February 28 - Snakes, Wolves and The Lamb

Snakes, Wolves and The Lamb

“The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come that you would have life and life abundantly.”  John 10:10

While Hollywood touts most movie premieres, there are some that go either “under the radar” or “against the grain” of the media elite.  However, tonight is a case in point where a movie is going to be “over the top.”  In an industry often contentious to a story of redemption, the opening of the Mark Burnett and Roma Downey-produced movie Son of God will bring to light the greatest message ever told.   While you would think a motion picture about the Man (Jesus Christ) who inspired hospitals, charity organizations, universities, all compassionate organizations, and of course, Christianity, would be appealing for all; too often it is just the opposite.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Exactly 10 years ago this month (2004), Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ stirred the same kind of waves.  While some are bolstered over such a work, it leaves others bristling at “The Figure” Who is so regarded in history that our calendars and checks denote His incarnation including this year marking 2014 years since His birth.   It is ironic for a few reasons:

1)    The Cental Figure of the movie:  Many of the greatest cultural heroes

      from music, science, politics and the arts point to Christ as their

      inspiration, including Newton, Bach, Shakespeare, Washington, Lincoln,

      Handel, Pascal, Milton and more glorifying Him as their inspiration.

2)    The inherent health of the movie: In a world where “The Wolf of Wall Street” was celebrated including its 503 vulgar words, Hollywood still can’t grasp the appetite countless people have toward godly and righteous films.  Many are drawn to the most putrid rather than the most pure disbursements of healing, love and redemption. 

3)    The core message of the movie:  Christ came to redeem mankind which is an affront to a society that believes man is self-sufficient, self-sustaining, and self-made in every way.  In the world’s eyes, Acts 4:12 audaciously and uncomfortably claims, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  Our pride can blind us from true hope in Him.

In a tolerance-minded and relativistic-based world, movies of this nature are able to be digested if generally speaking about “a” way or “a” truth” or “a” life.   But it’s a tougher pill to swallow from the One Who claims to be “THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life.” John 14:6. 

During the decade past opening of The Passion of the Christ, television star and devout believer, Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) shared, “Hollywood isn’t bothered by the concept of God, they can make God anything they want it to be…it’s the person of Jesus that bothers them because you can’t do that with Him.  His claims don’t allow it.”

In a recent interview, Burnett and Downey were asked if anything unusual happened on the set of Son of God.  Filmed in Southern Morroco, Downey stated that throughout the making of the movie, a crew member, known as the “Snake Man,” would inspect each set to rid the actors of snake-infested terrain which were rampant amongst the African country’s territory.  Most of the time, he would find one or two.  However, on the day of filming the scene of Christ’s death at the cross, the serpent finder bagged over 40 snakes.  Whether you can chalk that up to coincidence or divine symbolism, there is something of the enemy’s revulsion toward the gospel that continues to reside today, even as it has from the beginning.  In Genesis 3, he dissuaded God’s first children from Him and will use every tactic to this date.

John 10:10 proclaims, “The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come that you would have life and life abundantly.”  A stark contrast of missions is revealed.  One has come to come on a “Seek and Save” Mission, while another has come for a “Seek and Destroy” Mission.

I encourage everyone (where age appropriate) to 1)  Go see the “Son of God”  (it supports films that glorify Christ)  2)  Pray for a friend or family member to be open to see the message in living color and 3) Tell someone how it blessed you as you might want to bless them. The mission is still the same…GO, PRAY, and TELL.  This weekend, in an increasingly godless culture, He is going to be lifted up across our nation.  He said, “If He is lifted up, He’ll draw people to Himself.”  And when He is, as always, it will be “over the top.”  

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   What is it about pride that causes struggles when the message of Christ is put before us?

2)   Who is someone you will pray for this month for salvation?

Consider reading the word today:

 

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

February 27 - Got Grace?

Got Grace?

“He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you.” Matthew 20:13,14

Grace is the make or break proposition in the Christian walk.  If we understand it, it changes everything of our freedom, flexibility, satisfaction, and reach to others…if we don’t understand it, we will become calculating, rigid, entitled and fall back into bondage.   We have to be very quick to recognize that “nothing” we can do will earn us God’s favor, but everything Christ has done will open the gateway of His blessings. 

At the same time, it separates Christianity from all other faiths.  All other faiths are about man working his way to God…Christianity alone is about God working His way to man.

In his book, And God Said…Yes!!, Michael Sherer paints the picture of how it works best.

A Bible College student busily entered his class to gain a few minutes of uninterrupted study time right before the final in his Youth Issues class. When he got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with them for just a little bit before the test. They went through the review, most of it right on the study guide, but there were some things he was reviewing that many had never heard of. When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and they were responsible for everything in the book. They couldn’t really argue with that.

Finally it was time to take the test.

"Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one and I’ll tell you to start," our Bible College Professor instructed.  When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in! The bottom of the last page said the following:

"This is the end of the Final Exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an ’A’ on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced...grace."

He then went around the room and asked each student individually, "What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all of your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?"

Discussion afterward went like this: "I have tried to teach you all semester that you are a recipient of grace. I’ve tried to communicate to you that you need to demonstrate this gift as you work with young people. Don’t hammer them; they are not the enemy. Help them, for they will carry on your ministry if it is full of GRACE!"

In Matthew 20, Jesus shared the “Parable of the Workers.”  Workers were called by an owner to work shifts beginning at 6 am, then 9 am, 12 noon, 3 pm all the way to 5 pm or an hour before closing.  He agreed to pay each a certain amount.  When it was time to pay them, they all received the same amount. When the ones who had been hired first thing in the morning began complaining, the boss said, "Should you be angry because I am kind?" Matthew 20:15.

Here we find the distinction between the parables Jesus told.  Sometimes they were of the stewardship variety and other times they were the salvation type.  This one was the latter.  All received an equal portion, just like salvation will be, as Christ offers salvation whether accepting it as a child, youth, adult or senior.  While rewards in heaven will vary based on service, salvation is based on Christ’s sacrifice. It’s an act of grace…plain and simple.

Need healing?  Need salvation? Need anything?  Get grace and get His strength.   He offers it to every one of us…just fill-in-the blanks. 

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   Do you see more grace or injustice in the Matthew 20 story?

2)   Pray for someone in your family or circle of friends that they might know His grace

Consider reading the word today:

 

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser

February 26 - A New View Of You

A New View Of You

“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The gap between God and us is so great that it’s hard to imagine how He could love us as He does.  He is so holy…and we are not.  He is so merciful…and we are not.   He is so just…and we are not.  Yet the span He was willing to bridge shows eternally how much He values you and me.

When you know God has a destiny for you, you realize how significant you are to Him.  We want to be significant and have value.  In the book, “If I’m So Successful, Why Do I Feel So Fake?” it talks about business people who are driven and overworked and stressed to perform to prove themselves worthwhile and worthy.   Yet, it is a false way to live. You truly become comfortable with who you are by knowing whose you are.  When I realize I belong to God and I’m deeply loved, it becomes the basis for the special purpose for which I am created.                   

       

Psychologists will tell you that the way you see yourself, your self-esteem,

your self-worth, and your self-concept, are determined by what the most

important person in your life thinks of you.   George Herbert Mead used to call it the “Looking Glass Self.” While babies have little understanding of self, as they grow, they distinguish differences and gain a picture of who they are.  He or she gets it from the most important people in his or her life.  The people most important to your life saw you in a certain way with honor and value or something less. Father or mother, brother or sister, or a coach and teacher had a life altering impact upon you.  However, once Christ becomes most important, you begin to take on a new view of you.

Joseph Merrick was called "The Elephant Man” and lived in nineteenth century London, England, as a freak of nature. His body was disfigured by neurofibromatosis, twisting him into a hideous monster that his family rejected. Dr. Frederick Treves found John working in a circus, an exhibit for people to laugh at.  He took him to London Hospital, and paid for a room out of his own pocket. He tended John's medical needs, giving him some relief from the pains of his disease.  He treated John as a person, not some sideshow oddity. He provided John with books and a tutor, and salvaged the man hidden inside. And then came Madge Kendall. She was a talented actress and a beautiful woman of high society. She came to see John Merrick one day, and brought along a gift: a volume of Shakespeare's plays. John was nervous and embarrassed, an ugly beast cowering before a fairy princess. But her words he could understand.  With his gloved hands he fumbled through the book. He found the second act of "Romeo and Juliet." His voice was broken and squeaky, but he read the words that expressed what he felt: "See! how she leans her cheek upon her hand, that I might touch her cheek." And while he read that line, Madge Kendall slipped quietly into the seat beside him. She responded with the lines of Juliet, memorized from her years in the theatre. And almost without thinking, they recited the rest of the act together.  When it was done, Madge Kendall took John Merrick's withered fingers in her own. She leaned over, and kissed his swollen, leathery cheek. And in a quiet voice of gentle love, she said: "Why, Mr. Merrick, you're not an Elephant Man at all...Oh, no! You are Romeo!" And Dr. Treves, who recorded all of this, says that from that moment, John Merrick was a changed man!
             

That's the story of the Bible! That's the marvel of God's love for us!  That's the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who reaches out to embrace us with the mercies of heaven! God has given us a future in which we can imitate His faithfulness, and make our vows, and keep our promises.  Paul declared in Romans 5:8, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Heaven should have never made a sacrifice for something so hideous as humanity’s sin…but Christ looked at us and loved us. Nothing appealing, nothing endearing and nothing charming that we could offer Him.  We were freaks of a spiritual nature.  But in Christ’s great love, He came to earth and kissed the unkissable, hugged the unhuggable, and touched the untouchable.  In other words, when He becomes most important, you will realize how important you are to Him.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1. Where have you found your greatest source of value or significance before Christ (things, people, accomplishments)?
2. How does Christ change our view when we realize how He sees us?

 Consider reading the word today:

Copyrights 2014- Terry Risser

February 25 - Breakthrough For The Believer

Breakthrough For The Believer

You’ve probably heard marathon runners talk about hitting the wall.  It’s the point in the race when they feel like they can’t go any farther; they must decide to break through the wall in order to stay in the race.  Many of the Olympians of the recent weeks face the same things in their races.

We all know what it’s like to hit the wall, to run into an obstacle so large you can’t go over it, under it, or around it.  The only hope we have of moving forward is finding a way to break through it, but that, too, seems logically and humanly impossible.

Thankfully, there is a secret to experiencing the breakthrough we desperately need: it’s knowing the God of the breakthrough.  That’s what King David called the Lord in 1 Chronicles 14:11, “The Master of the Breakthrough” because God did the impossible and defeated the Philistine army that stood ready to destroy David and his troops. 

But David’s experience wasn’t unique.  God has a history of performing breakthroughs for His people.  He broke through for the children of Israel at the Red Sea.  He broke through for them at Jericho.  He broke through for the three Hebrew children and insulated them from the scorching heat of the fiery furnace.

Knowing the “Master of the Breakthrough” changes your perspective.  Why?  Because you know He is ever ready to pierce through the obstacles the enemy of our soul places in our paths.  All He requires is that we allow Him to do it.  Let’s follow David’s example in 1 Chronicles 14:8-11.

1.      Face the obstacle head-on:  As soon as David heard the Philistines

       were headed his way, he prepared his troops for battle and went out to

       meet them (verse 8).  When we make a decision to courageously

       confront the enemy rather than avoiding him, we allow God the

       opportunity to perform a breakthrough.

2. Ask the Lord what to do:  Even though David was prepared to go to war, he didn’t attack until he had asked the Lord if that was what he should do (verse 10).  Don’t presume you know what the Lord wants you to do, even if it seems so blatantly obvious.    Ask Him what to do next and don’t move without hearing from Him.
3. Be ready for action:  David’s breakthrough didn’t come with David sitting on the sidelines, and neither will ours (verse 11).  The lesson is that significant breakthroughs rarely come at no personal cost.  They require courage and even a little blood, sweat, and tears- but victory is in God’s hand. 

While we all face obstacles, we must never forget who He is:  the Master of the Breakthrough.  When you discover you’ve hit the wall, allow Him to make a way through the walls that have separated you from others, from healing, from holy living, from soul-winning, and even from Him.

Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.”  Always remember, there is nothing that you are experiencing, have experienced, or will experience that God hasn’t handled before.  And if He’s done it before…He’ll do it again.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   Recall a time where something in your life seemed impossible and God came through for you

2)   What breakthrough can you ask God to do for you?

Consider reading the word today:

 

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser