Category: All Articles

Between the Cradle and the Cross

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Holiday, Theology

–Winter of 2006

Between the Cradle and the Cross

Christmas gives the Church a special opportunity to gather around Bethlehem’s manger to glory in the incarnation of God’s own Son.  In like fashion, Good Friday grips the Christian world with hallowed silence as it remembers Calvary’s cruel cross, while Easter leads us triumphantly by the empty tomb on resurrection morn.   These holy days allow us to focus on specific aspects of our Lord’s redemptive work.

But the church has no special day to celebrate what happened in between those two great events.  For in between lies the perfectly lived life of Jesus – a life that we are called to celebrate, follow after, and be conformed to.  A life that is far too easily lost among the parables, the Sermon on the Mount, the miracles, and the great gospel narratives.

I hear some reader saying now, “You can celebrate an event but how do you celebrate a life?  How can you take years of activity, pages of discourse and passages of truth and package it in a single moment of celebration or reflection?”

Actually Jesus did just that in the opening statements of His prayer in John 17.  This part of His prayer is packed with the very essence of His life and work.  Verses 4-8 encapsulates his earthly life in such a concise way that it allows one to get the big picture of what His life was about.  Notice the three aspects of what Jesus says in these verses: “I have glorified thee (the heavenly Father) on the earth by fulfilling the work which thou gavest me to do,” “I have manifested Your name,” and “I have given them the words which you have given to Me and they have received them.”  These statements embrace the ultimate purpose-driven life.  A closer examination will be helpful.

“I have glorified You by fulfilling the work you gave me to do” – The only way to glorify God is to obey Him.  Jesus lived His life in submissive, loving obedience to the Father’s will.  He glorified the Father by obediently carrying out what He knew was the Father’s will for Him.

“I have manifested Your name” –   The world needs to know who God is and how He works.  Jesus lived His life in both word and deed to reveal to His disciples and the world the very character and nature of the Heavenly Father.

“I have given them the words which you have given me and they have received them.”-  

God has a message for fallen man.  That message must be passed on.  Jesus successfully transmitted it to His disciples, and they in turn passed it on to the world.

The Master Teacher prayed these words in His disciples hearing for a reason. He wanted them to know what the essence of His life was all about—1. Fulfilling the Father’s will        2. Revealing the Father’s character   3.Sharing the Father’s message.

After leaving the Upper Room, each disciple, in his own way, wrapped his life around this same trilogy of purpose.  The book of Acts shows them: “speaking with boldness His word,” “obeying God rather than man,” and “revealing the person and character of Jesus.”  After Paul’s conversion we see the same pattern surfacing in his life. He tells King Agrippa that he was “not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision.”  To the Philippians he said, “this one thing I do.”   His epistles reveal the nature and character of God in Christ, but his life was so much an example of Christ that he could tell the Corinthians to, “imitate me.”   In his final letter to Timothy, Paul tells his young successor that, “the things you have heard from me, commit to faithful men who will be able to tell others.”

You and I can only glory in the birth and death of our Lord, but we can certainly share in the life that was lived in between.  It is a life worth celebrating and certainly one worth following.

Peace on Earth

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Holiday, Theology

–December of 2005

Peace on Earth

The Advent season summons the Church away from its normal activity to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Christian pilgrims from around the world will descend upon the ancient town of Bethlehem.  Manger square will be filled with the sounds of Christmas carols, the reverent tones of public prayers, and the glow of a thousand candles.

Most of us in America will celebrate Christmas watching our children parade timidly in front of church congregations, re-enacting the Christmas story.  We will all smile proudly, nod our affirmation vigorously, and join with these little ones as they sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”  (Luke 2:14).

The words “peace on earth” will slip by most of us without notice.  Yet the cynic, as well as the serious saint, will recognize that the world has not found the formula for peace.  The god of war continues to stalk up and down the earth, threatening men and nations with bloodshed and destruction.  Terrorism has robbed law abiding people of any sense of security.  The Middle East is a boiling cauldron of tension, spilling over in outbreaks of violence.  Here in America broken-hearted families will stare at empty chairs this Christmas because of loved ones who lost their lives in the war in Iraq.

The god of this world also goes about seeking whom he may devour.  He has wrought havoc in a world now haunted by demons, disease, and death.  Sin has ruined men by violence and squalor, misery and hatred. Stress and tension fill our homes and destroy our health.  The piercing words of the prophet, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked,” are painfully accurate.

Is there any hope for meaningful peace in our world?  Can men find calm in the midst of such chaos?  Oh yes!  The Prince of Peace has offered it and millions of souls have found it. But it can be realized only in obedience to the divine formula for peace.  The divine formula is expressed in the form of a cross.  Paul said, “He has made peace through the blood of His cross.”  The cross of Christ has made inner peace possible now.  It can bring about an end to the inner warfare and outward misery of any man’s life.

The prospects of world peace look dim to those who gaze with a temporal eye.  But the Savior who came as a babe in Bethlehem’s manger will one day return as a conquering King.  He will put all enemies under His feet and bring to pass a reign of “peace on earth, good will toward men.”

WWJD?

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–November of 2005

WWJD?

Charles Sheldon popularized the question, “What would Jesus do?” in his famous book, In His Steps.  The question implies that by asking and answering “What would Jesus do?” one could then imitate the behavior or response of Jesus in any given situation.  The only problem is that this approach doesn’t work.  Trying to answer what Jesus would do is highly subjective, differs from person to person, and can be implemented (and most often is) without any biblical data.  The end result is a superficiality that fails to transform character to any measure of real Christlikeness.

The Bible leads us toward another question.  That question is “What did Jesus do?”    This is a question that forces us to search the scriptures to see how Jesus lived his life, responded to others, and revealed the character of His heavenly father.  The Gospels offer a front row seat to watch and learn from the words and works of the Master Teacher.  When one reads the story of the woman taken in adultery and carefully studies Jesus’ response to her, one has to draw the conclusion that to be like Jesus one must treat every human being with dignity and respect as well as with an overall response that is redemptive.  But even this approach lacks what is needed for the development of true Christlike character.

Christlikeness cannot be produced by imitation (Sheldon’s approach) or solely by revelation (gaining insights from the study of scripture).  True Christlikeness can only be produced by inhabitation.  We must allow Christ to live His life through us.  So how does this happen in real life?  First, by the miracle of regeneration and entire-sanctification (things Christ does for us and in us).  Second, by the choices we make and the disciplines we embrace.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 that we must:  get rid of our old ways of living, let the Spirit and Word change the way we think, and develop new godly habits.  As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, He can bring about character change that allows us to manifest the true image of Christ.

The real question isn’t what would Jesus do or what did Jesus do but what can he do with a fully surrendered soul who is cooperating with the Holy Spirit and applying the principles of God’s Word?  The answer to that question will be transformational.

Bearding the Lion in His Own Den

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Ministry

–October of 2005

Bearding the Lion in His Own Den

Since 9/11, President Bush has developed a doctrine on terrorism that seeks to find, confront and destroy the terrorist in the very land that breeds him and in the very cave that hides him.  The Apostle Paul had a similar doctrine for evangelism. He believed in taking the battle to the strongholds of sin.  Like a shrewd general, Paul targeted Ephesus, Thessalonica and Corinth — large population centers, wealthy in commerce and flourishing with pagan gods — with the gospel.  He confronted pagan scholars, cutthroat business leaders, and demon-possessed sorcerers with unflinching confidence that the power of grace would win the day.  He was determined to press the claims of the gospel all the way to Rome.  The gospel must be sounded in the ears of Caesar!

This common approach shared by President Bush and the Apostle Paul comes from the belief that you have to beard the lion in his own den.  Early Wesleyans shared this belief.  John Wesley saw the English people languishing under the tyranny of sin, and took the gospel to the coalmines and open fields.  The Salvation Army marched into the jaws of Hell itself to save the most degenerate and neglected among society.  American circuit riders followed the settlers by boat and on horseback to confront sin and convert the sinner.  The Methodist come-outers of the late 19th century left a staid mother and started hundreds of storefront missions, all for the purpose of getting the gospel to those who needed it most.  Even the first Bible colleges, with but few exceptions, were located in the heart of our greatest cities so that their students could confront the lost masses with the gospel message.  To put it plainly, the Church has always taken the offensive to reach lost souls wherever they are found.

It seems that the contemporary church has lost this philosophy.   America’s population is increasingly more urban, but the Church is becoming more and more suburban or rural.   The great urban centers of America are ripe for the gospel, but the Church is leaving them untouched. Why? Have we lost confidence in the power of the gospel?  Have classism, status-consciousness and racism paralyzed the Church?  Have we silenced our consciences by telling ourselves that we give heavily to foreign missions? Are we so out of touch that we can’t see the rise of a new frontier in missions?

Not everyone has missed the great open door.   Robert Lufton and F.C.S. in Atlanta, Jim Cymbala and Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York, and Eric Himelick in Indianapolis are men and organizations that are bucking the trend and advancing the gospel in the hearts of major cities.  A group of young people right here in Cincinnati are going into the inner city, working the streets, befriending other young people, taking them to Sunday school, church, youth camps, and camp meetings.  They are winning them to the Lord, discipling them in the faith, helping them get an education, and starting them down the road to a meaningful life that breaks the cycle of sin and rescues generations yet unborn.  Five of those changed lives are enrolled in our school right now.  The beginnings look small, but the long-term impact will be huge.

The church holds the answer to the problems within our large urban areas.  It was the gospel that saved England from Revolution, and it will be the gospel that saves America’s large cities from implosion.  But somebody is going to have to rise to the forefront with a confidence in the gospel and a boldness that dares to beard the lion in his own den.

Finding God in a Barber Shop

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Ministry

–September of 2005

Finding God in a Barber Shop

We have a knack of looking for God in the wrong places.  The Wise Men searched for the Christ child in the plush palaces of the capitol city of Jerusalem, only to find him in a humble home in lowly Bethlehem.  The mighty Roman legions looked for God in the glory of Rome and its Caesar, but one soldier found him hanging on a cruel cross and acknowledged that “truly this was the Son of God.”  Pilgrims have traversed the globe seeking Him everywhere from the Vatican City to Mecca.  Even holiness people ramble about the country looking for Him in the wind, fire, and earthquakes of camp meetings and conventions, while more often than not, they find Him in the still small voice of a silent moment or the sermon of an unpretentious, unknown pastor back home.

I forget this lesson occasionally, and God has to remind me that if I don’t pay close attention, I too will miss a sacred opportunity to see Him.  He used my good friend, Oscar, to teach me this lesson again.

Oscar Johnson has been a barber in the Cincinnati area for over forty years.  He is a quiet, gentle, and unassuming man who is liked by everyone.  He has enjoyed perfect health, not missing a day of work for sickness in 43 years.  However, this May a few sharp pains in his back led to a diagnosis of stage-four cancer.  It was so advanced that immediate surgery had to be performed to stabilize the lower vertebrae so his back would not collapse.  It was all so sudden that it left everyone breathless and bewildered —everyone but Oscar.  After six hours of extremely dangerous surgery, he told his family, “This has been a wonderful day.  My family and all those I love have been here together today.”

My wife and I visited him the day after surgery.  I was praying on the way to the hospital that I would say the right things to encourage him.  But when I walked into the room there was no depressed mood or sad face.  Oscar was beaming – literally smiling from ear to ear!  He said, “Oh, Brother Avery, the insurance policy I took out with God forty years ago works!  Every promise is true.  He is working out every detail.  I’m in a win-win situation.”

The outpouring of concern was overwhelming.  His customers span the religious scale from Catholics to Buddhists and Muslims to Protestants.  They wrote over two hundred cards and made at least a thousand phone calls.  Why?  Because Oscar left a clear witness to Christ to everyone who sat in his chair.  A Muslim medical doctor was so impacted by Oscar’s life that he asked Oscar the secret to his happiness.  This was a chance for Oscar to gently point him to Jesus.  The doctor brought his father from Iran to meet Oscar so he could see “the happiest man in the world.”

I could tell you of college students, professors, lawyers, business leaders, and even a Hell’s Angel-type rebel, all who were drawn to Oscar’s bedside to stand for a few moments in the presence of a man who showed them Christ by the very life he lived.

My family visited Oscar last Saturday.  With tear-filled eyes we listened to his closing words, “Brother Avery, whatever way it goes I’m still a winner.  God has wonderful things in store for me!”

So many people in the world long to see Jesus, and God is always faithful to reveal Himself.  I caught a glimpse of Him last Saturday in a hospital bed.  And I can tell you about a lot of men who saw Him and found Him in a barber shop, cutting hair.