God

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A God That Is MORE: Part 2 — Observable

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article is part two of a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul continues his explanation with the fact that God is Observable:  “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’  As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’  Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill.”  Acts 17:27-29

Paul writes to the Romans that since the time of creation God’s invisible qualities have been seen through that which He made.  Paul says that God is not observable as an image or as an object made by man, rather by marks of His workmanship. 

I enjoy watching the Antiques Roadshow once in a while and I find it fascinating that the experts can look at an item and state with great certainty who made it.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a painting, a piece of furniture, glassware, china, pottery, or whatever, there always seems to be some distinguishing characteristic that helps them identify the maker — sometimes it is put there deliberately and other times it is just the way something is made.

What about you and I?  The Bible tells us that we are God’s workmanship — His handiwork.  We have been “knit together” by God in our mother’s womb and then as Christians, God has made us a “new creation”.  Since God is observable through that which He has made, how visible is He in you?  God says that we are to live our life in such a way that our light shines and people would see our good works — not for our benefit or credit but so they would glorify our Father in heaven.

God is more than all other objects of potential worship because His divine power and invisible nature are observable through that which He has made.  I pray that you and I live in such a way that He is clearly seen in the work He has done in us.

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A God That Is MORE: Part 1 — Maker

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article begins a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul begins his explanation with the fact that God is Maker:  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.”  Acts 17:24-25

God is set apart above all things because He is the maker of all things!  As a believer in the Biblical account of creation, it is easy to regard God as the creator of the heavens and earth and everything in it.  It is in the day-to-day living that it sometimes gets hard to remember that God is not only the maker of the world, He is the maker of me! 

As maker, God pays attention to the details.  This isn’t some assembly line manufacturing process, this is God knitting us together.  It is us being “God’s handiwork”.   God is MORE because He is Maker . . . a craftsman who has designed, supplied, and made us in His image.  A Maker who through His Spirit and the power of His Son can restore us to that image regardless of what we have done to His creation.  A Maker who understands what makes us tick because He has put that “ticker” within us.  A Maker who deserves our worship as He gives “life and breath and everything else”.

I pray that as you consider A God That Is MORE, that your worship of Him increases as you acknowledge Him as Maker of heaven and earth . . . and as Maker of you!

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30 Hours of Prayer

I will be leading a 30 Hours of Prayer event to “pray-in” the new year at the Deer Run Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana.  You can find out more about it at the Deer Run Church of Christ web site, or from the Deer Run blog post, 30 Hours of Prayer.

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It’s Okay, I Know The Author!

It is always nice to have an “in” — a person or connection that gets you special inside advice, treatment, or information.  To be somewhere and realize that you know the person in charge.  You can just walk up, say “hello”, and all of a sudden, you’re “in”. 

My wife has a cousin that used to work at Disney World.  While he was there, he was able to get us in as part of an employee benefit program that they had.  Initially, he would be given so many “special” passes for a year and he could use them however he wanted.  These were great!  They weren’t the normal “one day” passes available at the gate.  These got you in everywhere.  Nowadays you can buy “park-hopper” options, but back then this was the only way to visit all of the parks on a single day pass.  Later, they did away with that system and he was allowed so many “guests” during a years time.  We would arrange to meet him at the entrance to one of the parks and then he could take us through a special line where he would swipe his ID, and state that we were with him — his guests.  Once we were identified as his guests, we received passes that once again allowed us to roam the parks as only someone who was “in” could do.  Wow!  What privilege to know someone on the inside.  We’ve been back a couple of times since he quit working there and it’s not quite the same.

Sometimes it is the special privileges that come with knowing the right person that makes us feel glad we are “in”.  Other times it has more to do with being reassured because of the knowledge that another person has.  This time of year reminds me that I have never liked “haunted houses”, “houses of horror”, or any such “entertainment”.  I do remember going to one that wasn’t really that bad, though.  I was in junior high or high school and my older cousins were going back to one that they had really liked.  They talked me into going with them because they had enjoyed it so much the night before.  The thing that made it tolerable for me was that the people I was with could not quit talking.  They knew what was coming up and would blurt it out before it happened.  They would explain the little tricks that would be played on your senses and how they weren’t fooled by them.  Most of the time, it is the surprise, the unexpected, that brings out the reaction of fear.  When I knew what was coming and how it was being done, it was more funny than fearful.  With that in mind, it is critical that we read and understand how John introduces the book of Revelation if expect to get through it without fear being our overriding response.

John writes this in Revelation 1:4-8,

“John,
 To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
 Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen
 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
     and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
     and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
                                     So shall it be!  Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John takes the time to introduce the real author of Revelation — not only by name, but by character.  John states that this message that he appears to be writing is really the message of He who is this “faithful witness”.  One that is not simply faithful, and not simply a witness, but one who is both faithful and a witness.  Faithful witness to what?  I think we are given that answer in the context of the middle of verse 4 and in verse 8 — a faithful witness to what is, what was, and what is to come. 

Does this “haunted house” called life scare you?  Perhaps something that you are facing right now has you so frightened that you can’t even think straight.  Or it is something from your past — a fear that haunts you as you wonder when it will catch up with you.  Maybe you are afraid of the future.  The unknown of what is ahead.  The uncertainty of life, family, job, relationships, and so many other details out of your control.  You hear reports that sound bad.  The evening news has nothing that encourages you.  The economic forecasts have you in despair.  It is so easy to be frightened by what we don’t know and what we don’t understand because we recognize we have no control in those areas — and we don’t know who does.

The book of Revelation can be similar to that, especially if you skip the first chapter.  We think, “Ah, it’s just the introduction.  Let’s skip ahead to the “good stuff”.  You know, the part with all the excitement and action.”  And so, many people get into Revelation and the story that is told fills them with dread and fear.  They wonder, “Who is this about?”  “What does that mean?”  “When will this happen?”  Question after question, trying to reassure themselves that somehow this makes sense and will work out.  It does!  The author, the faithful witness, Jesus Christ says, “Blessed is the one who read the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it”.  When you are filled with fear while reading words that the author says, “How very happy is the person reading this”, I would have to say you are not reading it as the author intended. 

Jesus is the author of the book.  The subject of the book.  The faithful witness to what was, what is, and what is to come.  As I read Revelation, I am constantly reminded, “It’s okay, I know the author!  He is the faithful witness and He has me covered.”  May you be encouraged by knowing Jesus, the faithful witness, longs for “none to perish but all to come to repentance”.  I pray that you know the author and that he fills you with hope as He is the faithful witness to what was, what is, and what is to come in your life.

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A View From The Top Study

A View From The TopOur study is off to a great start and I am excited to see what God will be teaching us over this coming year.

On September 2, the Deer Run Church of Christ began a focused journey of learning by listening to God together.  Our Sunday sermons, Wednesday night Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and daily discussion guides are all following the same theme for the week as we look at an element of what God has to say.  This first “quarter”, September – November, we are examining “What Does God Say . . . About God?”. 

I pray that you are involved in regular study and practice of listening to God.  If not, or in addition to that, please consider joining us on this journey of seeking to be who God wants us to be.  Our large and small group gatherings are held at the Deer Run Church of Christ in South Bend, Indiana.  If you are not in the area, but would like to follow along in this journey, you can find our daily scripture text references and questions on a discussion blog at deerrunchurch.wordpress.com. 

One important disclaimer.  Please, please, please, do not use this online study and discussion blog as an excuse to neglect faithful participation in a local body of God-pursuing, Bible-believing Christians wherever you are.  God designed us with a need to come together, expressing our worship of Him as we encourage and strengthen one another.

May God be honored in all we say and do.  May He be the one we passionately pursue with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.