Why Jesus and I Have Different Tastes in Brides

When I think of certain qualities I would like to have in a wife one day, an unfaithful whore is usually not the first one that comes to mind. Rightfully so, because I think that might get somewhat frustrating after a while, the whole being maried to a prostitute thing. It's not like I sit down and think about this everyday or anything like that. But with the little thought I have given it, I've come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be the kind of thing I want to pursue.

I love the fact that God tells his love for us through stories and not just formulas. I think it's quite significant actually. He doesn't give us five easy steps to salvation; He paints a beautiful picture of it. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, or something like that. Tucked deeply within the story of the Old Testament is an intriguing book called Hosea, where Hosea is told to go marry and be faithful to a whore named Gomar. It's a beautiful story when you see it in light of Christ's unending and relentless love for His bride, the Church.

I think every whore in the Bible is a picture of the Church, because they all find redemption somehow. This is the Church: disgustingly dirty, and then made clean. What's interesting to me is that Jesus would want Her as His bride. We a broken and filthy body, and yet the King of the universe has decided that He wants us. It's like the Prince of a country going down to the local stripjoint to find His bride. He looks at her with love in His eyes, and says, "I choose you."

If there is anyone in the Bible that I wouldn't want to be, it would be Hosea. I couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for him to go into to the city with money in his hands to buy back his wife. People probably heard him in the streets yelling for her to come back, and I'll bet he had tears in his eyes.

I once liked a girl in High School who kept going back and forth with her feelings between me and a few other guys, and that was one of the most painful experiences in my life. I would pour out my heart to her, only to have her turn on me for someone else within weeks. And this happened multiple times. I felt as though something deep inside of me was ripped out, and right as the wound began to heal, it would happen again.

And I began to wonder if Jesus feels like this when we betray Him. Oh how passionate we are for Him at church, conferences, or mission trips, only to stab Him in the back a few weeks later by turning to other things we find more interesting. And like Hosea, He comes running down the road with tears in His eyes and the richest currency in His hands to buy us back, His own blood. Of course He does it with joy, but I'll bet it still hurts. Love comes with a price.

What excites me is that one day the Church will be suitable for Christ Jesus. As believers, we are not to be unequally yoked (2 Cor. 6:14), and the same is true for Christ. He cannot be paired with a bride less righteous than Himself. And so now we are being refined and purified for Him; on that wedding day, when we walk down the aisle, the glimmer in Christ's eyes will be a reflection of His spotless bride, made completely pure for Him.

So if you look at the Church and don't like what you see, you're not alone. Don't be discouraged friends; what great hope there is for us. It's not yet time for the wedding. He who began a good work in us will complete what He started (Phil. 1:6). Behold, He is making all things new, even His unfaithful bride.

The Mysterious Spirit of Christ: Why I Believe Rafiki is a Prophet

I love the Lion King. I could watch it every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of it. It's one of those classics, the kind of movie that will go down in history. Few would agree with me in saying that it is the best film ever created, and I think that's very sad, because I know that it is. There is no doubt in my mind about it. I would venture to even say it is the greatest work of art in the history of mankind. Period. I love it. I also love God. And I find it ridiculous that I just used the same word to describe a movie featuring talking animals and the sovereign God of the universe. But that is beside the point.

Towards the end of the movie, there is an incredible scene where Rafiki (the crazy monkey with a blue jabooty) shows Simba that his father Mufassa is alive. He brings him to a pond and tells him to look in; Simba is dismayed though because he only sees a reflection of himself. As the monkey stirs the waters with the tip of his finger, he responds, "Looook haaauder. You see? He lives in you." Simba looks down to find not his own reflection, but that of his father, the king.

The fact of the matter is, the Lion King taught me a deep truth about the mysterious Spirit of Christ. The whole Spirit thing is kind of strange when you think about it, you know? Jesus says He is gonna send a spirit (of Himself) back to earth to live inside His believers and guide them. These things have always confused me, but lately I've been especially inrigued by the odd words of Jesus. He says in John 5:41, "I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts." Oddly enough, this passage actually shed an incredible amount of light on this subject for me. Let me explain.

Jesus is talking to Nicodemus in John 3, explaining what it means to live eternally. He says something quite odd in verse 6: "Flesh gives birth to flesh , but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." I thought about that for a while, and I came to the conclusion that Jesus lives inside of us. Not terribly profound, yet it hit me really hard when I realized it. The Spirit (of Christ; aka, the Holy Spirit) literally gave birth to Christ in us just as our mothers gave birth to us. And the process of becoming holy is Jesus growing inside of us, consuming more and more of our being.

I realize that this sounds odd, but please hear me out. I become increasingly convinced that this is true, and I think the Apostle Paul defends the concept in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." The process of us becoming holy is not us getting better; it is Christ in us becoming greater. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...you know the rest. So if you've ever experienced true spiritual joy, it is literally the joy of Christ (the happiest being in the universe) in you being joyful. If you've ever truly loved someone, it is literally Jesus loving that person through you. I am convinced that we can't do these things on our own.

Let's take this one step further. We are finite. I was born in 1986 and will be done with life sometime within the next 60 years or so. Christ, on the other hand, is infinite, with no beginning or end. This is significant, because our eternal life (a phrase that has become quite trite within Christian circles) is literally Christ living forever in us. Amazing when you really think about it, isn't it? We as humans do not have the capacity to live forever, yet Christ does; so when He is alive in us, we too live forever.

Let me bring these thoughts full circle to the verse I spoke of at the beginning. Jesus says He doesn't accept any praise from men. I thought this was very strange, and even a little rude; but it makes perfect sense when we put all these Biblical truths together. Jesus doesn't accept praise from men, because we are unable to sincerely praise Him. Only those with changed hearts (the Spirit of Christ now living in them) can truly worship him. For it is the Spirit of Christ in us that adores and worships the Father and Christ Himself, for only He (the Spirit) understands how infinitely worthy of praise They are. We can't see this glory on our own. In this way, we may boast in nothing, giving full credit to Jesus Christ. May we say with John the Baptist: "[Jesus] must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).

Look harder my friends. You see, He lives in you.

What Bicycles Taught Me About Faith

When I was little I used to ride my bike a lot. I would ride all around my neighborhood and even down the road if I was feeling crazy. I would think a lot too. When you're riding a bike, thinking about life sort of comes naturally, because your mind has nothing else to do. I heard a lot about faith when I was a kid, especially growing up in the Church. I wanted to test it all out, you know, with the bike. Sometimes I would close my eyes while riding on the sidewalk, and pray that God would keep me from falling on my face. I could only do it for a few seconds though, because I got scared easily. A few times I ran into the plants and scraped up my legs. It hurt.

I've kind of doubted the whole faith thing since those days. I mean, I still believe in Jesus and that what He says is true. But I don't know if I really believe Him, you know? He says in Matthew 17 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Now I realize that Jesus is speaking figuratively here, but this statement really surprised me when I read it recently. Have I become so formulaic in my faith and way of thinking that I don't leave room for God's power? Have I become so jaded by all the bike rides in my life that I no longer really believe in the power of faith?

I'm reading a book now about a guy who was integral in starting up the house Church movement in China. It's almost hard to read, because I feel so convicted by a man of such strong faith, yet I am encouraged by it at the same time. In China, people are getting saved by the thousands, people are seeing visions that come true within hours; miracles and healings and many other ridiculous things that I've never seen with my own two eyes are happening. In the past I would have written these things off as false spirituality, emotional worship, and that sort of thing. But I am beginning to see that all things really are possible with God. Oh how we need to just open our eyes to see the work He is doing!

God says in Habakkuk 1:5, "For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." I realize this verse was not written to 21st Century Americans, but was intended for Habakkuk in his day; yet the principle remains. God is on the move. His Spirit is powerful and will accomplish the purposes of the One who sent Him. Oh how I long for faith! The kind of faith that Jesus says moves mountains; the kind of faith that sees miracles and visions for the sake of the Kingdom; the kind of faith that takes God at His word when He says He is going to do something unbelievable in our day.

God, what will you do? Do it even now Lord. Revive us. Forgive us for doubting. Give us faith as small as a mustard seed.