Sometimes a movie just knows that it is off the chain in its total awesomeness…

Enter Iron Man 2 – easily one of the most anticipated sequels of all time. I know I was ready for it during the closing credits of the first one, and now Tony Stark is way back and way badder than ever.

Yes, cool gadgets – sarcastic banter -megaexplosions and effects abound and create a Wal-Mart of eye candy, and just like the first time, I would just about give my right arm to suit up and dominate the evil dudes in Iron Man fashion.

Obviously that is not going to happen, but there is an armored suit available to Christians that in many ways provides the same protection and weaponry, one that lights up the spiritual world like Stark in a village full of terrorists. Here is the description of the conflict we face and the incredible “suit” you have hanging up in the closet of your soul:

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere (Ephesians 6:10-18).

The war that Paul describes here is not against earthly terrorists, communists, or anything that is flesh and blood. This conflict is in the spiritual arena – and it is definitely not for the weak or the wimpy. Every day the unseen forces of Satan and his army are arrayed against you. They are firing off the missiles of deception, discouragement, temptation, and opposition, so you’ll give up the battle and your calling from the Captain of our Salvation: Jesus Christ.

But let me tell you as one who is stationed on the field of battle in Northern Kentucky, that suiting up and engaging the enemy is more exciting than any movie I’ve ever seen.

Don’t believe me? Then I triple dog dare you to take your armor for a test run this week. And to make sure that you are properly fitted, let me walk you through the steps that Paul gave us:

First, put on the belt of truth – which means speaking/ living truthfully and with integrity.

Next, position the breastplate of righteousness – which is living in obedience to God’s will and Word because He has completely forgiven you.

Don’t forget the boots of readiness – which is a willingness to share the gospel message with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Raise up the shield of faith – which is hiding behind the promises of God when Satan sends a onslaught of lies and temptations your way.

Protect your mind with the helmet of salvation – which is a constant remembrance that the penalty and power of sin is broken in your life , so don’t believe the negative messages from the Devil that you are guilty and worthless.

Finally, be sure and draw the sword of the Spirit – which is God’s Word. Along with prayer, this is your offensive weapon to strike the heart of the enemy with incredible force. So powerful in fact, that this is the result:

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Picture an army of believers who are protected with the very armor of God and armed with His living Word. God uses this mighty force to stop spiritual terrorism and start a revolution for His Cause – making disciples who make disciples!

It started as just plain and simple “Farm Town”…and you already know what I’m talking about, right? Its popularity skyrocketed and now there are over 73 MILLION people *digging* this game, happily clicking their mouses (mice?) on:

FarmVille!

If you don’t own a farm yet, you probably know at least a few folks who are completely addicted to the latest Facebook crack and trying to persuade you to be their “neighbor” so they don’t feel like a loser.

Of course the million dollar question in my mind is…

Did Old MacDonald have a FarmVille? Ee – i – ee – i – NO!

I guess I get the attraction: anxiously awaiting your prized pumpkins to sprout in real time and passionately seeking out the golden chicken so you can shame your friends…but seriously, if you really want to work on a farm and make real money, maybe try a trip to Kansas or Iowa?

Perhaps there is something else fascinating about planting a seed and seeing what happens – especially knowing that growth will equate with profit.

Did you know that Jesus was a “farmer” too? Facebook wasn’t around in His day, but He still planted seeds:

He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water’s edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.

“Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up, it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them,

“The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

“And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

“The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

“But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams” (Mark 4:1-12; 14-20).

Interestingly enough, Jesus uses a FarmVille illustration for what impact the words of the Bible have on people.  What He is saying is that everyone’s soul is just like a plot of soil, and when the good news about Jesus and His death on the cross enters their ears, that message is planted – and the result of the news on that person becomes evident in real time.

Result One: The amazing idea that this person can be freed of guilt and sin and find eternal salvation by trusting Christ doesn’t even make it past the first day, because Satan uses doubt, fear, and lies to steal away the message.

Result Two: This person trusts Christ and gets excited about serving Him, but the first time they are ridiculed or come to the realization that being a Christian is costly, the seed of the gospel withers away.

Result Three: Being a Christian sounds like a great idea to this person, but soon the message that they can be free of their shallow, materialistic culture is choked out by the attractive weeds of media, music, and friends.

Result Four: This person allows the message of Jesus to grow from the core of their soul.  The rocky soil is broken up, the weeds are pulled, and life is never the same in their spiritual FarmVille.

I bet if I asked you about your plot on FarmVille, you’d have an immediate answer.  But let me ask you a more important question…how is your spiritual soil? Are you rife with plant life or dry as the Saharan desert?  And imagine this – what if everyone was as excited and motivated to tell others about the gospel as they are about FarmVille?  Ironic, isn’t it, that we want neighbors in a game, but we sometimes don’t care about the people who may or may not be our neighbors in heaven.

So the next time you’re plantin’ and harvestin’ your crops, remember that there is a much more important activity going on.  This one doesn’t get you coins, but it does “produce a harvest beyond wildest dreams.”

Get involved in the spreading the seed of the gospel in the lives of the teens you know. You will reap amazing rewards from the growth of those seeds!

It’s official… Robert Downey Jr. is more than Iron Man.  He’s actor man and mega kudos to him for bringing back one of the coolest characters in all of literary history: Sherlock Holmes.

If you didn’t know, the tales of this incredible detective’s adventures have been around for over 120 years.  Way, waaaay before your grandparents were born, super sleuth Sherlock Holmes was on the case, mystifying folks with his incredible intellectual prowess and bringing the bad guys down to Chinatown.

Now in 2009, he hits the big screen with not only brains, but also mad, Chuck-Norris skills that he uses to bring an extra slice of beat-down on his adversaries.

Isn’t there a bit of Sherlock Holmes in all of us?  Think about it – shows like CSI, House, heck even Blue’s Clues (we just figured out Blue’s clues!) captivate us by getting our brains humming to see if we can solve the mystery before the characters.

(Well, maybe not Blue’s Clues… Not that I *cough cough* watch it or anything… But you get my point, right?)

So in the grand tradition of Sherlock Holmes and the satisfaction of solving mysteries that feel like a splinter in your mind, I present to you the grandest mystery of all… one that involves tragedy and triumph, action and adventure, and most importantly, life and death.

The game is afoot!

We find our first clue in a conversation that took place thousands of years ago, when the first man and woman on earth made the biggest mistake in the universe.  They disobeyed God’s one and only rule, and brought physical and spiritual death to all humanity.  But look closely at what God tells Satan in the midst of this:

Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel” (Gen 3:14-15).

At first glance, it looks like snakes and people just won’t get along to well – Duh!  But notice God refers to “her offspring.” This is the only time God refers to Eve’s descendant, not Adam’s.  Why? And what does He mean with the whole “strike your head” and “strike his heel” thing?

The next two clues come from songs written by one of the greatest Kings of Israel, David:

My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing (Psalm 22:16-18).

(This sounds like a death scene, but how could David write this if he were dead?)

For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave (Psalm 16:10).

(Wait a second…does David really think he’ll live forever?)

The final clue comes from a great prophet of God named Isaiah:

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

OK, now the mystery has gone to a whole new level… A virgin has a child? Also, “Immanuel” literally means “God with us” – as in, God in the flesh. What does that mean?

Confused as to how all those fit together? Perhaps not, because for many, the case has been solved. But think about the people who lived before Jesus came. They had no idea that Jesus was a descendant of Eve, not Adam, through the Holy Spirit and borne of a virgin. They didn’t know that he hadn’t inherited the sinful nature that the rest of the human race inherited from Adam, their representative.  They also didn’t know that death on the cross is the only form of execution that bruises your heel. And yes, Jesus crushed the power of Satan when He defeated death.

And David’s songs? He was prophesying that Jesus’ hands and feet would be “pierced,” that soldiers would gamble for His clothes, and that Jesus wouldn’t stay in the grave…

All of which took place exactly as predicted.

What about Isaiah’s prophecy? It had been revealed to him that Jesus would be both God and human. Jesus was God in the flesh, God walking around on earth, eating, drinking, sleeping. And because he was fully human, he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, because he was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Aren’t you glad the gospel isn’t a mystery anymore?  The case has been solved and your greatest enemies – death and Satan – have been totally defeated. This is elementary, my dear reader. If you have trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you have hope for this life and paradise in the life to come.

But there are many who have yet to solve the mystery of their depression, guilt, loneliness, and despair.  They are held captive by the enemy. So now it’s your turn to join the adventure and help them find the solution every soul longs to discover.

The gospel is afoot!