I didn’t seek it out; someone brought it to me.

Take Harry Potter (yes, I have read them all). He has a mysterious power that reaches beyond magic because of unparalleled love given from his mother. The author Francine Rivers writes of characters who overcome tragedy and have powerful experiences; they love and sacrifice beyond what seems normal. Meyers (ahem, in her series “Twilight”) sets up an intricate story of thought-of villains who become powerful creatures of love, exerting supernatural power, intimacy beyond human ability and a family structure most humans only dream of. I’m completely taken by them all. If you cannot relate, let me ask you this... Do you have a favorite movie or TV show? Think about why you like it so much. Is it the fight scenes or the witty humor? Whatever it is, it’s not “real life.”

This clearly got me thinking… why am I, along with the rest of the world, so moved by these stories? I believe its because we long for some supernatural power that is real. I know I do. As humans, we long to be a part of something that makes us special, makes us different. Here is the beautiful part: I AM a part of a supernatural story! That gets my blood flowing!

Consider what Jesus has done for sinners (aka… me and you). Consider the story He has willingly given us. In Ephesians, apostle Paul writes about husbands loving their wives, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Paul is describing what Christ has done for his children… children who have an ENTIRE, perfect kingdom waiting for them to arrive. Think about what Paul is saying Jesus has done for believers… “gave himself up,” “sanctifying her,” “cleansed her by the word,” he wants to present us in splendor, being made perfect! How more supernatural and powerful can you get!?

We were made perfect in God’s image to begin with (Gen 1:26, 5:1), and then we messed up (not surprising). The twist in the story came when God sent his perfect (PERFECT) son to die in our place! Then, He gives those who believe in Him a “new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24). Christians, we are being made more like Christ everyday, to be presented in splendor before the throne of God! It’s true, it’s real, and no author could write a story like it.

Jesus came to make the unclean clean (1 John 1:9), the hurting healed (James 5:16) and the impossible possible (Mt 19:26) by taking on our sin! The good news: the supernatural happened so that we might be saved from hell. It is real and it is a free gift to whoever desires to believe. If that is not a miraculous story, I’m not sure what is.

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;

My soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

And as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

To sprout up before all the nations.

Oh I could say so much more! God alone CAUSES righteousness and praise, it’s not up to our to-do list or our own will; alone we are powerless. With Christ, we have everything we could ever want.