Hammer on Anvil '

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (John 16:24).

The little phrase "until now" in this Scripture overflows with hopeful anticipation.

Prior to Jesus' death, the only way to approach God was through priests, who made regular sacrifices on behalf of the people. Burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings -- it was all very methodical. And somehow I suspect that not a lot of joy was involved.

Now, says Jesus, we can ask in His Name. Jesus' one-time sacrifice for our sins rendered priestly sacrifices no longer necessary. The veil of the Temple -- the huge dividing wall that separated people from the Holy of Holies -- was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died. Those who follow Jesus are now given full access to His presence. But what exactly does it mean to ask in His Name?

First let me say what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean using the Name of Jesus as a magic incantation to get what we want. This privilege was not given so we can satisfy fleshly desires for wealth and status. Those who invoke the Name of Jesus to placate narcissistic desires may gain riches, but lose their own souls.

Oswald Chambers says asking in His Name means asking in His nature, and I think he's right. He is talking about an intimacy and oneness with Jesus that was not possible before:

"We live so much in the consciousness of God that we do not need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing any other will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our ordinary choices, and if we are going to choose what He does not want, He will check, and we must heed."

Let us never forget that we approach God not based on our own merit, but because our great High Priest, Jesus, has made us acceptable to God. Glory to His Name!

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11).


I just finished reading The Normal Christian Life, by Watchman Nee. I have read it so many times that it is starting to fall apart.

Though some of what Nee discusses may seem elementary to a lot of believers, the way that he presents it really hits home with me. Today's verse from Romans, for example. How many of us have actually thought about what this verse means? Nee bemoans the fact that many who profess Christ may have experienced regeneration, but stopped short of the reconstruction process -- and then wonder why they seem to experience no victory in their walk with Christ. Nee explains it like this:

Regeneration means that the life of Christ is planted in us by the Holy Spirit at our new birth. Reproduction goes further; it means our new life grows and becomes progressively manifest in us, until the very likeness of Christ begins to be reproduced in our lives.

Sounds pretty basic, right? Then why do so many of us struggle to live holy lives? Perhaps because we have not counted ourselves dead to sin. We focus more on our flesh and our failures, rather than recognizing that our flesh was nailed to the Cross right along with Jesus. Galatians 2:20 isn't just a cool verse; it is TRUTH. We have been crucified with Christ.

What, then, is the secret of counting ourselves dead to sin but alive in Christ?

To put it in one word, it is revelation. We need revelation from God himself (Ephesians 1:17,18). We need to have our eyes opened to the FACT of our union with Christ, and that is something more than knowing it merely as a DOCTRINE (emphasis mine).

It is our choice. We need to decide if we will live by faith or by sight. We can rely on the facts of our own experiences, or on the truth that we are now in Christ. That means, to quote a familiar adage, let go and let God.

Jesus' last words say it best: "It is finished." He did it all; He made provision for everything we will ever need, including deliverance from the sins that beset us. Let us pray for greater illumination of that truth, and thus become vessels through which He can freely pour His life so that others may be blessed.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

In Kyle Idleman's book Not A Fan, Idleman masterfully distinguishes between what it looks like to truly be a follower of Jesus, and what it looks like to merely be a fan -- you know, one of those who yelled "Hosanna!" when Jesus came to Jerusalem, but made a zillion excuses why they couldn't actually follow Him. The rich young ruler is a stellar example. He thought he wanted to follow Jesus -- until Jesus told him to sell all that he owned.

Yes, Jesus is loving and merciful. He is also jealous, and will not accept devotion that is shared with anyone or anything else. Being serious about following Him might mean:

• doing away with preconceived notions of what it means to be a Christian
• putting sports, TV, video games or Facebook aside to pursue Him more wholeheartedly
• living on one income, rather than putting your children in daycare
• choosing to de-clutter and get by with less, for the sake of giving to those less fortunate
• forgiving someone you don't think deserves to be forgiven
• being available to God 24/7 when He calls you to minister to someone in need
• starting to tithe, when you have always thought you couldn't afford to
• becoming involved in a small group at your church, so you can be an active part of the body of believers
• being an unpopular parent. For example, teaching your daughter about modesty and purity, instead of allowing her to dress provocatively just because "all the other girls are doing it." Especially in this day of rampant pornography and sexual deviation, girls need to be taught that godly women don't expose parts of their body that are meant to be seen only by their future spouse.

Our culture is so materialistic that we have become warped to what it means to have our "needs" met. When couples tell us they can't possibly get by with less, my husband and I sometimes scratch our heads. Do you really need pedicures, manicures and tanning? Do you need smartphones and costly satellite/cable TV packages? Do you need blu-rays instead of regular DVDs? Do you need to attend sporting events and concerts? Do you really need designer purses, shoes and clothing?

Though nothing is inherently wrong with any of these things (as nothing was wrong with the rich young ruler's possessions), we need to examine our hearts to see what kind of hold they may have on our lives. Are we sacrificing our children on the altar of convenience, choosing to put them in daycare because we are unwilling to cut back on our own pleasures? Are we ignoring the voices of the poor and needy because we just couldn't resist that Coach handbag? Are we deaf and blind to needs in our own neighborhood because TV consumes our free time?

When we sensed God calling us to simplify our lives, my husband and I asked God to show us the changes He wanted us to make. Though the decisions were not easy ones to make, de-cluttering for us meant donating a lot of clothing, shoes, books and music. It meant cancelling our satellite TV so that more money would be freed up to give to ministries. Interestingly, when we didn't renew our satellite TV contract, the Lord began sending us people in need. Young couples in need of marriage counseling or simply spiritual mentoring. Addicts who want to be free from bondage. Women in need of abortion recovery.

Be aware, though, that when you become serious about following Jesus, not everyone will be thrilled about it. In his book, Idleman mentions several instances where well-meaning family members tried to discourage a Christ-follower by "reminding" them that the Bible encourages "moderation in all things." Moderation in THINGS, yes. Moderation in following Jesus? No way. He is clear that His way is narrow. He wants more than 90 minutes on a Sunday morning. He demands our ALL. Are we ready to give it?

Easter is upon us, and churches are advertising everything from Easter egg hunts for the kids, to spectacular laser light shows in the morning service. The hope is that special programs will draw the unchurched or the nominally churched who only attend on Christmas and Easter.

This is all well and good, as long as it does not detract from the central truth, which is far more mind-blowing and life-altering than any multimedia program you could throw together.

The stupendous truth is Romans 5:8: "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." While we were still in full-blown rebellion, Jesus came to our rescue. He spoke grace and forgiveness to the Samaritan woman at the well. When the woman accused of adultery cowered in the dirt, waiting for her accusers to stone her to death, Jesus gently helped her to her feet and told her to go and sin no more.

In sharing the gospel with others, do we water down the truth, fearful that it may offend? Many have been falsely led to believe that if they merely accept Christ, all their troubles will be over. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is irresponsible to share the gospel without also being honest about the cost of following Jesus. It means dying to self, and giving Jesus permission to work through us.

The Word of God is living and active. It does not need to be enhanced. If you preach the Word of God, people will be changed. If you try to disguise it with the trappings of the world, the result is often shallow commitment and cheap grace.

A recent Lenten reading from Reliving the Passion was my inspiration for today's blog. To say it gave me food for thought is an understatement.

The reading was about when Jesus stood before the high priest Caiaphas, after Judas had betrayed Him. Caiaphas demanded to know if Jesus thought He was truly the Son of God -- the Messiah. And finally Jesus answers quietly, "I am. And you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:61-62). At this Caiaphas becomes dramatically indignant, tears his robes and accuses Jesus of blasphemy.

Walter Wangerin, the author of Reliving the Passion, focuses on an aspect of this scene that I had honestly never thought about. He wonders at how Jesus picks this time (of all times!) to publicly declare that He is the Messiah. "From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus charged those who experienced His power to say nothing about it."

True enough. The following are examples of Jesus telling people to be quiet about His identity:

• And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And He strictly ordered them not to make Him known (Mark 3:11-12).
• And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one (Mark 7:32-36). 
•  And all were weeping and mourning for her, but He said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand He called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And He directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened (Luke 8:52-56). 

In other words, says Wangerin, 

When He was at the height of His ministry (as the world assesses height, as the world assesses greatness), He demanded that no one say He was the "Christ." When He was dazzling crowds, confuting enemies, causing shepherds and lepers and kings to ask, "Who is this man?"; when masses were "astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak!"; even when Simon Peter explicitly confessed, "You are the Christ" -- Jesus commanded them "to tell no one about Him." Apparently none of this was the real work of the "Christ."

This is the part that got me:

The world might have expected a warrior-king, someone triumphant in its own terms. A winner, you know. A number-one, against-all-odds, pride-inspiring, tear-in-my-eye, flat-out, all-round, good-guy winner! A hero. Only when that characterization is rendered absurd and impossible does Jesus finally accept the title "Christ."

Only when all human ideals of who Jesus should be are hopelessly abandoned does Jesus claim, "I am." Not when He is being surrounded by crowds and everyone is oohing and aahing about His miracles, but when He is standing before Caiaphas. Beaten, stripped naked, and in chains.

My dear friends, we must remember that Jesus came not as a militant, in-your-face hero. He came to die. And He didn't come to die so that you could live in the lap of luxury and claim that He wants you to be rich. He is our example, and we are to follow in His footsteps. That's why Jesus says in Luke 9:23 that if anyone wants to come after Him, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him. We are to be identified with Him in His death if we hope to be united with Him in resurrection (Romans 6:5).

Proponents of the prosperity gospel are way off base, my friends. Don't believe their lies and get sucked into that abominable mind-set that Christians should have an abundance of material wealth. Search the Scriptures for yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth.

In this holy season of Lent, may we all remember this:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Let us pick up our cross and follow Him.