Fellow men of Christ

A journal entry by Henry Bartel

09/17/2005

After getting back from Burly Man and watching the movie “Gladiator”, I am convinced that God has bigger plans for us than what we are currently engaged in. We as men have so much potential to do great things, to overcome truly awesome obstacles, and most men of the world, let alone of the Christian faith, waste that potential sitting in an office, or pursuing after money or women or any number of other frivolous passions. A man has a much greater capacity for endurance, for pain, for commitment, for loyalty, for LIFE, than I think most of us, including me, realize. At Burly Man, we had two guys break their noses, and several other injuries, but none of which, by any means, incapacitated them. In the movie Gladiator, Maximus had such a drive for justice that he overcame injuries much worse than a broken nose. If we as men turn to God for our strength, for our drive, than we can overcome anything. We are throwing our potential to the wind, achieving much less than we are capable, and I think it stems not from a lack of ability, but from a lack of courage. And that lack of courage I believe comes from a lack of passion. Football players, wrestlers, soldiers, warriors, gladiators all have something in common; they reach their goals with passion. They are able to face up and conquer against ANY odds because they have a passion to achieve. If we as Christian men capture the passion that comes from knowing who we live for, how much we can achieve with Him at our side, and how great the loss if we fall to defeat, we will be an undeniable force, such that the world has never seen. David and his army in the Old Testament were a group by this description. Joshua and the Israelites were a group by this description. They conquered the world with a sword in their hand and the one true God at their side. As an army of Christians we can conquer the world with an open hand and the love and power of Christ in our hearts. In the same way David and Joshua captured their world by the power of the Almighty God, we can subdue ours with the sacrificial love of Christ. What David showed through Goliath and Christ showed at Calvary, we can show by picking up our cross and sacrificing all for the Spreading of God’s kingdom. Make no mistake, to take up your cross is not to endure the daily duties of Christian life with a smile and a glad heart. No, to take up the cross is to sacrifice everything, to put others before yourself, to literally consider yourself and your concerns second to the salvation of others. If you think you are following Christ, and you can’t put your finger on the way in which you sacrifice all, you give up everything, you put others before your own comfort and wellbeing, I would suggest you take another look at who it is you’re really living for. Fellow men of Christ, to be Christian, to live for the glory of God is not glorious or spectacular. To live for the glory of God, for Christ, is to be humble; it’s dirty, it’s painful, it’s HARD! If your Christian walk is easy, stop and take a look at the life of Christ and try again.

Glorious Reflectors

Journal Entry

Between Jacksonville and Chicago

June 16^th (STP/flight home)

As I am thousands of feet in the air, I am looking out my tiny window toward the ground at all of God’s creation below me. It’s about 6:20 in the evening and the sun is very bright. As I look down, I can see a hint of movement which is cars on the highway below me. I keep watching them as they move like tiny ants on the ground, and when the sun hits them just right it reflects back up to me in the plain and that tiny, almost unperceivable car becomes a point of light resembling a star in the sky. I see this and the theme verse from STP comes to mind (2 Chronicles 16:9a) which says “For the eyes of the Lord range [search] throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” There are billions of little tiny ants (people) moving around in His great creation, tiny ants that are almost unperceivable. That’s what God is moving his eyes over looking to and fro for someone to strengthen. BILLIONS! I’m not saying that’s too big for God; I’m just saying it sounds like a daunting task. So, if you were looking at billions of… anything, trying to find a few that you would like to help or do something with, you wouldn’t just pick at random would you? No, you would watch for something to catch your eye. If we get in God’s light and position our hearts to align with His, than we will reflect His glory right back to Him, catching his ever watchful eye. We will become a light in darkness like a star in the night sky. We will reflect God’s light back to God, showing Him that we are able to reflect His glory. So seeking to strengthen us, he gives us more facets with which to reflect His glory not only back to him but to the world around us as well. The more brightly we shine (reflect) the greater capacity God will give us to shine. But it all starts with a simple reflection, or recognition of God’s glory and grace, that’s it. It all starts with a simple glimmer in God’s eye. Where is your mirror pointed; will God find you?

SHORT CHANGED

When I help a passer by

Through lending them a hand,

They go on, not looking back,

Leaving me to stand.

When I give to those in need

To ease their worldly plight,

They take my gift with no reply

As if it was their right.

When I do the Christian thing

And turn the other cheek,

My aggressors take it on

Themselves to make me weep.

When I try to follow Christ

By never telling lies,

The world decides to hit me hard

Right between the eyes.

Because these deeds I do for good

Result in dismal pains,

I should look at life and feel

As though I’ve been short changed.

Then I think of Christ my Lord

And look back on His life;

Because of all He suffered through

I cannot speak of strife.

He did just this much for me;

This much and so much more.

He cried for me, He died for me,

He wore my crown of thorns.

He bore my yoke to Calvary

Upon His fragile frame.

Then He hung upon my cross

Where He then took my blame.

Now I’m here in front of Him

Down upon my knees,

Saying, “Jesus, Lord, here I am,

Do with me what you please.”

Jesus and the Passover Lamb

Journal Entry

June 5^th, 2005 – Sunday

Jacksonville, FL (STP)

Scripture references:

Luke 24: 13-35

Exodus 12:1-6

Exodus 12:1-6

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

Luke 24:13-35

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 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. 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?" 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, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 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. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 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. 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." And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 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. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 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?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Church this morning was a good experience I think. We (our team) are at Grace Community Church here in town. The pastor spoke today about the role of the lamb in the Bible (New Testament and Old Testament). The Passover lamb was to be kept in the house for 4 days before they slaughtered it so that it would become loved like a pet or a part of the family. This really struck me as I was meditating over this during communion. The disciples all lived and hung around with Jesus for 3 years. That’s enough time to feel like a very close family. He made some very cool promises and gave them all lots of assuring words. He told them that together with him they would inherit the kingdom of heaven and have eternal life. He told them all this, and then he died on the cross. The disciples had to have been destroyed by that. Here He had made all these promises and he had died, leaving them hanging with only some seemingly vague instructions. The disciples were bummed and surely felt an enormous amount of grief, hopelessness, and fear. But then, on the road to Emmaus when Jesus walked with them while they didn’t recognize him and had dinner with them, when they recognized who they were eating with, the joy and excitement and sheer exhilaration that they must have experienced! After that huge let down in there life, the hope had been restored in a brighter and clearer light than before, and they knew without a doubt that everything Jesus had said to them was absolutely true. What a glorious joy it is to know that He is risen, and risen for us, for you and me. All of our sin has been wiped away; we are squeaky clan, like just stepping out of the shower. All we have to do to walk with Jesus and all the other saints in heaven is simply accept this gift that has been given us! It’s as simple as that. Just accept the salvation and offer your life to him with joy in return. It’s GLORIOUS!

The Simple Things

There are some things in this life that no one really pays much attention to, but nonetheless make life what we know it to be. Take, for instance, air (I know it’s an absurd example, but true even so). No one really pays much attention to air. The mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and about… a lot of other gases that surrounds us every minute of every day, no one really gives a second thought to, but without it, life would definitely not be what it is today. There are many things like this in the world; I’ll bet if you think for even one minute, you could come up with a few yourself. My point in all this is that to truly take in all that life has to offer, one needs to sometimes sit back and look at what makes life life; think about the things that we encounter everyday that, without these things, life would change completely. One thing that I can think of right now is my physical ability. I can walk and talk. That is something that I totally take for granted on a very regular basis, but there are people who have gone through or are going through life without one or both of those abilities. To really sit down and think about how fortunate I am to be able to walk and talk lends a new perspective on the humdrum of everyday life. Instead of having a sour attitude because the elevator in your apartment building might be broken, rejoice that you can still get out because you are able to use the stairs. Instead of cursing your neighbor because the misunderstanding of a comment, take joy in the fact that you can communicate with your neighbor at all. It’s small things like this that I’m talking about.

There is one thing that I think everyone takes for granted on an almost constant basis that only a precious few people think about on any regular basis. The ‘thing’ that I’m referring to is God. God shows up in everything we do. He created us, He created the environment that we live in, and he created the people we interact with. He controls the winds and the rains and He dictates the actions of the birds of the air and the beasts of the ground. Without God, this life would most certainly be much, much, different. With out God even the most mundane actions would be impossible. Without God, there would be no you and there would be no me. So I encourage you, next time that you walk outside into a beautiful spring day and take a deep breath of fresh air or see a meadow in the middle of December covered in a pure white blanket of untouched snow, think about the things that make it possible for you to have that experience. Think about who is responsible for the beauty that you see. The next time you’re having a bad day, think about the simple often overlooked things. Think about what made your day ‘bad’ and give thanks to God that you’re even able to experience whatever that is. Phillipians 4:6-7 says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpassas all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Faith Without Works…

Journal Entry

August 9, 2005

Henry Bartel

Scripture references:

James 2:14-26

Matthew 8:5-13

Matthew 15:21-28

These passages all deal with faith, redeeming faith. James 2:14-26 says faith without works is dead. I’ve always taken this to mean that salvation was based on more than just faith, but I was wrong in that interpretation. Reading Matthew 8:5-13 and 15:21-28, I see Jesus help people because of the faith they have. This faith is good enough He says, but this faith is also acted upon when presented to Jesus. The centurion in chapter 8 of Matthew has faith that Jesus can heal his child, but that faith alone doesn’t save his child’s life. No, he asks, even begs Jesus to heal his child out of faith that he can do it. And in chapter 15 of Matthew, the Canaanite woman has faith that Jesus can heal her child but again that faith alone didn’t do it. She asked Jesus to heal her child out of faith and then it happened. Faith by itself is nothing if we don’t act on it. I can have all the faith in the world that I will win if I buy a lottery ticket, but if I never buy the lottery ticket, that faith is useless. So when James says faith without works is dead, he’s not talking about works of salvation, he’s talking merely about works by faith and from faith; the fruition of faith.