Lent Devotions: Faith for Life

Matthew 27:1  Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 

Today in Iran, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is awaiting execution. He was found guilty of apostasy by an Iranian Sharia Court because he converted to Christianity from Islam and preached the Gospel. His appeal was rejected and the rest of the world is waiting to see if the Iranian government will carry out the sentence. A good and godly man may die unjustly for believing in Christ and applying his faith.

C.S. Lewis once said, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”  Our faith is not a cozy system of beliefs, it’s a costly one. Christians all over the world are losing everything – family, homes, churches, careers, and even their lives – for sharing the same beliefs that we possess. The difference is that our beliefs tend to be influenced by our life-style choices; for others like Youcef, their beliefs involve the choice between life and death.

When the decision was made by the chief priests and elders to have Jesus executed, did they ever regret what they chose to do? Christ’s death did not put an end to His ministry; it only expanded it beyond Jerusalem and out into the whole world. They thought that they were saving their own religion, but in historical reality, they were giving birth to a brand new faith which would eclipse their own.

As we focus upon Christ and His mission throughout Lent, let’s also remember that the persecution of His Church still takes place in other lands. May we never take our faith for granted or look for it to be comfortable.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we have open our hearts to You and call ourselves Christians. At times, we bear an uncomfortable cross and find that our faith confronts our most cherished choices. Help us to be aware of the cost of our beliefs and keep us from compromising Your sacred commands. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. if you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings based upon the PCUSA symbol. It’s entitled “A New Day.” If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/6857135507_2823395f41_b.jpg

Devotions - After 25 Years - Proverbs 14:15

Proverbs 14:15 A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. 

At the end of this week, I will have been a pastor for 25 years. I was ordained on April 30^th, 1986 and began my pastoral duties on May 1^st. I was the first graduate of my class to be ordained in Scotland and I have tried to serve God well in the congregations to which I have been called.

Throughout the last quarter of a century, I have sadly seen Presbyterianism decline in both Scotland and the United States. I have made my views known on this from both the pulpit and through the devotions that I continue to write. I have seen the caliber of pastoral ministry diminish and divinity degrees being discredited. I have watched churches die and ministers burn out. I have tried to keep the churches under my care alive and growing. I have tried to be faithful to God’s word in preaching and pastoring, even when this has become unpopular.

I feel that I have failed. I feel that the words I have written, the sermons I have preached, and the studies I have led have not changed anyone or anything. People believe anything and Presbyterians are headed down a dead end street. There’s nothing I can do to reverse this and so I feel like the weeping prophet Jeremiah, who preached the Word of God faithfully to a people who believed in anything but the Word of God.

A new dawn is beginning for the Presbyterian Church which will see its demise in this century. By the time I retire professional pastors, denominational seminaries, and parish congregations will be relegated to the ecclesiastical history books. They will be replaced by part-time preachers, online courses, and community centers. Dinosaurs like me will eventually become extinct, along with denominations. Independent, post-denominational, charismatic and missional fellowships will grow because the True Word of God will be not only preached but practiced by all of the people. It will be a time of renewal and revival, but at least three generations will be lost because the large majority of them will believe anything but the Word of God.

So, on Sunday, I’ll be commemorating 25 years of ministry, but I won’t be celebrating it. It will be low key, simple, and for me very, very sad.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, when did we go off track and wander so far away from the Truth? How long will we stay on this dead end path that leads to nowhere? Why are we so afraid of our cultural peers? What makes our generation so certain that we have it right and every preceding one for two thousand years has been wrong? How long, O Lord, will it be before the Church awakens from its slumber and shakes off its dust? In Your Holy Name, we lament and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.