Chuck Ryor

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Every so often I’ll read an article or watch a documentary about so-called scholars in the “Jesus Project” who are questioning the veracity of the New Testament or the claims of historic Christianity.  As I read or listen, I find myself amazed and saddened.  Why?  Two reasons:

1.      Every new critical “trend” tends to believe it is a new one.   Rarely is it and I’m amazed that these “scholars” don’t seem to realize it.

2.     Reaction from many so-called Christians is so visceral and hateful.  This is definitively UN-Christlike and makes me sad.

In the first century there was intense criticism of the Christian Apostles.  It wasn’t because they forwarding an anti-Roman, non-violent political movement.  It was because they were espousing a religious faith that would either radically alter a person’s life or essentially place them under condemnation for their rejection of it.  This made people so angry that 11 of the original 12 apostles (+ the Apostle Paul) died martyrs deaths for the gospel.

People who are being called to turn away from their selfishness and sin (people like us) don’t naturally take to it very well.  In fact, we hate it.  But, by His grace we can be softened and able to humbly admit our need for redemption and restoration through Christ’s atoning death and confirming resurrection.

¹² But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. – 1 Corinithians 15:12-19

The apostles themselves were already opposing Christian heresy in the first century.  The Apostle Paul condemned the denial of physical resurrection of Christ, saying that if there’s no resurrection that Christianity was a farce and that believers would still be held accountable for their sins.

Yet, every few years the “Jesus Seminar” people come along to tell us once again that body resurrections don’t happen and that Jesus didn’t die for our sins.  (see http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/02/27/Jesus.scholar/index.html?hpt=C1)  Predictably, frightened Christians react as if what’s being taught is new or possibly true.  Unfortunately, reactions based in fear tend to be angry and the opposite of loving.

While it is true – at least according to the Apostle Paul – that if Jesus didn’t genuinely, physically come back to life that he and the other Apostles were liars, the converse is also true.  If Jesus is alive then the Apostles were correct and any so-called scholarship that would oppose this gospel is wrong.  And any of us ought to have great concern if Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and yet we reject His offer of salvation based on His atoning sacrifice for our sins.  We’ll pay for these sins ourselves if we don’t turn to Him.

This is that part of the gospel that has always offended.  No matter how nicely we put it, in spite of self-deprecation that humbly admits our own brokenness, we cannot expect that apart from the grace of God working in others that they will react favorably to this message.  So, that leaves us to pray that God would soften their hearts by His grace as He has ours; we would pray that they’d know that He came not to condemn us but to rescue us from ourselves.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” – John 3:16-21

I’m in Orlando today and had been planning to come to Florida this week for a variety of reasons.  I’m speaking at two high schools and two churches in the state.  I have a Doctoral Committee meeting at Florida State next Monday.  I’m going to have to raise some money while I’m here.  As well, I’ll be visiting support team members who are already helping out Prism Church and giving them an update.  Oh, and I’m having breakfast with my mom (a collective, “awwwww” just went up from my female blog readers).

Back in December I realized that the Acts 29 Network (the trans-denominational association of which Prism is a part) was having a Boot Camp/Resurgence Training Conference here, so I figured I’d come to Orlando a couple of days earlier and attend the conference by myself.  Three weeks ago, one of my best friends (his unholiness, Rev. Steven Brooks) agreed to fly down from Atlanta to join me.  Today at the conference I got to spend time with Steven and two other pastor buddies from Tallahassee who I didn’t know were going to be here.  It was a refreshing time for me.

On top of these great things, I got to hear Tullian Tchividjian speak today for the first time.  Tullian is the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale and the grandson of Billy Graham.  I was so glad to hear him share as God communicated some wonderfully encouraging things to me through him.  Paradoxical and confusing as this may sound, it made perfect sense to me when Tullian said, “Getting better is better than not getting better.  But there are better ways to get better other than obsessing over getting better.”  This statement was a completely comprehensible to those of us with ADD.

You see, as a Christian we often feel guilty about stuff (I don’t share my faith enough, I don’t train my children very well, I don’t do such and such in a so and so manner, etc…). We may have good reason to assess that something is not healthy in our lives.  The question then becomes, what will motivate us to make a change?  Guilt will only work for a season and just long enough to make us bitter.

Grace, on the other hand, will create a hunger in us to please God.

When we hear the voice of our Heavenly Father saying to us, “My redeemed child, you need not do anything else to be unconditionally adored by me,” that will fuel our desire to please God.  When we don’t want to love God, it isn’t that we’ve heard too much about God’s grace and love.  It’s that we’ve not comprehended too well the grace and love we’ve heard about.  We need the gospel taught to us until the Holy Spirit breaks through our hard heads and hearts to let us know we’re special to the Father…then we’ll need to hear it some more.

I need to hear this type of encouragement more often, as my heart has a difficult time comprehending the reality of God’s love.  At times it makes sense intellectually, such as when I can see how a parent can love a child.  But, in my experience with God I’m still very much a beginner at actualizing the Father’s disposition of kindness towards me.  I can’t comprehend His love for me unless I DO something to earn it, and that’s not the Gospel.  We receive God’s love completely by His unmerited or unearned favor.  The definition of “Grace.”

We can try to pump ourselves up with fervor for obedience.  We can attend a lot of Christian rah-rah conferences where teachers who are “Guilt Crazy” can load us up with feelings of obligation.   However, until we comprehend the magnitude of God’s grace and love extended to us in Christ, we will not WANT to please the Lord.

Hence, getting better is better than not getting better – but there is a better way to get better than to obsess over not getting better.  We need God’s grace.  Not in theory, but in experience.

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:14-19

I got a glimpse of God’s love today.  I want to see and know it more.

Great day.