The Aroma of Christ

Well, it has definitely been a long time. Apologies for the lack of posts the past couple of months!

This morning has been an early one for me. It's my first morning in Budapest, and the sun rises at an early 4 AM, so I've been at it since about 5:30 this morning. While I usually meet an early morning with contempt, this morning has been a wonderful time to learn how to use a french press, enjoy the fruits of my newly found skill, and sit down to drink; not only coffee with cream, but also the Word of God.

Wow.

Have you ever thought about how crazy that is? I mean, I just finished reading a message.... from the real, true, existing God. Mind-blowing.

Anyways, after reading a couple chapters worth in 1 Kings concerning Solomon's specs of the temple, I turned to my New Testament reading for some of Paul's teachings in 2 Corinthians. Sometimes I'll read a passage that makes me say to myself, "Wow, that's incredible... I wonder, how many others have yet to be impacted by this?" Hence my urge to write, the shocking realization that it's been way too long, and now here I am.

As we read Paul's epistles, we can''t help but notice his ridiculous obsession with metaphors. Almost every "catch-phrase" involves a metaphor... "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race," "Run in such a way to receive the prize," etc. In chapters 2-4 of 2 Corinthians, Paul pulls out all the stops on his metaphors, and in doing so paints a spectacular picture of the Christian's relationship with Christ. While I want to talk about all of them, I'll just focus on the first. Let's take a look.

The Aroma of Christ.

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, and the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" -2 Corinthians 2:15-16


To be honest, this phrase has always puzzled me. Not often do we see Christ compared with a smell, and Paul doesn't give much of an explanation for this unique comparison. But I did a little bit of studying, and found some amazing stuff. First, while Paul uses the Greek word osme for "fragrance" in verse 14, a word that can be used of good and bad smells, he uses the word eueida for "aroma" in verse 15, a word that characterizes only pleasurable smells!

Second, this aroma is experienced by God (aroma of Christ to God), giving a picture of God's delight in His children's teaching of the gospel. Finally, this teaching is shown to be a fragrance of life to those who are saved, and a fragrance of death to those who are lost. Therefore the Gospel brings hope of life to those in Christ, but the scent of certain death to those in sin, making evident their need for salvation.

When you think about it, an aroma is one of the most powerful metaphors, because smell is one of the strongest senses of the human body. While it may seem that our sense of smell is inferior to those of taste, sight, touch, and hearing, it is actually quite impacting. Our smell has the strongest tie to our memory out of all 5 of our senses. Its for this reason the the smell of salon products will always instantly bring me back to Christmas in the early to mid 90's. We would spend Christmas at my grandparents house in  Illinois, and the strong smell of the beauty shop my grandmother ran in the basement stuck with me.

If our words, actions, and lives are an aroma of Christ, that means our interactions with people cause them to "smell" Christ. In interactions with unbelievers, the aroma we carry will cause them to catch the presence of a gift they don't possess. Paul tells us that it is the smell of death... to the unbeliever, our aroma is the confirmation that they are not yet saved by God's glorious grace. In many cases, this will be likely to instill a desire for the aroma they smell to be an aroma of life to them.
 
In interactions with fellow believers, this means that the aroma brings them back to an overwhelming memory of Christ's love. Whether it be a simple meeting at a coffeehouse, a Sunday morning at church, or a game of frisbee at the park; if we have the aroma of Christ, just being around other Christians will encourage them and strengthen them in Christ, while the aroma they carry will strengthen us as well. That's what true Christian fellowship is; the mutual strengthening and encouraging of believers in Christ.

Is Christ so evident in your thoughts and actions that you give off His aroma wherever you go?

As High as the Heavens are Above the Earth

A devout and godly Christian that dies from cancer at an early age...

An earthquake that kills thousands and thousands of people in Japan...

A group of terrorists that kill thousands of  innocent people on 9/11...

A God that allows people to suffer, some for eternity in an awful Hell...

A God that sacrifices his own perfect Son for a group of people who defy Him...

What do these have in common?

These situations are all related in that they often go against our basic sense of reasoning and our view of who God is. Ask any non-Christian why they don't believe in the existence of Christ, and they will likely name one of these events, or others like it. Even if Christ did exist, they still don't see how he could possibly have their best interests at stake. 

The sobering thing is though, not only "unbelievers" think this way. So do Christians! I would be lying if I claimed a never-wavering faith in every single thing God does or has done, whether in my life, in history, or in Scripture. If you are like me, the question "If God is good, why do these things happen?" is sometimes never fully satisfied. 

We try to answer it cleverly by saying "Well, it's obviously because of sin's presence in the world." True, but why did God allow sin in the world? If He hates Sin and He hates suffering, why does he allow it? 

Well, because He's God, and He does what He wills.

Sadly, this answer isn't quite as satisfying as we'd hoped it would be. It sounds to many like the principal Christian cop-out. "Just because, He's God." But it's true, He is God, and He does do things that don't make sense to us. But instead of gaining a sense of security, the only thing this statement does is cause us to bite our lip.

Why doesn't this give us a sense of joy and security? 

Because despite the fact that God is sovereign, bad things still happen!

We aren't letting go of our own human reasoning. We want God to line His reasoning up with ours, but He's God, and He doesn't, and it's not fair. We wouldn't say this of course, but I know I feel it often. Again, all we do is bite our lip and sigh while saying "God, you know what you're doing."

What if we lined our reasoning up with His? 

What if, while acknowledging we will never understand God's reasoning, we made it our own!?

What does this look like? It looks like accepting every circumstance with a genuine joy, because the God of the universe is in control! Instead of simply claiming "He will make things turn out in the end," we can claim "Things are just as they should be, and are that way for a glorious purpose!"

Does this take away grieving and sadness? By all means no. But in a statement that many would consider extreme (and I don't often state the extreme), I believe this takes away confusion, doubt, and anger in the hardest circumstances. But before you protest...

In this life, we will never be completely free from confusion

Just as we will still sin as God's children on earth, we will still doubt. But just as we are sanctified and sin is no longer our master, neither is doubt and confusion! Instead, the doubt of God's plan is not natural, but rather a human arrogance; a sense of entitlement to our own sense of reasoning. 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

In Christ, every season is a season of joy and security.

Brian

Francis Chan on Arrogance (3:00 to 7:00ish)

   

They Failed... We Are Failing...Will We Continue to Fail?

Right now in my Bible reading I have just finished Joshua and am several chapters into Judges.  It’s amazing to me how there is “nothing new under the sun” as Ecclesiastes puts it.  The same issues, failures, and inconsistencies have plagued us humans since creation.  I think you’ll find this to be true as you read. 

Let’s start at the end of Joshua.  As you know, Joshua followed Moses as God’s appointed leader of Israel.  Finally, Israel has entered into and conquered the majority of the inhabitants of the land.  If you know this story well, you know that the previous statement is already a problem.  They were to annihilate everyone who inhabited the land.  So, either God hadn’t given them the power to conquer, or they were disobedient.  Take a guess!!!

Nevertheless, they divided the land among the different tribes and begun to settle the land.  In Joshua 24, we find Joshua gathering all the tribes of Israel together, reminding them of God’s faithfulness in bringing them out of Egypt, rescuing them from the hand of kings, and God’s other blessings.  God promised many years ago to give them this land, and at this moment they stand in the Promise Land!!

After reminding them of these things, Joshua commands them to “choose THIS DAY whom they will serve” (emphasis mine).   They can serve this powerful, faithful God, or they can choose to serve something else, but TODAY was decision time.  It’s almost as if Joshua is saying, “Are you in, or are you out?  Because if you’re in, then act like it! And if not, then make it known so that you can be dealt with.”

The people respond: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Jsh. 24:16-17a).  

In Judges 2:11 we read, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.”  This begins the pattern of Judges: The people of Israel do what is evil in the eyes of the LORD Þ they cry out to the LORD for help Þ He rescues them Þ they do what is evil in the sight of the LORD Þ … you get the point.

Sound familiar?  I mean not just in your knowledge of the Bible, but in your own life!  Yeah, me too!  Over and over we declare to God that He is our satisfaction and identity, yet constantly run to and fill our lives with other things in an attempt to quench the desires that only He is able to fulfill.

Immediately preceding  2:11, the writer of Judges informs us of the next point that I think is applicable to our lives…

“And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel…And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:7, 10b).

Can you see what happened?  There was a breakdown in the family structure of passing on what God had done in the lives of the Moses and Joshua generation!  How, when they had seen God so clearly work, could they have failed to pass this on to their children?  Was there anything MORE important that they could have told them?  Did they get so wrapped up in the daily grind that they forgot this?

Although this blows my mind to think how quickly this change took place, I think that we are in the middle of something very similar.  If you have read anything about the youth of our nation, we are not far off from the reality in this story.  Even the youth that have been in the church their entire lives are walking away from the church immediately after graduation.  I would encourage you to read The Last Christian Generation by Josh McDowell, or Battle Cry for a Generation by Ron Luce to see just how desperate we are.

Have we failed, as the church, to pass on our faith to the next generation?  Was the Gospel not evident in our lives to those younger than us?  Hundreds of years from now will books say something similar to what we have seen in Judges?  What are YOU doing to influence the next generation for Christ?  What is your church doing to set our youth on fire for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let’s agree together as the people of Israel did in Joshua that TODAY we choose to serve the LORD, and to raise up a generation of young people who will do the same.

More to come on Judges – I believe it’s a very applicable book to us.

Scott

Perspective on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

As you are all aware, Osama (Usama) Bin Laden was pronounced dead as of yesterday.  As I heard the news last night, I immediately got really interested, and honestly pretty happy.  All over the Café at Liberty there was a “buzz” of conversation, some “woopees,” and more staring intently into the TV screen. 

After my initial reaction, I began to think about what our response to this event should actually be.  Does the Bible speak to this?  Should we feel relief, joy, sadness, or what should we feel?  I can’t say that I have the answers, but lets try to discuss this “real quick like.”

First, here are some of the responses of newspapers today:

Philadelphia Daily News — "We got the bastard!"

Edmonton Sun — "Burn in hell!"

New York Daily News — "Rot in hell!"

New York Post — "Got him! Vengeance at last! US Nails the bastard!"

Tampa Bay Times — "Got him (Shot him)"

San Francisco Examiner — "The butcher of 9/11 is dead"

Many Christians would actually echo these cries! And are they right in doing so?  Remember, this man is responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands! 

Although our flesh resounds with these cries, we are to have the mind and heart of Jesus, and are to obey what he commands.

He tells us that people will know that we are His followers because we love one another.  However, not only are we to have a deep affection for other believers, but we must also love our enemies:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[a^] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matt. 5:43-48

Even pagans love those who love them, so are we any better than unbelievers if we hate this man?  The reality is that Osama Bin Laden WAS an extremely evil, deceived man.

The next reality that you and I must grasp is that YOU and I are or were in just as much rebellion to God.  You see, it’s not the amount of evil things that you do, but rather that you oppose the Holy, Righteous and Just, Sovereign God of the Universe. 

The only thing separating you and I from the state of Osama is the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed on the cross.  God’s mercy to US should be seen in the highest regard, rather than judgment on anyone else. 

Secondly, however, God is a God of Justice and Wrath.  Osama deserved to die! But again, so do you and I.  So, we can say of Osama’s death, “Justice has been served,” remembering that we deserved the same death. 

I think that it is legitimate for us to feel more at peace (though he was not the only leader), but I think that it’s important for us to filter everything through our Biblical, Christ-centered worldview.

Please feel free to comment.  I would love to hear your thoughts – these are just my thoughts in between classes.

Scott

My First Observance of Good Friday

Q: What is Good Friday?

A: Well that's easy. It's a day for remebering the crucifixion of Jesus.

Q: What should we do on Good Friday?

A: Remember that Jesus died to save us from sin.

Q: What is the purpose of this remberance?

A:                                       

...How would you answer this question?

    As Holy Week has been rapidly approaching and is now here, I have been continually wrestling with the answer to this question. Good Friday has never carried much significance with me...maybe you can relate?  Maybe you get excited about Good Friday as a day off from school! (Don't get me wrong... a day off is always worth being excited about, regardless of the reason!) Maybe you, like myself, have consiously observed Good Friday due to the fact that no one else seems to, and just wait until the church-wide celebration of Easter. (This is the big one for me.) While many Christian traditions "recognize" Good Friday, it seems they don't very often "observe" it. Though this seems to be a cause for my lack of personal emphasis on Good Friday, I am quickly learning that it doesn't have to be an excuse.

    For myself, the key seems to lie in an attitude summed up in one of my favorite quotes, this one by Martin Luther.

"I feel as if Christ had died only yesterday."

    The first time I read this, it radically changed my perspective on Christ's death, along with the entire Gospel. Just dwell on that for a minute, or even a bit longer! What would your view of God, your commitment to Christianity, your view of this physical life, and your appreciation of God's saving sacrifice look like if Christ had actually died yesterday? Reflect on that for a minute... place yourself in the moment of Christ's life and death.

    I know... the truth is, we aren't living in first-century Jerusalem. I've often struggled with how to consciously live for Christ when he hasn't been physically present for some 2000 years. However, I'm compelled to follow a logical conclusion: The absolute truth and incredible significance of Christ's death is equally present, whether he died in the first years of the 1st century or the in the 21st century.

    If I truly believe that Christ died as the Scriptures tell us, than the length of time doesn't have to lessen its significance, because it doesn't lessen its truth! If the Revolutionary War had not occurred, however long ago it was, we might still be under England's rule. If Christ's crucifixion had not happened, we would definitely still be under the curse of sin and eternal death. Two historic, true, documented events that we only experience as history, yet they both (Christ's death infinitely more that the American Revolution) contain a personal significance.

   On Monday, Bryan College held an hour-long worship service centered on Christ's death. The result of not just an hour of worship, but more importantly an intentional focus and meditation on the crucifixion, caused me and those around me to greet each other and - instead of discussing the latest homework assignment - say, "Isn't our God incredible? To think that he loved us that much before we were redeemed, but covered in sin!" This is when the Gospel becomes real... when it means so much to us that we can't help but talk about it, not out of duty, but out of desire.

    So I want to challenge you to observe Christ's death this Friday. And I don't mean simply "think about His death" while you go throughout your day as I've done in the past, but rather really spend some time in reflection of its significance. Do you realize how hopeless we would be without it? Think about how the awesome, matchless love of God is present with us eternally, due to the greatest sacrifice ever made.... and let it radically impact your conversations, your attitude, and the very reason you live.. to share this incredible truth.

Brian

A Book You Should Read

         Cruciform: Living the Cross-Shaped Life 

        
          I just completed what I think is one of the most simple, yet insightful, books available on the outworking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our daily lives.  God has been shaping my understanding of the Gospel by both chiseling away at my false suppositions and supplementing my already correct ones, leading to a far greater appreciation of what Jesus accomplished for me.  This book fits perfectly into the Gospel-saturated journey that has been weaved into my path in recent days.  I hope that my thoughts about the book will spur you on to read it for yourself, beginning your journey of not only seeing the cross of Jesus Christ more clearly than ever before, but also sculpting your life into the shape of the cross.

            Cathedrals posses some of the most beautiful, ornate architecture of any structure built in the Middle Ages.  Interestingly, some of the floor plans of these Cathedrals were in the shape of a cross.  The prominence of the cross in the structure of the building served as a constant reminder of the Gospel and its prominence in God’s redemptive plan.

           

            In the same way that the Cathedrals were made into the shape of the cross, so our lives should be lived out in the shape of a cross – “the Cruciform Life.”  You and I strive desperately to be something and do something special because we were made to be and do just that.  We were created to be a part of a community-on-mission with God to exalt and proclaim His glory in all things and to all people.  However, instead of joining in this community-on-mission, we selfishly look inward to how we can best further ourselves. 

            So, imagine the simple shape of a cross.  Picture the intersection point of the horizontal and vertical pieces as a nucleus from which all (now four) of the pieces of the cross originate.  We were designed, in all of our actions, to worship God and exalt His name (the upward section of the cross), and point all people with whom we interact, and all of creation to worship Him as well (both the horizontal pieces and the downward piece). 

          Because we have perverted this model into one in which we only look to serve and love ourselves, God sent Jesus to be the ultimate model of the Cruciform Life while on earth, and then to offer His life as an atoning sacrifice, completely restoring us to the God who created us.  As we look at the example of Jesus, we see two things very clearly: He lived as a Son and loved as a servant.  You have to get this.  We are called to serve people and make God’s glory known among all nations, but we cannot do this without first understand our “son-ship.”  Realizing that because of the cross we have God’s total acceptance and affection, we can have the confidence and satisfaction in our relationship with God to “count all things as loss” and take on the role of a servant.

           

            You see, when I understand that no matter what I do, think, say, or what others do, think, or say to me, I still have God’s total acceptance and affection, I am totally free to lay down my life – I have nothing to lose.  Now I can live my life to show others how they too can experience this kind of freedom.  However, I must continually come back to the cross to be reminded of who God is, who I am, and what Jesus has done for me.  Then I go back into the world with new love and passion to serve others with.  This cyclical life is the Cruciform Life.

            What I love about this book is that it does not leave us with some Theological truth, but meets us where we are daily living, giving practical applications of those Theological truths.  How do we live as sons, and serve people?  Using an ingenious, stick-figure drawing, Davis illustrates how to view our daily lives as “waiting tables.”  We have to have our eyes open to see who is sitting at the “tables” of where we work, eat, workout, and shop.  Each of us has areas of influence, and God has called us to serve and love those in our sphere of influence.  So, now we apply the cyclical process of going to the cross, and then acting out the cross to each of these “tables” that we are serving.

            The great misunderstanding of Christianity today is that I have to “do these things” in order to earn the presence and acceptance of God.  You and I can do absolutely nothing to gain or lose God’s affection and acceptance for us.  Jesus earned that for you and I.  If you are trusting in anything else to earn that for you, you are sadly mistaken.  For example, I do not read my Bible so that God will be accept me, I read my Bible to understand better the fact that He already has accepted me in Jesus, and to hear Him tell me that again.  Davis helps us to understand more clearly this concept through his own personal journey.

            I hope that my words have stimulated in your heart a desire to read this book and see more extensively how YOU can live the Cruciform Life that God created you to live.  The truths of the Gospel combined with Jimmy Davis’ personal experiences are sure to impact your heart and mind, compelling you to begin living the Cruciform Life.  I cannot urge you enough to read this simple, short, Gospel-saturated book. 

You can purchase your copy of the book at Amazon Site or Cruciform Site

Also, if you want to enter to win a free, signed copy of the book, go to http://cruciformlife.org/

You can find Jimmy’s blog at  http://cruciformlife.org/blog.htm  

Scott

A Faith I've Never Known.

The following is a brief account of a 2-hour conversation I had this week with an older man who had been involved in missions for - as I understood it - about roughly 30 to 40 years. I would rank this conversation as one of the most influential conversations I have ever had... although honestly, I did a lot more listening than talking. In the interest of not distracting from what I hope to share, I won't mention his full name, but simply refer to him by his first name, Chris.

Background

     For time's sake, I won't relate the entirety of Chris' testimony, but there is a bit of important background information. Chris began his missions ministry in Kyrgyzstan, a predominantly Muslim country, bordering the northeast area of China. He went with a "faith-based" missions organization, which means all he had was a sending church and a call... no raising support, no meeting a "financial quota" before leaving... just a faith that God would provide. While in Kyrgyzstan, Chris noticed the unreached drug addict population, and in response he developed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, which not only helped the locals out of their addiction, but reached them with the Gospel through weekly Bible studies. Over time the ministry flourished, and he gradually turned over leadership to the locals. He saw an incredible amount of people come to the Lord, and a society transformed.

Faith I've Never Known

     As I listened to Chris talk, I realized this man had seen God work not just once, but countless times in ways we would describe as "miraculous." While at first I was simply amazed at his stories, I finally began to make a connection that I had been searching for my whole life. Maybe you've heard stories of miracles and incredible acts of God, and wondered why you never experience anything like that... I certainly have! However I finally realized Chris had a level of faith that I had never even considered having.

      When asked, (Being in a dangerous Muslim country) "How do you balance common sense and faith when sharing the Gospel?" He answered, "When you're in the center of God's will and relying solely on Him, He will preserve you as long as He wants you to keep working." He went on to share - not out of pride but out of a testimony to Christ's faithfulness - that he had been mugged 5 times, nearly stoned by a young mob of Muslims (until prayers around the world miraculously stopped them), held at gunpoint 3 times, kidnapped, whipped, and beat, but he was still alive, carrying out God's work because He was still needed for the kingdom. He made the comment, "I haven't been shipwrecked yet, so I'm really looking forward to that one!" Here I saw a man in front of me who stood for what I had been searching for... a faith that the apostles and early Christians had, a faith that allowed them to face certain death and yet miraculously live to continue the work until death finally took them. They suffered for the gospel and lived, because it was all they were living for.

     I've grown up hearing that God doesn't work in miracles anymore, but just through ordinary areas of life. Maybe you're like me and wondered why God did crazy things in the early church, but seems to stay silent today... When did He suddenly decide to become inconspicuous? Call me crazy, but I don't think God has hidden Himself at all! Without making any foolish "absolute" claims, I'm beginning to think that God only works through ordinary circumstances because we don't trust Him in the extraordinary! Too often I find myself viewing faith as "I believe God can ______." But if I'm focused on getting my plans for the next x-amount of years squared away, spending the majority of my thoughts on how to keep myself secure and safe, and wanting my life on earth to be comfortable, how can I expect God to respond to my "faith" in a miraculous way? Maybe I only see God work in the ordinary things because that's how I live... avoiding risk under the banner of "common sense." I'm not saying I don't have faith because I don't proclaim the Gospel in the streets of Afghanistan.. but if God asked me to, could I?

So much more I want to say... but for now, I hope you'll not simply "consider" true faith, but actively pursue it, as God is teaching me to do. And please add your input in this discussion!
Grace and Peace,

Brian