The Real Deal

Americans are an extremely creative people, with a tremendous ability to "make a buck".  We are also, in large part because of our economic prosperity, often frivolous.  Case in point:

I had to laugh yesterday upon hearing about these jeans you can buy for $425 at Nordstrom.  They are dappled with this rubber-like material which gives them the appearance of being dirty.  Now, true confession:  I own a pair of those skinny jeans with rips in the knees and have endured teasing because of it.  Some may think I'm trying to be fashionable or trying to create the impression the jeans are well-worn but, dang!  I'm just trying to be able to bend my knees!  Those suckers are tight in the legs.  Are you fashionistas feelin' me out there?

At any rate, back to the jeans with the fake dirt.  What a lack of authenticity, right?  Ludicrous, right? But, I tell you....someone will buy them, for sure.  It is so much easier to be fake than to be real....

Last Sunday those of us who had gathered to set up for church finished our work and then stood in a circle and prayed over the upcoming worship service.  I stood between two men and, as I held each man's hand, I noticed how rough they were.  These were the hands of men who use their hands to make a living!  They bore the marks of authenticity!

How about us as Christians?  The bigger question is not: are our jeans muddy?  It is: "are our souls muddy?"  Are our lives authentic?  Are we "the real deal"?  In our journey through the book of Hebrews we remain in chapter 10 a little longer.  Here is our passage for today, Hebrews 10:19-25 (NET) - -

19Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,20by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 24And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 25not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.

Let's break this down because these verses show us how to live as resplendent, authentic Christians.

1.  Be confident in your salvation (vs. 19-23)
Our #1 enemy, that old Satan, will do his dead-level best to convince you that your faith is a bunch of hooey, that you don't "deserve it" (well, none of us do....), that you need to "earn it", and all sorts of other unscriptural lies, because Satan is such a liar who hates you.  He longs to destroy your very soul, Christian (if he actually could).  Don't listen to him.  Hebrews 10:23 hammers home rock-solid truth to the wavering heart: He who made the promise is faithful and trustworthy!  If we have asked Him to save us from our sins, to be our forever Savior, then He has.  Don't be listenin' to no junk!

2.  Draw near, with sincerity (vs. 22)
Take the time to seek the face of the One who loves you best!  Draw near to Him daily and often, in prayer, during the day.  Walk with Him.  Talk with Him.  Learn from Him.  Long for Him. As He said in one of my favorite passages, Matthew 11:28-30, "learn from me .... and you shall find rest for your soul." Furthermore, if we do this, we will become more and more like Him!
A lot of us women come to the realization in middle age that we have "become" our mothers.  Well, my goodness!  Look at all the time you spent with her!  Not to mention you bear her genetic material in your own body!  As Christians, we bear the spirit of God in our own bodies, souls and spirits.  If we commune with Him, should we not become more authentically like Him?  Most assuredly!

3.  Hold on (vs. 23)
Allright now look, first in this verse we need to be clear that "hope" does not have the same meaning as "Oh, {sigh} I HOPE so!"  No.  This word in the ancient context and Greek language meant "a confident expectation", something you could "take to the bank" because it was going to be made so.
That is why we can "hold unwaveringly" to such a "hope".
To be crystal, it is not our "holding on" that keeps us Christian, that keeps us saved, that keeps us His. He does that, because it would be impossible for us to do that.  We are not able to "keep ourselves saved".  However, He does expect that we will grow deeper in our love for Him as we sincerely seek Him.

4.  Stir it up (vs. 24-25)
Yeah, the ESV of verse 24 translates the Greek as "stirring one another up to love and good works". Don't you love that? I'm sure that all of you readers can think of someone who stirs things up in a negative way.  God forbid Christians be folks who run around creating havoc in order to further their own agendas.  When we create havoc in the process of standing for what is scriptural, right and true, that is commendable. But, when we are operating out of our own selfishness and carnality, that is a huge negatory right there.  Satan loves to divide us by exploiting our own carnality, and it just makes me sick.  Don't give him that sacred ground!
So, on the positive, we are to treat our fellow believers like this:

• love each other, as Christ Jesus has loved us
• encourage one another,
• motivate each other,
• excite each other
• and some translations even say to "provoke" one another to good works!  (You know, sometimes, we need our brother or sister to give us a little shove in the right direction.) ⇨

5.  Look up (vs. 25)
What is meant by "the day drawing near" in this verse?  The early Church firmly believed that Jesus would return at any moment.  Oh, that we today would grab hold of that truth!  If we did, $425 jeans of any stripe would be largely irrelevant....This belief the early Church held was righteous and true. It is still true today.  Our Lord could return at any moment.  It was and is a belief that spurs Jesus' own (or should) to make the most of every moment of our lives, to serve Him fervently, in whatever capacity He has given us, in whichever situation we find ourselves daily.
And, if He does not return in our lifetimes?  Then, "the day" that is drawing near is the day of our own death - - that day in which we will step from the earthly into the heavenly, because we know as Lord and King the One who holds our eternal soul in His hands.
It's a win-win!  Hallelujah!

So, my goodness, let's live authentically today, whaddya say?  If we do, our jeans will just be ... dressing on "the real deal"!

Holy Hugs All 'Round

Yesterday, as on most Wednesday mornings now, I posted at what is becoming one of my favorite sites, leahadams.org.  Leah, although I've not met her in person, is such a gracious Christian sister!  I hope to meet her in person this summer and learn at her feet a bit.  She has a feature on her blog that allows other bloggers to "chime in" on an announced topic.  That feature is called The Loft.

The topic yesterday was "Friendship", and I thought about that as I read Romans 16:1-16.  We find ourselves at the end of the wonderful book of Romans.  I hope my personal study of it has blessed you over these past two months.  Tomorrow's post will bring us to the final installment in this series.

In these sixteen verses, Paul sends "holy hugs" to those people of the Roman house-churches whom he knows most well.  Some of them were in prison with him (vs.7).  He lived with some as a houseguest (vs. 3) for some time.  One was a mother-figure to him (vs. 13).  And on and on.

But, the common characteristic all these folks share is that they not only profess a love for Jesus Christ, but they are "pulling on the same team" with Paul.  They all have the same focus.  Most are commended for hard work and personal sacrifice for the sake of the spreading of the gospel.

All this reminds me of some of my far-flung friends, whose hearts are knit to mine.  Most are new friends, whom I've met through the missions emphasis of the wonderful church Hubster and I attend. Here are a few to whom I'd like to give holy hugs this morning, since I can't give them one in person.

• Justin and Brittany and kids - - - missionaries planting a church in the Bywater area of New Orleans.
• Miss Hilda - - - who preaches the gospel to prisoners and encourages them, in the NOLA area
• Alexandra, Coop and Rachel - - - students at NOBTS, helping also with the Bywater church
• Lana and Andrew - - - planting a church way across town, among thousands of refugees
• Judy and Gary - - - always on the look-out for opportunities to minister to those of the Muslim faith
• Cesar and Gabi, Fio and Jorge, Vale and Matteo, Gloria, Vivi, Rolans and Friene - - with Zona Zegura and Village of the Children ministries in Cusco and Cachora, Peru
• Donna - - - laboring in the wilds of British Columbia
• Erick, Steve, Leon, Mark, Barbara, Teri, Erin, Leah, Jerralea - - - telecommunications/internet evangelists extraordinaire!

All these (and others) have my heart and my prayers, that God will expand and explode your ministries as you faithfully serve Him.

Like Paul's list, these are my "list of stars".  But, you know, we can all be shining stars for the Savior. These on Paul's list were merely doing what they had been called to do.

Take Phoebe, for instance.  In some translations, she is described as a deaconess. Therefore, Romans 16:1-2 is used by some to argue that churches should have female deacons or elders.  Regardless of how you believe about that, let's not argue about it.  What is in a title, after all?  If you want to be a "deaconess", Gals, then serve like one!  The Lord Jesus' "well done" can't be matched by any earthly title anyway.  It is He you serve, and His commendations alone you should seek.  All else is merely fleshly pride, in my book; and I know, because I am so susceptible to it.

Well, brothers and sisters, no matter where or how you serve the Lord, build each other up in the faith today and pray "like there is no tomorrow", because...who knows?  The Lord Himself may descend from Heaven with a shout today!  And, even if He does not, we are not promised the next "tomorrow".  "Work while it is yet day...." (John 9:4)  and have a blessed one!

Father, I thank you for my brothers and sisters in the faith, who work hard to advance Your kingdom, exercising their spiritual gifts, being the Bride of Christ.  Your Beloved is so beautiful in Your eyes, Lord Jesus!  Amen.