Sebastian Horsley – a child of privilege turned artist, author, and all-around self-promoter – died of a drug overdose yesterday, merely forty-seven years old. His sad life was marred by dysfunctional family life, followed by illicit self-indulgence in sexual promiscuity and heroin addiction. As an adult he engaged in shameless exhibitionism, as revealed in a dangerous and blasphemous stunt which he pulled a decade ago. His obituary comments:
The pinnacle of his career in this regard came in 2000, when he travelled to the Philippines and was crucified (“Christ, after all, had profound style”), fainting when the nails were driven in and falling when his footrest fell away. It was a gruesome and ignominious end to what some had viewed as a stunt in extremely poor taste, but Horsley’s name was trumpeted around the world, and even, he seemed to suggest, to the heavens. ‘I’d been rejected by a god I didn’t believe in,’ he noted.i
His last comment was particularly tragic, given that it was entirely untrue. God exists, and was willing to receive Horsley, if he would repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The obituary goes on to cite a recent interview where Horsley cynically assessed his life, saying: “I haven’t really had a life…I’ve just sat in a room and died. That’s what we all do.”ii How different it would have been if he had turned to Christ in his desperation. For those who come to Him for salvation, the Lord Jesus promises life that is eternal in quality as well as in duration. As He said: “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10.)
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Tag: The Gospel
Death: The Obsolete Relic Of A Fallen World
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:8-10
Recently the Japanese conceptual artist known as Arakawa died. What makes this stand out on the obituary page is that his wife Madeline Gins and he were determined not to die. Through extreme avant-garde architecture they planned and sometimes constructed houses that were supposed to enable the occupant to live forever. As one reviewer describes their style: “They build buildings with no doors inside. They place rooms far apart. They put windows near the ceiling or near the floor. Between rooms are sloping, bumpy moonscape-like floors designed to throw occupants off balance. These features, they argue, stimulate the body and mind, thus prolonging life. ‘You become like a baby,’ says Mr. Arakawa.” Another adds:
Their most recent work, a house on Long Island, had a steeply sloped floor that threatened to send visitors hurtling into its kitchen. Called Bioscleave House (Lifespan Extending Villa), it featured more than three dozen paint colors; level changes meant to induce the sensation of being in two places at once; windows that seemed too high or too low; oddly angled light switches and outlets; and an absence of doors that would have permitted occupants even a modicum of privacy. All of it was meant, the couple explained, to lead its users into a perpetually ‘tentative’ relationship with their surroundings, and thereby keep them young. ‘It has to do with the idea that you’re only as old as you think you are,’ Steven Holl, the Manhattan architect, said of the couple’s work, which he said was deeply rooted in Japanese philosophy.
Gins herself described the intended effect of this strange domicile: “Comfort is rife with anxiety. Elation comes when you erase that. In Bioscleave House, you are practicing not to die.” Obviously Arakawa’s death at the age of 73 is a setback to their ideas. His wife noted this fact in one of his obituaries: “Madeline Gins subsequently promised to continue her campaign to prove that ‘ageing can be outlawed’ but resignedly admitted that ‘this mortality thing is bad news’.”
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God Humbles Death
I must say that I am sick of death. During the past two weeks, a prominent Northern Irish Bible teacher whom I know of succumbed to cancer. Another brother I know personally departed this life suddenly last week, shocking his friends by his sudden exit from this world. This past Sunday a sister in the Lord lost her father to a recently diagnosed illness. Meanwhile, a dear brother in our home church is gravely ill with multiple maladies that could take his life at any moment. Serious diseases plague more than one personal friend, as well as a close family member. All of this leads me to strongly reiterate: I am sick of death. Thankfully in light of the work of Christ, death is a temporary phenomenon.
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Worldly Charity
In yesterday’s New York Times, columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote an Op-ed piece on the recent humanitarian efforts of various “faith-based” mission organizations. In the article, he focuses on World Vision, which he describes as “a Seattle-based Christian organization (with strong evangelical roots) whose budget has roughly tripled over the last decade.” He approvingly references the efforts of organizations such as this in assisting in disaster situations, combating diseases like malaria and AIDS, fighting poverty, etc. Although he is not mentioned in this article, Rick Warren is also urging the churches in his sphere of influence to devote themselves to solving these gargantuan problems.
Throughout the piece, Kristof repeatedly cites a book by Richard Stearns, World Vision’s head in the United States. One of his allusions to this work is especially conspicuous: “In one striking passage, Mr. Stearns quotes the prophet Ezekiel as saying that the great sin of the people of Sodom wasn’t so much that they were promiscuous or gay as that they were ‘arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.’ (Ezekiel 16:49.)” According to this revisionist understanding of Scripture the great sin of Sodom was apathy towards the underprivileged rather than gross moral sin. Kristof also comments on their lack of proselytizing in these words: “Some Americans assume that religious groups offer aid to entice converts. That’s incorrect. Today, groups like World Vision ban the use of aid to lure anyone into a religious conversation.” These ideas are sadly becoming more common in the professing evangelical church, revealing the worldliness that is rampant in modern Christendom.
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Certainty Amidst The Uncertainty Of Life
“Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Prov. 27:1
On February 4th my family and I arrived on a small island in the Bahamas, called Man-O-War Cay. Like many times before, we came to this beautiful place, where we have so many friends, in order to preach the Word of God in one of the local churches. As usual, we took a ferry from Marsh Harbour, the largest town on Abaco island, to the previously mentioned cay. Our captain on the ferry was a brother in the Lord whom I knew from past visits. Regrettably, I cannot say that I knew him well – most of my familiarity with this man came from prayer meetings on the island. Although he was comparatively young (37 years old), he was often the object of fervent, united prayer, for he had an array of health problems, mostly stemming from chronic kidney ailments that plagued him from infancy. Over the years he had numerous surgeries and medical procedures – including two kidney transplants; thus his bodily condition was far from robust. In spite of these difficulties, he was a kind, unselfish man, who was beloved by his family and many friends (this latter group includes many people from the U.S., Canada, and other countries, who knew him from the ferry and other activities on his home island.)
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The Terror of Unanswered Prayer
“When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” Prov. 1:27-33i
Alluding to the words of Revelation 6:16, the classic hymn, “The Love of God” says: “When years of time shall pass away/and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall/when men who here refuse to pray/ on rocks and hills and mountains call/God’s love so sure shall still endure all measureless and strong…”ii This haunting stanza reminds one that a fearful day of judgment will one day overtake this planet. Disbelieving creatures, now heedless of the danger to their souls, will then cry out for mercy, but it will be too late. By contrast, believers will never come into condemnation and possess the settled assurance that God hears and answers their prayers. One must weigh the difference between the saved and the lost in regard to prayer.
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Leper Catering
Hard times came to ninth-century Israel. 2 Kings 6 and 7 recount the tale of the conflict with their northern neighbors the Syrians – also known as the Arameans – and the ensuing siege of Samaria. A severe famine upon the inhabitants of the Israelite capital followed, leaving the people in desperate straits. Things became so difficult that certain women resorted to cannibalizing their own children in an effort to assuage their incessant hunger (2 Kings 6:26-29.) Formerly worthless, but edible commodities like a donkey’s head suddenly became costly delicacies. This high price for a ceremonially unclean animal indicated the extreme suffering playing out within the city walls. Such misery engendered a collage of colliding emotions in the Israelite king – including frustration, perplexity, rage, and helplessness. His ire soon turned against the Lord’s faithful spokesman, Elisha, but the latter was not to blame for the calamity (v. 31.) Instead, he pronounced a message of unparalleled deliverance to the astonished monarch and his advisers.
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Rich Man, Poor Man
In Mark 10:17-31 we read the account of “the rich young ruler,” as he is often called. This memorable incident is instructive for modern times, for it shows us the difference between human and divine values. The man in this passage discovered that he was completely wrong about himself. More importantly he totally misread the true identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Modern people often make the same mistake—thinking too little of Christ and overestimating themselves.
At first glance, the man in our passage seems like a prospective convert who is not far from the kingdom. Verse seventeen shows him running to the Lord; therefore, we conclude that he is keenly desiring to speak with Him. Secondly, he kneels before the Lord. This posture indicates that he thinks of Jesus as someone greater than himself—indeed, One Who commands respect. Thirdly, he refers to the Lord in complimentary terms, calling Him “Good Teacher.” (NKJV) Lastly, he asks Christ a spiritual question: “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Unfortunately, this interrogative betrays the man’s utter spiritual ignorance of his own condition, as well as the true character of the Lord Jesus. Of course, the Lord already knows the man’s heart, and orchestrates the conversation in order to enlighten the affluent man.
Christ first asks him what his motivation is for calling Him good. The Lord assures him that in the ultimate sense only God is good. What is more, the Scripture affirms that among men “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Ps. 14:1) Does the man comprehend that Jesus is God? Or is he merely being polite?
Since the man asks what he must do to be saved, the Lord reviews the horizontal “love thy neighbor as thyself” section of the commandments. The man maintains that he has kept all of these since his youth. If man insists on coming to God by human effort, then the Almighty will direct him to the perfect standard as revealed in God’s Law. Of course, fallen man is unable to keep the Law, and therefore should conclude that there is nothing that he can do to gain eternal salvation. The rich man misses this truth, self-confidently believing that he has kept all of the Lord’s commandments perfectly. Undoubtedly, he had a righteous reputation as being an upright pillar of the community. Nonetheless, the Lord Jesus is not fooled by outward appearance, and is privy to the contents of the duplicitous human heart. Christ gives the man instructions that expose his sin. He tells him to divest himself of his many possessions, and disperse his assets to the indigent. He does not do this to cause the man unnecessary pain. Rather, the text plainly states that Jesus “loved him” (v.21.) The man was not expecting this turn of events. Mark tells us: “…he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” (v. 22) Alas, he forgot that the first commandment is “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…” (Mk. 12:30) If he had done this, then giving up his substance in favor of heavenly riches would have been easy. In fact, his reaction shows us that he did not really love his neighbor as himself or love God with all of his being.
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Rescued
Millions of Americans anxiously followed the three day drama that transpired in a collapsed mine in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Nine miners were trapped in a damaged shaft that was 240 feet below the ground, rapidly filling with water. Thousands of miners & rescue workers labored round the clock to free the trapped men. An enormous drill was imported from neighboring West Virginia in a desperate attempt to reach the men while air & life remained. Many prayed, others sat glued to their television sets, waiting for word of the fate of the nine endangered men. No doubt some observers gave up hope: the shaft was too deep, there was too much water, there were problems with the heavy excavation equipment. Others desperately hoped that someway, somehow the men would be freed. The beleaguered men themselves wondered if they would be reached in time. Thankfully, on Sunday morning the glad news went forth that all nine had been saved!
This story was a rare example of good news in the media reports. So often the headlines are filled with tragedy & heartache. Nevertheless, this real-life rescue reminds one of an even greater true story of deliverance. Gal.1:4 records it succinctly: “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” (Italics mine) This verse tells us that God undertook a dramatic rescue at great cost to Himself. Humans were in tremendous spiritual peril due to their sins. The Bible teaches clearly that “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom.3:23) It also adds that “…the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom.6:23) Our sins put us under the wrath of a righteous & holy God. We were in danger of being lost not just for time, but also for eternity. Accordingly, God sent His Son into the world to accomplish a recovery effort on a massive scale. The Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily died on the Cross, suffering the judgment that sinners deserved. Gal.1:4 expresses the very heart of the Gospel. The celebrated expositor J.R.W. Stott remarks: “If the nature of Christ’s death on the cross was ‘for our sins’, its object was ‘to rescue us out of this present age of wickedness’ (verse 4, NEB). Bishop J.B. Lightfoot writes that the verb (‘deliver’, ‘rescue’) ‘strikes the keynote of the epistle’. ‘The Gospel is a rescue,’ he adds, ‘an emancipation from a state of bondage.’ Christianity is, in fact, a rescue religion. The Greek verb in this verse is a strong one (exaireo, in the middle voice). It is used in the Acts of the rescue of the Israelites from their Egyptian slavery (7:34), of the rescue of Peter both from prison and from the hand of Herod the King (12:11), and of the rescue of Paul from an infuriated mob about to lynch him (23:27). This verse in Galatians is the only place where it is used metaphorically of salvation. Christ died to rescue us.”
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War & Peace: The Controversial Claims of Christ In Matthew 10:34
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). At first glance, this statement seems incongruous with the popular conception of Jesus Christ. No doubt guided by Hollywood’s unhistorical and imaginative depictions, He is often pictured as insipid, blandly noncontroversial, or benignly accepting of anyone and anything. Modern thinking reduces Him to a supremely tolerant ethicist: one who condemns those people and things that society’s conventional wisdom deems as bad, while simultaneously excusing individuals from their personal guilt. In short, Jesus is modern man’s psychoanalyst, guru, confidant, and all around “buddy”, who will by no means challenge or offend contemporary sensibilities. Needless to say, this is a caricature of the true Messiah, whom the Scripture describes as a “stumbling block” (1 Cor. 1:23; cf. Rom. 9:32-33). The Lord Jesus’ own words reveal His controversial claims and actions, which even today offend the natural man.
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