Monday Morning Music Ministry

7-1-24

Easter has passed; and Pentecost – the “birth-day of the Church,” the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon believers in the Upper Room – which is observed so many days after the Resurrection of Jesus, has likewise been celebrated.

I pray in your lives that Pentecost has been observed and celebrated. Let us distinguish between the Church and denominations; and let us always cherish the gift, and Gifts, of the Holy Spirit from our Father. (After all, what children would neglect or reject gifts from their loving parents???)

I am going to imagine an encounter between two of the Disciples during those momentous days in Jerusalem. Its details are fictional: I am compressing and conflating events between Jesus’s Crucifixion and the Day of Pentecost; these two men could not have had this face-to-face encounter. But aspects are nonetheless true: their actions, motivations, and reactions are true.

In imagining this dialog, I am confident of its verisimilitude, because we each have a little of these two Disciples, Judas and Peter, within us. I do.

Peter: The Lord was taken from us, betrayed to be accused by the Jews and turned over to the Romans, and…

Judas: I know! I was the one who betrayed Him… Surely you know.

Peter: Yes, of course. We knew that you slipped away during the Last Supper and accepted a bribe of 30 pieces of silver to betray Him. At the moment we had wondered what Jesus meant when He said, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

Judas: It was my decision, but we all heard Jesus say, “One of you will betray me.” You all asked, “Is it I, Lord?” and I even asked, “Is it I?” and Jesus looked at me and answered, “You have said so.”

Peter: So how could you do it? Was that not a warning? You had the chance to resist that temptation, to change your plan! You lived and walked and talked with the Lord, as we all did. You knew He was the Messiah!

Judas: Yes! We all lived and worked together as brothers for three years! So how do you explain that you betrayed Him too? You failed Him likewise!

Peter: Yes… I did betray Him too. But my sins did not lead to His Jesus’ death…

Judas: So your life was more precious than Jesus’s? More than mine, I suppose? You thought you would save your neck by denying you even knew Him?

Peter: Yes… I always was impulsive. It is no excuse. And, as with you, the Lord also looked into my face and prophesied what I would do. In my pride, I protested that “Even if they all fall away, I will never fall away…”

Judas: And the Lord was even more specific about you, that before the rooster would crow, you would deny knowing Him not once but three times…!

Peter: I know, I know. But Judas, after your betrayal, after Jesus was taken and falsely accused, and beaten and tortured and sentenced to death… did you repent?

Judas: I was bitterly sorry. I grieved. I gave the Master over to be killed. I went to the Jews and returned the pieces of silver… But they laughed at me, and threw the coins to the ground. They mocked me.

Peter: You could have…

Judas: I did the only thing I could think of doing. I had betrayed the Savior. He in Whom no sin was found. Whose only crime was Love…

Peter: You hanged yourself.

Judas: No one to mourn. I was alone, despising myself. I did what I deserved. But… you…? After you denied knowing Jesus when He was being persecuted? Not standing up for Him? What did you do?

Peter: I was remorseful too! Especially when I was present in Jerusalem when they tortured Him and spat on Him and whipped Him and nailed His wrists and feet to a cross and…

Judas: Did you go to Golgotha? Were you there when He died?

Peter. … No. I hid. I was afraid for my life. We all huddled together. Those days, after Jesus died and was buried… were the darkest days you could imagine. He left us. We were alone. And none of us had spoken up for Him…

Judas: Did you think to hang yourself? You betrayed Him too!

Peter: Maybe it was my impulsive nature… but… I prayed to God. I needed to be forgiven. I begged for mercy. I was lost, confused… and had sinned against the Savior of humankind. I prayed for God to help me, to forgive me, to renew my faith. What else could I do?

Two sinners. Judas and Peter. “What else could they do?”

You know “the rest of the story.” The three women who had gone to the tomb to anoint Jesus’s body became the first evangelists! He had risen from the dead, and they ran to find the cowering Disciples and share the news.

Peter – the unhanged traitor – remained impulsive some more days. The Disciples beheld Jesus, some even incredulous. Thomas had to feel the wounds in Jesus’s side to know He was indeed the Savior in their midst. Some went with Jesus to the Mount of Transfiguration to see Him bodily rise to Heaven… the final confirmation of His divinity.

Then the Disciples returned to the Upper Room and – impulsively – argued a bit about how to organize things, or not, going forward. But… the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised came upon them, and on others gathered with them. They spoke in “other tongues.” Thereafter they received spiritual gifts, supernatural powers promised forever after to all Believers.

And – miracle of miracles? – Peter was no longer impulsive, immature, foolish. He became a “rock,” the leader of the Church, strong in faith.

This story is not about sins we are capable of committing. It is a lesson in how we should respond when we sin. We know how God will respond if we approach in true faith. He is the God of mercies who heals and forgives. We can pray, always; and we can pray for each other.

We all are, in one way or another at times, a Judas or a Peter. With whom do you identify? And let me ask a serious question, not fictional: What if Judas and Peter had sought each other out, to pray together, instead of facing their dilemmas alone…?

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Click: Can I Pray For You

6-24-24

“The wisdom of the ages.” “Wise words, tested by time.” “Worldly advice, from the mouths of wise thinkers.”

People tend to think that because sayings are old, they must be true, if not “wise.” To some degree, almost everyone casually, or often earnestly, has sought after, believed, or acted upon the advice from horoscopes to dreams. And in between, from fortune cookies, the sayings of Confucius, or tea leaves.

Like a broken clock that is correct twice a day, occasionally there is beneficial advice, if not wisdom, that flows from such sources. But not many people stop and realize that much of the “wisdom” we know sounds like good advice but… contradicts another “time-tested” piece of wisdom that is also universally accepted.

“He who hesitates is lost” is canceled by “Look before you leap!”

“A watched pot never boils” is contradicted by “Strike while the iron is hot.”

“An unexamined life is not worth living,” although “Curiosity kills the cat.”

Perhaps all accumulated wisdom is not so wise after all. But maybe the exception proves the rule. (Whoops!) We can pair-up many of the history’s famous sayings and adages and bywords and make a parlor game of Contradictions.

But. This is not the case when it comes to the Word of God. The Lord “is not the Author of Confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33).

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, saith the Lord; neither are your ways My ways” Isaiah 55:8).

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. …My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27–29).

To Christians reading these words, I pray you recognize His promises if you are at a point in your life where you need His quiet reassurance.

But I also pray that the eyes of secularists and skeptics fall upon this message too, because it is essential to know more than whether God Almighty stacks up well against ancient meme-writers. God indeed asserted the infallibility of His words, “spake by the prophets’: as His incarnate Son did when on Earth. We have record of the Bible, and history, where God’s promises never were proven false; where myriad prophesies were fulfilled; the recorded acts of Jesus. And, above and beyond documentary evidence and raw data, we know of the testimony of uncountable souls who have experienced profound change in their lives, of miracles, of healings, of spiritual, supernatural blessings.

But we may wander in a spiritual desert if we only obsess over points of evidence, as in a trial, when all the evidence that Children of God ever needed is right there, in their hearts. Even when it comes to making decisions about tomorrow or the rest of your life, it is faith that is required; not facts. God says – in effect; and I accept this metaphor about physical evidence – “take it or leave it, my Children.” Could we possibly need more, from the Creator of the Universe?

The astonishing aspect of God’s promises is how utterly rich they are. Jesus’s greatest sermon, containing the Beatitudes, did not only share God’s point of view… and offer advice on how to live… and recommend ways to live… but also made promises: of Blessings. “Blessed are the meek…” “Blessed are the poor in spirit,…” “Blessed are those who are persecuted…”

There is a doctrine that describes this realization: Self-attestation. Scripture affirms itself. It is kind of a holy syllogism. Let its truth be a blessing.

One of the Bible’s greatest promises, in fact, provides exegetical blessing without reliance on other verses from other books. It is from Psalm 46:10a, Be still and know that I am God. Let its words parse themselves:

Meditate on these words and what they imply – God’s recognition of us; God setting the mood; an invitation to self-awareness; God’s calming assurance; a reminder of His sovereignty.

Comes a Blessing. And, to recall two familiar sayings we all know, we find ourselves not needing a leap of faith… but rather, we find ourselves standing on the solid rock.

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Just as we presented two versions of some old sayings… this week we offer two songs on music videos that may be separate, or double, blessings to you:

Click: Peace Be Still

and

Click: Be Still My Soul

6-17-24

“Making a list, checking it twice…”

No, this is not a Christmas message gone astray. We all make lists… check our lists… are watched by others – bosses, teachers, coaches – according to lists. We “check the boxes.” We keep lists on our smart phones, i-Phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and – if you are like me – on various corners of paper bags and Post-It notes, even if we cannot read them the next day, if we can find where we left them…

Items on lists can be trivial; or, of course, important. I will challenge us to consider starting some lists.

Have you ever wondered how many times you sin? This list may comprise of all the things God considers sinning. So if you can remember all the people you have murdered over, say, the last week, jot them down. The same with grand theft auto and major bank heists. Then, since all sins are offensive in the eyes of a Holy God, you can move down the list to incidents of fibs, “white lies,” outright lies and other euphemisms. Jealousy? Insults? Hate speech? Gossip? Check, check, check…

Items on that list can add up pretty quickly. “Great and small,” how many? One a day? Well… maybe more a few more than that. Maybe half a dozen in all categories, if nit-pickers (um, like God) would be checking it twice.

Big deal. Six a day. Or – hang on, I stink at math – that would be, like 40 or 50 a week? Gee, that’s like 2500 a year. Sins. You know, transgressions. That adds up to 25 thousand a decade. In an average lifespan that would be…

OK, OK, I’ll change the subject. We can stay in the religious realm but try to be more esoteric. Make a list of the times you have asked God to forgive you of something. I’ll bet a lot of people, even devout Christians, hope God will forgive them of this-or-that, but don’t always bother to plead their case in prayer. All right, then, try to calculate how often you think you need to ask God’s forgiveness over something. Large or small. Even when we fool ourselves in that regard, how lengthy would that list be, say, in an average week?

Or. Turn it around. How often have you forgiven someone when they have wronged you? Even, or especially, if they have not asked your forgiveness?

Is the portion of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” coming to mind?

Which lists of these, and similar categories, have a multitude of check-boxes in your life; and which are short lists? Are they in the right proportion? We might find it hard to “populate” such lists; to remember everything; to try and keep count. But we know that God in Heaven sees all, knows all, and “checks” things like when sparrows fall to earth… heck, God even knows every tear that falls from your eyes. The hairs on your head. Your “comings and goings.” He knew us “before we were formed in our mother’s wombs.”

Let me share one more thing about lists – specifically about a God who does make a list and no doubt checks it twice, not that He needs to. The list with your name on it will be to your credit when you have accepted Christ; and the list with the Xs will not be used against you – will be wiped clean – when you have, instead, accepted Christ. God’s grace.

A loving God knows everything about you – He knows your name, so to speak – and that should not make you paranoid as you go through life, over those hours and days and years and decades. He catches you when you fall; He forgives you when you ask; yes, He knows your name.

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Click: He Knows Your Name

6-10-24

This week I attended a Clay Clark “Reawaken America” conference, one of its extensive tour of American cities. These gatherings of Christian patriots brings together an array of speakers, great numbers of attendees – activists and concerned citizens – and a menu of topics, viewpoints, and proposed solutions. And prayers, a lot of prayer.

Not just at this conference, but I think across America among different and differing communities, there is an inchoate sense that our nation has deep problems; and those problems can be called different names but are essentially spiritual problems. That could include different peoples’ different definitions of the word “spiritual.”

To the extent that this consensus is joined, we can only begin to solve our crisis by agreeing, even unto its terms. That must include the following proposition: A spiritual problem can only be resolved by a spiritual solution.

I did not advance that thought at the conference – I was there to cover it for the New York Post – and neither did I share the perspective, developed after I returned home, by which I titled this essay. But I came away with the strong conviction I want to share:

God does not love America any more.

Stick with me (as I frequently ask readers). I am not referring to the things – the sins, frankly – that we know displease God. The apostasy of established churches that deny the Divinity of Christ; the acceptance of sins like killing babies and legalizing sexual deviance; widespread abuse, prejudice, and divorce; the collusion of courts, the “educational” establishment, and media to silence and pervert Christian values; drugs, drinking, promiscuity; and… so forth.

No, those are not the factors I am talking about, despite being crises indeed. We know from the sweep of Biblical and secular history that the promotion or even toleration of such things led to the collapse of societies and entire civilizations… as historians note, not from invasions or conquest, but “from within.”

History has many examples of mighty civilizations that (as Santayana warned) did not learn from history, but rather over-reached as empires, and under-performed, ultimately, as moral entities; their doom was repeated, and assured.

To explain what I mean by God not loving us any more: I mean that literally. The Lord has never taken joy in meting out justice or punishment. We have been told that with individuals, He “chastises those whom He loves.” My point is that He loves us, He loves America… a lot. He gave His only begotten, incarnate Son for us. And, “while we were yet sinners.” Can God love us any MORE than that?

No, He does not love us any more. He cannot. The Lord God loves us to the max.

Will He regret our straying, our sins? Yes. Does He grieve over our unrighteousness as a nation? Yes. Can He “lift His hand” and bring chastisement, punishment… even destruction? Yes, He loves us that much. A Holy God cannot abide sin and rebellion. To believe that we can be in the presence of God when sin is willful, wanton, even joyfully exercised in His face, is self-swindling, suicidal folly on our part.

This must be a reminder, and an inspiration, to “clean up our act.” The nation is falling apart, failing everywhere we look. We waste our spiritual inheritance; we defy God; we dare God to act like God. But, through it all… He cannot love us any more than He does. If that is not hopeful enough as a rallying-cry of revival, let me turn my aphorism around:

He cannot love us any LESS, either.

God keeps to His word. He “changeth not.” As Christians, we may still repent: He proves Himself as a God of second chances; He offers forgiveness. The message of Jesus was about Redemption. Amazing Grace – even angels cannot know it or sing it; but we can, if we “turn from our wicked ways,” as His people and – once upon a time, maybe again – as His nation.

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Click: The Love of God

6-3-24

… OK, don’t rush to your concordance, or a God-Goes-Google if such a thing exists. I am not quoting chapter or even verse. But I believe I am citing the gist of what I honestly believe must be on His mind, sometimes. Or – stick with me – the essence of a lot of the Gospel message.

The Lord would not be so rude, but we know that His Son Jesus occasionally lost His temper.

It is bad enough that we, His children, tend to sin and rebel. But, for Christ’s sake (I am being literal) – when He promises the Truth, gives us the Truth, proves the Truth, and by His Holy Spirit guides us to all Truth… why do we sometimes act in ignorance of the Truth?

Many Christians, “baby” believers and longtime believers both, often begin their prayers by telling God how undeserving they are. In what they believe is humility, they confess their unworthiness. They paint a picture of approaching God nervously, conscious of their shortcomings. In their dirty robes, timidly approaching the Throne of a Holy God…

I suggest that God hardly sees you at all when you pray like that. In the first place, people who pray in that attitude are not humble at all, but stupid. Well-meaning, perhaps, but mistaken. In fact, it insults God rather than honors Him. The Bible tells us that when we have Jesus – when we are “covered in the Blood” of His sacrifice on the cross; when the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts – He does not see us first, but sees Jesus! He sees the Blood! He recognizes the Holy Ghost, which He sent as part of Godhead to, yes, dwell within us! And then there we are, children of the Living God.

Do you think that the Creator of the Universe, having spoken trillions of galaxies into existence, brought you into this world, knew your name since conception and counts the hairs on your head; that He desires that you commune with Him in worship, and grieves when you choose to sin; and Who, as a Holy God, cannot abide sin, yet – even before you repented – became flesh and dwelt among us… and was willing to have His incarnate Son suffer and die, taking our punishment on Himself… and then took the form of the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts… do you really think that God would like to see you groveling before Him? Acting as if we are not the “apples of His eye,” the joy of His creation???

Scripture tells us that when we have been saved and confess our sins, God tosses our transgressions, sins, and unworthiness into the “Sea of Forgetfulness.” Those dirty rags are now robes of white. God could remember all that makes us “unworthy” but He promises not to.

… so why do we want to keep reminding Him?

Get up on your feet… “boldly approach the Throne of Grace”… and let us act like we know who we are! Do we still fight the tendency to sin? Of course – but now we have the power, and the right, to approach God, confess, and be refreshed and forgiven. Even angels cannot savor that! God looks at us, but sees His Son.

I loved the way the old evangelist R W Schambach used to refer to the Savior – “My elder Brother, Jesus!” Another reminder (read your Bible!) that we do not need intercessors to approach that Throne of Glory – not a Mary, not a Saint, not our dead relatives. YOU are worthy!

Stand up… look at those beautiful robes you are wearing, and run to the presence of Almighty God! I’m sure you will understand, if our Heavenly Father would hear you talkin’ like you used to, He shouts a loving “Shut up, My child… and come to Me!”

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Click: Who Am I