Author: Addis Andy

“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.” – John 19:38

On this holy week leading up to Easter Sunday, I  consider Saturday a secret day. This is the day Jesus is laid in the tomb, the disciples were hiding, while fear and confusion abounded.

The scenario plays out because a new character on the gospel scene, Joseph of Arimathea, enters to do something miraculous. The Scriptures indicated that he would be buried in a borrowed tomb, but of course they weren’t thinking about any of these things at a time of crisis. Still, Joseph stepped up and took Jesus from the Romans and laid him in a borrowed tomb.

Actually, I think two miracles occurred here. Not only the miracle of prophecy being fulfilled, but the second miracle was that Joseph was forever changed.

How do we know this? The Scriptures describe him in the verse above as a secret admirer of Jesus. He was afraid of what others would think, say, or do if they knew what he really believed.

But, if you were still a secret admirer it would’ve been hard for him to have been included in this passage of scripture, right?

You see, he HAD BEEN a secret admirer, but the death of the One that he had admired from the shadows was moving enough to him that he stepped out and took a risk.

This secret admirer, in front of the more than difficult Jewish authorities and the more than dangerous Roman authorities asked boldly for permission to honor the One whom they had  publicly displayed their hatred for.

It was a bold move, it was an eternity defining move for Joseph, and it was a point in history that can never be ignored as the secret admirer became known in God’s eternal word as the one who would honor of his Lord even in death.

Let me encourage you to make this Easter a time to leave secret ways behind. In this world Jesus doesn’t need secret admirers, He’s looking for the bold and the brazen. The ones who will stand up in the crowd and take the shots if they have to for the sake of Him.

Let me invite you to Easter services this weekend at any church, but if you don’t know where to go please know that you would find a home at CrossPoint. We’d love to join hands with you around the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…

For we are not secret admirers.

We believe, we love, we serve… and, we are here.

You better stay in bed, close the windows and lock the doors! It’s Friday the 13th… beware.

What a nightmare, this year there will be three separate Friday the 13ths on the 2015 calendar… man, are we in trouble.

Friday 13th on 3d calendarI wish there was a specific font you could use to indicate sarcasm, but just in case you missed it… the above paragraphs are dripping with it.

• If you were concerned with the calendar turning to Friday the 13th, let me take a stab at some other things you might be a little wary of:
  Black cats crossing just in front of you
  Walking under ladders
  Breaking a mirror
  Spilling salt
  Opening an umbrella in the house
  Something about broken spots in the sidewalk and your mamas’s spinal health

Okay, out-of-the-box an apology… my wife says I have a tendency to be snarky at times. This must be one of those, since I’ve noticed it without any help.

I do sincerely apologize if these things are truly concerns to you. Yet, I hope that you’ll take a minute to read the rest of this because I believe today maybe the day you get set free.

Let’s begin with a statement: superstitions are not for your benefit, they are for your imprisonment.

Three things regarding this and the first is understanding the origins of superstitions.

Where superstitions originate…

Let us just look at a couple of examples, starting with how it became “bad luck” to open an umbrella in the house.

In an article called “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things” (Harper, 1989),Charles Panati wrote: “In eighteenth-century London, when metal-spoked waterproof umbrellas began to become a common rainy-day sight, their stiff, clumsy spring mechanism made them veritable hazards to open indoors. A rigidly spoked umbrella, opening suddenly in a small room, could seriously injure an adult or a child, or shatter a fragile object. Even a minor accident could provoke unpleasant words or a minor quarrel, themselves strokes of bad luck in a family or among friends. Thus, the superstition arose as a deterrent to opening an umbrella indoors.”

Or, consider the superstition of walking under ladders. This particular superstition dates back to ancient Egypt where walking under a ladder desecrated the Egyptian gods, and could get you in a mess of trouble. You remember Egypt, the land of pyramids, those people like their triangles. And, triangles were a symbol of the gods to them.

A ladder leaning upon a wall formed a triangle, and when you walked under it you broke the plane of that triangle thus angering the gods.

So, looking at the origins of the superstations is a bit revealing. Opening an umbrella in the house isn’t about bad luck it’s about using common sense. And, walking under a ladder is no big deal because I’m not really afraid of made-up gods.

Superstitions have their origin in myth, misunderstanding and mix ups. Not really a combination of elements to live your life by, eh?

Supernatural versus superstitious…

Second, while I am not superstitious I am spiritual. I believe there is a God and I believe there is a devil. I believe in the supernatural, not just whimsical happenstance of superstition.

I believe that God knows the future, from the foundations of the earth knowing every moment of everyday. And, I believe the devil who is jealous of Him, really doesn’t know diddly squat.

But, if the devil can get you to believe in a set of principles that has a predictable set of responses, then he can manipulate your course of action and even appear to shape your destiny.

Yes, I’m actually saying that superstitions have the ability to manipulate you and become self fulfilling prophecies; sometimes used by the devil himself in a way to control you because you bought into his system.

Remember what the Bible teaches in Colossians:

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Don’t get stuck in the prison of superstition.

A new kind of superstition…

Third, for those of you who are believers, don’t exchange one set of chains for another. There is a form of spiritual superstition that is just as damaging, probably even worse, than the simple fears we’ve been talking about here.

Dallas Willard, seminary professor and theologian, said in his book Hearing God, “Legalism is superstition. The legalistic tendencies found throughout our religious and cultural life also thrust us toward superstition. Legalism claims that overt action in conforming to rules for explicit behavior is what makes us right and pleasing to God and worthy of blessing.”

In a nutshell, becoming legalistic in our belief system creates a religious culture that says if I behave in a certain way certain things will happen. If I do it right then I pull the arm on the slot machine of Heaven and God must produce. If I do it wrong, I must go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

This is one of the problems in the New Testament referred to by Paul again and again and again. You have already been set free by Jesus, why then would you return again to law and become enslaved by it (Check out Galatians).

Jesus not only died to set us free for eternity, he has allowed you to take the chains off here and now! You do not need to be enslaved by silly rules and superstitions in this culture, and you don’t need to return to religious rigmarole that are made up schemes by human teachers.

You have the opportunity to be free because Jesus has already done the work of setting you free. May Friday the 13th become one of your favorite days of the year… a day we celebrate that Jesus set us free!

Happy Friday freedom day. You can do this, knock on wood… just kidding.

I was never a Boy Scout, but for some reason I remember getting Boy’s Life magazine during my growing up years. I’d thumb through the articles, ignoring most since I was not in the running for any merit badges, but pausing on some that talked about making a weapon or surviving in the desert… both necessary skills for a 9 year old boy, right?

Without a doubt, my favorite part of the magazine were the advertisements in the back. They were amazing items, and I was dumbfounded that you could only find them in that publication.

There were the x-ray glasses that allowed you to see through almost anything, with just a few exceptions; you know, just like Superman.

Then there was the amazing invisible skin frog that made it possible to see the inner workings of an amphibian without having to dissect the poor creature.

Or, maybe you checked out the Joe Weider Body Building program guaranteed to put you on the path to a Mr. Universe frame in just six short weeks. It didn’t work, or so I’ve been told.

What still amazes me is how expectant I was for those mail-order treasures to be real. I would save the money, get my mom to write a check, and wait ever so impatiently at the mailbox for weeks until that little package would arrive!

But, now we are all adults and we don’t fall for such deceiving literature, and our skepticism is a mark of our maturity and intelligence.

Good for us…?

Maybe we have lost something. Maybe there is a piece of our childhood that wasn’t so immature. Maybe as adults we are hampered by our loss of… expectancy.

A lack of expectancy is most clearly seen, I believe, in the prayer life of the church.

We offer blanket prayers, trying to cover everything in just a few words. We have formulaic responses that fall from our lips without thought or effort. And, our requests are vague and wishy washy, usually tagged with an “if it be Your will”.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a request and supplication in the biblical text? A supplication is a passionate, urgent plea!

Don’t forget Jesus’ amazing teaching on prayer from Matthew 7.

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

We have an amazingly good Father who wants us to want the right things, and when we do He desires to give us those things.

Let’s make 2015 a year marked by passionate, powerful prayer. Let’s ask God specifically for what we know is on His heart and then live expectantly.

Let’s pray for God to move specifically and boldly.

• Would you pray that your church would experience revival and that you would reach 10% of your community?
• Would you pray that your church would double its number of baptisms this year?
• Would you pray for the opportunity to share your testimony with (insert name here) this week?

Let’s pray some bold, specific prayers and then live in the expectancy that we have a great Father who wants to give us His good things in life!

 

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An article of mine printed in the Baptist Digest Jan/Feb 2015 edition

That may not make sense to you, but it’s a battle cry for me. I’ve always been a techie, so I love gadgets and anything that plugs in.

 

It means I really enjoy a good set of headphones to plug into whatever smart phone, MP3 player or laptop that I have at my disposal.

Several years ago I asked my wife for a good set of Bose over the ear headphones for Christmas. It was a big gift and I really appreciated it. I have been using them consistently since then and give them two thumbs up.

However, endorsing the product is not my point here…

I remember getting them and my preteen children kind of rolling their eyes at me. They’re always respectful, but it’s hard for them when they think their dad is a dork, I know, I remember being in their shoes.

After a little prodding I finally got my eldest to admit what he was thinking. I convinced him that they sounded great, that they were high-quality, and that they were really good stuff. However, he couldn’t get over the fact that they just looked ‘stupid.’

He was absolutely convinced that the only headphones you should wear in public were the little earbuds you stick in your ears, because everything else was ‘just dumb.’

Fast forward a couple of years, as an early teen I remember him asking for a pair of “Beats” headphones. I quietly noticed that they were over the ear headphones, but didn’t say anything as he extolled the virtues of their amazing sound quality, their craftsmanship, and their elegant style.

I’m picking my own adjectives here, just FYI.

We were able to find a good Black Friday deal, and that was his ‘big gift’ that year at Christmas.

Fast forward to today… Headphones have once again evolved. Not just into over the ear, but into gargantuan cinnamon roll looking muffins on the side of your head.

Often blinged out with gold or chrome trim, and bulky enough to house a satellite dish on its surface should you choose to install one. They even come with designer motifs with elements like spinners on the side, Darth Vader’s face, or a variety of movie themed implements…

When I first saw these coming into Vogue, I thought they were a joke… Seriously, thought someone was kidding and creating a line of gag gifts.

They look similar to headphones that were around when I was a preteen myself… But those headphones had a built-in FM radio with an antenna that stuck up about 2 feet and were usually connected to a guy wearing jean shorts and rollerskating backwards.

Now I see teenagers with ever decreasing in size devices connecting to ever enlarging headphones. I even see guys and gals walking around the gym with these face-sized, pancake style headphones that you know sop up sweat like a sponge rubberbanded to your face during your workout.

So how did all this happen… my over the ear headphones which are tiny in comparison to today’s standards that have served me well for the last six years are now almost normal looking, nearly sleek.

I don’t get that ‘what a dork’ look from teenagers anymore when I wear them… In fact, they’re hardly noticeable.

It reminds me once again, stuff that doesn’t matter changes a lot, but what matters the most never changes.

Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Hebrews 14:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Matthew 28:29 – And Jesus promised those of us on His mission, He would be with us “always.”

As we stumble into this new year, make sure your life isn’t directed by fads, your judgment isn’t clouded by social media’s opinions, and that you do have your feet firmly grounded on what matters most.

May this year be the year of the headphones!

Listen to His voice, chase after His holiness, be burdened by what burdens Him and worship Him whenever you get a chance.

Even if your headphones do make you look like a dork

Christmas is less than a week away, are you ready? I’m not asking if you’ve got all the gifts, been to all the parties, or seen all the movies. I know we all have a list of what needs to get done, or “it’s just not Christmas.”

For me the “Big 3” Christmas movies that have to happen are Elf, The Bishop’s Wife and The Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Two down, one to go!

It’s no secret I love the season and even though I am the preacher type, I don’t demand the ‘sacred’ perspective on every element.

I love jingle bells, cheesy Christmas shoes songs, ‘only 6 shopping days left’ announcements, and talking about the pretend Santa Claus (though I prefer the story of the real guy from Turkey… if I just dropped a bomb on you and ruined Christmas, my bad).

When I ask if you’re ready for Christmas, I’m not asking you to check your list, your calendar, or your energy level. I am asking you something that goes a bit deeper.

Christmas is the season for celebrating the coming of our Savior. The God of the universe descending not to earth, but into humanity. The incarnation of God in human flesh.

Rudolph needs to see a good Christian counselor…

I love the Christmas season and anyone riding in car with me post Halloween will know Holiday music is top on my list.

• Sacred Christmas carols… the best!
• Traditional Christmas classics… love them!
• Hokey secular holiday fare… bring it!

I love it all, but I have to admit there is a song that has begun to bother me over the last couple of years. Maybe it is because my own personal growth has revealed some Для Интернетаthings to me.

Maybe it is because my years in pastoring have trained my ear to hear things a little differently. Maybe I just never listened to it closely before, but I have come to a conclusion that Rudolph needs Jesus.

While I love everything about the holiday, I love that every bit of it stems from the coming of our Savior Jesus the Christ.

Even the secular stuff makes me happy, because it causes the world to frame a whole season to include Jesus, whether they like it or not.

But, as I have been listening to the children’s classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I fear that after all these years, he is still missing it.

So, my dear friend Rudolph, if you are reading this, please take these words from a loving brother who only wants you to enjoy the real meaning of the season.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
you know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
But do you recall?
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph, it’s obvious that you have deeply embedded feelings of insignificance. In a huge world, drifting in a massive universe, it’s easy to feel small. Also, coming from a large family can sometimes make one feel overlooked, cast aside and devalued.

Dasher was a bully who raced you everywhere, and growing up with that prima donna Prancer would be tough for any of us, but you can’t let their actions define you.

Psalm 139 teaches us that each one of us was carefully created by the God of the universe Himself. If for no other reason than that, you have incredible value!

Psalm 139:13 (ESV) – For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

So, don’t let the fact that Cupid withheld love from you change the fact that you are infinitely valuable simply because your Heavenly Father made you that way.

When no one else remembers, He recalls your name.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Has a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows.

My friend Rudolph, you are not alone, we all struggle with our appearance. We have a world bent on image, putting up false fronts and practiced in the art of putting on a show every time you step out of the house.

It’s not healthy, and caving into the pressures of the image culture will only make things worse. Some of the best ‘looking’ people in the world are monumentally unhappy because you can’t airbrush away reality!

Let me be honest with you… I had the very same problem a few years ago.

A very red, shiny, nose, and this was in the days before proactive. There was nothing to do but hope and pray it would go away. Sometimes, you couldn’t even blow your nose because it was so painful.

But, nothing is more painful than having someone point it out and even say it glows… people can just be mean.

Always remember that every part of you and every phase you go through is part of God’s wonderful plan for you!

Psalm 139:14 (ESV) – I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

That big red nose of yours… it’s beautiful because the greatest Artist in the universe made it that way.

All of the other reindeers
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Sometimes, we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is never more true than when we long to be in real community with people and just can’t find that right fit.

Rudolph, not finding the right peer group can have devastating consequences, and I just want to say I am sorry for the way you have been treated.

In the same breath though, you have to stop trying to force your way into a group that laughs at you and calls you names. They are intentionally keeping you on the outside; its some kind of stupid reindeer game to them.

God made us to be people in community, and you have a right to be in a family of people who will love you as you are!

Romans 15:7 (ESV) – Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is leave painful relationships behind and go where God is leading you.

Maybe it’s time you find a new herd?

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?

Oh, no. Don’t fall in the trap Rudolph.

Since the beginning of time we have struggled with misappropriating our value on our achievements. You are worth so much more than the sum of what you can do, produce or offer!

If you get caught in the trap of establishing your value on your performance, you will eventually fail yourself.

It doesn’t matter what big whig comes along to puff you up when they need something from you, you need to remember there is a God who loved you and valued you even though you had nothing to offer Him

I know how it goes my friend. You get the phone call from that guy you’ve looked up to for so long, and just because he’s the one that asked, you jump. Next thing you know you are pulling a sleigh full of misery, for a guy who’s using you to get his job done.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Your value isn’t in what you do, it’s in who you are.

Then all the reindeers loved him,
And they all shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nose Reindeer
You’ll go down in history!

Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph… chasing applause is like chasing the wind. You can’t base your worth on the opinions of others, because people are broken and frail.
Sure, today they love you and are shouting with glee, but what about tomorrow?

That’s a treadmill you do not want to get on!

It feels good, there is no doubt. We love to hear the accolades, we can thrive on the praise, and we can be strengthened by the admiration. But, it’s all temporary like living on a diet of candy canes… it’s sweet at first but it only leads to a lifetime of tooth decay and diabetes.

You can’t live on the success of Christmas morning all year. By the time mid-January hits you won’t be going down in history, you’ll just be history and yep… you’re going down.

There is only one Audience you need to be concerned with and He already loves you.

John 3:16 (ESV) – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Rudolph, you don’t need to go down in history… He’s already made history for you!

So, my reindeer friend, let me just conclude by saying that this Christmas I hope you find the real meaning of the holiday. No need to play their games, pull their sleigh, or make their record books.

Christmas is about the God of the universe loving you so much, He sent His one and only Son to this place on a rescue mission for us. To save us from ourselves, to save us from each other and give us a life worth living that will prepare us for eternal life with Him.

Don’t miss Christmas this year my friend… it’s all for you.

You need one more thing on the table…

1 Chronicles 16

8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is no doubt this is a wonderful time of year. Kicking off the holidays, spending downtime with family and friends, and eating like there will be no tomorrow.

I’m not against any of that… I’m very pro Thanksgiving!

You won’t even see me getting on some bandwagon trying to boycott Black Friday, or Gray Thursday. There’s too much that I am “for” to spend time giving attention to things I might be “against.”

But, this Thanksgiving, let me ask you to add one more thing to your holiday table just like one more piece of pie. Don’t lie, you’re going to have pie.

Here’s what I want you to add to Thanksgiving this year… thanks.

Let me explain.

I love being a parent, and I love being a parent of my young men more than I loved being a parent of little boys. Parenting little ones was hard work… they don’t know anything!

They don’t know how to get dressed, how to make their own food, how to pay taxes… even though we love them unconditionally, they’re pretty useless for several years.

One of the things we teach them falls under the category of ‘manners’. The role of the parent is to teach the child how to say things like yes sir, yes ma’am, know when to open doors, and how to use the magic words: please and thank you.

That’s right, please and thank you don’t come naturally. And, it’s important to teach them that even if they’re thankful on the inside, they need to show it on the outside.

That’s the subject of the versus listed at the beginning of this article:

Oh GIVE THANKS to the Lord; CALL UPON his name; MAKE KNOWN his deeds among the peoples! SING TO him, SING PRAISES TO him; TELL OF ALL his wondrous works! GLORY IN his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE!

As a parent, sometimes it’s enough just to watch the children playing with the new toy. We are satisfied in seeing that they are happy. But, sometimes we require them to grow up and express that thankfulness. Somehow we know it’s just the right thing to do.

So, on this holiday of feasting, family and overindulgence of every kind, make sure you do the “right thing.”

Intentionally have a conversation or two today and tell someone you love why you love them, thank your parents for all that they have done, send a note/text to a coworker, friend, Christian brother or sister and tell them why you’re thankful for them.

Then, make sure in front of everybody around the dinner table, spend a minute remembering why we should be thankful. Brag on God, thank Him in front of your friends and family for all He’s done, and praise His name before you fill your belly.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks. Let’s make sure there is no doubt we know that our God is a good God and His love endures forever.

Happy Thanksgiving!