You Must Be Saved – By Jesus

 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NASB, parenthesis mine)

That’s not what they wanted to hear, the Jewish ruling council who had Peter and John arrested the previous day. In their minds, the best thing that could happen was for the whole Jesus thing to away. If anyone needed saving it surely wasn’t them, they had their act together, contributed to society, stood for public morality, believed in God, prayed, and taught their children about God. No, if anyone needed saving it was these two uneducated and deluded followers of Jesus and their kind. If anyone needed saving it was the toothless tweaking drug addict down by the liquor store, or those damn Samaritans and heathens up north, those foreigners who shouldn’t be here in the first place, and those corrupt, Rome-sympathizing tax collectors. “The audacity! How dare they suggest that we are wrong, corrupt, and in need of saving.”

In the end, they tried to intimidate Peter and John and released them but not without threatening them and officially banning them from preaching Jesus’ name and the message that goes with it. Obviously, it didn’t work because, thankfully, Jesus’ name and the truth that we can only be saved by believing in His name is still being proclaimed two thousand years later. Not for lack of trying, however, in short order, they arrested them again and this time had them beaten before releasing them, and not long after executed Stephen for nothing more than preaching Jesus. They were far more corrupt, sinful, and lost than they would ever admit. Oh, how they needed saving.

They totally missed it, the good news that through Jesus they could be saved from God’s deserved judgment, death, and eternal damnation as well as the opportunity God gave them to repent, believe in, and call on Jesus’ name when Peter told them both the truth and pointed out their need.

Their rejection of Jesus and self-righteousness hardened both their minds and hearts, salvation was so near and yet so far away. It wasn’t that they didn’t think people needed saving, it just wasn’t them who needed saving. “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,” is just so narrow, so all-inclusive. No first-class cabins in the salvation ark of Jesus, the upright productive citizen is seated next to the tattooed gangbanger convict, the philanthropist has to share a cabin with the toothless drug addict in front of the liquor store we met earlier, the Never-Trumper next to MAGA-hat wearer, the illegal alien welcomed the same as the natural-born citizen, even our enemies get a sunny deck chair next to us instead of the brig.

The most humbling place in all the world is at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and realize that the sinless Son of God died there because of and for you, that without Him you have no hope of forgiveness and will forever remain in the clutches of sin and death, that the sum-total of all of your very best and noble efforts cannot save you, that you are unable to save yourself, that you need saving, “You must be saved” by Jesus!

So, are you saved? Are you going to respond to this opportunity God is granting you through a simple pastor’s note, or are you going to pass it up? If you have never been saved, read the following, then kneel and pray out loud your belief in the crucified and resurrected Jesus, acknowledge your sinfulness, and call on His name to save you.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…
 For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:9-10, 13 (ESV).  

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

P.S. If you knelt and asked Jesus to save you, take these next steps. Tell everyone, including me (dergermanshepherd@gmail.com). Find a Jesus-preaching, Bible-teaching church. Get Baptized. Start serving Jesus every day.

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Revelation – Speculation – Preparation, part 2, Share what’s in your pockets

If your sharing capacity depended on what’s in your pockets right now, what would be the verdict? Well, I turned my pockets inside out and laid out their contents, one pocketknife, a guitar pick, one used and one unused paper napkin, and a very corroded penny.

If I put the knife, pick, napkins, and penny back into pockets and set out into today what else could I possibly share that would bless, help, benefit others, and bring glory to God?

• Me. My presence, being present, and God’s presence within me. The Apostle Paul was rotting alone in a Roman jail cell, and pretty much everyone had checked out on him, he writes, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, …” (2 Timothy 4:17). He doesn’t say how Jesus strengthened him, but does note his presence, sometimes that’s the most important thing. Both Martha and Mary, grieving the death of their brother Lazarus, said to Jesus, who came to see them after the funeral, “Lord, if you had been here, …” (John 11:21, 32). Few things I can share are more valuable than my time and presence.

• Faith, Hope, and Love. When it comes to the Christian treasure chest, my spiritual pockets, these three are abundant and eternally valuable. According to 1 Corinthians 13:13, they are also marks of true spiritual maturity. I might not be the most gifted person, but I have equal access to faith, hope, and love. Those three words are far more than just spiritual jargon, they are immensely practical and are meant to be shared. My faith, hope in Jesus, and my knowledge and experience of God’s love are the bedrock of my life, the source of my peace, joy, and confident outlook when it comes to the future. I might run out of money but I get to start each new day with my pockets full of faith, hope, and love. They are meant to be shared, they lift people’s spirits, encourage their hearts, make a difference in any setting. We don’t know how long and how deeply the man had been discouraged, most likely since he lost the use of his legs. His good fortune was that he had some friends who had faith in Jesus. One day, they picked up on his stretcher and carried him to Jesus’ house. Unable to get in, they found the backstairs to the roof, dug a hole in the roof, and lowered him down right in front of Jesus. The Bible records, “And Jesus seeing their faith …” (Mark 2:5), not the paralytic’s faith, but his friends’ faith. It is a life-giving thing when you feel like you’ve run out of faith, hope, love, or all three, and someone shares, gives you some of theirs.

• Some more things I can share that I found in my “pocket” this morning: Prayer, God’s word and promises, Holy Spirit power, encouraging words, praises, thanksgivings, patience, goodness, kindness, and truth. And that’s just my left pocket, I haven’t even checked the others.

Not a week goes by I don’t hear a Christian brother (sometimes myself) or sister talk about how bad things are getting and that surely Jesus will have to come back soon. He might, but if He waits, that’s actually very good news for the billions (think about that, billions!) of people who are lost, not saved, heading straight for the judgment of God and eternal hell, “The Lord is not slow about His promise to return, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB, italics mine). However, regardless of when Jesus will return, He expects all believers to make a kingdom difference now. The only way we can do that is by being Holy Spirit-filled, godly, Gospel-sharing, kingdom-building, sold-out, followers of Jesus who continually share all God daily puts in our pockets. We must warn the world not to be caught with their pants down when Jesus returns, but we must be equally diligent not to be caught with our pockets full.

      To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Why I Am a Great Fan of Mothers, Moms, Mamas

I am a great fan of Mothers, Moms, Mamas. I think they are one of God’s best inventions and make the world a better place. The reason I am such a fan are five extraordinary women, Moms, whom God in His wisdom, kindness, and grace placed into my life.

Margarete Frei – that’s my Mama, the awesome lady who brought my four brothers and me into this world and raised us with unconquerable love.

Maria Eitle – My mama’s single sister, my Dote (Godmother), and the Frei boys’ second Mom.

Beverly Mecredy – My terrific Mother-in-law, who has accepted and loved me from day one.

Mabel Tubbs – One of the best things that could have ever happened to this white preacher at age 24 was God blessing me with a black Mom. I never was better protected. You had better not ruffled her feathers when it came to anyone she claimed as her family.

Susie Frei – The amazing and exceptional Mother, Mom, Mama of my/our children, and the love of my life.

I can’t begin to tell how deeply these women have influenced and impacted my life. They do have some things in common. They were/are all spiritual women with a deep abiding faith in Christ, engaged in prayer, reading their Bibles, being part of a church, serving, and blessing people around them. They were/are all strong, intelligent, independent, and thoughtful women. All of them are members of both the hard-working and lifelong learning clubs. And for some reason, they were/are all outstanding cooks.

My relationship with the first four is that of a son. They have dished out serious mothering to me, the whole gamut, from loving me unconditionally to reading me the riot act. However, over the last forty-one years, I have learned and observed more about outstanding and godly mothering from Susie than anyone else. Watching her as a mother has been one of the great and humbling experiences of my life. Without question, our kids, and we as a family, have hit the jackpot when comes to the mother lottery. She’s a walking master’s class on the topic.

I am a continual reader of Proverbs, the greatest and God-given collection of wisdom. I always love coming to the last chapter because it describes a most excellent woman, wife, and mother. The snapshot of the lady in Proverbs 31 drips with character, strength, blessing, and godliness. Everybody around her is better off because of her in their lives. Unapologetically she sets the bar very high. Usually, when I get to the end of verse 31 of Proverbs 31, I Iook up and across the room, and there she is!

Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. Proverbs 31:28-31 (NLT2)

Have a blessed Mother’s Day. Love you, Pastor Hans

(I understand that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are mixed bags. For children young and grown either or both of these can be a struggle, a deep wound, a dark hole, a day that cannot pass too quickly. For mothers and fathers they can be anything but a day of honor and celebration, but instead be heaps of regrets, stagnant pools of wasted time and opportunity, and a haunting collection of mess-ups.

Please know, I didn’t share the above to hurt you, quite the opposite. For one I simply wanted to give praise to whom praise is due, not to do so is ceding the ground to those who shouldn’t have it – good Moms and Dads deserve a place of honor. For another, I do know from experience that God is not afraid to walk with us into the dark and broken places of our past, of our soul and heart. He never does so without bringing along abundant grace and mercy. He also, despite the failure of some, brings people into our lives who are willing to genuinely care about us and love us. It is never too late to heal or to repent.)

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Meet Jesus – Glorious, But Don’t Get Stuck – The Ascension of Christ

They were about to get a crick in the neck looking into the sky. Let’s back up, the last forty days, beginning with Jesus’ resurrection had been nothing less than spectacular. No crowds and constant busyness, instead peace and quality time with Jesus. So much more clarity, things they didn’t understand and were confused about were starting to make sense, fell into place, became clear. A new understanding of Jesus, God, and life. What a gift.

The reason they were staring upward into the clouds was that Jesus had just ascended into heaven, literally disappeared into the sky. I imagine we would have done the same thing. So, there they stood, speechless, until, what seems to be two angles, interrupted the moment, “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Acts 1:11 (NLT2).

There are some moments we don’t want to end. You’ve ever been on a vacation or adventure where you wished for just a few more days? Or got caught up in a glorious moment you wanted to last just a little bit longer? It doesn’t seem like the disciples weren’t quite ready yet to walk back from the Mount of Olives to wherever they were staying in Jerusalem. However, God thought it was time, thus the interruption by those well-dressed angels (at least it wasn’t just a message beeping on their cell phones).

It is possible to get stuck in life. A moment or period can be so glorious, so special, so exhilarating, so satisfying that we keep chasing it, trying to recreate it, relive it. And there are moments so painful, so confusing, so loaded with fear and anxiety, so ugly, so traumatizing that we work overtime not to come anywhere near something like that again, and are constantly looking or running in the other direction.

You could paraphrase the angels’ message with, “Don’t get stuck! Don’t start living in, chasing, or being dominated by the past. There is more glory to come.” That experience was not meant to chain them to the past but to be food for today and tomorrow.

The angels reminded the disciples of Jesus’ promise of His return someday. The only way to get to someday is by way of today. However, we are not meant to go into the future stuck in the past, instead, we are meant to go into the future anchored in the hope of Jesus’ promised return.

I have been following Jesus, have been a Christian, for a long time, and have been a pastor for a year or two as well (46 and 39 years respectively). I am not mentioning this to you to impress you, but to let know that I have both personal and professional experience with being stuck. I’ve been stuck in grief, depression, bad habits, my Germanness, stubbornness, my way of doing things (which is in my mind the best way of doing things), the playing/farting-around mode, fishing, golfing, home improving, … How I thank God that He never abandoned me when I was stuck, He always found a way to speak to me when my neck, my life was straining in the wrong direction. He has a way of getting our attention. Our listening, however, is often another story.

Take a moment and contemplate the ascension of Jesus in a personal way. Is God trying to speak to you about being stuck, living chained to, or for the past? Which way are looking, what are you chasing? What is your ultimate “someday” hope and focal point? Are you stuck staying in your beautiful or safe garden, while God is trying to send you into His world to live and proclaim Jesus?

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Meet Jesus – The Risen One – The Resurrected Christ

 Paul, permitted to defend himself before the Roman governor Festus and his guest King Agrippa, said the R-word, “I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”
 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”
 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth” Acts 26:22-25 (NLT2).

 Maybe you’re in Festus’ camp, “The only certain things in life are death and taxes.” Well, if you are, you would be dead wrong, you’d be short on the truth, as Paul politely pointed out. Leaving out, dismissing, or belittling resurrection truth is a cardinal mistake.

 Why? Because Jesus Christ did rise from the dead, and because there will be a resurrection of “the righteous and the wicked” (Acts 24:15), or as Jesus put it, “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” John 5:28-29 (ESV).

 There is only one expert on resurrection, and it is not you or me. The thing we’re good at is dying. That’s because we are sinners and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:12-15). Resurrection and life are God’s domain. Jesus, standing with Martha in front of her brother Lazarus’s tomb, reminded her of that, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” John 11:25-27 (NLT2). So we know Martha’s answer to Jesus’ question, but what about yours?

 The truth of the resurrection of Christ and the coming resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked means death is neither the undefeatable enemy nor the great escape. Christ left the tomb as victor over sin, death, and the grave. There is hope for and life beyond the grave, we can shout, “‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (NIV). On the other hand, death doesn’t mean anyone “can get away with it.” There will be full accountability beyond the grave (Romans 14:10-12). It is entirely possible to escape human justice, but no one will escape the justice of God,  “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him” Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT2).

 What you do with the truth, especially resurrection truth, Jesus – the truth, will determine your eternity. Yes, you can dismiss it, ignore it, or declare it “crazy” but, as sure as death, it will catch up with you nonetheless. Jesus is alive, He will return, and you will stand before Him. The Easter question is whether you understand, believe, and are prepared – “eagerly waiting” – for that moment.

Christ is Risen! Love you, Pastor Hans

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Questions Sailing the Cliffs of Evil

God’s answer was more surprising than Jeremiah’s question, “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan? Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak” Jeremiah 12:5-6 (NLT2), or, to paraphrase, “Suck it up! What are you going to do when things get worse?”

Jeremiah, born into the family of a Jewish priest, called to be a prophet early in life, single by God’s order, unpopular, mistreated, active throughout Israel’s (Judah’s) dying and final days. He’d seen and suffered enough when he spoke with God and asked the question that elicited God’s “Toughen up” response, “You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Jeremiah 12:1 (NIV).

Israel was suffering the consequences of its rebellion against God, its idolatry, its spiritual and moral rot. The irony was that God used the pagan Babylonians, who were not any better, to execute His judgment. And, this complete obliteration of the nation of Israel did not exclude innocent children and those who had remained faithful to God. And, even in the midst of this political, civic, spiritual, and economic meltdown and war, wicked people prospered, got away with things, and were living high. “NOT FAIR!” “How is this just?” “Why does evil seem to pay so well?” Why are You not intervening God? “God, why are granting leniency and time to the wicked? Haven’t You heard that “Justice delayed is justice denied?” Have been the outcry and complaints against God throughout history, Jeremiah, and maybe you, among them.

Lots of people have shipwrecked on the cliffs of these questions. Some grow disillusioned and bitter about God, turning their back on a life of faith. Others embrace a life of escape and apathy in all its various forms. Many surrender to the glitz and ease of wickedness, at least it has the hope of a tangible payout. Obviously, Jeremiah was sailing close to these cliffs. And you?

Someone asks me theodicean (explaining God and evil) question I feel the need to explain, or at least pity and comfort the poor distraught soul asking the question. I am fairly certain Jeremiah was hoping for both an explanatory and empathetic reply from God. “Suck it up! What are you going to do when things get even tougher?” is not the reply most of us would have expected. But maybe, it is what most of us need.

Clearly, God felt no need to explain Himself, to give the final and authoritative answer to the problem of evil satisfying all our questions. Nor did God think that Jeremiah’s day was the right time to put an end to all evil and injustice, although that time will come. Nor did God think Jeremiah should quit standing up for what was right before God, neither should you and me.

What is clear from God’s answer is that living among evil and wickedness, the way God expects us to, requires strength, fortitude, a resolve to not throw in the towel no matter how bad things get (even in your family, v. 6). The practical answer to evil (especially when it seems to triumph and be profitable) is to stubbornly refuse to acquiesce, to compromise, to sip from the cup of the temporary, and stay the course, living according to God’s commands and ways, standing up for what is right and good in God’s eyes, keeping our “eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God” Hebrews 12:2 (MSG).  

Are we going to have our Jeremiah moments? Yes, we will.

Will the wickedness and evil of our day knock on our door, torment our minds and hearts? Yes, they will.

Will we struggle over God’s silence, patience, lack of intervention? Yes, we will.

Is it really worth it to stay faithful to God, to keep trusting God, even in the most terrible, evil, and unfair muck of terribleness? Yes, it is! Absolutely! You can ask Jeremiah, “I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD” Lamentations 3:21-26 (HCSB).

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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My Table Saw’s Final Blessing

My table saw bit the dust. A mighty screech, smoke, and the smell of something electrical frying and that was it. What the dischens! It couldn’t wait till the end of the project before giving up the ghost? Now its decommissioned corpse is sitting in the driveway, waiting to be hauled off to the dump.

I was already frustrated because, like seemingly every home fixing project, the job of replacing rotted siding was steadily growing bigger. At some point, you just had your fill, which seems to be true about other things in life as well. When you get near that point it doesn’t take much to push you over the edge, break the camel’s back, to be the final straw. Yes, my little Craftsman table saw had terrible timing, to say the least, and I needed to get a grip, catch my bearings, because I never function better with a frustrated sour, and down attitude.

What do you do when you need to get a hold of yourself, when your attitude smells worse than a table saw motor burning up? For me, a little reflection helps. So, I looked at my now-dead saw and remembered it was a gift Susie (my exceptional wife) gave me a long time ago, back when we didn’t have much, which meant she somehow managed to save enough to bless me with it. I can’t tell you how much easier that little table saw made my life. It also lasted far longer than anyone would have expected, which means God heard our constant prayer to make our things last. That saw served its purpose, was reliable, saved us all kinds of money, and was an all-around blessing.

We live in a world where things break, wear out, decay, blow up, rot, leak, and get old, a world that has no shortage of frustrations, bad timing, and overload; enough to daily stink up our attitudes, drown gratefulness, and put our inner grump on steroids. None of which is helpful in any shape or form. There is enough this damn …, those damn …, them damn …, to take you all the way to the grave. Which is a terrible way to live, and most certainly not the way God would have us navigate through life.

There is a reason God tells us to always put thankfulness in our lunch box, to never forget to pack thankfulness no matter where we go, and to download the thankfulness App first thing, “In everything, all circumstances, give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB, italics mine).

You’re right, many face much more serious brokenness and frustration than my table saw quitting, I certainly have, and I can’t tell you how much reflection and prayer with thankfulness have helped me there.

Do a little exercise with me. The poem below is probably the most famous psalm of David. Read it once over. Then read it in light of all David remembers and gives God thanks for down in that deep dark valley, even the shadows of death. Finally read it one more time, beginning each line with, “I thank you God that You …

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, of deepest darkness, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever” Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV, italics mine)

Funny, isn’t it, where an old broken table saw can take you.

            To God be all glory. Love You, Pastor Hans

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Check Your Heart – Your life and soul depend on it.

Guard, keep, watch over your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 (ESV, italic mine)

 The good news, if you’re reading this pastor’s note, is you have a beating heart. No telling about its condition, but it is for sure beating. Actually, you and I have at least two hearts, maybe even three.

 There is, of course, the heart my doctor is concerned about, that marvelous pump circulating our blood, keeping us alive. My family heart history is dismal, three of my Grandparents died of a heart attack, my Dad had his first heart attack at forty-two, my Mama passed away from a heart attack at sixty,  one of my brothers had a heart attack in his mid-fifties, and my oldest brother had bypass surgery at sixty-two. Mentioning this history to my new doctor prompted him to immediately give me an EKG and schedule another stress test. Hopefully, your family heart history is a bit more encouraging.

 As important as taking care of our physical heart is (listen to your doctor), God is much more concerned about our other heart, the one a surgeon can’t fix. It is our inner person, comprised of our mind, will, emotions, and moral fiber. Jesus reminded his critics and enemies, “… the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander” Matthew 15:18-19 (NLT2). God’s assessment and warning regarding our hearts is, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve” Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NLT2). King David, aware of the wretchedness of his own heart and the actions that resulted from it cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” Psalm 51:10a (NLT2).

Maybe you wondering about the third heart I mentioned above? It’s our modern romantic notion of the heart. That emotional thing that just takes over and puts our brain and will out of gear. So, in certain circumstances, when our hearts take over, we just can’t help ourselves from being stupid, foolish, arrogant, mean, thoughtless, and …, because we’re just really feeling it. And the opposite is true as well, we are off the hook for being unkind, apathetic, thoughtless, disengaged, and godless because we were not really feeling it deep down and with all of our hearts.

Interestingly, God doesn’t buy into or affirm this definition of our hearts, and He should know, He gave us both our pumping heart and our inner soul/heart. As important as it is to take care of our beating heart, it is even more important to take care of our inner heart. The first will eventually beat no longer, the second determines the course of our lives, our character, and our eternal destiny.

How does God help a sinner get a clean heart? Not by ignoring, sentimentalizing, or excusing our sinful muck. We wouldn’t want our cardiologist to ignore the facts, would we? We get a clean heart only through repentance and calling on God through Jesus Christ to forgive us and give us a new and clean heart.

“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT2).

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” Romans 10:9-10 (NLT2).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV).

 To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Don’t Waste Today

Don’t waste today! The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian believers, the church at Corinth, “Today, now, is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1).

When it comes to life, to our time, now – today is all we’ve got. That makes what we do with today, the here and now, extremely important. For one, because whatever we will do today will become part of our past, which will be judged by Christ in its entirety. For another, though thankfully there are sometimes second chances, there are no do-overs with whatever we do today; at the end of today, this day will be irrevocably spent.

Why did Paul remind the Corinthian Christians, whom he deeply loved, to not waste today? Well, because they were. They were letting themselves get sidetracked by listening to the wrong people, bad theology, petty issues, personal conflicts, sinful habits, unholy partnerships, life’s stresses, difficult circumstances, and whatever else Satan could throw at them. They had lost sight of the main things, the first things. They were, in theological terms, farting around.

In typical Pauline (and scriptural) fashion, he didn’t just point out the problem, but he also told them what helped him when it came to not wasting today:

Focusing like Christ.  “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” John 6:38. The chief goal, the foremost objective of every day is to please God, to do all that is according to His will. What counts at the end of each day is not the size of the paycheck, the approval of our friends, the social media affirmations, how right we were, how much fun we had, … What matters most is that God gives us the thumbs up on how we lived today, that He was glorified, that we spent the day according to His will and for His purposes. Remembering this elevates everything we do, plan, say, and think to an act of worship.

Meditating on the work of Christ. “Christ died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them … This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! …God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:15, 17, 21). This is mindboggling! You have to let these facts settle deep within your soul. For Paul, there were two immediate outcomes, one was continual gratefulness and thanksgiving, the other was “no longer living for himself” but for Christ.

Fearing the judgment by Christ. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men …” 2 Corinthians 5:10-11. Realizing that you and I and everyone we meet today will ultimately stand before Christ, God the Son, King of Kings, and Lord of lords should shake and wake us. On that day, all our excuses will be just that – excuses, all of God’s and Christ’s critics will fall silent and bow, everything about us will be laid bare, none of us will be found guiltless and without sin, and only Christ can keep us from being damned.

Living out of the Love of Christ. “Christ’s love controls, compels, constrains us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. In stark contrast to the sobering reality of God’s judgment stands His love towards us in Christ. It made all the difference in Paul’s life and how he lived each day. This love of Christ kept him humble and hopeful, gave him strength and endurance, produced selflessness and a heart for all people, and fueled his desire to know and love God more.

This is the day of salvation! To receive it, live it, proclaim it, and certainly not waste it.

To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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The Cross of Christ – Three Crosses

The day before Passover, for maximum exposure Pilate’s PR department had picked the date carefully. Jerusalem would be packed with Jewish pilgrims, entering the city they would have to go right past the execution site, Calvary, Golgotha, the place of the skull. For increased effect, it would be a triple crucifixion, two ordinary criminals and a notorious rebel, a terrorist as far as Rome was concerned. The message sent would be unmistakable, “Don’t mess with Rome!” Fear is a great tool to squelch many things.

The centurion ordered to lead the execution detail had checked off the items on the prep list. Three crosses, nails, digging the holes to drop in the crosses, sedatives, who does what at the site, sufficient protection – you never know.

The legalities were all wrapped up and recorded, charges, verdicts, sentences. Not that they were needed, after all, these three were not Roman citizens, just Jewish riffraff. But it’s so much tidier when things are don’t right, less to worry about afterward.

Both the centurion and the court official got an early morning call, “Change of plans. The insurrectionist Barnabas is to be released, a guy named Jesus will take his place, just make sure you put him in the middle. Everything else will go as planned.” Most likely, it didn’t matter to the centurion, the court officials, or the other two death row inmates who else would or wouldn’t be crucified, but somehow Jesus ended up being executed between two nameless criminals. Although, it seems, both were not unfamiliar with Jesus, maybe they had heard him preach or even witnessed a miracle of his.

And there they hung, surrounded by an angry mob insulting Jesus. Luke recorded the scene: “When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?  We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:33-43 (NLT2)

I hope you and I don’t miss the beautiful and amazing in the center of this brutal, ugly, vicious scene. There, from that middle cross, dripped more than blood. Mercy flowed and tried to touch the soldiers who enjoyed their grisly task just a bit too much, the hostile crowd which had demanded Jesus to be nailed there, and the two criminals dying next to Jesus. Sadly, out of all of them, only one both recognized and received it.

For the two criminals, the last-minute substitution was the most fortuitous moment of their lives. When, not if, you’re going to die, having Jesus next to you is the very best thing that could happen. However, the responses of the two dying men beside Jesus are worlds apart. One dies in darkness, breathing cynical, faithless words down to the very end of a misspent life. He wastes the last and best opportunity of his life and lets the mercy, forgiveness, and hope of Christ fall to the ground he’d be buried in before sunset. The other recognized the moment, and more importantly, who he was dying next to, Jesus the Christ, Son of God, Savior of the world, the Way, the Truth, the Life. He didn’t let the mercy, forgiveness, hope, and eternal life puddle at the foot of his cross and slowly seep away. No! He repented, reached out with arms that could not move, and laid hold of the Savior. Hallelujah!

And, what about you?

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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