Coffee With The Lord

In many ways 2015 has been a tough one for Bible believing, evangelical Christians! Believer’s have been persecuted worldwide, some have given their lives for the sake of the gospel, others have experienced cultural antipathy for Biblical values and teaching, religious bodies have capitulated to teachings that are completely antithetical to apostolic truth, and legislative bodies have enacted laws that limit religious freedom. It’s been a difficult and trying year!

And yet, in spite of the difficulties, it has been an exciting and fruitful year of opportunity for world evangelism!

In my Bible reading this morning that mixture of difficult circumstances of incredible opportunity impressed itself on me as drew to the end of Acts (Acts 27-28). Apostle Paul has been unjustly accused, he has appealed to Caesar for justice, he has been sent to Rome for trial, on the way there, Paul has experienced a terrible storm at sea, has been shipwrecked, finally Paul and all the passengers on the ship barely escape death and end up on Malta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. Paul’s situation was unjust, his circumstances were terrible, his advice had been ignored, yet he emerges as a leader, contributing constructively and redemptively in terrible circumstances!

For example, after arriving on the little Island of Malta after the shipwreck, Paul is bitten by a poisonous viper while building a fire, shakes it off, and to the amazement of the natives supernaturally no harm comes to him. In fact, the natives, who thought fate had come to evil man, changed their mind and thought he was a god. Paul ministers to the chief man of the island who was terribly ill, prayed for him, and God heals him. This resulted in others coming, hearing the gospel, and being healed. The account ends with these words… “They honored us greatly, and when we about to sail, they put us on board with whatever we needed.” (Acts 28:10)

So what’s the point? Here it is, it seems to me… “Whenever an authentic, Spirit-filled, believer, experiences unfair or difficult circumstances, they should simply seek to be a blessing, walk in the Spirit, and live out their faith in Christ for the glory of God! That’s what Apostle Paul did… Let me tell you, I want to live that way!B

I think many of us have watched an uncomfortable scene somewhere… An individual is standing in line waiting to enter an event or pick up an item. They give their name to the person at the counter or provide a credit card and their name cannot be found or their credit card is rejected. They fumble around, search their billfold or empty their purse to find a receipt, identification, or another card that will be accepted, but nothing can be found. They seek to find alternatives, they offer excuses, they beg for exceptions, but to no avail, and finally have to leave – probably angry and embarrassed.

That scene reminds me of something I read this morning in the book of Revelation…

The first is at the gate of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem… “And he carried me away int the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel… And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb… But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life!” (From Revelation 21:10–27 ESV)

And just one chapter earlier another very unpleasant scene… “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne [of God], and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12–15 ESV)

All of which reminds me of the words of a very old gospel song with a probing message:

“Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold;
I would make sure of Heaven, I would enter the fold.
In the book of Thy kingdom, with its pages so fair,
Tell me, Jesus, my Savior, is my name written there?

Refrain:
“Is my name written there, On the page white and fair?
In the book of Thy kingdom, Is my name written there?

“Lord, my sins they are many, like the sands of the sea,
But Your blood, O my Savior, is sufficient for me!
For Your promise is written, in bright letters that glow,
“Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow.”

“Oh! that beautiful city, with its mansions of light,
With its glorified beings, in pure garments of white;
Where no evil thing enters to despoil what is fair;
Where the angels are watching… yes, my name’s written there!”

“Is My Name Written There?” (Mary Kidder, 1876; and Frank Davis)

Gotta tell you, I’m eternally grateful my name has been written in what the Bible calls “the Lamb’s book of Life!” I didn’t deserve it, but Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” forgave me when I repented, He washed my sin away, and granted me eternal life… Heaven is my home! My name is in the book! And yours can be as well!