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What is man?

"What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4 ESV).

"What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me— nor woman neither" (Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2).

This year we've seen several Middle Eastern dictators fall. Just this week Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was killed by rebels. Earlier this year, Egyptians overthrew their leader, Hosni Mubarak. These men have been accused of horrible atrocities. Some would call them evil. But isn't that potential for evil in all of us?

Just type in "Gaddafi" on YouTube (Or don't. It's pretty graphic.) and you'll see the mob beat and kill him. He deserved justice, but was this justice or mob rule? Were those who killed him any  better than him?

Hard questions. I suppose the truth is that man is capable of both great love and terrible hatred, wonderous beauty and hideous evil. Both are in a man. 

The Bible teaches that man was made in God's image, but man's sin has affected that image. This is the paradox we see in humanity. Made in the image of God, yet burning with the desire and temptations of hell. Sin did not erase the image of God, but it has defaced it.

Days after Mubarak's overthrow his statue in Cairo was defaced. They left Sadat's image and the two Egyptian Nobel Prize winner's images relatively untouched, but they ruined Mubarak's image. Yet, you can still make out who it was meant to portray.

I suppose that's the way the image of God has been defaced by our sin. It's pretty ugly, yet there are occasionally glimpses in us that remind us of Him.

The materialist says that man is only dust. When we die, that's it. Back to dust. The humanist says that man is divine. That God is in all of us. Both struggle with man's defaced image. But both are wrong. They chose the wrong "D" words. Man is more than dust and less than divine. The truth is that man is dying. In fact, he is already dead unless God intervenes.

I'm glad that the Bible says that God isn't finished with man. When man's sin defaced the image, God sent His One and Only Son, who is the very image of God to offer restoration and life to us. As the apostle Paul said, "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV).

When we place our trust in Christ, God conforms us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29) and brings us back from death unto life.

Praying that Irene lives up to her name

"And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:37-41 ESV).

This has been a wild week. First an earthquake and now we're expecting a hurricane named "Irene."

We didn't always name our hurricanes. Before 1950 they were just known by the area they damaged and the year they hit, as in the "1821 Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane." The hurricane naming system we have today began in 1979, and runs alphabetically through male and female names starting with a name beginning with the letter A, such as Arlene.

So, the name "Irene" shows that earlier storms have already taken place in 2011. But this is the first hurricane force storm to head our way this year. And according to the news, this one could be really dangerous from the coast of North Carolina all the way to New York.

I suppose that those selecting names like "Irene" were more concerned for the first letter than the meaning. The name Irene is derived from the Greek word εἰρήνη (eiréné) meaning "peace." 

When Jesus calmed the storm in the Gospel of Mark, He named that storm "Irene" too. He said, "Peace (eiréné)! Be still!"

I'm praying that the Lord calms this "Irene" as well.

Fruitfulness during a heat wave

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:3 NIV).

What a week! We got back home from our vacation to discover that our heat pump isn't working. After a visit from a repairman, it looks like we're going to have to replace it. It's old and no longer worth repairing.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time either. This week we have experienced a record-breaking heat wave. Temperatures have soared past the 100 degree mark nearly every day!

We've heard health warnings from our weather-newscasters all week.

"Check on your pets. Check on the elderly. Stay hydrated. Water is best. Stay out of the heat where possible, but if you have to work outside, make sure to take regular rest breaks to cool off."

Good advice. We've kept our pets in the house most of the week. Without our heat pump working, it isn't much cooler than outside. But at least it's in the shade. 

Our yard, rose bushes, and shrubs aren't faring so well. Everything is burning up and turning brown. The problem with heat waves is that they are usually accompanied by dry spells. No rain.

Most of our neighbors are in the same boat with their yards. However, a couple of them have installed underground sprinklers. Their yards are as green as ever. Their rose bushes are in full bloom. Having access to a continuous water supply sure makes a difference.

It's the same in our spiritual lives. We will often encounter "heat waves" and "dry spells." Times when we feel under attack and when we feel dry spiritually. What we need at times like these is not to just keep on burning out and drying up, but to stay connected to the "streams of water" that flow from Christ.

When we pull away regularly to abide in Christ by praying and meditating on His Word, we are blessed. We become "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever [we do] prospers." No matter how hot and dry it gets, we can draw on the refreshing living water that flows from Christ to us. 

When we are continually connected to Christ, we can not only survive a heat wave. We can thrive and bear fruit!

End times questions that God does answer

"He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'” (Acts 1:7-8 NIV).

A lot of people are asking end times questions these days. Christians wonder whether we're living in the last days before Christ's return. Even secular people are so concerned with the state of affairs in the world that they are having apocalyptic thoughts. 

"Is this the end of time?" They ask.

During times like these there are always "end-of-the-world" prophets that emerge, preaching their prognostications. One such prophet is Harold Camping, a self-described biblical scholar and radio mogul who says the Rapture will happen this Saturday, May 21, 2011, at exactly 6:00 P.M. local time (whatever your local time is). Camping has been making this prediction for several years, a recalibration from his earlier belief that the Rapture would occur in 1994.

In the book of Acts, the disciples asked Jesus this same question about timing. They wanted to know when the world would end and Christ would begin his reign. But Jesus was clear in his response. The answer to the question of when was not for them to know. Only God the Father knows the timing. Clearly, there is a tone of rebuke in Christ's response to the disciples question. He responds that God will not answer these kinds of questions, saying, "It is not for you to know."

However, there are end times questions that God does answer.

Questions like "How do you want us to live while we await your return?" are answered. Christ told his disciples that he wanted them to be filled with the Spirit and to be his witnesses to the world. He wanted them to carry the gospel to all peoples to prepare them for his return.

Questions like "Will you return someday?" are answered clearly too.

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:9-11 NIV).

In other words, the angels told the disciples, "Don't just stand there looking at the sky. Jesus is definitely coming back, so get to work doing what he said!"

It seems to me that we get focused on the wrong "end" of "end times." In other words, instead of focusing on when the earth will end, we should be focusing on carrying the gospel to the "ends of the earth." The closest that Jesus comes to talking about "when" the end will come is really based on when we fulfill his commission to "be my witnesses" to the "whole world."

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14 NLT).

After the storm

"Without warning, a furious storm came up" (Matthew 8:24).

We've been living in Wilson, North Carolina since 1987. Since then, we've seen our fair share of storms.  But last Saturday's F2 tornado was a new experience.

Moving from the hills of Virginia, we weren't accustomed to the annual reality of "hurricane season," but after living here for over 20 years, we've learned to be on alert for the possibility of these devastating storms with innocuous names, like Hugo, Floyd, and Fran. 

However, our hurricane experience didn't prepare us for this nameless twister that plowed through Wilson cutting a narrow swath of destruction through town like a dizzy weed eater. Properties on either side of the tornado's path were unscathed, but those in its track were ripped apart with a ferocity that is hard to describe. 

Of all the places that this tornado could travel, it entered Wilson on the side of town where we are remodeling a building for our new church home. As it entered the intersection of Tarboro and Forest Hills, it stacked cars on top of each other in the Walgreens parking lot, flipped a 18-wheeler on its side, threw a boat still on its trailer onto the roof of Medlin Buick's garage, blew out windows in the Holiday Inn, spearing it with debris, then made its way like a precision guided missile for our property. Crossing our parking lot it seemed to empty itself of all that it had vacuumed up... trees, metal roofing, a dumpster. It came right up to the edge of our building, grabbed a porta-potty belonging to our contractor and threw it 200 feet into the woods. Then, it suddenly turned hard left, going around our building, destroying the privacy fence in the back and throwing trees onto the neighboring houses and apartments behind us.

Our church building took some damage to the roof and guttering, but compared to our neighbors, we are so fortunate. We've spent the whole week cleaning up our property and getting insurance appraisals. But it could have beens so much worse.

One of our church families lost their home. Many of our members have spent the last couple of days helping them move their belongings to a storage unit. We're thankful that no one was hurt. With all the destruction in Wilson, it's a miracle that there were no fatalities.

How are we supposed to respond to furious storms that come upon us without warning? And how do we respond when our neighbors are hurt by storms and we aren't?

The truth is that storms happen. They hit young and old, rich and poor, the good and the bad. In this world there will be storms. 

When the disciples encountered a sudden storm while on the Sea of Galilee they were terrified, but Jesus lay sleeping in the boat. They cried out to him in fear and he awoke and calmed the storm, commanding the winds and the waves to be still.

This Easter weekend we are thankful to this same Jesus, who doesn't leave us alone in life's storms. He is present. He is with us through the storms. And when we call out to him, he hears us and calms our fears.

Whether the storms have names or move namelessly through our lives, we can call on the name of Jesus. He is risen. He is alive and present. We can call on him both during and after the storm.

Where is this Prince of Peace?

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).

"Peace, peace, they say, when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 8:11 NIV).

The prophets foretold of a Messiah that would inaugurate a Kingdom of eternal peace. But where is this peace?

Most of the first century Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They didn't see Christ as the "Sar Shalom" (Hebrew for "Prince of Peace"). They were looking for a Warrior King that would defeat Rome and restore the Davidic throne. They didn't understand what it would cost to win real peace.

They also didn't understand that their peace problem was really a sin problem. They thought they were right with God because of their religion and traditions, but their sin had made them enemies of God, as well as enemies of themselves and one another.

Before Christ could bring peace to the earth, He had to heal the hostility between humanity and God. This peace or shalom (peace, rest, favor, wholeness, blessing) could not be brought about by applying a "band-aid" over our condition. No, a radical surgery was needed, a heart surgery. We needed new hearts in order to live in true peace.

Christ came 2,000 years ago as the Suffering Servant, so that we could have:

• Peace with God.
• Peace within.
• Peace with others.

The prophet Isaiah described the price the Messiah would pay for this peace.

    "But he was pierced for our transgressions,
        he was crushed for our iniquities;
    the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
        and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

Today, our world and our very souls are filled with anxiety, worry, and warfare. We have no peace. We say "Peace, peace" to encourage ourselves, but our shallow and short-lived peace is not the shalom that Christ gives.

Receive the gift of God that was given "unto us." Receive the Prince of Peace and know the shalom of your souls this Christmas.

And keep watching for His return. Because someday soon, the Prince of Peace will bring ultimate peace on earth.
 

Everlasting Father and the Last Adam

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).

"The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45).

"So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life" (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Studying the four titles of Christ found in the book of Isaiah 9:6 deepens our knowledge and appreciation of our Savior. That He is a "Wonderful Counselor" and a "Mighty God" is at once accessible and beneficial to us. But the third title seems both out of place and hard to understand.

How can the Son of God be the "Everlasting Father?" Is the Son the Father? No. This is the mystery of the Trinity. The Son is not the Father and the Father is not the Son (as the Son is not the Spirit and so on), but they are together One God. As it regards the Godhead, Jesus is not the Father.

However, a son can also be a father. Jesus is the Son of God and He is also the Father of Eternity. The word "father" could also be translated as source, originator, or founder. In this sense, Jesus is the Originator of our salvation, the Founder of our faith, and the Source of our eternal life. And He is the only way to know the Father.

The Bible says that Adam is the father of all human flesh and of those who will die because of sin. But Jesus, as the "Last Adam," is the Father of all those who are born again of the Spirit and have received everlasting life through faith in Him. When we receive Jesus, He gives us the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

As Charles Spurgeon once said when speaking of this Messianic title,

"How complex is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ! Almost in the same breath the prophet calls him a 'child,' and a 'counsellor,' a 'son,' and the 'everlasting Father.' This is no contradiction, and to us scarcely a paradox, but it is a mighty marvel that he who was an infant should at the same time be infinite, he who was the Man of Sorrows should also be God over all, blessed for ever; and that he who is in the Divine Trinity always called the Son, should nevertheless be correctly called the 'everlasting Father.'" 

This Christmas, may we grow in our love and knowledge of Jesus, as we contemplate this Infant who is also infinite, this Son who is also the Everlasting Father.

A true Hero

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).

Salvatore Augustine Giunta is the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. Giunta was cited for saving members of his squad in Afghanistan.

Is Giunta a true hero? The U.S. Army thinks so, and so do I. Here's a short excerpt from his Medal of Honor Citation:

Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007... Specialist Giunta's unwavering courage, selflessness, and decisive leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American soldier from the enemy. Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army." (Read entire citation)

What makes a true hero? I'm not sure our generation remembers. We make heroes of those who have pretty faces and play heroes on TV. Our heroes are famous for being ... famous. Not because they have done anything heroic.

True heroism involves courage and selflessness, a willingness to die for the love of others. That's what makes Giunta a hero. In Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah, he spoke of four titles that would be given to Him. The second title was "Mighty God." In Hebrew, El Gibbor, literally 'God, the Mighty One." The word Gibbor may be also be translated "Hero or Champion." Isaiah said that the coming Christ would be our True Hero!

In John 15:13, Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

What Salvatore Giunta was willing to do for his fellow soldiers, Christ did for us. His love for us moved Him to become our Champion, our True Hero.

As we remember the Christ child that was given "unto us," let's worship Him as the Hero who conquered sin, death and the grave for us. He is our Mighty God. 

Of Thanksgiving and uniformitarianism

"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:3-4 NIV).

Do you remember when you were young and you thought that "everything goes on" as it always has?

When I was young I remember Thanksgiving Day was always at my grandmother's house in the country. I loved being there with all the cousins playing in the barn and in the creek waiting for Granny to call us to dinner. Every year was the same... until it wasn't. One year, Granny didn't feel like cooking for everyone anymore. So, Thanksgiving was at my house that year. No cousins. No barn or creek. Just our family in our suburban home with a turkey breast instead of a whole bird. It was good. But it wasn't the same.

After Robin and I were married, we started going to her parent's home in the country for Thanksgiving. In a way it felt like a return to my youth. Driving out into the hills, around the curvy rural roads, even the trip to their house was familiar. Our three children grew up with this tradition. For most of our 31 years of marriage, every Thanksgiving Day was marked by a trip to the hills of Virginia to eat turkey, go hiking, shoot guns, and be with family.

Then, suddenly it was over. Without warning, Robin's father died of a heart attack in the Fall of 2008 and then her mother passed in January of this year. The funerals have taken place. The house in the hills is sold. The estate is settled. Thanksgiving will have to find a new home.

That brings me to a thought about uniformitarianism. Many scientists believe that the state and rate of processes at work in the universe today are unchanged from those in the past. Their view has led to an explanation for the origin of the world based on gradual change over billions of years. The theory of evolution is dependent on this view.

I haven't lived for billions of years, but in my 52, I've seen a lot of change. When change comes, it comes suddenly, not gradually. And it comes without warning.

The apostle Peter said that in the "last days scoffers" would come, scoffing about Christ's coming again. He said that they would reason that things are "as they have always been." He said they would argue against changes they had never seen.

But the Bible says that the history of the world is marked by sudden Divine interruptions. God suddenly created the cosmos in a matter of six days. After centuries went by, God swiftly judged the earth with a worldwide deluge, destroying all that breath and rescuing Noah and his family. A few more millennia passed and God abruptly sent Jesus into the world to become flesh and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

The Bible says that this same Jesus will come again. Suddenly, without warning, like a "thief in the night," Christ will return. History is not circular as the Eastern religions suppose. Nor is it uniform as some scientists reason. It is linear and moves as the Author of Creation moves it, from beginning to end.

Peter warns us that the sameness of the day to day can lead to a kind of ennui and sleepy living. He warns us to wake up, because something is going to happen that changes everything.

Thanksgiving Day is at our house this year. Robin and I are the new grandparents and we're having the whole family over for turkey with all the fixins. Our grandkids will begin to think that this is how it has always been. But we're older and wiser now. We know better.

We are fully awake and watching for the sudden changes that God brings into human history, especially the promised appearance of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Taking it to the streets

"Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame" (Luke 14:21 NIV).

We took our church to the streets again this past weekend at Wilson's Whirligig Festival. This was our third year setting up a booth at the festival. Last year, over 20,000 attended the weekend event. The sudden cold snap probably reduced the crowds a little this year, but our booth stayed busy anyway. In fact, we surpassed last year's fund raiser for Hope Station (a local food pantry and homeless shelter) by raising $1,358.00!

Sonny Allen, our WCC Director of Contribution and his great team, led this churchwide effort for us. They had our WCCers selling cotton candy and raffle tickets for a donated laptop and rocking chair. We offered a special section for kids too, with free hair-painting and a craft table where they could build their own whirligig!

It was fun taking our church to the streets while raising money to help Hope Station. We made a lot of friends, we supported our city, and I think we obeyed Christ's parable in Luke 14 to "go out" and take our church to the streets.