Lightly salted please.

In ancient culture they relied heavily on salt for a few different reasons. Salt was a basic and important item for them. It had three main uses. First, it was used as a preservative. We have to remember that they did not have refrigerators or any systems of keeping their food fresh so often times if they wanted to store food, such as meat or fish, they would salt them to keep them fresher for a longer time. Salt was also used as protection believe it or not. Even in modern Israel certain types of salt is sometimes scattered on the soil of flat roofs to help harden the soil and prevent leaks. The third and most obvious use of salt is for taste. Salt can make food taste better and make it more enjoyable to eat. 

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus talking to his disciples says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again. It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” What is Jesus talking about here? Why does he refer to his disciples as the salt of the earth?

Here Jesus is telling his disciples that if they are true disciples they cannot lose their effectiveness. Many times the salt gathered in the Middle Eastern region was diluted with other impurities and after some time the same salt would lose its taste and effectiveness. Jesus is telling his audience not to lose what is essential to the Christian faith but to go out and permeate society and keep righteousness preserved. True disciples should also make things better by seasoning it with the truth of God and protecting those that might be influenced negatively. If the Christian cannot add truth and righteous living to society then they are not true disciples and might as well be thrown out and trampled by others. They are worthless in a sense.

It is interesting to note in the next few verses Jesus also compares his disciples to light. Salt and light were common substances that everyone would understand. Thus, it makes perfect sense why Jesus used these analogies. Jesus said in verse 14-16, “ You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Light was used as a symbol in the Old and New Testament. It most frequently symbolized purity as opposed to filth. The reference to the city on a hill was pretty obvious to Jesus’ audience. Ancient towns were often built of white limestone and gleamed in the sunlight as well as illuminated at night from all the oil lamps that were lit. These cities could not be hidden. They were there in plain sight for all to see. And because oil was costly it would be foolish to light a lamp and then cover it up. What would be the point? In the same way followers of Jesus are to be like lamps on a lamp stand, shining the truth of Christ to everyone.

The believer’s good deeds will be the light that will shine and give praise to God. When people on the outside see that Christians are living a life that is pleasing to God and one that is in love, they will also praise God. We need to shine our lights into this dark and sinful world. It starts first by living a life that is pleasing to God and then by illuminating the way so a person can also become a follower of Christ. The Christian life should not be passive but active in preserving, enhancing, and protecting like salt and shining and leading like light. Who will you be a salt and light to today?

When quality matters

Good help, especially when it comes to the ministry can be hard to find. Just today I met with some pastors and leaders about the quality of our student leaders. We came to the conclusion that just like students we can classify our leaders into different categories from fringe to committed to core. (Maybe I'll make a fancy diagram and sell it like Doug Fields did with his student one) The sad thing is we have more uncommitted, apathetic leaders, then committed ones. Don't get me wrong, we have some amazing leaders and I'm sure in your church you do too, but there are those that show up on Sunday morning, if that and do nothing else. And because of this kind of leadership it decreases the level our kids develop spiritually, emotionally, and socially. It also increases our work load. The point? Good help is hard to find. 

Consider this passage.. 

"Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men." - 1 Corinthians 16:15-18

The household of Stephanas had devoted themselves and taken upon themselves to minister to others. They took the initiative. They were committed followers and ministers. By devoting themselves in this manner "they supplied what was lacking" and thus they helped remove some of the burden Paul and the church in Corinth was facing. The word supplied in the Greek literally means to fill up or make full, like filling in a hole with dirt. So what was lacking in others, the ministry of Stephanas' household made it possible for those in the ministry to be less burdened and as a result everyones spirit was refreshed. They filled in the hole instead of making it deeper. They filled in the gaps and took charge. They were refreshing and encouraging. Paul even says that these people should be commended. Rightfully so. 

Paul basically uses the same type of Greek word in Colossians 1:24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." 

I think what Paul is saying here is that he is willing to do his share of work even if it means he suffers for it. Paul was filling up what was lacking even by suffering so that there would be less suffering for his converts and fellow Christians to bear. 

Could you imagine if all of our leaders committed themselves to our ministry in such a way that our spirits would be refreshed and the burden of ministering to people lifted, if only for a moment?  Just think, if our ministries doubled their effectiveness what would be accomplished. If every leader would devote themselves to the church like the household of Stephanas I think Jesus would come down himself to see all the work that was being done! 

Is Jesus God? Pt 4

 Although much of Easter today is about candy filled baskets, egg hunts, and family gatherings, Easter for some is a time to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Why is that important you ask? Well, in the words of Paul, if Jesus did not raise from the dead, we (Christians) are idiots for following him. In other words, if Jesus did not raise from the dead, He is not the Son of God. Why bother following a mere human? Instead we should be searching for something else or nothing at all. 

For a few brief moments I want to explain why I think Jesus did in fact rise from the dead proving He is the Son of God and worth following. When the resurrection is talked about among skeptics many questions arise. It is natural to question the resurrection of Jesus.. after all, dead people normally don't come out of their grave on their own do they? 

We have already seen in this series that Jesus was a historical figure and the He really died on the cross. Let me also give you some reasons why we can be confident Jesus rose from the dead.

THE EMPTY TOMB: 

There have been thousands of claims by people in Jerusalem that they know where Jesus' tomb is. Do you know why there are so many? Because no one has ever found Jesus' body! No one can prove the other one wrong. In other words if Jesus was still in his grave, we could just find the tomb he was buried in and point it out. If someone asked me to prove that my Grandmother was dead, I would say follow me to the cemetery and I will show you where she is buried. Easy enough I think.. but no one has ever been able to do that with Jesus because He isn't there.

DISCIPLES STOLE THE BODY OF JESUS:

Ok so you are convinced that Jesus has never been found, but what about the disciples stealing his body to make it seem like He raised from the dead? Valid question. Well we know from the Bible and other sources that Jesus had a pretty big following in his day. There was much talk about whether he was divine or not. Because of this there was much discussion and debate as He was crucified what would happen next. To make sure the disciples would not steal Jesus' body, after it was placed inside the tomb, there was a large rock rolled over the hole of the tomb. This was a common thing for certain tombs to be covered like this. Also, the Bible says that there were Roman soldiers guarding the tomb to make sure no one messed with Jesus. The Roman Government knew that Jesus was popular and didn't want his body disturbed, hence the extra precautions to guard it. It is hard to believe that the disciples or anyone else could have stolen Jesus' body. 

TRANSFORMATION OF JESUS' FOLLOWERS:

Say the disciples did steal Jesus' body just for kicks and giggles. Do you think they would worship a dead person and be willing to give up everything to follow him. Heck no! Would you give up everything to follow a dead person? Of course not.. where would you go? :) And why would you want to follow Jesus if he was dead when he claimed he was divine? If Jesus didn't rise from the dead He was a liar and probably crazy too for saying He would. We have to remember that after Jesus' resurrection all of his disciples were willing to die for their belief in it. They obviously all thought that Jesus was really God and believed in the resurrection themselves otherwise why would they give up their lives for a lie? I mean these guys were tortured by guys like Nero and other Caesars (read about it in your history books) and they were still willing to give their lives for Jesus. The bottom line is this: you don't give up your life, especially get tortured for something you know is not true or something you don't firmly believe in. It is pretty clear that the disciples (Jesus closest followers) gave up their lives for something they were pretty sure about. Not only did the disciples give up their lives but thousands of Christians were killed for their beliefs and today that number is in the millions. 

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS:

What is the best kind of evidence when trying to prove a case? Eyewitness evidence. The Bible states that there were over 500 eyewitnesses that saw Jesus. Just think if 500 people saw a person committing a crime, they would be pronounced guilty in a heartbeat at a court of law. The fact that 500 people saw the risen Jesus themselves is a pretty strong case that it was a true event. One or two eyewitnesses can be iffy but 500? Come on that pretty darn good! 

SUNDAY WORSHIP:

Before Jesus' time the tradition of the Jewish people for thousands of years was to meet on Saturdays to worship God. All of the sudden after thousands of years of firm traditions, now Sundays are when people meet in churches. Why? Because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday and that is why the change happened. Listen, we all know people that have traditions. They seem impossible to change no matter how silly some can be. People live and die by traditions and the Jewish people are no different. Why would the Jewish people change their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday unless they had a valid reason to do so? Again if you want, you can check out books on ancient history that will tell you about this change. This is all historical evidence. 

JESUS, THE UNLIKELY HERO:

Here is what is all boils down to. If the writers in the Bible were making up this story why would they make Jesus out to be kind of lame? I don't mean any disrespect to Jesus nor do I think He is lame but if you were making up a story of someone you were going to follow and worship wouldn't you make him look like a stud? If I were to make up my own story I would make Jesus 6 feet four inches, 225 pounds of straight muscle, who ends up saving the day by beating up all the bad guys up with lasers bringing peace to all. Or better yet as Pastor Mark Driscol said, "if the resurrection was made up I would say the requirements for getting into heaven is to eat chicken wings and take naps instead of believing in Jesus!" But instead we have the Jesus of the Bible who was made fun of by most, rejected by his own followers, and killed by Roman soldiers in a way that is usually reserved for criminals. The writers of the Bible making this story up? I don't think so. If they did why pick such an unusual and unlikely story? Just make Jesus look cool or something.

I have given what I think are solid reasons why you should at least consider Jesus. If you really want to have purpose in life and know the truth, the least you can do is ponder the arguments for the resurrection of God. This is the single most important thing in the Christian faith. I know that because I am a Christian and I do trust in Jesus and believe about his death on the cross, burial in the grave, and his bodily resurrection. I have a relationship with God and know that when I die, I too will be raised by his power and go to heaven. If I didn't think Jesus rose from the dead, I would be a moron for following him. I rather be doing something else.  The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can get to heaven without going through him since He is God. I hope that you will choose to follow Jesus and trust in him with your life. "For whoever calls upon the name of Jesus, will be saved." - Romans 10:13

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