More Than Just Okay.

…and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. Hebrwes 11:35-38

This was part of the final series on Hebrews 11. It struck something in me. I think mainly because it resonates so well with my last post, Fans.

This particular scripture that I quoted actually starts midway through verse 35 and I wanted it to start with “and others were tortured, not accepting their release,” so that we I can fully understand what the persecuted Christians went through.

To understand how I can comfortably sit on my couch and complain about how my life isn’t fair or that I don’t have enough money to buy things that I don’t need but want just because.

To understand how others are mocked, tortured, chained and imprisoned if one even finds out they believe in a man named Jesus and how they want for nothing.

To understand that I have a multitude of bibles in probably 6 different translations just sitting on my bookshelf next to all of my wife’s bibles and her theological scholarly books that I look at and get a headache just attempting to read the title.

To understand that others can be sawn in two, put to the death by the sword, and scourged just for owning a page of the bible, that they probably can’t read anyways and yet by faith God speaks to them through it then anything we could imagine.

I’ve got it good….we’ve got it good.

And here’s the thing, they don’t accept their release. For them to deny their faith it would make all that physical present pain in the moment just go away and they can go about the rest of their day.

The others know. They understand that for them they have something better coming. Something more than just okay. A definition of okay is something that is satisfactory but not exceptionally or especially good. That’s because of faith. To understand faith is to know, believe, and trust that there’s something better without having to see it.

Because once you see it before believing it you’ve cancelled out faith.

Even the Demons Believe.

I remember this one occasion sitting at a bible study debating faith and believers. One side quoted James 2:17 “Faith without works is dead.” The other side going with Romans 10:9 “Confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart.” I was somewhere in the middle. I wasn’t really sure what to think, or even be able to pick a side. Both sides had strong arguments.

But, when you debate faith, you debate God.

When you debate God you create religion. You create rules. You create regulations. You create a church where the people are worshipped. When we’re worshipped we then create christianity into an emotion, event, or feeling. If our emotions aren’t fulfilled we move on. That’s what is happening in our instant gratification of a society, where every thing is a Google search away.

This debate though is ironic. Neither side of the argument can exist without the other. Not in the sense that their opposing views, but in the sense that they’re actually one in the same.

Let’s start with Romans 10. Remember “if then” statements from middle school or high school math? That’s basically what Romans 10:9 is. IF you CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH that Jesus is Lord and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised him from the dead, [THEN] you will be saved. It’s that simple. Let’s break it down.

Step 1, CONFESS. Definition to admit, state, disclose, declare, profess, acknowledge, tell the truth, tell all, come clean, spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag. AND WHAT YOU ARE CONFESSING IS THAT Jesus is Lord. 

*Fun fact* “LORD” vs “Lord” vs “lord.” Same word, 3 different ways, and yes there is a difference. If it is written as “LORD,” they are referring to the translated name of God aka Yahweh or YHWH. This is typically found in the old testament. If it is written as “Lord,” it is because it is either at the front of the sentence or they are talking about one of the 3 persons of the Godhead (father, spirit, son), or to the entire Godhead. Finally if it is written as “lord,” then they are talking about a human ruler. Like lord Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones.

Step 2, BELIEVE. Definition to accept something as true, be convinced by, have confidence in, consider honest, swallow, buy, go for, take it, understand. AND WHAT YOU ARE BELIEVING IS THAT God raised him (Jesus) from the dead. 

“What does that have to do with anything?”
I”m glad you asked. Back in old testament times in order for the people to be “right” with God they had to follow rules known as The Ten Commandments and if they broke one of the rules then they had to make a sacrifice. Since man a.k.a. us a.k.a. you and me will always screw up, God sent his Son, that was absolutely perfect, to die as our sacrifice. But not only did he die, he rose again to prove that death could not hold him

That’s it.

On to the next point, James 2. Some think that the author is referring to “showing off their good deeds” will make them right with God, and that’s not the what the author means. In verse 14 the author asks “what good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions.” While reading this chapter it helps me to understand it better by replacing the word faith with the word love. Christ had shown love to everyone he met. That was his faith of God. That’s what Christ called us to do. In Matthew 22:38 Jesus said to love God, and to love others. No other requirements.

If I told my wife I loved her but never showed her, she wouldn’t believe…well maybe a couple of times…but after that she’d be asking me to show her that I love her. This is what the author meant in James 2. When we truly believe, when we’re chasing after what Christ wants for us, we help our fellow brothers and sisters.

Anyone can say that they believe in God. Even the demons believe.

Friday Fun. Happy Summer!

I’m trying my best to write something every day and a friend of mine posted something interesting on their Facebook page so that post is in the works right now. Will hopefully get it up tomorrow, but until then enjoy this short story that I found.

-Matt

Finding Me (Part 1)

Everyone has an identity. Whether you identify by a race, or a gender, or even a hobby, everyone has an identity. Part of my identity is that I am the youngest of 4 in my family. I am a father. I am a husband. I am a domestic violence/teen dating violence/bullying educator. I am a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates. I am multi-racial.

And yet I want to find more in my identity. You see my family, that I absolutely cherish and wouldn’t trade anything for, is not my biological family. I was adopted at 3 months of age. It never struck me that I wanted to find my biological parents until around 2010 where I was 23. I did some research, found the paper work I needed, filled it out, but I never sent it. The thoughts, feelings, and emotions that were going through my mind were awful. Like taking a test that you haven’t prepped for and, if you drive, that feeling you get from being pulled over by the police for speeding all rolled into one super, terrible feeling. So, I put it off.

3 years later, and here I am, filling out the same paperwork, though this time I took it to the post office and sent it in. Those same feelings are still with me, even as I write this post. Will I have all the information I’ve ever wanted accompanied by pictures and etc.? Or will I know the same information that I already know? Which is nothing.

No matter what though, I know that I have an identity in Christ. I love what Galatians 3 says:

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (NLT)

galatians 3:23-27.

I should say though I do have one clue that starts to lead me in the right direction. A welfare card from when I was in a foster home that had an identity for me…

Baby Cipriani…