Jesus Christ: Playmaker

How do you think Jesus interacted with others? Did He smile all the time? Did He laugh a lot? Was He always sullen and isolated?

The Bible teaches that Jesus was one who loved people. He loved them hypothetically and abstractly, but He also showed love through practical means. He would be the kind of person others enjoyed being around. One of the false charges thrown against Him was that He was a drunkard and a glutton (Matthew 11:20). They charged Him with such because of His behavior. He spent time with people. He was probably gregarious and outgoing. I'm not suggesting that Jesus went around playing practical jokes or causing trouble, but He was far from a sour-faced isolationist.


Jesus was a hearty man. He was robust, daring, full of vigor and zeal. He was strong. He was brave. He was fully capable of doing the unexpected. He loved life and pursued it graciously, respectfully, and vigorously. I think He gave bear hugs to friends until they thought their ribs would crack. He was like the uncle who loved to tease his nephews, or the rugged pioneer who fearlessly set out to explore. He was a go-to man, a marathon runner, a playmaker. 


I am painting a picture. Sure He was a man of sorrows, but He also had a zest for life! I don't know exactly how He acted each day, but I do know that He had that kind of demeanor. I know that because of 2 Peter 1:5. In this passage, Peter is telling us how to partake of the Divine nature mentioned in verse 4. If we want to be like God, then we should act like God! And how does God act? Peter said that part of the Divine nature is virtue.

"Virue" is translated from a word that literally means manliness. That's not to suggest that women should try to be more manly. The use of the word, according to Vincent's Word Studies, denotes "energy...translating into vigorous action."It is a zest for living, a zest for true life that we are to possess.

Would your faith be called full of energy and zest?

How do we possess virtue in that sense? Here are four ideas for your consideration.

1. Have confidence in the faith. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it is not if you see "faith" as the body of doctrine taught in the Scriptures. (See Ephesians 4:5.) Have confidence that you are following the Word of Life and that by following the doctrines of the Word, you will save yourself and any who listen to you (1 Timothy 4:16). (At the same time, if you are not following the faith that comes from the Bible, you have no reason to be confident!)

2. Choose to see through faith, not fear. Faith is not a blind acceptance of some hoped-for reality. I am not suggesting that anyone should put on blinders and refuse to see reality for what it is. That's not faith but insanity. What I am suggesting is that we look at the Bible and see things from THAT perspective. Faith comes by the word of God (Romans 10:17), not by the whims of fictitious hope. When God tells us something will come about, we must trust His word on the matter. So choosing to see through faith means that we trust that God knows what He is talking about. We must trust in Him and have confidence that He knows what He is doing and that He will bring about what is best for those who love Him. That means that even death itself can be seen as a victory!

3. Think of others. The best way to depress yourself is to think of yourself exclusively. Ironically, selfishness harms you. The only way to truly have a robust life is to give that life in service to the Lord (Mark 8:35).

4. Hang around zestful people. One man said, "It's hard to soar with the eagles when you hang around a bunch of turkeys." Your peers influence you. Seek out people who are ALIVE!

If virtue is an attribute of Divinity, how do you suppose Jesus expressed that?
How can you express the same character in your own life?

YOU Can Help Change Things!

How do we react when evil people do evil things? As I think about the killing spree in Aurora I can't help but wonder how people are reacting. Fear? Depression? Apathy?

No doubt some are using it to score political points. Some are trying to use it to preach against the evils of guns and/or gun control laws. Others seem to be ignoring it altogether. Facebook is full of calls for prayer, and also full of indications that life is continuing as it always has.

My concern is about the response. We cannot control what people do. As long as we are alive, we always control how we respond. So how should a Christian respond? Assuming you do not know the individual who went on the rampage, I want to offer some thoughts about processing this tragedy. There are some certainties in this terrible situation--things that we can KNOW that we would do well to remember.

Evil Exists Through Freedom of Choice

Bad people are going to do bad things. That does not excuse anyone, but it is a reminder that  sometimes people make very bad decisions. There is no point in blaming anyone but the man who pulled the trigger so many times. It's neither Romney's nor Obama's fault. It's not the economy, video games, nor failed gun control laws. It is certainly not God's fault, but there is little doubt but that He will be blamed.

Through His eternal wisdom, God blessed us with the freedom to make decisions.  In matters of choice, God cannot be blamed for the poor choices humans make. But Satan is the master manipulator. He will convince people they have no choice but sin, just like he convinced the shooter. Therefore, with freedom comes the opportunity for evil. Evil always involves a decision.


That's not to say I am against freedom. To be free to choose is a great privilege! For evil to exist there must be decisions, but the same is true for goodness to exist. Goodness is a choice.

This is a Spiritual Discussion

The reason we do good or evil has everything to do with what we believe. Our beliefs determine our actions. It will always be this way.

Some will undoubtedly suggest that accidents happen, and I would not disagree with that. But (generally speaking) good and evil do not come by accident. That is why what happened in Aurora, Colorado should be discussed at a spiritual level.

We will probably never know all the reasons for a massacre like that. Evil people cannot always be understood. Those who do such terrible things likely do not have a firm enough grasp on reality to adequately describe anything relating to their real motives. Motives are tricky things. Often we are fooled by them. We look at ourselves and think our actions are based on the purest of motives when later we discover that we were not as pure as we thought. A person who can pull the trigger on hundreds of people for no apparent reason other than thinking he was playing out some role in his mind likely will never be able to grasp his true motivations. But outside his own personal growth and development, his motives are irrelevant.

What is important to discuss, however, is the power of ideas and beliefs. They determine everything about us and determine our future.

What things should we believe? Where do our ideas originate? Is there a standard for thought so that we can ensure the greatest chance of preventing such terrible deeds in the future?

The Bible, properly understood and applied, is able to give us a wonderful foundation for life. Its words form the foundation of all that is good in the world. Its teachings will give people a tremendous amount of good ideas to draw from. That tormented soul who mercilessly killed all those people got his ideas about reality from some place, but not from a proper understanding of the Bible. 

It's time we started opening up that Good Book, reading, and understanding it. If we want to help prevent such terrible things in the future, we must call on people to properly understand and apply the Scriptures. In spite of the liberal and atheistic attacks against the Bible, it is the best thing for our country and our world! The more society conforms to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, the more society's members will shun terrible choices.

Let the people push for change, but let that change be to allow the Bible back into the mainstream. Let us rise and teach others the Bible, one person at a time, until all have heard. Many will believe, but we've got to tell them what it says! God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Let's not keep it a secret any longer! 

This is how to change things: Change the way the people think. Change the way they think by introducing new ideas into their minds. Those ideas must be God's if we have any hope for improving anything in this world. The world around us is full of ignorance. Everyone owns a Bible. Very few read it. We will have to get out there and read it to them!

What are some ways YOU can teach people about the Bible who do not know much about it?

A Life of Living

What Is Life?

When we think about living life we think of it in terms of life being the opposite of death. “The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26). But we also know that the Bible teaches about life after death. All humans will continue to exist beyond physical death. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 the Holy Spirit stated that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Obviously we must think of life and death in different ways if we want to understand the Bible.

 

Once our spirits separate from our physical bodies, the question of life takes a new turn. Once we die we can no longer think in terms of life being the opposite of physical death. But if we cannot define life in comparison to physical death, how can we define “life”?

Existence Versus Extinction?

Some have chosen to define life in terms of length beyond the grave. These people suppose that after death people will either enter heaven or eventually simply cease to exist (or be caused to go out of existence by God’s wrath). Thus they define life as existing in eternity and define death as ceasing to exist.

That idea violates many passages in the Bible. Jesus Himself said that those who are “on the right hand” (i.e., in favor with God) would enter “eternal life” while those on His left hand would receive “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).  We cannot define life after death by thinking of it in terms of existence versus extinction. Even the evil people will continue on forever while being punished. That state of continual punishment is not called “life”. It is called death.

Revelation 20:14 calls the Lake of Fire the second death. Jesus said those people would receive “everlasting punishment”. They are not going to cease to exist. And they are going to die a second death. Obviously, we cannot think of life and death in terms of existing and extinction.

Quality and Source

 We must look at life (and death) in a way that involves the Source of life. Life resides within God’s nature. John wrote, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). When we think of what life is after death we must think of it in terms of the nature of God. As such, life after death is a matter of quality.

As a way of illustration, consider Satan. The Bible teaches that Satan exists as a personality; however, the Bible never says that Satan is living. If that is difficult to accept as possible, please consider John 1:4-5. The life that resides in Jesus was a light to the world. If life is described as “light”, what would “darkness” be? Jesus came to a whole world of people who existed, but they did not have LIFE! That is why Jesus said He came that we might have life in John 10:10. But notice that life is only extended to those who are His sheep. That is, life is extended to Christians!

Jesus did not come so that Satan could have life. He did not come so that everyone on earth would automatically receive life. He came to offer anyone who would listen a chance to live! John said that as many as received Jesus, “to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). That life comes from the nature of God. It is found “in Him” (John 1:4).

Spiritual death is the absence of God. Satan is an entity that exists in the spiritual realm. He has personality. He has thoughts and intentions. He has many attributes that humans also have. But he is not living because spiritual life is a matter of quality, and that quality relates to the nature of God Himself.

When we understand this concept about life, it will help us understand the importance of 2 Peter 1:4-7. That list does not merely give good suggestions for having a better life. The attributes in that list relate to the very nature of God. Peter is telling us that we can be “partakers of the divine nature”. Being like God is not just a good idea. It is the essence of spiritual life! Without that divine nature, we are not living.