Do Not Tell Anyone

Newsletter article for March 2004

© 2004, 2009 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Jesus “warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.” (Matthew 16:20) This seems a strange admonition, especially to us who live in an age where mission statements are quite a persistent fad. (The newsletter in which this article was originally published contained the congregation’s flawed mission statement.) Mission statements can be useful to give businesses a sense of purpose and direction, but it does tend to emphasize the wrong thing where the church is concerned. If we are to be a true church of Jesus Christ then we need to truly understand the teachings of Jesus in the many passages which He forbids evangelism.

In a quick search of the Scriptures I found about ten Bible verses where Jesus tells people not to tell anyone about Him. A few of these cases are easily understandable, but most deserve a little more study. In Mark 3:12 Jesus warned the demons not to tell who He was. This is very understandable because to the demons Jesus is only their judge and tormentor. There is no salvation for the demons, and though they brought their suffering and torment on themselves Jesus doesn’t want their witness to be what leads people to Him. Jesus doesn’t want to threaten people in order to draw them to Him. It is true that God is the one who judges and condemns the unbelievers, but God is primarily a God of mercy and love and He draws people to Himself through love and forgiveness. No one is going to be saved through coercion or force, but through faith in the forgiveness we receive through Jesus Christ. So the demons are silenced.

But why, then, does Jesus treat His disciples like the demons in Matt. 16? Peter had just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and Jesus had told him that this confession came from God the Father Himself! Why then does Jesus treat Peter and the rest of the disciples no better than demons? The answer comes in what follows in Matt. 16. Jesus goes on to describe what it means that He is the Christ. The Christ is the one who must suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Peter, full of love for his friend, and having just witnessed the power of Jesus in the feeding of the four thousand people, said, “This shall never happen to you.” Upon hearing this Jesus comes right out and calls Peter “Satan” because these are the words of Satan. Only the devil and His followers don’t want Jesus to suffer and die on the cross. Those who love Jesus are actually relying on it. The suffering and death of Jesus is our only hope for salvation. If Jesus had listened to Peter (and to Satan when he said the same thing in Matt. 4:8-9) then there would be no salvation for any of us and the devil would have succeeded in destroying all whom God loves.

This passage helps us to understand why Jesus would tell His disciples not to tell anyone who He is. He forbids them from telling this because they have a false idea of who He is. They know that Jesus is the Christ, but they refuse recognize a “weak” Christ who permits himself to suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Because His innocent suffering and death is the very purpose for His being here, Jesus forbids them from telling others so that they are not led astray by some false impression of Jesus. Jesus sends them out only when the disciples have finished their training, have seen Him dead on the cross, seen Him alive after His resurrection, AND then on Pentecost received the Holy Spirit who Jesus said will “teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Only then does Jesus send them out on the mission.

In the other cases where Jesus tells folks not to say anything it is usually because they exhibit a more subtle denial of Jesus. Some people say that when Jesus told people not to tell anyone about Him that He really wanted people to tell about Him. We can easily dismiss that as being false because that would make Jesus a manipulative liar. Although people then (and now) did frequently disregard His word and tell anyway, Jesus didn’t really want them to tell. Although Jesus was (and is) very generous in using His power to heal, He doesn’t want people to see Him only as a healer or miracle worker. Whether Jesus heals you or not is, in the end, irrelevant to your salvation. No one is in heaven today because Jesus is a miracle worker. Every person in heaven today is there because Jesus saved them from their sins through His obedient, innocent suffering and death.

People need to know what Jesus has done for their salvation, and that is exactly why God has provided pastors and teachers and evangelists. Without someone to tell us the good news of our forgiveness and salvation in Christ we would not be saved (Romans 10). God does equip and send these people throughout the world so that people everywhere can hear the message and be saved through faith. St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4, “It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” so that the body of Christ could be built up and God’s people prepared for doing His good works. Not all people are called to be pastors, teachers, or evangelists. Paul notes in I Corinthians 12:29 that not all people have these God-given callings. Scripture is very clear that not everyone is a minister, despite what you may have heard elsewhere. Peter encourages his readers (I Peter 3:15) to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have,” but he was writing to Christians who were being persecuted for their belief in Christ. The gift of Martyrdom is another gift that God does not give to everyone, but only to those whom He equips for that task also.

Although the task of evangelism is not something that God gives to all Christians, there is one “task” that God does give to all His people. Jesus says in John 6:29, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” This is not a work as we understand works. Saving faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). It isn’t miracles which save us. It isn’t good works that save us, except for the works that Jesus did on our behalf in His life and death. All Christians believe that Jesus is our only savior from the punishment for our sin, as Jesus tells us, “Whoever believes in [God’s Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)

Are you upset that your pastor has treated you like the devil? If he did this because you had a false impression about Jesus and His work or ministry then take heart and understand that Jesus did the same thing to the disciples whom He loved. The pastor should understand that, like Peter, not all of God’s children have a proper understanding of what Jesus is all about, and, like Peter, it sometimes takes some harsh words to teach God’s people. It took him a while, but Peter repented and allowed Jesus to teach him. Peter became a great Apostle and missionary because Jesus prepared him for the mission and didn’t allow him to go until he was properly equipped for the mission. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” not just because there is so much unbelief in the world (though that is a major cause), but also because there must be the proper training involved, and not all Christians are called by God for this service. Whatever your role in the body of Christ trust in Christ and in His forgiveness and salvation. That is all that really matters. That is who Christ is.

Generic Christianity?

Newsletter article for June 2003

© 2003 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

There is a tendency in America to reduce the Christian faith to a “generic Christianity.” I am not sure if this originates within the church. It may come from our ignorant and illiterate society’s desire to fit everything into simplified categories that are easy to understand, and easier to ignore, but I have seen this idea beginning to make its way into churches and into the minds of Christians. (Actually I can’t see into the minds of others, but I can recognize this when it comes out of their mouths.) This tendency may also come from an overwhelming desire to avoid conflict so it avoids issues that may cause conflict or division, and reduces the Christian faith to some simplified, lowest common denominator. Jesus Himself didn’t do this. He recognized the divisive nature of His message when He said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”

This simplification of the Gospel message is not something that Christians ought to be doing. The message of the Gospel can be simplified for children and others into a message that can be as simple as “Jesus loves you” we ought not stop there as if that were sufficient. Although this simple message is the most important truth of the Gospel (and is enough to bring eternal salvation), there is much more to the Christian faith than just that. Just as babies grow from only needing a diet of milk to a gradually more complex and varied diet, so Christians need to grow from this simple message of the Gospel to a more detailed and mature understanding of God’s Word. We can’t remain “baby Christians” for an extended period of time any more than we can live our whole lives on a diet of only milk. We must either grow or die. The trouble with a simplified, generic Christianity is that something important is lost in the transition.

What is lost in generic Christianity is the specific details which make Jesus real to us, and show us that He is the true source of life and salvation for all who believe in Him. If Jesus is generalized or simplified to the point of abstraction then to our minds He becomes just that, abstract, and with abstraction He then becomes unreal to us. I think in some cases this is the intended effect. When, for example, feminists attempt to de-masculinize the Bible they are making God’s Word into something generic, and then (and only then) is it possible to dismiss it as something irrelevant and out of date. The same thing happens when fundamentalists attempt to determine which parts of the Bible are important, and which are not, or even when well intentioned evangelists try to cater to special interests in order to try to make the Bible less offensive to certain people. But even though God’s Word may offend some, God still intends us to preach and teach it in all its truth and purity, because that is the best way to bring salvation to those who do not yet have it.

Jesus is a specific man, an Israelite, a descendent of King David of the tribe of Judah (a Jew). He was born sometime around 4 B.C. (even though this seems to make no sense it results from some kind of addition error when the Gregorian calendar was first developed) in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only begotten son of God, and the firstborn son of a woman named Mary. After fleeing to Egypt to escape the murderous insanity of King Herod, His family settled in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up and lived a mostly unremarkable life. At around age thirty Jesus called twelve disciples to follow Him and He began a three year ministry during which He demonstrated His divine power through teaching and miracles. Although Jesus demonstrated great power and an ability to do whatever He wanted, He allowed Himself to be arrested, charged with false accusations, and condemned to die by crucifixion. He died and was buried, and on the third day after His death He rose to life again. After forty days He ascended into heaven where He rules over all creation at the right hand of God the Father. All this was done for us and for our salvation. We know all this (and much more details of Jesus’ life and mission) only from the Holy Scriptures which, from Genesis through Revelation, is the true Word of God.

The specific details of the life and mission of Jesus are offensive to sinful human beings like us. In Galatians 5:11, St. Paul complains that if he is preaching anything other than the truth of God’s Word then “the offense of the cross has been abolished.” The specificity of God’s Word, though it may offend us from time to time, should really be a comfort to us. The details of our own lives are of great concern to each of us. It ought to be a tremendous comfort to know that our Lord and Savior, Jesus, also had to deal with the same specifics in His life. Hebrews 4:15 shows us that our Savior can sympathize with the details of our lives because He was “tempted in every way just as we are – yet was without sin.” His sinlessness, although foreign to us, is what qualifies Jesus (and no one else) to save us from the consequences of the guilt of our own sin.

Therefore we should avoid this generic Christianity. But the only way we can avoid it is if we are well taught in the truth of God’s Word and in the specifics of Holy Scripture. We all need to be in Church to worship every week, and those of us who are confirmed ought to receive the Lord’s Supper frequently. We all need to study the Bible frequently, at least once a week, although every day would be much better. As we do this Jesus will become a more important part of our lives and we will appreciate Him for who He is. Jesus is our one and only Lord and Savior. There is no one else like Him.

Worthy of Salvation

Newsletter article for April 2002

© 2002 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Who is worthy of Salvation?

There once was a king who had a very special daughter. She was his only child and the king loved her very much. When the girl reached maturity the king was determined to find a husband for her who would love her with his whole heart and would be a good and wise ruler over the kingdom. The king issued a decree that he was looking for a man who would be the most worthy to be the king’s son-in-law and heir.

This news was greeted with great joy and hope and anticipation. The princess was very beautiful and kind, and her father was extremely wealthy and powerful. Whoever was chosen to marry the princess would not only get the most desirable woman in the kingdom, but would also inherit the richest kingdom in the world.

The king was very protective of his daughter and would only settle for the best for her. In order to ensure that he would find the most worthy prince to be his heir the king had a magic sword called the Sword of Truth. If anyone told a lie in the presence of this sword it would immediately kill him. This way the king would be sure that the man who married his daughter would be most worthy of her.

After a time the king held court in the great hall in order to interview all of the potential suitors for his daughter. The first man to stand before him was the son of a very wealthy nobleman. He was handsome and charming and well-liked by all who knew him. As he stood before the king he was sweating a little as the king asked him, “What makes you worthy to marry my daughter, the princess?” The young man hesitated and then said, “I love your daughter and I only want what is best for the kingdom.” Apparently none of this was true because before he drew his next breath the sword of truth flew out of the hands of the king and impaled the man right through his heart.

The next young man chose his words very carefully. “I choose your daughter to be my wife,” he told the king.

The king was furious. “Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not.” The man replied. “I believe I am worthy because I choose your daughter to be my wife.”

Despite his foolish words he was telling the truth because the sword of truth made no move in his direction. However the king was indignant. “You must think I am a fool, and I would be if I considered you worthy simply because you chose my daughter. Open your eyes! Every man in the kingdom would choose my daughter if they could. Look behind you, many of them are here now! She is the most desirable woman in the world because of her beauty, her wealth, her power, and her loving heart.” At this the king sent the man home until he would come to his senses.

The next suitor came and with a humble and sincere bow he declared to the king, “I would give your daughter everything I have.”

The king was beginning to get tired of this nonsense, so he laughed. “Do you have any idea who I am? I am the ruler of the richest kingdom in the world. I could buy you and sell you hundreds of times. Do you consider my daughter some sort of beggar who can be bought for a pittance?” With these words the king sent the man to prison until he would repent of his arrogance.

And so it continued for quite some time. The finest men in the kingdom all came and made their claim as to why they were worthy to wed the king’s daughter, but each plea was rejected by the king. In addition many came who were not nearly the finest men in all the kingdom, trying to trick their way to winning the greatest prize in the kingdom. These were either slain by the Sword of Truth, or imprisoned or banished by the king.

Finally, a man came before the king dressed as a common laborer. He didn’t appear to be wealthy, nor of noble birth or heritage. The king looked down on this poor man and asked in a stern voice, “Do you think you are worthy to be my son-in-law and heir?”

The poor man trembled. “Have mercy on me, lord. Forgive my simple clothing, but it is the best that I have. I am not a rich man. I do not intend to insult your majesty or your lovely daughter by my appearance here. It is true that I am not worthy of such a fine woman as your daughter. I cannot give her the fine things that she deserves. My language isn’t as refined as that of a nobleman, and I suppose I appear to you to be vulgar. There is absolutely no reason why you should give me your daughter to be my wife, and I would completely understand if you quickly send me on my way. I can only say that if you choose me by your grace and kindness then I would love your daughter and treasure her and make her know that she is the most valuable thing in the world to me, because she is.

The king looked at this humble man. He had hardly looked up at the king the whole time he was in the great hall. Then the king spoke. “You are right to say that you are not worthy of my daughter. And of all the noble men who have come seeking my daughter’s hand, you are the first to admit that you are not worthy, but they were not worthy either. You were wise to appeal to my grace and kindness because it is by reason of my good grace that I accept your petition to marry my daughter. You are not worthy of my daughter, but I will make you worthy. You will be a good husband to my daughter, a good son-in-law to me, and a good ruler of my kingdom when the time comes. I will see to it myself.”

And this is how it happened that the poor man became the king’s heir. It wasn’t because he was worthy, but because of the king’s kindness and grace.

Who Will Take the Son?

Author Unknown

(The first part of this story was forwarded to me in an e-mail message, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with all who get this newsletter. The second part of this story is a brief theological commentary on the story.)

Newsletter Article for April 2001

Commentary © 2001 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Rafael.

They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.” The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.

He thanked the young man and offered to pay for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.

Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?”

There was silence, then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.”

But the auctioneer persisted, “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?”

Another voice shouted angrily, “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”

But still the auctioneer continued, “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

“We have $10, who will bid $20?”

“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”

“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?” The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.

“Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”

A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”

The auctioneer laid down his gavel, “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”

“What about the paintings?”

“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!”

God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?” Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

***********************************

Theological Analysis

by Rev. Paul Wolff

There is much to like in the story above. It is an uplifting story, and it has many things to remind us of Jesus, but as with all parables and analogies, it has its limits. So to better appreciate this wonderful story I would like to take this opportunity to mention a few things that I find useful, and note a couple of things where care and discernment must be used, just as in reading the Bible.

Among the many good points in this story is the main theme that “Whoever has the Son has everything.” This reminds me of the story of Mary and her sister Martha (Luke 10:38-42) where Jesus speaks of the “one thing needful” which is to let Jesus serve us because that is much more important than our serving Jesus. Jesus is the “One thing needed” so whoever has Jesus has everything he or she needs.

Another good image in this story is the riches that come with the painting of the son reminds us of the riches of heaven which God has promised to give us through Jesus.

I also like the part of the story where the son had given his life to save someone else. This reminds us of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us when He died on the cross to save us all from the punishment for our sins.

The reaction of the participants in the auction, and their contempt for the painting of the son reminds us that the world does not care for Jesus, but is only concerned about their own riches and welfare. This brings to mind the passage from John 1:10-13 which describes Jesus in this way, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

The purchase of the painting by the poor gardener is tricky, but it brings to mind the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This also reminds us that when Jesus preached and taught it was the poor and despised “sinners” who most eagerly responded to His teachings of forgiveness and trust in God for salvation.

But as with all parables it has its limits to its meaning. I suppose that someone could read this story and conceivably think that because the gardener bought the painting that there must be something that we must do to obtain the riches that God has promised. To think that one must make the first move to God goes against what God says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast.” It will be to that person’s eternal regret who meets Jesus on judgment day and says something to the effect of, “Yo, dude, let me in, I paid my dues, now show me the money.” (see Luke 13:22-30) Jesus is not very likely to respond favorably to that person, especially since Jesus had to suffer and die to pay the price for our salvation. There is nothing left for us to pay, and Jesus gives it to us for free, as a gift.

It is also a little difficult that the gardener who worked for this rich man was so poor that he could only afford $10 for the painting. That may suggest to some that God doesn’t properly reward his people (until the end), or it may lead some to justify the underpayment of church workers. This would be a wrong interpretation of Scripture because I Tim. 5:18 says, “The worker deserves his wages” so we ought to do all we can to pay our pastor and teachers a generous wage. On the other hand, the poverty of the gardener could remind us that God never said that His people would be guaranteed wealth and prosperity in this life, only “daily bread.” Nevertheless, God’s daily bread is generous and sufficient for all our needs, and even more, and God will reward us.

I hope that you continue to find blessings in this story, and will use it to remind yourself to treasure Christ, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Lk. 12:34)

Why Can't I Have Cancer, Too?

Newsletter article for November 1999

© 1999 Rev. Paul A. Wolff

I read an interview this October in Bicycling Magazine featuring the winner of the Tour de France bicycle race, Lance Armstrong. You probably have heard of him. He is the Texan who two years ago was fighting for his life with testicular cancer which had spread to his lungs and to his brain. At the time the doctors thought they were being optimistic when they told him he had a twenty percent chance of surviving. Well, he not only survived the cancer, but he came back to win the toughest bicycle racing series in the world, and perhaps the most difficult athletic achievement in sports. Not only did he win the race, but he dominated the 2,400 mile race which was also the fastest Tour de France in history. Lance is an inspiration to all who are fighting cancer, and many others.

Lance was asked by the interviewer a question about his feelings about his cancer, and how it affected his life. He gave the astonishing reply that he owes his life to cancer, and that if he had a choice he would go through it all again. Now, perhaps like me, you are thinking, "He has got to be crazy." But, you know what? Lance Armstrong is not crazy. He simply learned how to put things in the proper perspective in his life.

This summer during the Tour de France I heard another interview with Lance Armstrong where he explained that very soon after he was diagnosed with cancer he accepted the reality of the cancer. He saw that there was a very good chance that he would not live very much longer, and if he did survive, he would lose everything that he had to pay his medical bills. He also accepted the fact that he would very likely never be able to return to the sport of cycling which he loved and had been very successful in competition. He knew that whether he lived or died he would lose everything, and he accepted it. In accepting that he would lose everything he had, everything he had worked for, and everything he was, he gained something much more valuable.

You know Lance Armstrong is someone special when you are reading an interview and you find yourself envying someone who was on the brink of death from cancer, which is still a vicious killer. As I was reading I thought to myself, "Why can’t I have cancer, too?"

Now I am not saying that I am dissatisfied with my life. I am quite happy with my life, and I thank God for perfect health. But I find that I usually take life for granted. In fact, I have a better record in Bicycling races than Lance Armstrong. I won the only bicycle race I was ever involved in. It was only a one mile sprint around Elizabeth Park in Trenton and I beat my best friend, and a guy we met who challenged us to a race. It’s a far cry from the Tour de France, and although I enjoyed the victory, I don’t believe that I would wish to go to the brink of death just to win the greatest Bicycle race in the world.

It wasn’t cancer which made Lance Armstrong into a great bicycling racer (although the 20 lbs. he lost during chemotherapy probably helped him in the mountain climbing stages), but dealing with cancer helped Lance appreciate the victory more. When the full extent of his cancer was known he could hardly have expected to be alive this year, much less the winner of the Tour de France, and a hero to bicyclists and cancer victims worldwide. When Lance accepted that because of cancer he would lose everything he had, everything he has now is a gift from God. If God had let the cancer have its way Lance wouldn’t be married, he wouldn’t be a new father, and he wouldn’t be alive, much less a worldwide hero as the winner of the Tour de France. All that he has accomplished since his cancer is a gift from God.

St. Paul had a similar attitude when he wrote to the Church in Philippi. In Philippians 3:7-9 St. Paul writes, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

St. Paul’s situation was a little different from Lance Armstrong’s, although his attitude is similar. Paul had been persecuting Christians because he believed that they were against God. When Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and told him otherwise, Paul immediately began to follow Jesus and soon became one of the greatest apostles. Before he became a Christian, Paul was headed down a path which was headed toward destruction because he was opposing Christ. So it is no wonder that after he found salvation in Christ he considered all his previous accomplishments to be not only worthless, but harmful.

In his life before knowing Christ, St. Paul was on the fast track to success. He had accomplished great things in his life, and he was making a name for himself. But when Paul met Jesus on the way to Damascus he quickly gave up all his former accomplishments, and all the glory that he was gaining for himself, and he began to serve Christ. The gifts that Christ gives his followers are so much greater than what the world has to offer that St. Paul calls all his former accomplishments "rubbish."

St. Paul shares Lance Armstrong’s sentiments when he writes in Phil. 3:10-11, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." St. Paul is eager to share in suffering as a follower of Christ because he knows that the riches that Christ gives are worth any kind of suffering. This is the same sentiment of the apostles in Acts 5:41 where they left the court "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name [of Jesus]."

No matter how good you are at whatever you do, you cannot overcome death. No one can. Only Jesus Christ can overcome death, and through faith in Jesus we share in both His death and resurrection. This is a gift from Jesus. It is very similar to the gift that Lance Armstrong received. Lance thought he was going to die, but not only did he live, but his strength was returned and he went on to win the greatest bicycle race in the world, and all the glory and honor that goes with that accomplishment. By all rights Lance should be dead by now, instead he is a worldwide hero. But then, by all rights we should be dead by now because of our sins, but Jesus Christ has rescued us from sin and death and has promised us salvation, glory, and honor. It is a precious gift.

I believe that it is the realization of this gift which makes Lance Armstrong say, "I owe my life to cancer." If he had won the Tour de France before he got cancer he would have taken pride in himself and would have put his priorities in the wrong place. Now he can appreciate the victory and all that life has to offer for what it is, a wonderful gift from God. My dear friends in Christ let us learn a lesson from Lance Armstrong. Let’s remember that all that we have is a gift from God: our possessions, career, family, even life itself are all gifts from God. If we accomplish anything it is by God’s grace. May this cause all of us to give thanks to God every day for His loving kindness, especially for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. For through His death we died, and through His resurrection we live both now and forever. Praise God! Amen.