Authenticity

We’ve had some changes at the office that call for me to move my office to another location in the building. Moving an office is just as much a drag as moving to a new home. But just like moving into a new home, moving into a new office gives me the opportunity to do a comprehensive appraisal of all my stuff and get rid of the stuff that collects that’s really not stuff but trash. I’m finding that I’ve collected a lot of trash in the last 3 years. As I was moving items I had several lithographs stacked against the wall and noticed that whoever framed them formed a neat little pocket on the back of each piece. A place to hold the Certificate of Authenticity, assuring that the piece was a genuine work of the Artist.

In the world of art, the certificate has everything to do with the value of the piece. No matter how good a piece of art may look, without the Certificate of Authenticity it’s just a nice picture. The certificate is very official looking with several signatures including the artist and an elaborate, embossed stamp leaving no room for doubt that this a legitimate, authentic work from the Artist studio. The value of these pieces is greatly improved by having this documentation secured with each piece.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people came with a Certificate of Authenticity?

In the world we encounter people every day that represent themselves one way but in actuality they are something completely different. Unfortunately we have that same issue in the church too. As Christian men and women we have a responsibility to be authentic in the faith that we represent to others. But how can we authenticate our faith? Is there a form we can carry around or a stamp of approval to show others if we are questioned?

The Apostle Paul gives us pretty clear picture of what an authentic follower of Christ looks like:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 12: 9-13 NLT

I know a lot of people who fit that description to a tee. I pray that there are others out there that see me that way too but I know that I fall short often. Fortunately falling short of that description is not a sign of faith that isn’t authentic, as long as we keep resetting the bar and try to reach it. I believe one of Satan’s primary tools he uses against believers is to make them believe that that they failed God’s expectations so they should just give up. And that is not true.

We are broken and flawed people in a broken and flawed world. The world tells us to take care of ourselves. God tells us to take care of others first. According to this passage from Romans we need to love people and that love needs to be real, not pretend love. We need to honor each other and be respectful of their needs. We need to work hard to serve the Lord and not be lazy. And we are supposed to be patient and have a confident hope in Christ.

Does that sound like you? I don’t feel I meet that mark either a lot of the time.

But we have that description as the mark of what a true follower of Christ is. The mark of authenticity if you will that tells the world that “this guy” is the real thing. And if that mark seems too high or unachievable that’s because it is. But the authentic Christian is the one that continually resets the bar after he misses the mark. The authentic Christian recognizes that when he does fall short of what God expects of him, he admits and identifies what caused him to fail and hits his knees in prayer asking God to help him do better the next time. And he does the same thing the next time he falls short, and the next time.

If the world sees someone who is constantly picking themselves back up and trying to help and love someone again and again, then that’s a pretty good indication of authenticity.  As Christian men and women we will all stand before our Lord to answer for our lives. I don’t believe we will stand in judgment of the bad things we’ve done because the Bible tells me God will remember our sins no more, we shall be as white as snow in his presence. I believe when we stand in the presence of Christ it will be to look at how well we recovered when we fell, not the fall itself.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

1 Timothy 1:15

If Paul fell short of the mark you can be certain that you and I will too. But Paul always picked himself up and got back the Lords work in an extraordinary way. Have you fallen short? Me too, let’s get up and get back to work!

Be encouraged,

Jeff

Another birthday, ugh!

I have a birthday next week and I as I sit here contemplating the anniversary of my birth one thing is painfully clear… I’m not near as excited about July 31st as I use to be.

As a child the weeks before my birthday seemed to take forever as I sat in my room for hours with the big Sears catalog open and magic marker circling all the things on my wish list. I’d go grocery shopping with my mom and run to the bakery of the local Safeway to stare intently at all the different themed birthday cakes with my face pressed right against the glass, dreaming about how fun the party was going to be. With a summer birthday I usually got to have a sleep over and nothing was better than a bunch of my best buddies staying up all night telling scary stories. And God forbid you be the first one to fall asleep, the old “dip the fingers in warm water trick” always came into play.

Hitting the early part of the mid forties has brought a few changes. Instead of the Sears catalog, my wish list is now a brochure for a cruise I’d like to take in October. Five days sailing around the Caribbean sitting on my tushie in a deck chair, sleeping in all the way to 8:30 with no kids to wake me up. Instead of birthday cakes I stare intently at big, flat screen TV’s as I walk up and down the aisle of Best Buy trying to figure out how I can convince my wife that we really need another one. Scary stories have been replaced by an annual physical and nervously awaiting the “test results” to make sure everything is still working right, so far so good praise God.

Instead of the old excitement the birthday brought on, it’s now just a reminder that I ain’t getting any younger. And as I mull over that, I’m reminded of what Paul said and it makes a lot more sense as I add another year…

... Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-19

Yes we do get older and the physical body diminishes, but our spiritual muscles are constantly being rejuvenated and restored. If we want them to be…

If I go water skiing for an afternoon I’m going to be sore for a few days. If I share the love of Christ and what He’s done for me with someone else I feel fantastic for a lot longer. I feel closer to God and understand who He is in my life and His character more than I did a year ago. I’m able to take that and express it in ways that other people understand with a greater ease than I use to. Talking openly with others about Jesus is just as comfortable to me as talking about the weather since I really began to concentrate and focus on knowing Him better. And that takes hours and hours with a highlighter in a Bible, not a magic marker in the Sears catalog.

But as we get older even hard-core, Bible thumpin’ Christians can become stagnant in their spiritual lives. We can become so wrapped up in what we think we know that we forget to remember what’s important. Jesus had some advice for a group of people in Ephesus when they were having the same problem:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Revelation 2: 5a

My biggest failing as I mature spiritually is to remember that repentance is not something I use to do but something I must keep on doing. Lustful thoughts, a little stretch of the truth or failing to truly forgive are just as filthy and unacceptable to God as the “really bad” things I did before I was saved. I get so wrapped up in the Ministry that I’m doing for God, that I forget to make sure that my path to Him is clear and uncluttered by un-confessed sin.

"Sin, regardless of how insignificant I may feel it is, is still a barrier between Him and me"

Our access to God’s throne room is not decided with a set of scales weighing the good we’ve done against the bad. The only way we can see God for who he is and fully realize His love and the true power of the blood of Christ is through a repentant heart. You don’t need a church or a priest or anything else to get real with God, you can do it right now right here. Open your heart to Him and get caught up on coming clean, you’ll be glad you did and He’s been waiting!

Be encouraged,

jb

What makes the Bible unique?

1. It is unique in its stability.

If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.

2. It is unique in its circulation.

The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.

3. It is unique in its translation.

The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.

4. It is unique in its survival.

In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.

The ABC’s of building faith

Faith is the primary component of the Christian’s life.  Without faith Christianity is nothing but a  series of principles and applications.  Faith takes these ideas and makes them eternal and gives us the fuel to ignite the life of a Christian from one of agitation and fear to one of peace and fulfillment.

Faith in its simplest form is trusting God to do the things that God has promised to do.  But the same faith so vital to the life of a believer, can easily be shaken and quickly abandoned if we don’t perpetuate its growth.  Faith, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit is a living, breathing part of our existence and like any other living thing it has to be feed and nurtured.  Finding out the steps to feeding our faith is an absolute requirement to the growth of all of us as Christian men and women.

I don’t want to try and portray myself as an absolute pillar of faith that has never had a moment of fear or concern, that wouldn’t be at all true.  My life has easily been plague by more failures than success in trusting God but I try and learn from the failures and identify ways to make sure I don’t suffer failure in the same area over and over again.  Through the series of success that I’ve had brought on by the examination of these failures, I’ve developed a few things that help me get back on track when doubt and fear tend to take the place of peace in my life. The ABC’s of my faith…

Acknowledge the area where you are finding it difficult to have faith in God.

Sometimes increasing and feeding our faith is as simple as acknowledging the area of lack, sometimes not.  But putting worry and fear aside and focusing on the heart of the matter allows us to put a spotlight on what’s causing our lack of faith.  When we have an area that we lack faith in God it will often feed on itself and splinter and mesh into everything else we are trying to get accomplished.  A fear or lack of faith in our finances can quickly throw a shadow over everything else in life.  If our faith is rocked by a concern over a health related matter soon looking at anything in a helpful or encouraging light can become near impossible.

When we identify the specific area we are troubled with we can bring it directly before God and ask for Him to help us deal with it.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Romans 8:15

As parents we always reach out and comfort our children.  When they are scared or don’t understand something we lovingly direct them in the right direction.  Our Father in Heaven will handle things no differently when we come to Him in the same way.

Build on the history of what God has already done.

The reason our own children’s fears and doubts are addressed when we help them is because they know from the past that we are going to do what we say will do.  My wife was working with our daughter a few weeks ago try to teach her to swim.  Katy was standing on the side of the pool and Jennifer told her, “jump to me, I’ll catch you”.  Katy didn’t want any part of this at first.  The pool was big and she didn’t know what was under the surface of the water, she had no reference point for making a leap like this.  But Jennifer continued to encourage her and assure her that it was OK and that she could trust Mommy.  Finally she jumped, Jennifer caught her and Katy was thrilled by the new experience and her fear of jumping blindly into the pool to her Mom was removed by being caught successfully.  Now while Katy is in the pool and Jennifer tells her try something new she has no concern or fear because Mommy always takes care of her in the pool.

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

2 Chronicles 20:7

Jehoshaphat said those words in prayer as he was desperate to convince not only the people of Judah but himself too that the Ammonite forces that greatly outnumbered them could really be defeated.  And his prayer and desire was built upon a success that God had already given His people.

God has done something and proved Himself in the life of every believer.  When we need to find the trust to have faith that He will address our current need, we need only to look at what he’s already done for us in the past.  Acknowledge something He has already done and ask Him to take care of you just like He’s done before.

Create a lifestyle and environment that supports and encourages a relationship with Christ.

If we remain in close proximity to God and fellowship with other who do the same it’s easy to see His power and provision.  God is doing so much for so many of His children that when we surround ourselves with other believers His hand is so easy to see as it touches our lives.  Seeing prayers and needs answered is contagious and fosters a belief that God can and will do the same for us.

Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."

1 Corinthians 15:33

When I find myself doubting my faith and questioning if God will really do what he’s promised me to do, one or both of these have happen:

1.       I’m listening to the wrong people.

2.       I’ve gotten away from the people who will encourage my faith.

While these steps may not be perfect, they’re a start and we all have to start somewhere.  Without a plan we have nothing.  We have to either say “Here’s what I’m going to do.” or “What am I going to do?”  Do you have a strategy to get back on track if you start to wander from the path God has for you?

Be encouraged!

Jeff