Youcef Nadarkhani is a Christian pastor in Iran who has been arrested and imprisoned for converting to Christianity from Islam. He has faced the death penalty for apostasy. Born as a Muslim, he is not permitted to become a Christian. When Mr. Nadarkhani was told he must recant his Christian faith he responded, “I cannot.” [i] His “I can’t” speaks volumes to us here in our society and to what it means to be a disciple.

We inhabit a world where everything is negotiable. The time and place we live in does not clearly understand the concept of deeply held convictions. Deeply held convictions are convictions that one holds so near and dear that someone would actually alter their life to live out these convictions or even lose their life to hold on to these convictions. In the present culture this type of thinking is thought of as extreme. Those who would embrace something so strongly that they would drop anything and everything to fully embrace that something are thought of as extremists. If this is done in the name of what is perceived as religion, one is then labeled the worst kind of radical: a religious extremist or zealot.

We are a part of this world with its semi-agnosticism that says we can’t know anything for sure. Thus there are no absolutes. It is not difficult to understand then why serious followers of Jesus Christ are misunderstood. After all, how can you have these absolute convictions when you can’t know anything for sure absolutely? Our convictions are considered extreme because compared to the rest of society we are overboard in our expressions of faith.

Beyond that, those who call themselves serious followers of Jesus Christ are often times not so good at following Jesus. In other words, we don’t always walk the talk. This is why those who claim to follow Christ aren’t always taken seriously. When we say we are following Jesus and then don’t attempt to do what Jesus would do, the world that is watching us has reason to doubt whether or not we truly have deeply held convictions.

In this context I believe it is necessary to explain first what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Following Jesus Christ is partly holding to the teachings of Jesus Christ and to the teachings of those He directly taught, the Apostles. At this point it is important to note that this is not a smorgasbord or an a la carte activity. The genuine follower of Christ doesn’t get to pick and choose the teaching of Christ he or she may like and then shape their belief system as they please. It’s more like dinner when we were kids and we are told by our parents to “eat what’s on our plate.”

The faith tenets of a serious follower of Christ are spelled out quite clearly in the Scriptures (when in doubt, read the Gospels and the Epistles) and must be taken as a whole. I may like Jesus’ teaching to love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:39) but not like His teaching defining what marriage is (Matthew 19:4-6). I can’t accept the one and ignore the other. I most embrace both.

A second aspect of what it means to be an authentic follower of Christ is relational. It involves a personal relationship between the follower and Jesus Christ. This may indeed seem strange to the outside world since Jesus Christ walked on this earth some 2,000 years ago. Since Christians see Christ as having risen from the dead and as being active and present in their lives every day, it doesn’t present a problem for us. Christ lives as it were in our hearts.

A follower of Christ loves Jesus Christ. It’s that simple. This love goes beyond the mere saying of words. This love causes us to desire to know Him and His teachings. This love fosters a desire to obey and please Him. Being a follower of Christ is not simply trying to follow a set of truths. It is also carrying on personal relationship with the One who gave us the truths.

A third and final aspect of what it means to be a Christian is the idea of commitment. Liking the teachings of Christ and being an authentic Christian are not synonymous. It is possible to be a fan, and not a follower. The conditions of being a follower are spelled out in Luke 9:23 where Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” When an individual decides to follow Christ this way one is called by Jesus “a disciple” and the process of life transformation begins.

Will the sincere follower of Jesus Christ falter and stumble and sin and mess up? Absolutely. Will the Lord restore Him as He did Peter and the other Apostles? Absolutely, as well. Because we all sin and because we all fail, the follower of Christ should never be arrogant or condescending. Christians are forgiven sinners, not perfect saints.

This leads us to the question of what a real disciple should strive to be doing. Please remember, for the follower of Christ there is no negotiating our belief or our commitment. We can’t “sort of” believe or “sort of” be committed. The individual in that situation is a fan, not a follower. Clearly as authentic followers we should be seeking to live out our commitment to our Savior and His teachings regardless of the cost.

There are things a follower of Christ simply can’t do. This is different than saying “I can’t, because I won’t” do something. A person can say “I won’t” based on a preference or a desire. That is not the kind of “I can’t” invoked by Pastor Nadarkhani. He and other serious followers of Christ are trying to communicate the same thing when they say “I can’t”. They are saying that there are some things, because of their commitment to the tenants of their faith, and because of their commitment to the person, Jesus Christ, who authored those tenants, that they just can’t do. They can’t. Even if it will cost them dearly.

This means we won’t recant the tenants of our faith. It also means we won’t deny our relationship with the Founder of our faith. This plays out in a very realistic manner. As a Christian I hold to the sanctity of human life. If I am a doctor, I will not abort a child or prescribe an assisted suicide pill. If that is a requirement of the job, I will resign my position. As a disciple of Christ’s and a lawyer I won’t participate in certain types of divorces that are against my faith. If participating in those divorces is part of the job description, rather than do something I can’t do, I will close my practice. As a Christian owner of a “Mom & Pop” pharmacy, there are drugs I won’t carry, like the “morning-after” pill. If I am forced to carry such drugs I will close the store rather than violate my conscience. As a pastor, I won’t marry two people who can’t get married Biblically speaking either because of unbiblical divorces, unequal yokes or because I am being asked to marry two people of the same sex. If marrying said individuals is part of the baggage a state or city requires for me to do marriages, I will get out of the marrying businesses. I can’t violate my commitment to my Lord.

When serious Christ followers say they can’t, it means that if they do what they are being asked to do it would do damage to their relationship with God and their soul. The activity or action they are being required to participate in would require them to become hypocrites. Their action would do damage to their soul because it would violate their deepest convictions and their consciences before God. This may help to explain the tension now occurring in our culture. This is why the devout Christian florist will close their shop if forced to do a same-sex wedding or the serious Christ-following baker or wedding planner would do the same. I tell you sincerely it is not that they won’t because they are bigots, but is that they can’t because of deeply held convictions.

To some this may seem extreme especially in a world were “deeply held convictions” have been replaced by “lightly believed feeling” that can fluctuate with the wind and public opinion (see President Obama’s position on gay marriage for instance). Before we kick individuals with deeply held Christian convictions out of public life as extremist we might do well to remember what exactly these people with deeply held convictions have brought about.

Our world is a much better place because of Christians with deeply held convictions. Was it not William Wilberforce and his deeply held Christian convictions that ended the practice of owning another human being in the British Empire? Please also remember that these people with deeply held Christian convictions have built countless hospitals, founded thousands of orphanages, have created myriads of institutions of higher learning (have you ever heard of Yale and Harvard?), have produced an innumerable amount of feeding and relief ministries and reached out to every area of the world and our society in the name of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Oh, and by the way they founded a nation we call the United States of America because they possessed the deeply held conviction that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

They have earned the right to be taken seriously when they say “I can’t.”

[i] Thankfully, through the grace of God and the prayers of God’s people Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was recently released.

Outline here – I Told You So – Outline

Powerpoint here – I+told+you+so+ed

Luke 24:1–53 (ESV)

¹ But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” ⁸ And they remembered his words, ⁹ and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, ¹¹ but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹² But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. ¹³ That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. ³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. ⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” ⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Luke 23:50–56 (ESV)

⁵⁰ Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, ⁵¹ who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. ⁵⁴ It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Luke 23:26–49 (ESV)

²⁶ And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. ²⁸ But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” ³² Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³ And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” ³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵ while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. ⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Please join us tonight, Friday, April 3^rd , from 7:30 P.M. – 8:45 P.M. for our Good Friday Service. We will be concluding our series “The People We Meet on the Journey to The Cross” and commemorating our Lord’s amazing sacrifice with songs and the celebration of communion.

Luke 23:1–25 (ESV)

¹ Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” ³ And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” ⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. ⁹ So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. ¹² And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. ¹³ Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. ¹⁵ Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. ¹⁶ I will therefore punish and release him.” ¹⁸ But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. ²⁰ Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, ²¹ but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” ²² A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” ²³ But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. ²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

As a pastor should I be  forced to marry two people my conscience says can’t get get married? If I was a lawyer should I be forced to provide a divorce for reasons that are against my convictions? If I was a doctor should I be forced to perform an abortion even though my faith calls it a horrible sin? It would be wrong as a pastor, lawyer or doctor not to help someone because of who they are. That would be discrimination. However I should have the right to follow my conscience with reference to my participation in something with someone – a marriage, a divorce or a termination of a pregnancy for example.  That’s not discrimination it’s discretion.

If I can’t make that determination, the determination of participation, I can no longer be who I am. I am being forced to be hypocritical. Someones right to be who they are can’t trump my right to be who I am.

Doesn’t this same concept apply to a baker, a florist, a jeweler or a catering hall owner? If not, why not?

@kilmeade
@KMCRadio
@KirstenPowers

The Hidden “Passion” of the Christ

It has been over ten years since the release of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ “, Mel Gibson’s epic film that depicts the suffering of Jesus at his execution by crucifixion. This movie is a fairly accurate portrayal of the Scriptural account of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of this accuracy, the scenes of the scourging of Christ and the crucifixion are quite brutal and violent. Since that time there have been a few other books and movies (Bill O’Reilly’s recent book and movie “Killing Jesus” and Stu Epperson’s book “The last Words of Jesus” to name a few) that have attempted to capture the suffering that Christ endured in His brutal death. Each of these producers/authors have done an exceptional job and I commend their works to you regarding Christ’s physical suffering.

In my simple reading of the Biblical narratives I never picked up on the graphic nature of Christ’s physical suffering. The Gospel writers, to a certain extent, skip over most of the gory details. I believe I know why they don’t emphasize the deep physical suffering of Christ. It is because, in fact, there is a greater suffering that our Lord went through than the physical.

To comprehend this we must first understand that God is perfectly holy and that man is hopelessly sinful. We sin by nature and we sin by choice. We must also understand that a holy and just God requires that sin be punished and judged. We must also remember that from His holiness flows His love for us, as well as His grace and mercy that He pours out on our lives.

In the Jewish Scriptures which we call the Old Testament, we learn that “the soul that sins it shall die” (Ezekiel 3:10) and in the New Testament we learn that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This death is more than a physical death. It is a spiritual death, a separation from God both now and for eternity. We call this eternal separation “damnation”. To pay the penalty for my sins and yours, as well as for the sins of all mankind, Jesus Christ needed to experience not just a physical death but a spiritual death, a separation from God. He had to experience God’s punishment for sin for us — in our place (This is called the substitutionary atonement).

Is there any evidence that Jesus Christ suffered this separation and judgment during His Passion? We need look no further than to the hours of noon to three, as Christ hung on the cross, for the answer. The Biblical text describing this time in Matthew 27:45-46 reads: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

During this time, Jesus Christ is the “Sin Offering” for the world. The Apostle Paul sheds light on this when he tells us “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Apostle Peter echoes his statement saying “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). The Apostle John tells us “And He Himself is the propitiation (the appeasement of God’s wrath) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:2).

Jesus Christ was sinless yet He is made sin. He never lied yet He is made a liar. He never blasphemed, but he is made a blasphemer. He never abused anyone but He is accounted an abuser. He never stole but He is accounted a thief. He never had an impure thought but He is accounted an adulterer. He was a man of peace but He is made a murderer. This in itself was worse than the physical beating He received. To be sinless as Christ was and then to bear all our sin must have been hideous beyond our understanding. But there was more.

When Jesus cries out “My God, My God why have you forsaken me,” He is bemoaning His separation from the Father. God has turned away from His Son. This is a quote from Psalm 22:1-2. The answer to the question is found in Psalm 22:3 which reads “But You are Holy.” A holy God could not fellowship with His Son, for during this time Jesus was bearing our sins as well as paying the penalty for them. The prophet Isaiah tells us “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin.” The word “bruise” means, “to crush.” It seems that Jesus’ very being was made an offering to atone for our sins. His soul was being crushed in the winepress of the wrath of God. The depth of that pain is something that is impossible for us to fully grasp.      On the cross, this eternal person, Jesus Christ, was suffering the eternal punishment of a holy God for what must have seemed like an eternity on account of my sin and yours as well as for the sins of all mankind. We cannot imagine what this must have been like. Yes, men have been beaten and crucified in the manner Jesus was in Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Even some innocent individuals may have experienced such a death (though none were sinless like Christ). What makes Christ’s suffering so unique and redemptive is that He took on himself the sins of mankind and bore not just the wrath of man or of a human government but the wrath of a holy God. Then He cried “it is finished”, completing His work of redemption for us. There is no way that this event could ever be portrayed to its fullest in a book or on film, even with the most artful use of the written word, the work of the most skilled actors, extremely realistic special effects, or an unlimited budget.

We should be very grateful for the physical suffering of Christ that has been written about and portrayed for us by many. We should be even more grateful for His suffering that is unseen and which cannot be depicted.

During this “Holy Week” when we intensify our focus upon Jesus’ indescribable suffering for us, we cannot help but want to sing — and even shout — the words of the hymn writer,   “Hallelujah, What a Savior.”

Blessings,

Pastor Dave Watson