A Spiritual Intervention

The door opens seemingly by itself, could it be a ghost? No, Bilbo Baggins reappears after sliding The Ring off of his finger. He has just shocked all of the Hobbits in the Shire as he vanished from sight at his birthday party. Now, placing the ring in his pocket for safe keeping he goes to his sitting room to collect his things. But Gandalf is waiting for him with questions. Finally Gandalf confronts Bilbo about the ring and, for his own sake, to give up the ring. Bilbo reacts with aggression, not a part of his normal temperament. Then he seemingly talks to himself as he strokes the golden ring in his hand; “my precious”…he whispers to it. Gandalf seems to grow taller as the room darkens as his voice booms in the small hobbit home, “Bilbo Baggins, do not take me for some conjuror of cheap tricks…I am not trying to rob you, I am trying to help you!”

The scene is epic within the story spun by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings”. Gandalf is having an intervention of sorts for Bilbo. The Ring, can and will impose its will on those who possess it…they may at first believe they control it but soon enough it will control them. Bilbo Baggins’ mood change is evidence of this as Gandalf tries to reason with him. He bares his teeth and snarls like an animal…he is possessed by what he possesses within his hand. Bilbo needs help, he needs someone stronger than himself to find the strength to relinquish that which he is now a slave to.

Isn’t that a great picture of what sin does to us? We begin by dabbling, believing we are in control. But we quickly realize that we don’t possess sin, sin possesses us. We hold it in our hands, in our lives and we lack the strength to relinquish control because we are slaves to it. ^“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36 NIV) We need a source of freedom. We need a spiritual intervention, one who has resisted life’s temptations and has paid the price of our redemption: Christ himself! Jesus, the Son of God, comes to us and says give it to me! Give me your burdens, your sins, your enslavement. Without His help we snarl and wail like animals lost within their own entanglements.

“I have come that you might have LIFE, and have it abundantly!” -Jesus (John 10:10)

What are you holding onto that you have yet to relinquish to the Lord? Don’t be a slave to what you possess any longer! Do not let the trappings of sin keep you from experiencing freedom and abundant life! When we allow the Lord to take from us our sin and shame, we WILL be free! So let go of it! Don’t allow it to poison your life any longer! You have One who cares and loves you and He wants to give you His strength and support. Let Him help…the shackles of sin can be released immediately with His strength on your side!

April 8, 2013 2

Burn the Ships!

The smell of smoke fills the nostrils and tears up the eyes. The view on the beach is disturbing, the ships are on fire as the smoke coats the air and blocks out the sun at mid-day. A sense of panic strikes at the heart of the sailors now marooned on this foreign soil. Soon, realization will set in. To find their way home, they have to move forward.

Infamous conquistador Hernando Corte’s is well known for his brutality when conquering and claiming the Aztec lands for Spain. He will forever go down in the annals of history as a conqueror that nearly wiped out an entire civilization in his day, but there is one saving act of leadership that begs to be examined. When Cortes’ ships landed in the new world, to prevent mutiny he ordered his ships burned and sunk. Imagine for a second being a sailor on one of those vessels and upon landing in this foreign environment your leader burns the only mode of transportation home. Your world comes crashing in, and the only way home is forward without retreat. It’s forward and never backward.

In a very practical sense, we ought to consider burning the vessels of doubt that reside within our faith in God. These modes of transportation will only move us backwards into our old sinful lives instead of transporting us forward into a deeper relationship with our Father in Heaven. Burning the ships of doubt has a motivational value that boldly declares that our purpose and our faith is all or nothing. As an Ambassador for Christ in this world, there is no escape route or exit plan to abandon the cause of Christ! We are either all or nothing; doubt can’t exist in the same place as our faith.

If we have doubt and fear present, perhaps it’s time to burn the ships. One might argue that fear is a part of our faith, rightly so…but it ought to be the fear (reverence) of the Lord not the fear of what the world might do to us within this cause for Christ! These two types of fear are different. Doubt on the other hand is something Jesus even confronts His disciples on… “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 8:26)

Burn the ships…move forward in your faith and trust in the Lord for guidance, protection and strength! He will never leave us or forsake us! (Deut. 31:6)

April 5, 2013 0

“Who do you think you are?”

“Who do you think you are?” I heard this from one of my sons just the other day as he was sent to his room and was expressing his outrage at the sentence that I had just handed down to him. He yelled it at the top of the stairs just after stomping up each step like a charging Elephant. His comment kind of brought me up short, who was I? In a moment of tears and anger, my son had struck a chord in me. It wasn’t so much the situation at hand, he certainly needed to be sent to his room (consequences of poor behavior), but it was an existential question that got me thinking literally “who do I think I am?”

In order to answer that very basic question, the Lord gave me His response that question. A moment of epiphany took place within me in my preparation for Good Friday. I was to bring the message that evening and so my study of God’s word became focused on the crucifixion story. Prior to the crucifixion story is an amazing yet brief expository examination on the identity of who Jesus was. Matthew 16:13-16 records this event. Jesus asks His disciples “who do people say the Son of Man is?” His question is first what does the common person know about the identity of this Son of Man? And their response to His question is essentially the Son of Man is a good person, maybe John the Baptist, maybe Elijah, maybe Jeremiah or some other prophet. It’s a response that essentially declares the people didn’t know who the Son of Man was. They truly didn’t comprehend what God’s plan was within the identity of the Son of Man.

Then, after Jesus hears their responses He asks them a more directed question…this time it’s personal, intimate, unguarded; “But what about you?” He asks them looking into their eyes as if He is looking directly into their souls, the very fibers of their created being. The moment of truth is hovering and hanging upon the completion of Jesus’ question, and slowly He asks it almost as if He’s concerned what their answer may be; “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Imagine Andrew glancing at John, as John frowns and exchanges eyes contact with the others and then finally looks at Peter, who always seems to be the boldest of the group. Peter, as if prompted by the non-verbal exchange looks back at Jesus and makes his declaration of faith, identity and purpose; “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

In a single solitary sentence, Peter makes a statement so bold that to speak it in the wrong place at the wrong time with Pharisees or priests within ear shot would have meant a death sentence. Peter declares Jesus to be Messiah and God’s Son! Jesus’ identity is revealed in scripture, confirmed to His followers, and this epic redemption story is about to unfold for all of humanity. All because that question “Who do you think you are” is answer by Jesus.

Identity Revealed:

Because of who Christ is, revealed to us, we are then able to be identified with Him, who was crucified for our sins and also with His resurrection which is our door by which eternal life is opened to us!
“But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12 ASV)

We now have the right to be called sons and daughters, children of God! That’s who we are! If we are members of the body of Christ, then we ought to no longer struggle with this identity crisis! We are His children! Christ has been revealed to us, His identity is real and His power as the Son of God has conquered sin and death for us! When people ask “who do you think you are?”; we can humbly and confidently reply that we are children of the Most High! Our identity doesn’t give us license to lord it over the world, or judge the world either, but I hope it does provide a measure of peace for our souls. WE ARE HIS! If we identify ourselves as Christians, and we also claim that we too are crucified with Christ then our identity is also answered and we ought not to live in crisis over who we are in this world! (Galatians 2:20)

Who do you think you are today? This question isn’t asked in a condescending tone, but simply inquiring whether or not you know who you are and more importantly WHOSE you are!

April 5, 2013 1

Spinning like a Merry-Go-Round

James 1:5-8 (NIV)
⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

A few years ago I experienced a very bad bout of vertigo. I was laying on my bed, looking up and the room was spinning round and around and around. It was like involuntarily being on a merry-go-round as it spun faster and faster and faster. It was a very disconcerting thing for me. I felt sick to my stomach; I had lost control and couldn’t stop this awful ride. To put it plainly it was hell. Eventually I had to go to the emergency room and get checked out. After a series of tests it was revealed that I had a buildup of fluid behind my ear and this was the culprit to my world spinning around.

Isn’t it funny how such a small thing can become such a problem in life? I struggled with my world seemingly spinning out of control and it happened that one of my ears had an issue. It makes you really appreciate and also realize just how delicately balanced our lives and bodies are.

So it is with our faith as well. Not so much on God’s end, but our end. We are often like a merry-go-round in our faith. We go round and round and sometimes we never come to any decision and we make no long term commitments to God. Yet God is standing there ready to supply us with the wisdom that we need if only we ask Him. Why is it that we forget that He’s there? Why is it that we don’t cry out to God every day when our world seems to be spinning around us?

I think pride is a part of it. All too often we feel as if we need no one’s help and if we were to ask it would be a sign of our weakness or inability. Yet God wants us to call on Him in every season of life, spinning or not. He knows how difficult life is because Christ lived it. Jesus came to our level and He can truly identify with our struggles, our temptations, and our pains. Having this knowledge of His intimate understanding of the human existence, it would be foolish NOT to call upon Him in our times of need and contentment. Pride shouldn’t play a part in us missing out on His wisdom and strength.

Lastly, as James writes, we shouldn’t doubt that when we ask God that He will or will not respond. God is always faithful to those He loves…and guess what? He loves YOU! So don’t have second thoughts about God hearing you, answering you or being there for you…He will be there, He will hear and He will answer! If there’s one place in the Universe that you can place your faith and your hopes upon it’s our Father in Heaven. He will never let us down!

A closing word of caution:

Even though He will never let us down and He hears us when we call, don’t treat God like a good luck charm or a ‘Get out of Jail’ card. He doesn’t work like that. His desire is for us to seek Him every minute of every day. He desires a relationship with us that is so much more than a word of prayer in the midst of our troubled times. God desires our hearts, our lives our love. When we have this type of relationship, He not only intercedes amidst our merry-go-rounds of trouble, but He joins us in the battles and in the struggles.

April 3, 2013 0

Amazing Grace…showing love when love is barren.

Some thoughts on grace today…after all, isn’t that what Christ’s redemption story is all about? We are those who spurned God, rejected Him, sinned and fell hard…we damned ourselves. We held the match while the bridge burned all the while smelling of gasoline…so to speak. Christ came so that we might once again have hope of Eternal life. When Christ died, the bridge called grace was built and lowered for us once again. Did we deserve this gift? No! But grace is still given to us, despite our stubborn, stiff-necked attitudes.

Turning the tables:

Who in your life needs some grace today? If we are to receive grace from God, then aren’t we to in turn extend that grace to others? Extending grace to others isn’t for the weak of heart…it takes real guts, courage and fortitude. Extending that grace to those who have spurned you, mocked you, disliked you, ‘un-friended’ you, doesn’t mean you should expect that grace to be reciprocated back…it simply means you love them despite their indifference, and act as Christ would act…you may be the only reflection of Christ that they ever see. Extending grace, means you live consistently within that love and grace regardless of who it is that grace falls upon.

April 1, 2013 1

Giving up on Easter?

It’s April 1st today. Obviously the stores are all preparing for the next big holiday and opportunity to make money.

The Easter bunnies, Lilies and other ‘seasonal’ items are on sale at severely discounted prices…it’s a steal! But the thought came to mind this morning, are we giving up on Easter?

Not so much the Easter eggs or the fancy dresses, but rather the the implication of resurrection in our lives. Our culture moves at such a fast pace that Easter is literally and figuratively yesterday’s news and we move on to the next best thing. But are we missing out? Are we losing the true meaning of Easter when we cast our vision on tomorrow and miss out on the sacredness of Jesus’ resurrected ministry before the ascension?

I think the answer is yes. I reminds me of driving on the highway. I like to speed a little, and down I go on the highway making good time, and once in a while I will drive right by an exit that I’m supposed to take. I have to keep driving up the road, which is out of my way and make a u-turn at the next exit to reach my destination. So it is sometimes with us, who are immersed in our cultures. We get up to cruising speed, we’re really speeding through life and we miss our exit. We miss the destination all together if we’re not careful. The danger is the meaning of the resurrected Christ vanishes in our fast paced lifestyles.

When Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10) He wasn’t just saying words to make us feel better, He truly meant them! We can have new life, new hope, new peace…but if we speed by this wondrous event at the speed of light we may never grasp it.

It may be Monday, the day after Resurrection Sunday, but don’t be too quick to move onto the next best thing. Take some time today to reflect on Resurrection, Eternity, Heaven, God’s Kingdom here on Earth! Take your time, ponder it, and allow the peace that passes all understanding fill you today. Don’t give up on Easter just yet…matter of fact, don’t give up on it at all. This event was epic, never duplicated again and Christ invites us to the empty tomb today to participate in this resurrected life and to live it abundantly.

April 1, 2013 0

Holiday Christians

Written a few years ago:

Easter Recap
Our church had a great Easter Sunday this past Weekend. Our SONrise service began at 8:00am, and we had about forty minutes of worship and a devotional. The power of the Holy Spirit was so wonderful to experience. After our Son-rise service, we had breakfast which was followed by our Traditional Easter Service . We were wiped after yesterday but God was awesome, hearts were touched, mine as well.

In reflecting on what Easter means to me, I have come to the conclusion that even though there are those who come to our churches only on holidays like Easter it still gives us the opportunity to plant seeds in their lives. At first I used to be very judgmental towards them, but the more and more I have been reading and praying the more I see that it isn’t about church…its about daily life. Sure we could look down on the “occasional church goer, we could confront them, make them feel guilty about not coming; but what will that do? Maybe some would get that message, while most, if not all would never returm (or take years to come back)

Now I know going to church is important for spiritual growth, but it takes sometimes huge steps for people to even grow to that point. Many are still (to quote one of my favorite movies: What about Bob) baby steppin’ it. They haven’t quite gotten to the point of seeing the need for weekly fellowship with other believers. So in their baby steps coming to church even on a holiday is a huge step.

As Christians who are maturing in the faith. planting the seed is our part (not putting on a guilt trip)…the Holy Spirit does the work, we just need to be consistent in our ministry and in our lives. And therein lies the paradox sometimes. Our lives and ministry can’t be divided where one ends and one begins, they are the same, it’s just that the hours intersect between work and home and that makes the difference. But within those segments of our lives: work, home, leisure: is there consistency? I would say sometimes it’s a fifty/fifty toss up. But we certainly have room to improve, and within those improvements the seeds that the Holy Spirit allows us to plant are so much more fertile.

Of course three things that I have continually been convicted on are these:
1) It’s the Lord’s Ministry – not mine.
2) When Victories come – He gets the credit.
3) I need to be thankful in ALL things – even the rough times.

So the next time you start to get annoyed as we all sometimes do with the “Holiday Christians” remember your job is to plant the seed, let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Just be consistent in your faith journey and see what happens.
-Just a thought.(written and re-edited by me (scott strissel) taken from my web site on Xanga: Salarmy -2007)

March 31, 2013 1

Saturday in the underworld.

It’s Saturday. The day after crucifixion, Jesus’ death. Can you just imagine all of heaven, holding their collective breath? The Angels’ anxiously awaiting, anticipating what is to come? Did they know what God had in store for Sunday? Were they party to the entire plan? The hosts of heaven gathering at the tomb, gathering unseen among the disciples, who are in hiding. Imagine what is unseen in the spirit world, as Jesus descends into the deep, setting the captives free and unleashing redemption through the veil.

This Saturday lull before the storm of victory makes us wonder what the metaphysical world looked like on such a day. What battles were fought. The might of God unleashed on the fallen ones. How awesome the power of Christ would have been to behold…it would have probably killed us, who are human, to have witnessed this might. For even Moses had to cover himself in the sight of God…so too Elijah.

It’s Saturday, probably the day within the Resurrection story that the unseen and the hosts of Hell were shaken to the core by the Son of God. This epic battle…Satan standing no chance against his very own Creator. Death, though the gate by which Christ entered, had no more power on Him than all of the demons of hell…He was not their equal, He was so much more than created…he was Creator vanquishing and unleashing those imprisoned.

There is very little within scripture to tell us of what took place on Saturday, but if Sunday is any indication of what took place, all of the demons along with the father of lies himself must tremble with fear when they consider what is to come when Christ returns again.

It’s might be Saturday on this holy week, but resurrection is just around the corner…resurrection and victory for all who would follow after the Christ. For all who would identify with the cross will find an eternal hope and a resurrection unlike any other known in the universe.

March 30, 2013 1

One Day

One day
Life became
Death
Breath became
Stilled silence
Calm
Became storm
Whole
Became broken
Wounds
Became fatal
One
Solitary
Day
Sure Judgement
Became Salvation
Real punishment
Because absolute
Redemption

One day
Innocent
Became guilty
Perfect
Was painted
With the blood
Of others
The burdens
Of others
One day
Became everyday
Every promise
Every day hope
Every day
New life
Reborn
Reanimation
Of the dead

One day
Became
Our tomorrow
Instead of
Our past

One day
With Christ
Will open
Our hopes
Transform our
Brokenness
Restore our
Reflections
And make us
Complete
Again.

March 29, 2013 0

Homeboy vs. Hometown Riot

Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV)
¹The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ²to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

Jesus stood in front of those gathered together in the synagogue of His home town and read these words…then, glancing at everyone in the room who were listening he rolled the scroll back up, it was placed in its customary resting place, and he took a seat to teach on the reading. You can almost imagine the crowd gathered there in the synagogue waiting for this fellow resident of Nazareth to speak. What would He say, he’s just a stone cutter’s son, and how much scriptural understanding does He really have? In the back of the sanctuary a person coughed, all eyes trained on Jesus, hanging on expectantly for what He would say.

Then it happens, with scriptural intent Jesus, now seated, looks directly into the faces of the people and fellow teachers and declares; “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” And then He lays it out there in his teaching. He tells them, without flinching or hesitation that every prophet is rejected in their home towns and proceeds to give examples of this through Elijah and Elisha. His meaning strikes the congregation like an audible slap in the face. Since the people of Israel rejected their prophets and continued in their ignorance the prophets went to the gentiles instead.

A fellow Jew takes a step forward and yells in outrage “What are you saying?” “How dare You!” another screams, the color of anger red rising in his face. “Blasphemy” another calls out and is repeated like an echo in a cave throughout the room. The once docile crowd seemingly awakens from its sermoned stupor and like a crashing wave onto jagged rocks at high tide convenes on the cause of their anger – Jesus. And with murderous intent glinting in their eyes, they grab Jesus roughly by His cloak. The roar of anger reverberates off of the columns and ceiling as the crowds of neighbors, townsmen, and even those who had worked with Joseph and his sons including Jesus…they knew Him, and yet they knew nothing. Anger now brimming over like lava from a volcano, the hometown crowd hauls Jesus out with cries of blasphemy and curses. Their intent is to end the guilt and conviction they feel by ending Jesus’ life. But as they approach a nearby cliff, something remarkable happens. Perhaps it’s an unrecorded miracle because no water is turned into wine, nor is someone healed from a sickness, but it’s a miracle nonetheless. The murderous rioters or would be church goers who were intent on killing Jesus aren’t permitted to do the deed! It’s not time yet for Him to die, and this isn’t the place for His ultimate sacrifice.

Instead of falling to His death, Jesus walks through the crowd. Nothing more is said of this event except that He goes on His way (v30). Was Satan involved in this sudden murderous riot? Were the town folk prompted to respond this way by a spiritual battle unseen? Perhaps, but the focus still remains on Jesus here. He walks through the would be murderers from the cliff and continues on this path and mission of teaching, healing and changing lives. This act of the crowd is fulfillment of Christ’s words only moments ago “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” It wasn’t time yet for His sacrifice for the sins of the world. And so He moves on. Something to ponder here is if this event broke Christ’s heart. Were there tears in His eyes when He walked away from them, from His home? People He had known for years had just attempted to kill Him. His ‘old stomping grounds’ had become a hostile and uninviting place for Him, further reinforcing scripture that “He had nowhere to lay His head…”or call Home anymore. (Matt 8:20)

For us today, we may never face public riots for what we say for the sake of Christ. People might not be attempting to throw us from cliffs. But if we are to be followers and emulators of Christ we too must take bold stands and remain firm in them. Jesus said to His disciples and even now to us, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16:24) In these words speaks of sacrifice, selflessness and purpose beyond our earthly lives. Jesus understood this measure of surrender, his purpose for being here on Earth and He gave himself completely to this task despite being rejected by the hometown crowd…how about you?

What is the measure of your surrender today?

(*My title isn’t meant to offend, please know I reverence Jesus and that of His life, and please don’t misunderstand my intent in the use of ‘Homeboy’)

March 27, 2013 1

Tag: Life