“A long time ago I went to a concert…I heard this folksinger was coming to town…Between songs, he told a story that helped me resolve some things about God. The story was about a friend who is a Navy SEAL…

The folksinger said his friend was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend’s team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified.

When the SEALs entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn’t. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn’t believe their rescuers were really Americans.

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksinger’s friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them he was one of them. None of the prison guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American aircraft carrier.

I never liked it when the preachers said we had to follow Jesus. Sometimes they would make Him sound angry. But I liked the story the folksinger told. I liked the idea of Jesus becoming man, so that we would be able to trust Him, and I like that He healed people and loved them and cared deeply about how people were feeling.

When I understood that the decision to follow Jesus was very much like the decision that the hostages had to make to follow their rescuer, I knew then that I needed to decide whether or not I would follow Him. The decision was simple once I asked myself, ‘Is Jesus the Son of God, are we being held captive in a world run by Satan, a world filled with brokenness, and do I believe Jesus can rescue me from this condition?’

-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

Jennifer was an atheist who found that science and reason failed her. But what did she find instead?

A bright light or nothing at all – What happens when our heart calls it quits at death?

Here is the second principle we learn from Scripture:

2. Believers are Called to Judge other Believers.

Paul wrote to a body of believers in Corinth which was dealing with a lot of immorality in their midst. When he wrote 1 Corinthians, it was evidently not the first time he had corresponded with them:

9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
1 Corinthians 5:9-11

The Corinthian churchgoers misunderstood Paul—they thought they had to withdraw themselves completely from unbelievers, which, as Paul says in verse 10, would mean they would have to leave the planet.

What Paul meant was that they were not to associate (Greek sunanamignumi—to mix up with) those who call themselves believers but choose to willfully remain in sin. Paul calls those in the church to be careful of mixing up with these people—to keep oneself from be influenced by them. In this context, to “associate” means to be in close relationship with.
Those so-called brothers who remain unrepentant after being warned and yet continue in a persistent pattern of sin should not be part of Christian fellowship. Please do not misunderstand this as ignoring them or not interacting with them. But to treat them as the rest of the world, as we pray for their repentance and hope that they will turn from their sin.

And it’s here that Paul explains the responsibility of the believer to judge:

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
1 Corinthians 5:12-13

Paul makes it clear in verse 12 that believers are to judge those who are inside the church, those who are in fellowship and call themselves brothers and sisters.

There are few things that are clear here:

We cannot tell a non-believer how to live.
Scripture tells us here: God will judge those outside. If people outside the church are in sin, we believers do not judge them. We leave that to the Lord.

We are called to evaluate the actions of (so-called) believers in the community.
It is also clear that it is the responsibility of the body of Christ to judge those who are inside the church. The purpose of this is that we in close Christian community should be spurring each other on, encouraging and challenging each other to live lives that are pleasing to God.

Pastor John MacArthur says:

It is not that everyone in the church must be perfect, for that is impossible. Everyone falls into sin and has imperfections and shortcomings. The church is in some ways a hospital for those who know they are sick. They have trusted in Christ as Savior and they want to follow Him as Lord—to be what God wants them to be. It is not the ones who recognize their sin and hunger for righteousness who are to be put out of fellowship, but those who persistently and unrepentantly continue in a pattern of sin about which they have been counseled and warned. We should continue to love them and pray for them that they repent and return to a pure life. If they do repent we should gladly and joyfully “forgive and comfort” them and welcome them back into fellowship.
-(The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Corinthians)

Here are some things to be aware of:

1. The Bible Does Not Say That We Should Never Judge Others.
According to Biblical Greek scholar William Mounce, the word for judge, krino, simply means “to consider, decide, judge.” It can refer to making a simple distinction, like between one day and another (as seen in Romans 14:5). It can also mean that someone is passing judgment on the actions of others in order to influence them. The key verse that believers and unbelievers alike are familiar with is from the mouth of Jesus:

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Matthew 7:1

Jesus is not saying that we should not judge others. After all, later on in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that “If a brother sins, show him…” (Matthew 18:15).

What Jesus is preaching here is against hypocritical or self-righteous judging. Here is the verse in context:

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5

It is very clear here that we are still to show others their sin (verse 5). But first, we must test our hearts to see if we are doing so hypocritically. We must repent from our own sin before pointing out the sin in others. We tend to see our own sins as specks and others’ sins as planks. But Jesus here is commanding us to see our own sins as planks, and to repent first before addressing the speck in someone else’s eye. Yes, we still point out their sin, but with the repentant heart that Jesus is calling for.

[Click above to play the audio file]

The Church of Hard Knocks
Revelation 3:14-22
April 15, 2012

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” ~Revelation 3:14-22

Are you sickeningly lukewarm to Jesus? Does your attitude say “I don’t need you, Jesus”? Often we equate our material riches with spiritual riches. But Jesus reminds us that we are spiritually poor, blind, and naked without him. Jesus wants to meet our spiritual needs. He is knocking on the door. Will we say “I NEED MORE, OPEN THE DOOR” and let him in to meet our spiritual needs?

I suffer because I watch the people I love make unwise and ungodly decisions.

I suffer because I receive constant criticism.

I suffer because I give up time with my family to serve others.

I suffer because I work hard and I hardly feel appreciated.

I suffer because I see others hurting and broken.

I do need the perspective that comes from Paul in Romans 8:18–

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ~Romans 8:18

Ultimately, I continue to look to eternity as my motivation:

…which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. ~2 Timothy 1:12

And through it all, I rejoice.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. ~1 Peter 4:12-16

In all the hoopla of Knicks guard Jeremy Lin’s career game (25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) the other day, a lot of references to his race were made. I was bothered by how many people erroneously  said that he’s from China, and how many others erroneously corrected him saying he’s from Taiwan. The truth is that Jeremy Lin is American, he was born in Palo Alto to Taiwanese-American immigrants.

Lost in everything regarding Jeremy Lin is all the compliments he’s receiving. But something always bothered me. 

Here’s a very good blog post from Timothy Dalrymple, a blogger who has grasped the concept and articulated it more than I ever will:

Philosophical Fragments » Jeremy Lin and the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations.

Here are some key quotes from him (emphasis mine):

I loved watching Jeremy’s aggression on the court and his enjoyment of the game.  I loved seeing his teammates’ celebration, since Jeremy has obviously won their hearts with his courage and kindness.  I did not love the belittling comments.  Now, I’m always reticent to cry “racism,” and I won’t cry “racism” in this case.  The commentators are not showing hatred of a race.  I won’t even call it bigotry — at least not bigotry outright.  If anything, they’re showing what President Bush famously called “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”  Their astonishment at the sight of Jeremy Lin outperforming the other players, their consistent references to how exhausted he must be, and how “magical” a night he’s having (rather than a natural result of talent and hard work) suggests that they’ve bought into the stereotype of the physically inferior Asian-American male.

For Asian-American men, in contrast, the positive stereotypes are few: they’re good at math and good at short-people sports like table tennis and gymnastics.  The negative stereotypes are legion: they’re the geeky, socially inept guys with coke-can glasses in the engineering labs; they’re the perpetual adolescents playing video games on their super-computers at thirty or forty years old; and they’re the physically and sexually immature, small and timid young men who can’t talk to girls and get their second jobs before they get their first kiss.

I asked Jeremy whether it felt like a burden to carry the hopes and expectations of so many Asian-American men upon his shoulders, and he answered that he couldn’t play for other people.  ”I can’t even play for myself.  The right way to play is not for others and not for myself, but for God.  I still don’t fully understand what that means.  I’m still learning to be selfless and submit myself to God and give the game up to Him.  My audience is God.”  He does, however, have a responsibility to be a “godly role model,” and when I asked whether it would please him if his success shattered negative stereotypes of Asian males, he broke into a big smile.  ”I would be pleased,” he said.  ”Absolutely, I would be pleased.”

So would I.  You go, Jeremy.

 Maybe it was a rejection letter, or a promotion you didn’t get, or a romantic relationship that ended. No matter what, it was something you wanted, and the way was blocked.

 Often when you face closed doors in our lives, you tend to get frustrated. You may ask God, “Why did You close that door, Lord?” If you’re anything like me, you may even get angry at God with denied opportunities: “Why are You doing this to me, God?”

 Why does God close doors? Why does He sometimes block us from having things? God closes doors because He has something better in mind.

 In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions learn a very important lesson. As they tried to preach the gospel in Asia Minor andBithynia, they found the doors closed (v.6-7). The Holy Spirit stopped them from preaching. You can just imagine the frustration in the minds of these men. After all, what could be more worthwhile than evangelizing the lost?

 When they reached the port city of Troas, Paul learns why God closed the doors to Asia andBithynia. A man of Macedonia came to Paul in a vision, begging him to go toMacedoniaand help them (v.9)!

 God’s desire was to bring the gospel toEurope, where it had never been before. And because these men set sail forMacedonia, the gospel reached cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth.

 More importantly, because God guided these men westward, the gospel spread throughout Europe. Millions of Christians, including myself, can thank God that the gospel made it to Europe. Do you see why God closed those other doors?

 When God closes doors in your life, it’s because He has something better in mind. It’ll be better for both you and His kingdom. Maybe God wanted you to be in a certain situation because it’ll bring you closer to Him, or further the cause of the gospel somehow. We may never know.

 I am living proof that God has better things in mind. God closed doors in my life, denying me opportunities that I really wanted. But I’m in Texas now, pursuing God’s call to full-time ministry and now happily married with a beautiful baby because God closed those doors. And I should thank Him everyday.

 When God closes doors, it can be very frustrating. But take heart, because God’s plan is much better. Look for the open doors elsewhere. God will bring about what is best.