Light in a Dark World

By Jesse LeMay

                Perth, Western Australia became known worldwide as the “City of Lights” when U.S astronaut John Glenn told the world he had seen the city’s lights during his historic orbit around the earth on February 20^th, 1962. To acknowledge the historic mission of the first American orbiting the globe, the citizens of Perth turned on their lights for Glenn to see all the way from space. In commemoration of that important event in history, Glenn made the same trip 36 years later and once again the people of Perth responded. Commenting on the action, the late astronaut said, “This time I could see the ground again, and it looked to me as though the lights of Perth and Rockingham were even more vivid than they had been back 36 years before in 1962, so it was a great view and once again we were happy to be able to say hello to the people of Perth on that dark side of the earth as I was going around” (watoday.com.au). No doubt the city had grown with more lights to shine, and the people wanted them to be seen.

                During His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that as Christians we are “the light of the world,” a proverbial “city” set on a hill which “cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Notice that He didn’t say we are to “be a” light, but that we “are the” light of the world. Just as the lights of Perth shone in the darkness, we as Christians are the light in a dark world. Our Lord would go on to command us to “Shine” our light in such a way that brings glory to God through our good works (5:16). Perth was brighter the second time because of the growth of the city. Likewise, as we grow as individual Christians, and as the church grows, the light of Christ should continue to shine brighter and brighter in us.

                In order for others to see God’s light we have to shine it. By helping those in need, by loving others, by applying the principles in the “beatitudes,” we provide the opportunity for those in the dark world to say “hello” to the Lord. Let us always be striving for our Christian light to become more and more vivid every day. May the church of Christ forever be the light in a world of darkness.

Why Do You Believe?

By Jesse LeMay

Why do you believe in Christ? Has anyone ever asked you that question? Have you ever personally thought about it? Does it even matter if we know why, and can tell others the reason for our faith? Knowing why we believe is crucial. Christianity is not a blind faith. Furthermore, being able to share such evidence with others is something we are called to do as Christians. Preparation plays a major role in our daily “walk” as members of the body of Christ. In what way though does this preparation manifest itself?

            Peter, an apostle of the Lord, knew the value and importance of being prepared. He said, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, …” (1 Peter 3:15). The apostle knew that there would be skeptics and doubters that Christians would encounter. This is no different today than it was in the first century. It is our responsibility as Christians to “always” be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks” about our beliefs. To tell others why we have that confident expectation of eternal life with God. So, how do we prepare ourselves? By making it a priority to know the Scriptures. If we aren’t prepared, we can’t give a “defense.” Spend more time truly studying (not just reading) God’s word. As we learn and grow, our confidence and readiness will grow also.

            Equally as important as Peter’s instruction to be ready to make a defense, is the last part of the same verse. He ends by saying, “yet with gentleness and reverence.” This is something that all Christians must remember when defending their faith. Our goal is not to prove wrong the one with doubt, but to help bring them to an understanding of the truth of God’s word. We must remember that their eternal soul is at stake, as was ours when we came to accept and obey the truth of the gospel. So, let us always be prepared to defend the Holy Scriptures in which we have placed our eternal hope. When others ask, “Why do you believe?” may we know with certainty the answer to be given.

A Closely “Knotted” Family

By Jesse LeMay

                My wife and I recently attended the wedding of a young Christian couple in Oklahoma. One neat thing they did during the ceremony was tie together three cords, which symbolized the strength that a “cord of three” has (Eccl. 4:12). A marriage that is knotted together with three strands, husband, wife, and God, is not easily broken. If God is put at the center of the marriage covenant, chances of life-long unity greatly increase. Such a concept applies to the whole of the family structure as well.

                In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus he described the bond that should tie the family together. It starts with the husband and father. He is to love his wife “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (5:25). Jesus displayed unconditional and sacrificial love for His church. As a father, he is not to “provoke” his children to anger, “but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (6:4). The goal of any parent should be to teach them about Christ and His will for them.

                Next, Paul says that just as the church is subject to Christ, wives are to be “subject” to their husbands in everything “as to the Lord” (5:22-24). The church is part of the body of Christ, and so too is the wife part of the husband. However, just as Christ is the head of the church, the husband is the head of the family according to God’s design.

                Lastly, Paul tells the children to “obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (6:1). Children increasingly grow more independent the older they get. They may even show a bit of defiance. Nevertheless, God expects them to be obedient to the ones who are caring for them and trying to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

                Such principles are not always easy to put into practice. However, did you notice the common thread in all three? It is the Lord! With Christ being that bond which ties the marriage and family together, it is possible. Interestingly, the more that each of these is done, the more we are “filled up in Spirit” (5:18)! Implementing God’s will in the family means we are ever strengthening that knot.

Single and Devoted

By Jesse LeMay

                From the very beginning God knew that it “is not good for man to be alone” and so He created Eve to be a helper (Genesis 2:18). Marriage should be just that; husband and wife helping one another be faithful and holy in their service to bring glory to God. While marriage is a beautiful and mutually assisting union from God, that does not mean that being single is a bad thing. Sadly, many people paint a dreary picture of being single. In fact, there are some aspects of the unmarried life which can actually be of more benefit. Most believe the Apostle Paul was part of the single crowd. Knowing God’s design and purpose of marriage, he wrote on the topic several times; however, he also wrote about the positives of being single in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

                In addressing an apparent question the Christians there had about marriage, Paul would go on to say that the unmarried person is “free from concern” of pleasing one’s spouse, and in turn is “concerned about the things of the Lord” (7:32-34). Marriage is wonderful and should be a bond which is concerned with serving God and helping the other get to heaven. However, being married requires time and effort to be put into caring for the other person. Being single means freedom from those duties, thus allowing the Christian to focus on their “undistracted devotion to the Lord” (7:35).

                Both the single and married life can be equally glorifying to God. If you are looking for a spouse, choose one you believe will help you in your Christian walk, knowing that marriage is a life-long commitment (7:39). Meanwhile, utilize the chances you have to serve God with eagerness and an “undistracted devotion.” Spend more time in studying God’s word. Search for ways to volunteer your time and talents for the Lord. Look for opportunities to fellowship with other Christians, married and single alike. Maybe even talk to others about forming a singles group, where unmarried adults of all ages can meet and spend time together. God said it was not good for man to be “alone,” but he did not say “single.” As part of the Lord’s body you are never alone. Whether married or single, we should all be “concerned about the things of the Lord.”

Leading with Humility

By Jesse LeMay

                Those who strive to be an example and lead the way for others can at times find themselves not knowing exactly what to do. This is true for those who lead in the business world, in their homes, in their faithful and godly conduct, and certainly in the church. Pressure, expectations, and unforeseen events can mount causing one to feel overwhelmed. Such potential stress may cause a person not to want to be a leader in the first place. Furthermore, if one is already trying to lead the way for others, these and other factors might create a desire to give up, to stop being a leader. If one has never felt this way, then they are most likely too prideful to recognize the weight of their responsibility. Thus, humility is a quality that is necessary in good leadership.

                It could be argued that perhaps Abraham Lincoln faced the greatest challenge and responsibility of any other President this country has ever had. His job was to lead this nation during a time when opposing factions battled daily to tear it apart. There were no doubt times when the task seemed impossible, and improbable at best. One of those times came after the Union Army suffered another terrible loss at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August of 1862. Shortly thereafter, President Lincoln, in his humbleness, stated: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day” (586, The American Patriots Bible). Lincoln recognized that the knowledge and abilities of men were not enough. He had the humility to know that something greater was needed, and that something was God.

                President Lincoln was not only humble in knowing that he needed to turn to God, but also in understanding the importance of his role of leading other people. Many lives were in his hands, as well as the state of our country. His actions displayed that he knew that “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 3:6). Being a leader of any kind can be a lot to deal with at times. However, if he or she possesses humility, trusts in God, and puts the needs of others first, then no task is too big to overcome.

By Jesse LeMay

            For nearly 2,000 years people have debated and discussed the issue of who Jesus of Nazareth was. Some have said that He was just one of several unimportant sons of an insignificant carpenter. Others say that He was in fact a good teacher and a good man who did help people, and was able to acquire many followers. Then there are those who claim that Jesus was a fraud, a rebel, or even a deranged mad man. However, since His life and death, there have been countless numbers who have put their eternal lives at stake by believing in Him and worshipping Him as God. 

            Why is there such a dilemma on the identity of this man? C.S. Lewis wrote what he called a “trilemma” of possibilities to answer that question. He said that Jesus is either “Lunatic, Liar, or Lord.”

            If Jesus was a lunatic, meaning that He had some sort of mental problem that caused Him to hear certain things and ultimately believe certain factors of who He was, that very well could explain why He said and did some of the things we have recorded in the New Testament. In fact, He was even accused by His own townspeople/family as having “lost His senses,” and by the scribes from Jerusalem as being influenced by demons (Mark 3:21-22). Is this true, or was it a misunderstanding?

            If Jesus was a liar, then He was guilty of intentionally misleading people and creating a false religion. Standing before Caiaphas, the chief priests and Sanhedrin were trying to catch Jesus in a lie in order to kill Him. Finally, when asked by the high priest to answer the claims that He was the “Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus’ response caused Caiaphas to accuse Him of “blasphemy,” and they spit in His face and beat Him, and sentence Him to death (Matthew 26:59-67).

            If, however, Jesus was Lord, then the ramifications are greatly different for us today. Jesus’ own disciple Thomas wavered in his faith after the crucifixion. That faith was restored when He saw the resurrected Jesus first hand, and he said, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:27). Thomas accepted Jesus as Lord. But what does the rest of Scripture say and show us about Jesus? Was he God or just a fraud? The answer could impact eternity. If He was Lord, then He still is!

When Do We Turn to God?

By Austin Greer

            On September 11^th, 2001, a group of Islamic extremists hijacked four American airplanes to fulfill a suicidal mission of killing many people. Two of these planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. One plane crashed in the Pentagon just outside of Washington D.C., and the other plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. About 3,000 people died because of the actions of the Islamic extremists. From the time this event took place, until two weeks later, there was a huge spike in church attendance around the country. People were attempting to turn to God during a tragedy. Soon, the spike went away, and they carried on with their day to day lives. Yet, it seems that whenever something tragic happens, people want to turn to God.

            In Joshua chapter 7, there was a comparable situation in terms of turning to God after something bad happened. About this time, Joshua was the leader of Israel and they had began conquering the promise land. There was material that belonged to God that nobody could take from, and the consequence of taking anything from this ban was the nation of Israel would be accursed (Joshua 6:17-19). We see that Achan was not obedient to this command when he took things from under the ban (Joshua 7:1). About this same time, Israel had their eyes on conquering Ai. When Joshua was planning this attack, it was his battle plan. God was not in the picture. Joshua had no idea that Israel was now accursed, nor was he aware of the sin of Achan. He tried to do things himself.

            Although Israel only sent about 3,000 men to Ai, they were defeated because they were accursed. 36 men died along the way (7:4-5). Even if all of Israel would’ve gone, they still would’ve been defeated because they were accursed. Afterwards, Joshua decided to turn to God, and He learned that the nation was accursed. Once Achan and all that belonged to him was dead and the items that he coveted destroyed, Israel was no longer accursed (7:24-26). The sad thing for Israel is this entire situation could’ve been avoided had Joshua turned to the Lord first for His battle plan.

            Do we consider our relationship with God in the decisions we make, or do we just coast through life? Do we only turn to God when things are bad, or will we have the kind of relationship that we need to have with God? The reality is we need God. We need to learn to rely on Him and not ourselves. It is good when we turn to God when things are tough, but that shouldn’t be the only time we turn to God. Don’t just turn to God when facing tragedy. Rely on God in all things.

(Austin is currently a student at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver)