Cost of Faith

 

I was recently scrolling through my feed on Facebook and I came across a person talking about the reason they believe in Christ. They cited that no other religion had so many people who were willing to give up their life for what they believed in. I decided to take this to google and see what it had to say on this fact –

 

Answer: “According to historical records, Christianity is widely considered to have the largest number of martyrs, particularly during its early persecution periods in the Roman Empire, where many Christians were executed for their faith.

 

After Christ’s death, his 11disciples + Mathias who was believed to have taken Judas’ spot plus a few others mentioned in the New Testament lost their lived for the cause of Christ. (there will be a short list compiled below) 

 

Imagine the scene back then, there were two major aspects against the new followers of Jesus. First, you have the Roman Empire who were persecuting the new Christians because they were preaching against the idols and pagan worship they were involved in. Second, you had the Jewish religious leaders who were persecuting the new Jewish converts who believed in Jesus because they stated they were violating the Jewish law. All of the followers of Jesus after His death in about 33 AD, had a lot stacked up against them. In fact, they had to endure being thrown in prison, stoned to death, beaten, dragged to death, tortured, crucified, beheaded, cut in half, stabbed and I am sure there are additional ways that I am not listing. Back in those days, the Romans were quite creative with the many ways to kill a human being. It would seem the more gruesome the better. Try to imagine, knowing you could face certain death if you opened your mouth to speak out about Jesus? I know for me, it’s hard to imagine this growing up in America where we had always prided ourselves in religious freedom for all. I will say that lately, I am starting to see a backlash against the Christian community unlike I have ever experienced in my life thus far. I am certain that this will not be the end of it and it will continue to get much worse. There are people to this very day, that are being killed for being a Christian in various parts of the globe. We don’t never get to hear much about this except for in church where missionaries in foreign fields report back.

 

I am not trying to make this post about gloom and doom but simply a call to urge you to open your eyes and realize the situation we are in right now. Now is the time to know why you believe in what you do and the reasons you do. Now is the time to stand up in your faith and openly profess! Now is the time to wake up to see what’s happening in the world around you and come alive in Christ – because those of us who are Christians have something so amazing inside of us and that is Christ Jesus! 

 

Let’s consider, the apostles and the other followers of Jesus such as Paul. The 12 disciples, got to talk, walk, and do life with Jesus, they saw him die and saw him rise again along with 500 other eyewitnesses. They got to hear him speak /preach and watch as he performed miracle after miracle found throughout the eye witness accounts through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I want to take a moment to talk about Paul (also known as Saul) he is one of my favorite as he had such an amazing transformation in his faith. Saul was his name before he had his own personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul was of Jewish faith and a Roman citizen and on top of that a Pharisee (religious leader). Under the Roman command, he was killing new Christians just after Jesus was crucified and rose again sometime after 33AD onwards. He was literally hunting and killing them to preserve the Jewish faith. He believed the new Christians were blaspheming against the Jewish law. During Saul’s time as a Pharisee, there was a man named Gamaliel who was also a fellow Pharisee who advised the Sanhedrin. Gamaliel, believed that if the teachings of these new Christians were false, this fad will resolve and fade away naturally. (I am paraphrasing here) He also said that if these teachings were from God, you would not be able to stop these Christians as you would be fighting against God himself.

 

Read this interesting exert: “But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”

Acts 5:34-42 NIV

 

Saul was on his way to Damascus hunting Christians, the bible literally says Saul was breathing out murderous threats again the Lord’s disciples, when he had his encounter with God. There was a light that shown from Heaven and a voice that asked Saul –“why are you persecuting me?” See Act 9 for the whole story. Saul asked : “who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” After this encounter Saul, was blind for 3 days. God called to Annanias in a vision to go to Saul. Annanias was afraid of Saul’s reputation but still went anyway and heeded God’s call. Annanias went to Saul and laid his hands on him and said: “Bother Saul, the Lord Jesus wo appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.” 

From this point onward Saul was known as Paul, he was a changed man and a follower of Christ. He preached throughout the land the good news of Jesus and telling his story to all who had ears. What a story it was! He underwent a HUGE transformation, from murdering Christians to being one of them! 

 

It struck me, as I was thinking on all of these martyrs and those who had encounters with Jesus directly, their faith was off the charts. Can you imagine seeing your teacher whom you have been following being whipped and beaten thrown up on a cross, died and then rose again? Wouldn’t you be screaming from the roof tops what you saw and want everyone to know? I know for me, I would! 

And instantly, as I am writing this, there it is the pain in the heart – why don’t you and I live like this? If we did, can you imagine this world would be a different place!!!! 

As I close this post with the names of the early Christians and how they died, let’s consider the cost of what Christ has done. Let’s reflect on the fact that what Gamaliel said some 2 thousand years ago came true. That this was from God because it overcame every odd even the very threat of death could not hold back the case for Christ. There is so much more that goes into this, but I don’t want to get too bogged down with so many details. Suffice it to say, the early Christians had to believe with all that was in them what they saw, experienced and witnessed had to be worth dying for! So shouldn’t the same be true for you and I?

 

No other religion can boast this claim, and no other religion has such a rich backed up history than the Jewish faith and Christianity which were brought together through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (more to come on this thought later) 

 

List of Martyrs (not comprehensive by any means) that died for the cause of Christ that were mentioned in the bible as preaching and spreading the word. It should be noted that all of these Apostles death were not mentioned in the bible but since these are actual people who lived, there are outside accounts for their death, yet again making a strong claim on its own.

 

This List is in no particular order – all 12 Disciples having been murdered:

 

1.        Barnabus – attacked by a mob and beaten to death while preaching

2.        Paul (also known as Saul, as I described in detail above) – beheaded at Nero’s hand for preaching the Gospel

3.        Peter (Disciple) was crucified upside down as he did not feel worthy of dying the same way Jesus did.

4.        Matthew (Disciple) - it is believed he was stabbed to death

5.        Mark -it is believed he was dragged to death

6.        Luke – he was hung

7.        James (Jesus ½ brother / Disciple) – stoned and clubbed to death at the age of 90

8.        Thaddeus  (Disciple) –it is believed he was decapitated

9.        Stephen one of the first Christians to die – stoned to death

10.  James brother of Zebadee (Disciple) – Killed By Herod Agrippa

11.  Philip (Disciple) – Crucified

12.  Mythias- it is believed he filled the space for Judas (Disciple) – stoned and beheaded

13.  Andrew brother of Peter (Disciple) -crucified

14.  Thomas (Disciple)  -stabbed to death

15.  Simon the Zealot  (Disciple)-it is believed he was crucified or he was cut in half

16.  Bartholomew  (Disciple)– it is believed he was either cut in half or beheaded or combo of both

 

17.  John (Disciple) was believed to be the only one spared and went on to write revelation

Your heart is the wellspring of your life

 

I cannot help at this moment to add yet another experience as a driver in Boston. I think this illustration is perfect in this context. As I was driving the other day along the Revere Beach. There was a ton of traffic after a long day of work I just wanted to go home. There was a large vehicle in front of me and another large vehicle to my left and the beach to my right. As a result, I could not see the entire cross walk I was passing at about 10-15mph. There was a man trying to walk across with his beach chair that I was not able to see. He started running after me and screaming waving the lawn chair he was carrying in the air. To my dismay, I was not able to move very far as I was stuck in traffic. I watched in my rear-view mirror as this man kept approaching and getting closer to me, mean while he was still flailing the lawn chair in the air making motions that he would hit my car with it, not to mention he was screaming he would do it. In that moment, I did the only thing I could which was grab my phone and ready myself to call 911 and brace for impact as there was nothing I could do and nowhere I could go. I am thankful to report I did not have to call the police and he finally went his own way. But this experience left me wondering, what in the world would make someone go off the handle over something so small? The funny thing was, I never actually got truly close to him. Not to mention behaving in a public place this way. You cannot imagine the onlookers watching this scene unfold. I could not make this up if I wanted to!! My goodness, nothing was intentionally done to this man however, he freaked out and in a pretty BIG way. I get we all get frustrated every now and then, but take a deep breath and you will get yourself a nice spot on that beach - I promise - it's not going anywhere! I think I will coin a new term #LawnChairGuy! He will forever live rent free in my mind. :)

 

How have we (as a collective people) lost touch with so much? Where has our humanity gone? Where we replace kindness with entitlement and lack of empathy. When we place so much emphasis on ourselves, we elevate our own wishes and desires above everything and everyone else. We want what we want, we want it now and that is that. I would venture to ask; do you guys think he was a genuinely a happy guy overall? I will submit to you, from my perspective that is clearly a no for me. Do you think many people want to be around someone who behaves like that? I certainly did not want to meet him on the beach or sit down and have a friendly chat. Actually, if I wasn't afraid of him- it may have made for a more interesting story. It would have been nice to know what was going on in his mind in those moments ---it will forever be a mystery!

 

The way you and I treat people, is a reflection of your own heart. What spills out of you into the world around is your behavior. Your behavior is dictated by your heart. There is a definite link between the two. You and I live in a culture that has removed the spiritual meaning and God from our lives. It has left so many feeling hopeless, without purpose, belonging and identity. If there was ever a generation so lost it's the one we have now. So many are looking for meaning and purpose to their life and they are being told there is none; we are here by accident. (this post goes along nice with my previous post Battle for the Soul)  

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV

 

The way your treat others is the wellspring of your own heart! It’s a direct reflection of what’s happening inside of you. In the verse above, God gave us clear instructions on how we can live a successful life and not to be ensnared into the traps the enemy sets for us. When you are faced with a situation where you feel like you may lose your cool, remember the #LawnChairGuy. In this moment, think to yourself: Is it me that needs a check in with my heart because I may be the thing in that moment that needs to change and not the other person.

 

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Luke 6:45 NIV

Battle for the Soul

I have been watching the world around me for quite some time. It’s an experience to walk around a city like Boston and people watch. I was going for haircut and decided afterwards I would take a quick stroll through the Boston Common, America’s oldest park. Its right in the heart of the city. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and there was a cool crisp breeze. I remember feeling great, nothing like a haircut to put a bounce in your step! I would look on at people passing me by and nod my head and smile at them. It was such a strange phenomenon because people would like at me and there was no change in facial expression. Some would even look away or look at me like do I know you? Like how dare I smile at them. There were a small few that smiled back, these folks were certainly in the minority and were few and far between. It made me shrug my shoulders and keep on my merry little way because there was no way I was going to let this beautiful day go to waste. As I kept walking, my mind wondered as I started thinking about these strange encounters. It occurred to me; you know those movies that show a person in live in living color but the rest of the world is in monochromatic? This was what I was experiencing, but in real life! As I continued on my way, I started paying even closer attention to people. Some of these people almost looked like they were not in there – you know that saying lights are on but no one is home? This saying described perfectly what I was experiencing. What is happening in the world around us?  Why are we becoming so incredibly disconnected? Like they are numb and just going through the motions. Nothing will steal your joy and purpose for your life faster than feeling like you are here for no reason and no purpose. What is the point to all of this? Talk about a lost feeling become lukewarm.

 

This thought has been rolling around in my mind, and just a few days later I was sitting at lunch with Co-workers. We were sharing some of the difficulties about life and one of my co-workers made the statement “We are not here for a purpose; we are just a happy, random accident – therefore you just got to make the best out of it”. When these words were said immediately something in my soul ached. Yes, the soul because this was so much deeper than just the heart. It was like I could feel God present in that moment and it was breaking His heart. 

 

“All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:8-15 NIV

 

 

I love this depiction of the way Jesus looks at us – he is willing to give His life for us. Do you know anyone else who is willing to step in your place to pay for all the wrongdoing you have ever done in your life? Taking into consideration this different viewpoint, I personally do not want to pay for someone else’s wrongdoing.  (Good thing I am not God!! ) In addition, imagine the kind of love you have to have for a person to be willing to lay down their life! Let’s take this thought a step further, that is exactly what Jesus did for you and I! If more people truly understood the power in this, it would change and transform them from the inside out. It’s hard to imagine this kind of love in any human capacity because it's beyond our own understanding. We cannot in this human body imagine a perfect love. It's not until you have a personal encounter with Jesus does that change. If you are reading this wondering how any of this makes sense, I challenge you to ask God to reveal himself to you. Seek out truth with an open mind and I promise you will be blown away. God will reveal himself in a small quiet way, as that is His nature.

 

Continuing as we look at the passage above, Jesus also states that there are deceivers that have come to try and take the sheep away from God. It goes on to say that these deceivers when the tough gets going, they are not in the fire with you. They will run away. What in society can you think of where this rings all too true?  There are some that look to celebrities or athletes, or influencers that preach alternative lifestyles and who offer you their meaning of life and this list can go on and on. As an example, do you think any of these people would ever die for you? Do they love you to that extent? Certainly not. Whatever you are placing your trust in aside from Christ will not give you that pure love, acceptance, hope and meaning to your life that you are seeking. Nothing will ever satisfy but Jesus in that God shaped hole in your heart. Christ is the giver of meaning and purpose! The rest are deceivers.

 

There are so many aspects to life that are trying to destroy you and I on the daily – steal our purpose, our joy, our contentment, our trust, our love, our families, our bodies, our peace of mind, our emotions and even our country – the bible warns us many times about an enemy that is actively seeking to destroy us. Watch what you consume on social media, TV and music and so many other sources. There are many deceivers about and they are not looking out for your best interest but their own. We need to be vigilant to protect ourselves from all of these attacks because this is a battle for your soul whether you realize it or not! It's a battle over your life and to steal your purpose and belonging right out from under you. 

 

In closing, we are all in a battle every day for our meaning and purpose, we all are held to this earth by this imperfect body. We have all failed in some way or another and all have done something wrong. We have to deal with sin in our lives and we can choose who we will subscribe to -the deceiver who uses every kind of snare to destroy you- OR-  Jesus, the one who loves you so much that He is willing to give His life to set you free- the choice is ours but may all choose wisely. 

 

 

“This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 5:14-15, 17, 19-20 NIV

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Storing Treasures on Earth

It’s interesting the things that you can behold when you are in the moment and not distracted by having your nose constantly in your phone. I am blessed to live right across the street from the beach. Every day, I take my dog for a walk along the beach. I love walking in the morning where I have the opportunity to see the sunrise and God paints the sky in the most gorgeous colors. In addition to enjoying the sunrise or the sunset, I have the opportunity to see so many different people. I love to people watch in general it’s one of my favorite pastimes, if I am honest. When you live somewhere long enough, you tend to bump into familiar faces along your journey. I also enjoy looking at the houses along the beach as I go. Interestingly, there was this little old lady that as I passed by would always smile and wave at me from her porch. It always made me smile and also return the wave back as to simply say hello as I passed by her home. Sometimes I would see her taking a nap on her porch, I always thought to myself how relaxing and peaceful that must be to sit and watch the ocean and fall into a peaceful slumber. 

Until one day, I no longer saw her. The house was dark for the next 2 weeks every time I passed by. No longer was I greeted by that sweet lady’s smile. Soon I saw people working in her house removing all of her belongings and throwing them out followed by a for sale sign being placed in the front yard. I watched as remodelers came in and started tearing down walls and completely re-doing the house. Obviously, it did not take me long to deduce what had happened. It made me wonder about the lady’s family. Did she have any living relatives because from my outside perspective, it did not appear so. The house was quickly cleaned and contents thrown away and the house was sold.

“Formerly, his heart had been as a locked casket with its treasure inside; but now the casket was empty, and the lock was broken.” George Elliot

It made me wonder how many years it took that lady to acquire all her belongings and to purchase that beautiful house. In the end, it only took one day to lose it all and to be completely replaced.

I do not exlcude myself as being guilty, when I say we put so much time and effort into working towards buying and having nice things. We want a large house, luxury cars, designer clothing and take those glamorous trips. Most people are in the rat race and are being sold a lie when being told to buy all of these things if you want to have status and influence. There is so much emphasis placed on what others think of us. Do not worry if you have to work yourself into the ground, or get yourself so far in debt or completely neglect your family to get what you want – the lie – you will be popular and have status. Afterall, what more in this life could you want? The proverbial dangling carrot, if you will the tale as old as time. As I look around our society today, we put so much stock in appearances. You look at Instagram and Facebook and see all the influencers who post about their glamorous life. It’s all about the number of followers and likes they have which translates into their self-worth. 

With this culture of self-centeredness, where does this leave us? Shall we only enrich ourselves here on this earth and only care about our own wishes and desires only to neglect our soul and God given duties? In our incredibly fast paced environment, do we even take the time to stop? Think? Do we possess the ability to dare and see a world outside of ourselves anymore? Do we dare to help a stranger even if it puts us out? Jesus challenges us in Luke12:16-21

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

We are challenged in this passage to examine ourselves – are we just storing up earthly treasures? Or are we thinking beyond our earthly possessions and lofty goals to see how we may be using these gifts to do God’s kingdom work?  By being faithful with what we have been given and serving those around us who are in need is how we build a rich life. There is nothing on this planet that feels as amazing as when you help someone, even if minor in nature. As a message to us all (even myself), we need to get out of our own way and grow into the person God designed us to be! I have heard it said – “I am always on my mind” can we be the change this world desperately needs? Let’s take the challenge to not store treasures on this earth that will only benefit us in the temporary and fade away but get out of our own way to make a lasting impact in someone else’s life that may last into eternity. I have such people that I can instantly bring to mind, who I can say, these individuals just for being who they are and loving Jesus have made a HUGE and lasting impact in my life. Will you take the challenge to be the force for everlasting change in someone’s life?

Illusion of Control or Trust in a higher Power

Lately, I have been through many trials and I have watched my world be dumped up on end and shaken like a snow globe –feeing like a bystander watching all of the pieces fly around. This has been a very real and sobering realization, in that, I have been reminded of my own inability to control life or its events.  In light of this realization, I have come to deepen my understanding of my desperate need for Jesus in my life. He has an amazing way of bringing calm to the storm, clarity to thought and the reason for picking up the pieces and going forward. Often times, I think it’s very difficult to endure hardships because they make us come face to face with our own inability to solve our own problems and come to grips with our own humanity. I have learned that these are divine opportunities to grow and transcend where I am to become who I long to be. 

This got me thinking…..

I came across the below quote as I was giving some thought to what it actually means to be “religious” in the face of difficulty. As usual, I am curious about what others would say about my view and outlook on life. I like to look at many different perspectives in hopes that I can better understand and relate to the world around me.

 “Religion is the right of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of spiritless conditions. It is the opium of the people… To abolish religion as the illusory happiness of the people is to demand their real happiness.” Karl Marx

 

In my paragraph above, I was exploring the idea of actually coming face to face with the truly difficult aspects of life.  Taking it a step further and actually allowing God to use the circumstances to make me into the person He designed me to be. There is a world of good that can come through self reflection. In this self help age, is self reflection and actualization in its self truly enough to influence a lasting impact for change? Do we on our own possess that much power? What can we really control in life?  Can we control our own health, our last breath, who will like us, hate us or love us, and what will happen to us when we step out into the ever changing world around us… etc? We don’t even know if we will wake up tomorrow. To abolish the “illusory happiness” as the above quote suggests is to live life the way you deem fit without control over anything. So the question boils down to which group is truly living in “illusionary happiness”? Those who feel they are in control of their own life but have no actual control of anything or those who trust in God, the higher power, to be their guide? You be the judge.