Easter Is Over, Now What?

I hope that everyone had a great day celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ yesterday! For me, Easter has to be the biggest day in the life of the church. Although, while we celebrate the resurrection with special emphasis this one day every year, we should absolutely remember and thank God for the resurrection every day! For some, Easter is a time for family get-togethers especially in our ministry area with the kids being out of school. Then there is the Easter parade, we can't forget the Easter parade! What's that you say? You know, where everyone buys new clothes and shows them off at church :).

But Easter is over, now what?

For years, the disciples had spent every moment with Jesus Christ. They had heard His teaching, seen the miracles that He performed and witnessed Him heal many who were sick. They were also there with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas betrayed Him and handed Him over to be arrested. We know that at least John was present at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. When the women reported the angels news that Jesus had been resurrected, Peter went and verified the empty tomb. By the time we get to John 21,the disciples had even seen Him twice after His resurrection. The disciples were faced with the very same question - Easter is over, now what?

After witnessing all they had seen the Messiah do and hearing everything that He had taught, what did they decide to do? Go fishing! 

"After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed Himself in this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of His disciples were together.³ 'I’m going fishing,' Simon Peter said to them. 'We’re coming with you,'  they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.'" - John 21:1-3

Remember where Peter was when Jesus called him to follow Him as a disciple? 

"As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. ¹⁹ 'Follow Me,' He told them, 'and I will make you fish for people!' ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him." - Matthew 4:18-22

After meeting Jesus and serving with Him, what did the disciples do? The disciples went right back to their old way of life in the very same spot where Jesus first called some of them! (The Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias is the same sea, different name). How could they go back to their old life after meeting Jesus? 

Jesus has an illustration for them in John 21 (remember, they hadn't caught any fish): 

"When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus. ⁵ 'Men,' Jesus called to them, 'you don’t have any fish, do you?' 'No,' they answered. ⁶ 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat,' He told them, 'and you’ll find some.' So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish." - John 21:4-6

The disciples had walked with Jesus Christ and it was now their responsibility to be Christ's ambassadors in this world! By going back to their old life, they were not following Christ. Jesus was calling them to be obedient in doing His will. As Christians, Jesus Christ is calling us to do the same!

For many pastors and churches, the week after Easter can be depressing. At our church, we put a lot of emphasis into inviting people to our Easter services. We passed out around a thousand invitations and I know of one person that came because they were invited. Many will look at that as a failure however I do not. Many will see smaller crowds this week and it will bring discouragement. I cannot emphasize enough that our task is to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ and we are to leave the results up to Him. Unfortunately, many Christians are not obedient. Too many Christians just want to show up at church for the show. They do not want to live out their faith in the church. These are also the very same people who sit and wonder why the church isn't growing or the nit pick and say "We should be doing _____."

So Easter is over, now what? Christians, it's time that we get about doing the Lord's work and "cast our nets on the right side of the boat!"

His Cross, Our Command

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” – Luke 9:23

Since the Passion of the Christ came out several years ago, I usually pull out my DVD and watch it during this time of the year. I know many people that have a problem with the movie because they do not like seeing the graphic display of the beatings and crucifixion of Jesus. For me, I need that visual reminder of the price that Jesus Christ paid for us. I think we have cheapened the gospel so much in our society that we think that His sacrifice did not cost too much. Growing up in Mississippi, I remember hearing old stories of people receiving the death penalty and dying from the electric chair or the gas chamber at Parchman Penitentiary. There was even a portable electric chair that was transported from county to county when it was needed. Now put that in perspective a moment. We have glorified the cross so much that I think we have forgotten what it was used for. It was used as a means for capital punishment! When Jesus was carrying His cross through the streets of Jerusalem, He might as well been pushing that portable electric chair. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the cross and the price He paid on it, but let’s not forget that it is a symbol of death and punishment. I believe that is the image that Jesus is trying to get across to His disciples in the scripture posted above. If anyone is going to follow Him, they must give themselves fully over to Him, even to the point of death!

In the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, there is one man that I wish I could have a conversation with; one man who I would truly like to know more about. That man? Simon of Cyrene.  

^“As they led Him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.” – Luke 23:26

Can you imagine what it was like to carry THE cross of the Lord Jesus? The blood that stained and ran down that cross was now on you. The blood that washes away the sins of believers was now on you! Can you imagine seeing His beaten and battered body walk ahead of you as you carried His cross to His execution? Can you hear the crowds cry out, some with tears others with insults? As you stand on Golgotha, stained with His blood, can you imagine seeing Him nailed to the cross and die? How hopeless that must have made Simon feel as well!

How did our Christian culture move from Simon carrying the blood-stained cross to the non-committal, fickle people who follow Christ today but only at their convenience? We want salvation, but do not ask us to live out our life for you or serve you. Today many self-proclaimed Christians want all the benefits of Christianity without any of the sacrifice.

Will anyone today take up His cross and truly follow Him?

My Haunting Dream

A couple of years ago, I had a dream during the night that has troubled me a lot since seeing this vision. My dream took place in our neighborhood from the front porch of our church. Now you do not need to envision what my neighborhood or church look like for the dream is applicable to your neighborhood and church setting as well.

It was dark, evening time and people were coming to church as if they were coming to our evening service. I was on the front porch greeting people as they came in and then I noticed something. In the street was a conveyor belt, similar to the one you put groceries on but much larger. Then I began to notice people leisurely standing in a line on the conveyor belt. If you have ever been in one of the larger airports and seen people travel on those moving walkways then you understand what I am talking about. In the street, right in front of the church was a pit where the moving walkway would end. This was a fiery pit with flames spewing forth. The smoke from the pit left an orange glaze to the dark night sky. The embers of the fire glowed brightly as the numerous sparks in the air seem to provide a light show. The people on this moving walkway were being dumped in the pit at the end of their journey. All of this is happening right on the doorstep of the church as we are all going in to worship. I see myself on the front porch screaming and trying to reach them but it was if I couldn’t move off the porch. I was screaming, but the church members couldn’t hear me. The people on the belt were content to go to Hell and the church members going to worship were content to let them.

Needless to say, this dream has haunted me but not near as much as it should have. I told our church about this image during a revival that we had but I doubt many remember me telling them about it. I hope this is an image that I will never forget. In fact, I would love to have it illustrated in a painting to hang in my office. You may be thinking that the image is not something that you would want hanging around however I believe we need to be reminded of the urgency of the hour!

What do we need to be urgent about? Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! You may not believe in Jesus and so you do not see why this is such an urgent matter. You may be a Christian and think “Well, Jesus hasn’t come back in 2,000 years so we have plenty of time.” That is an even more dangerous attitude than the first! The book of Jude verse 23 tells us about the urgency we need: “save others by snatching them from the fire.”

As a young kid, 3 or under I believe, I had something happen to me that scarred me. I was walking alongside a pool and fell in. Of course, I did not know how to swim. Fortunately for me my mother was there to rescue me. But let me ask you, what would have happened to me if she hadn’t snatched me up? Where will the lost people of this world spend eternity if Christians do not have the urgency to snatch them up?

5 Quick Ways to Recognize False Teaching

A couple of Sundays ago, March 30th to be exact, I preached a sermon entitled “God’s Word In The Last Days” from 2 Timothy 3:1-4:8. This text is a great challenge to, not only pastors, but to all Christians. Paul was warning Timothy about the kind of people he would face in the last days (days between Christ's ascension and return). Paul then goes on to describe these people:

^"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!" - 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

What is truly amazing to me is that I have always thought Paul was describing the state of lost, unchurched  people however Paul is describing false teachers who claim to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! For these, Christianity was just an outward religion and they had not truly accepted Jesus as Savior thus there was no inward change. They looked like a Christian, but they acted like the world! These heretics held a form of godliness but they denied the truth of Christianity.

Knowing this, that there a false teachers and false professing Christians that Satan uses to draw others away from the truth of the Gospel, I offer for you "5 Quick Ways to Recognize False Teaching."

#1 The Trinity

Even thought the word trinity is not used in scripture, it is described in scripture. Simply stated, the doctrine of the trinity states that God is One. Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims "Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One." However, at the same time that God is One, He is also revealed in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God reveals His triune nature to us at the very Beginning in Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." He also commands us to baptize according to the trinity "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19). Our Baptist Faith and Message describes the trinity this way: The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

The trinity is biblical and anyone who adds to the trinity, takes away from it or substitutes one of the members is perverting the scripture. If a teaching puts adds another member to the trinity, that is false teaching. If a teaching subtracts members from the trinity, even if they call them "god" or "jesus", that is a false teaching and they are worshipping something other that the God of scripture. If a teaching substitutes any of the members of the trinity for anyone, anything else, that s a false teaching.

#2 The Scriptures

As Christians, we are so fortunate to have the Word of God, the Bible! I truly believe we as Americans take for granted our access that we have to the Bible. God's Word has existed since the beginning of creation. John 1:1 tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word has always existed! The Word is preserved by God and will not change. "For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished," Matthew 5:18. Also, God's Word is eternal. " but the word of the Lord endures forever,"  1 Peter 1:25. Also, the scripture will instruct us and lead us to be complete before God: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work," 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The Bible is the only authoritative Word that God has given us! False teachers will tell you that you need the Bible but that they have another holy book for you as well. False teaching will say that the Bible is not enough. A modern day example would be putting the teachings of a church or traditions on the same level as the scripture.

#3 Salvation

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is John 3. Why is that?  because here Jesus gives us the instruction that we must be born again. Not only that we see a beautiful explanation and picture of the love that God has for us! Jesus Christ is the only way that we can have a right relationship with God and be saved! In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Also, if we do not accept Jesus Christ, He does not condemn us because we have condemned ourselves! "Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God." So how can one be saved? "This is the message of faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation," (Romans 18:8-10)

Paul experienced problems with a group of people called the Judaizers. These people wanted to added the Jewish ritualistic customs to the salvation process. Unfortunately, people like the Judaizers still exist today. If a teaching adds additional requirements to the salvation process, then it is a false teaching. Some modern day examples are having to exhibit a certain spiritual gift, have to dress a certain way, abstaining from certain things, having to be forgiven of sins through a human agent, etc. Also another danger is the popular thought all people will be saved in the end anyway. This is a dangerous teaching and entirely false. Revelation 20:14&15 gives us the chilling truth about those that are not saved through Jesus Christ: "Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

#4 Sin

Humanity is in need of a Savior because sin entered the world through the sins of Adam and Eve. Because of their sin, humanity is cursed. We need a Savior! We are all sinners, none of us are perfect. Romans 3:23 states "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." What does it matter if we sin? Why is it so important? Simply put, Sin is in direct opposition to God.  Psalm 5:4 reveals to us God's nature in regards to sin, "For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You." Sin is in direct opposition to God and as unforgiven sinners, we are separated from God.  Isaiah 59:2 states "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen."

All throughout scripture God reveals His standard for righteousness and what He considers to be sin. Any teaching that states that any sin or a certain sin is acceptable is a false teaching. Start with the 10 Commandments and see what that teaching has to say about those things. If the teaching says sin is ok, then that teaching is in direct opposition to God's will.

#5 Fruit

Finally, You can know a real Christian or a real teaching by their fruit. Paul gives us the fruit of a Christian in Galatians 5:22&23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, self-control." A lot of people have memorized those verses however we would also do well to pay attention to the fruit of the flesh that he lists before it in Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  Any teacher or teaching that produces the fruit of the flesh is a false teaching!