Reflections on The Incarnation

The Incarnation: In the beginning was The Word, John 1:1. The Eternal Word. The Eternal Living Word. The Eternal Living Personal Word. The Word became incarnate: "in" (into) "carn" (flesh). The Word became human and made His home among us, John 1:14 AND our world now has hope eternal. Is He at Home in you?


The Incarnation: "In the beginning was the Word", John 1:1. Jesus, The Word, existed before the beginning of the heavens and the earth (the universe). The universe had a beginning. Jesus is eternal. The universe is created. Jesus is the Creator. He spoke it into existence! This fallen universe is "wearing out". Jesus is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. The universe is impersonal matter, space and time. Jesus is an eternal-personal being. The universe doesn't know you or care you exist. Jesus does — He became flesh (human), John 1:14. in order to rescue, redeem His entire creation — including you!


The Incarnation: What was Jesus doing before He created the Heavens and the Earth? He was face to face with The Father, John 1:1. He enjoyed eternal companionship, fellowship. He had (has) face-time with the God The Father & God the Holy Spirit - the Three in One God! God exists in perfect unity, love and fellowship. It is this eternal living personal God who has entered our "hood" to bring us into this fellowship forever! Are you at peace WITH God? Are you experiencing the peace OF God? Christmas makes both possible.


The Incarnation: In the beginning was the Word, John 1:1. The word "Word" in Greek is Logos. The Logos is the rationale Mind; the central Principle governing the entire universe. But The Logos is not an impersonal-unfeeling-unloving principle or rationale. The Logos is also the SON, John 1:18. God is the Eternal Father and God has the Eternal Son — Jesus.  Jesus is The Logos. He is the full expression of God. He expresses the very character and nature of God. Jesus radiates the beauty and glory of God, Hebrews 1:3. It is this Logos, The SON, who became human, John 1:14. Why? The Logos/SON became human to express and reveal The Father to you, John 1:18. Your Heavenly Father has a gift for you! He has purchased the way Home to Him through the gift of The Logos, the SON — Jesus! "As many as believe in Him (Jesus) to them God gives them the right to be called children of God, even to those who believe in His Name", John 1:12. This is Christmas.


The Incarnation: “The Word became human and made His home among us”, John 1:14. Life is not now as it should be. When God created the world, it was good! There is a day coming when Jesus will “make all things new” and the world (this earth) will right-side up again. God made the world for men and women to live “face to face” with the Holy One. In The Day to come, “God‘s home will once again be among His people”. And it will be good!


Yet, now, we live in a world that is “Fallen”. It is broken and we are broken: selfishness; envy; jealousy; pride; covetous; injustice; rebellion are at the core of our being. We devour one another on our streets and in our homes. There is corruption in our governments, injustice in our courts, and unrest in our cities.  There is a line from a popular movie which says, “There is evil out there...” This is true but evil is also in here — in each one of our hearts. It is into this darkened world that the Light of World, Jesus, came. The Word/The SON/ also known as the The Light came into our world and lived among us to begin the cleansing and restoration of justice and makes things right in our world once again. For God said, “Let there be light in the darkness.” Through Christmas, God has made His light shine in our hearts so we could know God. Now, let your light shine in such a way that people will see your life and glorify your Father in heaven.


The Incarnation: The Incarnation was not an “emergency” contingency. The Incarnation was not an event for the unforeseen human “Fallen” condition. The Incarnation was an integral part of God’s sovereign plan before the creation of the world, Matthew 25:34; Timothy 1:9.


It was foretold by the Hebrew prophets that a champion; a rescuer; a deliverer; a king would come to rescue Israel and all peoples. He would come to make the world right and rule over it in righteousness and with justice for all.


The prophets foretold this champion would come as a “lamb” and also as a “Lion”. As a “lamb” to be slaughtered for all of us — Isaiah 53:6-8 and as a “Lion”to subdue His enemies and rule with a righteous reign over all the earth forever — Genesis 49:9. The Hebrews also foretold who this champion would be. This deliverer would be none other than God Himself!


He would enter our world as a man and rescue His people from their sin and He would be the one to grow and establish His Kingdom over all the earth. For example, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “ For a child will be born to us a son will be given to us and His name will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace....”, Isaiah 9:6-7. The title “Mighty God is made up of two Hebrew words — “mighty” in Hebrew is “gibbor” which comes from geber. Geber means man. The word God, “Elohim”, is the one of the Hebrew words for God. The underlying meaning of “Mighty God” is this one who will come will be the God-man!


“What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping. This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the babe, the son of Mary.” Merry Christmas!


The Incarnation: The incarnation is a promise made and promised kept. There are two Greek words for time: chronos and kairos. We get our word chronology and chronometer from this chronos. Chronos has to do with, what time is it? While kairos asks the question, what is this time for? The Scripture tells us that God sent the SON at the “kairos” moment or at the right time. It was at this time that God the Son became human!! One of the reasons why this was the right time is because the Hebrew prophet Daniel had predicted that the Messiah would come four-hundred and eighty three years after permission was given to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem which occurred in 444 BC. Jesus came at the right time. Thirty-three years after Jesus was born, Jesus approached the Temple in Jerusalem and wept over it, saying, “If you had in this day, even you, known the things which make for peace! Jesus, God the Son, came at the right time. Promised made and promised kept! Now, is your karios moment to put your trust in Him, the One who can give you peace.

God did not say oops.

EPIC TRIP – EPIC TREK

What an inspiring journey. It was both heart breaking and heart warming. We experienced the exhilaration of God's glorious creation.  We were touched by the beauty of the people and broken by the "beastly evil" in the people who sell children into human trafficking .  We left both encouraged and challenged.  We were encouraged because of the help and the hope that only the Gospel provides.  We left challenged because of the need for the Gospel to reach these unreached people. 

Click on the link below. 

DO NOT FORWARD 

EPIC TRIP — EPIC TREK

If God Can Use a Dead Piece of Wood . . .

Once upon a time a man shepherded sheep his with his “stick” (rod) for forty years. One day this shepherd saw a bush on fire that did not burn up. When this shepherd went over to get a closer look at the bush that burned but did not burn up, a voice spoke to him from the bush.  The voice said, “ Moses. Moses.”  Moses, the shepherd responded, “Here I am”.  “I AM the God of Abraham, the God if Isaac and the God of Jacob”, said the voice from the bush.  

God told Moses that He has seen the horrific affliction and suffering of His people in Egypt and has heard their cries.  “I have come down”, said the Lord, to bring them out and take them to a good land, a land “flowing with milk and honey”.  

Moses probably thought, “Come on down!”  Yet, God said, “I will send you!” 

Of course Moses said, “Who am I that I should go?”  God said it doesn’t matter who you are, “I will be with you!”  

But Moses was full of excuses saying,  “they won’t believe me”; “I am not eloquent but I am slow of speech and of tongue”; “please send someone else.” 

God asked Moses one question.  “What is that in your hand?”  A “stick (rod).  It is my shepherd’s staff, It is a dead peace of wood I have used to shepherd sheep for forty years, said Moses. It was Moses’ rod. 

God told Moses to let it go and throw it down on the ground and it became a serpent. It freaked Moses out!    

Once Moses yielded his stick to God, it became the “stick”( staff or rod) of God, Exodus 4:20.  And this is what God did with that stick through Moses. 

What is that in your hand?  A “stick” (rod).

  

Now that the “stick” belonged to God, God used that same “dead” stick to turn it to turn the Nile river (which the Egyptians worshiped) in to blood red; Moses stretched forth God’s “stick” to orchestrate the ten plagues on all of Egypt’s gods. He used it provide life-giving water from the Rock. He raised it up to battle against and win against the enemies of Israel. Almost forty years later, God established Moses and Aaron’s authority by causing the “stick” to blossom with Almond blossoms.  It was once dead but now it was alive!  

Lesson:  God has seen the affliction and suffering throughout the world and has “come down” in the Incarnation.  He has called us to go into this suffering world and make disciples of all the people groups in the world.  We make excuses like Moses, saying, “who am I”. God responds.  “It doesn’t matter, I will be with you”.   We say, I am not able; I have no abilities; I cannot speak; I am weak; . . . “ God asks, “If I can use a dead “stick”, can I use you?

However, as Moses gave the “stick over to God, so we too must give ourselves over to God.  As Francis Schaeffer said in his book, No Little People, “so that which is me must become the me of God. Then I can become useful in the hands of God.” 

Doug Brown must become the Doug Brown of God.  How about you?   

Inspired by Francis Schaeffer book, No Little People

5C HEALTHY LEADER — CALLING

Leadership realities

What is leadership realities.  How many of you have read books about balance in your life, about margin, about living by your priorities, about making plans and steps to achieve your goals?  We all have and there are many good points in these books to learn from and apply.  But reality doesn’t mean life will become like a “well-oiled” machine. Rather, I find leaders living lives in tension, in pressure, in chaos, in confusion, in great and overwhelming challenges.  When you read the life of Jesus and of Paul which do you find?  A nice and tidy, well organized and balanced life or a life that is full of tension, needing to be constantly adjusted, painful, bloody, with tears, pressures from without and fears within?

If you find tension and such in your life as a leader be of good cheer.  You are in good company. As Paul said, there is a wide door for effective service for me and there are many adversaries.   So, be all the more sure of your calling for, leadership is no cake walk.