Tag: jesus

Being One of the Cool Kids

On April 4, 2022

Our younger life might (or might not) have been filled with aspirations to be one of the “cool kids”. These were the children (or young adults) that others looked up to and admired. They were popular, often “funny”, and were able to climb to the top of the social ladder.

Sadly, these kids often used worldly tactics to get this social capital. They were not opposed to making fun of people, using profanity, or insinuating that they were starting to drink alcohol or “smoke weed”. They did whatever was trendy or popular at the time in order to gain prestige and attention in their social circle. The berated those that were outcast by society and worshipped those who were lifted up by society.

Adult life is much the same. One need only watch a sports discussion program, YouTube, TV (in general), the news, or the movies to find out this is true. The internet term “clickbait” is the epitome of someone striving to be a “cool kid”. It means one is doing whatever is necessary to gain attention (even if that means being dishonest).

Many television programs follow this tactic in part or in whole. On these programs you will regularly see people talking trash about others, putting others (who were previously in their corner) down, selling useless products, stripping themselves practically (or literally) naked, and cursing like sailors.

“Cool Kid” Syndrome is Everywhere

In fact, I daresay that one need not even watch television or internet programs to witness this phenomenon. Everyday life is full of “cool kids”, or maybe we should call them “popular adults”. They are at your work, they are in your family, they are throughout society. They are just old “cool kids”.

It does not matter to them that wrinkles have replaced freckles and gray hair has replaced pig tails. They continue the game, after all, they can dye the hair. These people ride the wave of the culture and embrace whatever methods necessary to gain fame, money, popularity, and power. And once they begin it is likely that they never will stop.

This, of course, requires that one ignore what God says about morality. But such is the price of fame. The sad truth is that in order to be popular and accepted by today’s society you will very likely have to sell your soul.

What is the Cost?

Even more disheartening is that the desire for social acceptance and social capital is an unquenchable hunger that cannot be satiated by anything here on earth. If we take this path we will leave this earth with nothing but a tattered and moth eaten soul and we will stand before the almighty God with a hopelessness that cannot be adequately described with words.

So, what is the solution? Look to Jesus for your example. Though He was despised by most of the popular and powerful here on earth, he ended up seated at the right hand of God in heaven. He knew that popularity here was fleeting and futile, and that eternal life was far more important than temporary earthly gain.

The great news is that if we follow the New Testament pattern we too can spend a glorious eternity in heaven. Then, I am sure, that a faint smile of relief will play across our lips as we suddenly realize just who the “cool kids” were all along…

Are We Underestimating the Power of Jesus?

By Jay

On July 5, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

I read a scripture the other day that made me stop and think about the awesome power of Jesus. For some reason when I read it this time (and it’s a scripture we all know well) it hit me as never before. Here is the scripture:

Mat 26:53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?

I won’t get into the story of Jesus’ capture, persecution, and eventual crucifixion here, but let’s just say that Jesus gave us a great gift when He allowed these men to take Him into captivity. He most certainly didn’t have to – as He says here, He could have called twelve legions of angels to rescue Him.

The power of Jesus is beyond anything we can imagine, after all He is the creator of the universe (John 1:1-3)! Jesus could have destroyed every man that was afflicting Him on that fateful evening. He could have set them on fire, killed them with worms (as Herod met his fate), or (if you want a more modern take), He could have beaten them down more throughly than any Marvel Superhero.

To touch on this point in a bit more depth – I hope, I truly hope, that we don’t see Jesus as less powerful than Captain America or Superman. Our children should be taught that the “fake” power of the superheroes they see in the media are weak and feeble compared to Jesus. The power that these man-made “heroes” have in their fantasy worlds is nothing compared to the awesome power of Jesus (and He has that power in reality, right here in this world).

We should also understand that true power is being meek and lowly, true power is loving one another, and true power is being willing to sacrifice everything for one’s friends:

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Yes, we should remember these Christlike definitions of power, but we should also remember that when Christ comes again it will not be the time for such self-sacrifice. When Christ comes again He will come to bring justice. If we are in an obedient relationship with Christ then His coming will be a wonderful day indeed. As the Bible says:

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

However, if we are not in an obedient and acceptable relationship with Christ…woe to us.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

If we are on the right side of the awesome power of Jesus then there is nothing that can harm us. Let us all acknowledge the glorious power of Jesus and follow the inspired and perfect doctrine of the Bible – then, and only then, will we be assured of eternal life with Christ our King.

Are We Designed to Seek Glory and Spectacle?

By Jay

On June 7, 2021

In Recommended Resources

Are we designed to seek “spectacles” – feats of greatness, grandeur, splendor, and glory? I just finished a book called Competing Spectacles by Tony Reinke and I must say that I recommend it…with a caveat. Get ready to feel some discomfort if you read it. The basis of the book is that secular media (T.V., Social Media, YouTube, politics, etc.) is starting to take the place of God for many of us in America.

In this book the author talks about something that I have mentioned on this blog quite a few times, the fact that we are designed to worship. We are designed to bow to something greater than us (God made us this way) and if we do not worship God we will find something, anything to worship to fill that void. This is one of the primary causes of idolatry (which doesn’t necessarily have to be graven images). Paul tells us what kind of things we should concentrate on in the Book of Philippians:

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

All media is not inherently bad, but we should take Biblical principles into consideration every time we consume one of these “media spectacles”. Many of these spectacles do not conform to the above verses (and many other verses in the Bible). This means it needs to be looked at carefully:

Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

When we see this content we should try and see behind the curtain. We should think a bit about who is pulling the strings and be open to the (very likely) possibility that they have motives for producing the content they do. What are they trying to get us to believe? What are they trying to get us to do? How are they trying to get us to behave?

Now it must be known that the author of the book Conflicting Spectacles is not a member of the Lord’s church. It also should be known that I’m not recommending any doctrinal matters the book might promote, but honestly I don’t think the book mentioned doctrine anyway. What I do recommend is the basic premise of the book, which I feel hits the nail right on the head when it comes to the current social & cultural situation in America.

The Basics of the Book

The core of it is this: we are designed (by God) to worship the ultimate spectacle, Jesus Christ, but when we fall away from Jesus we end up with a “God shaped hole” in our lives. What many in America turn to to fill this hole is secular media. So that might be movies with amazing special effects, YouTube binges, fiery politics, hilarious sit coms, novels, you name it. Even scarier is the fact that the media is getting better and better at “hooking us” with these false and misleading spectacles.

Again I will repeat, this does not mean that partaking in Social Media, T.V., books, and other forms of media is a sin. What it means is that we should actively think about what we are consuming and whether it fits into a Christian life.

One final thing that I’d like to mention is the amount of time we spend consuming secular media. We should be careful to avoid spending too much time on the things of the world at the expense of the things commanded us in the Bible. Studying the Bible, listening to Biblical programs, and doing things that enhance your life (outdoor work, hobbies, learning, etc.) is more valuable than listening to the agendas of the world. The agenda of the Bible is truth and it’s news is neither fake nor untrue – God and scripture should be our number 1 priority:

Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Let us search the scriptures daily to see if the things we are partaking in are healthy for our soul. After all, the Word of God has the final say in all matters temporal or eternal. Here is a rather long section of scripture that I think is pertinent to this week’s topic:

Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

So, if you are brave enough (I’ll warn you, it is almost sure to cut you to the heart as it did with me) you might consider looking up this book. I think it is around twelve dollars on Amazon (I’m not going to link to it from here). Regardless, the core message is one that I’m sure we can all agree on, most of us need to reevaluate our consumption of secular “spectacles” and focus on the ultimate spectacle; Jesus Christ’s death and glorious resurrection. Then, and only then will we be truly fulfilled and gratified.

Jesus, the Ultimate Blessing

By Jay

On May 31, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

Last week I spoke of the blessings of normal life that are given to us by God, and while those blessings certainly are amazing, this week I’d like to shift course and discuss the ultimate blessing in our lives. After all, without this ultimate blessing all of our other blessings would be temporal and meaningless.

Often, when I think of Jesus I think of a kind and loving “Savior”. While Jesus most certainly is a kind and loving Savior we also must remember that He gave us the ultimate gift – the gift of salvation. He, the Creator of the Universe, came to earth and died an agonizing death on the cross. Above this, He bore the sins of mankind – and by His death we now have the hope of eternal life.

However, the point of this article is not to tell you something that you already knew, it is to remind us of something (I believe) we can often forget. I know that I have had times in my life where I partook of the Lord’s supper and barely regarded Jesus’ great gift to us. We cannot let this happen. Every first day of the week we should take our mind back to the cross and realize that Jesus gave us this precious gift of salvation, and that He suffered greatly so that we could have it.

Imagine a beautiful mansion on one thousand acres of gorgeous countryside. Now imagine that someone gave this to you along with two billion dollars. How would you feel about this gift? Would you consider it a great gift? A precious gift? Well, Jesus’ gift to us makes that gift laughable in importance and prestige.

Jesus offers us the gift of eternal life, which is a gift more valuable than mountains of gold and material wealth. As we go throughout our week (and on this coming first day of the week) let us take time to thank our Lord and Savior for His gift to us. Let us take time to enjoy and be grateful for the ultimate blessing in our lives.

Jesus, the Lamb Who is a Lion

By Jay

On April 20, 2021

In Bible & Doctrine

Often, when I think of Jesus I think of the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the man who healed the sick and aided the poor and lowly. I imagine Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-40) or healing a leper (Mat 8:2-3). I imagine Him walking with His disciples and giving them wisdom and insight into the world.

However, this is not the entire character of Jesus, and we would be remiss to leave out His dealings with the Pharisees and His overturning of the tables in the temple. Jesus was meek and lowly, but He was not weak. Jesus came to bring a sword:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

This may seem contradictory – how can Jesus be both the Prince of Peace and come to bring a sword? Well, as it turns out this is what is commonly called a paradox, it is not a contradiction. A paradox is something that appears contradictory but upon further examination it is not.

Jesus was (and is) a paradox. He is infinitely merciful, but He is also infinitely just. Jesus always does exactly as He tells us He will do in the Bible – it is not in His nature to do otherwise. He tells us to obey His commandments (Mat 7:24-27), and as our creator He has the right to demand such (John 1:1).

This contrast between mercy/love and justice/wrath is what led brother Thomas B. Warren to proclaim that Christ is the Lamb-Lion. The ultimate paradox who gives us the final and conclusive meaning of the universe, the world, and our individual lives. Jesus gives us all things that are good, and in return we are expected to follow and obey His commandments.

If we are to accept Jesus’ loving mercies we must also be willing to accept our responsibilities to Him as soldiers of the cross. Let us all take up our cross and follow the ultimate paradox, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.