“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

These were Jesus’ last words before he ascended to heaven, because as it reads in the very   verse: “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9)

My takeaway from this is that we will be witnesses, so it is important to understand exactly what this means. My understanding of what a witness is has come from all the legal dramas on television. Someone sees what has happened (the witness) and is called to testify in court. With just a few exceptions, the witness must testify if subpoenaed; and the witness must tell the truth, or they will also be charged with a crime (perjury). In fact, the first instance of the use of the word “witness” is in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16): “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” This is from the King James. Other translations read: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (NIV), or simply “You must not lie” (TLB).

It’s interesting to note that the word “martyr” originally meant “witness” in the sense of testifying as to what has been witnessed. In this case, witness is a verb rather than a noun. And only in the Christian era did it become associated with persecution because of one’s witness, or testimony. What naturally follows from this is that a martyr must believe what they have witnessed to be true, or they would not risk their life for their testimony.

So where am I going with all of this? Most of you have participated in the Sharing the Gospel Training. (If you haven’t, please make it a point to sign up.) In this training, we make a strong point that sharing our own testimony is usually the most effective way to share the gospel—to witness to others. What was our life before we accepted Christ, how did we come to the decision, and (most importantly) what has our life been since accepting Christ. The reason for sharing our testimony is the opportunity to introduce others to Christ. We should be intentional about looking for opportunities to share.

Stay with me: In the context of Sharing the Gospel, it has occurred to me that an even more effective way to start a conversation or turn it to the topic of the gospel could be to lead off with something God has done in your life recently—a blessing you have received, a comfort or peace you have experienced, or a trial that God has brought your through. Not only does recalling these situations strengthen our own faith, but they can also strengthen the faith of others or even lead them to faith in Christ. They can be major events, or small seemingly insignificant ones. This type of witnessing is related to the command to give thanks IN all things, and it is a way to keep God in our thoughts and speech more regularly.

So, this is my challenge to you: be intentional about remembering what God has done for you throughout your life and be ready to share it with those who God places in your path. And most importantly, remember that you have the power of the Holy Spirit living in you (Acts 1:8).

“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me” (Psalm 66:16.)

In Christ,

Judy

“They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood??’” Revelation 6:10).

Our Tuesday Bible Study is nearing the end of the book of Revelation. The quote above is from the martyrs—all those who have suffered for their faith in Christ. They are not the only ones to ask “How Long?” Many of the prophets throughout the Old Testament, as well as King David, asked of God: When you are going to make your promises come true?

As I ponder this timeless question, three truths come to mind from Paul, who writes, referring to God’s words in Deuteronomy, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ says the Lord” Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35).

1. The martyrs are properly leaving judgment and vengeance in the Lord’s hands. When we take revenge into our own hands, we will never be able to exact true and complete justice. And when we take revenge into our own hands we are in disobedience, which will provoke consequences for ourselves. Much better to leave it to God.
2. While their question is personal in nature, they see the avenging as an act of God’s sovereign judgment in the context of His holiness. It’s not just a case of retribution against their person; it is God’s divine plan coming to fruition. All acts of malice against God’s people are acts against God Himself; it is His to avenge.
3. It’s okay to ask this question. It’s okay to cry out to God, to lament. God can handle it. In Revelation, God responds to their question as follows: “Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been” (Revelation 6:11). God will hear your prayers, and He will give you what you really need.

The question of “How Long” is not only asked of God. God also asks it of us. In Numbers 14:11, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?’”

Just as God told the martyrs to be patient, to “wait a little longer” for His plan to be fulfilled; God himself is exercising great patience as He works in us to bring us to salvation. If I have learned anything from our study in Revelation, it is just that. Just like the plagues on the Egyptians in Exodus were designed to bring about deliverance, all the acts of judgment—the seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls—were all designed to get the attention of those who had not yet believed in order to influence them to change their minds. You may ask: Why so harsh? Well, throughout the Old Testament, God sent prophets to warn us. Then God sent His Son, Jesus to call us. Then Jesus paid the ultimate penalty for our sin with his own brutal persecution to rescue us. And many of us along the way believed and have our names written in The Book of Life. Praise God!

But many of us have refused to believe “in spite of all the signs I (God) have performed…” Yet “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Praise God for his patience with his obstinate creation. But there will come a time when it is too late. Don’t become complacent because of God’s patience, thinking you always have more time. In Matthew 13, Jesus gives several parables about the End of the Age. Here’s one with an agricultural theme, appropriate because the hay fields are ripening and we are picking produce from our gardens. Take it to heart.

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. (Matthew 13:24-30).

In Christ,

Judy

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2).

When I am getting to know someone, I frequently ask, “Where are you from” or “Where is Home?” And increasingly, the answer is from some place outside of Middle Tennessee. It seems like everyone is on the move. Globally that is also the case—displacements because of war, disaster, economic or political problems. Immigration is a huge issue not only for the United States but for many countries around the world. If I were a betting person, I would be willing to bet that at any given time, Nashville Rescue Mission has more nationalities and ethnicities represented on our campus than in most places around the area.

Historically, migrations have shaped and reshaped the countries of the world. Even in the Bible, God’s people moved from the Garden of Eden to Ur to Canaan, to Egypt, back to Canaan (the Promised Land), exiled to Babylon, returned to Israel, then dispersed because of persecution all over the known world as we see in Acts.is

In the Old Testament, God promised the people land of their own. This Promised Land was a sign of his blessings, and showed the world that He was their God and they were his people. But ultimately, they lost their land because of their sin. Many years later, Peter writes to the persecuted Christians:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1L3-9).

While interesting, the question about where we are from is not nearly as important as where we are going. As believers, we are defined more by our destination than our origin or even our current location. In fact, everyone in the world is destined for one of two locations—Heaven or Hell. And that destination will do more to predict our satisfaction with our current “comings and goings” than our current living situation.

What do I mean by that? As believers destined for Heaven and Eternal Life, we know that our time on earth is temporary, that this world is not our final home, that all of life—the good things and the bad things—will serve to prepare us for eternity. Nonbelievers, on the other hand, probably see this life as all there is, which makes worldly things supremely important, and therefore essential to happiness and contentment. The problem is when problems arise, and they surely will. Problems are seen in context. In the context of a heavenly-focused life, problems are seen as temporary, as trials intended for our growth, as opportunities to put our trust in God.In the context of an earthly-focused life, problems take on greater intensity.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:19-21, 33).

In Christ,

Judy

Last week we celebrated Independence Day (freedom). Last month we celebrated Juneteenth, a celebration of emancipation (freedom). In January we celebrated Martin Luther King Day with the exhortation “Let Freedom Ring!”

We live in a free country, for which is something certainly to be grateful. But what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that we can do anything we want? Maybe it starts small—I can listen to anything I want to, say anything I want to, do anything I want to. That kind of freedom falls more under the definition of license, and it does not take into account the moral consequences of our actions including the impact on others. For example, if you see something you want, can you just take it? What if you have something that someone else wants? Can they just take it?

Many of the actions we might take that violate moral law (think Ten Commandments) are also written into our legal code, such as murder, theft, and perjury (lying under oath). But other actions that violate moral law such as lying and adultery, while equally sinful, are not “against the law.” So, are we free to break some moral laws and not others? Are we ever free to break the law? Not without consequences. In fact, regardless of the state of our freedom, we must always consider that there are consequences to choices.

As believers, we know that we have free will. Humans have always had free will. In fact, before the fall, Adam and Eve had total free will in that they could choose to sin or not to sin. And we know how that turned out: They chose sin, and through that choice all of human nature became totally corrupted and lost the ability to choose not to sin—the consequence of all consequences! Think about it, as a result of their sin, while we do have free will, we are now incapable of being sinless.

So even though we are free to choose, we are still in captivity to Satan, to sin. From birth, we are enslaved to sin—whether it’s in our thoughts, words, or actions—so everything we think, say, or do is sinful. We are free to choose, but we are choosing as sinners and therefore necessarily, all our choices will be sinful. Whoa! You say, I know some really good people who are not believers. Are you telling me they are sinners? Here’s a link to an article that explains much better than I can how this can be true https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-sinner.html.

We might not sense the captivity because we are immersed in it. It’s the culture, the environment, “the air we breathe;” it’s just the way things are. Paul explained captivity to sin in this way: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” (Romans 7:14-17).

It’s only when we recognize our enslavement to sin, and the consequences of that sin, that we begin to seek the truth that can bring us to freedom. The very sad thing is that some religions would replace our captivity to evil with captivity to legalism, to a works-based religion. This is false teaching, and it’s just slavery of a different kind.

Enter grace. Once we have put our faith in Jesus and received the gift of salvation that He bought for us with His life, we are finally able to choose good (Like Adam and Eve before the fall). That doesn’t mean we will always make the right choice, but at least we are free to do so. And while there continue to be consequences for bad choices, we are also free from the ultimate consequence “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Here is the truth that brings freedom. It’s yours for the asking.

In Paul’s words:

• “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).
• “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Here are the steps to freedom:

1. Admit your need (“I am a sinner.”) and be willing to turn from your sins (repent) and ask for God’s forgiveness. Romans 3:23
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. John 1:12
3. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.) Romans 10:9

In Jesus’ words:

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the father but through me” (John 14:6).
• “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:33).

In Christ,

Judy

Many of you most likely have a Ph.D. in hard times. I have certainly had my experiences. All of us have had our share, some more than others. Maybe you are wiser than me, but my tendency is to try to get through those hard times to resume my “normal.” But this is faulty thinking. In these verses, troubles and suffering seem to be a given.

• Jesus said in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
• Peter said in 1 Peter 5:10: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
• Luke wrote in Acts 14:21-22 of Paul and Barnabas that “They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they (Paul and Barnabas) said.”
• Paul said in Philippians 1:29 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake…”
• Job said in Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

God established a Paradise for his creation. However, Adam and Eve blew it. You and I blew it. All humans have believed the lie of Satan rather than the truth of God (Genesis 3; Romans 1); and therefore we all, and indeed, the earth itself, will suffer the consequences until God calls his people home or until Jesus returns to take his followers with him to the new Paradise.

What this leads me to believe is that our “normal” is to suffer. We will struggle for a living. We will endure sickness and disability, and we will be persecuted. My perspective should be to expect suffering as my earthly “normal” and to be so thankful when times are good. In fact, in that regard, I mostly feel extraordinarily blessed. Certainly more than so many who reside in third world countries or in places where there are repressive governments.

In the book of John beginning in Chapter 13, Jesus and his disciples gather for the Last Supper. After supper, Jesus begins to talk in earnest to his disciples to let them know what is about to happen. He imparts much insight and wisdom during this last discourse. He continues in chapters 14-16, concluding with the amazing prayer in Chapter 17. Afterwards they go to the Garden of Gethsemane and the events of Jesus’ last days occur during which he endures unspeakable torment and suffering. In the last verse of chapter 16, right before the prayer, He says this: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus wants us to know that even though we suffer in this world, we can have peace in Him, and we can take comfort in the fact that He has overcome the world. He will fulfill the promise God made in Genesis 3:14-15 after Adam and Eve committed their sin and were banished from Paradise. Through Jesus, we can have peace in this world and enjoy Paradise in the next. We will have hard times, but we don’t have to let them defeat us.

Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus himself promises us in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

This Chaplain’s Corner is the fourth in a series on Gratitude, and I have somewhat tongue- in-cheek referred to them as Gratitude 101 – Random Acts of Kindness, Gratitude 201 – Common Grace, Gratitude 301 – Saving Grace, and Gratitude 401 – Suffering. In fact, this Chaplain’s Corner on suffering could well be the Master’s or Ph.D. level course because it’s so difficult to be grateful in the face of suffering. But that is precisely what God calls us to. He knows that when we are grateful in the face of suffering, we are acknowledging His sovereignty and actively putting all our faith and trust in Him.

I pray that you will experience the blessings and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior (Isaiah 43:2-3).

In Christ,

Judy