Charisa Stories

Tag: empty tomb

  • Honestly Dealing with Doubt Grew My Faith

    I am amazed by people who are so brazenly sure they are right about what they believe. I have friends who are completely sure there is no God and there is no logical need for such beliefs. They believe science is the ultimate answer for everything and they view my faith as a naive weakness and crutch. Sometimes I long to be as sure of anything as they are of everything. So I will be honest. I have wrestled with doubt in my faith journey. I am not convinced that I know everything.

    The movie Risen was an interesting take on the decision I made about the validity of the resurrection. Historically, there was a Nazarene who was crucified, and two groups had a tremendous interest in making sure that his death was the end of the story. The Romans wanted no movement to grow so large that it would cause political unrest. The Jewish leaders wanted to stamp out the heresy that they believed this Teacher was spreading, in order to keep their power intact. It was a win-win situation for the religious leaders and Rome to eliminate this messianic hope of the people. The story is told through the eyes of a Roman military tribune named Clavius. He was tasked by Pilate to make sure Jesus’ crazy followers did not steal the body. A story had been circulating that the Nazarene would rise again in three days, so Clavius made sure the massive stone was rolled into place over the entrance to the tomb and sealed. Roman soldiers guarded the tomb, knowing full well they could be killed if they failed to keep the body secured.

    Three days later the body was gone, and Clavius began a desperate hunt. The battle-hardened soldier could not accept that this Nazarene named Jesus could have somehow comeback to life. That is a step of faith that people are still wrestling with two thousand years later. But it is the most important question of all, if you are to put your faith in Jesus.

    If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then there really is no difference in this man and any other great moral teacher. But if Jesus did rise from the dead, then His words are different from the words of any other teacher. All of Christianity depends on what happened in that event.

    Risen explores the imagined lengths that the Romans and religious leaders went to in order to quell the rumor that Jesus had risen. They tried to find the body (or any similar body that might pass for his) that could be displayed to stop the rumors. They were not successful.

    I struggled with these same questions.

    • Was this historically accurate about Jesus the Nazarene?
    • How could the body disappear?
    • How did a bunch of cowards like the apostles become heroes of the faith and become willing to die martyrs’ deaths? Simply because they stole the body out of a tomb?
    • Could they have kept a lie of such massive implications secret?

    I love the way former Watergate principal Chuck Colson honestly evaluated the event:

    “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison.

    They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

    Honest people can view the same evidence and come up with completely different opinions. I wrestled with the claims of Jesus Christ before I decided to believe that He was who He claimed to be. And I remember feeling exactly what the fictional character Clavius felt when he was asked what he feared most: “Being wrong. Wagering eternity on it.” I have never been able to accept the idea that there is no design or bigger purpose to this life.

    Perhaps the most important argument for me is the impact that the Nazarene teacher has had on my life. I inconsistently followed Jesus for many years. Tolstoy’s quote fittingly describes my awkward attempts: “If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way because I am staggering from side to side!”  The apostles followed Jesus and saw that it was not an easy choice at times. Many followers were deserting Jesus after some difficult teaching.

    At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69, NLT)

    That is my belief. I am drawn to Jesus. I believe that God decided to redeem man through this outlandish plan. No religion offers redemption without works other than the gospel of Jesus. I believe I have seen His hand over and over in my life. But if I am wrong and had the opportunity to live my life over again, I can honestly say I would change nothing.

    I consider a life pursuing the impossible goal of becoming like Jesus to be more valuable than any honor or possession I could attain. The teachings of Jesus are so amazing and so radical that I cannot imagine that any man could have imagined them. If you drill down into just His words, you will find a sacred pathway that is worth seeking.

    I believe my marriage is still intact because I have followed the teachings of Jesus. I don’t say that lightly. I honestly believe that without that faith commitment, Joni and I would not have survived. Whatever kind things that my friends and colleagues might say about me are in large part due to how I believe I should respond to them based on the words of Christ. I have been shaped and matured by this radical Rabbi who changed history. He changed me.
    I have confronted my doubts and I have chosen to stay focused on the claims of this Rabbi from Nazareth. If I am wagering my eternity, I choose to wager on Jesus.

  • What Sin is God Judging America for?

    What Sin is God Judging America for?

    I think the majority of Jesus followers think that our culture is heading down the wrong road at breakneck speed. Here is a question I often get.

    “Do you think God is judging America because of (insert a cultural sin here)?”

    My response is always the same.

    “I don’t know if that particular sin would invoke his judgement but I do wonder if God might judge the American church for squandering the incredible wealth and resources we have been given.”

    The words of Jesus in Luke 12 are an indictment of many in the church.

    29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

    32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

    Dr. Stanley Toussaint observed that “the sins of the culture always become the sins of the church”. And while we focus on moral issues we ignore the convicting fact that many Christians have gotten caught up in the material desires of our culture. God promises to meet our needs but does not promise to give you everything you want. Jesus then gets to the heart of the issue which just happens to be our heart.

    34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

    Where is our treasure? That is the question all of us must address. For it is surely true that our heart will be there also. Empty Tomb is an organization that studies giving in the church. They reported that church giving in 2018 had declined to an average of 2.05% of income. This giving percentage was lower than it was in 1933 during the depths of the Depression. That, my Christian friends, is pathetic!

    Here is the sobering reality of our giving or lack thereof. If giving among Christians became the traditional tithe of 10% churches and Christian charities would have over $400 billion more to spend on their mission outreach. While we sit and gripe about government inefficiencies with money the myriad of church agencies could literally change the world with that amount of money.

    You don’t have to look far to see how much that could help in a world where people are dying for lack of life’s necessities. The Empty Tomb organization estimates that 1.2 million children die of treatable diseases every year. Millions more lack food and clean drinking water.

    And millions die without experiencing the message of God’s love, which Christians could likely provide with even modest sacrifice. But we must be willing to relinquish at least a little bit of our American dream, which has somehow morphed into an American right to possessions.

    In Matthew, Jesus talks about reaching out to the least of our brothers as a sign of service to Him.

    “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

    Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

    The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:35-40)

    Notice that the passage does not say, “For I was hungry and you gave a check to the local food bank, I was thirsty and you gave money to a relief fund, I was a stranger and you supported a homeless shelter, I needed clothes and you made a quick drop-off at Goodwill, I was sick and you donated to a Christian medical outreach, I was in prison and you supported Prison Fellowship.” There is nothing wrong with doing any or all of the above, but I would suggest we all need to mix in a little personal contact.

    There is a time to give money to charity and a time to give of yourself. You won’t get the same kind of blessings or personal growth out of sending a check from the safety of the office that you would rolling up your sleeves and actually touching someone. Yeah, I’m too busy too. Yeah, it makes me uncomfortable. Yeah, I would rather be safely at home. I often write about getting out of my comfort bunker. The truth is that every time I get off my rumpus and go serve others, I feel great. Yet time after time I forget that and retreat back to the bunker.

    Teddy Roosevelt bluntly shared this truth. “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” Can our complaining make a difference in our culture? Not one bit. Can our giving of our financial blessings and sacrificing a bit of our time make a difference?

    It sure would be a blessing to find out.

    Here is just a sampling of the organizations in addition to your local church that can make a difference.

    Samaritan’s Purse

    World Vision

    Salvation Army

    Operation Blessing

    Feed My Starving Children

    An excerpt in this article came from my book “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People”. Click here for more info.