Category: Bruce’s Blogs

In the beginning – not a bad start for a New Year’s message, right? In the beginning, God said that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:18); so he created Eve. While many preachers and Bible teachers will point to that as a foundation of marriage, and rightly so, it probably points to a greater principle, that it is God’s will for people to live in community.

It should also reveal why God established the church. While God sent Jesus to reconcile all of humanity to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God established the church to reveal, to experience, and to share that Good News. In order to show people what community with God looks like, God established the church, a community that grows in relationship to God and to its members.

So that’s my theme for 2019: “Grow in Community.” That’s my primary focus and concern for us this coming year, to help us grow as a community; so my sermons, articles, and lessons for the year will be focused on that goal.

The Bible makes it very clear that God’s kingdom is a community. We were created to be in community with each other and with God; that’s the point of the creation account in Genesis. We were created to be live together in such a way that we would help each other grow with God and as a community; that was the point of the nation of Israel and God’s law for them. We were created to nurture each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually; that’s the blessing of being the church, that we would know “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

However, mankind, from the garden to today, has opted for selfish exclusion from God and from others, except when it’s convenient or beneficial. That sinful point of view is the root of dysfunctional families, neighborhoods, and nations. It’s also the root of many of the problems we find in the church today, from selfish squabbles over things like paint colors, donuts, or temperature to hostile breakups over music style and volume, finances, and staff issues (including preaching/teaching style, dress, and scandal).

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of this congregation in this building, and 2021 will be the 60^th anniversary of the incorporation of this body as a church in Athens (I’m fairly certain that it met for some time before incorporation, but I don’t know for how long). Believe it or not, 2018 was my fifth year serving with this body of believers; so I know that this body has not been immune to that dysfunction, not in the past and not since I’ve been here.

With no malice – and certainly with no sugar coating – I have to say: we are a broken body that is in desperate need of healing and rebuilding. I’m not saying we need to reinvent ourselves or start scheduling a lot of new and different kinds of events in order to bring people in, because, quite frankly, I fear bringing a lot of people into this state of brokenness.

Our problem isn’t the number of people in the building; it’s lack of community, a separation from God and from others. The answer, again, is not getting a lot people into the building; it’s reconnecting with God and with the body of believers that he is building here. Certainly, we all – all of us – need to be sharing the Gospel with friends and family and inviting others, but not into our building or our programs or even our worship service; rather, we need to invite others into Christ’s body, his church, his presence and let him build us into “a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21).

Yes, we have work to do, but Christ is the head of this body; Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Our work is to build up this body in love so that we might all fulfill God’s purpose for the church: to reconcile the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19). So, join me in this new year as we focus on community. We need each other, and this world needs us because this world needs God.

Paul wrote in Colossians 4:5, 6: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” He wrote this immediately following his request for prayer that God would open doors for him to preach the Gospel boldly and clearly. It was Paul’s mission not only to share the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness and salvation through Jesus but to make sure that the disciples he made through the Gospel would also share the Gospel.

If there’s any opportunity for all Christians to share the Good News, it’s now, the time when even many atheists will call attention to it by simply saying, “Merry Christmas!” While it’s easy for me to remind Christians that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is a command, that it’s an expectation of God for all who claim to follow Jesus, I also know that it’s not always easy to do it. Unfortunately, it seems that the greatest reason why many Christians don’t make disciples, why many don’t share their own faith with friends and family is because they just don’t know how to do it. So let me give you some help so that you might be able to give the gift of Jesus this Christmas.

First, don’t be discouraged by a lack of knowledge or experience; just share what you know with the people you know. If you share Jesus with the people you know and love, it won’t matter if your “presentation” isn’t slick and polished; homemade gifts from the heart are best, right? Second, keep at it; not only will repetition help you get better at sharing and help you build confidence to share, some people need to hear the Gospel over and over before it clicks with them, before they recognize their need for God’s grace and forgiveness through Jesus.

There are all kinds of strategies and plans for sharing the Gospel with others; I’ll share two. The first one I ever heard was called “The Romans Road of Salvation,” a series of texts from Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians that explain our need for salvation through Jesus. I wrote this list in the back of the Bible I received when I was baptized, and I marked the texts in the Bible, listing the next one in the series by each; I recommend using this with folks who trust the Bible as God’s Word. It looks like this: The Problem (Romans 3:10; 3:23); The Consequences (Romans 5:12; 6:23); The Solution (Romans 5:8); The Response (Romans 2:4; 10:9-11; 6:3-8); The Result (Romans 8:1; 5:1-4; 6:15-19). Write the list in your Bible and mark the texts so you can lead others along the road to salvation.

Unfortunately, many people today need to trust Jesus before they trust the Bible. So sharing your own story about how Jesus has changed your life can be very helpful when sharing with people who know you. When we were ministering in Detroit, about 500 churches in the metro area participated in a campaign giving Everyone A Chance to Hear (EACH), and we helped people identify and develop their own two-word story to share their faith (check out the website 2wordstory.com to see examples from several years ago). My story was “Right? Right.”

Before I met Jesus, I was the know-it-all kid who had to be right, but I discovered the hard way that I wasn’t always right and didn’t always do what was right. I began to worry, “Am I right with God?” God used several people to show me that I wasn’t right with God, that I couldn’t make myself right with God but that God could make me right with him if I would only trust and follow Jesus. On my twelfth birthday, I confessed Jesus as my Lord and was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins; I was right with God!

That’s an oversimplified version of my story, but it shows you how easy it is to summarize and share your story, and it’s a great way to help people who know you to trust Jesus too.

There are other ways to share your faith, with words and actions combined. We don’t all have to do it the same way. However, if we’re going to follow Jesus, we all need to share Jesus with others. Make the most of this Christmas as an opportunity to give the gift of Jesus!

Believe it or not, there are only a few instances in the accounts of Jesus’ life when the Gospel writers tell us that Jesus gave thanks to God. In each of the accounts of Jesus feeding multitudes of people with just a bit of fish and bread, the writers tell us that Jesus gave thanks and then broke the bread to give it to the people. In the accounts of the Last Supper, the writers tell us that Jesus gave thanks before giving the bread and wine to his disciples. Luke tells us that Jesus gave thanks when he broke the bread as he was having supper with the two disciples after his resurrection; those disciples remarked that was when they recognized Jesus.

The only time, however, that the Gospels record Jesus’ words giving thanks is in John 11:41, 42:

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Then Jesus called to Lazarus, and Lazarus came out of his tomb.

In each of these accounts, we find a connection with the life that comes through Jesus. Obviously, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to show that God had sent him to give life. This was the teaching we can find in the feeding of the multitudes; when the people came looking for more bread, Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life.” In the accounts of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus told his disciples that the bread and wine for which he had given thanks were symbols of his body and blood which were given for them.

Do we give thanks like Jesus? Do we thank God for the life we have in Jesus? Or do we thank God for the things we have in this life? Certainly, we need to be grateful for what we have, and the season of our Thanksgiving holiday reminds us and prompts us to do so, but is that the extent of giving thanks to God?

Think about the way that Jesus gave thanks. As he fed the multitudes, Jesus certainly gave thanks to God the Father for the bread itself, but he certainly had in mind the life that it represented. Being God in the flesh, Jesus demonstrated his authority and power over all of creation, and he created bread that sustains physical life. He did this knowing his identity and knowing God’s plan for mankind, to give eternal life to those who believe. But Jesus’ power and authority went beyond sustaining physical life; he also restored Lazarus’ physical life, and Jesus gave thanks to God for the opportunity to prove his identity and his authority and power to do this.

As we approach God with thanksgiving, not just for the holiday but every time, we ought to remember the life we have because of Jesus. We must remember Jesus, the Son of God who died on the cross to forgive our sins and to give us new life, eternal life. We must remember his power and authority as the Creator and as the Author and Perfecter of our faith. We must thank God that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection not only prove his identity and authority and power but also provide for our life in him.

So not only should we give thanks like Jesus, but we should live thanks like Jesus. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:16, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” He reminds us that we not only benefit from Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection but that we also participate in it. Whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, when we remember Jesus’ broken body and spilled blood, we give thanks for the sacrifice that gives us life, but we also participate in that sacrifice through faith in Christ. Jesus lived, taught, served, and died to bring glory to God and to give life. We must also give thanks and live out our thanks so that others might glorify God and find life in him.

In our Sunday evening Bible study of Romans, we have found that the primary focus of Paul’s letter is to explain salvation. To be brief, Paul asserts that observing the law has never been capable of saving anyone because everyone has sinned but that salvation for sinners is accomplished only by God’s grace and is for all who are faithful to God.

The key for sinners, then, is faith. Salvation is not a matter of accomplishing a list of specific tasks to please God so that he will save you but to have faith that God alone saves sinners, to respond to God’s grace by faith. To explain how that works, Paul uses Abraham as the go-to example of saving faith. Paul tells us in Romans 4:3 that Abraham put his faith in God and God declared him righteous.

But how does that work for us? If Abraham is Paul’s go-to illustration of faith, how can we have faith like his? If we go back to when God first called him, we can see that Abraham’s faith was a faith that follows. Genesis 12:1 says, “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” Verse 4 says that Abraham did what God said and followed when he was 75 years old. Abraham left his homeland and went to a new country, not knowing what he would find there. All he had to go on was God’s promise, and he followed.

What does that faith look like today? It’s not much different: follow where God calls us. Jesus calls from Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” While there’s not a lot of detail there, the broad strokes are pretty clear: having a faith that follows means giving up what you want, even if it kills you.

That’s what we see in Abraham’s life. What did Abraham want? He wanted a son. In Genesis 12, 15, and 17, God had promised Abraham a new homeland, a new family, and a blessing that would be for him, his descendants, and for all nations. But Abraham wanted a son, and when God did fulfill his promise to Abraham and Sarah, giving them their son Isaac, God told Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead”; he gave up what he wanted and trusted God to the point of death. Genesis 22:12 tells us God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac: “‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’”

Do you have a faith that follows? Does your faith in God lead you into the unknown trusting that God will be with you? That’s the kind of faith that leads us to respond to the Gospel so that we might say with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). That’s the kind of faith that gives up the assumed security of a job with benefits to pursue full-time ministry (trust me; it’s scary). That’s the kind of faith that approaches cancer or surgery with confidence to praise God. That’s the kind of faith that prompts giving despite a cut in income or an increase in expenses. That’s the kind of faith that gives up the status quo to share the Gospel with a life-long friend who doesn’t know Jesus.

What is God calling you to give up to go where he wants you to go? Is it comfort in your relationships with friends? Is it comfort in your favorite pew on Sunday? Is it a few extra bucks in your bank account? Is it an extra hour on a Sunday morning to teach or serve? Is it discomfort in visiting folks who are unable to attend on Sundays? Is it a fear of change?

There’s no doubt about it; God is calling each of us to follow where we don’t necessarily want to go or are afraid to go. Jesus promises to be with us to the end. Do you have a faith that follows?

Having been preaching for the last couple of months about God’s plan for the healthy, active body of Christ (that is, through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians), I am keen on pointing out those important moments when we are clearly on the right track. This past month has seen several such moments that I can’t help but share, at least in part (as I have not been given permission to brag on anyone by name).

First, I had a conversation with someone who had been helping a friend through some tough times, both with their health and some personal issues. There was some work that had to be done that was physically and emotionally taxing, and it was easy to be taken for granted. However, the work was done without complaining and with no personal gain. Unfortunately, the health problems turned worse more quickly than was expected, and the friend needed assurance that God was there and that God cared. I was told, “Sometimes all I could do was pray,” and I agreed that it is, many times, all we can do but that it is hardly nothing, especially when it comes to our faithful God. I affirmed that this is who we are and what we do.

Later, I talked with someone who confided that they felt inadequate in their ability to share their faith with anyone. They had high expectations for their ability to take their many years of faith – having heard hundreds of sermons, Sunday school lessons, and Bible studies; having spent decades in corporate worship services and personal devotional times; and having prayed thousands of prayers for friends, family members, and even complete strangers – and reap spiritual harvests of “thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” Again, I was told, “Sometimes it seems that all I am doing is planting seeds,” and again, I agreed that, many times, all we do is plant seeds or tend plants. That is who we are and what we do; it’s God who makes seeds grow.

Then I was privileged to witness a baptism among some long-time friends. I had no knowledge of the depth of the relationships that were involved, not how they began nor how they grew, and yet it was obvious that this was a relationship founded and fed on the love of Christ. Throughout this relationship, those who are involved not only shared a common faith but they shared their lives together, from the good through the bad, even through the death of a spouse. While I was thrilled to participate as a witness, it was important for me to call attention to the fact that I had nothing to do with the process, other than to make sure the baptistery was warm and the lights were on. Again, I shared the simple fact that this is who we are and what we do.

I love that I have the privilege to prepare sermons and lessons to share from God’s Word. I take my responsibility to preach and teach the Gospel very seriously. However, I finally understand the apostle John’s excitement when I read from his letter:

It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:3, 4, NIV (1984))

While all of you should expect your preacher to be sharing the Gospel and making disciples, please know that this is who we are and what we do. As disciples of Jesus, we must all be sharing our faith, sharing the Gospel, and making disciples, and it gives me great joy to see it happening.

That doesn’t mean that we all have to preach and teach like Billy Graham or Bob Russell or <insert name of your favorite preacher here>, because I’m pretty sure you all know that I don’t! What it does mean is we all must know and love our Lord and Savior in such a way that we can’t help but tell the people we know and love about him. If you feel inadequate, join the club! But don’t give up; trust God to bring the growth and just plant some seeds. It’s who we are and what we do.

This year I’ve been trying to focus my articles and sermons on helping people to trust and follow Jesus. In fact, when we’re finished going through Ephesians, we’re going to focus on Jesus’ call, “Follow me!” But what does it mean to follow Jesus?

If you have a Twitter account, you likely follow other people to know what they have to say about current events or other topics. It’s a great way for people to rant and get folks riled up with 280 characters or less. But following Jesus means more than keeping track of what he has to say.

Some people follow their favorite sports teams. They watch the games, cheer when the team wins, and jeer when they lose. Some people identify themselves with the team, wearing their hats and shirts, but they’re not really part of the team and have nothing to do with the team’s success. But following Jesus is more than being identified as a fan.

Some people follow specific diet or exercise plans to lose or maintain weight or to keep their blood sugar or blood pressure under control. They all have their proponents and opponents, often folks with their own plans, which you can find in their books or special-access websites. But following Jesus isn’t like following a diet or self-help guru who gives advice about how to make your life better.

Perhaps the most common reason people follow anyone or anything is for the benefits, especially to feel good. Many folks become followers simply for the benefits of following.

To be honest, that’s why many people “follow Jesus,” for the benefits. Many “follow Jesus” because they want to feel better about themselves, having their sins forgiven. Many “follow Jesus” to feel better about the future, having the hope of eternity in heaven. Many “follow Jesus” so they can experience the benefits of fellowship within the church.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not bad to experience benefits or to feel good because of them. But what happens when the benefits aren’t what you expected? What happens when following doesn’t make you feel as good as it once did? What happens when you find something that makes you feel better than what you’re currently following? Sports teams know how fickle fans can be, and those fitness and diet gurus are always working on the next plan for those who get tired of following the current plan.

Yes, there are amazing benefits to following Jesus, including forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven, but that’s not what Jesus expects when he says, “Follow me!” Jesus is not expecting us to follow him because he has offered the best benefits. Jesus expects us to follow him because he alone is worthy to follow. Jesus expects us to follow him because he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In fact, Jesus expects us to follow him despite the likely reality that we might not experience a lot of benefits in this lifetime.

Remember the apostle Paul. He wrote in 2 Corinthians about the “benefits” of his life as a Christian missionary: beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, betrayal, sleeplessness, danger from the elements, and danger from evil men. This was the man about whom God said in Acts 9:16, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

To be clear, this ought to be the expectation for all who follow Jesus: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). It is through the cross of Christ that we have any benefits of following Jesus, and we praise God for them:

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5)

But the following itself means denying self and carrying a cross. Are you a follower?

Do you know about Elias Boudinot? Having lived in Cincinnati for more than 15 years, I know Boudinot Avenue, where you can find the original LaRosa’s pizzeria. The street is named for Boudinot who owned land on the west side of the city, though I don’t think he ever lived there. Boudinot was an attorney from New Jersey who was deeply involved in the revolution, serving as a colonel in Washington’s army as the commissary general who oversaw the care of British prisoners and the supplies of American prisoners held by the British. He also supported the work of American spies during the British occupation of New York City.

Boudinot also served in the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War, for a year as president of the congress. At that time, July 1777, there was a shortage of Bibles, since it was not possible to import Bibles from Britain; so a group of ministers in Philadelphia petitioned the congress to determine whether Bibles could be printed in this country. In their letter, they noted:

Unless timely care be used to prevent it we shall not have bibles for our Schools, & families, & for the publick [sic] Worship of God in our Churches…. We therefore think it our Duty to our Country & to the Churches of Christ to lay this design before this honourable [sic] house, humbly requesting that under your care, & by your encouragement, a Copy of the holy Bible may be printed, so as to be sold nearly as cheap as the Common Bibles, formerly imported from Britain & Ireland, were sold.

A committee in congress sent a letter to several printers who told them that there was no press or supplies available in this country to print our own Bibles; they would have to be imported from other countries. So the committee recommended importing 20,000 Bibles from Holland, Scotland, and other countries.

Unfortunately, the action was not completed. The Bibles were not imported, and there was no American printed Bible until 1782. Still, the fact remains, the ministers, leaders, and people of this country, in a time of crisis, recognized the need for the Bible. It was this need that prompted Elias Boudinot, John Quincy Adams, Francis Scott Key, and others to form the American Bible Society (ABS) in 1816. Boudinot, who became the first president of the ABS, once wrote, “Were you to ask me to recommend the most valuable book in the world, I should fix on the Bible as the most instructive, both to the wise and ignorant.” John Quincy Adams wrote that the Bible “is of all books in the world that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy.” John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and another president of ABS, wrote, “Let us therefore persevere steadfastly in distributing the Scriptures far and near, and without note or comment. We are assured that they ‘are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).”

Jay’s reference to Paul’s letter to Timothy underscores the enduring value and need not only to possess the Bible but to read it, study it, memorize it, and live it out. Paul wrote specifically, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, NIV 1984). The Bible is not only foundational to our faith but to the principles upon which our country was established.

Our history shows us that our country’s leaders thought the Bible was important enough to try to print or import more, during war. Shouldn’t we, within the church, value the Bible at least that much, if not more? As we celebrate our country’s freedom, rather than merely pointing out our country’s historic faith, let’s model it by reading, studying, and living out our biblical faith.

As I began our summer-long series through Ephesians, I pointed out that Paul was writing to the faithful who lived in Ephesus; specifically, he was writing to “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (1:1). That might seem obvious, but in the context of becoming the “healthy, active Body of Christ,” which is the focus of this sermon series, it’s an important distinction.

Unfortunately these days, there are many who are faithful to a variety of things related to Christian faith but not to Jesus. They might listen only to Gospel music or contemporary Christian music, but their lips complain about life more than praise God. They might be faithful in attendance to worship services and Bible studies at the church, but they never crack open their Bible at home. They might watch preachers on TV or listen to them on the radio, but they won’t share the Gospel with their friends and family. They might bring a list of requests for prayer, but they don’t trust God to answer or when he answers. They know a ton of commandments that other people are breaking and are quick to point them out, but they won’t obey the Great Commission. These are symptoms of an unhealthy faith.

How does that happen? I would guess that it starts with faith in Christ but somehow gets distracted to peripheral things, things that remind of Christ but are not Christ himself. I would also guess that the distractions begin with the circumstances of everyday life. Whenever we encounter pain and suffering, even when we have faith in God, it’s easy to find comfort in things that remind us of Jesus without actually trusting him. Christian music can calm us and help us to change our thoughts when we’re sad, angry, or confused, but is it the song or the one about whom the song was written and sung? Going to church often (not always) takes us out of the world where we encounter pain and suffering, but do we find comfort by being outside of the world’s influence or being with God himself? Do we find comfort in relationships with other Christians or in relationship with Jesus who saves us?

Please forgive the irony, but contemporary Christian singer Natalie Grant calls attention to this struggle in the song “More than Anything.” In one verse, she sings:

When I’m desperate and my heart’s overcome/ All that I need, You’ve already done/ When I’m desperate and my heart’s overcome/ All that I need, You’ve already done/ Oh Jesus, Help me want You more, than anything.

Help me want the Healer/ More than the healing/ Help me want the Savior/ More than the saving/ Help me want the Giver/ More than the giving/ Oh help me want You Jesus/ More than anything.

I suppose it comes down to the question: where’s your faith? Is it in Jesus himself or in the results of knowing Jesus? Certainly, those things strengthen our faith, but they can’t become the object of our faith. Even the people who experienced Jesus’ power when he fed 5000 people were more interested in bread than Jesus. He said to them in John 6:26, 27:

“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Jesus expects his followers to put their faith in him alone. When circumstances threaten to distract us, he will be there. Where’s your faith?

A preacher I know wrote a book that was released April 17 (it’s called Finding Favor: God’s Blessings Beyond Health, Wealth, and Happiness, and it’s written by Brian Jones; I highly recommend it, and you will likely hear more about it in the next few months). In the book, he mentions a moment when his junior-high-age daughter called him from a teen conference; she wanted to give him the “good news” that, because of what the conference speaker said, she and her friends weren’t going to date boys but they were going to “date Jesus.” While the idea of not getting wrapped up in the drama of teenage dating seems like a good idea, especially to the parents of teenagers (am I right?), the idea of “dating” Jesus is all wrong.

While I think most of us would agree with that immediately, a quick look at many churches and at many Christians might reveal that many are still playing the dating game with Jesus. For many Christians, their relationship with Jesus is restricted to a once-a-week “date,” an hour or two encounter on Sunday mornings. They look forward to the date, and they get dressed up for it. They express their love and devotion, but after a short concert and a quick bite at the communion table, they part ways for the week. Sure, they might think about Jesus throughout the week, they might even call him occasionally in prayer, but in all honesty, they’re still playing the field. Even though Jesus might be at the top of their list, they’re not “exclusive.” At least there’s no “ring on the finger,” right?

While the New Testament does not use the phrase for the Church, there are several statements that often lead us to think of the Church as the “Bride of Christ.” In particular, Paul writes to the church in Corinth this warning:

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2, 3, NIV, 1984)

It’s this idea of “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” that ought to remind us that there really isn’t an option of “dating” Jesus, certainly not after we have made the Good Confession that “Jesus is Lord.” It might sound weird to read Paul stating that he is “jealous” for the Christians in Corinth, worrying about their fidelity to Jesus, to whom Paul refers as a “husband.” Paul certainly has it in his mind that Christians ought to be exclusive to Jesus, as a bride to a husband, and yet he is worried that the Christians might be deceived and be led astray from their “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

How does that happen? How might sincere Christians be deceived and led astray? Paul hints that it might happen the way Eve was deceived. A quick look back to Genesis 3 shows us that the serpent’s deception of Adam and Eve began with casting doubt on God’s Word: “Did God really say…?” It was complicated by a lie (“You will not surely die”) and by the distraction of desire (Eve saw “that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom”). Sounds like a normal day, right? It’s way too easy to misunderstand and doubt God’s Word, especially when the world around us (not to mention Satan himself) deceives us with lies about God’s Word. It’s also easy to be distracted by the desires of our bodies and the temptations of the world. With all that leveled against us, it’s no wonder it’s so easy to play hard-to-get – or hard-to-keep – when it comes to being faithful to Jesus.

So what can we do to be exclusively Jesus’? First, stop dating Jesus; make a commitment and keep that commitment. If you have questions about what it means to trust and follow Jesus, to accept Jesus as Lord, ask me or our elders or another mature Christian. Better still, read and study the Scriptures and discover what God’s Word says about being faithful to God. Jesus promises that those who seek him will find him (Matthew 7:7, 8) and that those who trust and follow him cannot be snatched away (John 10:27-29).

With Easter falling on April 1, it’s easy for some to make connections between faith and foolishness. We’ve seen it in the news: pundits mocking Christians, as if we are crazy for our beliefs. However, God makes a connection between a lack of faith and foolishness. King David wrote in Psalms 14:1-3:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Obviously, the Bible supports our faith in God, noting that it’s foolish to deny God’s existence. But if we read closely, that’s not all we find here.

What else does the Bible tell us about fools who claim there is no God? They are corrupt, doing vile things. They do not seek God. They turn aside from God, from God’s Word, from God’s will. Among all the “sons of men” – and that’s all of us! – it says in verse 3, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” Read carefully, this reveals that disobedience is denial.

That’s what Paul writes in Titus 1:16, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” John essentially tells us the same in 1 John 2:4-6, “The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Perhaps it is not so difficult to understand why unbelievers call us fools, because we so often deny God’s existence in our own disobedience. So, who do we think we’re fooling? I recently preached from Luke 16, where Jesus warned the Pharisees of their hypocrisy, “God knows your hearts.” While I know that I wouldn’t outright deny the existence of God, I also know what’s in my heart when I am disobedient. Are we so foolish to think we can get away with our own willful disobedience as if God does not notice simply because everyone around us does not know?

I don’t think most of us would deny our own disobedience, but don’t we often compare our own foolish selves to the fools of the world who deny God’s existence? Don’t we often think of ourselves as somehow being better because we claim to know Jesus? I also don’t believe that our claims to know Jesus are merely lip service, and I also don’t believe that our individual relationships with Jesus can be reduced to an all-or-none evaluation. The fact is, even the apostle Paul struggled with his relationship with Jesus and his own sinfulness, which is what we find in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” This is what leads Paul to write in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” The answer is obvious to Paul; it’s not his own effort or righteousness that saves him from his foolish disobedience: it’s Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25).

This is the Good News we celebrate because of the resurrection; we are saved despite our foolish sinfulness because Jesus is risen. Paul wrote in Titus 3:3-5:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

While the world levels accusations of foolishness against our faith, let us not give them any fuel by being disobedient. Yes, we know that we were foolish (and sometimes continue to be so), but we also know God’s mercy despite our disobedience. Don’t deny your own foolishness, but celebrate his mercy in the resurrection of Jesus!