NEVER FORGOTTEN

I ask, then, has God rejected his people?  By no means!  For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.  Romans 11:1

         Even though God took His love and grace to people outside of Israel, does that mean that His grace was closed to Jews?  Not at all.  Paul used himself as an example.  Though he had once been antagonistic to Christ, killing so many who declared themselves to be disciples of Jesus, even he came to faith.

         There is always a remnant.  God is always looking for those who have a heart that is bent toward him, even in the slightest way.  Even though there may be a history of antagonism, of spiritual blindness and failure, God’s love prevails over all of it if I move toward him with my whole heart.  Even though God may deal with men harshly, we are not utterly rejected.

         Oh, how his love is unlike mine.  He woos, keeps his arms extended, through years of slander.  He keeps His invitation open though others vow never to respond to it.  He sees what a person can be through the life-changing work of the cross even though they love to sin and offend Him.  Continue reading »

PUT YOUR ARMS DOWN?

But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.  Romans 10:20 

         Consider what it’s like to run into someone you haven’t seen in a while.  You’re excited; you call out their name, and then move swiftly toward them.  You’re not aware there’s a problem between you so you quickly extend your arms to invite a warm embrace.  But to your shock, the other person freezes and stands there.  There is an awkward moment when your arms are still extended but the hug is definitely being refused.  How long will you hold your arms out in front of you?  Five seconds max, most likely.  The rebuff stings and we tend to remember these moments of rejection for a long, long time.

         It’s one thing to be rejected by someone shy and cautious.  We’re willing to give them time to warm up.  But quite another to be turned down by one hostile to you.  Continue reading »

THE PAIN OF BEING INVISIBLE

And Isaiah says boldly:  I was found by those who were not looking for Me; I revealed Myself to those who were not asking for Me.  Romans 10:20

         God disciplines Israel for their rejection of His Son by taking the gift of salvation and relationship to someone else, the Gentiles.  To the Jews, He was virtually invisible or, if perceived, unwanted.

         There is pain in being invisible.  I’ve been in many family rooms while traveling over the years.  Sometimes there was a child in the family who acted out, and even cried out, “Look at me.  Look at me.”  Initially, their antics were cute.  When they turned desperate, it wasn’t funny anymore.  There was an undercurrent of rejection and the child pulled out all the stops to get noticed.  As a guest, I came to realize that this was a way of life for this child.

         It’s almost unbelievable that God could be invisible. Continue reading »

“NOBODY ELSE SHOULD HAVE IT EITHER”

But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said: I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding.  Romans 10:19

            I may not want something and even turn up my nose at it but at the same time, I don’t want anyone else to have it either.  Jealousy has many manifestations.

            The Jews rejected Jesus and though He called them “His people”, they did not call Him ‘their Savior’.  When the apostles were sent to the Gentiles, the ones the Jews believed to be spiritually inferior, their jealousy erupted.  This is not the first time in scripture that one group rejected Christ but were then jealous of those who embraced what they had rejected.

            In Acts 5, the Sadducees (a stricter group of religious people than the Pharisees) saw the popularity and power of the apostles and were so jealous of them that they began persecuting them severely.  We might believe that if they didn’t want Jesus, they simply wouldn’t be interested in anything the apostles were saying or doing.  But, that’s not the way it worked nor the way it works today.

            Jealousy is not rational. Even though the Sadducees didn’t want the apostle’s faith, they did want their charisma and influence, which was really the anointing of the Spirit (though they didn’t understand that.)  Their own teaching was probably lifeless, full of rules and regulations. They were proponents of the law and sticklers for keeping every “i” dotted and “t” crossed.  Their listeners would have been bored.  The only ones who enjoyed their company were like-minded legalists.  They had few converts and I’m sure it was hard to watch the apostles’ zeal and see thousands embrace a faith you believed was misguided.

            Today, a similar jealousy can be among us.  Those who have been the spiritual fathers of a certain church can come to see the church as ‘their church.’  But when the move of the Spirit is quenched by familiarity and tradition, God takes the fire and zeal to a new generation.  Continue reading »

PROOF OF TOTAL CONFIDENCE

So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.  Romans 10:17

            Life-saving advice means that what was shared with me was so valuable that I couldn’t wait to go away and apply it.  I have complete confidence in it.

            One of the meanings for faith, in the Greek, is ‘to have complete confidence in something.’  The evidence of confidence is application.

            Abraham had faith in God.  How do we know that?  He left his home village of Ur and took off for a new life.  Saul had faith after experiencing Christ on the road to Damascus.  How do we know that?  He went from hunting down Christians to becoming ‘the hunted.’  Peter and Andrew had faith after hearing Jesus’ call to them.  How do we know that?  They left their fishing business and their families to follow Jesus, even unto death.

            Many today say that they believe in God; that he lived, died, and spoke the truth.  They equate belief with faith.  Yet, there has been no action that has proven their confidence.  Words are cheap without evidence of life-change.  Continue reading »

DEALING WITH PERSONAL FAILURE

But they have not all obeyed the Gospel.  For Isaiah says, “Who has believed what they have heard from us?”  Romans 10:16

            It’s easy to assume that Paul writes his epistles theoretically.  But I believe that in this, and in many other passages, he writes personally.  Perhaps this verse reveals his greatest heartache.  He has gone out, preached to the best of his ability, yet few have believed.  He pulls out an Isaiah lament from the O.T. because he identifies with it.  He probably finds comfort that another preacher validates what has been his own experience.  “Who has believed our message?”

How much does this passage reveal about the personal responsibility Paul felt for other’s rejection of Christ?  You might wonder if I’m reading too much into it.  I don’t believe I am.

            For any who open their mouth to share the Gospel with their heart engaged, there are minefields emotionally.  Before speaking with a family member, or a class, or a congregation, you can prepare well.  You can spend hours in prayer.  You can ask others to pray for you.  You can pray scripture over the group, asking God to make every Word effective.  But then most of the time, only a few will listen.  Even fewer will respond.  To the one who preached, is that not internalized as personal failure?  It would be the rare person who didn’t struggle with it.

            For any who have a temperament where they put way too much pressure on themselves, this will be a spiritual battle.  I know.  It was my Achilles heel for many years until a year or so ago.  Continue reading »

WHY IS THAT?

But all did not obey the gospel.  For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?  Romans 10:15-16

         When Isaiah laments about how few believe, he has spoken for God’s servants past and present.  Evidence for God is all around us.  Evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is irrefutable.  Yet still, so few believe.  Why is that?

         Sin is so infectious and has done such a number on the spiritual condition of people that they cannot see the Light.  Sin deceives and blinds.  When a preacher delivers the Gospel under the most powerful anointing He has ever experienced, and then only a small percentage of his audience responds, he may cry out in his spirit as Isaiah did.  “Why, Lord?  Why don’t more get it?” Continue reading »

IDOLIZING MY REPUTATION

But how can they call on Him they have not believed in?  And how can they believe without hearing about Him?  And how can they hear without a preacher?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written:  How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!  Romans 10:14-15

         It seems that in almost every instance in the New Testament, the apostles are preaching the Gospel in a way that includes their story.  They reveal when they met Jesus, what they believed at the time, how lost they were, how they came to understand that He was the Christ, and how that is changing their lives.  Even when Paul stood before King Agrippa and his life was at stake, Paul told his story.

         I am convinced that some are not in the kingdom yet because of the way the Gospel is communicated.  People fail to include their story in the presentation.  With a wagging finger, they talk of sin and its consequences.  With persuasive speech, they speak of Christ’s coming, His death and resurrection.  But there is one important element missing ~ a personal testimony.

         What do you and I have in our hands?  Our story.  If I am a Christian and I’m not on a continuous growth curve, if I’m not living ‘in Christ’ and in the Word, if I’m not in an experiential relationship, then my story is sterile. Continue reading »

CALLING OUT

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

Romans 10:13

         So how can there be any confusion about the way of salvation?  Calling on the Lord, plus nothing, brings salvation.  Paul doesn’t tell me to do ten things and then come and call on the Lord.  I bring nothing but my plea.

         How can any person living on this broken earth not believe that there is a need for salvation?  Evil is everywhere.  It is so obvious that something is wrong, even as we look within ourselves and see our anger, entitlement, and self-righteousness.  Self-help books abound and they abound because no self-help strategy has ever worked to eradicate evil and bring lasting righteousness.  Continue reading »

TEST OF ADMISSION

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  Romans 10:10

         Confession for the early church (and ultimately for me) was important because the times were perilous for Christians.  To admit that you were a disciple of Christ was to potentially sign a death warrant.  A person didn’t play at Christianity like it’s easy to do today in a country where Christianity might even bring power, opportunity, and prestige.

         Still, I don’t want to underestimate the cost, even today, for so many.  There are those who are hated in families, scorned and cast out, just because they love Christ and put His ways over the sacred family way of doing things.  To proclaim an allegiance to Jesus over father and mother can carry heavy consequences.  Continue reading »