Pondering Hope

The Catacombs

John 1: 6-13 (NASB) “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

If this was the only Scripture we ever had, it would be enough to enlighten and enrich us all! Christ came as a light to light our way to God the Father. We did not know Him and those who guessed at who He might be refused Him. But to the few who received Him with gladness, He gave them the right to become children of God. How marvelous!

When I was a teenager we didn’t have personal computers or 5G phones. We still read books and walked to school. Maybe a more innocent time, maybe not. But whatever the times may be, we need the presence of God with us. Back then it was a time for spiritual revolution. And that kind of revolution was against what little the Church was offering. People were looking for the deep meaning of their lives and the churches did not have the answer. It seems the same today!

We asked questions:

  • What is the meaning of life?

  • Why am I here?

  • Do I have a purpose?

Not really radical views or questions, but necessary ones for us all to ask. Maybe there are more distractions today. Maybe we are running at such a fast pace that we cannot mentally slow down enough to think. Look at how quickly answers to anything can be found on the internet. How to fly fish. How to can pickles. How to crochet a scarf. How to smoke a brisket. Anything and everything is immediately available. But what about God? Can God be instantly found at the touch of a finger to the computer?

That my friends is an answer that no one really understands. Obviously because God is so much bigger than the internet. He cannot be reduced to simplicity. Someone that complex is only found by personal searching of the heart. One of our great problems as human beings is looking for answers to come in a moment of time. But as to God, we must question and seek. And that process of seeking comes from a hungry heart that longs for more than what it has. That is what we did at the Catacombs in the early 70’s.

The Catacombs was a little oasis of thought just off the downtown square in Morristown, NJ. It was in a basement (hence the name catacombs). There were some of the stalest donuts and worst coffee you ever tasted available for all. But it was a place where those seeking something more and those who had found something more could meet. There was one and only one topic of conversation. Jesus Christ.

Honest questions were freely asked and honest answers were freely given. Nobody pretended to be an authority on God. No one faked being spiritual. And no one asked any dumb questions. We all wanted more than what the establishments of state and church were offering. Those asking wanted truth and those answering were hoping to help. The Catacombs was a beautiful place and time and I miss it.

“Every new century and every new generation should bring with it the question; Why am I here?”
— Craig Stevens

In today’s world, we need this honesty to return. The honesty of truly searching for ultimate truth and the ability to discover that truth. People need something more than a new I-phone or pair of Nike shoes. Those are just things which bring only temporary satisfaction to a hungry or hurting soul. Every new century and every new generation should bring with it the question; Why am I here?

Jesus came to earth to open our eyes and hearts to the answer to that question. That answer has remained the same throughout the history of mankind. God made each one of us in His image for the one purpose of having a wonderful and meaningful relationship with Him. We cannot blame anyone other than ourselves if we refuse that relationship. It’s not our parents fault. It’s not a church’s fault. And we cannot criticize the government over it. The desire to find God must come from within each of us individually. Again, the question should not be, Does God exist? But Why am I here? And the answer to that is the beginning to a beautiful new life.

Written in the Bible are the direct words of God, “Seek Me and you will find Me.” This is a promise from Him! Sadly, some of us do not care about this at all. We just want to take all we can grab while we are here. But that will never satisfy! You see, we were made in such a way that only the completion of a real relationship with God will ever truly please us. We are restless without Him. We are lonely without Him. We are doomed to wander empty streets looking for answers we cannot find.

We must turn and look to Jesus Christ, the Light for all mankind. There is only one answer and only one way to peace, Jesus Christ! Back in the day of the Catacombs, we who believed knew that beyond question. And we were able to be clear about how others could find freedom in Him. It just seems a little mundane today. Are we offering the vital and vibrant answers people need today? Or are we only trying to grow our group?

You who believe, turn all your attention on the Light, Jesus Christ! And you who are questioning, seek out Jesus Christ!

What say you?   

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.

Lord of Lords

Mark 4: 35-41 (NASB) says:

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’

  • Even the wind and the sea!

  • What about Christ’s math? Five loaves of bread and two small fish, certainly not enough to feed twenty people let alone five thousand. Yet we get caught up in arguing that it was only five thousand men.

  • The raising of Lazarus. He was dead and buried four days already stinking and decaying. Does that not declare Christ’s mighty authority?

  • His own resurrection, personally conquering death once and for all.

  • Then His ascension up through the clouds.

  • And His promise to return in the same way.

I would say most of the Jews missed who He really was. They were looking for a remake of King David. Someone who would rid them of the Romans and give them their land back. They could not comprehend an eternal kingdom and undershot His true glory. They wanted Him to give them more earthly food not the everlasting manna. And the Pharisees were the most blind of all. They couldn’t get over Christ healing on the Sabbath. That was their line in the sand?

At Christmastime, we celebrate the sweet baby child lying in a manger. We see Him in His swaddling clothes being visited by shepherds and the three wise men. All is soft and gentle. We are able to accept Him as a little child. No real pressure on our belief system.

At Eastertime, we see Him beaten and bruised, covered in scars of blood, dying on a cross for our sin. We praise His sacrifice for us and some of us even shed a tear on Good Friday. Then on Easter morning we celebrate an empty tomb. We say, “Thank you Jesus.” But do we truly know Him? What exactly is our relationship with Christ? And where is He?

As Americans we have never had a king. We have presidents that we vote in and out of office every four years. We have no comprehension of kingship. In today’s world, in other countries it seems to be the prime minister who does all the work, and the king is only a figurehead. That is definitely a false assumption when it comes to Christ. We do not respect Him nearly enough. His very essence is complete sovereignty and majesty.

There is a throne at the right hand of God where Christ rules all, both heaven and earth. The wind and the sea obey Him. The angels cry, “Holy, holy, holy!” The stars shine His glory. Even the demons cry out, “He is the holy Son of God.” The Father gave Him the throne of honor at His own right hand and certified that His name is far above any other name. He is the one and only true Eternal King. If only we could understand!

Where do you think the true power of faith comes from? He is who the bible says He is. His full disclosure is written in there. We should not put Him in a manger. Don’t hang Him on a cross. There is no one more than Christ. There is no one better than Christ. He is master of all. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. When you look to Christ, see Him as such. It will change all your perceptions and give power to your faith.

Amen?

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.

Setting Your Sights

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” - Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “That person is so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good?” It’s an old phrase, but what does it actually say about a person? Not only that, but it is usually another believer that says it about a fellow believer. Do they have their head in the clouds? Are they just a dreamer? Or have they focused their minds on Christ at the right hand of God?

A couple of thoughts; Our life here on earth is truly a temporary one. But our future life with Christ is eternal. Which has more value? Quite frankly, at this stage of my life, I prefer the companionship of those who can’t seem to talk enough about the Lord. I find them to be genuinely refreshing.

I know there are a few that have gone off the deep end and become cultish, but they are not the ones I’m talking about. I’m referring to the lovers of God. When we are “saved” from sin and death, some of us stop there and there is no more growth. That’s a sad thing. Maybe it’s our fault for not guiding them further down the road of righteousness and sanctification. However, I don’t want to start the blame game.

It is our duty to each other to push ourselves further into Christ. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells us to walk worthy of God’s calling thereby pleasing Him. Focusing on this world pleases our urges. Focusing on Christ pleases the Father. So set your sights on what pleases the Father, and you will find yourself “heavenly minded.”

Amen?

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.

A Reconciliation or a Reckoning, Your Choice

Sometimes it is our duty to ourselves to look at the really tough topics. One of those would be “Free Will.” Denying the fact that we have been given a free will by God puts our actions and responsibilities in God’s hands instead of our own. This can be used as a crutch to claim that “it’s not my fault.” One of our natural instincts as humans is to blame someone other than ourselves for our own mistake. But in the end, this thought pattern will never protect us from reality.

Adam and Eve Painting by Lee Chapman | Saatchi Art

Free will is obvious right from the beginning of mankind. Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV):

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Pretty cut and dry, right?

Next, Genesis 3:6:

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

A free choice made!

Genesis 3:8:

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

God called out, “Where are you?” Adam admitted he had hidden himself because he was naked. God’s response was, “How did you know you were naked? Did you eat of the tree? Adam immediately blamed God, “The woman You gave me made me eat.” Adam didn’t blame the woman, he blamed God. Then the woman blamed the serpent.

This was not only the beginning of dire results from “Free Choice” but the beginning of blaming others for our wrong choices. Our disobedience brought a hard life down on our heads. We were thrown out of the presence of God. The woman would be ruled by her husband. The man would work hard all the days of his life trying to get food from the ground that was now cursed. And they would die and return to the dust from which they were formed. Paradise was over!

We immediately passed into the realm of judgment and the settlement of penalties for our debt of rebellion incurred. The relationship with the Lord God broken by us with no excuses accepted. That’s what we call a “Reckoning.” Not a pretty picture, is it?

Is there any hope?

Colossians 1:19-23 (ESV):

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast…”

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (ESV):

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them…”

Yes there is hope, and not only hope but a way to peace and relationship with God again. But only through Christ. To reconcile means to make friendly once more, or to bring back into harmony. We have been granted another free choice to make. Will we choose Christ as Lord, and Savior, and Reconciler or will we continue to exercise our free will to do whatever we want?

I see the relationship with God is an all or nothing choice. We cannot hang in the middle. We cannot straddle the fence. Will you choose to be just another Adam or Eve being rebellious or will you choose the wonder of life that Christ offers? Reckoning or Reconciliation, the choice is yours.

What say you?

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.

Hearing and Doing the Word

James 1: 22-25 (ESV) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

I have always said that we need to read and devour the Scriptures. The more we read the better our lives will be. But I was impressed by something that happened in church yesterday. We can’t just read, we must do! Reading alone is not enough; it must come with action. Let me give you an example:

Last summer I came upon Revelation 2: 1-7, more specifically verse 4.:

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

As soon as I finished that verse, the Holy Spirit flat out accused me of not loving Christ the way I did as a teenager. Conviction came down on me like a heavy stone, and instantaneously I knew He was right! I called out, “We have to fix this. I must get that love back!”

But I could not just wave a magic wand and get the love back. Verse 5 gave me His instructions, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. I had to yield to the Spirit and follow His will. He started with my arrogance. It was in the way and must go first. Once the arrogance began to break up judgment was uncovered. So, we began to work on that. Then I saw that I had a critical spirit in me. I needed to stop throwing stones at fellow believers and the lost. I started to soften as these issues began to disappear. By mid-fall I could sense my love for Christ returning in both strength and joy. If I had only read those verses and continued on in my life without making a concerted effort, there would have been no change. By doing the word I found freedom and a restoration of my love for Christ.

Yesterday, our pastor preached on those same verses. I already had an intimate understanding of what they truly meant. But it was so refreshing to hear them again. I believe that when we read the Scriptures or listen to our pastors preach on difficult subjects, we should always be ready to allow the Spirit to convict or correct us. Most people do not like change, but as followers of Christ we must welcome these corrections and changes. We should hear, repent, and do!

Isn’t that what the Christian walk is all about?

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.