Heads Up!

Luke 21:20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

Whenever a ball or other object is in the air, and someone is in danger of being hit, you call out, “Heads up!” It’s the quickest thing to say which properly allows the person to comprehend both imminent danger and to look out for something at the same time. (All of that communicated in one simple phrase.)

Jesus, similarly, has a warning for the church as He speaks of the end-times events in Luke 21. “Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”

What exactly does it mean for us to “look up?” Are we to be watching out for redemption to hit us over the head?

Not exactly. Jesus is telling us to live focused lives, especially in times like these…the end times. There is not much time left, and we need to be very careful and very aware of everything that is going on in the world, that we might likewise be prepared for what is going on in the spiritual realm.

I don’t know about you, but I have begun to “see these things happen.” What things? Oh, the upheaval in the world, the political instability and irritability, and the perplexity over how to solve the world’s problems – because in truth there are no solutions any more. The world seems to be spinning out of control, and it is only in knowing Jesus had predicted and prophesied exactly this do I find any comfort at all.

The world is being allowed to spin out of control that we, the Faithful, the True church, may see what time it is. And it is time to look up to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To see He is literally at the door. To see His time to return for His church is at hand. To see that time is short, and that our lives and the lives we intend to save must be impacted now. “Heads up!”

- Pastor Bill

Always Pray

Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, and ‘Get justice for me from my adversary’. 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' "6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact He will soon be departing from His physically public ministry, and will be transferring Himself to a privately personal ministry. Since His ministry will soon be resident within each human heart who allows Him a home there, the practice of prayer becomes the primary means of personal contact, replacing His physical touch.

And so Jesus says, “Pray always and do not lose heart.”

This is vitally important instruction, as it seems we are most likely to lose heart when we have matters in our life we are least convinced prayer can handle. Jesus says, on the contrary, there are no matters in our life which cannot be handled by prayer, and that there is no difference in Jesus’ ability to handle our prayer requests than there would be if He was physically present.

We know of and long for Jesus’ physical presence. I would give anything I own to be able to have been one of those who had the opportunity to follow Jesus on the earth as He walked and worked in His public ministry some 2000 years ago. I long for the day when Jesus will return for His church, because I know there are no problems which currently exist that the rapture will not solve.

Essentially, Jesus is saying to His disciples, “Continue to talk to Me as if I were still with you – and the reason is because - I AM.”

What a friend we have in Jesus. What a friend in Christ we share. There is nothing beyond our reach, when we offer it in prayer. Would you be confident of His ability to heal should He be physically present? Be just as confident now. Would you be confident of His ability to save should He be physically present? Be just as confident now.

Most importantly, “Do not lose heart.” In the Gospel of John, in the sixteenth chapter, Jesus explains it is to our advantage that He be with the Father. “The Helper will not come to you unless I go away,” says Jesus, in John 16:8, and He continues, “but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” No matter where you are, or what you are going through, Jesus is presently with you in Spirit. When He returns, will He find us trusting in that fact? Will He really find faith on the earth?
- Pastor Bill

Portfolio

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Investment counselors teach us not to put all our eggs in one basket. Diversification is the key to protecting yourself from any potential for great loss. If you are invested in a broad spectrum of interest-bearing accounts, then you are gaining in one account as you may be losing from another. In the over-all sense, you keep moving forward by balancing your position across the entire market, and enjoying the wealth growth which comes from having as many angles covered as possible.

Jesus says otherwise. Jesus says to invest everything you have in Heaven.

The question is: Why do we find it so difficult to do that? Why do we find ourselves so protective of our earthly accounts and interests, while at the same time placing so little consideration in our eternal account?

The answer is: unbelief.

Everything pertaining to how we handle our finances is an act of faith. If we invest, it is because we believe there will be a return. If we take out a loan, then someone is placing their faith in our ability to pay them back with interest. All of us find ourselves investors and borrowers at some point in our lives - which is why we all relate so well to Jesus’ discussion of our resources.

Where we invest, or who we borrow from in the world expresses where we place our faith. Jesus is saying we must do likewise in our relationship with Our Father in Heaven…placing our faith in Him, that is…and He alone!

This is purely and fundamentally logical if we think about how long eternity is in relationship to the amount of time we have left on earth. If we are inordinately concerned about providing for our own future, it means we do not trust the Father to take care of us. If we are stingy with our resources, it is because we do not trust the Father to continue to provide. If we steal it is because we do not believe the Father has provided well enough, and we need to take matters into our own hands. Likewise, covetousness.

You cannot serve two masters. Jesus says which master you serve is plainly obvious.

- Pastor Bill

Rejoice!

Luke 15:1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

How much time do you spend rejoicing?

Since rejoicing is a group activity, it is even more joyful than joy as a result of the multiplication factor. There remain some questions we might ask…

What do we rejoice for? Who do we rejoice with?

The answers to those questions determine how your life is directed. And if you find yourself NEVER rejoicing, perhaps you should spend more time counting your blessings!

The Lord desires His people to be a rejoicing people, and it is one of the qualifying characteristics of those who love Jesus. If you love Jesus, it is because He first loved you – and there is no greater reason than that to rejoice! And if you rejoice over the love you have for Jesus, than you will rejoice when even one lost person repents and comes into the Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus and all the angels are also rejoicing!

Part of the fun of going to a ballgame is the opportunity, (should your team perform,) of rejoicing in a group with like-minded people. Anyone who has ever been in a stadium can testify to the amazing power of thousands of people rejoicing at the same time.

In part, this is why the church exists: that we may rejoice together, and enjoy the wondrous power of collective joy – the unified joy of celebrating new life in Christ – which is much more amazing than winning any old ballgame. Ask Paul, who wrote:

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always!

- Pastor Bill

Look Again

Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

If you were to be judged based upon your life so far, would you merit heaven? On what basis?

Jesus is getting at that fundamental question as He addresses His disciples in Luke 13. The perspective of the question is the key. Who is doing the judging? We spend so much time judging others and making determinations about their eternal destiny while doing so little time judging ourselves. Jesus tells us to stop spending so much time looking outside ourselves, and start spending a lot more time looking inside ourselves.

Did those Galileans deserve death? And if they deserved death – did they merit eternal death? What about those 18 people by the pool of Siloam that were killed when the tower fell. Did they deserve death? Was there something so terrible in their lives that made death their providential fate?

Those are the kinds of questions that swirl around in our minds when we see great tragedy - epic depictions of death – the kind that make you remember where you were when you heard the news. 9/11. The Tsunami in Thailand. And then we see the great theologians gathered around on ‘The Larry King Show’ to discuss the question Larry King always seems to seek to have answered: “How could a loving God allow such a thing to happen?”

How could He…God that is…Allow such horrific tragedy, (knowing He alone could have prevented it.) Did those people deserve to die? Hmmm…I wonder…Deep thoughts and deeper controversy.

But Jesus says all of this overlooks a Godly perspective, allowing ourselves entry into judging those situations ourselves – as if we were God. But we aren’t. Jesus tells us instead to place ourselves in the position of those who died. If you had died, on what basis would you be worthy of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven? Unless YOU repent, you will likewise perish. Nothing else matters.

- Pastor Bill

Childlike Faith

It would be wonderful to go back to childhood wouldn’t it? It’s almost comical how we go through life never being quite happy where we are at any given point in our lives. When we were children, we couldn’t wait to be older – even parsing our years of age into “12-1/2” or “14-1/2”. When was the last time you ADDED a half a year to your age to try to sound older?

From the adult perspective, we recognize the glory and the joy of childhood. Chief among the phrases we might apply to our childhood, (assuming a degree of normalcy,) are: Little responsibility, no work, great health, no wrinkles, no worries, and of course – very little anxiety about anything. There was never a concern about where the next meal was coming from – you just always knew it would be there. You were completely shielded from the cares of the world by mom and dad.

Mark 10:13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus was very specific in His loving reference to this child brought into His midst. Not only should we NOT keep children away from Jesus – WE are to be like children in our approach to Jesus! This is an astounding pronouncement. (Especially to all the high and mighty religious types present both then and now.) This is a stumbling block – but a wonderful one! We, as children of a faithful and loving Father, can – and must – revert back to our childhood experience in how we are to view life. No worries. No anxiety. We are to live this life with a simple wholehearted trust in the provision of our ‘Dad’ – without even a thought given to the possibility of any sort of lack. He follows that up with further commands:

Luke 12:22 … "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

How can we stop worrying, when worry is an expression of responsibility? Jesus says, “What good does worrying about anything do? What does it produce?” He proclaims The Father has all of our needs covered – and His desire as well as His command is we give no further thought to worry or anxiety or the fear of man. Our only responsibility is to love Jesus – like a child.

- Pastor Bill

New Beginning

What if you could start your life over with a clean slate? No sin, no harm, no foul, no ugliness?

Jesus explained this to a faithful religious leader named Nicodemus.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

What if you could call on a power greater than yourself to bring about righteousness and holiness in your life?

Romans1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Knowing you deserve to pay an eternal price for your sin – what if it could be arranged that the price would be paid for you?

2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

What if you truly KNEW how interested God was in YOUR redemption? (To exchange your sinfulness for His righteousness.)

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God…

- Pastor Bill