Quid est Veritas? - Part 1

For those of you who have ever studied Latin, you know that the title to this post translates, "What is Truth?" This is the infamous question that Pontius Pilate posed to Jesus before condemning Him to the cross. According to John 18:33b-38a, Jesus and Pilate had a short but substantive conversation. It went something like this:

Pilate: "Are you the king of the Jews?"

Jesus: "Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?"

Pilate: "Am I a Jew? It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Pilate: "You are a king, then!"

Jesus: "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Pilate: "What is truth?"

In our modern day religious world, many people are "church shopping." Since we are a consumer-driven society, it is no wonder that many people take that same approach to religion. When I question people about what they are looking for in a church, they reply "I'm looking for a church with a dynamic preacher" or "I want to find a church with a good children's program" or "I want to find a church with a solid marriage enrichment ministry" or "I want to be a part of a church with a contemporary worship style using contemporary music."

What I rarely (if ever) hear is "I am looking for a church that teaches and models the truth." Are you shocked? I'm not ... we live in a post modern world filled with a philosophy of moral relativism, pluralism, and other "isms" that deny universal truth. Check out this video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXoNE14U_zM

Truth is risky. It is sometimes tough to handle. It means that there is a standard. It means that there is an eternal ethic that is applicable to all peoples, for all times, in all places. Scripture says that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ~ Romans 3:23. Translation: we have all blown it, messed up, missed the mark, and failed to attain God's holy standard. It does not matter who we are, how smart we think we are, where we come from, or where we think we are headed. We have all thought, said, and done bad things that have hurt ourselves and others. And we know this to be true!

While our culture tolerates "little white lies," exalts politicians who break their campaign promises, and promulgates deception in relationships, the Bible says, "Buy the truth and do not sell it ..." ~ Proverbs 23:23. Jesus says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~ John 8:31b-32.

Quid est Veritas? What is Truth? When Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven, He said, "... your word is truth." - John 17:17. That word of truth is God's word, and we can hear it anytime we read the Holy Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time and continues to transform lives on multiple levels. Why? It is the word of God, and it will stand forever.

The Bible articulates, illustrates, and illuminates the way to peace, contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, and salvation. It points to the Savior, the central Person of Scripture. It points to Jesus who is the Lord, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Divine One, and the Judge of all the living and the dead.

As you read God's word, you will discover God's design, plan, and purpose for your life. You will discover that there is a standard for how to live, worship and honor the God of the universe. You will discover the kind of church that you ought to be a part of. And you will discover that GOD WANTS YOU!!!!

Be A Berean!!

One of the biggest problems in religion (both in ancient and in modern times) is that religious adherents do not take the time to examine the Holy Scriptures to discover whether or not what their leaders are preaching and teaching is Biblically correct. As a result, we have divisions, strange teachings that are foreign to the Bible, and a multiplicity of views about any one doctrinal matter.


God gave every one of us free will. We all have the ability to think, to reason, to receive, to give, and to communicate our feelings and understanding on any particular issue. We exercise those rights on a daily basis. If we are hungry, we choose to eat. If we suddenly realize that we are charged too much at a particular store, we let the cashier know immediately. If we want a specific style of mocha or coffee, we know just how we want it to taste, how to make it or where to find the place that makes it to our satisfaction. What am I saying? When we want something, we take action!



When it comes to religion, however, it seems like our brains freeze, we become passive, and we do not think about what we are seeing or hearing supposedly coming from God and put it to the test. Why? Some folks do not want to think as they worship; they just want to feel good, hear a decent sermon, leave the church building, go back next week and repeat the same actions. Caution: If that is your modus operandi, you are skating on very thin ice. Your soul is too precious to play those kinds of games.


Twenty centuries ago, the apostle Paul traveled on many foreign missionary journeys. One of the places that Paul traveled to is still talked about today because of the notable actions of the people that he encountered. The Bible says, "The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thesssalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds." - Acts 17:10-13 (New American Standard Bible).


This is a prolific passage of Scripture. Those Bereans did not take anything for granted. They demonstrated how proactive they were in their faith, and how serious they were about application of God's word to their lives. Even though Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ (i.e., an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord Jesus and a divinely inspired messenger of God's word who could perform miraculous powers), the Bereans EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES to determine whether or not Paul was correct in his message. WOW!



My friends, we must do the same today. If the apostle Paul can be examined, then your pastor, preacher, priest, rabbi, and pope ought to be examined. And if what they say does not match with God's holy word, then you must reject those messages and turn to the living God and His word for direction in your life. Jesus put it this way, "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." - Matthew 15:14 (New International Version).




If you read the immediate context of this passage in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus came down very hard on those Pharisees (teachers of the law) who held their traditions on a higher level than God's word. Tradition and opinion must never supersede or replace the word of God in our lives! Discern what you hear from altars and pulpits my friends!


Be proactive in your faith! Study and examine the Scriptures! "Test everything. Hold on to the good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (New International Version). Your soul is worth it! And remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!

Facing Failure

You had the chance to make the game winning catch, but you dropped the ball. You were one vote away from becoming Class President, but you were defeated. You were one grade away from making the Dean's List, but you missed the mark. You were one interview away from getting the job of your life, but the company hired someone else.

We've all traveled down the road of failure at some point in our lives! It doesn't matter who we are or where we come from, we've all experienced this terrible reality. The Bible acknowledges this phenomena and records two of Jesus' apostles who failed Him miserably.

First was Simon Peter whom Jesus took as one of His "inner three" apostles along with James and John. They were so privileged that at times only the three of them were able to watch Jesus in action when the other nine apostles could not (e.g., raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead, beholding Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, and being with Jesus as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest) - Matthew 17:1-3; Mark 14:32-41; Luke 8:49-56.

Peter was the first apostle to confess Jesus as Messiah (Christ), Son of the living God. Peter temporarily walked on water with Jesus, and received the "keys of the kingdom of heaven." As brightly as this follower of Jesus shined at times, however, he had a dark side. When crisis came, Peter cowered in fear. Crisis occurred when the temple guards, chief priests and elders of the Jewish community arrested Jesus. When asked if he was a follower of Jesus, Peter DENIED three times ever knowing Jesus. He didn't want to in any way be associated with Jesus for fear of his own life. Peter failed! - Matthew 14:29; Matthew 16:16-18; Matthew 26:69-74.

The second apostle who failed Jesus was Judas Iscariot. All we really know about Judas Iscariot is that his obvious character flaw of a covetous spirit and love for money (pilfering the apostles' money bag while no one was looking) caused him to BETRAY Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Judas failed! - Matthew 26:47-50; John 12:4-6.

Both of these men were apostles of Jesus Christ. This meant that they could raise dead people, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, exorcise demons, and miraculously regenerate the nerves of paralyzed people. It meant that they had authority over the demonic world, authority to forgive or retain people's sins, and directly represent Jesus as His ambassadors wherever they traveled. But both men failed Jesus miserably! - Matthew 10:1-10; John 20:22-24.

While both of these men failed their Lord, both of them handled their failure markedly different. Peter wept bitterly after he sinned, then repented, returned to his fellow apostles and became one of the greatest leaders in church history. Judas, on the other hand, went out and hanged himself after he had realized his guilt in betraying the innocent Son of God - Matthew 27:3-10; Luke 22:61-62; Acts 2:14-41.

What do you do when you fail? How do you react? Do you give up? Or do you fight back with a "can do" spirit? Are you more like Peter or like Judas? You're thinking, "How can I be like Judas if I'm reading this blog?" "Judas killed himself, but I didn't." True you have not physically killed yourself, but maybe you (like Judas) refuse to accept God's forgiveness for your failure. Maybe you (like Judas) went off by yourself and cut away from people; from community.

You have a choice my friend. You can either run from failure or face failure. You can overcome! You can do it! And remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!

Changing Into Champions

Today is "Super Sunday". It has become somewhat of a National Holiday in the United States of America. For the past 43 years the National Football League has featured Super bowls in which the best two teams of their respective conferences face off against one another to determine who is the "world champion" at this level of professional football.


This year the New Orleans Saints play against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have been here before (Super Bowl III against the New York Jets, Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys & Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears), but for the Saints, this is the first time in the franchise's history. Needless to say, as impressive as the Saints have been during the 2009 season, they are the underdogs in this match up.


For many fans, this game symbolizes triumph over tragedy. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped apart the city of New Orleans as the nation watched in horror the devastating effects of the storm. To many locals of New Orleans, the Saints' football team provides hope for the torn city. Even if the Saints lose the Superbowl this year, they have already lifted a city from hopelessness to hopefulness. They won the NFC Championship game and positioned the team where it has never been positioned. They are winners already!


I think of God during these times as He looks at us: where we've been, where we are, and where we can go. As some have articulated in the past, God loves us for who we are, but loves us too much to leave us where we are. Meditate on that truth for a moment: God sees potential of where we can be, and if we will walk in his direction, we can achieve true moral greatness.


David, a little shepherd boy slew the Giant Goliath with a small, flat stone and a sling shot. A young Jewish girl named Hadassah whose name was changed to Esther ascended the throne of Persia as Queen and saved the Jewish people from extermination. Rahab transitioned from a promiscuous prostitute to a woman of faith whose story still moves people to greatness. God loves to lift the underdog to new heights. He loves to do extraordinary things in ordinary people.


Read Hebrews 11 for more marvelous stories of faith. God used ordinary men and women to affect life changing events in history. He Changed them into Champions! He can use you, my friend! Jump on board! And remember ..... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!

Snow Shows ...

Snow is beautiful! It cleanses the atmosphere of impurities, kills germs, and blankets the earth with a pure white covering. Kids play in it, adults both marvel and dread to drive in it. My youngest daughter and I were outside earlier today as the snow continued to fall on top of several inches that were already on the ground, and we played together by making angels, throwing snowballs, cleaning off our vehicle, and racing each other. It was fun seeing her react to the beauty of God's snow.

God communicates powerful messages to His creation about the importance of snow on both literal and metaphorical levels. Consider these two prolific passages from the Prophet Isaiah:

"Come now let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." - Isaiah 1:18

How can anyone read this text of Holy Scripture and not rejoice at the reality of renewal through God's grace? God, through the Prophet Isaiah, told ancient Israel that He was aware of the ugliness of their sins, but that He would cleanse them from their spiritual impurities.

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11

The magnificent truth about this statement is that God compares His word to rain and snow, and states that all three of them serve a dynamic purpose. Rain and snow have an amazing purpose in God's creation. They both water, cleanse, and nourish the earth. Hence, when God sends rain and snow, they do not give a negative return to the Creator. They have accomplished what they were sent to do.

It is the same with God's word. Whenever we read the Bible, we are listening to God's words. Whenever a preacher proclaims the word from the pulpit, he must indeed "... do it as one speaking the very words of God." - 1 Peter 4:11. When a minister of the Gospel preaches the very words of God from the Bible, the people hearing those words can know that they have heard a message from God.

God's word has the power to transform lives by freeing people from sinful strongholds (e.g., sexual immorality, homosexuality, adultery, lying, stealing, cheating, drunkenness, lust, covetousness, etc.), while making people better parents, spouses, friends, business partners, forgivers, lovers of God and lovers of people. God shows His creation how to live more fulfilled lives through His divine power.

Finally, God's word points us all to the path of eternal life in heaven. This is true because the written word teaches us about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave His life for each and every one of us on the cross by dying for our sins. He then was resurrected from the tomb on the third day after His crucifixion proving that He is the Lord, the Son of God - Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.

All who place faith in Jesus by repenting (changing their mind, turning from sin to God), confessing Christ, and being baptized will have their sins forgiven. This is true because once a person is united with Christ, His precious, sinless blood cleanses and frees the penitent believer from sin - Matthew 26:28; I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5. Paul told Timothy that "... salvation is found in Christ Jesus..." - 2 Timothy 2:10. The question then becomes, "How does a person get "in" or "into" Christ to obtain salvation?" Please read Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 3:19; Acts 10:43; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1-4; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 3:26-28; Colossians 2:11-12; 1 Peter 3:18-21.

As the Hebrew writer says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

Time to get on board! Remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!