But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. (Dan.1:8-15)

Many believers are forced to work or live in environments that are hostile to their faith. It may be a corporation that supports liberal causes, a university classroom with a professor who flaunts his atheism, or a government that declares sin to be a civil right and biblical values to be hate speech and bigotry. How do we navigate such environments? Many believers have decided that a little compromise is the way to survive and even have influence in those environments. The idea is that you must be part of the system to influence the system or you must be “accepted” by the culture to have any impact on the culture. Many have determined to be silent about their values while trying to keep from totally compromising those same values. As our culture become more and more anti-Christ, the question of how to live as a believer and still influence our environment becomes more and more relevant.

Daniel is a perfect example of a believer in that situation. In the first chapter of Daniel we are told that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and the city eventually surrendered. Babylon used a deportation strategy in conquering other nations. The strategy was to take their best and brightest young people, who would eventually become leaders in that nation, to Babylon where they would be absorbed by the culture. In doing so, they got the services of these talented young men and robbed the defeated nation of future leaders who might foment rebellion. Daniel was one of those young men.

Within a short time, Daniel faced a dilemma which called on him to compromise his faith in the seemingly unimportant area of Jewish dietary restrictions. Daniel and other young men from Judah were placed in the charge of Ashpenaz, a chief court official, who was told to serve them the best foods from the king’s kitchen and train them for three years to see who would rise to the top. Having been ripped up from their homeland, these “top students” had landed on their feet. They were placed on an upward career path that promised much in a foreign land. All they had to do was to learn the language, adapt to the culture, and fit in while maintaining the well known Jewish role of over-achiever. In those potential positions of power, they might even wield some influence for their God among the pagans.

Daniel, however, chose the path of uncompromising faith. He respectfully asked Ashpenaz to allow him to eat according to his faith so that he would not be defiled by a Babylonian diet. There was considerable risk in the request. First of all, the request might be seen as an insult in which Daniel would be touting the superiority of his faith and culture over the faith and culture of Babylon who had, by the way, just soundly defeated the Jews. Secondly, the request might smack of ingratitude. Daniel had been given an unbelievable opportunity considering his situation. He could have just as easily been executed or enslaved in years of hard labor. If he didn’t like the program, there were plenty of others who would jump at the chance to take his place. Thirdly, his request placed his overseer in the difficult situation of violating the king’s orders. Making waves was not the way to ingratiate himself to his supervisor and was certainly not the way to the top.

However, Daniel asked to be allowed to serve the king while maintaining the tenants of his own faith. He was respectful and sensitive to the position in which he was placing his supervisor. He made a request and not a demand and suggested a trial period to evaluate the values he was espousing for the organization. He made no demands that others must do as did and no arrogance was found in him. The result was that God gave him favor in the sight of his supervisor and after a trial period, his supervisor found Daniel’s diet to be very beneficial to the program. In fact, his dietary restrictions were adopted into the program.

Daniel served pagan kings for decades while being uncompromising in his faith. He served without bitterness, without deceit, and with unsurpassed integrity. His ability to hear God in the interpretation of dreams saved himself, his friends, and a number of Babylonian career politicians who served as “wise men” or consultants to the king. His witness for his faith and his influence on unbelievers around him came from the excellence and integrity he brought to every job that was assigned to him. The quality of his character and his work ethic caused him to stand out as a light in the darkness. As he advanced, others were jealous and at times tried to have him removed from office and even executed, but his integrity had been such that no grounds for indictment could be found.

Eventually, even Nebuchadnezzar was forced to declare that Daniel’s God was superior to all of his gods. Years later, under King Darius, Daniel was delivered from an unjust sentence to be eaten by lions for praying to his God. After a night with the lions, Daniel walked out unscathed. As a result Darius declared, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed…” (Dan.6:26). Undoubtedly, Daniel answered questions about his God when asked but let his life and his uncompromising faith became his daily testimony.

To live and serve in a hostile culture requires faith that God is with us in every situation, in every corporation, and every classroom. At times, we must believe that he will give us favor so that we can live for him without compromise and, at other times, we must believe that he will provide protection when Satan stirs up the culture against us. The key however, is our uncompromising faith, our character, and the excellence we bring to whatever we do. It is found in loving and serving even our enemies and respectfully living out our faith while accepting the risk of doing so. God shows up in big ways for the faithful not for the compromising.

Ultimately, we must desire the promotions of God over the promotions of men. We cannot serve two masters – the culture and gods of the world or the culture and the God of Heaven. If you find yourself in a hostile place today, spend some time with Daniel and his friends for wisdom and encouragement. Be blessed, humble, and uncompromising today in your service and your character. It is that lifestyle that allows others to see Jesus and that causes men to ask about Him.

And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. (Mk.15:20-21)

In three of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) we find almost a footnote to the crucifixion. Each of the three writers mentions a man named Simon from Cyrene who was apparently not previously known to the disciples of Jesus. He was most likely entering Jerusalem for the Passover. The gospels simply say that he was coming in from the country and found himself caught up in the drama of the crucifixion of the Christ.   Because Jesus had been so brutalized by flogging and beating, he was struggling to carry his cross (probably the cross member only). The Romans, not out of compassion but in a hurry to get this done, compelled a man in the crowd to carry the cross for Jesus.

That is all we are told and yet Simon shows up in three gospels and his sons are mentioned in Mark. These gospels were written decades after the crucifixion so why would they remember this obscure man’s name or the names of his sons? The only answer seems to be that Simon and his family became believers that day and became faithful members of the Christian community where they were well known to the writers of the gospels.

It is possible that Simon had some knowledge of Jesus. Perhaps, he had heard him teach in the countryside or in some village. Perhaps, he had never heard of Jesus before that day. But something turned his heart to Jesus on the day of his suffering and death. My sense is that Simon stayed for a bit after delivering the cross. Sometimes when we are part of a tragedy – praying for someone who is dying, assisting at the scene of an accident, helping a stranger pickup debris after a tornado – our souls are somehow knit to theirs. I think Simon experienced that connection with Jesus and lingered by the cross. Perhaps, he asked a few people questions about this man who had been brutalized and sentenced to death. Maybe Mary had briefly thanked him for helping her son.

I’m guessing the demeanor of Jesus, even in death, seemed out of place. Surely a man whipped, beaten, and on his way to be spiked to a cross was a murderer or a terrorist. But he heard no cursing from Jesus and no threats. What he heard was concern for his mother and forgiveness for those who were doing this to him. Jesus probably spoke a few words to him on the way to Golgatha and certainly made eye contact, which always communicates volumes in the midst of tragedy.

The culmination of the experience, I believe, connected Simon to the other disciples in Jerusalem and the resurrection of Christ followed by Pentecost made Simon and his family strong believers. I think this demonstrates a couple of truths that we need to remember.

First of all, God is always working in the hearts of men for redemption and that work often occurs in the midst of injustice and tragedy. God doesn’t cause the injustice or tragedy but he uses it. In the midst of the suffering and death of his Only Begotten, the Father was still mindful of Simon and was working on his heart that day.

Secondly, how we handle suffering and hardship influences people for good or for bad. The way Jesus suffered with grace and with love drew this man to him and to the Father. The same can be true for us. How we handle personal injustice communicates to those around us who are seemingly detached and on the sidelines. Injustice at the office, bad calls on the basketball court, slander, rejection, etc. are moments when people are watching and listening. Grace, forgiveness, and love can touch the observers. How we deal with sickness, death, injuries and so forth have the same effect. Our testimony shines brightest when things are against us.

Finally, connection with other believers is crucial in transformative moments. People are most open to the gospel in seasons of transition and crisis in their own lives. To witness and touch something as horrendous as Christ’s crucifixion – the brutality, the smell of death and suffering, the stark indifference of Roman soldiers, the darkness that shrouded the day, the wailing of those close to the crucified – had to be traumatic for Simon and his sons.

That day must have raised deep questions for him. Other believers had to answer those questions. I am convinced that God connected Simon to some of Jesus’s disciples that day – maybe even the women who stood at the foot of the cross or John who was there as well. Perhaps, in astonishment he lingered and encountered Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who came to take the body off the cross. But a few of the disciples reached out to him that day and their attitudes and actions did not cancel out what he had seen in Jesus.

Those relationships, forged in the midst of tragedy, drew him into the family of God where he and his children were well known even decades later. God uses everything for redemption. In the midst of crisis, injustice, or suffering don’t forget those who seem to be standing on the sidelines. They are still watching and what we do and say makes an impression that may draw them to Jesus just as Simon was drawn.

Over the past week or so we have been looking at the letters to the seven churches of Asia to get insights into some of the things that take us out of the will of God or that misalign us with his heart. For those who want to walk in the fullness of God’s Spirit for a lifetime, staying aligned with the Father is crucial because being out of step with the Lord restricts the flow of the Spirit.

One thing we need to notice is that each of the churches who received a rebuke were still serving God in some ways and were still lifting up the name of Jesus. But they were also participating in or tolerating certain things that generated a warning from heaven that discipline was in the pipeline – even to the extent of Jesus removing their lampstand which might be a reference to the Holy Spirit.

However, for those who responded to the warning and realigned themselves with the Father, there were numerous promises. Some of the promises were primarily for the life to come but many can be understood as promises for the here and now. I want to look at those promises over the next few days because they are part of our motivation for staying in step with the Spirit in every facet of our lives.

To the church in Ephesus, Jesus said, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev.2:7). The word overcomes is significant because later in Revelation we are told that the saints overcame the devil “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev.12:11. The word translated “overcomes” is the word “nikao” in Greek. It does not mean to simply endure but it means to triumph over, to win, to defeat, or to overwhelm the enemy. The word communicates aggressive action on our part rather than a passive endurance. It calls to mind the words of Jesus that the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. Victory for the believer comes from being on the offensive rather than the defensive. It reminds us that many great promises stand on our ability and willingness to wield the power and authority of heaven (divine weapons – 2 Cor. 10:3-6). Even though the promise of the tree of life in the paradise of God seems to be related to our heavenly state, we must remember that we are already citizens of heaven and are now seated with Christ in spiritual realms.

The promise seems to be that for those who align themselves with heaven and who aggressively take on the enemy, two things will be theirs in both this life and the life to come. One is the energy and power that flows from heaven that fuels an eternal life and the other is rest and the presence of God which paradise has always symbolized. In the book of Genesis the tree of life stood in the midst of the garden and those who ate of it could live forever. In John’s writings (which include his gospel. his letters and the book of Revelation) eternal life is not about duration as much as it is quality. Eternal life is the kind of life experienced by those who live in close fellowship with the Father. Jesus showed us that life in its fullness and that life is also available to those who live for Jesus no. The power and provision of heaven was a constant in the life of Jesus.

But in the paradise of God there was also rest and the presence of the Father. In the midst of threats and an almost chaotic schedule Jesus often stole away and found rest and comfort in the presence of the Father. How often did he go away to a private place exhausted, spend the night in prayer, and come back energized – even walking on water?

As Jesus closed his memorandum to the church at Ephesus he called them to repentance or “realignment” and promised that those who stayed faithful and maintained their alignment with the heart of the Father could live on this earth with access to the power and provision of heaven along with the rest and renewal that comes from being in the very presence of God. Ultimately, I believe that Jesus is the tree of life. Those who eat of the tree can live forever and those who eat of the bread of life will also live forever (Jn.6:51). It is through a close walk with Jesus that all these promises are ours. As we partake of Jesus we partake of life, rest, and presence. We partake of Jesus by submitting all that we are and all that we have to him with nothing reserved for ourselves. Be blessed today.

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men (Matt.9:1-8).

This a familiar story but one that should be revisited from time to time because it is so instructive.  There are several players in the story.  The central figure, of course, is Jesus and the other is an unnamed the paralytic, lying on a mat. Surrounding him are his friends who had faith for his healing, the religious authorities, and the crowds watching the action unfold.

The text says that Jesus came to his own town.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, but after beginning his public ministry took up residence in Capernaum (Matt.4:13). In this town he had recently healed the centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. He had just arrived back in Capernaum after encountering the Gadarene demoniac who lived among the tombs.  Having delivered the man from a host of demons, he was invited to leave by the locals and had immediately returned to Capernaum.

When he arrived, the friends of a paralytic carried him to Jesus with an expectation of seeing their friend healed.  Jesus recognized there faith but said something that didn’t quite seem to fit the moment.  “Take heart son; your sins are forgiven.” Now, if I’m the guy on the mat I’m thinking, “Great, I wanted to walk but all I got was a some obscure statement about my sins being forgiven!  I wanted healing but all I got was theology. You guys grab my mat and let’s head to Starbucks.”

But, as always, Jesus had a deeper point.  Disease and debilitating physical conditions came to man because of sin. Disease was the symptom, sin was the ultimate cause and so sin was the greater issue.  Jesus dealt first with the cause.  How many times do we pray for people to be healed without first assessing their spiritual condition?  I am certain that healing is hindered in the bodies of many believer’s by infirmities in their souls – unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, unbelief, and so on.  Whenever possible it is always wise to do a spiritual scan of a person’s life before prayers for healing.  Jesus placed this man in a state of forgiveness before healing him.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul revealed to the church that some among them were sick because they had brought judgment on themselves by partaking of communion while they had been treating their spiritual family at Corinth in ungodly ways (1 Cor.11:30).  The illness was a wakeup call to repentance so that healing could then be experienced. Obviously, a prayer for healing without repentance first would be ineffective in those cases.

Sin and illness have long been connected in scripture.  Sometimes we’re ill simply because we are part of a fallen race living in a fallen environment. The fall came as a result of sin. At other times, our sin has opened us up to spirits of infirmity and disease because of our choices. The psalmist made the connection when he wrote, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”(Ps.103:2-3). Again, the conjunction “and” often carries a causative connection.  The idea is that my diseases can be healed because my sins have been forgiven.

Does God ever heal before sins are forgiven?  Certainly, because the kindness of God calls men to repentance (see Rom.2:4).  Healing is a kindness. Jesus healed some who had not yet heard the gospel and warned others after they were healed to stop sinning lest something worse happen to them. For believers who know the call to righteousness and who have access to the blood of Christ, repentance most often should come first.  James counsels us to call the elders of the church whenever we are sick so that they can anoint us with oil and pray over us with faith.  He tells us that their prayer of faith will being healing and if we have sinned we will be forgiven. (see James 5:13-16).  The implication is that an ongoing, unrepented sin opened us up to some sickness or spirit of infirmity. Forgiveness was needed to open us up to healing.

As we move through the story, we also are reminded that words often need to be confirmed by actions or results even when the words are true.  Anyone can say, “Your sins are forgiven,” but what is the evidence of that?  Many people have “conversion experiences” so that the unusual experience they have when they come to faith confirms to them that God has truly accepted them and extended forgiveness.  Many others take their salvation by faith based on intellectual persuasion that they have done what God asked and, therefore, have received what he promised.

I find, however,  that more people with a “conversion experience” are solidly convinced of their salvation than those who chose to believe the truth without experience.   The man on the mat had just heard the words that he was forgiven, but I wonder how certain he was of that?  Jesus moved ahead, however, and acknowledged that it’s easy to say “Your sins are forgiven” because there is no concrete evidence to determine whether they have been forgiven or not. In essence, he says, “If I were to heal this lame man, would you be more likely to believe that he is also forgiven since the power to heal affirms my connection with the Father who also forgives? ”

When the man was healed, the crowds believed and I am certain that the lame man not only rejoiced in his healing but rejoiced with much greater certainty in his salvation.  It’s easy for the church to declare that someone has been saved and all their sins are forgiven.  But how many believers still struggle with some doubt about that because they cannot forgive themselves and still wonder if God has totally forgiven them?  Their certainty increases when they have a powerful experience with God.  That experience demonstrates his love for them on a very personal, individualized basis.  Suddenly they are no longer just a face in a crowd of those who were declared to be forgiven but that declaration of forgiveness has been delivered to them personally by the King. Of course, not all will believe even in the face of miracles. Religious leaders who have always denied the operation of miracles today will still discount what they have witnessed and call it “strange fire.” The crowds, however,  will come to faith.

In a world filled with words and outrageous claims, our words alone are easily discounted. Preach the gospel, offer forgiveness, and then release sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, pregnancy to the infertile, life to a splintered marriage, the tangible touch of God to the lonely, deliverance to the hopelessly oppressed, and the crowds will be in awe.  But more than that, the ones touched by God will be secure in the promise that not only are they healed but their sins have also been forgiven.  Be blessed today.  Go out there and heal someone.