Crucified!

One of my favorite Easter songs of all time! It's based in part on Galatians 2:20-21:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Lyrics are below, since the "Cookie Monster" Jamaican rap parts are a little tricky to make out. Enjoy! (Oh... and it's okay to DANCE!)



Crucified
by Christafari
as recorded on their album Soul Fire
 
He died for me so I could live for Him.
He gave His life for me so I could give mine to Him.
He died for me so I could live for Him.
He became like me so I could become like Him!

And so me cry: and so Lord Jesus He died, the same way I have been crucified. Take up your cross and follow Him as He said to His children "Live in no more sin."

Everyone say! And so Lord Jesus He died, the same way I have been crucified. Take up your cross and follow Him as He said to His children "Live in no more sin."

It's by faith through which you've been saved, and according to the mercy the Father did give. Just like the faith of one mustard seed, the smallest in size, but becomes the biggest weed.

It's by faith through His grace that put me in this place of righteousness that you cannot erase. So I've been justified, and-a sanctified, I am glorified with the Spirit inside. So do not bother filling up yourself with pride; as a humble lion you must be crucified.


He died for me so I could live for Him.
He gave His life for me so I could give mine to Him.
He died for me so I could live for Him.
He became like me so I could become like Him!

He was born so He could die, died so we might live.
We lift His name on high, pure love that we give.

Watch-a!

And so Lord Jesus He died, the same way I have been crucified. Take up your cross and follow Him as He said to His children "Live in no more sin."
Everyone say! And so Lord Jesus He died, the same way I have been crucified. Take up your cross and follow Him as He said to His children "Live in no more sin."

Watch this!

I've been crucified with Christ for eternity, it's I that no longer live but Christ that lives in me. The life that I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of Yahweh. He who loves-a me and He gave Himself for me, I do not set aside the grace of God, can't you see? For if through the law righteousness could be, then Jesus Christ, He died for nothing.


He died for me so I could live for Him.
He gave His life for me so I could give mine to Him.
He died for me so I could live for Him.
He became like me so I could become like Him!

And so Lord Jesus He died, the same way I have been crucified. Take up your cross and follow Him as He said to His children "Live in no more sin."

So don't big up your music, don't big up your fame. You must come refuse it, don't big up your name. Don't big up your status don't big up your wealth, me cry don't big up anything just die to yourself.

You must first count up the cost, then you take up the cross... and follow Him.

Hallelujah! Amen. Amen. Amen, amen, amen.

I have redemption and propitiation, election and pure substitution, adoption and reconciliation, confession and regeneration, expiation, and joy, enough conviction, and strength over temptation, me have discipleship and fellowship, security for surety in this life (relationship) with God.

Amen!

Pleading Three Times

photo © 2009 Ian Scott | more info (via: Wylio)

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (Mark 14:32-42 ESV)

Jesus' suffering at Gethsemane was excruciating. In fact, in Luke it says that He was sweating so much it was like blood dripping off Him. He was pleading with God that there would be some other way, but God's answer was silence: Jesus already knew God's will. In fact, a few weeks earlier Jesus had said:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep... No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:11,18 ESV)

Jesus knew God's will, and so He submitted Himself to it. The Father's will was that He die, so he would die. Jesus had His mind so set on obeying God's Will that He actively resisted defending Himself: "Do you think," Jesus said when one of the disciples struck out at the soldiers who came to take Jesus into custody, "that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53 ESV) Jesus could have called in the cavalry, but instead He chose Calvary. Three times Jesus plead for relief from His suffering, but God's will in this case was that He suffer, and Jesus chose God's will.

The Apostle Paul had an enormous revelation of the Gospel. He talked about it in letters to churches with which he had worked, and those letters were later collected and compiled to make up more than half of the New Testament. But God apparently foresaw a problem in Paul's life:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ESV)

Paul had a problem. Like Jesus, he pleaded with God that there would be some other way, but the Lord Jesus did not let him hang in silence. Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Jesus' own grace. The grace that Jesus had when He was pleading with God in the Garden was also sufficient for Paul when he was pleading with God. The grace that got Jesus through the Cross was available, and sufficient, to get Paul through his trouble.


Is there something you've plead to God about three times? Something excruciatingly painful? Does it almost feel like you're going to die? God answers prayer, but in this life, the answer is not always an immediate change in the situation. In fact, God often receives much greater glory, and you get to experience a much greater victory, when God brings you through a hard time, and you endure with His grace. I don't believe that God wants His people to suffer, but sometimes instead of alleviating the suffering by changing the external situation, He alleviates the suffering by giving us peace in our hearts that, by His grace, the grace that carried Jesus Himself through death and to resurrection, He will also bring us through our dire situations to the resurrection on the other side.


Happy Good Friday, and Happy Easter!

Shifty or Stable

At my church we've been doing an ongoing study of Colossians. This passage is part of what we were looking at this week:

    And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23 ESV)

This week was my wife's birthday, and that day saw the addition of a new member to our household: a brand-new Wii Fit Plus setup. To play the Wii Fit game, you use a device called a "balance board." The balance board is about a foot wide and about 20" long, about the size of a very large bathroom scale, and it interacts wirelessly with your Wii as you stand or walk or jump (or whatever else the game requires) on it. The Wii Fit Plus game is designed to help you burn calories and get in better shape, and it does a surprisingly good job at getting your heart rate up and getting you on the move. We've all been having a great time playing with the board... who knew working out could be so much fun?

Several of the games and tests in Wii Fit Plus are about balance. A crosshair appears on the screen, and a smaller area in the center is colored orange, and there is a red dot on the screen that moves as you shift your center of gravity. You would think that standing completely still would be quite easy, so getting the red dot centered in the cross-hairs would just be a matter of stepping up on the board and not falling off it!photo © 2009 Sasha Wolff | more info (via: Wylio) You would be wrong. The first time you try to center that red dot, it requires immense effort to even get it into the orange zone, and almost as much effort to keep it there. It's even harder to keep it motionless. Apparently standing completely still, never shifting even an ounce of your weight from one foot to the other, requires a great deal more strength than it sounds like. We were able to do it, but it wasn't easy!

The more you practice, though, and the more you work out and gain more and more leg strength, the more and more stable you become. Even then, it's critically important to focus all of your attention on the dot. If you look over at someone in the room, your dot will move. If you relax and shift your weight, the dot will move. You have to dedicate yourself to keeping that dot still, and if you do and if you have the physical strength and endurance to do it, you can hold that dot in place.

Now look back up at Colossians 1:21-23 at the top of this post. Think about what it takes to remain "stable and steadfast" on the balance board, "not shifting" your weight to one side or the other. You have to be strong, and you have to remain focused. And that's what living a mature Christian life requires, also: you have to be strong (see Paul's prayer in verse 11), and you have to remain focused, "not shifting from the hope of the gospel." The hope of the Gospel is that God has changed us from people who are "alienated and hostile" to God, into people who are "reconciled" to God, and that one day He will present is to Him "holy and blameless and above reproach." The hope we remain focused on is that we no longer need be separated from God, but God has made a way for us to run into His arms. If you keep as your life focus that God has made a way for you to be with Him, on His side instead of camping out with His enemies, then you can grow, you can mature, and you can become strong as a Believer.

What's in the Bible? #5: Israel Gets a King! (First & Second Samuel)

What's in the Bible? #5: Israel Gets a King! DVD

It's been a while since I blogged about the "What's In The Bible" DVD series for kids (and adults!). Video #5, Israel Gets a King! will be in stores very soon, and I'm pumped! Here's a teaser for ya:



You can find some more clips from the video here. These videos are crammed full of songs, puppets, cartoons, and sometimes popsicle sticks. Oh, and LOTS of information about the Bible. And not just the names of the books and major characters, either... these videos go quite in depth as to what major themes are there on the pages. This ain't some two-bit puppet show that the youth group from the church down the street made up in their spare time; these shows are well-researched, well-written, and performed with a Kermit-and-Piggy-inspired gusto that will keep your kids (and probably their parents!) riveted. And when the credits roll, I can almost guarantee that everyone in the room, kids and parents alike, will have learned something. And I don't say that lightly. It's seldom that someone manages to create something for kids that is simultaneously so filled with information that it almost makes your head swim if you think about it, and also so interesting and fun that you don't want to look away. That's what these videos are like.

My kids are ages 3½ and 11. My 3-year-old girl calls them "the puppet show" and asks for them periodically; my 11-year-old is too big and manly to ASK to watch them, but I don't see him walking out of the room to get away from it, either. They both watch and learn and have a great time. Your kids will too! You can order a copy from ChristianBook.com or pick it up at your favorite Christian bookstore, but you could also enter a contest to win one of five copies right here (I did)!

ScriptureMenu.com Mobile Site Launches

Today I've launched a mobile version of ScriptureMenu.com! Just point your cell phone at http://ScriptureMenu.com and you should see the mobile version of the site. It contains the same information as the desktop version, but it is set up for convenient use via smartphones and most other Web-capable mobile phones. Let me know if you have any trouble with it, or if you have any suggestions!

(The direct link, if you prefer to bookmark it that way, is http://m.ScriptureMenu.com)

Hope

Last night in church my pastor taught on Colossians chapter 1, verses 1-6. As he was reading the passage, one thing in particular stood out to me. I guess I sometimes tend to try to figure out cause and effect when I'm reading the Bible, and in that few sentences I see the following causes and effects: first, the Gospel was bearing fruit and growing across the world. The people of Colossae heard the message, and they understood it, and it began to grow and bear fruit in them as well. One of the first fruits of this was the "hope of Heaven" in their hearts; once the hope of Heaven had taken hold inside of them, they began to have faith (confidence) in Christ Jesus, and also love for each other. Faith, hope, and love... just like in 1 Corinthians 13:13! It reminds me of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:2-9, Luke 8:5-8) where Jesus compared the Word of God to a seed which could grow and produce fruit under the right conditions. Obviously those conditions existed in Colossae, because the fruit was certainly happening!

Easter is almost here again; last Easter I posted a video from a VeggieTales Easter video

VeggieTales: An Easter Carol DVD

in which an angel character explains that "the hope of Easter" is something the world cannot do without. When hope is absent, the world becomes a nasty place. When I first saw that VeggieTales, I thought it was odd to emphasize "hope" as being what the story of Jesus' death and resurrection are all about, but tonight as I thought about those first six verses in Colossians, I realized that the talking vegetables were right... hope is central to the story of Christ! (We're not talking about "hope" in the sense that you "hope" something will happen but it may not; we're talking about "hope" in the sense that you are in a ship at midnight on the ocean in a raging storm, and you are about to drown and die, and you see the lights of a rescue ship, and suddenly you have hope.)

After church I was talking to a friend who is in the middle of a very rough time in his life. He has been having painful health problems, and he is having a difficult time financially as well. He sounded like he was having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I reminded him of a story in 2 Kings 6:24-7:20 in which the salvation of God comes suddenly and unexpectedly. The capitol city of Israel, Samaria, was under siege, and food was running so low that people were resorting to incredibly desperate measures just to stay alive. Some men with a deadly, contagious skin disease who were just outside the city had an idea. They knew their options were to starve where they were, to go into the city and probably starve there, or to go into the enemy camp and see if the enemy would give them some food, so they decided to go to the enemy camp and take their chances. But God had miraculously scared the entire enemy army away, and the diseased men had everything they wanted! When they went back to the city and told the people, suddenly the entire situation went from famine to feasting as they plundered the camp of their enemy. God had turned things around in less than a day, with no effort at all on the part of the Israelites. That's the kind of God that we serve!

My friend knew that story already, but as I reminded him of it, I could see that hope was beginning to dawn in him. There are no health problems or financial problems in Heaven, and he is a citizen of Heaven! The Gospel message that gives us hope is that even when it seems like the sun is going down on your situation and things are getting bleak, God will send the salvation you need. Ultimately, the hope of Heaven means that we will spend eternity in the presence of God, but in the shorter term, in this present life, no matter how bad things may look to you, God is very able to make the situation turn out in your favor!

Lamp

So, not too long ago I inherited a cell phone. My wife wanted a snazzy new Android phone, and I wanted to get her one, and I found a company with a nice phone on sale and a dynamite no-contract deal. So she got the new phone, and I inherited her old one; I've never carried a cell phone before, but we were under contract anyway so I decided to just take over her old phone until the contract runs out.

So this old phone isn't an Android, and it isn't an iPhone. It isn't a Blackberry or Windows Mobile. This is what they call a "messaging phone," and it can run apps, but they have to be written in the Java language. Java apps are generally pretty simple, and I loaded up some that work and some that didn't, but I really wanted a Bible app, just so I'd have it. YouVersion has a Java app, but because this particular phone is pretty restrictive as far as what you can do and the YouVersion app requires data access to work (plus, I don't have a data plan) I wanted something self-contained.

The Go Bible Java App

What I found works quite nicely! The app is called "Go Bible" (not to be confused with this device called GoBible). You can see a picture of it on the right. It has the entire KJV Bible in it, and the whole thing fits on the phone with no need for data access. It's searchable, and it's quite easy to figure out and use. If you have a very simple phone that can only run Java .jar apps, I highly recommend it! (If I had known about it when I wrote this post, I certainly would have mentioned it!)

One thing I found out very quickly when I started carrying this phone was something everyone seems to discover right away: a cell phone is almost without fail going to be used as a flashlight sooner or later. One problem for me was that I'm using a sort of dark wallpaper (this one... Buzz FTW!) so I have to pull up the contact list or something with a white background if I want maximum light from the phone. Problem is, some of the screens on the phone time out and the screen dims and then turns off to save power, which means I have to keep pushing a button to get my "flashlight" to come back on. I downloaded a couple of "flashlight" apps, but they don't really have anything to recommend them, and the ones I tried are kind of messy software anyway. But I did find out that when Go Bible is running, the screen never shuts off. Hello, KJV flashlight app!

Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
 (Psalm 119:105 ESV)