The Finale Is Only the Beginning  

The finale. A number of TV series have recently aired their season finale or in some cases their series finale. One was even appropriately titled simply “Goodbye”. However, a finale isn’t necessarily the end. Sometimes it can be like the graduations some are currently experiencing. Those endings to a school career are also often referred to as commencements. They may mark the end of one stage in life but at the same time can be the beginning of a new era – the start of college, military service, or a work career.

The ascension of Jesus which we observe around this time of year could be seen as the finale of Jesus’ time here on earth. Yet as He graduated into heaven, in some ways it also marked a beginning. It was the commencement of His ministry as our Great High Priest in heaven. It ushered in the coming of the Holy Spirit into our world and into the lives of believers in a new way. And while it signified the end of the work which Jesus carried out personally on this earth, it was the beginning of His followers taking up the mantle and continuing to fulfill that ministry themselves.

It's believed that Luke wrote the book of Acts. In the first verse of that book, he refers to the Gospel he had written as an account of all that Jesus “began” to do and teach. Why would he say that? Luke gave us a full description of Jesus’ life and ministry, ending with His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Wasn’t that the end of His “doing and teaching”? I believe the implication being made by Luke is that the acts which Jesus began were now going to continue through the actions of His followers. The work of the apostles and other disciples of Jesus were a continuation of His ministry.

This should serve as a reminder to us of what a large part of our purpose is as believers. We’ve got work to do. Jesus left this world, but He left His work in our hands now. It’s up to us to proclaim the good news of salvation. It’s up to us to bring healing and comfort to those around us who need it. It’s up to us to show God’s love and to share His truth. It’s up to us to warn people about sin and judgment. It’s up to us to use the gifts God has given us to minister to a lost world and to enable His Church to become the Holy Bride without spot or wrinkle that He has called us to be. It’s up to us to pray and fight against the evil in our day. It’s up to us to stand for what’s right and to uphold God’s Word. It’s up to us to issue the call for repentance and to encourage one another to let the Lord rule in our lives. Jesus has left this world, but He has passed the torch of ministry on to us as His followers.

Jesus told several parables about a master going away and leaving his servants behind to take care of the responsibilities he had entrusted them with in his absence. That’s where we are. Our Master has left. And He left us work to do. We need to be faithful, because those parables indicate that one day the master will return to hold us accountable for what we did or failed to do with those duties.

Are we being faithful? Are we continuing the work which Jesus began? We have a purpose to fulfill as we wait for our Lord’s return. Let’s be committed to doing it.  

 

Help Others Find What You’ve Found  

A couple of our younger grandchildren were visiting with us when two of their older cousins also stopped by. As they played together, the bigger kids pulled out an old Spiderman blanket from our back room, spreading it out on the living room floor. They remembered how they used to lie on that blanket when they were the age and size of their cousins. My wife and I would grab the corners of the blanket and swing them back and forth until either our arms or back would give out. It was interesting that those older grandchildren not only remembered how much they enjoyed that particular activity with us, but now they wanted their young cousins to experience the same joy. At first the younger ones didn’t want to cooperate. However, after demonstrating what they were talking about with a stuffed animal, the older kids finally persuaded the younger ones to plop down on the blanket. Sure enough, they enjoyed being lifted in the air and swaying back and forth in the makeshift hammock.

Isn’t that how we should be regarding sharing our faith with others? We should want them to experience what we’ve experienced. We know what the Lord has done for us and would love to see others encounter Him in similar fashion. We want others to sense the overwhelming peace that comes from knowing one’s sins are forgiven. We would like for others to enjoy wonderful fellowship with the Lord. We would wish others could find divine strength to help them through the tough times in life. We would like for them to have the assurance that the Lord is with them at all times. We want them to experience all the joys of knowing Christ and living for Him. Being a witness or sharing our faith isn’t a burdensome chore. It can simply be encouraging others to find the same wonderful relationship with the Lord that we’ve discovered.

However, like my young grandchildren, certain individuals may be hesitant to join in. Maybe they don’t understand, have some misgivings, or just aren’t sure they want to take the plunge. We may need to keep encouraging them and even demonstrating in various ways what the Lord means to us. It may take time, but hopefully our heartfelt witness and desire for their good will have a positive impact.

The Bible gives us numerous examples of people who followed a similar practice. Andrew went to his brother, Peter, to bring him to meet Christ. He told him, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41), and wanted his brother to find Him, too. After encountering Jesus, the Samaritan woman went to the people of her city saying, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). Jesus instructed various people He had healed not to tell anyone about it, but those people were so moved by what had happened to them that they still spread the news, wanting others to experience similar miracles in their lives.

Are we sharing our faith like that? First of all, we have to possess an experience to share with others. Have we had a personal encounter with Christ? Has He forgiven us, cleansed us, and changed our hearts? Do we enjoy an ongoing relationship with Him and daily fellowship? Do we have something to share? If we do, then we should have such a love and concern for those around us that we want them to experience the same thing.

Think about what the Lord has done for you. Then consider those people you know who would benefit from His working in their lives, too. Pray for them and encourage them to seek what you’ve found.

 

Identifying the Wolves Among the Sheep  

I’ve downloaded an app on my phone that identifies various plants. I can simply take a picture of the vegetation in question and in a few seconds its name will be revealed to me, along with more detailed information if I’m interested in knowing more about it. One of my main purposes in using such a program is to aid me in avoiding some of the poisonous plants which tend to leave me with very uncomfortable rashes. However, I’ve also found it useful when I’m cleaning out areas of my yard in helping me to determine whether something is a weed I need to eliminate or a plant that may produce flowers or have other positive qualities that could enhance our landscape.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we possessed such an app that could help us identify people so readily? It could tell us which person might be poison to us and which could blossom into a beautiful addition to our lives. Such an ability could especially be helpful when it comes to identifying false teachers or others who might lead people astray spiritually. Take a picture and a warning appears in bold red letters, “FALSE PROPHET! DECEIVER! A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING! KEEP AWAY!”

Unfortunately, there aren’t any such programs to assist us when it comes to discerning the beneficial people from the dangerous ones. It might be especially useful as we move ever closer to the time of Christ’s return. Jesus foretold that as those last days progressed “many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). We’re going to need discernment to avoid being among those well-intentioned people who get fooled into following a different path rather than the one, narrow way to which Jesus pointed.

So how do we identify those who may be poisonous to our souls? We can’t go by outward appearance, or by how dynamic a speaker someone might be, or how winsome a personality someone possesses, or how good that person makes us feel about ourselves. We can’t identify them based on how many followers they have or how successful their ministry is. Jesus warned that “many” will be deceived, so popularity may not be an accurate indicator. In some cases, it may even serve as a warning sign.

Concerning false prophets, Jesus declared, “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). Watch their lives. No one is perfect, but do they manifest Christlike qualities, the “fruit of the Spirit” (see Galatians 5:22-23), and spiritual genuineness? Are they seeking holiness rather than excusing sinfulness? Look for the motives behind their actions – are they doing what they do out of love for God and concern for others, or are they mainly out for personal gain and glory?  

However, identifying marks aren’t just found in their character but also in their teaching. John pointed out that anyone who denies Jesus is the Christ is antichrist (I John 2:22). The Bible also warns that those who preach a different gospel should be avoided. Listen to what those people are teaching. Does it coincide with what the Bible says? Do they try to “explain away” clear teachings of scripture while substituting something more palatable to our modern culture? If they are taking away from the good news that Jesus died for our sins then they are not adhering to the one true gospel. If they are condoning what the Bible calls “sin”, then their teachings are in error.

Don’t solely trust your “gut feeling” about someone, but the Holy Spirit can give His people discernment if we’ll stay attuned to His leading. If we’re prayerfully on guard and keep these factors in mind, God can help us see through the sheep’s clothing and identify the wolves among us.

 

A Mom’s Example: Be Fresh and Fruitful  

Recently I took my eighty-seven-year-old mom grocery shopping. With her back problems and other physical limitations, she made her way slowly through the aisles of the store, sometimes pausing for a moment in order to rest. Even though I tried to do all the reaching for items on shelves and any heavy lifting, by the time we were finished I knew she was in pain and worn out. However, as we approached the check-out line, she took the opportunity to pull out a couple of devotional booklets and place them where she hoped someone might see them, pick one up, and be ministered to by its inspirational content. Then she proceeded to ignore her own physical discomfort long enough to interact with the cashier and the person bagging our groceries with a warm smile, a laugh, and kind words.

My mom is not perfect. And she’ll likely be embarrassed when she discovers I wrote this about her and will remind me of her faults. Certainly there are days when her ailments negatively affect her spirit and attitude. However, on this Mother’s Day weekend I’m thankful for a mom who still often seeks to be a witness for Christ and tries to positively touch the lives of others whom she encounters. It reminds me of a description given in one of the Psalms. “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright” (Psalm 92:12-15).

No matter what age we are, no matter our physical challenges, no matter how trying our current circumstances may be, we should hope to be “fresh and flourishing” spiritually. While some of us may be limited in the scope of our activities or in the opportunities we have to personally interact with others, we can still look for ways to bear fruit for the Lord and to be a witness for Him. How do we do that? How do we maintain a spirit of freshness? How do we flourish in spite of the obstacles which try to hold us back? How do we keep bearing Christlike fruit when there are so many reasons to give in to the tendency to just dry up and wither?

I believe Jesus pointed us to one of the key elements in the answer to those questions. He also used a plant analogy in conveying this truth, although using a vine as his teaching tool rather than one of those majestic cedars of Lebanon. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). The key to being fresh, flourishing, and fruitful is to abide in Christ. This means that we stay closely connected to Him. We don’t allow anything to come between us and our relationship with the Lord. Unlike King Solomon who allowed the influence of idol-worshiping wives to lead him astray from God in his latter years of life, we continue to maintain our love and loyalty to the Lord in spite of the forces of this world that try to pull us in a different direction. We continue to cultivate a growing fellowship with the Lord through prayer, listening to and obeying His Word, participating in corporate worship, and seeking for ways to serve Him and to point others to Him.

No matter what challenges and limitations we may face today, if we’ll keep pursuing a closer walk with Jesus, He can make us spiritually fresh and fruitful.