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On Sunday, Dave wrote a communication card that expressed a very interesting point. It said:

What do you think of this statement?

“The mark of a true Christian is not tongues, prophecy, spectacular abilities (or even simple obedience), but rather patient endurance that produces maturity.”

Then, he referenced a number of verses I’ll quote here:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. — Heb 10:23

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. — James 1:2-4

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God… He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death… He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it… To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations… — Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26

These are just a few of the verses he referenced.

I think he raises a very important point that perhaps we don’t deal with adequately. It’s the question of what makes for a true believer. Some have mistakenly thought that the issue relates to whether a person once saved can lose his or her salvation. However, the more accurate issue is whether the person is actually saved.

See the Bible regularly talks about people who are being saved, people who will be saved, and people who have been saved. The Bible also tells us that once a person has been adopted into the family of God, he or she can never become un-adopted. We are told that no one can snatch us out of the hand of the Father. But we are also told that those who endure to the end will be saved and those who fall away display evidence that they were never truly saved in the first place.

Of course, we could run around the philosophical and theological debates, but for now, we are still just focusing on the words Jesus himself spoke.

Hovering on these two phrases, how would you answer this question? How does endurance relate to salvation?

…but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. — Matthew 24:13

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. — John 10:27-28

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: How does endurance relate to salvation?

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Jesus’ primary concern when it comes to the end times is not that we know all about the rapture, not that we know all about the details of biblical prophecy, or that we are living perfect lives when he comes again. His main concern is that we not be deceived or fall away. In other words, the number one concern Jesus has about the end times is that we endure to the end.

So don’t let yourself get distracted by all the little details of interpretation, the order of the end times events, and all that. Allow yourself to focus on what Jesus wants you to—whatever happens, stay faithful.

Here’s the main question for you according to Jesus’ own words. Is there any person, any miracle, any theoretical claim, any hardship, or any length of time that will either lead me astray or cause my love to grow cold? What am I ready to face?

BIG IDEA OF THE DAY: How can I train myself today so that enduring hardship, deception, and delay will be easier tomorrow?

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Yesterday was a rare day in our family. My wife was able to be in the main adult worship service. On many Sundays she is to be found in one of the KidZones teaching. However, yesterday she actually heard my message and was able to talk with me about it later on in the day.

She told me that when the message started and she began to notice I would be speaking on the “end times” she thought, “Oh, Jeff, Jesus said so many wonderful things, why would you pick that topic?” Well, it’s true. Jesus did say some pretty amazing things, but a large section of Matthew is devoted to this topic, so I thought we should at least address it. I guess the question I have is why Jesus himself thought it was important enough to talk about.

The verse we consider today is one that disturbed a lot of people in Jesus’ day. It was in fact, one of the accusations against Jesus when he stood on trial before the high priest. People were appalled that a Rabbi of Jesus’ caliber would speak ill about the temple and the temple buildings. That didn’t stop him. He clearly predicted the future destruction of the temple.

Why is that important? Simply put, we put much greater emphasis on things, buildings, and locations than God does. God uses things, buildings, and locations in human history to help us relate to him, but there is nothing special about a building in Jerusalem other than the fact that God used if for a time. Jesus, however, says that time is coming to an end.

Here’s the question for us. How much of your spiritual life is connected to things of this world—a building, a location, an object, a song, a book? God uses earthly things to relate to us and to teach us about himself, but we tend to rely on those earthly things. The temple was never important. What was important was the God who chose to use it for a time.

As we consider the topic of spiritual endurance this week, it will benefit us greatly to shift our perspective from earthly things to God himself. He never changes. He is always faithful, and even if heaven and earth pass away, we have nothing to fear if we have him.

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: Are there objects, musical styles, locations, or other things to which your spiritual life is tied?

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Last week, we talked about the four essentials of the faith, one of which is putting God first. In light of that, I wanted to share with you a clipping from a news story I read this past week.

In this article, we read about Angelo Taylor, a US sprinter who won gold in the 400m hurdles.

Supremely talented, Taylor fell long and hard, first struggling with injuries, then finding himself with no sponsorship and a career on the brink after he pleaded guilty in 2006 to contributing to the delinquency of two underage girls. He was sentenced to three years probation, and basically was out of track, doing electrical work in Atlanta.

But he still knew he could run. So did Innocent Egbunike, a former Nigerian Olympian who was coaching in Atlanta. “I saw him and told him that he was wasting God-given talent,” Egbunike said. Taylor wanted to run, so he started showing up, and throwing up, during Egbunike’s workouts. He conditioned himself first to handle the training, then to compete. And finally to win again.

“He’s come full circle,” said Taylor’s mother, Subrena Glenn-Everett, after the race. “He put God first, and everything came into place.” By turning his life around, Taylor put himself first in Beijing, running a career-best time of 47.25 and leading silver medalist Kerron Clement and bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson to the first U.S. sweep of the event since 1960.

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: What does it mean for God to be number one today?

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In yesterday’s passage, Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and he then does something that makes perfect sense—he gives a command. If you have all authority, you give people commands. That’s the way it works, and we understand it.

Here, however, we are told that Jesus, knowing that the Father had put all things under his power, stoops down to wash the smelly feet of his Twelve disciples… even Judas.

Now that doesn’t make sense on any level. The house most likely had a hired servant whose job it was to wash feet. If there were no servant, then each person could have done it for himself or just not done it at all. It wasn’t a life or death situation that these feet had to be washed and they had to be washed now. On top of it all, Jesus commanded all the authority in the universe. If anyone were going to wash anyone’s feet, Jesus should have been on the receiving end. On top of that, Jesus knew full well what Judas was about to do… and he washed Judas’ feet anyway!

If I had all the authority in the universe, you could find me giving commands, but you wouldn’t find me washing feet.

But I don’t. And the one who does not only did just that, but he tells me to do it for others. There is a command here. The one with all the authority has given a command, but it’s a command to show love for others the way he has shown love for us.

Here’s the bottom line. What Jesus does here demonstrates two simple principles for us.

1. Loving people is about seeing a need, however large, and initiating the action to meet that need.
2. Following Jesus is about passing on to others the love he has shown to us.

Why not do it? Today, think of one person with a need and do something to meet it. Today, think of one way Jesus has shown love to you and do something to pass that on to another.

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: John 13:17… Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

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