It’s at times like these when the rest of that verse brings such an encouragement to this pastor’s heart.  Paul goes on in Romans 8:31 – What then, shall we say in response to these things… IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?  Those may be some of the most beautiful words in times of struggle, conflict, and discouragement.  BUT, those can also be some of the most CHALLENGING words in times of pride, arrogance, and “winning.”

You see, we must be in a constant self-evaluation.  Questions like “Is what I am saying, doing, or showing honoring and pleasing to God?” should be in our minds all the time.  It’s gut-check time, folks!!  What do people see when they see me?  What do they hear when they hear me?  Is it Jesus?? … or is it Satan?  It’s going to be one or the other.  In a world of gray, this one is black and white.

Remember – whether your on the mountain top or in the valley, if God is for you, who can be against you?  I heard it said one time long ago that “Jesus +1 = a majority”

Be encouraged that no matter what you’re facing, if God is for you, you have the comfort of knowing that the outcome rests in the hands of an Almighty Creator full of grace, mercy, and truth.  Press on!

While Nici and I heard numerous testimonies from the stage (and countless others while talking with those around us), it occurred to me that while each of these people were honoring one of the most Godly men I’ve had the pleasure of knowing, they were paying accolades to a friend / pastor / mentor / shepherd / leader that rarely, if ever, had his eyes on anyone but Jesus, or on anything but the cross.  We heard from his grown children (who are now both serving in  full-time ministry) who testified that what we see from him publicly is what they saw privately.  We heard from those who he worked with and mentored that said the same thing.

He was (and is) faithfully consistent, and consistently faithful.  To his church.  To his friends.  To his family.  To his wife.  To his calling.  To his Lord.

I cannot think of a better individual to emulate, both in a public ministry and in a private setting.  Listening to all the people speak and share verses about his life and his ministry, I can’t help but notice that they missed one.  The one I would have shared is 1 Corinthians 11:1.  Paul, encouraging the church at Corinth told them to follow him… as he follows Jesus.  What a challenge to put upon yourself!  And yet, Paul knew his strength came through Jesus, as does this pastor – while I’m unsure if I’ve ever heard him say it, I know for a fact that he lived that verse out.  “Follow me as your leader… as I follow Christ as my leader.”  Let that sink in.  Meditate on this verse.  Can you ask others to do the same, knowing that you’ll lead them to Jesus?  Can I?

My prayer is that at the end of my days, just before the Lord calls me home, someone will be able to say of my earthly ministry as I have said in this post of Pastor W. Collins Glenn.  “I follow him as he follows Christ.”  I’m unsure if there can be a better way to honor the life and ministry of a man.

While I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read blogs, I hope this post challenges any who read it to live in such a way that:

1.  Honors Jesus.

2.  Invites those who look up to you to follow you as you follow Christ.

I wish my pastor… my mentor… my friend Godspeed in his new endeavors as he walks through the doors our Lord and Savior opens to him.  I only pray that our paths will cross again soon in ministry.  It would be an honor.

First, let me state that it is true – God’s Word is forever settled in Heaven.  Those who add to or take away from the Bible are to be accursed with a pretty steep judgment.  God’s Word is unchanging, and the Message of the Gospel and the Word is as relevant to our lives today as it was when it was written.  To be perfectly clear, the MESSAGE DOES NOT AND SHOULD NOT CHANGE.

Secondly, the methods for delivering an unchanging Message should always be under evaluation.  Society, as spoken of in the Bible, will continually gain knowledge (not necessarily wisdom) and find new ways to conquer, to govern, and to exist.  A perfect example of this is the medium through which I am communicating this to you as the reader right now.  Decades ago, it would have been through a pen and paper; before that, through a quill and some sort of parchment, and so on.  We find new ways to do things.  Travel… communication… our own daily lives include the ongoing acceptance of change.

Change is inevitable… there’s no escaping it.  As I type this, cells in my body are changing.  And, as I type this, I wonder what is changing in you… or in me… from a spiritual stand point.  Jesus told us to “…go and make disciples.“  That involves a lot of change.  In fact, there are many times where Jesus called His followers to a change – in their thinking, in their way of life, in their heart… and that’s where it must begin.

Colossians 3:16 begins with “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” If His Word is not dwelling in us richly, how can we expect to take that directive of “go and make disciples” seriously?  To be a catalyst for change, we must first accept the change in our own hearts – the CONSTANT change of growing, learning, dwelling upon, meditating on the Word of God.  Change begins within each of us… Be a catalyst by first becoming a catalyst.  Allow Him to change you first.

Ever struggled with one or more of these questions?  I’m not silly enough to tackle the entire topic of forgiveness in just one post, but I do want to address where I’m at and what the Bible says… so, I will, in a somewhat awkward and incomplete fashion attempt to address the last question, and see how this comes out.

In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus discusses forgiveness from the aspect of timing.  He says that if your brother sins, rebuke him, and IF HE REPENTS, forgive him.  Have you ever found that as interesting as I have?  “If” is a BIG word for only having 2 letters…  Jesus said IF your brother repents.  Does that free us from granting forgiveness until the individual who offended us repents?  AND, what does it mean to repent??  Let’s dig a little deeper.

Repentance is a change of mind which leads to a change of action.  It involves sincerely turning from your sin and turning to God… it includes sorrow for what you’ve done, as well as confession of what you’ve done – AND, where possible, restitution is present.  True repentance is life-changing AND life-saving, as can be seen throughout the Bible.  The people of Nineveh were confronted with their sin, and they repented – and God withheld his judgment because their repentance was a SINCERE turning from their sin and to Him; they had sorrow for it; they confessed it; AND, their life was saved because of it…  So, repentance, then, would seem pretty apparent to the one who has been offended – it should be obvious in the persons actions, words, and tone that they are truly repentant.

The hard thing about this passage is verse 4 – if someone sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times they repent (TRUE repentance!!), forgive them.  WOW!!  seven times? in one day?  And STILL forgive them? Yes.  WHY?!?!  Jesus said it.  He didn’t say the SAME sin was committed seven times… just sin.  I know there has been a day or two in my life where I committed more than one sin in a day, and I’m THANKFUL Jesus forgives when I repent (even if I wind up committing the same sin later in the week/month/etc).

Now, back to this statement “if.”  What do we do with that?  Can I NOT forgive if the one who has offended doesn’t repent?  Technically, based on these verses, yes.  But what happens if I don’t forgive?  Will I harbor frustration, which will lead to bitterness, which will lead to anger, which may lead to rage, and more sin…  we’ve all been there.  We have been offended, and instead of making a concerted effort to forgive, we just “let it go” or we choose to not deal with it… inevitably, we will be reminded about that offense at some point later, and all the frustration, hurt, and anger comes back nearly instantaneously.  At least, I know I’VE been there.  So what do we do with that?  What if the person never repents?  Do we just hold on to a grudge?

I’m going to again (and hopefully ALWAYS) look back to Jesus… Luke 23:34 tells us exactly what Jesus did in this instance…  we don’t read of the Romans or Jews asking His forgiveness as they nailed Him to the cross, and yet He says, “Father, forgive them…”  wow.  What an example to follow.

So, what do we do with forgiveness?  Grant it – release it from your heart so you can live free.  Praise His name.  Allow not just your words, but your actions speak truth into the lives of those around you.  I was challenged with this earlier today, and so I pass the challenge along – “lead with love.”

What happens when we don’t feel good?  Is our head still held high?  What about our demeanor?  It completely changes, doesn’t it?  People can tell when we don’t “feel” good, whether physically or emotionally.  It’s written all over our faces, and it comes out in the way we treat others – the way we look at them, the way we speak to them and the way we act towards them.

A friend asked me in the last few months, “when did we as a society become so weak that we follow our feelings rather than what we know is right?”  That’s a good question.  While emotions are part of who we are, it is our decision to allow them to drive our actions.  Love is not a feeling, love is a decision.  In Mark 12, Jesus is teaching and is being watched and questioned by the Scribes and Pharisees – the religious people of the day – in order that they may trap Him in what He taught, thinking He may be teaching against what they have established as law.  One Scribe decided to push the limits and ask about what the greatest commandment is.  This happens in Mark 12:28:34, and Jesus answers very well.  He answers that the greatest commandment is to love God with all you’ve got (heart, soul, mind strength, etc.), and the second greatest is to love others as you love yourself.  The Scribe responded that Jesus answered well, and the Scribe went on to elaborate (or perhaps clarify in his own mind) what Jesus had said… and he did.

NOW, notice what Jesus said in response – “You are NOT FAR from the Kingdom of God…”  What kind of statement is that?!  While the Scribe was standing in close proximity to Jesus, so He was correct, I believe there is a deeper challenge here – and that’s where the title of this post comes from – how close are you?  how close am I?  Let me rephrase – are you (and am I) living out these greatest two commandments??  It’s easy to act like we “love” each other when we feel good, but are we going OUT OF OUR WAY to TRULY love each other, no matter the circumstances around us?

There has been a devastating tragedy in my family just over 6 months ago… and the effects of that tragedy are still felt on a daily (most of the time HOURLY) basis.  I know that because of this, God will open our hearts to love others, not just immediately after such a tragedy, but to CONTINUE to love others days, weeks, months, and years afterwards because I now know that grief and mourning linger much longer than I had ever thought.  We all read the stories of those who are trying to move on months or years after the unexpected death of a loved one, and I thought “how sad,” but then didn’t give much thought after that.  Father, forgive me for my ignorance.  The hurt and pain that lingers will eventually subside through the grace of God, but one of the ways God shows grace to us is through the love and support of those around us.

So, how close are you to the Kingdom of God?  Are you fulfilling those commandments, or are you on the sidelines thinking “how sad for them” and then moving on because it’s uncomfortable to think about too long?  Jesus got involved – Jesus loved – Jesus had the knowledge and put it into action.  We have the knowledge, but are we putting it into action?  Are we PART OF the Kingdom of God?  Or are we “close” to the Kingdom of God?  Just because we SAY we’re Christians isn’t enough; just because we GO to church doesn’t mean we’re living it out.

Get in the game – be a catalyst for change – for Jesus!

I was thinking of what’s for lunch; I was thinking of the girl who was in Sunday School who was kinda cute; I was thinking of hurrying up so I could go play; I was thinking of a MILLION other things besides what the guy up front was talking about.  When I was younger, I would draw pictures on the back of those little envelopes and then, when that envelope was full, I would place it in one of those books we sang out of earlier and get another envelope and start over.  I would watch other children take naps or play with a toy they snuck into the service.  I would watch a lot of the men begin to nod off and do the “head-bob” thing; I would watch other men sit in the far back of the hall and whisper jokes or tell other stories while unwrapping a Brach’s mint candy.  I would watch many of the women pay attention to the speaker, or at least act like they were… and the whole time, I was thinking things were ok since I was in church.

And I found out that I wasn’t alone.  Many sitting in those seats were thinking the same thing… and many still do.  We would hear great stories of men of old and God doing great things, but that was a long time ago.  It wasn’t readily apparent to me that God wanted to work in my life today.  I understood church (and thus religion) to be something that happened on Sunday mornings (and Sunday nights if you were “holier than thou”, and Wednesday nights if you were just showing off).  The rest of the week belonged to me.  The rest of my life belonged to me.  The rest of my world belonged to me.  The rest of my thoughts, actions, decisions, direction, and affection belonged to me.

I was under the assumption that I was ok because I went to church.  I thought I was saved from whatever bad things would happen because I showed up most weeks (God understood if it was really nice outside and I would rather be out there than in that stuffy old cathedral, right??).  What’s more is that I wasn’t alone in being under that lie… and there are still many that believe it (or act like they believe it).

Jesus has two enemies in this world – sin, and RELIGION.  It was the religious people then that yelled “CRUCIFY HIM!!” when asked by Pilate what he should do with Jesus.  It is the religious people today that don’t want “too much Jesus” because they’d rather remain comfortable in their seats on Sunday than have to do something with what they’re hearing.  It is those same people who will run some pastors out of the pulpit (and possibly even the ministry) because they want to hear good things on Sundays, and not things that will show them their sin of pride, arrogance, ignorance, or feelings of entitlement.  Everyone agrees that sin leads to death.  There’s really not much of an argument there… but few realize that Religion will kill you.  Religion will lead you into a false sense of security, and may harden your heart to the Truth until it’s too late.

We ALL need a gut-check.  And by that, I mean a 2×4 right between the eyes to wake us up from the lies we’ve believed for so long and we need to fall on our knees, BEGGING God through His Son for forgiveness of our pride, arrogance, et al. and ask Him to strengthen us for the work He is calling US to do!!!  We can’t save ourselves through just showing up (Titus 3:5).  We can’t sit around any longer, critizing others for what they’re attempting to do in the name of Jesus when we are too lazy or scared to do it ourselves!!!

If you’ve been in church, sang in church, served in church, or even taught in church, but you’ve never personally, thoughtfully, and sincerely sought out a relationship with Jesus Christ, you’ve fallen victim to this lie.  Be not deceived.  You don’t need more church – YOU NEED JESUS!!!

If you have Jesus, what are you doing??  Why are you just sitting there (James 2:17)??? Are you SURE you have Him in your life?

Where are you?  Are you hiding?  Hiding from responsibility?  Hiding from leadership?  Hiding from God and your friends or family?  That’s a sure sign that you’re not where you need to be – sin happens in darkness.  Let’s look at where Adam was when Eve ate the fruit.  God gave ADAM the instructions, and Eve was deceived… and then Eve was speaking with the serpent… and then Eve ate the fruit – WHERE WAS ADAM?!?!?!  Look in Genesis 3:6.  He was WITH EVE!!!  Why in the world did Adam not do anything?  Is it perhaps because of the same reason that we don’t do anything now?  We as husbands, we as boyfriends… WE AS MEN are more CONTENT to sit back in our lazy-boy and allow the stuff to happen – to sit back and watch… then when it happens, we’re the first to play the blame game – except that we don’t take ownership in a FAILURE TO BIBLICALLY LEAD OUR FAMILIES.

How arrogant can we as men be to allow our friends or family to proceed down the wrong path if we can clearly see it to be a wrong path, and then BLAME THEM FOR DOING IT?!  Or, even worse, as Adam did in Gen. 3:12 – blame God for it.  Wow.

Men – it’s way past time to step up and take responsibility for the actions of ourselves and our families.  Men, if you’re not yet married, now is your chance to discipline yourselves as Paul talks about in 1 Cor. 9 to make sure you are ready to truly lead your wife and family.

God asked Adam so long ago, “where are you??”  He’s asking us the same thing right now.  What is our answer?  What is my answer?  What is YOUR answer?