The Gospel Imperative

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is arguably one of the three best known parables, a trio which includes the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. I suspect that is so because all three possess vivid imagery. What sets the Rich Man and Lazarus apart, however, is the graphic portrayal of the destiny of human beings who die having lived lives that are not “rich toward God.” The quote, you may know, is from the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12). That parable warns against covetousness, illustrating that in the end what we possess on earth will be left behind and we will stand before God to account for what we did with what he brought under our stewardship. We should not, therefore, covet another’s riches, which only breeds discontent, but should seek, rather, the contentment that comes from trusting and serving our wise and gracious heavenly Father. In that way, we will be “rich toward God.”

Once again, the call to stewardship is presented in the Rich Man and Lazarus. But this time the sentence that awaits is depicted. In a stunning reversal, the one people would have assumed was blessed by God, evidenced by his great wealth, is condemned, while the one assumed to be condemned, evidenced by his extreme destitution, is blessed. And the condemnation is terrifying: a state of unrelenting and unalterable torment that is physical, psychological, and eternal. Such is the warning Jesus gives those who are “lovers of money,” who “seek to justify [themselves] before men,” who are seemingly unaware that “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:14-15).

Despite the harrowing outcome for such ones, we are to be reminded that the one who paints the picture is hailed as Savior. He came to save greedy, self-justifying, hard-hearted humans. This is the good news, the gospel, that has been proclaimed by the church since it was commissioned by her Lord to make disciples of the nations. Faith in his faithfulness is what guarantees the depicted balm for the impoverished soul, be that one rich in this world’s goods or poor. And as long as that one breathes there is hope that the good news will be heard. This is why we must persistently pray to God for the grace, wisdom, and courage to tell others of the Savior, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Pentecostal Preaching, Part 3

The first car I owned was a real clunker. Thankfully, it was of a pedigree that one could spend time tinkering with it to keep it going; and a lot of time was spent tinkering. At one point the gas gauge broke. Gas gauges are not an easy fix. Consequently, I drove without a working gauge, trying to judge when I next needed to fill up by how many miles I had driven. Needless to say, I ran out of gas more than once. At such times one becomes acutely aware of just how difficult it is for a car to do what a car is supposed to do without the requisite fuel in the tank. Having to push a car to the side of the road -- by yourself -- brings it home.

A task has been given to the church, a task that can no more be accomplished without the requisite fuel than a car can take a person from point A to point B without gas in the tank. This is why Jesus told his followers to tarry in Jerusalem after his ascension. He had commissioned them to bear witness to him and they needed to wait until the One who was to be sent, whose job it was was to to bear witness to Jesus (John 15:26), had descended and filled them. In His power they could, and did, carry out the task.

We are in no less need of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our role in making Jesus known than were the first followers of Christ. Persuading people to hand over the reins of their lives to an unseen Savior is not something that will be accomplished using ordinary methods of human persuasion. Mass marketing, appeals to emotions and desires, propaganda, even threat of death, will not bring a soul under the Lordship of Christ. It is only a work of the Spirit, a work of grace, that awakens a spiritually dead soul to life (John 3:3). This is why we need to pray with the early church for fresh fillings of the Spirit that we might speak “the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). Our Spirit empowered proclamation connecting with people prepared by the Spirit to hear it, is what Jesus envisioned when he commissioned the church to be witnesses for him “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Advent: King Messiah

In the progressive revelation of God’s promised redemption, the figure of the redeemer becomes clearer. The Messiah, or Anointed One, will be one who will reign as king. It was prophesied by Jacob and realized in David, Israel’s archetypal king. But the task of restoring humanity to a state of peace and abundance in fellowship with God is more than any earthly king could accomplish. This deficiency was something that David appears to have grasped, for in Psalm 110 he pays homage to one he calls “my Lord,” whom Yahweh exalts to his right hand: “The Lord says to my Lord/“Sit at my right hand,/until I make your enemies your footstool.” Remarkably, this figure was one to whom even the God-appointed king of Israel must pay obeisance.

The identity of this figure was claimed by Jesus himself (Matthew 22:41-45), and proclaimed with apostolic authority (e.g., Acts 2:34-36). He was the promised Son of David who fulfilled the covenant given to the shepherd turned king. He ushered in the kingdom that has as its hallmarks, equity, justice, righteousness, and peace. The works that he did testified to his true identity; and though he was “killed by the hands of lawless men,” God demonstrated through his resurrection, ascension, and subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that he was, that he is, “both Lord and Christ.”

Advent is a time of waiting in anticipation. For those alive at the time of Jesus’ birth, it had been a millennium since David wrote his prophetic lyrics. But those who waited in faith saw their faith rewarded. Our advent season is even longer than theirs. Yet our reason to hope is greater than theirs. Not only do we have the record of Jesus’ ministry on earth that testifies to his Messianic anointing, we have the vision of the one who possesses “the keys of Death and Hades,” the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, [who] has conquered,” of whom voices in Heaven proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever,” and who himself testifies that, “I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:18; 5:5; 11:15; 22:12). Armed with this vision may we be reminded, in the words of the hymn, that,
“This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world; the battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heav’n be one.”