What we can learn from Church history…

One Sunday morning I took a chance. I did something I’d never done before, and that I’d never seen done before. We took the morning teaching time and studied church history. I confess I was a little nervous. History isn’t known as a subject that inspires most of us. After all the dates, places, and names of the past may help us with a game of Trivia Pursuit, but that’s about all they can do. Not so with church history. It can inspire.

As we study Christians from the past that put their careers, their families, and their very lives on the line for Christ we are encouraged to live more Godly lives.

Take Ignatius and Polycarp for instance. Two leaders in the early church whom when asked to turn their back on Jesus Christ and live, chose to remain faithful to Him and die. And others followed suit. You see, as those in the early church watched their leaders die for the faith they too were inspired to surrender their lives.

The best example? Take the Christians who lived in Rome under Nero’s reign. The historian Tacitus reminds us that the citizens of Rome believed that it was Nero himself who started the fires that broke out on June 18th, A.D. 64. These fires burned for six days and seven nights destroying Ÿ of the city. When it was all over, Nero began looking for scapegoat – someone to blame for the fires. His eyes fell upon the 1st century Christians. Although they were guilty of nothing, Nero sought creative ways to take their lives. He had them dressed in furs to be attacked and killed by dogs. Others he would crucify.  Others he would impale upon stakes and light his gardens by night using them as human torches. And still the Christians refused to deny Christ and worship the Roman gods.

What they had found in a personal relationship with Christ sustained them through great suffering. Those early Christians not only discovered a Person worth living for; they had also discovered a cause worth dying for. May we learn our commitment from those who counted the cost and lived like it mattered.

It’s Christmas day…the waiting is over.

This morning children of every age will awaken with this thought: The waiting is over. For days now they have been staring at the packages under the tree, and waiting. Perhaps some have even succumbed to their own curiosity, and haven’t waited.

Are you among those who have a Christmas secret in your past?  You looked to the left, then to the right, carefully unwrapped the gift prior to Christmas morning, and then rewrapped it quickly and hoped no one could tell the difference?

I had a gift like that once when I was a child. It was a packaging box in the top corner of the closet that drew my attention. When I pulled it down and took a peek inside I discovered a set of ceramic bookends. One was a baseball glove, and the other a football. I kept returning to that box when no one was watching. One day when I got that box from the closet it slipped from my hand. When I looked in the box what had been two bookends was now three. I put them back in the box and never looked again. When I opened the gift I saw that the baseball glove had been put back together.  Although the observant eye (and my guilty conscience made mine very observant), could still see the fracture and the thin line of glue that now held the left bookend together. Later that day, my mother pointed out the glue and shared a curious story. She recounted that when she had first ordered the bookends they were in one piece, but when she went to wrap them one was broken. I guess I wasn’t the only one with observant eyes that morning.

There are two characters in the post-Christmas  story that had been waiting: Simeon and Anna. When the baby Jesus was brought to the temple for his dedication (40 days after his birth) Simeon appears. He had been “waiting on the consolation of Israel”  (Luke 2:25).  The word consolation means to bring comfort. That’ not only what the nation of Israel needed, but what we all need as well. Jesus is meant to bring comfort to the soul that is anxious, troubled and hurting this Christmas day.

Anna was prophetess. She had been a widow for 84 years.  And that entire time she had been “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). That’s a long time to wait for something. The word redemption means to “buy back and set free.” Jesus bought us back from the addicting slavery of our selfishness and set us free to fulfill our God intended purpose — bring glory to God.

So this Christmas, as you open those gifts, pause to remember the gift that was worth the wait. The One who brings both comfort and redemption.

What angels must have thought…

You ever wonder if the angels might have been just a little confused about the Christmas events? Think about the message they were told to proclaim. Perhaps you remember hearing the message spoken by 8 year olds dressed in white with garland halos from Christmases–past. Here’s the angelic proclamation:

Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you: You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:10-12).

If you were an angel wouldn’t such a message seem a bit confusing?

Why was God taking such an interest in those from the human race? From the moment they were placed in the Garden of Eden they were succumbing to temptation and seeking ways to rebel. When God gave them His law, they only devised more creative ways to break it. As an angel it sure would be difficult to understand God’s love for these people.

Even more confusing might be the appearance of their Creator. The message they proclaimed is that Jesus had come as a baby. Can you imagine an individual more dependent than a baby? A teenage mom would be caring for Him. An earthly father would be providing for Him. And then there’s the matter of his birthplace. Had they misunderstood the message? He was in a stable? Lying in a common feed trough? The whole ordeal must have certainly confused more than a few angels.

But then again they had spent their entire existence in the presence of their Creator. Perhaps they had seen his love in action before. Perhaps it didn’t surprise them at all that God would go to such extremes to express His love to a people who were in such need of a Savior.

What the first Christmas might have been like

The mother’s scream ripped through the darkness.  She bit her lip, her body tense, her mind focused. The pain for this first-time mother was beyond anything she had anticipated. She tried to recite the verses she had learned as a child. “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong
There is no Rock like our God.” 1

She felt the uncontrollable tightening across her back, as her body strained to release the physical burden that had grown heavier these past months. Perspiration beaded on her forehead. She fought back the fear of panic that was rising in her chest. With greater intensity she kept repeating
”The Lord has made me strong. The Lord has made me strong. The Lord has made me strong.” The contraction subsided, and she rested.

She had labored through the night, only her husband by her side. No mother would ever know the physical pain she bore to birth this son.  She was a young mother after all—her womb—a virgin’s.

Between contractions her husband tenderly stroked her hand. His deep voice began to hum a familiar melody. It was just like him to hum only the tune so she would have to voice the lyric. Between contractions she quietly sung the words she herself had written months earlier. 

How my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed
 2

She smiled. Joyfully remembering the day she discovered she was pregnant.

The smile quickly melted under the growing strength of another contraction. Her weary muscles bore down, and Mary’s sweet song was driven from her mind with God’s promise to Eve, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth.” 3

The final contraction was the worst. The young girl’s body stretched between time and eternity by two invisible powers. The first, denying her son entrance to the world, and the other, insistent that the boy be born precisely on time.

With eyes squeezed tightly shut, she pushed hard, and heard the infant cry of her newborn son.  His tiny human lungs inhaled earth’s air as a human for the first time.  Amidst the chaotic noise of an overcrowded Bethlehem night, she heard her husband’s gentle voice, “We will call Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Years later, the apostle John would capture this event with nine simple words. . . and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. . .

1  1 Samuel 2:1-2. Taken from Hannah’s prayer when she discovers she is pregnant with Samuel the prophet. It seemed reasonable to me that an expectant mother would have known and learned this passage.

2 Luke 2:46-48

3 Genesis 3:16

Curious and Joyful…the story of Mary

Traveling isn’t recommended when you’re nine months pregnant. The airlines won’t take you. Your doctors will discourage it, and who would want to be that far away from medical care when your first contraction could be less than a minute away?

Yet, there Mary was traveling 85 miles side-saddle on the back of a donkey, when her due date could have been yesterday. What were her thoughts on the way to Bethlehem?

To say that she was experiencing some physical discomfort is probably an understatement. Every rut the donkey stumbled into drove the Christ-child ever closer to leaving the womb and entering the world.

She probably felt fear. Why else would the angel have told her, “Do not be afraid.” Perhaps she was fearful of new surroundings, new friends, and <Ouch! > those new contractions!

She certainly   felt joy.  Although there were no ultrasounds she already knew the sex of the baby. The angel had said He would be a boy!

She probably was curious. The angel had said that her Son would be great and would reign over an unending kingdom (Luke 1:33). What exactly did that mean? Joseph’s angelic courier said their Son would  “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). How could that be? Who was this baby growing inside her?

Perhaps you, like Mary, find yourself curious this Christmas.  Just who was Jesus Christ anyway? Why does the whole world stop to celebrate His birth? Can I encourage you to pick up your Bible and discover for yourself?

You’ll find his birth in Luke chapter two, but from there jump forward one book to the Gospel of John. As you read about His life don’t be afraid, for just like Mary your curiosity will be satisfied and your joy will be full.

Looking for opportunities in the rush of the season

A friend of mine challenged me with a great question. He asked, “If Christmas is Jesus’ birthday why is it we spend all our time hunting for gifts to give to others?” He paused and added thoughtfully, “It would be a little like your friends insisting they help you celebrate your birthday, and then they bring a bunch of gifts to give to each other while never bringing one for you!” He asked the question sincerely. There wasn’t an ounce of Scrooge in his voice. And I confess the question got me thinking. Had Christmas simply become the greatest retail surge our financial markets feel? Could I find a way to give a gift to the Lord?

I pondered the characters that surround our manger scene. The shepherds didn’t have much, but they gave their worship to the Lord. The three wise-men were certainly busy, but they took years out of their schedules to find the newborn King and give their gifts. And of course the words of Jesus Himself haunted me, “. . . for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take me in.” (Matthew 25:42) Could it be that we missed the meaning of Christmas because we were too busy preparing to celebrate?

When my daughter was six years old we had a doctor’s appointment in Philadelphia around Christmas time. But the doctor’s appointment was only the event God used to schedule a divine appointment He had for us. As we were returning home, Ashlyn spotted a homeless man sitting on a mattress along the curb. “Daddy, can we help him?” she asked. “No, honey, not today, we’re too busy,” my mind racing through all the things I had to jam into the days before Christmas occurred. “But daddy, it’s Christmas time” the little voice whispered from the back seat.  I looked in the rearview mirror, and saw the tears filling the corners of her eyes. I decided it was an appropriate time to rearrange my busy schedule. A stop at a vendor, a cup of hot coffee, a six-year-olds smile, and a pamphlet sharing how someone could be at peace with God brought a smile to the lips of a man who had no home. I rethought the meaning of Christmas.

Could it be that God has divine appointments for each of us this season? Opportunities for us to give our gifts directly to Him?  I hope this season you’ll be looking for them – those divine appointments with your name attached.

The truth about how anger works…

I struggle with anger. Perhaps you do too. When I succumb to my anger it feels like I don’t have control over my emotions, thoughts, and choices. It seems like decisions are being made for me. It feels like I’m in a box. But is that reality? The following video illustration helps to clarify. If you are receiving this via email or Facebook you may need to go to the home page www.philmoser.com  to view it. Special thanks to Pastor Jack and his family for participating. Running time about seven minutes.[wpvideo nY47yuJ5]

The angry man believes certain things about his emotions, thoughts and choices. He believes them so strongly, because he feels them so deeply. But God’s word offers rock-solid truth, and that unchanging truth brings hope. The best way to correct the faulty belief system of the angry man (and hence gain victory over our angry responses) is to put it up against God’s Word. The following slide shows us how…

The difference between wants and needs…

Perhaps you’ve heard God described as “Jehovah-Jirah.” That name means “The-Lord-Will-Provide.” 

The Old Testament Israelites should have learned that lesson well.  For forty years they roamed the wilderness, while the Lord wonderfully provided precisely what they needed. However, they soon forgot that the Lord was daily providing their needs. Every morning God dropped the equivalency of 240 freight cars of manna (a small bread-like flake) upon the ground. When they needed water He miraculously provided it from a rock.

Still, it wasn’t long before they got their needs confused with their wants, and began to complain (Num. 11:5-6). Sound familiar? I read recently that sales catalogues exist to create dissatisfaction with what we already have. That statement is probably true about our entire culture. Wherever you go it seems we are told we don’t yet have enough, or the latest, or the best. Such a spirit of dissatisfaction will never bring about a spirit of gratefulness to the Lord who will provide.

The solution, quite simply, is keeping our wants from becoming confused with our needs. That is what allowed the apostle Paul to say that he had learned “contentment” in whatever state he found himself (Phil 4:11). Few people were more precise than Paul in understanding the difference between his wants and his needs. 

Paul wrote: “
 all things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant . . .” [Phil. 3:8 in The Message].

Paul’s only need was Jesus Christ, everything else was a want. Does that sound radical?

 To the apostle Paul it sounded satisfying.

Practical implications of the humanity of Jesus

Sometimes the simplest verses seem to be the hardest to live out.

Consider this one, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).

The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God. But if your portrait of Jesus is void of his humanity, his teaching and example will seem to be beyond your reach. Living just like Jesus will seem unreasonable. You might even wonder if it’s possible.

But here is a significant truth behind the incarnation of Christ: Jesus walked where you walk so that you might learn to walk like he walked.

If Jesus was fully human, as the Bible declares, then he lived out his entire earthly life under the intrinsic limitations of humanity.1 His victory over temptation was possible through his reliance upon the resources that are available to you and me today. Let that thought settle in. Jesus did not reach outside of his human limitations when being tempted to sin. He operated within the confines of his humanity when he battled temptation. That’s what it means to be tempted like we are yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

To embrace Jesus’ full humanity is one of the most significant “how” factors for living the Christian life. Practically speaking, once you are in Christ, victory over the temptations with which you struggle, will not come from the latest trend, program, or motivational speaker – these will only bring temporary change. Your growth and change will take place only as you learn to avail yourself of the same resources that Jesus, being fully man, depended upon.

1 I am indebted to Dr. Doug Bookman presently with the Shepherd’s Seminary for the phrase, “the intrinsic limitations of humanity.” Several years ago I was preparing to teach the Life of Christ at the church where I pastor and a friend directed me to Doug Bookman’s teaching. He has great insights on both the deity and humanity of Christ. http://bookmanministries.com

Heaven is a real place…

As a pastor a portion of my life involves the home-going of our people. I mean by that their entrance into heaven. From a human perspective we think of death as the end. But for the Christian (the one who has placed their faith in Christ for salvation) death is spoken of as a beginning. That is why Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). That is also why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

Nonetheless, death is painful. It hurts those it leaves behind. From grandchildren to grandparents – death honors no age boundaries.

In the midst of walking through this pain with a family once, it was a five-year old boy’s smile that reminded me of the reality of heaven. I’d entered his home to speak to his step-mom about the passing of her mother. Her emotion was understandable. Even when we think we are prepared for the death of a loved one, we are never quite ready. I assured her, through her tears that I would stay with her step-son until the father returned from work so that she could go see her mother a final time. She had hardly left when the father returned home, and together the two of us sat down to explain to the five-year what had happened.

From the Bible I began to share what heaven was like: that there was no pain, or death, or tears there (Rev. 21:4). The boy’s father chimed in: his grandmother wouldn’t need her cane or her glasses anymore (I Cor. 15:53-57). And for the next few minutes, we just talked about heaven. The whole deal: streets of gold and gates of pearl. The more we talked the bigger his smile grew. Heaven, you see, to this five-year old, was a very real place. It wasn’t the figment of someone’s imagination to ease the fear of death.

Sometimes as adults we say that children don’t fully understand, but I wonder if they understand better than we do. You see, Jesus said heaven is a real place (John 14:1-6). Sometimes it just takes a five-year old to remind us.