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MEDALS OF FAITH: Living in a way that adds luster to the Gospel (Part 1)

Broken Chains


He must have been quite a sight --

Naked under the desert sun...

Cut and bleeding...

Smeared with dirt and body fluids...

A noxious cloud of odor surrounding him that would turn the stomach of anyone who dared to draw near...

Shouting at everyone (but at no one in particular) as he stumbled through the parallel universe in his mind...

Gashing his flesh again and again with the stones that he gripped in his gnarled fingers...

Roaming erratically among tombs filled with corpses, perhaps with a shackle still jangling from his arm or leg.

The man's torment was unceasing and, while no chains could hold him, he was unquestionably bound -- bound to the point where even his identity as a human being had been subordinated by the dark minions of hell's prince.

On this day, though -- this Day of days in this man's miserable existence -- everything was about to change.

This was the day that the Son of God Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, would stare down the fiendish beings living within him, whose stratagems He knew all too well.

Jesus was about to command the ones who had taken possession both of this man's body and his soul to come out of him.

Jesus was about to consign them to a herd of ceremonially unclean swine where they could fulfill the agenda that was consistent with their nature -- to steal and kill and destroy.

Jesus was about to break the chains binding this man and to make him free, free indeed. Before another day dawned, this man who for years had been the byword for brokenness, was about to be made new.

According to the physician/Gospel writer named Luke, that's just what Jesus did...and in the aftermath of Christ's sovereign, gracious intervention in his life, the man was found "sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind" (Luke 8:35).

Those who had known him for years in his former condition "became frightened." Astonishingly, they "asked Him [Jesus] to depart from them" (verse 37). Jesus obliged them (what a tragic moment!) but not before giving the new man a new command:

"Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you" (verse 39).

Dr. Luke says the man did so. In my imagination, I hear him giving his testimony in words something like these: "I was bound, but not with humanly forged shackles and chains. You yourselves know that your hardware couldn't hold me. Rather, I was enchained in my soul, I was a slave in my spirit. But then Jesus came to me, and everything changed. I know Him now -- in fact, I sat at His feet -- and I'm here to tell you that whatever chains may be holding you, He can break them and make you free too. Will you let Him?"

And as incredible as it may have sounded to his hearers, they wouldn't be able to dispute him -- after all, the evidence was right there before them, plainly visible in his emancipated life. Surely if Jesus could unshackle him, He could unshackle them too.

Such is the power of a life that has been clearly transformed by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, I submit that "broken chains" are the first "medal of faith" that bears witness to the world about the reality of His presence and reign in our lives.

When you get right down to it, it's hard to argue with broken chains -- that is, with a soul that has been set free and a life that has been radically altered. Sure, some will be frightened by a dramatic change that forces them to reconsider their perceived superiority over one who was previously pitiful. They may even rue the presence of one who has found newness, because they themselves don't have it and aren't willing to seek it.

Still, though, a life that's been visibly changed can silence even the most bitter skeptics. This is especially true when that change is communicated with humility and love and not merely as religious rhetoric. Coupled with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, it can convince people of their own urgent need to be set free by the Savior.

This raises a question: "What evidence of emancipation is present in our lives, that others can only attribute to the transforming work of the Son of God?"

Or, to be more personal, from what has God delivered you and me?

For some, it's the conditions we tend to think of immediately -- dependencies and addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and various forms of sexual depravity.

But maybe none of those things seem to apply to you. Chains have other names, however. What about --

Greed...
Pride...
Hatred...
Bigotry...
Dishonesty...
Legalism...
Hypocrisy...
Lawlessness...
Laziness...
Fear...
Anger...
Selfishness?

Did some of these chains once hold you, till the Master came into your life and set you free? Probably, and they did me as well.

One thing is for sure: "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The Apostle Peter said, "...for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19).

Therefore, all of us were enchained at some point by something incompatible with God's nature and with His loving desires for us. But the Good News is that, through Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, the power of those chains has been broken. The Name of Jesus causes chains to snap and to fall away, freeing us to walk in newness of life.

The Apostle Paul said, "...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

So, if you've turned from living in sin and been forgiven and changed by Christ, let your gratitude for what He has done "adorn, make attractive, and add luster" to the Gospel. Wear that medal openly and gladly.

Also, if you've never done so, consider "returning to your house" -- that is, to those who knew you best in your former condition --"and describing to them what great things God has done for you."

As you do, others may see it and dare to believe that He can change them too.

And as you do, you too will be "quite a sight" -- for good -- certainly in the eyes of God, and very likely in the eyes of some others.

More soon, including a video on this subject. Meanwhile, please consider whether someone you know might benefit from this blog, and let them know about it. And, by all means, sign in and give everyone the benefit of your comments.

Stay sharp,

Preston

MEDALS OF FAITH: Living in a way that adds luster to the Gospel (Part 1)

Broken Chains


He must have been quite a sight --

Naked under the desert sun...

Cut and bleeding...

Smeared with dirt and body fluids...

A noxious cloud of odor surrounding him that would turn the stomach of anyone who dared to draw near...

Shouting at everyone (but at no one in particular) as he stumbled through the parallel universe in his mind...

Gashing his flesh again and again with the stones that he gripped in his gnarled fingers...

Roaming erratically among tombs filled with corpses, perhaps with a shackle still jangling from his arm or leg.

The man's torment was unceasing and, while no chains could hold him, he was unquestionably bound -- bound to the point where even his identity as a human being had been subordinated by the dark minions of hell's prince.

On this day, though -- this Day of days in this man's miserable existence -- everything was about to change.

This was the day that the Son of God Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, would stare down the fiendish beings living within him, whose stratagems He knew all too well.

Jesus was about to command the ones who had taken possession both of this man's body and his soul to come out of him.

Jesus was about to consign them to a herd of ceremonially unclean swine where they could fulfill the agenda that was consistent with their nature -- to steal and kill and destroy.

Jesus was about to break the chains binding this man and to make him free, free indeed. Before another day dawned, this man who for years had been the byword for brokenness, was about to be made new.

According to the physician/Gospel writer named Luke, that's just what Jesus did...and in the aftermath of Christ's sovereign, gracious intervention in his life, the man was found "sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind" (Luke 8:35).

Those who had known him for years in his former condition "became frightened." Astonishingly, they "asked Him [Jesus] to depart from them" (verse 37). Jesus obliged them (what a tragic moment!) but not before giving the new man a new command:

"Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you" (verse 39).

Dr. Luke says the man did so. In my imagination, I hear him giving his testimony in words something like these: "I was bound, but not with humanly forged shackles and chains. You yourselves know that your hardware couldn't hold me. Rather, I was enchained in my soul, I was a slave in my spirit. But then Jesus came to me, and everything changed. I know Him now -- in fact, I sat at His feet -- and I'm here to tell you that whatever chains may be holding you, He can break them and make you free too. Will you let Him?"

And as incredible as it may have sounded to his hearers, they wouldn't be able to dispute him -- after all, the evidence was right there before them, plainly visible in his emancipated life. Surely if Jesus could unshackle him, He could unshackle them too.

Such is the power of a life that has been clearly transformed by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, I submit that "broken chains" are the first "medal of faith" that bears witness to the world about the reality of His presence and reign in our lives.

When you get right down to it, it's hard to argue with broken chains -- that is, with a soul that has been set free. Sure, some will be frightened by a dramatic change that forces them to reconsider their perceived superiority over one who was previously pitiful. They may even rue the presence of one who has found newness, because they themselves don't have it and aren't willing to seek it.

Still, though, a life that's been visibly changed can silence even the most bitter skeptics. This is especially true when the reason for that change is communicated with humility and love and not merely as religious rhetoric. Coupled with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, it can convince people of their own urgent need to be set free by the Savior.

This raises a question: "What evidence of emancipation is present in our lives, that others can only attribute to the transforming work of the Son of God?"

Or, to be more personal, from what has God delivered you and me?

For some, it's the conditions we think of immediately -- dependencies and addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and various forms of sexual depravity.

But maybe none of those things seem to apply to you. Chains have other names, however. What about --

Greed...
Pride...
Hatred...
Bigotry...
Dishonesty...
Lawlessness...
Laziness...
Fear...
Insecurity...
Anger...
Selfishness?

Did some of these chains once hold you, till the Master came into your life and set you free? Probably, and they did me as well.

One thing is for sure: "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The Apostle Peter said, "...for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19).

Therefore, all of us were enchained at some point by something incompatible with God's nature and with His loving desires for us. But the Good News is that, through Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, the power of those chains has been broken. The Name of Jesus causes chains to snap and to fall away, freeing us to walk in newness of life.

The Apostle Paul said, "...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

So, if you've turned from living in sin and been forgiven and changed by Christ, let your gratitude for what He has done "adorn, make attractive, and add luster" to the Gospel. Wear that medal openly and gladly.

Also, if you've never done so, consider "returning to your house" -- that is, to those who knew you best in your former condition --"and describing to them what great things God has done for you."

As you do, others may see it and dare to believe that He can change them too.

And as you do, you too will be "quite a sight" -- for good -- certainly in the eyes of God, and very likely in the eyes of some others.

More soon, including a video on this subject. Meanwhile, please consider whether someone you know might benefit from this blog, and let them know about it. And, by all means, sign in and give everyone the benefit of your comments.

Stay sharp,

Preston

A Man Fell in a Hole...what now?

MEDALS OF FAITH: Living in a way that adds luster to the Gospel (Series Introduction)

The muscles in my legs were quivering and the joints in my feet were hurting. Several hours of extreme physical exertion had taken their toll. I wasn’t going to be able to go much farther. It was only a matter of time until, despite all the willpower I could muster, my body was going to refuse to be denied some much needed rest, as well as the replenishment of liquids and nutrients. In short, I was going to collapse.

Thankfully, however, the finish line was in sight. The closer I drew to it, the more I realized that something profound was happening: I was completing a marathon!

Actually this was the second time I had covered 26.2 miles on my own two feet – the first took place in San Diego, a few months after our 25 year-old son Nathan died in a rock climbing fall. (I’ve written about that event in "Windows into the Heart of God," published by Harvest House.) My participation in this marathon reprise came to pass when Nathan’s brother Gregory, older by 19 months, wouldn’t let well enough alone and urged me to train with him for the marathon in our hometown. In a moment of weakness I thought, “Why not? If I wake up on race morning and don’t want to run, I’ll just roll over and go back to sleep in the comfort of my own bed.”

Well, when race morning dawned, I had no honorable “out” and, on a chilly December morning, I found myself standing beside Gregory on the starting line of the Charlotte Marathon. As soon as the race began he left me behind. I didn’t see him again until I was nearing the finish line, which he had already crossed considerably earlier.

Gregory, my wife Glenda, and the rest of our family cheered as I crossed it…but then, in those blurry seconds of relief and exhilaration, I noticed that something was wrong: no one from the race greeted me to hang a finisher’s medal around my neck!

In my previous marathon that had happened, and I knew it was supposed to happen in this one because I saw others being “hung.” Somehow, though, as a cluster of us finished at the same time, I got overlooked.

In one way it was a small matter – after all, I knew what had just happened, and those closest to me did as well – but in another way it was a big deal. I didn’t need it for my ego (at least I don’t think I did!). I just wanted a medal around my neck to indicate to the hundreds of people milling around the course that I wasn’t just a spectator – I had striven and, by God’s grace, I had persevered, and now I was celebrating what had happened in my life.

Before I was able to develop a full-on pity party, a race worker noticed me and hurried over to duly bestow my medal upon me. I then limped to the car to reflect on the event. A few weeks later, I began realizing that the idea of being “adorned” as a testimony to something that has happened in one’s life has some profound spiritual implications.

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote to early-church leader Titus these words:

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds " (Titus 2:11-14 NAS).

Immediately before that masterful summation of what God has done for us in Christ and how it is to shape our lives, he told Titus to urge those whose first-century lot in life was that of a slave to conduct themselves in a manner that would "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect" (Titus 2:10).

Another translation renders it: "in every way...make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (NIV).

Still another helpful rendering comes from a contemporary paraphrase and speaks of "adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God" (The Message).

Adorn…make attractive…add luster – according to Paul, that’s what we’re to do for the Gospel. While being saved from our sins is unlike a marathon because there is absolutely nothing we can do to achieve or earn God’s forgiveness, the idea of adorning the Gospel by the quality and content of our lives is very much applicable. In other words, as we walk with Christ, certain results of His gracious work in us will come to characterize us, adding luster and making the Gospel attractive to others.

Certainly the fruit of the Spirit that Paul spells out in Galatians 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – is to be abundant. But in my own experience over many years, and in observing others, I have found that a number of specific “medals” will appear in the lives of individuals who consistently walk with Christ. As they emerge – and shine – they do indeed make the Gospel attractive and beckon others to follow Christ for themselves.

What are these “medals of faith”? Over the next few months, my aim is to focus on them in regular (weekly, unless they're not!) installments. As we begin, though, I hope you’ll resolve now to be a participant and not just a spectator, to go the full distance and not to give up in the strain of the race. Even when it might seem difficult, I assure you it’s worth persevering – for your own sake as well as for others. And ultimately, as our lives bring glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, all of Heaven celebrates with us.

So…are you ready? Good. On your mark…get SET…GO! More next week.

Stay sharp,

Preston