Let Light Shine Out of Darkness

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 – Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. ² But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

A lone tree painted in light stands in contrast to the dark February skies. Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, Ohio.

I took this shot while a professional photographer friend spent about two minutes highlighting the tree with a flashlight (to see some of his excellent work visit the MD Herald Fine Art Photography website). This technique is known as light painting and it produces a great image to go along with today’s passage, nicely emphasizing the message of letting the “light shine out of darkness.”

Paul begins this passage by acknowledging that his strength to continue in the ministry of preaching the gospel is only “by the mercy of God.” Considering all that Paul suffered in order to share the good news of Christ, it is all that much more poignant when he speaks of not losing heart.

He then points out a problem present in the church during the first century and one that is alive and well today, that of false teaching. And, though there are many sources of false teaching in the world, Paul here is specifically pointing to those who “practice cunning or…tamper with God’s word.” These are teachers with malicious intent who cloak themselves in Christianity by using passages out of context, or twisting the meaning of passages by adding to them, or by using the language of Scripture without any regard for the actual meaning behind it.

Paul next admits that the gospel he and the other apostles are preaching is not understood by those who stand outside the Christian faith, “those who are perishing.” In fact, he even says that the “gospel is veiled” from them because Satan, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”

Paul then gives us a clear way to discern true from false teachings, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” A great test of false teachings is what, or rather who, is at the center of those teachings. If it is supposed to be a Christian message, and Christ is not at the center, beware! The promises of the modern day prosperity gospel for health, wealth, and abundant happiness sound appealing, after all who wouldn’t want all those things; but these teachings are false because they put us at the center, and not Christ.

Finally Paul gives us the only means by which we can find salvation, the only light that can illuminate the darkness of this world, and it is not of our own doing, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

Twisted Things

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Acts 20:28-32 – Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Twisted tree roots at Jasmine Rocks, along Rough Trail, near Gray’s Arch. Red River Gorge Geological Area, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky.

Today’s passage from the book of Acts is part of Paul’s admonition to the leaders in the church at Ephesus as he was preparing to depart for Jerusalem. And, although he was speaking specifically to church “overseers” in first century Ephesus, his warning is one that Christians, leaders and laity alike, of all generations would do well to heed.

Generally most of us are aware of the lies that abound in the world outside the doors of our churches. However, spotting the false teachings, the “twisted things,” within the walls of the church can often be a much more difficult endeavor. In Matthew 7:15 Jesus warns of this, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” The fact that they are disguised as sheep makes them that much harder to recognize. So what are we to do?

We need to follow Paul’s example and “commend [our leaders] to God and to the word of his grace,” that is, to pray for them and hold them accountable to the teachings found in the Bible. Not that we should eye every pastor with suspicion, or dissect every sermon with a fileting knife, but we do need to “be alert” for false teachings coming from within our churches, both locally and globally. Of course the only way we can do this is if we, ourselves, spend enough time studying the word so we are able to recognize something that is contrary to Scripture.

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

How Beautiful Are the Feet

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Romans 10:13-18 – For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

Taking a break and enjoying the view after the long hike up to Iceberg Lake. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Though the nature of my blog tends to focus on how God reveals himself to us through his creation, we also need to be reminded that we are called to a mission of evangelism. As Jesus command his disciples in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,” so too are we called to proclaim the gospel to the world.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the good news, the gospel, that Christians have been blessed to know and believe. It is also a message that needs to be shared in order for it to be effective. Today’s passage reminds us that the only way others will hear of Christ, believe in him, and actually be able to call on his name and be saved, is if there are “preachers” who are sent.

When Paul writes about “those who preach the good news” I doubt that he is only referring to the ordained ministers who get up in front of a congregation every Sunday to preach a sermon. I am certain that Christ’s imperative in Mark 16:15 to, “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel,” was not just a one-time command that applied only to the disciples.

As Christians we are all sent to proclaim, to preach, the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Our mission field could be as close as the house next door or as far away as “the ends of the world.” The next person to “call on the name of the Lord” could be a co-worker in the cubicle across the hall or an orphan in some distant land. But, whatever your calling may be, make sure that yours are some of those beautiful feet.

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

A Theology of Christian Retreat

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

When we read the Gospels we learn, among many things, the story of Christ’s earthly ministry. We read about crowds of people following him everywhere he went, even in the remotest of locations. In Matthew 14:13 we read of Jesus’ reaction after his disciples told him about the death of John the Baptist:

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

Certainly after hearing the news of John’s death he was seeking some time away from the crowds, time alone with his disciples to mourn, and time to go to his Father in prayer. The account of these same events in Mark 6:30-32 goes even further, telling us Christ’s intentions in his own words:

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.“ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Although Jesus does not escape the crowds on this particular occasion—this is, after all, where he performs the miracle of feeding the five thousand with only five loaves and two fishes—his purpose is clear. He and his disciples had been very busy in their ministry efforts, so busy they barely had time to eat. Christ was being deliberate with his disciples; he knew they were weary and needed rest, and in his loving kindness he wanted to do something about it.

When our head pastor gave a sermon on Mark 6:30-32 a few years ago, I was inspired. I had been talking to my wife off-and-on about how we might use our love of hiking and the outdoors as a tool for ministry. Here was a great example from Christ’s own earthly ministry that retreat and fellowship are important needs in our lives and in our ministries. What struck me most on this occasion was not just that Christ wanted to escape the crowds, but that he wanted to get away to a “desolate place,” proposing not only a time of rest, but also a remote setting. I learned much later, consulting Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, that the word “desolate,” (ref. #2048) used in the ESV, can also be translated as desert, solitary, or wilderness, adding emphasis to this notion of a remote setting.

After hearing the sermon I rushed home, grabbed my concordance, and began searching Scripture for more examples of Jesus and his disciples “getting away from it all.” I quickly discovered a number of passages, starting with Christ’s forty day retreat into the wilderness after being baptized by John—though, I would not advocate any attempts to replicate the trials and temptations that Jesus endured, even if you are as adept at wilderness survival as Bear Grylls—and concluding with his retreat to the garden at Gethsemane to go to his Father in prayer on the night he was betrayed. In all I found twenty-four passages (see the end of this post for the full list) that suggested Jesus, either alone, or with his disciples taking time away. While several of these are parallel accounts from more than one Gospel, and others do not exactly fit the definition of a wilderness retreat, I do believe they all serve as a solid, biblical basis for what I call a theology of Christian retreat.

It became clear to me at this point that I needed to start a hiking fellowship ministry. I had considered the idea on several occasions, but never went forward with it because of a mistaken impression that any fun or relaxing activity could not possibly be a serious ministry. After all, I wasn’t feeding the poor, or teaching some great theological truth to a classroom full of people, so how could I be doing “real” ministry. Thankfully this passage in Mark, our pastor’s sermon, and my subsequent searching of scripture, helped me overcome this mistaken impression, and see more clearly where this ministry fits into the overall ministry landscape (pun fully intended) of Christian fellowship and retreat. Since that time, my wife and I have been blessed on many occasions to share the amazing beauty of God’s creation with others, and I have often been encouraged by the feedback and thanks I have received from those who have taken to the trails with us on our hikes.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior have been set free. We cannot earn salvation through our works! But, as redeemed followers of Christ, we do have an obligation to honor him through diligent labor in our daily jobs and obedient service in the ministries to which we have been called. Yet, for those who labor, he does promise that he will give us rest. Personally, the best way I know of to find that promised rest is getting away from the hustle-and-bustle of daily life and going hiking in the vast and beautiful wilderness, the “desolate places,” that our awesome God has created and given us to enjoy!

Yours in Christ,
Todd the Hiker

Bible References:
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness:
Matthew 4:1-2 – ¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.² And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Mark 1:12-13 – ¹² The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Luke 4:1-2 – ¹ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

After Jesus cleanses a Leper:
Mark 1:45 – But he [the leper] went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Luke 5:15-16 – ¹⁵ But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶ But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Jesus Seeks Retreat after Learning of John the Baptist’s Death:
Matthew 14:13 – Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Mark 6:30-32 – The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.“ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
Luke 9:10 – On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.
John 6:1 – After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

After Feeding the Five Thousand (Just before Jesus Walks on Water):
Matthew 14:22-23 – ²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.
Mark 6:45-47 – ⁴⁵ Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
John 6:15 – Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The Transfiguration:
Matthew 17:1-2 – ¹ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
Mark 9:2 – And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them
Luke 9:28-29 – ²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.

Jesus Prays in the Garden at Gethsemane on the Night He is Betrayed
Matthew 26:36 – Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”
Mark 14:32 – And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
Luke 22:39-41 – ³⁹ And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹ And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed

Other Passages:

Mark 1:35 – And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Mark 4:10 – And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

Luke 4:42-43 – ⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, ⁴³ but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

Luke 6:12-13 – ¹² In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.

Luke 9:18-20 – ¹⁸ Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹ And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰ Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

John 11:54 – Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.