I am a people watcher. The way people interact with each other, how they show various emotions, and appropriate the uniqueness of cultural differences, have intrigued me for as long as I can remember. All human beings have more in common with each other than they think.
When the Triune God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," He thoughtfully and perfectly created humans out of the dust of the earth and breathed into their "nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen 1:26-27; 2:7 KJV). He knows every single person on the planet personally and completely - and yet He loves them anyway! They are all created in the very image of God (Gen 1:26-27). As a result of His divine design, humans are the most marvelous, fascinating, and complex creation in the universe.
God revealed the worth of each life from the moment of conception to the final breath of life. God designed the body and created each human being as a one of a kind person who was individually and intricately created to be marvelous with purpose and great worth. Every cell, organ, and tissue was originally woven together in complex ways by the hand of God.
"My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." (Ps 139:15-16 NIV)
God's original intent was that the human spirit, mind, and body would be His dwelling place (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19). Every new human zygote has the inherent capacity and potential to become a fully rational and cognizant person. Human beings have a special value independent of their genetic variation. Placed within each person's unique genetic code is their gender, intelligence, personality, physical and athletic ability, talents, tastes, the way they think, feel, and process things.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Ps 139:14 NIV)
The word "fearfully" means with great reverence, heart-felt interest, and with respect.' The word "wonderfully" means unique, set apart, marvelous.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:5 NIV)
A Miraculous Gift
When my daughter was born, it was the most exciting experience in my life, and nothing has compared to it since. The doctors told me that my wife should not have a child and that having one would kill her due to an underlying medical issue. Yet, we were convinced that God would step in and work things out as He always had before - and still continues to do now! (see Rom 8:28) We considered our daughter to be a gift from God, and I always let God know my gratitude and appreciation for the gift my daughter is to me.
I was an adopted child, and while growing up, I had never been around another person who had similar physical features as mine - let alone a similar bloodline. Both my brother and sister were adopted from different families as well, and when we would go to an occasional family reunion, we felt like outsiders looking in. Everyone there looked similar to each other - except us! We were ok with it because we were unconditionally and genuinely loved and nurtured by our adoptive family.
It wasn't until the birth of my daughter did I truly experience what it was like to be blood-linked to another. She had my ears, my mouth, and my eyes. She had her mother's nose, facial features, hair, and as she grew older, her body type. I remember that all I could say was, "What a trip, what a trip!" as she was delivered. The conception and birth of a child are always so miraculous!
Natural Law
Dr. Jean Louis Marie Lejeune was a French pediatrician and geneticist who was best known for his discovery of the link of diseases to chromosome abnormalities. He discovered that Down Syndrome was caused by an extra chromosome.
During his years of scientific research on the topic of human origins, Dr. Lejeune observed that every person is a very young human being just after fertilization when it has split into two cells, and then for a millisecond, the cells split from two into three cells, instead of directly into four. Dr. Lejeune noted that when the cell splits in two, information is exchanged that comes from one cell and is relayed to the other cell. When it briefly splits into three cells, it receives information that it is now an individual and marks the beginning of a human being that is alive and a member of the human species.
You can't have a child without a biological mother and father. Natural law puts a male and female together for mutual comfort and for the procreation of the human race. Only natural marriage can lead to the birth of a human being that is genetically linked to its mother and father (Gen 1:27-28). All of Creation dictates procreation.
In the Garden of Eden the Bible reveals that human beings are one race with the same lineage that started with Adam and Eve. At the core, we are all the same with basic needs and the desire to love and be loved. No one is given the choice of their skin color or gender, and each person should be treated equally and fairly.
It was because of the fall of Adam and Eve that sin entered the world and human hearts became "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," which is why hatred, discrimination, prejudice, and racism exist - and why we need a Mediator between the all Holy God and us (Gen 3:1-24; Jer 17:9 KJV).
When a person chooses to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, they become Born-Again and a unique change takes place as they are united into one bloodline with every other Born-Again Christian as brothers and sisters, and are no longer considered "Jew or Greek," "slave or free," "male and female," for they "are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28).
The Root of Sickness and Disease
God created human beings to live forever and never die. However,, as a result of sin entering into the world, life will ultimately end for all living things. All life dies as a result of sickness or disease. There is no 'natural' death. Aging is not natural in God’s original intent and is caused by the cells of an organism breaking down. The sickness and disease of sin that made its way into the DNA of all living things were brought into the world by the sinful fall of Adam and Eve and is at the root of why everything dies in this world.
The reality is that everyone in this temporary life begins to die from the moment they are born. The Bible tells us that mankind is supposed to live up to 120 years (Gen 6:3). No one is immune from death (unless they are ‘raptured’ out of this world)! However, at the very moment a person becomes Born-Again, they are given eternal life because they were forgiven of all their sins!
The second law of Thermodynamics is known as ‘entropy’ and is a scientific absolute. It is why things deteriorate, and the body breaks down as it ages. People go bald, hair turns gray, glasses are needed to see, skin wrinkles, bones get brittle, teeth decay, and organs ultimately fail. Everything dies because cells stop dividing and organs stop working which 'impairs normal functioning' - which is the definition of disease. No matter how much 'faith' a person conjures up, they can't escape it. Natural death can't be cured naturally.
A person puts on spiritual immortality when they become Born-Again. Death is the ultimate sickness. However, the mortality of this life that ends in death is swallowed up by eternal life when a person dies in Christ (1 Cor 15:53-55).
I See Dead People
I have never liked funerals or cemeteries. There is nothing like a funeral to force a person to confront their mortality. I have attended the funeral of far too many loved ones, and they never get easy.
At every cemetery I have visited, I cannot help but notice the hundreds upon hundreds of graves laid out row by row in careful and reverent precision. Visitors are careful not to step on the headstones of those long departed - I guess out of respect and to honor their memory for the sake of the loved ones they had left behind.
Each time I say my goodbyes to loved ones, I notice hundreds of people around the cemetery who are just visiting, bringing fresh flowers, or saying their farewells. Years ago, as I was leaving the funeral of my Aunt, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of pain and anguish, and I whispered to myself a line I had remembered from the movie, "The Sixth Sense." I said, "I see dead people," which stirred up some questions within me.
Yes, people are living, but are they really ALIVE? Have they experienced the life-changing power of God's great and wondrous love as I? Do they know that they can be raised from the dead and find real-life...life eternal? Do they know that their sorrow and mourning can be turned into joy? Have they heard the Gospel message that Jesus has conquered death? Do they know that they can begin eternal life right NOW and begin a personal and intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe?
One day, while I was at the beach in Oceanside, California, I heard the loud sound of music behind me and saw a person carrying a "Boom Box" about the size of a TV! My first thought was not very edifying, and I immediately heard the voice of the Lord say to me, "I want you to see all people from my perspective from on the Cross as I was dying for each one of them." Well, needless to say, that shook me to the core and humbled my heart – once more.
There are billions of human beings on this planet. In fact, there are more alive today than all those who have died in the past combined. Yet among the living, I see dead people. I see hearts and hopes and dreams that need to be resurrected. I see relationships that need to be reconciled in forgiveness. I see people who need to hear the GREAT news of Jesus Christ.
Human beings should be the reason we put up with the struggles and trials and heartaches of ministry. They are the reason for our existence. We should want to show them that they can find real joy beyond description...real peace that defies circumstance...real life that is abundant through the person of Jesus Christ, God the Son! He is the only one who willfully chose to lose His life so that every human being could find LIFE!
We serve a great God who longs to mend the brokenhearted... heal the sick…raise the walking dead to experience eternal life, and waits patiently for His bride to come and join Him at the great marriage banquet (Rev 19:6-9). As servants of this wondrous King, it is our job to see that the bride, millions upon millions, one by one, is prepared to meet the Groom.
Stop to look and listen to those around you. Do you see dead people, or are they just like flies you want to swat out of your way when they irritate you, or cut in front of you, or disagree with you? Can you see beyond their shallow symbols of prosperity and wealth or those with earrings or nose rings or tattoos or spiked hair? Can you hear the desperate cries of their hearts above the booming of their music or the tinkling of ice cubes in loud and smoke-filled rooms, or in the empty and deafening silence after a one-night stand?
It is for those very people that the agony and suffering of the Cross was worth every ounce of innocent bloodshed. We must let them know that the greatest hope, and joy, and love that humanity can ever find, or even know, is in the person of Jesus Christ.
We don't have time to argue over politics, cultural movements, or meet in church committees and debate over petty theological issues or self-conceived notions of what new model or methodology should be used to reach the unchurched. We just need to do it! We just need to show them the incarnate Christ living within us. We must become givers of life, resurrecting the dead. It should burn within us like an unquenchable flame. We must become His eyes to see their needs, His hands to touch and hold them, His ears to listen to the cries of their hearts, His voice to speak encouraging words of life and hope.
If we really want to be givers of life, then we must become one of the dead people, dead to our petty ways and wants of our selfish ambitions and aspirations. Jesus told us that if we cling to our life, we will lose it, but if we give it up for His sake, we will find it and, in doing so, experience the power of the Resurrection (Matt 10:39, Luke 17:33).
The Church is the Body of Christ. There is only one human race! We must come to realize that the best days are ahead of us, not behind. The Kingdom of God is within! (Luke 17:21) We must stop yearning for the good old days or try to drive the Church to change into something new. We should live our lives daily in joyous anticipation and excitement that the best is yet to come because God is incarnate within. He is the same yesterday, today, and in all our tomorrows (Heb 13:8). The fullness of His Glory is still yet to be revealed!
The incarnation first took place 2000+ years ago when the Creator of all things chose to become human and be carried in the womb of His created - a young teenage girl who willingly submitted to become the surrogate mother of the Savior of the world.
The incarnation continues to happen every time we share His love with others...when we speak words of life in His name….when we offer a shoulder to cry on…when we offer a helping hand...a touch to heal... a handshake of welcome and acceptance… when we give a cup of water in His name… It happens whenever and wherever the name of Jesus is lifted up… every time we choose to forgive.
And it will continue to happen each time someone offers a prayer of simple faith... "Lord Jesus, come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. I need you to forgive my failures and faults. I give you my life as you have given yours. I surrender to you all of the hidden things of my heart."
How can we expect the God of the universe to entrust us with the souls of spiritual seekers if we are not living an incarnational reality flowing in the supernatural? Incarnational living is the continuous challenge to grow daily in a greater understanding of just who this glorious Bridegroom King is and experience deep intimacy with this God who dwells within every Born-Again Christian and brings a radical transformation from the inside out.
The conception and birth of every human being is miraculous and must always be protected and cherished as a gift from God. Natural marriage was intended for the procreation of the human species and the nurturing of emotionally healthy children in a loving family with a mother and father. Every member of the human race must be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what their color, lifestyle, religious, cultural, or political views are.
Just as God chose to become like us to prove His love, we must now decide to become like Him, and learn to walk with the Holy Spirit, breath by breath, overflowing in the power of the Resurrection so that Jesus will become incarnate in every heart we touch. Let us not forget that it is the merciful patience and goodness of God that will lead a person to repentance (Rom 2:4).
