Short devotion: An Obsolete Word - Matthew 1:21

Matthew 1:21  “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

            As far as the world and the post-modern church is concerned, sin is an obsolete word. Decades ago, people understood that sin was something more than just a mere mistake or a foolish choice – it was a deliberate defiant act against God’s Word, which had eternal consequences. To sin was to put yourself under God’s judgment and expect His wrath. It was a word that people feared because it revealed to them the terrifying prospect of being damned forever. Sin severed people’s souls from God.

            These days, sin doesn’t appear to have any fearful aspect for us. We either take Christ’s saving ability for granted or we disregard the whole concept of sin. Most folks opt for the latter because it’s far easier to live life without being burdened by a religious standard or a faith morality. It’s much more convenient to excuse our sinful ways as being deeply personal and no one else’s business. In fact, some folks say, didn't Jesus tell us ‘not to judge others lest we be judged ourselves?’ In other words, they believe that what Jesus was expressing was a moralistic free-for-all where every individual was free to choose to do whatever they wanted and that no one else could condemn them for it.

            If Jesus actually meant that, then He didn't have to go to the Cross to die for our sins. If Jesus truly believed that everyone could make their own choices and no one else could judge them, then He didn't have to be crucified for our calamities. You see, Jesus went to Calvary because He was absolutely certain that sins have dire eternal consequences if they are left unconfessed, unrepented, and unredeemed.

            The world and the post-modern church may like to do away with the word sin, but they cannot deny that this has become a sinful world or even a sinful church. Sin still separates people from God and it needs to be forgiven through Jesus Christ. As it states in today’s verse, He was born to save His people from their sins. Without Jesus, we cannot get back to God. Without Christ in our hearts and lives, we cannot be restored to His Kingdom. Just because we don’t like a word or feel that it is antiquated, archaic, or irrelevant, does not mean that it does not exist. Sin Separates us from God, Isolates us from His grace, and Nullifies our consciences into a misguided denial that could ultimately cast us away from God forever. As C.S. Lewis once gravely remarked, “There is not one person in Hell who did not choose to be there.”

Questions for personal reflection

What are the major sins in my life? Do I take Christ’s grace for granted or do I truly repent of them?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You died for our sins for that was the only way in which we could ever be forgiven. We know that the world hates the word sin and that Your Church is often accused of being judgmental, narrow-minded, or even bigoted when confronting sin. Forgive us for our own failings, faithlessness, and fearful ways. Grant us Your grace and give us the courage to change our lives by living according to God’s Word. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or have questions, please contact him by email at Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called “Sin Bearer.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Sin Bearer.

Short devotions: A Pre-Mission World - 1 John 2:8

1 John 2:8        Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

I’m going to stop using the term ‘post-Christian world’ and replace it with ‘pre-mission world.’ My reason for this is simple. Our Western Society seems to have turned so far away from Christ that we are now living at a time when people are growing up without knowing who Jesus actually is. Gone are the days when everyone was expected to know something about Jesus’ life; but now the time is ripe to raise new faithful leaders whose love of the Lord will attract future generations of seekers, who will be hungering and thirsting for Christ’s love and grace.

It’s almost as if we’ve come full circle and that the world which the First Christians experienced is similar to our own. Those original followers of Christ confronted many popular hedonistic views and eventually attracted people away from worldly immorality to Christian immortality. It’s my strong belief that we are now being called to do the same.

Instead of whining about the woes of today’s world, we need to thank God for this new mission. In the midst of their libertine and hedonistic ways, people still feel spiritually unfulfilled and empty. For those of us who remain faithful to Christ, this is a new opportunity to keep preaching the message of salvation. Empty people still need to be embraced by Christ; dissatisfied libertines still need to be led to the Gospel’s abundant life.

God is doing something new among us. We are living in a pre-mission world. The challenge that we face today is the same that the First Christians encountered long ago. Are we willing to undertake this mission? Are we willing to be sent into the world?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You call us to a new mission. Whilst the world revels in its darkness, we see that Your Light has not been diminished. We pray that You will prepare our hearts and minds for this fresh opportunity of reaching out in faith, hope, and love. Grant us the courage to care for those who don’t care for us. Give us opportunities to witness to the real joy of serving You and Your Kingdom in our churches, communities, and countries throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we eagerly 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 drawing is one of John’s most popular pieces from the past. It’s called “A New Earth” and depicts Christ standing over the Earth. If you would like to view a larger version, please visit the following link: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2432537217_e82364bff8_b.jpg

John also has signed copies of this drawing available.

Daily devotions: Latest Trends - Acts 17

Acts 17:21       All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.

One major issue that has always faced the Church is how to successfully present a First Century message in whatever century that is current. For example, the initial Christian scriptures were not written in Galilean Hebrew or Roman Latin, they were composed in common mercantile Greek, which practically every Mediterranean community spoke. Throughout the next couple of centuries, the church took on the structure and bureaucracy of the Roman Empire to institutionalize its message and ministries.

Later on, during the Dark Ages, churches specialized in reading and writing in order to maintain civilization. Stories of local people were Christianized and pagan festivals were churchified,  in order to make the Gospel message relevant. As the Church grew, artisans and masons were employed to design and build magnificent cathedrals with stained glass windows, which were used as holy cartoons to tell Biblical stories to the masses of illiterate people.

When the printing press was invented, Christianity underwent the Reformation producing thousands of pamphlets, leaflets, hymn books and bibles to spread its message and educate the people. And in the time of the industrial revolution and colonial expansion, the Church became an advocate of social justice and mission with a message for all classes of people, all over the world.

Today, we have the internet and once again the church is faced with a glorious opportunity of presenting the Gospel message using the latest technology and communication tools. Email, websites, blogs, podcasts, videocasts, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and Apps are all being employed by many churches to market their congregation and get Christ’s Good News out to the world. We live in remarkable times and instead of rejecting the latest trends, we should be finding ways to embrace and Christianize them. More than a decade ago, the Church began the Emergent movement which was an offshoot of contemporary communicative culture. Now we’re beyond emergent and heading into a time that’s called Resurgent Church, where the message of old is being broadcast, spread, and experienced in 21^st century ways.

I’m excited about the future of the Church and totally hopeful of what lies ahead, so long as we remain faithful to the original message and don’t let the culture change Christ’s teaching. The ways in which we express and share the Gospel may constantly change, but as Jesus Himself once said, “Heaven and Earth may pass away, but My Word will remain forever.” (Matthew 24 v35)

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we live in truly remarkable times and we thank You for the many wonderful ways in which Your Gospel can be broadcast and shared to the entire world. Help us to use and employ these new ways to expand Your Kingdom, so that many others throughout this planet may know of God’s love. 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.

New year Devotions: Losing My Religion

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

I’m starting a new Sunday School series this week at our church. It’s called “Losing My Religion.” It’s all about the cultural influences, emergent movements, and inter-faith dialogues that are diminishing the Christian faith of our children. Not since the fourth and fifteenth centuries have our people faced such a disabling theosophy that threatens to lead them astray. They believe that one worldism and interfaith worship holds the key to a peaceful planet. They are being led like lambs to the slaughter and taken down a path which will steal them away from God. The choice that I have is this: do let them follow the pied pipers of superficial spirituality and poseur popularity, or do I use my own gifts and faith knowledge to counter it?

I keep thinking back to Mary Slessor, the great Scottish missionary to Africa and the choices that she had to make. She confronted witch doctors and popular superstitions in order to bring Christ into the communities where she served. She opposed slavery and witchcraft, and stopped the horrendous killing of twin babies, who were crushed into large jars and buried alive because they brought bad luck to a village. Did Mary Slessor sit down and share courteous dialogue about the different religious philosophies and practices? Did she break bread with those who used fear and violence, superstition and magic to maliciously control the people?

Mary Slessor preached and practiced the Gospel, letting Christ’s words and ways liberate the heart, minds, and souls of people who were physically, mentally, and spiritually enslaved. She confronted evil with Christ’s good. She faced down wicked with His Holiness.

I fear that our kids have got no earthly idea about who Christ really is and what He came to change. They talk about God as if He is just another application that they can conveniently add on to their iphones. They are enslaved to their culture and sliding down a path that will lead to persecution and perdition. The planet has become their god and globalism is their religion.

I cannot let it go and leave it be. I cannot watch souls being tricked and a whole generation being swallowed up and led into a maelstrom that will eventually crush their faith and bury their beliefs. It’s time to win them back for Christ…

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, the world would diminish Your divinity and eliminate Your influence over the people of this planet. Our kids are being cleverly misled and are getting caught up in a cultural wave that will one day crash and wreck their souls. Help the Church to re-seek Your ways and re-own Your words, so that a stronger generation may grow in true Christian faith, and not just a faith of their own creating and choosing. In Your Holy Name, we adamantly 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. (I'm also going to do an online version of the series. If you would like to participate, please send me an email and I'll get you signed up).

Daily Devotions: Outside the Box

Psalm 37: 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this.

Our congregation is about to embark on a new adventure. We are trying to raise $1 million in order to renovate our church in such a way that the next generation of church members will not face mounting bills which will limit their mission. We’ve come a long way to get here and sometimes people don’t truly understand how much effort it takes to keep a church growing.

During the last fourteen years, we’ve seen a steady increase at Erin. In contrast, our denomination (PCUSA) and Presbytery have been diminishing. Previous pastors had followed the denominational path and subsequently the church stopped growing. Erin took a great risk in 1995 when I was invited to be the pastor because my thinking would usually be outside of the denominational box.

I know that throughout the years some people have left because I don’t toe the denominational line, but my response to them is this: would you have rather had a mediocre church that was dying, or would you prefer a church that has constantly grown and has a dynamic future?

I’ve mentioned before that our wee church is at a major crossroads. We stand at the threshold of a new and vibrant future, but in order to progress forward we need to get over the past. If I’m expected to totally give of myself to this campaign and this church, then I cannot keep looking back. I’m committing my way to the LORD and focusing on the future of this congregation. I firmly believe that if everyone else gets on board, then God will truly do great things here.

Finally, I had lunch with the local Presbytery Executive last week and he sees how important our work is at Erin. He asked me to consider being a part of the New Development Strategy for Presbyterian churches in our area. Toeing the denominational line has not helped to grow our local churches. He wants someone involved who can “think outside the box.” I see that as an affirmation of what I have tried to accomplish here with the people of Erin and by the Spirit of God. It’s nice to have a PCUSA representative officially recognize what’s happening here. Maybe we can help other churches to do the same.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the One who permits churches to grow and Your Holy Spirit’s presence is essential for those congregations who would grow in the future. Without You, we are just another religious club trying to keep afloat. Help us to think outside of the box and go outside of our church in order to find where Your Spirit is working in the midst of our community. 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.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Crossless Christians

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

We live in a cross-less society, where people are not willing to carry their own burdens or endure any trouble. Even some Christians want their faith to be light, worry-free, and non-challenging to their life-style choices. It’s as if we’re saying to Christ and His first disciples, “that cross carrying stuff is old-fashioned. We want to emerge as new Christians, who are free to reject what we don’t like of the old ways and re-invent our faith. We want it all to be light and fluffy, likeable and popular. We don’t want to carry nasty crosses anymore.”

The trouble is this: when we do that, we’ve become a New Age religion and no longer cross-carrying Christians. We want our faith to be convenient instead of persistent. We want it to be experienced on our terms instead of Christ’s. Rather than place Christ at the center of all things, we want Him to be focused on us. We want Jesus to like us and love us, laugh with us and live with us, instead of confronting and challenging us, or converting and changing us.

Sometimes I wish that Jesus had never said things like ‘anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.’ I wish that He had uttered something like ‘disregard your crosses, have fun with Me, and you can be My friends.’ But He didn’t. Christ knew that life was hard and that in every generation Christians will be faced with two choices: to throw off their crosses and go their own way, or to wearily pick up their heavy burden and plod on, following Jesus all through life.

Having faith in Jesus is never going to be easy, but one day we will get to lay our crosses at His feet and enjoy His peace forever. But if we want it all now, we will never experience that everlasting joy and peace.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes we want to give up being Christians and just fall into line with the rest of the world. It would be a whole lot easier just to ignore Your words and to go our own way. Instead of feeling guilty, we would be unburdened and could live our lives free from any commitment, challenge, or change. But You have called us to carry our crosses, to endure the world’s dislike, and to experience the cost of faith. It isn’t an easy path to follow, but we pray that You will enable and empower us to keep on going, so that we may emerge as real Christians and not phony disciples. In Your Holy Name, we humbly 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.

4 Minute Devotions: Wisdom and Understanding

Jeremiah 51:15 He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

These days, when we talk about a person of power, we usually mean someone who has strong leadership skills, popularity, and has amassed a fortune. They are usually hard working, focused people who have amassed wealth and credibility. Political leaders, company executives, and even very successful movie stars are usually thought be powerful people. The press, media, as well as society in general, listen to what they have to say and value their opinions. Because of their success, we are drawn to what they say and do.

Power in the Bible takes on some different characteristics. Instead of wealth and success, power emerges out of wisdom and understanding. Elderly people were accredited more standing and respect in Biblical communities because of the years of experiences that they had accrued. Their understanding of the times, the seasons, and the forces of nature were crucial to the well-being and sustenance of their people.

Sadly, we’ve lost some of that in our world today. Old people are set aside as being old-fashioned and out of touch. We’re more into what’s happening now and who’s doing what amongst our peers, instead of listening to the garnered wisdom and collective understanding of our seniors.

Even the church has foolishly disregarded what our senior folks have to say about faith. We’re more into ‘emergent’ and trendy ways of doing worship and being church. In our frantic effort to be relevant, we’ve unwisely ditched the best of our faith for the worst of our wants.

If we honestly seek to be powerful and make an impact in our communities, then we have to take time to give credence to the collective wisdom and understanding of those who have been faithful for decades, instead of constantly deferring to those whose faith is just beginning. Change for changes sake leads to chaos and division, and we end up being influenced by the world. Choices made through wisdom and understanding, give us the power to be influential and make a real impact for Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, we thank You for the seniors in our faith communities whose wisdom and understanding have helped to sustain our faith. Help us to be more open to their ways that have kept them loyal to You for decades. Teach us through what they have learned about the world and the church. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.