God Rules, People Drool

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:3

God Rules, People Drool

by Robert T. Cooper

That’s a wretched title, but it gets the meaning across. The countdown was on. From Resurrection to Ascension, Jesus had 40 days of appearances to get in His final “on the earth” teachings to His earthly followers. Just about His main topic was the Kingdom of God. Sadly, we don’t talk about this in the USA too much. I’m doing Hillsdale’s Constitution studies with thousands of others, so like many I’m into “all men are created equal.” No one is born with the right to rule. But Jesus says that one of the most important things in all of life is that God rules.

1.      God rules the cosmos.

Why is this important? Because God determines the times set for us and the exact places we will live. I’ll tell you the long story of how the Lord taught me that verse when we get there, but the short version is that He gave us the money to buy a house one block from a classmate of our child. This classmate had a home situation which was helped by our family being there for him. And God did it in such a way that everybody knew it was Him and no coincidence.

In fact, there are no coincidences. Hurricane Isaac causes a delay of the Republican Convention. That means a slightly different group will attend on a slightly different schedule. God moves in big things and in small. A friend met a new neighbor yesterday who casually out of the blue denigrated something; this triggered a reconsideration of a lifestyle decision of the friend. Coincidence? No, for the Lord reminds us to seek Him regarding all decisions on all subjects. He is Lord. He rules.

There are other consequences of God ruling the cosmos. Perhaps you’d like to mention them in the comments section.

2.      Where God rules, His people have His guidance.

We who have placed our faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we pray, it is not an unusual occurrence that our thoughts are directed in ways we know are from God and not from ourselves. This is because God is a real person and we have a real relationship with Him. God communicates with us in such a way that we know that it is really He Who is speaking with us. So this is one manner of guidance available to God’s people. However it is admittedly subjective.

There is also more objective guidance available from God by way of the Holy Bible. Again, the Holy Spirit is crucial to this guidance, for the Spirit interprets the Scripture to us and teaches us how to apply what it says to our daily situations. We have to learn the right ways to apply the Bible, because some ways are not right. Since God is more interested in us having His guidance than we are, He is active in this process.

As you might guess, it is important to have regular times for prayer and Bible study, not rushed, not short. It is important to have times as an individual and times with other believers. And it is important to “do what it says.” (James 1:22)

3.      No dual citizenship.

One of the issues in witnessing to polytheists is that they tend to simply add Jesus to their pantheon of gods. But there is also an issue in witnessing to modern Americans. That issue is that people tend to think of Christianity as simply “praying the prayer” to accept Jesus, and then you go on with your life like you were before, only you get to go to heaven when you die. Or else you go to church several Sundays each year and that’s about all the claim Christ makes on you; all the rest of your life is like it was before. It’s like you continue your citizenship in the lost world and add citizenship in the Kingdom of God as a dual citizen.

The only thing is that the Kingdom of God has a law: No dual citizenship. In order to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God, a person has to renounce citizenship in the world. A more traditional way of saying this is that one must turn from one’s sinful life and turn to Christ. The fancy theological word is repentance.

That’s what Jesus meant when He said that no one can serve two masters. Either you will love the one and hate the other or you will cling to one and despise the other; you cannot serve God and Mammon. Now we usually think of Mammon as the money god, but think larger than that. Jesus was saying no dual citizenship. If you are going to be in God’s Kingdom, to place yourself under the rulership of God, then you must abandon all allegiance to this world. This world is no longer your home. You become an alien here, an ambassador for the Kingdom. Your heart will long for your true home.

Question: React to these things. What else do you know about the Kingdom of God? If the Kingdom was so important to Jesus, why don’t we hear about the Kingdom so much anymore?

The Green-eyed Monster

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:3

The Green-eyed Monster

by Robert T. Cooper

Shhhhhhhhh! There are reports that over in Iran lots and lots of people are seeing Jesus. Apparently, He appears to them in person to win them from Islam to faith in Him. There are even reports that He teaches some as new believers for up to two years! Does that seem fair to you? Is the Green-eyed Monster of Jealousy tempting you?

In the forty days from the Resurrection to the Ascension, Jesus showed Himself to the Eleven Apostles. In fact, Matthias saw Him too, so one could say He was seen of the Twelve. In fact, He was seen by others, at one point seen by a crowd of 500 believers. After the Ascension, probably several months later, perhaps in the late fall of the year, Saul of Tarsus saw Jesus just outside of Damascus.

Then there are reports of those who have seen Jesus in ones and twos over the centuries. Some of those reports are believable, like the modern reports out of Iran; some are not believable.

One of the first appearances of Jesus following the Resurrection was on the Sunday one week immediately after Resurrection Sunday. The Apostles were gathered in the Upper Room, probably the one belonging to the parents of John Mark, the one in which Jesus and the Apostles had observed the meal depicted in da Vinci’s famous fresco.

Thomas had missed the appearance of Jesus in that same location one week earlier, but Thomas was present this time. Thomas had insisted he would not believe Jesus had risen unless he touched the wounds of the Resurrected Jesus with his own finger. Jesus appeared and offered to let Thomas touch the wounds. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether Thomas actually touched the wounds or not, but it does tell us that Thomas exclaimed his faith in Jesus as Lord and God.

John 20:29 NIV

²⁹The Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29 NIV

Now I suspect that somewhere close to 100% of those who read this blog are among those who have not seen and yet have believed. Jesus says you are blessed; I am blessed. Glory, hallelujah!

So, Green-eyed Monster, BUG OFF!

Just for discussion’s sake: Have you seen Jesus? If so, tell us about it. If not, do you want to do so before death? Why?

What Does It Take to Make You Cry?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:3

What Does It Take to Make You Cry?

by Robert T. Cooper

Some people are tough and some are tender. Some cry over sunsets, kittens and babies. Others don’t shed a tear even when physically abused. Some cry in empathy at nearly every TV show or movie. I cry in some, but I confess that The Passion of the Christ had me weeping over what my sin caused my Lord to suffer.

In truth, I had heard and even told verbal descriptions of Christ’s suffering on several occasions over the years. You can find various descriptions of the sufferings of Jesus from His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane all the way through His being pierced in the side with a spear. The brutality was fierce. In fact, while the portrayal in The Passion film was the most graphic to date, even it was not fully authentic. The truth was simply too gruesome to show in its entirety.

Isaiah wrote, “And with His stripes we are healed.” This did not mean that Jesus’ suffering would result in physical healing for believers. Rather it means that in Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross He would take our sin on Himself, dying in our place, that if we will repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we will have forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

When I was a teenager, Jesus Christ, Superstar created quite an uproar. It first came out as a double LP record album. One of the criticisms against it was that the recording ended with the Crucifixion. So when the rock opera is staged, it is done in a way that hints at the Resurrection.

For us as believers, the Resurrection shows God’s Power over sin, death and hell. It shows that Christ is indeed the firstfruit from the dead. It shows that we too have hope in resurrection, that we too will rise. Since there was an “after the suffering” for Jesus, there will be an “after the suffering” for us as well.

Now, back to the question in the title, or perhaps a better question. As you reflect on the suffering that Jesus endured on account of your sin, what feelings do you experience?

How Long Have You Been a Disciple of Jesus?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:2

How Long Have You Been a Disciple of Jesus?

by Robert T. Cooper

It may have been decades since you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It may have been mere hours. I became a disciple 53 years ago, as of this writing. Some have followed Jesus longer, some shorter.

The Apostles Jesus had chosen followed Him while He was alive on Earth for 3½ years. After the Resurrection, until the Ascension, Jesus appeared to the Apostles over a period of 40 days. All during the 3½ years and all during the 40 days, Jesus was giving instructions to the Apostles. A majority of those instructions also apply to us as disciples of Jesus. We find out about those instructions in the pages of the New Testament. It is important to absorb the New Testament into our hearts and lives so that we will live out those instructions, not as a set of legalistic rules, but as a natural way of life.

One interesting thing is that Jesus gave those instructions to the Apostles through the Holy Spirit. Even though Jesus is God the Son, this is one aspect of His earthly ministry that He performed in the manner that you and I have to perform our ministries. We have to pay attention to the direction and promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we pray and as we meditate on the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit helps to adjust our thinking to the way God wants us to think. He helps us to make the right decisions. We can trust Him.

In summary, here are the three points:

1.      Jesus gave instructions. They are in the New Testament. Pay attention to them.

2.      Jesus had to pay attention to the Holy Spirit to do His earthly ministry. You need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit to do your ministry too.

3.      Jesus gave instructions to the apostles. A majority of those instructions apply to you. Since you are His chosen person to do His ministry today, He will see to it that you have all the instructions you need.

There are some advantages to having been a follower of Jesus for a longer period of time, but you have been in the faith quite long enough for everything Jesus has for you to do today. By the way, the word “disciple” means “learner.” In the comments section, leave me a note about some instruction you have learned lately.

Ending Up at the Place You’re Supposed to Be

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:2

Ending Up at the Place You’re Supposed to Be

by Robert T. Cooper

Musicians joke that Beethoven would write several possible endings to a composition, not be able to decide which was best, and so would use them all! I was always amazed that Dickens could write two totally different endings for Great Expectations. But then, several authors have done that. Several movies have been released in versions with different endings.

When Luke came to the end of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, following Jesus’ resurrection He made appearances for forty days “until the day he was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:2). No alternative ending. Jesus went to a particular place. He sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and He stayed there.

Jesus makes a couple of later appearances in the book of Acts. He appears in Acts 7 standing at the right hand of God. He also appears in Acts 9 in a light from heaven.

Jesus is at God the Father’s right hand in order to help us with our prayers. We often don’t know how to pray as we ought. So Jesus takes our prayers and straightens them out for us so that God the Father receives them as they should have been prayed.

Jesus is also an advocate for us with God the Father. Face it, we often need someone to speak to the Father on our behalf. Sometimes we don’t even realize we need someone to do so. But Jesus knows, and He is right there on the job. He delights in caring for us so.

Finally, Jesus is at the place from which He will return when He comes back, as Acts 1:11 expresses it.

So for the final section of His earthly life, Jesus did what the Father assigned Him to do, and ended up at the place He was supposed to be.

What about you and me? We are in a section of our earthly lives. For all we know, it might be the final section. Are we doing what the Father assigned us to do? Are we making a point of ending up at the place we are supposed to be? Unlike Beethoven or Dickens or the movies, we don’t get a second chance.