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A Mother’s Faith

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When my grandmother met my grandfather, he was a lawyer for the United States government, working in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When they met and fell in love, he did what every respectable young man in that day would do: he took her home to meet his mother. But my grandfather had to warn my grandmother about something.

“Millie, I’m taking you home to introduce you to my mom,” he said. “As soon as you walk in the door, she’s gonna tell you, ‘My son Jimmy is gonna be a preacher one day.’”

After my grandmother recovered from the initial shock—after all, lawyers are not often compelled to become preachers—my grandfather began to explain how, as a little boy, he became deathly ill. This was back before the days of modern medicine, so when a child got sick it could be a very hopeless situation. His mother prayed, “God, if You take my little boy, I will understand. But if You would somehow heal little Jimmy, he will grow up and be a great preacher and a great man of God one day.”

And God answered her prayers.

My grandfather began to get better instantly and within a few days was completely healed. Staying true to her promise, his mother soon began to introduce her boy by saying, “This is my son Jimmy. He’s gonna be a preacher one day.”

It didn’t make any difference whom he was being introduced to; my grandfather’s mother would always say the same thing over, and over, and over again. During his elementary and junior high years, my grandfather was afraid to bring anyone home from school because he knew what his mom would announce right as his guest walked in the door! Now in his thirties and bringing home his wife-to-be, it would be no different. The same scenario. Nothing had changed. The greeting was going to be what it had been for the last twenty-five years. My grandmother told me that when they walked through that door, just like clockwork, the first words she heard were:

“Hi, Millie. Nice to meet you. Did you know that Jimmy’s gonna be a preacher one day?”

After they were married, my grandfather and grandmother attended a very small church that probably had no more than thirty people on their best Sunday. The pastor left suddenly, and they were without a preacher. The elders approached my grandfather and asked him if he would be interested in doing some of the preaching. Of course his response was, “I’m in the law business, and I know nothing, absolutely nothing, about preaching.”

But my grandmother had another reaction. She said, “James, let’s pray about this,” and then told the elders, “Give us two weeks to pray, and then we will let you know.”

I can only imagine the reaction of my grandfather at that moment! After what I’m sure seemed like the longest two weeks in his life, my grandfather went to the elders and committed to preach for two weeks. My grandmother said his exact words were: “Two weeks. I will preach two weeks only. That will be it, and don’t ever ask me again.”

He did, in fact, preach those two weeks . . . and the next week . . . and the next week . . . and the next week. By the time it was all said and done, my grandfather was the pastor of that church for almost thirty years! He built the largest Christian church in Oklahoma at that time. Even though he became a great soul winner for his generation, his greatest legacy is found in his three children who became preachers, including my father, who preached for close to seventy years. And here I am, a grandson, a third-generation preacher whose three children are also serving the Lord. All because of the faithful prayers of one woman—a great-grandmother I never met, but whose prayers changed four generations!

A mother’s love is one thing. A mother’s faith—and prayers—are another thing altogether. Thank God for mothers, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas everywhere.

“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’” – Proverbs 31: 25-29

Excerpt from “Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith” (available on Amazon and every where books are sold online) by Pastor Dudley Rutherford, senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area.

What Will Heaven Be Like?

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Heaven is not a figment of someone’s imagination or a mystical fairy tale. It is as real as the world you and I live in right now. When you try to imagine this glorious city, what do you think of? Fluffy clouds? Angels strumming harps? Philadelphia Cream Cheese? No, no, no. Forget about what you’ve seen in commercials, movies, and television. Let’s look to God’s Word, the Bible, for the truth about Heaven. Here are three important things we learn:

No Expense Spared

In Revelation 21:18–21, John described the most precious elements known to man as comprising the very foundations of this majestic metropolis:

“The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, as pure as transparent glass.”

[Photo by Alicia Lee on Flickr.]

Here on earth, we would never dream of walking on gold—gold so pure that it’s like transparent glass, no less! But the God of the universe reserved the choicest materials to build a heavenly city for those who love Him. Even the material under our feet will be made from the same stuff that we today scrimp and save for just to buy a small ring or a delicate necklace. This tells me that nothing this world has to offer—not even the very best things here on earth—can ever come close to what God intended for us at creation, which will one day be fully restored in Heaven.

He is Preparing a Place for You

Just before Jesus was betrayed, He comforted His disciples with these words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:1–2)

What a mind-blowing promise for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ! This very moment Jesus is in the heavenly realm laying foundations, framing walls, tiling floors, hanging pictures, building cabinets, and planting gardens . . . just for us. Here’s the thing I can’t comprehend: Jesus loves us so much that He humbled Himself as a man and died for our sins more than 2,000 years ago. The work He did on the cross was more than enough. And yet—He continues to love, give, and provide for us. He continues to work on our behalf by preparing our heavenly home. How astounding is the love of Christ!

No More Tears

Heaven is our home. This earth, with all its troubles and tragedies, is not our permanent dwelling. Revelation 21:3 tells us that in Heaven, God will be with us. He will make His dwelling among us, just as He walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8–9). Verses four and five of Revelation 21 go on to reveal: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

These are words we can trust in: that in Heaven there will be no more sorrow, disease, pain, crime, or death because Almighty God will make all things new. Oh, I can’t wait for that day! How about you?

Tell the World!

Heaven is that place we long for. It is where our friends and family who believed in the Lord and have died are right now. It is the blessed hope that drives us to share the Gospel. After all, what is the best way to invest in Heaven? Isn’t our best investment the people with whom we’ve shared the Good News? I don’t know about you, but when I get there, I want it to be filled with people. I want to get there and see billions of people there, from every tribe and from every nation, all together worshiping the Lord in our heavenly home. The only way that will happen is if you and I are compelled to tell the present world about our wonderful Savior and the truth of His Gospel.

**Excerpt from the book, Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith by Pastor Dudley Rutherford, available at Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Why God Chose Us—Not the Angels—to Deliver the Good News

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If God were to ask me, “Dudley, who do you think should carry the message of salvation to the world?” my answer would be an easy one. “Angels!” I’d say.

Why not? Angels have been used by God throughout the Bible to bring very important messages to people. In fact, the Greek word for angel can also mean “messenger.” In Luke 1:13, an angel delivered a message to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to John the Baptist, even in their old age. An angel told Mary she was going to conceive and bring forth a Child (Luke 1:35). An angel warned Mary and Joseph about Herod’s plot to kill their child and instructed them to leave the country (Matthew 2:13). The night sky lit up as angels announced the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:13).

From the beginning of creation, angels have been very busy carrying God’s messages. Today books are written about them. Hollywood has put angels “in the outfield” and imagined people in crisis being “touched by” them. There’s even a baseball team in Los Angeles named after them! With all of their experience and fame, it just makes sense that angels would be the obvious choice to herald the message of redemption to the world.

But think about it. How many people do you know were saved because of an angelic visitation? Probably none. And I think there are two very important reason why God has chosen us—not angels—to share the Gospel with the world.

First, angels are busy with their own tasks.

Ephesians 6:12 reveals that there is a spiritual battle going on in the heavenly realms, dark against light. God’s angels are very likely involved in this battle (2 King 6:17; Jude 1:9; Revelation 7:1). Angels serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9). They are also busy praising and worshipping Him (Psalm 148:1–2; Isaiah 6:3; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8–13).

The second and perhaps greater reason angels are not modern-day messengers of the Gospel is because angels do not have a testimony.

God has chosen us, not angels, to be His ambassadors of the Good News because angels have never experienced the weight or consequences of sin. They have never heard a sermon on salvation and then felt the convicting Spirit of God tugging on their hearts. An angel could never sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Why? Because they have never been a “wretch.” They’re angels—not humans who live in a fallen world.

We, on the other hand, have a testimony and an ability to say to others, “Hey, my life used to be a wreck. I was trapped in sin just like you. Then one day I met Jesus Christ, and He changed my life. The same way He changed me, He can change you too.” This is important because people tend to be more receptive to someone they can relate to—someone who has been in their shoes. This is empathy, and it serves as an amazing bridge between two people.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Though we are not perfect like our Savior, the sin and struggles He saved us from are all part of our testimony. Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). Because of this, I believe forgiven sinners are powerful witnesses for God’s grace. David Wilkerson, the late pastor and writer, once said, “God uses people. God uses people to perform His work. He does not send angels. Angels weep over it, but God does not use angels to accomplish His purposes. He uses burdened broken-hearted weeping men and women.”

You and I may never be able to open up prison doors like the angels have done, or speak to prophets, or shut the mouths of lions, or ascend and descend on a ladder from heaven, or minister to Jesus in His darkest hour. But we have a song that the angels cannot sing! We have a message they are not qualified to deliver. As much as they probably would love to, and as much as they would obey, the Bible says God has given us—not angels—the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). God deemed it our responsibility to deliver His message to the world. You and I are called to be the spokespersons on His behalf and on behalf of His precious Gospel!

 

Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of “Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith” (available on Amazon) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, California, which has four campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can connect with Dudley at dev.fishhookcms.com/ and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

How Christians Can Live a Life with No Regrets

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Life is full of many different pursuits and possible achievements, but as followers of Christ, how do we live our lives to reach our full potential so that, in the end, we will have no regrets? I will never forget something an elder in our church told me right before he died. He had served the congregation faithfully for sixty years, and as his frail body prepared to step into eternity, he told me, “Dudley, one of my biggest regrets in life is that I cannot recall actually leading someone to Jesus Christ.”

My heart grieved along with his. This man had knowledge of the Scriptures. He knew the Lord. He had likely sat in more than three thousand church services in his lifetime, sang worship songs, tithed, and served others. But one thing was missing: he never used what he knew to bring salvation to one person. Not one.

Friend, this does not have to be the deathbed regret of any Christian. With every fiber of my being, I believe we serve a mighty God who invites us into a powerful partnership with Him and will equip us to do His will here on earth.

Hope of the World

As believers, we have the hope of the world living inside us. The most pressing crisis at hand is that there are people who are lost without Jesus—prisoners to their sin, searching for answers, lonely, hurting, confused. Some are suicidal, thinking there is no way out of the situation they’re in currently. Many need healing spiritually, physically, and relationally. The message of the cross is lifesaving, and I’m convinced beyond any doubt that the best life anyone could possibly live is one that serves God and obeys His Word. This includes sharing His Word with others.

My passion is to see this current generation of believers become so compelled by the love of Christ that we cannot help but try to persuade our fellow man that He died for all. I want to see the modern-day church more closely resemble the early church, which was fearlessly and singularly focused on spreading the Gospel—to the degree that the early disciples were accused of turning the world upside down by those who opposed them (Acts 17:6). With all my heart I believe that same boldness can be mustered in the church today to transform the world for Jesus!

Life and Death

For these loved ones and acquaintances of yours, hearing the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Paul explained unequivocally in Ephesians 2:1–3 that without Christ, we are dead in our transgressions and deserving of God’s wrath. That’s bad news—a tragic reality for everyone on this planet who has not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Now let me show you what Paul wrote in the very next few verses, because it is unfathomably good news:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (vv. 4–7)

Paul also explained this same idea more simply as this: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

We have been saved by the excessive love, mercy, and grace of God. And since it exceeds us, we should not keep it to ourselves. The greatest assignment we have ever been given by Almighty God is to grab a hold of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of us—which is sharing the Gospel with others before they enter into eternity.

Extravagant Grace

Our God wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:4–6). Through His extravagant grace, your heavenly Father has made a way for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to have everlasting life. Even the difficult people in your life.

Yet many people have never heard a clear and simple explanation of how forgiveness and redemption take place through faith in Christ alone. It’s our obligation to tell them. Paul left no room for debate when he wrote,

How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15 NLT)

You have a once-in-lifetime opportunity to pick up the Gospel and take it to desperate souls. No one is out of God’s reach, and He uses Christ followers like you to carry His message of truth.

This is how Christians can live a life with no regrets!

Starting today, may you look around and truly see those around you, asking the Lord for the courage and the opportunity to share the Good News with them.

A Picture of Heaven

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From the beginning of time, people young and old have wondered what Heaven will be like. Is Heaven real? If so, what does it look like? Who will be there? What will we do there? Thankfully, we find the answers to these questions in God’s Holy Word. The last two chapters of the last book of the Bible, Revelation, have more to say about Heaven than the rest of the entire Bible.

Revelation 21:5 declares, “He [God] who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

Here is what we learn about Heaven from Revelation 21 and 22:

The splendor, size, and structure of Heaven

Heaven is beyond anything we could ever imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9), but we get a picture of its magnificence from Revelation 21:11-12, which says, “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.”

This new city is about 1500 x 1500 miles long. (For reference, the city of Los Angeles is 22 x 22 miles long.) “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone… The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass” (Revelation 21:11-21).

Isn’t it amazing to know that God has reserved the most precious and beautiful materials for our heavenly home? He truly has spared no expense for the wondrous place He is preparing for those who love Him.

Who will be in Heaven?

We learn from Revelation 21:3 that God Himself will be in Heaven. “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Just like in the Garden of Eden before the fall of man, God will once again live and walk among His beloved people. Revelation 22:4 says God’s servants “will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”

We also learn from Revelation 21:7 that “those who are victorious” will inherit the new Heaven and be children of God. Who are these victorious ones? We learn from Scriptures such as Matthew 10:22 and Romans 8:4-6 that they are the people who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, followed His ways, lived according to the Spirit and not the flesh, and endured trials until the very end.

What will NOT be in Heaven?

The Bible reveals that there will be no tears, death, or disease in Heaven. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:8 makes it clear that sinners and evil will not be found in Heaven either. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Every heartache, every tear, and every pain in our body is a reminder that this world is not our true home (Hebrews 13:14; 1 Peter 2:11). Each story of crime, corruption, evil, and injustice you hear about on the news is a reminder that this world is fallen due to sin. “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him” Revelation 22:3. I’m looking forward to that great day, aren’t you?

 

Hope for Relationships

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Relationships are the building blocks of humanity. They can elicit overwhelming joy, such as the special bond between parent and child or the enduring love between a husband and wife.  However, the breakdown of relationships—seen across the ages and across the world—can cause unbearable devastation. Couples divorce, family members become estranged, siblings fight, and longtime friendships dissolve bitterly.

Yet, God has created within every man and woman the desire to form lasting, loving, and meaningful relationships with those around them. So, in order to nurture healthy relationships in the future, how does one obtain healing for a heart that has been broken by hurts from the past? We find hope for relationships by looking to God’s Word for answers.

Here are four things we can do when our relationships need to be revived with hope:

1. Surrender to the proper authority. God is the Creator of the universe. The Bible says He heals, restores, and gives life—even to relationships that seem dead and hopeless (Romans 8:11). The devil, on the other hand, aims to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). In every decision you make, you are either submitting to God or to the devil. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” How do you submit to God? By obeying His word, the Bible. Make a commitment to read the Bible every single day, even if it’s just one chapter. Pray and ask God to help you to obey Him.

2. Confess and let go. James 4:8 says, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Take an honest assessment of your heart and what role you may have had in the demise of a certain relationship.  First John 1:8-9 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When you confess your sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness, you are able to forgive others and let go of resentment and bitterness you may be harboring within your heart.

3. Don’t slander. Whenever we are hurt, it is very tempting to complain to anyone who will listen about the person we feel has wronged us. James 4:11 admonishes us not to engage in this kind of slanderous speech. Jesus Christ suffered the cruelest injustice in all of history—His undeserved death on a Roman cross—but He did not protest or slander His accusers. Instead, He said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Let us follow Jesus’ humble example.

4. Give grace instead of judgment. When others fall short of your expectations, choose to show them grace, which is defined as mercy, favor, and pardon. Jesus showed you and I grace rather than judgment when He died to pay the penalty for our sins. He says in Matthew 7:1-2: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Trust the Lord to examine the heart and motives of those who may have hurt you, and leave all judgment to Him. You will find that letting go of this responsibility is tremendously liberating, and it will allow God to fully heal and restore your heart.

We will be starting a series at Shepherd Church soon called, “A Living Hope.” Please join us for this important study through the Book of 1 Peter as we learn about God’s plan to bring hope for all!