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God’s Vision for the Future – A Brief Reflection on Habakkuk

On By Jonnathan MenendezIn Christian Living, Gospel, Hope, Mission, Story of GodLeave a comment

Today’s world is filled with great affliction, violence, and corruption. Habakkuk’s world, in the 7th century B.C., was the same in many ways. We, along with Habakkuk, might be tempted to look around and complain and cry out:

2 How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? 3 Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. 4 This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted. (Hab. 1:2-4, CSB)

From our vantage point, everything seems messy and, at times, out of control. Is there hope that things will change? From God’s vantage point, the great injustice and corruption that plague our world shall all pass away.

One day—in His appointed time—God will judge evil in all its forms. When it’s all set and done, the whole earth will know about God and what He’s all about (2:14). All of man’s injustices and corruption—and what he has accomplished through them—will come to nothing (v. 13).

Just like Habakkuk in his day, we are called today to walk by faith (v. 4) in who God is and what He has promised, despite the injustice around us. God’s vision for the future will come to pass (v. 3), even if it takes a long time. And when everything does not function the way it should, we can rejoice in the God of our salvation (3:17-18). He’s the one who will strengthen us and make us reach new heights (v. 19) in the midst of the chaos all around us. Why?

The ultimate righteous one, Jesus Christ, has dealt with the greatest injustice of all—our sin and rebellion against our Creator. By turning away from our sin and by following Jesus, we have and are coming to know God and this knowledge has, is, and will transform us for the better.

There is hope that this life-changing knowledge of God will spread throughout the earth, transforming countless individuals and families from every people group and language. As Habakkuk cried out, “Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy!” (3:2)

We aim to live life in light of God’s vision for the future by knowing God ourselves and making Him know anywhere and everywhere by the power and love that He generously supplies to those who trust in Him.

God’s glory—the knowledge of the sum total of His attributes—will cover the whole earth and bring about His original plan to fruition, namely, to bless all the nations of the earth through salvation in Jesus Christ (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:13-14; Rom. 4:13-25).

Next time you’re in front of an ocean (or a large body of water), remember the promise that one day the knowledge of God’s glory will cover the earth in an unmeasurable and unfathomable way.

I want my life to point to God’s glory. Here and now. How about you? Is your life pointing to God’s glory and what He has, is, and will accomplish to redeem this world of ours?

P.S. For more on the life and book of Habakkuk, check out these free resources from The Bible Project here. You can watch their amazing animated video below:

 

 

We Draw Meaning from Stories

On By Jonnathan MenendezIn Gospel, Meaning, Story, Story of God, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I recently heard a talk [1] by award-winning, recording artist, Lecrae, who, at a recent Q conference, said that statements only make sense in light of a bigger story. “Some master narrative is where we draw our meaning from” Lecrae stated. “People are drawn to stories more than graphs, charts, fact, and stats.”

For example, “Jesus died” is a historical fact, but alone makes no sense. Who was Jesus? Why did He die? What did He accomplish? What makes Him unique? These are some of the questions that need to be asked in order to make sense of the “Jesus died” statement. When one begins to ask these questions, one begins (or at least, should begin) to dig into the bigger story behind Jesus, which is the greater story of God as narrated in Scripture.

My story has, is, and will continue to derive its meaning from the greater story of God. It is only in light of this comprehensive narrative that my personal story has any value whatsoever. I am grateful that my story has experienced redemption through the story of God.

As life moves on, I want to get better acquainted with the biblical story and live in light of it. I want to get better acquainted with my own bicultural story (i.e., Hispanic American) and learn to navigate both worlds effectively for the gospel.

I want to get better at learning other peoples’ stories, listening to what they have to say, not just to respond, but to understand where they come from, their needs, etc. The goal is to be more effective in sharing the story of God, allowing the power of the gospel to bring about change in their lives and cultures. And to this end I pray. May God be glorified.

[1] Lecrae. “Artists and Poets”: Q Conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-hIPW2AJnc

 

Education as Ministry

On By Jonnathan MenendezIn Education, Gospel, Ministry, VocationLeave a comment

Education needs reformation and renewal. The education system needs the gospel. Education needs godly men and women pursuing and embracing education as ministry. How else will the church affect change in this massively-important sphere of society? How else will we Christians bring about gospel change and transformation, if we do not personally get involved?

These are some of the questions I have been thinking about lately. I feel like I am about to have another significant turning point in my life, in regards to what I am going to do after I graduate Eternity Bible College (EBC). Lately, I have been contemplating the idea of becoming an educator of some sort, for the glory of God and the good of others.

I am a learner and I love the educational environment. I want to make a difference in the next generation of thinkers and influencers and culture makers, and what better way than to get involve in education and play a positive role in the formational and developmental process of students.

As of this school year, I have been working as an instructional aid, helping, primarily students of ELD/ESL programs. I am thanking God for the opportunities I have had thus far to interact with some of the teachers at my work.

Last week, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the teachers about my faith. I shared the story of God, emphasizing the goodness of creation, the devastating reality and effect of sin, and the encouraging promise of the restoration of all things.

Now a days, I find myself talking more about the story of God when I share my faith. I blame EBC in general, but Worldview class in particular. I have been (positively) ruined with a new framework by which to see and interpret life and ministry. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

God (Re) Visits His People

On By Jonnathan MenendezIn Gospel, HopeLeave a comment

As I was reading How God Became King by N.T. Wright this week, I was struck by the fact that the story of Jesus is the story of Israel’s God visiting His people. The truth is the story of Jesus can only be rightly understood in light of the story of Israel. Why? Simply put: the story of Israel finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The story of Jesus is really the story of Israel’s God re-visiting His people. During the exile, the presence of God had departed from the temple due to Israel’s idolatry and wickedness. The four hundred years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament is known as the four hundred “silent” years because there was no prophet or divine revelation of any sort. During this time, history was unfolding of course, but God seemed distant.

Mark the evangelist intentionally begins his gospel account by reminding us of God’s promised visit as told through the prophets Malachi and Isaiah:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:1; ESV).

And in Isaiah we read:  “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God …” (40:3).

Time for a pop quiz. Who was going to visit the people of Israel according to both Isaiah and Malachi? Yes, that is right: God. God was going to re-visit His people! This is huge! This is how explosively encouraging the beginning of the gospel of Mark is. I can only imagine how encouraging this was for the Jewish people during Malachi and Mark’s time.

As I was reading Mark 11:15-19 this week, one phrase stood out to me:

15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

And he entered the temple. It hit me there and then: God was re-visiting His temple in the person of Jesus! God was re-visiting His people in the coming of Jesus in general, but here we see, God re-visiting His temple in particular. Malachi’s prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes.

Jesus had been preparing His disciples for the moment in which He would enter Jerusalem and all events associated with it would unfold as written in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The disciples were told that the Son of Man was going to suffer, die, and rise from the dead not once, not twice, but three times (read Mark chapters 8-10). In Mark 11:15-19, we see Jesus entering the temple for the first time in the gospel of Mark. The Lord was finally visiting His temple in the person of Jesus Christ, and unfortunately, they completely missed it.

Now, what does Jesus say and do inside the temple? Jesus entered the temple and began to cleanse it. Jesus was bringing God’s judgment to bear on the corruption of the temple. “Why judgment?” you may be wondering. This may seem strange at first, but here we have to go back to Malachi to get more insight. After sharing about God’s promise to re-visit His people, Malachi goes on to say:

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the  Lord” (3:2-3).

Here is the main point: God was, indeed, re-visiting His people in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This was both encouraging, but frightening as well. Why? God’s visitation meant that His life-giving presence was returning to His people alongside His purifying judgment to bring about restoration and renewal.