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A Year In Review…

As we are about to finish out another year, have you reviewed your year? Companies, business owners, churches, and individuals all take time to review how things are going. We ask ourselves questions like:

  • Was 2023 a year of growth, stagnation, or decline?
  • How are things going?
  • What do we anticipate for 2024?

These reviews are normal and to a great degree necessary given the importance of strategy and planning. But too often I’m afraid our focus on progress, numbers, strategy, planning, or just getting by puts our attention on the wrong things in evaluation and review.

As we finish out 2023, here are some questions for how we can assess ourselves spiritually: Am I looking to Christ? Have I examined my soul and spiritual condition? Do I have a long-view of my life and the kingdom of God?

Question 1: Am I looking to Christ?

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

This is the upward assessment. In Luke 10, Jesus visits Martha and Mary. Martha is busy with a great many things (hosting guests). Does this sound familiar? Mary was seated at her Lord’s feet learning from him. Now, Jesus is not simply criticizing hospitality and hosting. Nor is he specifically calling out activity, serving, or even busyness. Rather, he’s putting them in their place. The most important thing we can ever do is to spend time with Jesus. Am I listening to Christ through his Word? Am I spending time with Christ in prayer and fellowship? Am I worshiping Christ privately and corporately? Jesus said “one thing is necessary.” That one thing is walking in relationship with him. As you close out 2023 and make plans for 2024, plan and structure your life to look to Christ daily, weekly, consistently.

Question 2: Have I examined my soul and spiritual condition?

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 

2 Corinthians 13:5-6

This is the inward assessment. In writing his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul was not afraid to challenge his readers to examine their spiritual lives. He was not trying to create a sense of fear or stir up doubt. Rather, Paul reminds believers that absolutely nothing matters more than being in Christ and having Christ in you. This is Paul’s way of repeating question number one. So Paul tells us to examine ourselves. Do we have faith? Are we walking with Christ? Is Christ our focus, our goal, our end? These are good questions for us to ask ourselves regularly. Self-examination is not intended to bring shame and self-loathing, but rather encouragement and a refocusing on Christ.

Question 3: Do I have a long-view of my life and the kingdom of God?

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:9-10

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

This is the outward assessment. Sometimes, we evaluate our lives moments, minutes, hours, days, or weeks at a time. That is understandable. But it is short-sighted. God’s view of the world and his rule of the world through his kingdom is patient and certain. God’s work in our world to bring about salvation was thousands of years in the making. From Isaiah’s prophetic announcements to Christ’s first advent was more than 700 years. God gave his people the Promised Land more than 1,000 years before sending the Messiah. And since Christ’s first advent, it has been more than 2,000 years that the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection have spread throughout the earth. God’s kingdom is still advancing through the spread of his gospel. God has given us our mission to lead our neighbors and the nations to follow him. It is the authority of God through Christ (Mt. 28:18) that commands us to make disciples. So we should be living under Christ’s authority and proclaiming his gospel day by day, year by year. This is a long-view of life and the kingdom of God. Are we seeking first the kingdom of God? Are we praying for his kingdom and righteousness in our lives? Are we living for what lasts?

During the new year at Wilkesboro Baptist, we’re going to give consideration to God’s kingdom and God’s future work in the world. On Sunday mornings later in January we will begin a sermon series on the “Good News of the Kingdom of God” and how God is ruling in our world. On Wednesday evenings during our Bible study time, we will explore the doctrine of eschatology (last things). These subjects will help us consider whether or not we are living for what lasts.

Photo by Aiden Frazier on Unsplash

Even with Disconcerting World Headlines, We Don’t Have to Fear

Ongoing war in Ukraine. Israel at war with Hamas. Political division. Our world is experiencing the tumult of wickedness and sin. And one of the realities of our lived experience is trying to make sense of the world around us. What is real? What matters? How do we understand and make sense of the chaos around us?

For several hundred years since the age of the Enlightenment, philosophical, political, scientific, and religious thinkers alike have tried to make sense of reality apart from a biblical worldview. But as we are witnessing, when we interpret geopolitical events, human nature, and reality apart from God, we end up with chaos, uncertainty, fear, and turmoil. 

Maybe you’ve become so jaded with cultural tensions that you ignore the news headlines and fear-baiting. Maybe you’re so busy with your own world and chaos in your own life, you don’t have a lot of time to worry about everything going on everywhere else. Maybe you don’t stop too often to consider what’s going on because you’re afraid you’ll lose it emotionally or that you will retreat into your own mind and lose yourself to indifference and apathy. We’re not the first persons to be afraid, emotional, or challenged by our surrounding circumstances. In John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 5, when “no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it,” John wept loudly. 

But we don’t have to weep. There is One who is Worthy. 

5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 

Revelation 5:5-8

For several weeks now, we’ve been in a sermon series at Wilkesboro Baptist Church entitled, “Good News from Green Pastures.” We began the series as a study of Psalm 23. You can find our podcasts here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our worship services are on Vimeo and Youtube as well. Our study has encouraged us to know and follow Jesus, our Shepherd.

We’re concluding the series with a reflection on Jesus as the Lion and the Lamb from Revelation 5. This text helps us make sense of history, our current situation in the world, and the hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. We would love to have you join us for worship this Sunday as we celebrate Jesus who took our sin and rules from Heaven’s throne.

Let me also encourage you to pick up and read the book of Revelation. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). I realize the book can be intimidating, but there is a way to read it that will be encouraging. Take time to read through all 22 chapters highlighting or underlining all the verses that reference Jesus Christ. Then go back and just read the highlighted/underlined verses. I realize the book of Revelation contains more than pictures of Jesus and some of the apocalyptic imagery is challenging and difficult. But Jesus is the primary focus of the book, and the pictures of Jesus encourage and strengthen us. We we will see this in chapter 5.

Jesus our Shepherd is the Lamb slain for the redemption of our neighbors and the nations and is also the Lion who reigns and rules. This is how we can make sense of current reality. This is why we can have hope today and tomorrow. This is why we don’t have to fear.

Photo by Iván Díaz on Unsplash