Becoming a Functional Atheist?

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." – (Luke 1.26-37)

"Good morning, Mr. Phelps." If you were a fan of the classic TV series (or the more recent Tom Cruise movies), "Mission Impossible," you know those words always began a riveting and exciting adventure. Jim Phelps, the head of the Mission Impossible Force, would listen to a tape, which would start with the words, “your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Mr. Phelps would then listen to a brief outline of this assignment that seemed, well, impossible. Key word – “seemed.” The tape would then self-destruct and Jim Phelps would immediately begin building a team of specialists and concocting this elaborate, perfectly-timed plan to do what couldn't be done. And, yes, every time they did get the seemingly impossible mission accomplished.

That's the conclusion you reached after watching that show for a while. And for them, there was really no such thing as “Mission Impossible.” That's great fantasy stuff. It's a much greater reality when it comes to rescue missions undertaken by the One of whom the Bible says, "For with God, nothing shall be impossible" – (Luke 1.37)

That might be important for you to know right now – because there may be a person in your life that seems beyond His reach, a situation beyond your ability to manage, a struggle or maybe an addiction that’s been too great for you alone to overcome. Maybe you’re involuntarily unemployed and your financial situation seems increasingly impossible – the job prospects are bleaker than ever. Maybe you’ve just been given some really bad news about your health and what you will be dealing with is beyond the reach of modern medical cure and therefore seems just hopeless. Maybe there’s a relationship that just doesn’t seem possible anymore to deal with. Whatever seemingly “mission impossible” you are facing right now you need to know that with God – nothing is impossible… that with God – all things are possible!

The angel Gabriel told Mary that God was planning to do something humanly impossible. All human logic would agree that a virgin cannot possibly give birth to a child. It is simply impossible. Yes, that’s absolutely true, it is humanly impossible! And contrary to a frequently repeated saying, “God will not give you more than you can handle” (where is that in the Bible?!) – He does, in fact, give us more than we, within our own finite, human limitations, alone can handle. And, according to God’s own word – this is exactly what was to happen in the life of Mary and Joseph. That’s why Mary asks a perfectly natural question, “How can this be… since I am a virgin?” I believe Mary’s question was a realization of her own human limitations – not a reflection of a lack of faith in God’s supernatural ability. It probably just seemed crazy that a virgin could have a baby – it is still a crazy notion to many today. But when God speaks of doing the humanly impossible, it is no longer absurd. “For no word from God will ever fail” – (Luke 1.37, NIV 2010) When was the last time God did the impossible in your life? When was the last time God directed you about what He wanted to do and you were scared to death by its scope and magnitude?

You see, God still does the impossible! Too often we acknowledge our belief that God can do whatever He wants, but then we add a safety-escape clause: "But I’m pretty sure God will not do that with me!" In theory, we believe, but in practice, we become functional atheists, believing that maybe God can perform miracles but never expecting a miracle in our own lives. We say we believe – but our behavior often proves otherwise. Quite possibly, we may not even believe God does miracles anymore — that is something solely in the past — and we give some other natural explanation for what only could be God — something for which He should receive the honor, the glory, and the praise. So, has God changed? Is He still the Almighty, Omnipotent Creator?

God wanted to bring salvation to all of humanity. It was critical that Mary not only believed God could perform a miracle but that she also adjusted her life to the awesome miraculous work He planned to do through her. This illustrates the difference between a true follower of Jesus and a moral person – the Divine! The difference between the church and a social club is the reality of the miraculous. Some can imitate the morality of a Christian, but no one can reproduce the miraculous that is part of the new birth experience. Do you believe that nothing is impossible for God?

Now there's another thrilling aspect of how God works found in this first Christmas “Mission Impossible” for the young virgin and her husband to be. That Mary would travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in her ninth month of pregnancy – probably a four or five day trip – is absolutely amazing. I've listened to people who have traveled the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem by car or bus, not as Joseph and Mary did. Whether they traveled on foot or rode on a donkey — from what I’ve heard it's a tortuous journey through hills and mountains, and it's about 90 long miles of rugged terrain. There's no way you're going to get a loving husband to go with his very pregnant wife on a trip like that on the eve of their baby's birth, right? Wrong!

You see, for 700 years the prophecies of God had promised that Immanuel (God with us) would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7.14) and for almost 500 years, the prophecies also said that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2). Little problem: Joseph and Mary are living some 90 miles away in Nazareth. There's apparently no way you'll ever get Mary to Bethlehem when the Messiah in her womb is full-term. But the plan of God says born of a virgin and born in Bethlehem. What God does is absolutely amazing, and may prove to be a very special encouragement for you right now in your present circumstances.

We read in God’s word, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world ... and everyone went to his town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David" – (Luke 2.1-4).

Now the man who appears to be making all this come together is the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. History tells us that he murdered members of his own family, he actually was a mass murderer, and he instituted emperor worship. He was, in many ways, a monster. And here is Joseph caught up in the great whirlpool of history, appearing to be directed by an imperial decree. But that is an earthly perspective. The apostle Paul gives us the heavenly perspective when he writes, “But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent His Son, born among us of a woman…” – (Galatians 4.4, MSG). Note these Spirit directed words, “the time – set by God… God sent His Son.” It was God calling the shots – not any mere man!

You see it is Caesar Augustus who turns out to be the bit player in this divine drama, the footnote to history. He thinks he's flexing his muscle with this universal census, but this most powerful man on earth is only an unsuspecting instrument in the hands of sovereign, Almighty God — (“The Lord can control a king’s mind as He controls a river [The heart of a king is a canal-stream in the hand of the Lord]; He can ·direct [turn; incline] it as He pleases” – Proverbs 21.1, EXB). And God will get His destiny people to His destiny place to accomplish His destiny purpose, even if He has to move an entire empire to do it!

So, as the Christmas story is still maybe lingering in our hearts and minds, let’s not miss this very powerful statement — that God's missions are not impossible! No, they’re unstoppable – including His plans for you. Plans, as He says in Jeremiah 29.11, “to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." As The Message puts it, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” – (Jeremiah 29.11, MSG). Plans for you that the apostle Paul declares, “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears… The One Who chose you can be trusted, and He will do this” – (Philippians 1.6, MSG; 1 Thessalonians 5.24, CEV)

Now it may be that at this very moment there appears to be no way things can turn out right – it really does look to you as just completely, totally impossible! The money simply isn't there, your health just isn't there, the relationship looks impossible (or even being in a relationship seems impossible), the job frustrations are mounting, the mountain isn't moving and it’s getting bigger and bigger, and the answer isn't coming. It looks as if there's no way for things to work out, not enough time for an answer to come – it’s just impossible! Now, the moment of truth — do you really believe “nothing is impossible with God”?

You belong to the same God who, with the stroke of an evil man's pen, moved an empire to place His kids, Joseph and Mary, right where they were supposed to be, for God to do what He had promised hundreds of years earlier. So, yes, there was a difficult process, there was a humanly impossible mission, but God delivered them exactly where they were supposed to be to accomplish exactly what He planned at just the right time – “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us’ ” – (Matthew 1.22-23, NIV) And God will get His plans for you accomplished if He has to move an empire to do it, or use even a godless instrument to do it.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem… of a virgin – the one a definite human impossibility, the other a human improbability at the very least! Don’t forget that getting Him there in the first place was an act of divine orchestration! So relax in the strong arms of the God of Bethlehem and trust the One who entered this world in the flesh through the womb of a young virgin. He will move whatever or whomever He has to move and do whatever He has to do in order to finish what He has started in your life!

Remember, whatever “seemingly” mission impossible you may be facing – “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” – (Mark 10.27, NKJV)

So, your mission today, should you choose to accept it, is to trust an all-powerful God Who loves you with a steadfast, enduring, unfailing, perfect, everlasting love, demonstrated most dramatically in the sending of His Son into this world to die for your sins and mine. And then, quite possibly, no matter what is or isn’t going on right now in your life, with Him and by Him and for Him, you will have a peaceful, joyful, Happy New Year!

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd 

Punching Holes in the Darkness

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness

will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. — (Isaiah 9.1-2, NLT)

Treasure Island… Kidnapped… The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… New Arabian Nights… Prince Otto ... A Child's Garden of Verses – those are just some of the literary classics written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Well he must have had a way with words from the time he was a little boy. Anne Graham Lotz, in her book, “Just Give Me Jesus,” tells of a night in his boyhood when his nanny just couldn't get him to bed. Young Robert just kept staring out the window, oblivious to her talking to him. Finally, she said, "Robert, what in the world are you looking at out there?" As she pulled back the curtain, she realized he was watching the lamplighter making his way down the street, lighting one street lamp after another. Young Robert Louis Stevenson saw something more. He said, "Look at that man! He's punching holes in the darkness!"

Now that is an awesome description of what light does – isn’t it?! Punching holes in the darkness – light has a way of doing that – no matter how small, how dim or how far away. A little light will pierce the darkness.

We like light – don’t we?! We need light to live. If we didn’t have light we would die. There is no life without light. Without the sun’s light – planet earth would not be able to support and sustain life – it would be a cold, dark, dead, barren ball.

Well, we need light physically – and we need light spiritually to live in eternal splendor. Otherwise we are walking in darkness – dying in darkness, really. Our key Scripture text is found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter nine, verse two, which says, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” That’s a pretty apt description of Christ’s coming into this dark world! Through the sending of His Son – Jesus the Messiah – God punched a hole in this world’s spiritual darkness. This story, His story, blazes with light. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the coming Messiah when foretells, “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken" – (Isaiah 40.5) Jesus brings into our world the light of the glory of God.

When we turn over to the New Testament, Luke records in his Gospel, chapter 2, verses 8-16, this story of glory and light punching holes in the darkness:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, Who was lying in the manger.

John’s Gospel tells the Advent story this way:

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it… The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – (John 1.4-5, 9, 14)

Talk about punching holes in the darkness! Here’s how the Amplified Bible renders John chapter 1, verse 5, “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” The light isn’t just coming from Jesus – The Light is Jesus (read John 8.12; 9.5) and He came into this world, our world, your world, my world – to punch a hole in the darkness. And the light pierces the darkness and overcomes the darkness – every time, all the time! It’s always been that way from the very beginning (Genesis 1.1-3), because God says so.

Now, let’s take a moment to probe this world of darkness…

You know there are people that look great on the outside and even all religious, but they have problems on the inside. It could be true of a marriage, a church, an organization, a leader, or maybe even you.

The Word of God in Matthew 23.25-28 says:

“Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders—hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed. Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the whole cup will be clean… Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders! You are like beautiful mausoleums—full of dead men’s bones, and of foulness and corruption. You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin.” – (NLT)

We live in a world where external image and outward appearance are everything, don’t we?!. Why, we work on our fitness, our hair, and our wardrobe, making good comments, making good impressions, looking like we have it all together. I look at job resumes frequently and it is amazing how good we can make ourselves look on paper – and then when the interview comes around… well, it’s totally like another person.

Maybe there might be another you… maybe when you're alone and when you're thinking honestly, you can feel that emptiness and hollowness inside. You can't explain it or deny it. Beneath that image you work so hard to maintain and protect you know the darkness and sense the sin. You know the struggle. Like one young woman said, "There's a darkness inside me that scares me." Mickey Mantle said not long before his death, "I filled my emptiness with alcohol." What are you doing or using to fill the darkness in your life?

Jesus said in John 8.12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness." Jesus wants to be invited into that deep inner darkness and emptiness so He can fill it with the light of the glory of His Presence. He said later in Matthew 23, "How often I had longed to gather your children together, but you were not willing."

Jesus has been knocking on the door of your life. It's time to give the emptiness and the darkness to the One who knows all about you. He sees past the image and can forgive that sin. He can cleanse you from the sin and punch holes in that darkness and make you free from it.

Don’t let the darkness bring you to depression, but to the cow stall in Bethlehem where God entered this world of darkness as one of us and then on to the cross where He died knowing the sin inside of you and wanting to set you free. Jesus builds people from the inside out. Open the door of your heart and let The Light in. He will make you strong inside and you can finally have that hollow, dark place in your heart filled.

So, through the sending of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, God is punching a hole in this world’s spiritual darkness – and through us, God wants to continue punching holes in the darkness. God wants to enter your world and punch holes in your darkness so you, in turn, can punch holes in the darkness in the lives of those in the world around you.

Here’s what the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5.8-14:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
   

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Did you catch that? “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… and Christ will shine on you.”

And Christ will shine on you… and in you and through you.

And what an awesome description of the reason God has placed you where you are! You're not there to shake your head and bemoan how dark it is where you work or go to school or whatever your environment. You're there to punch holes in the darkness! So, how are you doing so far?

Just listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 5.14-16, to those who belong to Him, (He's including you in this) – “You are the light of the world." Think of your personal world and the people in your world. Jesus says you are their light. "A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp or put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its' stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Yeah, we live in a pretty dark world. But it is not a world without light – unless the follower of Jesus, in a situation, fails to punch holes in the darkness by living like Jesus would live there, treating people like Jesus would treat people, and handling situations and temptations as Jesus would handle them. So many of Jesus' followers don't realize who they are – His ambassadors… His personal representative in their personal world.

You punch another hole in the darkness every time you show up with joy instead of gloom on your face, with good things to say instead of griping, every time you stop for someone who's struggling, when you consciously put someone else ahead of you, when you insist on taking the high road when it's tempting to cut corners, every time you weep with someone who's weeping, rejoice with someone who's rejoicing, and reach out to someone who is acting very unlovable.

The folks around you, who are still walking in darkness, probably won't be all that impressed with your do’s and don'ts or all the religious meetings you go to. They need to see meaningful differences in you because Christ is shining in you.

But it isn't enough that they just see that you're different. They need to know why, or they'll never be able to get out of the darkness themselves. They need The Light – they need Jesus. And He put you in their life so they could find out what Jesus did for them by coming into this dark world of sin and dying for them on the cross; so they could find out from someone who's living proof that Jesus is alive and how they, too, can have a life-changing relationship with Him. Have you told them about your Jesus yet? Humanly speaking, you may very well be their best chance of heaven.

I want you to remember – every morning, before your Lord, agree with Him by telling yourself, "I am the light of my world." And then you go out there, showing a harsh and lonely and self-serving world that there's another way to be. Defy the darkness wherever you go. Allow the reality of the Christmas story to live in you all year round – punching holes in the darkness with the brilliant light of Jesus Christ! After all, that’s why He came, and that’s why you and I are still here!

“Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by, Born that men no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn king!”

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you” – (Isaiah 60.1-2)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. – (2 Corinthians 4.6, NIV)

In a nutshell – a very Merry Christmas to you and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year – in Him,

Web Shepherd