Yesterday I was thinking about healing ministry and how it would to be out speaking and sharing about the things God has done. I find myself sometimes going to what I call "vain imaginations" like that occasionally, as I do want to make a difference in this world and in the church and yet the imagination has more to do with me than Him. I try not to get crazy ideas in my head nor allow myself to wander down paths that lead to spiritual pride, but I also think that the Lord doesn't mind us dreaming big dreams, hoping to have an impact on our world, for He thinks much more highly about each of us than we likely think about ourselves. He wants us to listen to Him regarding what is possible, rather than be limited by what we think is impossible.
Anyway, as I was thinking about this I felt like the Lord gave me some direction:
1) My sharing of stories of faith and such should make it clear that is is not about me, but rather all about Jesus. There is something refreshing about being a normal person, myself being a telecom sales guy who loves God and who could be used in extraordinary ways, that should be encouraging. It is not about me, it is about Jesus in me.
2) Sharing stories from other people helps to divert any prideful or unhealthy reliance or expectations on me, or from me.
3) God is the one who must be glorified in all things shared, and He must always be seen as the source of the power, as well as the gift.
4) God does want to be glorified in our lives, and for that to happen, we need to point to Him continually, not in some special anointing kind of way, but as the natural source of all we have to give.
5) There is something real that needs to be communicated, some way for us to be given freedom to be ourselves and step into God, right where we are and see Him move in and through us in such a way as to encourage each other. We need to demystify the supernatural because it is not just for the super-Christian, but instead it is for us all, in our day to day lives.
I was just reminded of the real-life story of a house-wife who just watched birds in her back yard, and over several years documented their behavior in a journal. Somehow her journal came to be shared with some ornithologists, and they recognized that her journal was the most authoritative and insightful thing ever written about these particular birds. She was just an ordinary house-wife, writing what she saw, and yet she was exceptional in what she accomplished.
That is what I think the Lord's heart is for us, to be normally exceptional, normal because we are human, exceptional because He inhabits us and operates through us. God wants us all to step into His call to be His witnesses, His followers, His representatives. If that is the case, then it must be possible for us to do that in our present situations and circumstances, right where we are in life. We don't need to have a degree, or extensive studies, or even have walked for years with the Lord. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories of God working in and through the lives of people that don't know Him, have just met Him, or are brand-new Christians. God loves to show Himself strong, to reveal Himself in our lives.
I am reminded of three stories from Scripture, first the story of the Gerasenean demoniac (Mark 5:1-18), second the Man Born Blind who was healed (John 9:1-38), and the third being the Samaritan Woman at the well (John 4:1-42). In each of these cases, we see Jesus interrupting each person's life, and then they immediately become a witness to His workings, and representatives of Him going back into their own surroundings.
The Gerasene demoniac, after leaving Jesus goes back and shares the story of his healing with the surrounding 10 towns. Here is the end of that story - Mark 5:18-20 NIV: "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. [19] Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [20] So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."
The man born blind goes back to his neighborhood and people immediately ask him what happened, some even doubting he is the same man, because obviously he can see! As soon as he returned home he had the opportunity to tell what happened to him. He didn't have time to follow Jesus, hadn't even really come to faith in Him yet, but could relate his experience. Here is that story - John 9:6-11 NIV:
[6] "After saying this, he (Jesus) spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. [7] “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[8] His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
[9] Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
[10] “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
[11] He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
Finally, the woman at the well was immediately changed in her heart and mind, for instead of fearing the people of the town because of her reputation, she went immediately back to town and told everyone what she had encountered in Jesus. He loved her in spite of her sin, accepted her and had mercy and compassion on her. Her change is immediate and complete, and she goes right back into town and tells everything that happened, as we see here - John 4:25-26,39-42 NIV:
[25] "The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
[26] "Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you---I am he.”
[39] "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. [41] And because of his words many more became believers."
[42] "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
These three people provide great examples of people who were normal humans, needy and wounded, sinful and struggling. In each case they were immediately changed, and although they were the same people, they were now exceptional, they were filled with an assurance that God was real, and had visited their lives with real results. They bore witness to Him, and through their testimony they gave Him glory.
I believe this is what the Lord wants for each of us, a witness of His interaction in our lives and the lives of those around us. He wants us to be normal people living our normal lives, now with exceptional stories of Him. My prayer is that one day these exceptional stories will become common-place in the church, for we will all have our testimony of how God has changed us. I think that one of the best parts about all of these stories is that these people were free to speak into the lives of those around them. Jesus didn't require that they followed Him for 3 years before they were released to speak of Him! They were normal, and yet they had exceptional testimonies to share, and people listened and were amazed.
Oh Lord, that we could all walk in the reality of Your touching our lives, and feel the freedom to share what You have done for us!
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
Bike Riding, Praying and Believing!
This morning I am reflecting on another occurrence recorded in Mark 9:17-18,20-24 NIV:
[17] "A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. [18] Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
[20] "So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth."
[21] Jesus asked the boy's father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. [22] “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
[23] “ 'If you can'?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
[24] "Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
I was going to turn past this story this morning, as I read through Mark 9 yesterday and was ready to move on, however verse 23 fairly jumped off the page as I glanced past it, so I figure there is something the Lord wants to encourage me about in this verse today.
Think about that statement for a few minutes - "everything is possible for one who believes"!
Other ways of saying this might be:
1) There is no box that can contain God!
2) There is no sickness that God can't heal!
3) There is no situation that is bigger than God, that He can't intervene and change!
4) NO person is too far gone for God to touch!
5) Even death is not impossible for God to overcome!
6) There is no situation that is too small for God to care about!
7) Our sin will not limit God's ability to act!
Those are just a few that pop into my head this morning. The point is that EVERYTHING is possible for one who believes.
So the question is how does belief factor into God's action? There are many times I have prayed for something that I thought I believed God could or would do, and many times I didn't see the answer to the prayer I prayed. So how does belief work?
We often want to create mathematic equations for prayer. If I believe, or have enough faith, and say the right words than God will do what I ask, every time. We want a sure thing, and we read passages like these and we think, there is the pattern I need to follow and it will work, just like in the Bible. So we ask God to have pity on us and help us (Verse 22). Then we pray (verse 24), Lord "I do believe, help me in my unbelief!" and we figure that God has to act because He did it this way in these verses. When it doesn't work that way we blame ourselves, blame someone else, think God doesn't care for them or love them, or maybe that He doesn't even exist after all, especially if it is a serious situation.
The fact is that all of these thoughts are generally wrong, especially the ones about God's ability, care or love, but also about our own limitations. I like to think of prayer for healing a bit like learning to ride a bike. The desire is there on my part, the belief is there on my part, the effort is even there on my part, but sometimes it takes time to learn. I still remember well the frustration of trying to ride a bike without training wheels as a kid. I saw others doing it, and just couldn't get my body to figure out how to do it. I had all the desire and belief I needed, but there needed to be some internal learning that I can't even describe to this day. Somehow my body learned how to balance on two wheels, for that was what was missing. I had balance for walking, running and jumping, but not for riding on two wheels. Somehow over the few days of trying my body learned how to balance on two wheels.
So what does this have to do with prayer? I think that we wrongly equate intellectual belief with internal belief. Just like I understood the riding of the bike and believed intellectually that I could do it, something internal hadn't caught up to my mind!
I love the story of John Wimber who was one of the founders of the Vineyard Church (Movement) and one who saw God move mightily in healing. He felt like God told him to preach about healing and pray for healing. He did so for a whole year before he saw the first person healed through prayer. His testimony about the first healing is quite hilarious, for by the end of that year, he was pretty much only praying for sick people out of obedience. He had started with all sorts of faith, but after a year of praying and seeing no healing had seen his faith dwindle to almost nothing. In this particular instance, He prayed a short prayer over a sick woman and immediately turned to the husband and started explaining why people don't get healed when we pray (Which doesn't sound like great faith to me). As he was explaining this, the man's eyes got all big and when John turned around the woman was hopping out of bed, where as before she was completely bed-ridden. He stared at her confused and asked her what in the world she was doing! :-) She exclaimed that she was completely healed! He couldn't believe it! Again, that certainly doesn't sound like He had much faith or belief and yet God healed her.
So, what is my point? My point is that belief and praying for healing is not a precise mathematical equation. My point is that God honors obedience, and repetition, and humility and desperation! My Point is that in spite of everything we read in scripture we still can't explain how and why God heals! My point is that just like no one could fully explain bike-riding to me, we struggle to be able to fully explain how to be successful at praying for healing. We can explain the methods we understand from Scripture, we can follow the prayer guides and have all the knowledge and still not see successful prayers. We can also tell children or new believers that they can pray for people and they will be healed, and then watch them pray and see people get healed the very first time they pray! It seems to make no sense!
In the particular case found here in Mark, the apostles and disciples had already tried praying for this child and been unsuccessful in prayer. That should encourage us greatly, even those men of faith and experience had failed. Jesus, however operating in greater intimacy and authority was able to cast out the demon that was causing these afflictions in the child. The apostles had faith, and belief and experience and still were not able to successfully pray for healing!
This may seem like I am giving a bunch of reasons on why we shouldn't bother to pray for healing, but that is completely not my point at all. In spite of all of this, I am fully convinced that God wants us to learn to pray for the sick and see them get well. We are encouraged over and over in scripture to follow the example of Jesus, to love others like He loved them, and one of the ways He demonstrated this was through healing the sick! A significant part of His ministry was to show us what we are capable of if we are joined to Him. Jesus even said the following (John 14:10-12 NIV): "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."!!!
I am encouraged this morning to press into Jesus, into relationship with the Father, into praying for healing, because Jesus promised that we would be able to do the works He did (healing and signs and wonders) and even greater things! I am encouraged to persevere and pray, even if it is just out of obedience! I am encouraged to pray, even if it takes a year or more of no results. I am encouraged to continue to pray, because I believe the Father wants me to learn how to pray for healing successfully. Just like my dad was there encouraging me in my first efforts to ride my bike, he was even running beside me telling me I could do it, I believe our Heavenly Father is just as encouraging and desirous of our learning to pray for healing.
I am encouraged this morning, in particular, to ask God for what seems impossible, when I am confronted by what seems impossible! I am encouraged by Jesus' words that "EVERYTHING is possible"! I am encouraged to continue to pray, regardless of any failed attempts, because I know that something inside me is changing and learning, and one of these days I will see the break-through I desire to see again. I have seen people healed of cancer, and blindness and severe injuries through my prayer before, but I want to see that happen again, with much greater frequency!! I am encouraged that God desires me to learn to pray for healing successfully and He isn't punishing me for not succeeding! He is just like my earthly Dad, encouraging me to keep going, keep trying and keep praying!
Lord come and help me, and help us all to step into believing and praying and pursuing all that You have for us! Everything is possible!
Amen and Amen!
[17] "A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. [18] Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
[20] "So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth."
[21] Jesus asked the boy's father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. [22] “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
[23] “ 'If you can'?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
[24] "Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
I was going to turn past this story this morning, as I read through Mark 9 yesterday and was ready to move on, however verse 23 fairly jumped off the page as I glanced past it, so I figure there is something the Lord wants to encourage me about in this verse today.
Think about that statement for a few minutes - "everything is possible for one who believes"!
Other ways of saying this might be:
1) There is no box that can contain God!
2) There is no sickness that God can't heal!
3) There is no situation that is bigger than God, that He can't intervene and change!
4) NO person is too far gone for God to touch!
5) Even death is not impossible for God to overcome!
6) There is no situation that is too small for God to care about!
7) Our sin will not limit God's ability to act!
Those are just a few that pop into my head this morning. The point is that EVERYTHING is possible for one who believes.
So the question is how does belief factor into God's action? There are many times I have prayed for something that I thought I believed God could or would do, and many times I didn't see the answer to the prayer I prayed. So how does belief work?
We often want to create mathematic equations for prayer. If I believe, or have enough faith, and say the right words than God will do what I ask, every time. We want a sure thing, and we read passages like these and we think, there is the pattern I need to follow and it will work, just like in the Bible. So we ask God to have pity on us and help us (Verse 22). Then we pray (verse 24), Lord "I do believe, help me in my unbelief!" and we figure that God has to act because He did it this way in these verses. When it doesn't work that way we blame ourselves, blame someone else, think God doesn't care for them or love them, or maybe that He doesn't even exist after all, especially if it is a serious situation.
The fact is that all of these thoughts are generally wrong, especially the ones about God's ability, care or love, but also about our own limitations. I like to think of prayer for healing a bit like learning to ride a bike. The desire is there on my part, the belief is there on my part, the effort is even there on my part, but sometimes it takes time to learn. I still remember well the frustration of trying to ride a bike without training wheels as a kid. I saw others doing it, and just couldn't get my body to figure out how to do it. I had all the desire and belief I needed, but there needed to be some internal learning that I can't even describe to this day. Somehow my body learned how to balance on two wheels, for that was what was missing. I had balance for walking, running and jumping, but not for riding on two wheels. Somehow over the few days of trying my body learned how to balance on two wheels.
So what does this have to do with prayer? I think that we wrongly equate intellectual belief with internal belief. Just like I understood the riding of the bike and believed intellectually that I could do it, something internal hadn't caught up to my mind!
I love the story of John Wimber who was one of the founders of the Vineyard Church (Movement) and one who saw God move mightily in healing. He felt like God told him to preach about healing and pray for healing. He did so for a whole year before he saw the first person healed through prayer. His testimony about the first healing is quite hilarious, for by the end of that year, he was pretty much only praying for sick people out of obedience. He had started with all sorts of faith, but after a year of praying and seeing no healing had seen his faith dwindle to almost nothing. In this particular instance, He prayed a short prayer over a sick woman and immediately turned to the husband and started explaining why people don't get healed when we pray (Which doesn't sound like great faith to me). As he was explaining this, the man's eyes got all big and when John turned around the woman was hopping out of bed, where as before she was completely bed-ridden. He stared at her confused and asked her what in the world she was doing! :-) She exclaimed that she was completely healed! He couldn't believe it! Again, that certainly doesn't sound like He had much faith or belief and yet God healed her.
So, what is my point? My point is that belief and praying for healing is not a precise mathematical equation. My point is that God honors obedience, and repetition, and humility and desperation! My Point is that in spite of everything we read in scripture we still can't explain how and why God heals! My point is that just like no one could fully explain bike-riding to me, we struggle to be able to fully explain how to be successful at praying for healing. We can explain the methods we understand from Scripture, we can follow the prayer guides and have all the knowledge and still not see successful prayers. We can also tell children or new believers that they can pray for people and they will be healed, and then watch them pray and see people get healed the very first time they pray! It seems to make no sense!
In the particular case found here in Mark, the apostles and disciples had already tried praying for this child and been unsuccessful in prayer. That should encourage us greatly, even those men of faith and experience had failed. Jesus, however operating in greater intimacy and authority was able to cast out the demon that was causing these afflictions in the child. The apostles had faith, and belief and experience and still were not able to successfully pray for healing!
This may seem like I am giving a bunch of reasons on why we shouldn't bother to pray for healing, but that is completely not my point at all. In spite of all of this, I am fully convinced that God wants us to learn to pray for the sick and see them get well. We are encouraged over and over in scripture to follow the example of Jesus, to love others like He loved them, and one of the ways He demonstrated this was through healing the sick! A significant part of His ministry was to show us what we are capable of if we are joined to Him. Jesus even said the following (John 14:10-12 NIV): "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."!!!
I am encouraged this morning to press into Jesus, into relationship with the Father, into praying for healing, because Jesus promised that we would be able to do the works He did (healing and signs and wonders) and even greater things! I am encouraged to persevere and pray, even if it is just out of obedience! I am encouraged to pray, even if it takes a year or more of no results. I am encouraged to continue to pray, because I believe the Father wants me to learn how to pray for healing successfully. Just like my dad was there encouraging me in my first efforts to ride my bike, he was even running beside me telling me I could do it, I believe our Heavenly Father is just as encouraging and desirous of our learning to pray for healing.
I am encouraged this morning, in particular, to ask God for what seems impossible, when I am confronted by what seems impossible! I am encouraged by Jesus' words that "EVERYTHING is possible"! I am encouraged to continue to pray, regardless of any failed attempts, because I know that something inside me is changing and learning, and one of these days I will see the break-through I desire to see again. I have seen people healed of cancer, and blindness and severe injuries through my prayer before, but I want to see that happen again, with much greater frequency!! I am encouraged that God desires me to learn to pray for healing successfully and He isn't punishing me for not succeeding! He is just like my earthly Dad, encouraging me to keep going, keep trying and keep praying!
Lord come and help me, and help us all to step into believing and praying and pursuing all that You have for us! Everything is possible!
Amen and Amen!
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Blessing Those Who Are Not In Our Group!
This morning I felt like reading a bit from Mark's Gospel, and as often happens, I saw something that caught my eye. These are verses I have often read, but for whatever reason I didn't remember part that grabbed my attention. Here are the verses - Mark 9:38-41 NIV:
[38] “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” [
39] “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, [40] for whoever is not against us is for us. [41] Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward."
Previously when I read these verses, I had focused on the "whoever is not against us is for us", but today I was struck by Jesus' statement about being the Messiah! It is interesting, most of the time in the Gospel's Jesus does not directly refer to himself as the Messiah. Others do, like Peter in Mark 8:29, say He is the Messiah. Other than that, the Pharisees and even Pilate try to get Jesus to say that He is the Messiah, and He usually redirects or side-steps the direct answer. So, this morning I was surprised to see Him say in such a clear way that He was the Messiah (verse 41).
I guess we could infer that it was only normal for Jesus to refer to Himself this way, as just a short while previously Peter had made his declaration. However, if we read a few verses earlier, when Jesus was clearly speaking about His role as the Son of Man, and his impending death, we see in verse 32 that the disciples did not understand what he was talking about and this quite clearly fit into the Isaiah description of the Anointed one (Is. 53).
Once again, I think we need to try to understand these things from the perspective of the Apostles and Disciples in context, as they were hearing them. It is so easy for us to read these verses with our whole story understanding. I remember the first time I read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and was totally wrapped up in the story, not knowing what would happen next. It was a great experience of discovery. Now when I read them, I know the whole story and understand things completely differently as I read them. In the same way, we can lost some of the excitement and miss the revelation that was occurring because we might know the whole story. One of the things I try to do when I meditate on a set of passages is understand how they would have been received at that time, the first time they heard them.
So today, we see Jesus refer to Himself as the Messiah almost in a nonchalant way, saying the disciples belong to the Messiah. Earlier in this chapter and in the preceding chapter, we see Peter proclaim Him as Messiah, and Jesus tells them all to keep quiet about that, and the Father glorifies Him on the Mount of Transfiguration, so the disciples are gaining a deeper understanding of Jesus. However, Jesus keeps bringing up His impending suffering and death, and this doesn't jive with the disciples understanding of what the Messiah would be like. They thought He would become King, like David or Solomon, and that they would rule along with Him. They were expecting that through God's power, He would cast of the Roman rule, much like God, through Moses, had set their ancestors free from Egypt. They were expecting an earthly rule and reign, and immediately after Peter proclaims Jesus as Messiah, Jesus starts explaining the truth of what He is really about, and the disciples just don't understand (Mark 9:32) and are afraid to ask.
It is in this environment that we see Jesus making His comments in the section I quoted above. The disciples are trying to figure this all out, what it all means, how it all works. Peter had proclaimed Jesus the Messiah, they had just failed to cast a demon out of a child, yet Jesus could! They had heard about the Transfiguration from Peter, James and John. Jesus had been discussing His coming death. In this environment, James was now trying to understand how Jesus was operating within the context of these new revelations. They had seen someone else casting out demons in Jesus' name, but this individual was not one of Jesus active disciples, and James was concerned. It seems to me that their concern might have been related to their future position in Jesus the Messiah's future government, but maybe it was just that they thought they had all the revelation because they were Jesus' followers, whatever that meant!
On a side note, sometimes we can have the same attitude when God gives us new revelation. We can think that we are the only ones who have received this, and get all prideful, like we know something special, or maybe just excited that we have something new to share. Then we find out that there are plenty of people in the Body of Christ that have already received this revelation, or are even further along in understanding than we are, and we can get slightly bent. The reality is that God is God and He is fully capable of revealing Himself to everyone, without our help or understanding of His revelation. IT is time for us to learn to express gratitude for new revelation, without getting all prideful or protective of that which we have received. The gifts are for the common good, and so is the vast majority of revelation!
Ok, back to the story, I think something like I just described is at work here. The disciples thought they were the chosen ones, the ones selected by Jesus for deeper revelation, and here is some unknown individual, someone not part of the "chosen" group, casting demons out in Jesus' name. It is clear that they were operating under some level of authority and revelation from the Father, for they were apparently successful, and thus a bit of a challenge to the "Chosen" label of the disciples.
Jesus, in His wisdom from the Holy Spirit, understands this issue and calms their hearts and minds. He explains that anyone not against them is actually for them, and in essence, part of the team, and not a danger to Jesus (which should have been their concern as His followers). Secondly, He clearly proclaims His choosing of them again, by saying they belong to Him. He was essentially saying that they were His chosen, His selected followers and any glory He received flowed down to them. Likewise, just as anyone would be rewarded for treating Jesus well, that person would also be rewarded for treating the disciples well.
That is really quite a comforting statement. Jesus is going to share His glory, and share His blessings, and even extend those blessings to those that treat His followers, His chosen, well. That, by the way, includes us! If we treat each other well, we are rewarded as if we are treating Jesus well! Rather than focusing on our differences, as James was in verse 38, we should be blessing one another and embracing over our shared calling as followers of Jesus!
One of the prophetic people I follow on Instagram is Doug Addison (dougtaddison) and just yesterday he posted something that was directly related to this reflection. He said the following, "Instead of complaining about people who have different beliefs than you do. Bless them instead: Find someone different than you and show them an act of kindness." Wouldn't that be great if that was our approach to the differing parts of the Body of Christ?! Jesus shows us that very approach! Assume that our brothers and sisters are for us, and bless them and show them kindness! When we do that we will receive the reward as if we were blessing Jesus Himself!
Amen! I am encouraged to be for my brothers and sisters in this great Family of God, this one Body of Christ! Let us bless each other, and be kind to each other, focusing on and blessing our similarities, rather than arguing about our differences! Let us get over ourselves, and be for others who walk in greater revelation or even the same revelation that we thought was ours! Lets press forward towards unity in our Love for Jesus our Savior, and our love for one another!
Amen and amen!
[38] “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” [
39] “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, [40] for whoever is not against us is for us. [41] Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward."
Previously when I read these verses, I had focused on the "whoever is not against us is for us", but today I was struck by Jesus' statement about being the Messiah! It is interesting, most of the time in the Gospel's Jesus does not directly refer to himself as the Messiah. Others do, like Peter in Mark 8:29, say He is the Messiah. Other than that, the Pharisees and even Pilate try to get Jesus to say that He is the Messiah, and He usually redirects or side-steps the direct answer. So, this morning I was surprised to see Him say in such a clear way that He was the Messiah (verse 41).
I guess we could infer that it was only normal for Jesus to refer to Himself this way, as just a short while previously Peter had made his declaration. However, if we read a few verses earlier, when Jesus was clearly speaking about His role as the Son of Man, and his impending death, we see in verse 32 that the disciples did not understand what he was talking about and this quite clearly fit into the Isaiah description of the Anointed one (Is. 53).
Once again, I think we need to try to understand these things from the perspective of the Apostles and Disciples in context, as they were hearing them. It is so easy for us to read these verses with our whole story understanding. I remember the first time I read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and was totally wrapped up in the story, not knowing what would happen next. It was a great experience of discovery. Now when I read them, I know the whole story and understand things completely differently as I read them. In the same way, we can lost some of the excitement and miss the revelation that was occurring because we might know the whole story. One of the things I try to do when I meditate on a set of passages is understand how they would have been received at that time, the first time they heard them.
So today, we see Jesus refer to Himself as the Messiah almost in a nonchalant way, saying the disciples belong to the Messiah. Earlier in this chapter and in the preceding chapter, we see Peter proclaim Him as Messiah, and Jesus tells them all to keep quiet about that, and the Father glorifies Him on the Mount of Transfiguration, so the disciples are gaining a deeper understanding of Jesus. However, Jesus keeps bringing up His impending suffering and death, and this doesn't jive with the disciples understanding of what the Messiah would be like. They thought He would become King, like David or Solomon, and that they would rule along with Him. They were expecting that through God's power, He would cast of the Roman rule, much like God, through Moses, had set their ancestors free from Egypt. They were expecting an earthly rule and reign, and immediately after Peter proclaims Jesus as Messiah, Jesus starts explaining the truth of what He is really about, and the disciples just don't understand (Mark 9:32) and are afraid to ask.
It is in this environment that we see Jesus making His comments in the section I quoted above. The disciples are trying to figure this all out, what it all means, how it all works. Peter had proclaimed Jesus the Messiah, they had just failed to cast a demon out of a child, yet Jesus could! They had heard about the Transfiguration from Peter, James and John. Jesus had been discussing His coming death. In this environment, James was now trying to understand how Jesus was operating within the context of these new revelations. They had seen someone else casting out demons in Jesus' name, but this individual was not one of Jesus active disciples, and James was concerned. It seems to me that their concern might have been related to their future position in Jesus the Messiah's future government, but maybe it was just that they thought they had all the revelation because they were Jesus' followers, whatever that meant!
On a side note, sometimes we can have the same attitude when God gives us new revelation. We can think that we are the only ones who have received this, and get all prideful, like we know something special, or maybe just excited that we have something new to share. Then we find out that there are plenty of people in the Body of Christ that have already received this revelation, or are even further along in understanding than we are, and we can get slightly bent. The reality is that God is God and He is fully capable of revealing Himself to everyone, without our help or understanding of His revelation. IT is time for us to learn to express gratitude for new revelation, without getting all prideful or protective of that which we have received. The gifts are for the common good, and so is the vast majority of revelation!
Ok, back to the story, I think something like I just described is at work here. The disciples thought they were the chosen ones, the ones selected by Jesus for deeper revelation, and here is some unknown individual, someone not part of the "chosen" group, casting demons out in Jesus' name. It is clear that they were operating under some level of authority and revelation from the Father, for they were apparently successful, and thus a bit of a challenge to the "Chosen" label of the disciples.
Jesus, in His wisdom from the Holy Spirit, understands this issue and calms their hearts and minds. He explains that anyone not against them is actually for them, and in essence, part of the team, and not a danger to Jesus (which should have been their concern as His followers). Secondly, He clearly proclaims His choosing of them again, by saying they belong to Him. He was essentially saying that they were His chosen, His selected followers and any glory He received flowed down to them. Likewise, just as anyone would be rewarded for treating Jesus well, that person would also be rewarded for treating the disciples well.
That is really quite a comforting statement. Jesus is going to share His glory, and share His blessings, and even extend those blessings to those that treat His followers, His chosen, well. That, by the way, includes us! If we treat each other well, we are rewarded as if we are treating Jesus well! Rather than focusing on our differences, as James was in verse 38, we should be blessing one another and embracing over our shared calling as followers of Jesus!
One of the prophetic people I follow on Instagram is Doug Addison (dougtaddison) and just yesterday he posted something that was directly related to this reflection. He said the following, "Instead of complaining about people who have different beliefs than you do. Bless them instead: Find someone different than you and show them an act of kindness." Wouldn't that be great if that was our approach to the differing parts of the Body of Christ?! Jesus shows us that very approach! Assume that our brothers and sisters are for us, and bless them and show them kindness! When we do that we will receive the reward as if we were blessing Jesus Himself!
Amen! I am encouraged to be for my brothers and sisters in this great Family of God, this one Body of Christ! Let us bless each other, and be kind to each other, focusing on and blessing our similarities, rather than arguing about our differences! Let us get over ourselves, and be for others who walk in greater revelation or even the same revelation that we thought was ours! Lets press forward towards unity in our Love for Jesus our Savior, and our love for one another!
Amen and amen!
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
The Heavenly Wedding - It Is Worth Cheering About!
Continuing on with my reflection on Weddings, there is one more set of verses in the New Testament where we here about a wedding celebration and those are found in the Book of Revelation 19:5-9 NIV:
[5] Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”
[6] Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
[7] Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
[8] Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
[9] Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
This is certainly a hopeful set of verses, for John sees and hears proclamations of prophetic imagery associated with the last days, and the Wedding of the Lamb is one of the last images.
I think they are hopeful for several reasons. First, there is a great multitude shouting in great joy! This is no narrow way and narrow door type of crowd, but one that is cheering, and the sound of their cheering is continuous and rolling on and on (waterfalls and thunder combined)! They are shouting about the Glory of God, His sovereign rule, The fact that the Bride (The Church) has finally made herself ready, and the day of the wedding is at hand, and fine linen, bright and clean was given to wear! It's kind of funny that they are yelling about new clothes, but then I guess at least half the crowd were women! (Just Kidding!!!!). I will probably get punched in the arm by my wife for that comment!
Seriously though, these are things to shout for joy over! God is victorious, and He reigns over all things!! Sometimes in our limited earthly perspective we don't see that reality, but in Heaven it is all clear! It is right for us to be full of joy at this proclamation! It is right for us to proclaim this loudly and to glorify His Name. It is amazing that the Bride has finally made herself ready! This day was prophesied by Jesus, the Lamb, over two thousand years ago, and recorded by John in the following verses John 17:20-23 NIV:
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Paul rightly echoed this great prophecy in several places, the most famous in his first letter to the Corinthians chapters twelve and thirteen. Unity in the Body of Christ is a theme that is echoed over and over, and I believe this is part of what John heard the heavenly hosts cheering about! That will be a great and awesome day! If the church is expanding and growing, in its present fractured and fragmented state, imagine what it would be like if it was truly unified! I am so encouraged that even this week in Kansas City there is a significant gathering of many denominations, Catholic, Protestant, Charismatic and Orthodox, joining together in a gathering focusing on our similarities and not our differences! (See https://www.kairos2017.com).
Finally, they are shouting about the new clean linen clothes that they are receiving for the wedding! John adds a note that this stands for the "righteous acts of God's holy people." Now this should not throw our understanding of the Gospel of Grace into a tizzy, for our only righteousness comes from Jesus! It is because of His righteousness applied to our lives that anything we do, after receiving our salvation, can be considered righteous. It is effectively His righteousness applied to our lives that stains our garments pure white! We should rejoice in our salvation and in our ability, in spite of ourselves and our weaknesses, to be a part of God's Glorious plan!
This will be the true wedding banquet (supper), the one that is the end-all-be-all of every banquet that has ever occurred. Truly, those who are invited to attend this feast will be blessed! Going back to my reflection yesterday, I think we will be surprised by all who will receive an invitation, if Jesus' words, spoken at the direction of the Heavenly Father, are any indication! He said, "So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' [10] So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests." (Matt 22:9-10 NIV).
Now that is Good NEWS, and worth shouting about!! Amen!
[5] Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”
[6] Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
[7] Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
[8] Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
[9] Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
This is certainly a hopeful set of verses, for John sees and hears proclamations of prophetic imagery associated with the last days, and the Wedding of the Lamb is one of the last images.
I think they are hopeful for several reasons. First, there is a great multitude shouting in great joy! This is no narrow way and narrow door type of crowd, but one that is cheering, and the sound of their cheering is continuous and rolling on and on (waterfalls and thunder combined)! They are shouting about the Glory of God, His sovereign rule, The fact that the Bride (The Church) has finally made herself ready, and the day of the wedding is at hand, and fine linen, bright and clean was given to wear! It's kind of funny that they are yelling about new clothes, but then I guess at least half the crowd were women! (Just Kidding!!!!). I will probably get punched in the arm by my wife for that comment!
Seriously though, these are things to shout for joy over! God is victorious, and He reigns over all things!! Sometimes in our limited earthly perspective we don't see that reality, but in Heaven it is all clear! It is right for us to be full of joy at this proclamation! It is right for us to proclaim this loudly and to glorify His Name. It is amazing that the Bride has finally made herself ready! This day was prophesied by Jesus, the Lamb, over two thousand years ago, and recorded by John in the following verses John 17:20-23 NIV:
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Paul rightly echoed this great prophecy in several places, the most famous in his first letter to the Corinthians chapters twelve and thirteen. Unity in the Body of Christ is a theme that is echoed over and over, and I believe this is part of what John heard the heavenly hosts cheering about! That will be a great and awesome day! If the church is expanding and growing, in its present fractured and fragmented state, imagine what it would be like if it was truly unified! I am so encouraged that even this week in Kansas City there is a significant gathering of many denominations, Catholic, Protestant, Charismatic and Orthodox, joining together in a gathering focusing on our similarities and not our differences! (See https://www.kairos2017.com).
Finally, they are shouting about the new clean linen clothes that they are receiving for the wedding! John adds a note that this stands for the "righteous acts of God's holy people." Now this should not throw our understanding of the Gospel of Grace into a tizzy, for our only righteousness comes from Jesus! It is because of His righteousness applied to our lives that anything we do, after receiving our salvation, can be considered righteous. It is effectively His righteousness applied to our lives that stains our garments pure white! We should rejoice in our salvation and in our ability, in spite of ourselves and our weaknesses, to be a part of God's Glorious plan!
This will be the true wedding banquet (supper), the one that is the end-all-be-all of every banquet that has ever occurred. Truly, those who are invited to attend this feast will be blessed! Going back to my reflection yesterday, I think we will be surprised by all who will receive an invitation, if Jesus' words, spoken at the direction of the Heavenly Father, are any indication! He said, "So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' [10] So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests." (Matt 22:9-10 NIV).
Now that is Good NEWS, and worth shouting about!! Amen!
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Weddings and Banquets and Our Invitation
A couple of days ago I had a dream about a heavenly wedding and as such, I wanted to spend some time reflecting on a few stories in the Gospel's having to do with weddings and banquets first from Matthew's Gospel and then from the Luke's Gospel. Here are the verses from Matthew 22:1-14 NIV:
[1] "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: [2] “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. [3] He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. [4] “Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
[5] “But they paid no attention and went off---one to his field, another to his business. [6] The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. [7] The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city."
[8] “Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. [9] So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' [10] So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests."
[11] “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. [12] He asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend ?' The man was speechless."
[13] “Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
[14] “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
This parable is such an interesting teaching, and this is another that must be understood from the mindset of the listener, as well as our own more informed perspective. I find that sometimes it is easy to understand things, because we know the rest of the story, but we must try to put ourselves into the shoes of those who heard this for the first time. Even that is difficult sometimes because everything in the Gospels is written years after the events actually occurred. Anyway, I will make an effort to understand this parable as the people hearing them the first time.
Jesus was speaking these parables, according to Matthew, in the week following Palm Sunday, to what appears to be a mixed crowd of Apostles, disciples, followers and Pharisees and Sadducees. Jerusalem's population was swelling in anticipation of Passover so there were many devout Jews gathering. Also since Jerusalem had the true temple, this was where the Pharisee's and other religious leaders were strongest and where they gathered.
Now, Jesus is delivering this story in Jerusalem, the city of David and Solomon, and the other kings. The Jews, at present, were ruled by Rome, and even though there was still a King (Herod) it was clear to them that he wasn't really in charge. The Jews longed for the Messiah, who they thought was going to be a king like David, who would throw off the Roman rule and restore to them the power and glory they had once experienced as a nation. In fact, if the timing of this passage was accurate, He had just days before ridden in Jerusalem heralded as the coming King. Thus, when Jesus started talking about a King, He would have grabbed their attention!
Secondly, Jesus starts talking about the King wanting to throw a wedding feast for His son, and sending out invitations. Now again, the people were thinking He might be the King, so they were probably thinking this is good, He is going to be a great king who throws parties! He continues on and tells them how those invited refused to come. It wasn't that they forgot, it was that they refused. The people would have surely been upset by this, who would turn down a King's invitation? Then Jesus drops the final straw, the people didn't just refuse, but actually mistreated and killed the King's servants. I am sure the people were not surprised by Jesus' next statement about the King's next steps, destroying the city and the people who murdered his servants. I think at this point they were likely wondering if He was talking about Himself, a fictitious King or maybe the Roman ruler. This story certainly wasn't going in the direction the people initially thought it would.
I am not sure if the people would have realized that Jesus was talking about the Old testament prophets and themselves, as we commonly believe now. We see this all in retrospect, but they hadn't crucified Jesus yet, and were actually still in favor or Him. I think the Pharisees might have figured it out, because Jesus had been actively pointing out their issues, and after these verses, He goes into a much more thorough attack on them. Regardless, Jesus is trying to communicate Kingdom truths through a story that would have stuck in their minds.
Jesus continues the story, picking back up the wedding celebration invitations and now gives the most hopeful statement, the commoners are going to be invited! The people listening to this, would have been amazed by this generosity and opportunity. Again, going back to what they were thinking, this could possibly be them! If Jesus was going to be King, could they be invited to His banquets??? Even better, the servants of the King went out and gathered in anyone and everyone, good and bad alike. (I wonder how often we really grasp the significance of that last statement?). This is glorious news to the people hearing, for that meant their likelihood of being invited went way up, they didn't even have to be good people! Jesus said the wedding hall was full of guests! The people were probably getting excited!
Then Jesus seems to take an unexpected turn, which is one of the important things for good story-telling, He wanted the people to break out of their imaginations of the party and listen to Him again! He describes the King coming and finding one guest, of all the guests in attendance, not wearing wedding attire. The King actually asks the man about his situation, and the man has nothing to say.
This is an interesting turn of events. I am not sure what wedding attire was back in those days, but we could make a couple of assumptions, either it was common and everyone had the right attire, or the King in opening up the banquet to everyone, provided the clothing as well, for otherwise the King's reaction makes no sense. In comparing this version of the story to the one found in Luke, I believe that the second assumption is most likely. Actually in retrospect, that is really the only option that makes sense, as the people who were invited clearly wouldn't have clothing fit for the wedding of a King's son. Reading this with our post-resurrection spiritual understanding we know that this attire would symbolize the righteouness of Jesus, which we are clothed in by His actions, not ours, so again the second assumption makes sense.
At this point I think it makes sense to look at Luke's version, for a brief comparison. Here is the story - Luke 14:16-24 NIV:
[16] "Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. [17] At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
[18] “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
[19] “Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
[20] “Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
[21] “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
[22] “ 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' [23] “Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. [24] I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' ”
We see that the story in Luke has similarities, but it is also less extreme. The people don't mistreat the King's servants, and He doesn't destroy them. Also the last section is not included, although the final statement is actually more definitive than the last statement of Jesus' in the Matthew version.
Now we don't know if these are different versions of the same story, or just similar stories that Jesus told a different times. I think the latter explanation makes sense, for Jesus often covered the same theme with different nuances each time (e.g. Stories of what the Kingdom is like). Regardless, these stories survived in the memories of the people who heard them and Jesus revealed truths that were important to their future understanding of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
The importance of these two stories are multi-fold. First they present some of the clearest indications that the Kingdom will be open to all the world (Gentiles included), not just to the Jews (those that were first invited). Secondly, they establish a freedom from works ideology, for those invited had done nothing to earn their invitation. Third, these stories introduce a welcoming of all, good or bad, sick or crippled, lame, poor or even wealthy, into the Kingdom of Heaven. The understanding at that time was that sin was the cause of sickness, crippling and lameness, and as such the thought would have been that they would never be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven. Fourth, the imagery of a heavenly banquet, and abundance and blessing continue the theme of the greatness of the Kingdom of God!
Finally, we could be tempted to create theological teachings about the final statements in each story, and yet we find them inconsistent and thus we should steer clear of any definitive statements. In Matthew, some of the invited are chosen, in Luke's version, none are. We would be better served to place these statements into the greater theme of the coming judgment, and add them to the list of Jesus other statements and stories. That there will be a day of judgment is clear from Jesus' stories. How exactly that will be accomplished and what God will use to decide is known only to God. We get some understanding form Jesus' teachings, but I don't think we can say definitively what are all the conditions. What we can say, after reading these stories, is that we want to be invited and respond positively to God's invitation! We want to be found with His righteousness applied to our life. We want to respond to His open invitation ourselves and, as His servants in this life, issue the same invitation to all those around us.
I am encouraged this morning that we all have been invited to take a seat at the Heavenly banquet, and I, for one, am not going to ignore that invitation! Thank You Lord that we get to experience that eternal banquet some day, and we are able to experience a foretaste of it here on earth as Your Kingdom realities are demonstrated in and through us.
Amen!
[1] "Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: [2] “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. [3] He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. [4] “Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
[5] “But they paid no attention and went off---one to his field, another to his business. [6] The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. [7] The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city."
[8] “Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. [9] So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' [10] So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests."
[11] “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. [12] He asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend ?' The man was speechless."
[13] “Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
[14] “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
This parable is such an interesting teaching, and this is another that must be understood from the mindset of the listener, as well as our own more informed perspective. I find that sometimes it is easy to understand things, because we know the rest of the story, but we must try to put ourselves into the shoes of those who heard this for the first time. Even that is difficult sometimes because everything in the Gospels is written years after the events actually occurred. Anyway, I will make an effort to understand this parable as the people hearing them the first time.
Jesus was speaking these parables, according to Matthew, in the week following Palm Sunday, to what appears to be a mixed crowd of Apostles, disciples, followers and Pharisees and Sadducees. Jerusalem's population was swelling in anticipation of Passover so there were many devout Jews gathering. Also since Jerusalem had the true temple, this was where the Pharisee's and other religious leaders were strongest and where they gathered.
Now, Jesus is delivering this story in Jerusalem, the city of David and Solomon, and the other kings. The Jews, at present, were ruled by Rome, and even though there was still a King (Herod) it was clear to them that he wasn't really in charge. The Jews longed for the Messiah, who they thought was going to be a king like David, who would throw off the Roman rule and restore to them the power and glory they had once experienced as a nation. In fact, if the timing of this passage was accurate, He had just days before ridden in Jerusalem heralded as the coming King. Thus, when Jesus started talking about a King, He would have grabbed their attention!
Secondly, Jesus starts talking about the King wanting to throw a wedding feast for His son, and sending out invitations. Now again, the people were thinking He might be the King, so they were probably thinking this is good, He is going to be a great king who throws parties! He continues on and tells them how those invited refused to come. It wasn't that they forgot, it was that they refused. The people would have surely been upset by this, who would turn down a King's invitation? Then Jesus drops the final straw, the people didn't just refuse, but actually mistreated and killed the King's servants. I am sure the people were not surprised by Jesus' next statement about the King's next steps, destroying the city and the people who murdered his servants. I think at this point they were likely wondering if He was talking about Himself, a fictitious King or maybe the Roman ruler. This story certainly wasn't going in the direction the people initially thought it would.
I am not sure if the people would have realized that Jesus was talking about the Old testament prophets and themselves, as we commonly believe now. We see this all in retrospect, but they hadn't crucified Jesus yet, and were actually still in favor or Him. I think the Pharisees might have figured it out, because Jesus had been actively pointing out their issues, and after these verses, He goes into a much more thorough attack on them. Regardless, Jesus is trying to communicate Kingdom truths through a story that would have stuck in their minds.
Jesus continues the story, picking back up the wedding celebration invitations and now gives the most hopeful statement, the commoners are going to be invited! The people listening to this, would have been amazed by this generosity and opportunity. Again, going back to what they were thinking, this could possibly be them! If Jesus was going to be King, could they be invited to His banquets??? Even better, the servants of the King went out and gathered in anyone and everyone, good and bad alike. (I wonder how often we really grasp the significance of that last statement?). This is glorious news to the people hearing, for that meant their likelihood of being invited went way up, they didn't even have to be good people! Jesus said the wedding hall was full of guests! The people were probably getting excited!
Then Jesus seems to take an unexpected turn, which is one of the important things for good story-telling, He wanted the people to break out of their imaginations of the party and listen to Him again! He describes the King coming and finding one guest, of all the guests in attendance, not wearing wedding attire. The King actually asks the man about his situation, and the man has nothing to say.
This is an interesting turn of events. I am not sure what wedding attire was back in those days, but we could make a couple of assumptions, either it was common and everyone had the right attire, or the King in opening up the banquet to everyone, provided the clothing as well, for otherwise the King's reaction makes no sense. In comparing this version of the story to the one found in Luke, I believe that the second assumption is most likely. Actually in retrospect, that is really the only option that makes sense, as the people who were invited clearly wouldn't have clothing fit for the wedding of a King's son. Reading this with our post-resurrection spiritual understanding we know that this attire would symbolize the righteouness of Jesus, which we are clothed in by His actions, not ours, so again the second assumption makes sense.
At this point I think it makes sense to look at Luke's version, for a brief comparison. Here is the story - Luke 14:16-24 NIV:
[16] "Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. [17] At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
[18] “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
[19] “Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
[20] “Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
[21] “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
[22] “ 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' [23] “Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. [24] I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' ”
We see that the story in Luke has similarities, but it is also less extreme. The people don't mistreat the King's servants, and He doesn't destroy them. Also the last section is not included, although the final statement is actually more definitive than the last statement of Jesus' in the Matthew version.
Now we don't know if these are different versions of the same story, or just similar stories that Jesus told a different times. I think the latter explanation makes sense, for Jesus often covered the same theme with different nuances each time (e.g. Stories of what the Kingdom is like). Regardless, these stories survived in the memories of the people who heard them and Jesus revealed truths that were important to their future understanding of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
The importance of these two stories are multi-fold. First they present some of the clearest indications that the Kingdom will be open to all the world (Gentiles included), not just to the Jews (those that were first invited). Secondly, they establish a freedom from works ideology, for those invited had done nothing to earn their invitation. Third, these stories introduce a welcoming of all, good or bad, sick or crippled, lame, poor or even wealthy, into the Kingdom of Heaven. The understanding at that time was that sin was the cause of sickness, crippling and lameness, and as such the thought would have been that they would never be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven. Fourth, the imagery of a heavenly banquet, and abundance and blessing continue the theme of the greatness of the Kingdom of God!
Finally, we could be tempted to create theological teachings about the final statements in each story, and yet we find them inconsistent and thus we should steer clear of any definitive statements. In Matthew, some of the invited are chosen, in Luke's version, none are. We would be better served to place these statements into the greater theme of the coming judgment, and add them to the list of Jesus other statements and stories. That there will be a day of judgment is clear from Jesus' stories. How exactly that will be accomplished and what God will use to decide is known only to God. We get some understanding form Jesus' teachings, but I don't think we can say definitively what are all the conditions. What we can say, after reading these stories, is that we want to be invited and respond positively to God's invitation! We want to be found with His righteousness applied to our life. We want to respond to His open invitation ourselves and, as His servants in this life, issue the same invitation to all those around us.
I am encouraged this morning that we all have been invited to take a seat at the Heavenly banquet, and I, for one, am not going to ignore that invitation! Thank You Lord that we get to experience that eternal banquet some day, and we are able to experience a foretaste of it here on earth as Your Kingdom realities are demonstrated in and through us.
Amen!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Forgiveness, Defilement and Cleansing - A Core Truth
This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Mark's Gospel, an interesting list of the evils that come out of our heart and defile us. This was spoken by Jesus in a conversation about defilement from food, or not washing one's hands. Anyway, I will spend some time reflecting on the list at the end.
Mark 7:14-15,17-23 NIV:
[14] "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
[17] "After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. [18] “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? [19] For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)"
[20] "He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come---sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
As we read these verses, it is important that we not read them with a modern English understanding, especially of defilement. The actual Greek word used here is 'Koinoo' which literally means to make common. The additional Jewish understanding is that this is related to Levitical uncleaness. Thus, we must go back to the basics of what that was and why it mattered. Much of the Jewish 'religious' life was focused on remaining clean, or undefiled, and thus Jesus words are very related to their understanding.
In Modern English, Webster's dictionary defines de·file:
transitive verb: to make unclean or impure: as
a : to corrupt the purity or perfection of : debase
b : to violate the chastity of : deflower
c : to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating
d : to violate the sanctity of : desecrate
e : sully, dishonor
synonyms see contaminate
In my mind, this is quite a serious situation, especially if we equate contamination with defilement. It seems like there is a permanence and seriousness associated with these words. I am bringing this up because the initial conversation Jesus was commenting on had to do with washing hands before eating. In fact there were hundreds of laws and rules concerning uncleanness in the Jewish tradition some for very benign things, others for serious issues. In the Old Testament alone the word unclean is mentioned 168 times, most in the book of Leviticus.
As I was reading through the lists of things that caused one to be unclean I came across the following verses in Leviticus 15:25-27,31 NIV:
[25] “ 'When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. [26] Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. [27] Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
[31] “ 'You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.' ”
When I read those verses I was immediately reminded of the story of the woman that touches Jesus' cloak - Luke 8:43-48 NIV:
[43] "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. [44] She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
[45] “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
[46] But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
[47] Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
[48] Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Reading these verses we can understand the complete difference there is in what Jesus is saying and teaching and demonstrating. In the Old Testament, and under the law, people could become defiled by something outside themselves, or something internal that they had no control over, like this woman. Imagine, she was considered unclean for 12 years, and everything she touched or came in contact with became unclean, which would have included Jesus and His robe.
However, Jesus demonstrates the truth, namely that He is undefileable, and His very presence and touch cleanses us of our sin and uncleanness. It is not some act, or sacrifice, some offering we have to give to become clean, we just need to go to Him!
If you read through Leviticus, you can get a sense for the weight of the Law on the lives of the Jews, even for something as basic as what causes you to be unclean. Imagine living a life constantly concerned that you were unclean, or that there was a possibility of being unclean, unable to enjoy the normal experiences of life, for you could spread the uncleanness, or become unclean just by touching someone or something. Now I don't know if this was a major concern in the life of the normal Jewish person, but it was certainly something the Pharisees were very concerned about, and something they were careful to observe in others, for they didn't want to become unclean through any chance encounter. Thus, in the original story, they had observed the disciples of Jesus eating without washing their hands, thus defiling themselves, and potentially anything they touched afterwards.
Now, back to the woman with the bleeding, she knew she was unclean, and no amount of medical treatment or cures had been able to change that situation. She was obviously not showing herself as one who was unclean in joining the crowd swarming around Jesus, for that would have caused people to avoid her. In many ways, I think this situation is much like someone who carries a secret sin or wound in their life, and sits under the constant sense of uncleanness, or of being contaminated by sin. I have some friends who grew up under very strict religious teaching around sin, they were taught that any sin could cause you to lose your salvation, should you die with it unconfessed. The main message they experienced in church was one of how easy it was for their sin to stain them and defile them. To me that sounds like the Old Testament mindset about sin, rather than what Jesus demonstrated in this story, of curing the woman's bleeding.
Jesus demonstrates an awesome truth here that we must embrace in our mind and hearts. He is the cure for defilement, He takes away our uncleanliness through the washing of His blood. In Leviticus 15:27 we see that the cure for uncleanliness caused by bleeding is to wash with water and wait until evening. In the new reality introduced by Jesus, His blood washes us clean of our defilement, and the effects are immediate. He has paid for every sin of every person, not one was missed. Thus, there is no unforgiven sin, just unconfessed sin. John captures the reality in his following statement - 1 John 2:2 NIV: "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." John also writes - 1 John 1:9 NIV: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Going all the way back to the original statement by Jesus concerning defilement (Mark 7:20-23 above), we see that Jesus is not saying these things leave a permanent stain, but rather, in the same mindset as the Old Testament, they cause a person to become unclean. He was talking to Jews and they understood this concept that was a critical part of the Law. Later through the story of the woman with bleeding, we see Jesus demonstrate that in His Kingdom, uncleanness is a temporary situation that is cured by coming to Him, and John adds confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness. John reiterates these truths in his first letter and we are encouraged to understand them and embrace them.
Finally, Jesus prophesied and reminded His disciples of the Prophecy form Isaiah 53 that forgiveness of sins was going to be one of the primary messages of His followers. He was speaking to them them after His resurrection and said the following, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, [47] and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46-47). This forgiveness, this cleansing of unrighteousness, of uncleanness, of those things that defile is supposed to be one of the core messages of the messages of the church.
So, let us embrace this truth and let it settle into our hearts and minds! Jesus is the source of all forgiveness and cleansing of our sins. There is no sin that is not covered by His sacrifice, nor washed clean by His blood, if we confess. His desire is to set us free from the effects of the uncleanness and restore us to right relationship immediately. He has won the victory over sin and we, as we join ourselves to Him, are freed from its stain and effects. If we carry hidden sin, or hidden wounds from other's sins, let us come to Jesus, confess it all to Him and receive His forgiveness and cleansing, for He is faithful to forgive all our sins. No matter how long we have walked in this state, He can cleanse us in an instant!
Amen Lord!
Mark 7:14-15,17-23 NIV:
[14] "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
[17] "After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. [18] “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? [19] For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)"
[20] "He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come---sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
As we read these verses, it is important that we not read them with a modern English understanding, especially of defilement. The actual Greek word used here is 'Koinoo' which literally means to make common. The additional Jewish understanding is that this is related to Levitical uncleaness. Thus, we must go back to the basics of what that was and why it mattered. Much of the Jewish 'religious' life was focused on remaining clean, or undefiled, and thus Jesus words are very related to their understanding.
In Modern English, Webster's dictionary defines de·file:
transitive verb: to make unclean or impure: as
a : to corrupt the purity or perfection of : debase
b : to violate the chastity of : deflower
c : to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating
d : to violate the sanctity of : desecrate
e : sully, dishonor
synonyms see contaminate
In my mind, this is quite a serious situation, especially if we equate contamination with defilement. It seems like there is a permanence and seriousness associated with these words. I am bringing this up because the initial conversation Jesus was commenting on had to do with washing hands before eating. In fact there were hundreds of laws and rules concerning uncleanness in the Jewish tradition some for very benign things, others for serious issues. In the Old Testament alone the word unclean is mentioned 168 times, most in the book of Leviticus.
As I was reading through the lists of things that caused one to be unclean I came across the following verses in Leviticus 15:25-27,31 NIV:
[25] “ 'When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. [26] Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. [27] Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
[31] “ 'You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.' ”
When I read those verses I was immediately reminded of the story of the woman that touches Jesus' cloak - Luke 8:43-48 NIV:
[43] "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. [44] She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
[45] “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
[46] But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
[47] Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
[48] Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Reading these verses we can understand the complete difference there is in what Jesus is saying and teaching and demonstrating. In the Old Testament, and under the law, people could become defiled by something outside themselves, or something internal that they had no control over, like this woman. Imagine, she was considered unclean for 12 years, and everything she touched or came in contact with became unclean, which would have included Jesus and His robe.
However, Jesus demonstrates the truth, namely that He is undefileable, and His very presence and touch cleanses us of our sin and uncleanness. It is not some act, or sacrifice, some offering we have to give to become clean, we just need to go to Him!
If you read through Leviticus, you can get a sense for the weight of the Law on the lives of the Jews, even for something as basic as what causes you to be unclean. Imagine living a life constantly concerned that you were unclean, or that there was a possibility of being unclean, unable to enjoy the normal experiences of life, for you could spread the uncleanness, or become unclean just by touching someone or something. Now I don't know if this was a major concern in the life of the normal Jewish person, but it was certainly something the Pharisees were very concerned about, and something they were careful to observe in others, for they didn't want to become unclean through any chance encounter. Thus, in the original story, they had observed the disciples of Jesus eating without washing their hands, thus defiling themselves, and potentially anything they touched afterwards.
Now, back to the woman with the bleeding, she knew she was unclean, and no amount of medical treatment or cures had been able to change that situation. She was obviously not showing herself as one who was unclean in joining the crowd swarming around Jesus, for that would have caused people to avoid her. In many ways, I think this situation is much like someone who carries a secret sin or wound in their life, and sits under the constant sense of uncleanness, or of being contaminated by sin. I have some friends who grew up under very strict religious teaching around sin, they were taught that any sin could cause you to lose your salvation, should you die with it unconfessed. The main message they experienced in church was one of how easy it was for their sin to stain them and defile them. To me that sounds like the Old Testament mindset about sin, rather than what Jesus demonstrated in this story, of curing the woman's bleeding.
Jesus demonstrates an awesome truth here that we must embrace in our mind and hearts. He is the cure for defilement, He takes away our uncleanliness through the washing of His blood. In Leviticus 15:27 we see that the cure for uncleanliness caused by bleeding is to wash with water and wait until evening. In the new reality introduced by Jesus, His blood washes us clean of our defilement, and the effects are immediate. He has paid for every sin of every person, not one was missed. Thus, there is no unforgiven sin, just unconfessed sin. John captures the reality in his following statement - 1 John 2:2 NIV: "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." John also writes - 1 John 1:9 NIV: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Going all the way back to the original statement by Jesus concerning defilement (Mark 7:20-23 above), we see that Jesus is not saying these things leave a permanent stain, but rather, in the same mindset as the Old Testament, they cause a person to become unclean. He was talking to Jews and they understood this concept that was a critical part of the Law. Later through the story of the woman with bleeding, we see Jesus demonstrate that in His Kingdom, uncleanness is a temporary situation that is cured by coming to Him, and John adds confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness. John reiterates these truths in his first letter and we are encouraged to understand them and embrace them.
Finally, Jesus prophesied and reminded His disciples of the Prophecy form Isaiah 53 that forgiveness of sins was going to be one of the primary messages of His followers. He was speaking to them them after His resurrection and said the following, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, [47] and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46-47). This forgiveness, this cleansing of unrighteousness, of uncleanness, of those things that defile is supposed to be one of the core messages of the messages of the church.
So, let us embrace this truth and let it settle into our hearts and minds! Jesus is the source of all forgiveness and cleansing of our sins. There is no sin that is not covered by His sacrifice, nor washed clean by His blood, if we confess. His desire is to set us free from the effects of the uncleanness and restore us to right relationship immediately. He has won the victory over sin and we, as we join ourselves to Him, are freed from its stain and effects. If we carry hidden sin, or hidden wounds from other's sins, let us come to Jesus, confess it all to Him and receive His forgiveness and cleansing, for He is faithful to forgive all our sins. No matter how long we have walked in this state, He can cleanse us in an instant!
Amen Lord!
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Restoring The Freedom to Choose
This morning I started reading from the Gospel of John in the 19th chapter, which is where Jesus' crucifixion is described. I found myself thinking about the death of Jesus, and why it was required. That in itself if a topic that one could study and reflect upon for many days, but instead I found myself thinking about the Genesis account that describes the origination of sin, and the effects that sin had upon mankind, and why that mattered. Thus, I have found myself reflecting on the following passages - Genesis 2:8-9,15-17 NIV:
[8] "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [9] The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground---trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
[15] "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [16] And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Without going to the temptation section found in chapter three, I wanted to look at the foundation of truth that is laid out for us in this story. Earlier in Genesis, (Gen. 1:29) God had given the fruit of every plant and tree to Adam to eat, and that is the assumed understanding in reading these verses. So God planted the garden, put man in it to steward it (verse 15) and told man that he could eat of any tree in the garden except the one - that which was called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Please notice that there was no rule about not eating from the tree of life, so in God's original intent was the ability for man to eat of that tree, and experience the benefits of that tree. Later, God describes the benefits of eating of that tree as living forever (Gen 3:21) like God.
I find it interesting that in the very middle of the Garden are two trees, one that gives eternal life, the other the knowledge of good and evil, and the God's warning effectively creates a choice for Adam and Eve, obedience and life, or disobedience and death. One would think that this choice would be simple, and yet we find that Eve was easily persuaded the better choice was the latter, because had lied about the result of the eating of the fruit. The basic truth communicated here is that God desired us to experience eternal life (It was ok to eat from that tree) and thus remain in relationship with God! This is God's desire for man, and we are all included in that original plan.
However, God also gave man free choice. He seems to have made the rules pretty simple, and yet, man failed to choose wisely. The result of that bad choice was not experiencing eternal life, not experiencing continued relationship with God, and ultimately death. This curse was passed to all future generations. Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth describes how Jesus cancelled this death that was passed to us by Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIV: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
Thus, with the cancelling of sentence of death, Jesus has made a away for us to experience eternal life. In addition, Jesus said that He was the way to relationship with the Father, effectively cancelling the sentence of separation. Jesus described it in this way - John 14:6-7 NIV: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
In Jesus' death and resurrection, we are all set free from the ramifications of the original sin, and are free now to choose our own path. This is what free-will is all about, and why God feels so strongly about it. We now have the opportunity to choose relationship with Him and as a result eternal life. He gives us the same choice as Adam and Eva had, and we are free to choose. Jesus describes this in the following verses - John 17:1-3 NIV: "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
It is in knowing God, in relationship with Him, that we experience eternal life. We can choose this, or we can choose the other option. We have free-will, and it is in this free-will that we can choose God, establishing real relationship, entering into His Family as His son or daughter. Paul describes this in the following verses - Galatians 4:4-6 NIV: "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.”
Finally, back to my original question and thought, Jesus' death and crucifixion effectively redeemed us all from being under the law, under the sentence imposed on us due to the original sin of man. The Greek word here translated redeem, is the word 'exagorazo' and it is defined as: "to redeem by payment of a price, to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off" The idea here is that we were effectively held captive by the sentence of death and separation, and Jesus paid the price, or the ransom to set us all free. He did this for all of us! As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans 5:8 NIV: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This morning, I am one again amazed at the love God has for us, His desire for relationship and His plan to enable us to experience eternal life with Him. He has made a way to cancel the effects of the original sin, and give us each the opportunity to know Him, to love Him and to choose relationship with Him. He paid the ransom, one of infinite worth, to set us free and restore to us freedom to choose. Let us take this opportunity to choose wisely and become His sons and daughters and experience eternal life in Him.
Amen!
[8] "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. [9] The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground---trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
[15] "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [16] And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Without going to the temptation section found in chapter three, I wanted to look at the foundation of truth that is laid out for us in this story. Earlier in Genesis, (Gen. 1:29) God had given the fruit of every plant and tree to Adam to eat, and that is the assumed understanding in reading these verses. So God planted the garden, put man in it to steward it (verse 15) and told man that he could eat of any tree in the garden except the one - that which was called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Please notice that there was no rule about not eating from the tree of life, so in God's original intent was the ability for man to eat of that tree, and experience the benefits of that tree. Later, God describes the benefits of eating of that tree as living forever (Gen 3:21) like God.
I find it interesting that in the very middle of the Garden are two trees, one that gives eternal life, the other the knowledge of good and evil, and the God's warning effectively creates a choice for Adam and Eve, obedience and life, or disobedience and death. One would think that this choice would be simple, and yet we find that Eve was easily persuaded the better choice was the latter, because had lied about the result of the eating of the fruit. The basic truth communicated here is that God desired us to experience eternal life (It was ok to eat from that tree) and thus remain in relationship with God! This is God's desire for man, and we are all included in that original plan.
However, God also gave man free choice. He seems to have made the rules pretty simple, and yet, man failed to choose wisely. The result of that bad choice was not experiencing eternal life, not experiencing continued relationship with God, and ultimately death. This curse was passed to all future generations. Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth describes how Jesus cancelled this death that was passed to us by Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIV: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
Thus, with the cancelling of sentence of death, Jesus has made a away for us to experience eternal life. In addition, Jesus said that He was the way to relationship with the Father, effectively cancelling the sentence of separation. Jesus described it in this way - John 14:6-7 NIV: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
In Jesus' death and resurrection, we are all set free from the ramifications of the original sin, and are free now to choose our own path. This is what free-will is all about, and why God feels so strongly about it. We now have the opportunity to choose relationship with Him and as a result eternal life. He gives us the same choice as Adam and Eva had, and we are free to choose. Jesus describes this in the following verses - John 17:1-3 NIV: "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
It is in knowing God, in relationship with Him, that we experience eternal life. We can choose this, or we can choose the other option. We have free-will, and it is in this free-will that we can choose God, establishing real relationship, entering into His Family as His son or daughter. Paul describes this in the following verses - Galatians 4:4-6 NIV: "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.”
Finally, back to my original question and thought, Jesus' death and crucifixion effectively redeemed us all from being under the law, under the sentence imposed on us due to the original sin of man. The Greek word here translated redeem, is the word 'exagorazo' and it is defined as: "to redeem by payment of a price, to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off" The idea here is that we were effectively held captive by the sentence of death and separation, and Jesus paid the price, or the ransom to set us all free. He did this for all of us! As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans 5:8 NIV: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This morning, I am one again amazed at the love God has for us, His desire for relationship and His plan to enable us to experience eternal life with Him. He has made a way to cancel the effects of the original sin, and give us each the opportunity to know Him, to love Him and to choose relationship with Him. He paid the ransom, one of infinite worth, to set us free and restore to us freedom to choose. Let us take this opportunity to choose wisely and become His sons and daughters and experience eternal life in Him.
Amen!
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Religion, Rules, Relationships and God's Love
This morning I am reading from John's Gospel, and reflecting on one of the healings that Jesus did, and the fall-out of that miracle in the eyes of the Jews. Here is the story - John 5:2-3,5-10,16-21 NIV:
[2] "Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. [3] Here a great number of disabled people used to lie---the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [5] One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. [6] When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
[7] “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
[8] "Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” [9] At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, [10] and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
[16] "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. [17] In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [18] For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."
[19] "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. [21] For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it."
This is such an amazing story and one that we could look at from several different points of view.
First there is a man, and invalid for 38 years. To be restored in an instant is a miracle. That would require the complete rebuilding and restoration of muscles and ligaments and tendons that after 38 years would have been atrophied, bound up tight, and unable to move easily. In the natural, a man in that condition would require years of physical therapy to be restored, if that was even possible. Here, following Jesus' command to "Get up!" the man was instantly restored. Note that there was no statement about the man's faith, or anything. He had hope that God could heal, and maybe a little faith, but nothing that Jesus commented on or probably even enflamed. Jesus, sensing the will of the Father just came up to this random man and healed him.
We see later that Jesus, beginning in verse 19, describes His motivation and obedience. He did what the Father showed Him to do. In other words, when He walked into that area, full of sick and lame people, The Father highlighted this one man to Jesus, not all the rest of the people, just the one man, and told Jesus to heal him. This is one of the rare times we see Jesus only heal one person in the mist of many sick and lame, as usually when out in the countryside He healed everyone that was brought to Him. Anyway, here the Father just told Him to heal the one man, and He did just that, and then blended back into the crowd.
Thinking about this more, I think that Jesus must have had at least John and one or two others with him, as this seems like an eye-witness account. Anyway, He must not have made any show of the healing, nor did He hang around for even the realization of healing by the man, as the very next thing we see is that the man was confronted by the Jewish leaders about carrying His mat, and it seems like He was just carrying the mat and heading out for a walk. It was only after confronting and questioning the man that they even realized that Jesus was involved.
Clearly, Jesus was under orders from the Father about what to do and when to do it. In this case, it was heal one man, then leave the vicinity. I think likely because it wasn't time for the real confrontation in Jerusalem between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. Imagine the wild situation that would have occurred if Jesus had healed everyone in the room! They knew that once in a while God would send an Angel to stir the waters and heal one person, imagine what they would have thought if Jesus stepped in and healed them all!
Back to the story at hand, what I really wanted to think about about was the response of the leaders, and John even says this included many of the Jews in general. Instead of celebrating God's visitation, and the fact that when questioned, Jesus basically says He is the Messiah, they get all bent out of shape that He told the man to break the Sabbath Rules. I think this is indicative of a wrong understanding of the nature and character of God. They thought the bigger issue to God was someone breaking a Law (not working on the Sabbath was one of the 10 commandments). They apparently saw God as someone waiting to punish their sins and transgressions, rather than someone who created life and loved His creation! They were focused on the rules, not the nature of God, nor relationship with Him. They were so focused on the rules, that they missed the Messiah in their midst.
I believe that this is the case in many of our churches today as well. How many churches spend much of their time focused on what you can't or shouldn't do? The fact that Christians are basically viewed as judgmental people (at least in the media) is a good indication that the focus on rules rather than character and relationship still runs strong. We are called to love one another, to present to the world the Loving Father, as Jesus did during His ministry. We are called to welcome sinners, and to demonstrate the Good News! Telling someone that what they are doing is wrong is not very much like spreading the Good News of Christ, and the Gospel of Grace! Oh Lord, help us!
Anyway, as I reflected on these verses today, I realized that should people walk in the fullness of Jesus' ministry, seeing people healed, and miracles occurring regularly, that they would likely meet with the same reaction that Jesus did from the religious establishment. They would be attacked, and rejected, their methods and messages would be called into question! The healings that occurred would be questioned and doubted. We see that happening today with many of the great ministries that I know of that see healings and miracles, and that is a sad statement about at least part of the Body of Christ.
Finally, the most important thing in this story is that the man who was healed must have known that God loved him. If he reflected at all on the occurrence, he would have realized that Jesus walked into a room full of sick people and healed him alone. He must have realized that this was a sign of God's love, even in spite of his sin. Oh, that this would be the focus and desire of ministry in our churches, that people would know that they are loved and accepted by God, even if they are sinners. Paul echoed this truth when He wrote this in his letter to the Romans 5:8 NIV: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Now that is Good News!
Lord, I pray that You will help us to be bearers of Good News! I pray that You will help the church to free itself from this focus on religion, rather than relationship with You! I pray that through Your church that You will convince the world that You are indeed the Savior!
Amen!
[2] "Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. [3] Here a great number of disabled people used to lie---the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [5] One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. [6] When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
[7] “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
[8] "Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” [9] At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, [10] and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
[16] "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. [17] In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [18] For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."
[19] "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. [21] For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it."
This is such an amazing story and one that we could look at from several different points of view.
First there is a man, and invalid for 38 years. To be restored in an instant is a miracle. That would require the complete rebuilding and restoration of muscles and ligaments and tendons that after 38 years would have been atrophied, bound up tight, and unable to move easily. In the natural, a man in that condition would require years of physical therapy to be restored, if that was even possible. Here, following Jesus' command to "Get up!" the man was instantly restored. Note that there was no statement about the man's faith, or anything. He had hope that God could heal, and maybe a little faith, but nothing that Jesus commented on or probably even enflamed. Jesus, sensing the will of the Father just came up to this random man and healed him.
We see later that Jesus, beginning in verse 19, describes His motivation and obedience. He did what the Father showed Him to do. In other words, when He walked into that area, full of sick and lame people, The Father highlighted this one man to Jesus, not all the rest of the people, just the one man, and told Jesus to heal him. This is one of the rare times we see Jesus only heal one person in the mist of many sick and lame, as usually when out in the countryside He healed everyone that was brought to Him. Anyway, here the Father just told Him to heal the one man, and He did just that, and then blended back into the crowd.
Thinking about this more, I think that Jesus must have had at least John and one or two others with him, as this seems like an eye-witness account. Anyway, He must not have made any show of the healing, nor did He hang around for even the realization of healing by the man, as the very next thing we see is that the man was confronted by the Jewish leaders about carrying His mat, and it seems like He was just carrying the mat and heading out for a walk. It was only after confronting and questioning the man that they even realized that Jesus was involved.
Clearly, Jesus was under orders from the Father about what to do and when to do it. In this case, it was heal one man, then leave the vicinity. I think likely because it wasn't time for the real confrontation in Jerusalem between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. Imagine the wild situation that would have occurred if Jesus had healed everyone in the room! They knew that once in a while God would send an Angel to stir the waters and heal one person, imagine what they would have thought if Jesus stepped in and healed them all!
Back to the story at hand, what I really wanted to think about about was the response of the leaders, and John even says this included many of the Jews in general. Instead of celebrating God's visitation, and the fact that when questioned, Jesus basically says He is the Messiah, they get all bent out of shape that He told the man to break the Sabbath Rules. I think this is indicative of a wrong understanding of the nature and character of God. They thought the bigger issue to God was someone breaking a Law (not working on the Sabbath was one of the 10 commandments). They apparently saw God as someone waiting to punish their sins and transgressions, rather than someone who created life and loved His creation! They were focused on the rules, not the nature of God, nor relationship with Him. They were so focused on the rules, that they missed the Messiah in their midst.
I believe that this is the case in many of our churches today as well. How many churches spend much of their time focused on what you can't or shouldn't do? The fact that Christians are basically viewed as judgmental people (at least in the media) is a good indication that the focus on rules rather than character and relationship still runs strong. We are called to love one another, to present to the world the Loving Father, as Jesus did during His ministry. We are called to welcome sinners, and to demonstrate the Good News! Telling someone that what they are doing is wrong is not very much like spreading the Good News of Christ, and the Gospel of Grace! Oh Lord, help us!
Anyway, as I reflected on these verses today, I realized that should people walk in the fullness of Jesus' ministry, seeing people healed, and miracles occurring regularly, that they would likely meet with the same reaction that Jesus did from the religious establishment. They would be attacked, and rejected, their methods and messages would be called into question! The healings that occurred would be questioned and doubted. We see that happening today with many of the great ministries that I know of that see healings and miracles, and that is a sad statement about at least part of the Body of Christ.
Finally, the most important thing in this story is that the man who was healed must have known that God loved him. If he reflected at all on the occurrence, he would have realized that Jesus walked into a room full of sick people and healed him alone. He must have realized that this was a sign of God's love, even in spite of his sin. Oh, that this would be the focus and desire of ministry in our churches, that people would know that they are loved and accepted by God, even if they are sinners. Paul echoed this truth when He wrote this in his letter to the Romans 5:8 NIV: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Now that is Good News!
Lord, I pray that You will help us to be bearers of Good News! I pray that You will help the church to free itself from this focus on religion, rather than relationship with You! I pray that through Your church that You will convince the world that You are indeed the Savior!
Amen!
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Overcoming Fear and Weakness
This morning I am reflecting on a couple of verses from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. He is finishing up his letter and has a few comments and requests towards the end. Sometimes, I like to look at what Paul is saying and also what he is inferring. In this case it is the latter approach I am taking. Here are the verses - Ephesians 6:19-20 NIV:
[19] "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
Paul was the epitome of a hardy and courageous evangelist, at least that is how it seems to me. Sometimes when I read his writings, he seems almost super-human, and maybe that is because he is so aware of his empowerment by the Holy Spirit. However, as I read these verses this morning, I was struck by his humanity.
In three sentences Paul asks for prayers that he might proclaim the Gospel fearlessly twice, NOT continue to proclaim the Gospel fearlessly. That might seem like a very small point, but as I read through his statement, some of his vulnerability and normalness leaked through to me, or at least that is what I am assuming. It seems to me that Paul is admitting at times he is fearful to proclaim the Gospel, and He knows that is not how He should feel, but not in actuality how he does.
I don't know about you, but for me these human insights are encouraging. Frankly speaking, I am more often fearful to proclaim the Gospel than not, especially in hostile environments or out in general public. I am fine speaking of the Glory of God and His Kingdom and my relationship with Him in private or in settings where it is expected, but at other times, the fear of man wells up in my heart and mind. I know that I should proclaim the Gospel fearlessly (verse 20 above), but at times I don't and I would like the same prayers for strengthening as Paul is requesting here!
I am encouraged that Paul is near the end of his ministry as He writes this, for he is in chains, and yet he apparently feels no shame nor judgment nor guilt in writing these requests. Sometimes, I think that we expect so much out of our pastors, and teachers and men of God, that we don't allow them to be human, and that is not healthy for us, or them. If we cannot see that these people, whether man or woman who serve the Lord and are widely recognized by the greater body of Christ, are human and have the same imperfect natures as we do, than we set unreal expectations and are doomed to disappointment. We are all weak, we are all sinners, we are all human, and none have walked perfectly. If we think that even super apostles like Paul were immune to the same things we struggle with daily, then we are wrong, and really need to assess our mind-set.
I am encourages, because this helps me to stay engaged, to believe that I can be used by God, even if I am weak, sinful or afraid. So often the enemy tries to tell us that we are unacceptable or have disqualified ourselves because of our weakness of sinfulness, and that is simply not true. The body of Christ in general, and as a whole, needs to learn to extend grace and mercy to all, especially to ourselves and to our leaders. It is ok for them to be imperfect, and we should not look down on them or be disappointed by them when we discover their imperfections or weakness. We should be praying for them, that in spite of these normal human weaknesses, that they can continue to press forward as they know they should, but sometimes don't feel they can. We should hold them up and extend to them grace and encouragement. We should be thankful for their willingness to lay it all out before us. We should pray for ourselves that we can do the same.
The truth is that God fully knows our condition, and has never expected us to be anything other than ourselves. He loved us when we were still sinners and lost. He loves us even now in spite of any weakness or fear that we struggle with, and He will love us always with the same passion. He never disqualifies us for some debt of sin, because He paid for every one of those sins!
I am reminded of Brother Lawrence, a simple man who followed God and who became famous for his simple faith (See Practicing the Presence of God - a short book of his saying and thoughts). His approach to his own sinfulness was to say to God, "What do you expect God? I am a sinner". It wasn't an excuse, just a simple acknowledgement of his inner nature and limitations. He knew that God didn't expect anything more, and after that short exclamation, would repent (change his mind and actions concerning whatever he had struggled with) and continue on in intimate relationship with the Lord.
In the same way, maybe we could extend mercy to ourselves, not as an excuse, but as a simple recognition that we too are human, and imperfect, even as Paul and every other saint and apostle. Maybe we could even extend the same mercy to our leaders, extending to them the same understanding.
Finally, we should be encouraged to pray for ourselves, for each other and especially for our leaders. Fear is not from God, and is one of the enemy's tactics to try and cause us to fail or falter! Let us overcome our fear, through the encouragement and empowering of the Holy Spirit, and one another, and let us press forward as we should, even if we sometimes don't.
Amen! Let us embrace our humanness and look to God for His help to overcome!
[19] "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
Paul was the epitome of a hardy and courageous evangelist, at least that is how it seems to me. Sometimes when I read his writings, he seems almost super-human, and maybe that is because he is so aware of his empowerment by the Holy Spirit. However, as I read these verses this morning, I was struck by his humanity.
In three sentences Paul asks for prayers that he might proclaim the Gospel fearlessly twice, NOT continue to proclaim the Gospel fearlessly. That might seem like a very small point, but as I read through his statement, some of his vulnerability and normalness leaked through to me, or at least that is what I am assuming. It seems to me that Paul is admitting at times he is fearful to proclaim the Gospel, and He knows that is not how He should feel, but not in actuality how he does.
I don't know about you, but for me these human insights are encouraging. Frankly speaking, I am more often fearful to proclaim the Gospel than not, especially in hostile environments or out in general public. I am fine speaking of the Glory of God and His Kingdom and my relationship with Him in private or in settings where it is expected, but at other times, the fear of man wells up in my heart and mind. I know that I should proclaim the Gospel fearlessly (verse 20 above), but at times I don't and I would like the same prayers for strengthening as Paul is requesting here!
I am encouraged that Paul is near the end of his ministry as He writes this, for he is in chains, and yet he apparently feels no shame nor judgment nor guilt in writing these requests. Sometimes, I think that we expect so much out of our pastors, and teachers and men of God, that we don't allow them to be human, and that is not healthy for us, or them. If we cannot see that these people, whether man or woman who serve the Lord and are widely recognized by the greater body of Christ, are human and have the same imperfect natures as we do, than we set unreal expectations and are doomed to disappointment. We are all weak, we are all sinners, we are all human, and none have walked perfectly. If we think that even super apostles like Paul were immune to the same things we struggle with daily, then we are wrong, and really need to assess our mind-set.
I am encourages, because this helps me to stay engaged, to believe that I can be used by God, even if I am weak, sinful or afraid. So often the enemy tries to tell us that we are unacceptable or have disqualified ourselves because of our weakness of sinfulness, and that is simply not true. The body of Christ in general, and as a whole, needs to learn to extend grace and mercy to all, especially to ourselves and to our leaders. It is ok for them to be imperfect, and we should not look down on them or be disappointed by them when we discover their imperfections or weakness. We should be praying for them, that in spite of these normal human weaknesses, that they can continue to press forward as they know they should, but sometimes don't feel they can. We should hold them up and extend to them grace and encouragement. We should be thankful for their willingness to lay it all out before us. We should pray for ourselves that we can do the same.
The truth is that God fully knows our condition, and has never expected us to be anything other than ourselves. He loved us when we were still sinners and lost. He loves us even now in spite of any weakness or fear that we struggle with, and He will love us always with the same passion. He never disqualifies us for some debt of sin, because He paid for every one of those sins!
I am reminded of Brother Lawrence, a simple man who followed God and who became famous for his simple faith (See Practicing the Presence of God - a short book of his saying and thoughts). His approach to his own sinfulness was to say to God, "What do you expect God? I am a sinner". It wasn't an excuse, just a simple acknowledgement of his inner nature and limitations. He knew that God didn't expect anything more, and after that short exclamation, would repent (change his mind and actions concerning whatever he had struggled with) and continue on in intimate relationship with the Lord.
In the same way, maybe we could extend mercy to ourselves, not as an excuse, but as a simple recognition that we too are human, and imperfect, even as Paul and every other saint and apostle. Maybe we could even extend the same mercy to our leaders, extending to them the same understanding.
Finally, we should be encouraged to pray for ourselves, for each other and especially for our leaders. Fear is not from God, and is one of the enemy's tactics to try and cause us to fail or falter! Let us overcome our fear, through the encouragement and empowering of the Holy Spirit, and one another, and let us press forward as we should, even if we sometimes don't.
Amen! Let us embrace our humanness and look to God for His help to overcome!
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Moving the Unmovable!
This morning I have been reflecting on a few verses that are generally well known. These particular ones come from the Gospel of Mark 11:22-25 NIV:
[22] “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. [23] “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [25] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
As I was reading these verses this morning I had a few thoughts which I don't believe I have had before concerning these statements by Jesus. Anytime that happens (New thoughts about familiar verses) I try to pay special attention because often the Lord is bringing new insight for a reason.
First, I was reflecting on verse 24, which is often read as a simple logical flow of cause and effect. Simply stated - 'If you believe that you have received something, then it will happen'. This verse is often mis-used by certain streams of the prosperity gospel crowd, acting as if we believe something hard enough that we will cause God to give us that which we desire. This is sometimes referred to as the "name it, claim it" principle.
Anyway, when I read these verses this morning, I read them from the point of relationship and hearing from God. We are called to a life of prayer, communication with God, and believe that He speaks to us and will tell us what to do. Jesus demonstrated perfectly this life of relationship with the Father, and went so far as to say that everything He did and said was from the Father (John 8:28 & John 14:9-10). In other words, the Father was the initiator of pretty much everything in Jesus' life. He (Jesus) had to have been in a constant state of listening and responding because of His love for the Father. Jesus calls us to the same, obedience because of love (John 14:15). In light of Jesus' example of listening and responding, doing because the Father told him too, I read these verses this morning and believe that Jesus is describing how He operated, and how we are invited to operate.
Breaking this statement down in this light, first the requirement is to be in prayer, in communication with the Father, listening and speaking, but believing that we will receive direction and guidance, as Jesus demonstrated. Second, the ask is based on what we hear the Father saying. Sort of like this - The Father says, "I want to give you a bike, would you like a bike?" We respond, because of what we heard the Father say, "Yes, please may I have a bike!" Note: I know this is not a great example because it is focused on material things, and although the Lord loves to bless us with those things, His desire is that we desire the greater things, like spiritual gifts and learning to walk in His Love. I think this demonstrates what I felt was new revelation to me this morning. The originator of the belief is the Father, and the belief we have is because of what we have heard from Him. If we operate in this paradigm, it is clearly as good as accomplished because the Father is faithful and true.
My second reflection was that this teaching was also about walking in relationship and, thus, authority. All our authority in this world comes from Jesus, who has all authority (Matt 28:18). He is instructing His followers that they are to have faith in God, operate in and through relationship with him, and then believe that what He tells them He will back up with His authority. If they do, He will give His authority to them for such a situation. This authority is real authority in the natural as well as the spiritual realm, for both exist in His Kingdom.
Finally, it is interesting to note that Jesus was walking toward Jerusalem from Bethany when He said these things. They were on their way to the Temple, which sits on the Temple Mount. I wonder, if when He was talking about "this mountain" if He was gesturing toward the Temple Mount(ain)? If so that probably would have really caused the disciples to stop in their tracks, for the Temple was the very center of worship in their lives and the lives of all the Jews. Yet, in retrospect, it was all at God's initiation and direction that the Temple existed there at all, so He certainly has the authority to do whatever He wanted with it. Regardless, it was meant to be a powerful image of what was possible when we join ourselves to God, in relationship, and operate under His authority! We can move what appear to be unmovable things!
This morning I am encouraged to listen more and to believe for bigger things in the Spiritual realm (as well as the natural), because I know that the Lord wants teach me about His authority and power, His love and faithfulness. He is good far beyond our wildest imaginations, and He wants us to grasp that and operate in that here on earth, demonstrating to others the reality of His Kingdom!
Amen Lord! Help me to hear, believe and obey!
[22] “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. [23] “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [25] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
As I was reading these verses this morning I had a few thoughts which I don't believe I have had before concerning these statements by Jesus. Anytime that happens (New thoughts about familiar verses) I try to pay special attention because often the Lord is bringing new insight for a reason.
First, I was reflecting on verse 24, which is often read as a simple logical flow of cause and effect. Simply stated - 'If you believe that you have received something, then it will happen'. This verse is often mis-used by certain streams of the prosperity gospel crowd, acting as if we believe something hard enough that we will cause God to give us that which we desire. This is sometimes referred to as the "name it, claim it" principle.
Anyway, when I read these verses this morning, I read them from the point of relationship and hearing from God. We are called to a life of prayer, communication with God, and believe that He speaks to us and will tell us what to do. Jesus demonstrated perfectly this life of relationship with the Father, and went so far as to say that everything He did and said was from the Father (John 8:28 & John 14:9-10). In other words, the Father was the initiator of pretty much everything in Jesus' life. He (Jesus) had to have been in a constant state of listening and responding because of His love for the Father. Jesus calls us to the same, obedience because of love (John 14:15). In light of Jesus' example of listening and responding, doing because the Father told him too, I read these verses this morning and believe that Jesus is describing how He operated, and how we are invited to operate.
Breaking this statement down in this light, first the requirement is to be in prayer, in communication with the Father, listening and speaking, but believing that we will receive direction and guidance, as Jesus demonstrated. Second, the ask is based on what we hear the Father saying. Sort of like this - The Father says, "I want to give you a bike, would you like a bike?" We respond, because of what we heard the Father say, "Yes, please may I have a bike!" Note: I know this is not a great example because it is focused on material things, and although the Lord loves to bless us with those things, His desire is that we desire the greater things, like spiritual gifts and learning to walk in His Love. I think this demonstrates what I felt was new revelation to me this morning. The originator of the belief is the Father, and the belief we have is because of what we have heard from Him. If we operate in this paradigm, it is clearly as good as accomplished because the Father is faithful and true.
My second reflection was that this teaching was also about walking in relationship and, thus, authority. All our authority in this world comes from Jesus, who has all authority (Matt 28:18). He is instructing His followers that they are to have faith in God, operate in and through relationship with him, and then believe that what He tells them He will back up with His authority. If they do, He will give His authority to them for such a situation. This authority is real authority in the natural as well as the spiritual realm, for both exist in His Kingdom.
Finally, it is interesting to note that Jesus was walking toward Jerusalem from Bethany when He said these things. They were on their way to the Temple, which sits on the Temple Mount. I wonder, if when He was talking about "this mountain" if He was gesturing toward the Temple Mount(ain)? If so that probably would have really caused the disciples to stop in their tracks, for the Temple was the very center of worship in their lives and the lives of all the Jews. Yet, in retrospect, it was all at God's initiation and direction that the Temple existed there at all, so He certainly has the authority to do whatever He wanted with it. Regardless, it was meant to be a powerful image of what was possible when we join ourselves to God, in relationship, and operate under His authority! We can move what appear to be unmovable things!
This morning I am encouraged to listen more and to believe for bigger things in the Spiritual realm (as well as the natural), because I know that the Lord wants teach me about His authority and power, His love and faithfulness. He is good far beyond our wildest imaginations, and He wants us to grasp that and operate in that here on earth, demonstrating to others the reality of His Kingdom!
Amen Lord! Help me to hear, believe and obey!
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
God's Body-Building Strategy
This morning I am reflecting on some famous verses from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. He is talking about the five-fold gifts that Christ has distributed and why they are given. I have included both the preceding directive verses as well as they are the verses that provide the reason for the gifts.
Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16 NIV:
[7] "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. [8] This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
[11] "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
When I read these verses, I am so encouraged by the Body-building strategy of the Lord for it seems quite straght forward and includes roles for everyone. At the same time, I am discouraged at the church's general inability to grasp the strategy of the Lord here, and the general misunderstanding of these verses as evident in the structure and day-to-day life of much of the church. I think Paul lays out a vision for the church that is quite clear:
1) Jesus gave gifts of grace to us all, some with very specific roles and responsibilities.
2) These specific roles - apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are meant to equip all HIS people for works of service
3) The works of service are meant to build up the body
4) The body is built up so that we can reach unity in faith and knowledge and become mature.
5) Maturity enables the body of Christ, the church, to stand strong in the face of deceit and wrong teaching, as being tossed around is a sign of immaturity.
6) Maturity allows us to speak the truth, in love, in the face of deceit and wrong teaching.
7) This maturity and truth allows us to build the church in Love!
8) This is only possible if every part does its work.
When I break it down like this, it is helpful in understanding the effects of misunderstanding God's strategy and purpose. For example, if we remove some of the specific roles listed in point two above, we lose the ability to fully equip the people for their works of service. If that happens the body is not built up correctly, and that keeps us from maturing correctly, which enables us to either be deceived by wrong teaching, or not understand how to respond when we do recognize wrong teaching. Overall, it keeps us from unity and maturity and building the church in love, as not every part is able to do its work.
I think that as we review this list and the present state of much of the church, at least the church in the west, we see that we are missing some of the key roles listed by Paul. If that is the case, then the church becomes weak and immature, and I think that is an accurate assessment of the church overall. There are pockets of the church that are embracing these grace gifts of Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in their fullness, and that is awesome! My prayer is that the rest of the Body of Christ awakens to our short-sightedness and misunderstanding of God's strategy.
We desperately need very person enabled, trained and released to their works of service that will build up the church! Too many people have no idea that they have anything to offer the church other than their money! We need people built up in their gifts, releasing the fruit of their gifts, walking in a maturity that only comes through growth and identity in the Body! We are supposed to walk in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, our Head, exercising the full measure of His fullness in the earth. We are supposed to exhibit to the world greater love, power and authority than they have ever seen!
We are called to be greater than we are, and it is my prayer that all in the Body of Christ recognize this call, recognize the strategy and gifts provided by the Lord and embraces it fully! It is time for the church to rise up in maturity so that we can speak the truth in love to a deceived world! We are called to be connected to one another in love and relationship, and demonstrating power and authority! God has given us His Body-building strategy, and it's time for us to embrace it!
Amen! Help Us Lord Jesus!
Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16 NIV:
[7] "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. [8] This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
[11] "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
When I read these verses, I am so encouraged by the Body-building strategy of the Lord for it seems quite straght forward and includes roles for everyone. At the same time, I am discouraged at the church's general inability to grasp the strategy of the Lord here, and the general misunderstanding of these verses as evident in the structure and day-to-day life of much of the church. I think Paul lays out a vision for the church that is quite clear:
1) Jesus gave gifts of grace to us all, some with very specific roles and responsibilities.
2) These specific roles - apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are meant to equip all HIS people for works of service
3) The works of service are meant to build up the body
4) The body is built up so that we can reach unity in faith and knowledge and become mature.
5) Maturity enables the body of Christ, the church, to stand strong in the face of deceit and wrong teaching, as being tossed around is a sign of immaturity.
6) Maturity allows us to speak the truth, in love, in the face of deceit and wrong teaching.
7) This maturity and truth allows us to build the church in Love!
8) This is only possible if every part does its work.
When I break it down like this, it is helpful in understanding the effects of misunderstanding God's strategy and purpose. For example, if we remove some of the specific roles listed in point two above, we lose the ability to fully equip the people for their works of service. If that happens the body is not built up correctly, and that keeps us from maturing correctly, which enables us to either be deceived by wrong teaching, or not understand how to respond when we do recognize wrong teaching. Overall, it keeps us from unity and maturity and building the church in love, as not every part is able to do its work.
I think that as we review this list and the present state of much of the church, at least the church in the west, we see that we are missing some of the key roles listed by Paul. If that is the case, then the church becomes weak and immature, and I think that is an accurate assessment of the church overall. There are pockets of the church that are embracing these grace gifts of Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in their fullness, and that is awesome! My prayer is that the rest of the Body of Christ awakens to our short-sightedness and misunderstanding of God's strategy.
We desperately need very person enabled, trained and released to their works of service that will build up the church! Too many people have no idea that they have anything to offer the church other than their money! We need people built up in their gifts, releasing the fruit of their gifts, walking in a maturity that only comes through growth and identity in the Body! We are supposed to walk in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, our Head, exercising the full measure of His fullness in the earth. We are supposed to exhibit to the world greater love, power and authority than they have ever seen!
We are called to be greater than we are, and it is my prayer that all in the Body of Christ recognize this call, recognize the strategy and gifts provided by the Lord and embraces it fully! It is time for the church to rise up in maturity so that we can speak the truth in love to a deceived world! We are called to be connected to one another in love and relationship, and demonstrating power and authority! God has given us His Body-building strategy, and it's time for us to embrace it!
Amen! Help Us Lord Jesus!
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