What's My Job?

This morning I am reflecting upon a few verses from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. The verses are interspersed in the same chapter, and all have a similar theme.  Here are the verses - Ephesians 5:1-2,8-10,15-17 NIV:

[1] "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." 

[8] "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [9] (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) [10] and find out what pleases the Lord." 

[15] "Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

I reading these I want to pull together the three thoughts that seemed connected to me.   They are "Follow God's Example", "find out what pleases the Lord", and understand what the Lord's will is."   These are pretty straight forward phrases, but to really engage in each,  we are required to a gain level of relationship beyond just knowing what is in the Bible. 

What I mean is this, God's will, what pleases the Lord and following His example, are great things, but there is so much need in this world, that trying to do everything that pleases the Lord or follows His example would be impossible for any one individual.  In the same way that we are each a part of the Body of Christ, we each have a particular role to play in the greater effort that is God's overarching will.  He is about so much in this world, that we must have the ability to discern, each for themselves, what is God's particular will for them, and it will likely be different for each.  I could be called to serve homeless, widows, orphans, the poor, the wounded, the disabled, the lost, the young disciples, the marketplace, the leadership, or any number of other needy groups.  I could be called to teach, to pastor, to evangelism, to service, to hospitality, to mercy gifts, to prophetic ministry, and any other gift or ministry calling.  All of these is following God's example, pleasing to Him, and doing His will.

The key here is that we each must understand this for ourselves.  We must learn to listen to the Lord, and put our hands to that which He directs.  Early in our Christian walk we were widely involved in several things, and it seemed like every time we turned around we had another great opportunity, and we were starting to become overwhelmed at the need.  I asked the Lord for some guidance and He gave me some very good advice, saying that if we didn't have clear direction, then we needed to wait and see what stayed at the top of our hearts and thoughts.  He didn't want us burning ourselves out, and thus provided us guidance to wait and let things work themselves out in time.  It was great wisdom, at least for us, and it helps us to achieve balance in our lives, without feeling guilty about all the other things we could be doing.

At the end of my days, I want to be able to say that I ran the particular race that was marked out for me!  I am not competing with anyone else, for each of our courses is as unique as we are!  I want to know that I have followed the Lord's example, that I have tried to do what pleased Him, and looked to His will every day.  I am confident that if this is my heart that He, who wants me to succeed at the very things He has set before me to do, will guide me and direct me! 

My prayer today is that my heart and mind may be sensitive to His will, His purpose, His pleasure, and His example!  

Amen and Amen!

Run The Race Like Its A Sprint AND A Marathon

 

This morning I am reading some verses from James, chapter four once again.  It seems like I have been spending quite a bit of time in James, of late.  I certainly don't mind, as i greatly appreciate his practical and straightforward direction.   This morning I had a thought that I don't know that I have ever had before, and it was based a few sets of verses  - James 4:1-3,13-17 NIV:

[1] "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? [2] You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. [3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." 

[13] "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” [14] Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [15] Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. [17] If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."

As I was reading these verses, and had previously read some from  2 Cor 6, I was seeing a correlation between the struggles for unity and the ability to love one another, and selfishness and self-focus.  This certainly isn't rocket science, as our selfishness and self focus will cause us to consider others needs less then our own, and will cause us to think our perspective is the correct one.  While basic human nature, it is upon this fault that much of the division in the church is founded.  Anyway, as I was reading this, I had a sense of how the church has failed to mature in many ways, and much of it can be blamed this spirit and this issue.  

What I thought this morning, was what would it be like if we decided to put our own desires and wants on the back burner, and decided to embrace a larger scale vision, one that is multi-generational?  The line in verse 14, "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" got me thinking about the futility of us trying to affect real change in a single life-time, not saying we shouldn't try, but rather that many issues are decades, centuries and even a millennium old and societal change, takes time, and we would be wise to plan accordingly.

So often the teaching and preaching I hear is about the here and now, applications to our life, and that is good and healthy, but it seems we have lost our long-term vision, our understanding of being part of a greater plan, a greater purpose, and we need to connect to that!  In our constant focus on our present life, our present actions, we can easily lose track of the longer-term, Kingdom vision that the Lord would have us embrace.  

In my mind, I saw it like it was a hundred year plan that everyone understood and embraced and passed to the next generation.  Key to this would be an understanding that each generation has a purpose and part to play, but that it is impossible, aside from a great move of God where He utterly changes everything, to see this type of change in a single generation, and thus requires a long-term vision and plan.

I guess I could liken this to the difference between buying a lottery ticket every week in the hopes of setting up my kids with a great financial blessing, and starting a company with the intent of passing it to my children, as a source of long-term blessing.  One takes significant effort, the other is made possible by a some stroke of luck.  As I think about revival, it seems too often my mindset is more of the lottery, just hoping God will move in one big Divine invasion, rather than working to affect change that will produce long-term generational blessing.  While the latter seems like the antithesis of what James is writing about in verses 13-16, I think his focus is on selfishness, and self-focused plans, and not on God's plan for Kingdom advancement.

So, how do we break out of our self-focused, short-term vision and lift our eyes, hearts and minds to the bigger picture?  First, it seems that we need to make sure our local congregation has an understanding of the greater Body of Christ.  We must understand that all of the local congregations with their different denominational affiliations are all part of the same Body of Christ!  We must start to learn who they are, love them and be for them, we must be for all who are part of the Body of Christ!  We are not in competition, we are meant to encourage and strengthen and bless our brethren!  

Secondly, we must come together at some level and start asking God for a greater vision, an understanding of His purposes and plans for our region, for our city, for our state and even country!  It is hard to embrace a vision, if we have none!  Often times in past generations, the belief that they were in the last generation before the return of the Lord was pushed strongly by certain organizations, and while this can help turn peoples eyes to the Lord, it tends to be a short-term focused effort, with no real generational planning, as there won't be another generation!  

I guess its the difference between a sprint and a marathon, in a sprint you have a short distance to cover and you can expend everything quickly, not thinking or worrying about the long-term.  In a marathon you have to plan and conserve energy for the later parts of the race.  If you run the first leg of the marathon like a sprint, you will likely not finish well, unless you are part of a marathon relay team, where everyone just runs a short distance and hands the baton to the next runner. In this way, 

Moving back to the greater vision for the Church, we must learn to come together and raise up the next generation of leaders who have the same vision and desire for advancing the Body of Christ.  We must learn to build ministries that embrace the passing of the baton to the next generation!  If we embrace this notion of being part of a marathon relay team, we can each run as fast as possible, but also be planning to hand the baton to the next generation all along!  

When asked about the end of the world and what I believe, I always say I don't know if the end of the world will come in my life-time, but I do know "My End of the World" will come in my lifetime.  I need to run the race to the best of my ability, and part of that running the race is making sure that those who might follow after me, have the same purpose and vision, in case Jesus' second coming lingers.  

I don't know how long we have in this world, nor when Jesus will return, but I do know we are in the laster days, as the day of Jesus coming again is closer than when Peter announced on the day of Pentecost that we were in the last days (See Acts 2:16-17).  I do know that many generations have gone before me, and many of them thought they were in the last days.  I do know that I am called to run the race before me with everything in me (Heb 12:1).   I do know that no man knows the time of the date (Matt 24:36) and so we must all be prepared, and I believe part of that preparation must include raising the next generation to run the race! 

Lord, I pray that You will provide insight and understanding and help us to think differently, more like sprinters as a part of a great marathon relay!  Help us to run our race and make sure the hand-off to the next generation is secure!  Help us to look beyond our own cares and concerns, our local and individual mindset, and let us pray for strategic vision from Holy Spirit, that allows us to join ourselves to the greatest plan, the greatest race the world has ever known!

Amen!

How Does The Truth Himself, Speak About Me?

This morning I am reflecting on a single verse from John's third letter, which is quite unusual for me to be so focused.  However, when I read this verses I immediately wanted to dig into it.  Here is the verse - 3 John 1:12 NIV:

[12] "Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone---and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true."

Now, this might not grab you the same way it did me, but when I read this, I understood that Demetrius was well spoken of by the Truth Himself.  That is what I initially read, and in reading back through it I realized that wasn't quite what it said.  I decided I probably should dig into this, to see if I was just mis-reading, or if there was more significance.

I went to my standard biblical research site Studylight.org and dug into the verse, and the word that is translated truth is the Greek word aletheia and the word translated itself is Greek word autos.  A couple of comments, the word autos is most often translated "himself", more than ten times as often as it is translated "itself".  The word aletheia is the same word that John used when he was quoting Jesus in His famous statement, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6).  I am clearly not a Greek scholar, so I am not saying this is true, only that it appears possible that John could have actually meant, that Demetrius was well spoken of by the Truth Himself.

That is a long way to get to the thought that immediately followed my reading this verse, which was "how does the Truth Himself, speak about me?"  

I know this is one thing I probably won't ever know for certain (at least not this side of eternity), but oh to understand how the Lord speaks about me!  There is no more important reference, opinion or description of me, than the words the Lord might speak.  

I know the enemy spends plenty of time trying to convince me that the Lord doesn't think kindly of me, or doesn't think about me at all, or is angry, or is disappointed, etc.  He is always trying get me to believe wrongly, and this must be for a reason.

What would my self image be like if I had a clear idea of how the Lord spoke of me?

We understand from scripture that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us! (Rom 8:34)

We understand that Jesus says that the Father Himself loves us (John 16: 27).

We know that Jesus calls us His friends (John 15:15)

We know that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)

We know many other things, but what if we heard these very things from the Lord Himself?  

This is my prayer for myself, and for us all that the Word would become alive to us, and these words and so many others would be spoken into our hearts in such a way that we know them, understand them and most importantly that we BELIEVE them!  

Lord, You are after a group of believers who actually believe and live as if You loved them and spoke highly of them!  You are desirous of friends not servants!  You want us to walk in our heavenly identities here and now, for this is who we really are, in You!

Help us Lord to hear Your words for ourselves!  Help us to hear Your words for others that we might join ourselves to Your voice speaking the Truth, rather than speaking all the judgments that are from the enemy.

Oh, that we all might know and understand that the Truth Himself speaks well of us!

Amen!

The Church in Crisis

 

This morning I am reflecting on some interesting verses from John.  These are some of Jesus' last words, and as such, very direct, at least it seems that way to me.  Here are the verses - John 16:1-11 NIV:

[1] “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. [2] They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. [3] They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. [4] I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, [5] but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' [6] Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. [7] But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] about sin, because people do not believe in me; [10] about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

My first though on reading this is how this does not seem to be much of a pep-talk!  Jesus knows the next few days are going to be very rough, but the outcome of it all will be salvation for the world.  However, the personal cost will be  beyond great, and the impact on the Apostles and other followers will be catastrophic.  Jesus understands that they still don't grasp the reality of what He is about, or how it will unfold, and He is trying His best to prepare them.  

They ere expecting Him to be crowned Messiah and  King, to establish a real Kingdom, with His throne in Jerusalem.  Jesus tells them, actually a time is coming when people will think killing you is God's will.

They were still expecting that He was going to be around for the dawning of this new era for the Jews, leading it and establishing it.  Jesus tells them, I am going away and the Father will send the Advocate in His place. 

Jesus sees that His words are starting to cause them grief, and seeks to reassure them that it is actually better this way!  And in restrospect, it absolutely was the better way, but that didn't mean there wasn't going to be a struggle and difficult times ahead.

Now imagine if the following was our message at church this coming Sunday:

I am beginning this sermon, in the hopes that You will not abandon the church or God, and run fleeing out of fear.  A time is coming when people will hate you because You are a follower of Christ, and they will think that by killing you that they are serving god. They will do all these things because they don't really know Jesus or the Father.  Although we would like to stay and strengthen you, its better that we leave You and go to the Father. But in our place, the Father will send You the Holy Spirit, and He will guide you, and bring conviction and understanding about sin, righteousness and judgement.  The coming of the Holy Spirit won't negate any of the things we are warning you about, but He will fill You with His power, which will strengthen You.

This was probably the sermon the Christians in Afghanistan heard last week.

Oh Lord, help all of those who are being persecuted and are full of fear and grief.  Send Your Holy Spirit to them to strengthen them, guide them and protect them as only You can!  

Come Quickly Lord!

Spiritual Disability: Spiritual Blindness

Spiritual Disability

Last night I was reading from a book that looks at the Bible as it applies to the Disabled.  It is quite a fascinating book as it lays out some of the underlying prejudice towards the disabled that has made its way into our faith, through a a specific perspective, and makes an effort to review the scriptures and read them with a different understanding.  The Title is "The Bible, Disability and the Church" by Amos Yong.  It is quite scholarly, but readable, and he takes a very well thought out and complete review of the themes, the historical perspective, and context in which scriptures were written.  It is well worth the read, if for no other purpose than to open our eyes to the fact that much of what we think and believe  concerning our faith has been founded on the teaching we have received, and sometimes that foundation might have had built-in prejudices or slants that we are not even aware of, and may not fully line up with God's Word.

Growing up Catholic and having the opportunity to teach some basic doctrine in ministry, allowed me to dig more fully into why we believed certain things and why the church taught certain things.  Some of it was the result of the church's best efforts over hundreds if not a couple thousand years to explain things that are just part of the mystery of God.  Sometimes, certain teachings are put into place because they make sense based on other foundational teachings from Scripture, so not directly drawn from scripture, but built on other truths.  Without going into details, I think its fair to say that all of our denominations are similarly limited, in that some things about God and His ways are not going to be fully known this side of eternity, and we do the best we can.

Secondly, as I have spent more and more time in the word itself, often looking a the original language, I have seen times where certain Bible translations will translate verses differently, which can definitely change the meaning of the verse.  In our day of multiple translations, this can cause some different understandings to be brought forth, and opens the door for further distraction or even argument.  Oh Lord, help us!

Back to the book I have been reading, one of the themes the author has pointed out is that we tend to read the bible from an ableist worldview, rather than as one who is disabled.  We don't realize that we have a foundational belief, partly due to some of the limitations of the disabled found in the Old Testament, and partly due to stories of Jesus healing people with disabilities, like the lame, blind and deaf, that somehow people who experience these disabilities are not as acceptable to God as those of us who are not dealing with these disabilities.  As I read through his whole introduction I saw the subtle nuances of this thought in my own faith and belief and have needed to change the way I think. I don't want to try to explain his whole premise, suffice it to say it is worthwhile reading and thinking deeply.

The subject the author brought up yesterday was the way we often encounter God, and it is often described as seeing and hearing, which leads to understanding.  There are several foundational scriptures, but the key one is found in Isaiah, and quoted by Jesus, when describing unbelievers.  Here is Matthew's version found in Matthew 13:13-16 NIV:

[13] "This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 

[14] In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. [15] For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 

[16] But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."

In this case, the lack of ability to hear and see its related to understanding and unbelief, and relates to one's heart.  While I don't think anyone would preach that this is literally true for someone who is blind or deaf, the underlying question remains. 

Jesus actually describes spiritual blindness as being the real issue, in his dialogue with the man He healed who was born blind, as recounted in John 9:35-41 NIV:

[35] "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 

[36] “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 

[37] Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 

[38] Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 

[39] Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 

[40] Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 

[41] Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

Here is a great example of those who choose spiritual blindness, who refuse, when confronted with a miracle, to believe that Jesus came from God and that the healing of this man, born blind, was indeed a sign from God. They saw, but rather than understanding, they allowed THEIR previous understanding to override the truth staring them right in the face.  They saw, but they did not perceive correctly.  

The man who was healed had no such problem, even though He now saw, He didn't know who Jesus was, and Jesus actually had to hunt him down to bring him to understanding.  When Jesus revealed Himself to the man, he instantly understood and believed. 

I have spent many hours reflecting on that story found in John, and last night as I was reading the question that popped into my mind, was whether the Pharisees could actually be considered disabled?  They had been brought up under systematic teaching about God, about the Messiah, about the Holiness of the Law, and in their understanding the Messiah would never break or even appear to bend the precepts of the Law, and thus Jesus couldn't be the Messiah.  I guess you could say they had wrong perspective of God, and His ways, based on what they held as foundational, and this caused them to hear and see incorrectly.  That they were impaired in their ability to perceive correctly is evident, so I guess while not physically disabled, we could say the Pharisees were spiritually disabled.

This brings me right back to my question, how does God relate to those who have been brought up under bad teaching, under other religions, under other faiths?  This passage, while very straight-forward, cannot be used as the foundation of understanding of God's heart towards those who think they see.  Jesus says that their sin remains, and that is one place we often over-read, or understand more than is meant, at least in my opinion.

The word here translated sin is the Greek word hamartia, and it is defined as follows, by Thayers:

1) equivalent to 264 (hamartano) 

    a) to be without a share in

    b) to miss the mark

    c) to err, be mistaken

    d) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong

    e) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin

2) that which is done wrong, sin, an offence, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act

3) collectively, the complex or aggregate of sins committed either by a single person or by many

We read this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees as Jesus condemning them, essentially judging them as sinners.  What Jesus actually appears to say is that they are still mistaken, or wrong in their perspective.  In my mind, this is more like your teacher asking you how to spell a word, and telling you "Sorry, that's not quite correct, try again!"

We can tend to associate any reference to sin as being a condemnation or judgement, and yet, that is one of the last definitions of that original Greek word.  

What if God's perspective towards sinners was to forgive and allow them another opportunity to do right?  I mean that isn't even a question, is it?  Of course that is God's perspective towards sinners, spoken by Him probably hundreds of times through the prophets!  Here is a great example from the Psalms.  Focus not on the judgment, but on the opportunity to change their ways given by God in verse 13 - Psalm 81:10-14 NIV:

[10] "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. 

[11] “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 

[12] So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. 

[13] “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, 

[14] how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!"

I believe that God's whole approach to sin, to missing the mark, is to provide us another opportunity, even as He proclaimed here in Psalms.  This is essentially the Gospel of Grace, for our own actions could never be perfect enough to attain for us righteousness!  We could never fulfill the requirements of the Law, never earn our way to Eternal Life, so God did for us what we could not do for ourselves.  Jesus came and sacrificed Himself, perfectly fulfilled the Law, and then welcomed us all into His relationship with the Father.  His righteousness is now ours through our faith in Him.  Forgiveness for all our sins was paid for by His blood.  By entering into this salvation, available in Jesus, we receive all this as a free gift, grace!  

So back to the question at hand, how does God deal with the spiritually blind, the spiritually disabled, if you will?  I believe He is true to His character, and provides opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity, to hear and see and perceive correctly.  

Oh, that we would learn to do the same for ourselves, and for others!  Let us not think that we see all clearly, and understand perfectly, but let us be willing to allow the Lord to tell us when we are missing the mark!  

Let us embrace the fact that most of us are spiritually blind to some extent, for while seeing and hearing, we may not understand completely or perfectly.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit has been given to teach us all things! (John 14:26NIV)

The Sublime And Hidden Ways of God

This morning as I sat down to pray a theme of reflection popped into my head - the unusual way God has chosen to reveal Himself.  I found myself thinking the "Sublime and Hidden Ways of God".  I don't usually get a title for my reflection before starting, so this should be interesting.

The first thing I had to do was look up the definition of sublime, as it is not a word we use very often.  Websters dictionary defines it as follows:

1 a : lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner
b : of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth
c : tending to inspire awe usually because of elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence

The truth is that God's revelation in our world has always been both sublime, as defined above, and hidden at the same time.  It is such an unexpected reality that many people stumble over this truth, because it makes no sense to us as humans.  A couple of days ago I was reflecting on Jesus triumphant entry in Jerusalem, and how what followed made no sense to His followers, because they couldn't grasp the reality of what Jesus and the Father were about, it made no sense in human logic.

In scripture there is the theme of the stumbling block, and Paul speaks about this in his first letter to the 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 NIV:

[18] "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

[20] Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21] For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. [22] Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

That God would choose to reveal His salvation through Jesus, not as a conquering hero, or a Hercules-like demi-god, but rather as the Son of God, who emptied Himself and became fully man, and then allowed Himself to be beaten, scourged and crucified, makes no sense to our human way of thinking!   Who would have expected the God of the Universe, the creator of all things (John1:3), to open a path to eternal salvation through His own suffering?   John actually spends the first bit of His Gospel writing about this, and while I consider it a beautiful and concise description of this unusual realty, for many it is foolishness.

Jesus spoke about the hidden treasure (Matt 13:44), the wide and narrow path (Matt 7:13-14), the sower and the seed (Matt 13:3-8), the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), (to name just a few) and all of these are revealing the nature of the Kingdom, and the way God works, and in each there something that makes us go, Huh?  In each case, Jesus reveals what the Kingdom is like, and it isn't what we thought. 

Our thinking goes something like this:

If God is so great and He is all powerful, why would He hide this reality like treasure buried in a field?  Wouldn't He come in guns blazing and destroy all His enemies?

If God wants all people saved, why would He talk about the path to destruction being wide, and the path to salvation being narrow, and one that few find?

If God's word is supposed to lead us to Him, why would He allow the cares of this world, distractions or anything else to keep us from hearing and following?

If God was all powerful and all-knowing why would He welcome back someone who had taken everything and wasted it on sinful behavior?

All good man-thinking questions.  All the kind of thinking that causes well meaning, hard-thinking people to stumble.  Paul had it right, it seems foolishness.

I think for me it all goes back to what I think is one of the most surprising bit in scripture, where God reveals Himself to Moses.  God describes Himself, and it is not the type of description we would expect from the God who created the universe.  Here is what He said - Exodus 34:6-7 NIV:

[6] And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, [7] maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

If we list them in order we have the following list of God's primary characteristics:

Compassionate
Gracious
Slow to Anger
Abounding in Love
Abounding in Faithfulness
Maintaining Love
Forgiveness for wickedness, rebellion and sin
Just (summarizing the last point)

Where is the power and might, the awesomeness, the authority and majesty? 

God apparently doesn't consider those key characteristics, and that is our stumbling block!  In our humanness we apparently value the wrong things.  We are drawn to the rich, beautiful and powerful.  We think that strength and might are more valuable than humility and gentleness.  We tend to choose force of might over love and affection when we think of the ones we respect, admire and emulate.

God, is all of those things, and yet chooses to reveal Himself as compassionate and gracious, abounding in Love!  He had no need to remind Himself or others of His might and power and instead values compassion, mercy and love.  He is fully capable of anything, and yet chooses to relate to us, as His sons and daughters whom He loves beyond fathoming.  He is exactly what man would not think He is like!

There is much I could reflect upon, for almost all of scripture paints this picture of God, great and powerful, yet choosing to reveal Himself to the lowly and weak.  Not only does He reveal Himself to the lowly and weak, but then He loves them and serves them and leads them by gentle ways!  He commands us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34) and encourages us to let this love be that which differentiates us from others.  Love is the greatest command, and of greatest value (1 Cor 13: 13).

Oh that we would not stumble over a God who loves, because we want a God of Power!

Lord, help us to see that You are the greatest, the highest,and the most magnificent, precisely because You are the most merciful, compassionate, gracious and loving individual in all the universe!

Amen and Amen!

What Happens When The Parade Ends?

This morning I am reflecting on the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem as a King, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  While the event in itself is worth reflecting on, I wanted to look at the context in which this occurred, as it is always helpful for me to look at the surrounding details of whatever occurance, and trying to understand the way those following Jesus might have experienced it.

Here are a couple of verses to focus my reflection - Mark 11:7-11 NIV:

[7] "When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. [8] Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 

[9] Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

[10] “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 

[11] Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve."

I find verse 11 very interesting - like somehow Jesus had mistakenly planned His entry into Jesus too late in the day, and there was nothing to do but go home!  I think that there is more to this situation than we would initially think.

It is clear from the chants and shouts during Jesus' entry, that people were thinking He was the Messiah, finally coming to Jerusalem to re-establish the earthly Kingdom of God, like David had done.  They were expecting Him to become King, raise up a holy army and cast off the Roman oppression!  IN their eyes, He was coming to restore Israel to glory!  

The people who were shouting, the disciples who were following, everyone must have been stirred mightily, thinking the time had finally come!!!  

And then, Jesus walks around, looks at everything and then says, "alright, lets go back to Bethany!" 

I can just imagine the confused looks on everyone's faces! 

This was supposed to be the moment, the big event, and yet nothing happens!  

Talk about a let down! 

My question is why did Jesus direct and allow this grand entrance, and then do nothing?

In my study this morning I read through chapter 10, and all the way through to chapter 14, to get a sense of what was happening here.  In Mark 10: 32-34 Jesus very clearly tells His Apostles that He was going to His death.  I mean you can't misunderstand what He said, and yet James and John in the next few verses (35-40) proceed to ask Jesus if He will make them His second and third in charge, seating them right next to Him, in His glory (on His throne).  Talk about not listening, or not understanding!!  In fact when the rest of the Apostles heard this, they all got angry with James and John... and apparently all of them completely missed the fact that Jesus had just said He was going to His death!  None of them were upset that Jesus said He was going to die, they were all upset that James and John were angling for positions of power and authority in the new Kingdom Jesus would setup!!

Jesus was well aware of this, as He had to mediate the disagreement and drop some teaching on them to settle them down (see Mark 10: 42-45).

I am actually surprised that Jesus went ahead with the triumphal procession into Jerusalem, for this more than anything else, re-affirmed this wrong thinking of the Apostles.  They had been waiting for a few years for Jesus to finally take His rightful place as Messiah, and this was finally the time!

I am sure, in light of what happened in Chapter 10, that they were all expecting a grand unveiling of Jesus as Messiah, watching the people of Jerusalem flocking to Him, seeing the Romans cast out of Jerusalem!  In their minds I am sure they had visions of grandeur and awesome signs and wonders done by Jesus!  I am sure they figured God was going to intervene as He had done so many times in their history miraculously winning the battle for them!  All of this  was likely rumbling around in their minds and hearts as they followed Jesus into the City!

And then Jesus walks around, looks everything over and says, "Lets go back to Bethany."

Talk about a massive let-down!  

They were expecting revolt, rebellion, restoration, revival, signs and wonders, Jesus being glorified and set on a throne!  They got nothing... except a parade.

I am sure there was some massive confusion on the way back to Bethany!  

So, why did Jesus do all this?

I certainly don't have answers, but I do have a couple of observations.  

First, Jesus always did exactly what the Father told Him to do, so this wasn't an accident! (John 5:19)

Secondly, the ways of God are not the ways of man, nor do we think the way He thinks (Is 55:8-9).  The apostles were thinking man thoughts, and God had a totally different plan!  So often I think I know what God wants to do, what He is going to do, and it makes perfect sense to me, and then He does nothing or something completely different, and His answer when I ask Him why, is always the same.  "You are thinking like man, not like me!"

In this case, Jesus' Kingdom was going to be established, just not the way man thought!  The Messiah was coming to save them all, just not the way they thought!  Jesus was going to be glorified, just not the way people thought!  God was going to move powerfully, just not the way they thought!  

Thus, Jesus entered Jerusalem, but His actions were directed by the Father, not by man, and made no sense to man!  That is what needed to happen, otherwise the Apostles and other followers might have tried to make Jesus King under their own power, and that would have ended badly!  God's plan was vastly superior, they just couldn't understand it, even when it was told to them directly!

What does this have to do with me, or any of us?  

I think I would do well to pay close attention to what Jesus is actually saying, rather than what I want to hear!  I find that I struggle to get beyond my own thoughts about how the Lord is going to move!  I get involved with something, and I think I have God's plan all figured out, what it will look like, etc. and then am surprised when the final result is nothing like I expected!  Looking at this story, I am thinking that I need to learn to listen more and do less planning about how to take advantage of the outcome. 

I think I need to learn to look at situations, and ask God for His insight and direction, rather than thinking I can figure it out!  

I need to trust that even though things turned out completely differently than I thought they would, that the Lord is still in charge, and He is about things that I likely can't fathom!  I need to learn to follow His lead and trust that He actually knows what He is doing, even if the situation makes no sense, or seems to be completely uneventful. 

God doesn't act or think like me, and I just need to be ok with this!  I am never going to figure Him out, nor grasp the complexities of what He is actually all doing! That being the case, He understands that about me, and will provide me grace and mercy.  He will lead, guide and direct me, and I just need to learn to go with Him!  All He asks is that I do my best to listen and hear, and follow Him.

Lord, help us to deal with our own frustrations and unmet expectations!  Help us to trust that You really do know what You are doing!  Help us to believe that what You tell us is true, even if we don't understand it!  Help us to follow Your lead and not get offended when things turn out differently then we expected.

Amen!  May You be Glorified in our Life!

Remember, Watch and Live

This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's first letter to Timothy.  I love the personal touch that Paul uses in writing this letter to his young brother in the Lord.  I always found it interesting that these personal letters made there way into the Canon, but I think that is exactly the reason they were added, because our faith is a personal pursuit, and each of us must chose to walk in relationship with the Lord.  Being a member of a church, congregation or denomination is not enough to make us a Christian, we must have a real relationship with the Lord!

Anyway, getting off my soap-box, here are the verses - 1 Timothy 4:11-16 NIV:

[11] "Command and teach these things. [12] Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. [13] Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. [14] Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you." 

[15] "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. [16] Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

My first response, in reading the NIV translation is to question that first word, 'Command', as it seems a bit strong in the context in which Paul was writing.  I am very cautious to use the word "command" as it always leads me back to the original ten commandments, or Jesus' new command (See John 13:34), and as such should not be used to describe what we followers should issue.  In reviewing the original Greek the word is parangellos, and the primary root is clearly angellos, from which we get the word angel, as one who is a messenger from God, bearing tidings, news and proclamations.  While I guess we could translate that as a command, I like the broader context, as it fits more in line with what Paul is encouraging Timothy to do, in bringing forth the word, and teaching, doctrine, and preaching.  

One thing I really appreciate about these verses is Paul's encouragement to Timothy to make sure his life lined up with his message.  He was to lead by example, not like the pharisees who, in the words of Jesus, "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” ( Luke 11:52 NIV).  In other words, don't teach them to observe something that you haven't already put into practice in your own life.  This is not a hard and fast rule, as the Lord knows, often when preaching or teaching that message is coming directly for the messenger, meant to address something in their own life.  I know for me, almost everything I hear, while it might benefit others, is certainly for my heart and mind first and foremost.

The other two things that I like are that Paul reminds Timothy about his gift, and tells him not to neglect it, and encourages him to watch his own life closely.  Both of these are such healthy encouragements.  First, being reminded of foundational words, scriptures and experiences is always important.  I get the feeling that Paul was never far from his "road to Damascus" experience.  He knew that remembering where he came from was key to maintaining humility, and to keeping his call and ministry fresh!  He pointed Timothy back to his gift, probably for a reason, and that is likely related to time and concerns for others.  It is important for us to regularly remind ourselves of those things God has spoken into our lives, reminding ourselves of the calls, the promises, the giftings, the treasure that He has put in us. They have been given for our good, and the common good (1 Cor 12:7).  

Secondly, the direction to watch his own life and doctrine closely, is again related to balance of ministry and effectiveness of the witness of his life.  Again, the theme of humility comes into play here, as there are too many who have lost sight of their own lives, who begin to stray off the path, partly due to an over emphasis on their belief in their specialness.  They start listening to those who applaud them, and start thinking they are better than others, and in short order have lost their connection to the word, to true doctrine and to their origins.  Some even go so far as to create false back-stories of special births, childhoods, experiences with the Lord and such to increase their "special" status!  Oh Lord, help us to stay grounded, to maintain a keen sense of our own weakness and need for You!

So my encouragement today is to remember, to watch and to live according to my message!  I am encouraged to remember all that the Lord has said and poured into me.  I am encouraged to watch my life and message to make sure they stay on path, and I am encouraged to make any adjustments I need to make to ensure that I am living like I am encouraging anyone else to live.

Blessings! 

Love IS Our Weapon

Yesterday during worship, we were singing about the name of Jesus, and I started thinking about the heavenly reality, and what we were saying.  We believe that His name is supreme over every name, that at His name every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess He is Lord (Phil 2:9-11).  I was thinking about that reality including all the universe, not just our world, but every world as well (in case there is life somewhere else).  

I suppose I have read too many comic books and have a good imagination, but when I was thinking about this theme, I could see in my mind, all the worlds, all the heroes, all the warriors, every man, woman and child, every creature, bowing down before Jesus Christ.  I was thinking that its not that collection of letters, for Jesus name is spelled different and is pronounced differently in the languages of man, instead it is the person Jesus Christ, all His power, His character, everything about Him that is so far above every other being!  In my imagination it was a bit like the Last battle scene in the recent Avenger movie where all the creatures come together, but not in battle, but rather to honor Jesus.

As I was thinking through all that, I thought about the reality that this all was accomplished, and motivated by love.  I guess I was a bit in the battle mindset and thought about how love was such a surprising weapon!  We would expect the Lord of all the universe to be this awesome warrior with amazing power, and Jesus came to earth, with amazing power, but power that was applied in and through love!  

Jesus came to earth because of God's love (John 3:16).  He set people free because He loved them.  He healed people because He loved them.  He forgave sins because He loved them.  He cleansed lepers because He loved them.  He raised the dead because He loved them.  He went to the cross out of His love for us all.  He is still doing everything He did when He walked the earth as a man, because He loves us and He is still alive!

He issued a new commandment to His followers, saying, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  ( John 13:34-35 NIV).  I believe that when He said these words, every single person sitting at that table knew EXACTLY what He meant.  They had each experienced His love, seen His love first hand, watched Him interact with one another, seen His Love transform lives!  They knew how deep and personal this call was!  They had followed Him for at last a few years, and had countless experiences of His overwhelming love, expressed in ways that surprised and challenged them.  They saw Jesus love sacrificially, unafraid to serve and put others first. They saw His relentless love, and knew this was the call, the command.

Sometimes it seems to me that somewhere we seem to have lost our way, thinking that love is  pointing people towards the right application of the right doctrine.  We have lost our sight of the fact that we are called to "love one another", and by this love everyone will know that we are HIS disciples.  We have made right interpretation, right theology, right application and right living more important than love.  We have laid down our primary weapon (Love) and instead picked up judgment as our weapon of choice.  Oh Lord, forgive us!  

Oh, that we would once again learn to wield love as the world-changing, captive-freeing, blind-seeing, lame-walking, sick-healing, dead-raising, sin-forgiving, leper-cleansing, weapon that it is! 

Oh, that all Christians would look across the world, and choose to unite under the banner of love, rather than under our individual congregational or denomination banners!

Oh, that once again, the world would look and see the church loving one another to such an extent that they recognize that we must be followers of Jesus Christ!

Oh, that we would once again make love our motivation, love our weapon and LOVE all the peoples, all the nations, all the people groups!

Lord, help us to embrace Your great command to love one another as You loved us!  Help us to finish the ministry that You have called us to go to all the world, to every nation, tongue and tribe, to every people group, large and small, and love them as You loved us!  

Amen!

Deeper Paths, New Ways

Recently my prayer time has been one of deeper diving, thinking about, reading about and praying about some questions that have been raised in my reading of scripture and in life.  The main two questions have been as follows:

1) How do we in the western Church think about sickness, illness and deformity, as it relates to sin, God's punishment, and healing?  Along with that, the question of how much of what we think is the result of how we have been taught, and how we have been trained to interpret the scriptures?

2) How do we read the Old Testament passages of prophetic curses being called down on nations and peoples, in light of the revelation of Christ, and foundational doctrines about God as creator, as each human being made in God's likeness and God's desire to save?

These are deep questions and ones that encourage me to dive deeper into the Lord, to push past common themes and into areas that really challenge my thinking, my understanding, and how I read and understand scripture.  Much of this is beyond my present level of understanding, so I spend quite a bit of time reading others, researching related topics, trying to build up a foundation of learning.  

Why?  Because I feel the Lord is directing me this way and has revelation He wants me to understand to a greater extent. By no means am I special or something, I just try to embrace that which I feel the Lord is directing me into, and these themes, while I have visited them before, have popped up again with greater emphasis.

Recently, it seems that He has been calling us (our Church at least) deeper into His purposes, opening ways and calling us into some radical following, and I feel that this is related, as in creating some framework for understanding and guidance as we step into new territory.  I guess you could say its nice to have navigational tools when you are pressing into uncharted waters, and I feel that this is related.

I am not sure if this is relatable to anyone else, but I feel like Holy Spirit is laying the groundwork for new things.  Much like He did in Acts 10, when through visions, He laid the groundwork for the new door He was going to open in the church into the Gentile population.  Without the understanding that He dropped into Peter's mind and heart through the vision, Peter would have never agreed to the invitation He was about to receive (See Acts 10:1-45 for the whole story).  

I am clearly not relating this season of my prayer to that occurrence in significance or the importance to the Body, just using that instance of new revelation and the ensuing direction as an example.  God is always working at expanding His Kingdom, growing the Body of Christ, and this always involves new works and new ideas, new peoples and fresh direction and revelation from His throne.   Doing the same old thing will result in the same old results, and God is about creating new, which requires new thinking, new perspective.  I am daily encouraged in my time of prayer by that new bit which I learn and understand.  I feel like my whole life is one large classroom where the primary course of training is to become more like Jesus.  I have come such a long way, and have even further to go!

My point in sharing this is two-fold.  First, to encourage those who are feeling called to press into new things, experiencing the trepidation of change and new territory in the Lord.  It has been my experience that Holy Spirit is a wonderful teacher and guide, who fully comprehends my inabilities, fears and general naivete about new things.  He is kind and patient, encouraging and patient, loving and patient... but always desiring me to press on further.  He doesn't just know my limitations, but He knows my capabilities and knows His plans, which match perfectly to my capabilities.  Thus, I can take take great solace in the fact that He already knows I am capable when I am stepping into new things.

Second, I want to encourage our willingness to look deep, to go past the normal daily paths, deeper into the woods, if you may.  God desires and needs people who are world-changers and Kingdom-builders, and that requires a willingness to risk and press into the unknown.  It requires, on our part, a humility, the ability to retrace our steps and start over down a different path if needed. It requires  us to trust Him with our lives, believing that there is more that He has planned for us, more that He would do through us, and that there are new vistas that we have never seen or experienced.  

Putting that in religious lingo, there are nations and peoples that He desires to reach (Matt 28:19)!  There are neighborhoods that He wants impacted!  There are old wells that He wants refreshed and opened back up (Gen 26:18 and John 4:10-14).  There is a new wave of Holy Spirit empowered life that He is birthing!  There are new wine-skins that need filling (Matt 9:17)!  There is something He is about that we have not seen nor heard before, and yet He is already making a way in the wilderness, preparing the way (Is 42:9, Is 43:19) . 

My hope and prayer is that we would all be encouraged to press deeper into relationship with the Lord!  In the place of deep relationship, He desires to open our eyes and our ears to what He is doing and saying that we might join in the fun!  He wants so much more for each of us, and this more is found in Him.

Help us Lord!

Run Your Own Race

This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians, towards the end of that letter.  Paul, spent most of this letter dealing with a spirit of religion that was trying to overcome the Gospel of Grace, and part of that spirit requires a judgmental attitude, and that requires us to compare ourselves to others.  In these few verses Paul takes a sightly different approach to get to that point - using here The Passion Translation - Galatians 6:1-5 TPT:

[1] "My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, may the one who overflows with the Spirit seek to restore him. Win him over with gentle words, which will open his heart to you and will keep you from exalting yourself over him. [2] Love empowers us to fulfill the law of the Anointed One as we carry each other's troubles. [3] If you think you are too important to stoop down to help another, you are living in deception." 

[4] "Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what's right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others. [5] Every believer is ultimately responsible for his or her own conscience."

In reading these verses, I love that Paul calls out two things, first that the base motivation and operative method is love in gentleness and secondly, the main thing we should concern ourselves with, is ourselves, and not someone else. This approach, is coupled with gentleness and humility, recognizing that we could just as easily struggle, or maybe are struggling in a another area, and to not compare (replace that with the word judge) others to ourselves, or ourselves to others.  

As I read these verses, the image that forms in my mind is two runners, each running the same course, but each responsible for their own race and effort.  At one point, they are running together and one , who is at that moment stronger, sees the other struggling, and encourages them, maybe even sharing a water-bottle.  They aren't racing each other, they are running a course that they aim to complete, so the comparing and contesting is not necessary.  However, as the two runners are champions, each runs to the best of their ability, personally striving to succeed in their own eyes, and in their own ability.  Whether one is world champion, and the other just a junior-high champion, makes no difference, they are both for each other.  The world champion has enough humility to remember what it was like to be a young runner, and instead of racing past, slows to bring encouragement and help.

Oh that we would, as a church, have this heart towards one another!  We aren't competing with each other, we don't need to judge one another, we each have our own race to run, our own work that God has given us to complete.  Our focus should be on our heavenly destination.  Paul writes the following, sounding much like a runner, in his letter to the Philippians 3:12-14 NIV:

[12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes something similar in Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV:

[1] "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Let us be for one another, encourage one another, cheer for those that are running their race, and help those that are struggling! Let us worry about ourselves, and not worry about how others see us, or what they might say.  The only voice we should concern ourselves with is the Lord's for we run towards Him!

Let us urge one another on, let us run our won race with perseverance and let us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord!

Amen!

"That Living Word Awakened My Soul!"

Last night I had an interesting dream where I was watching Helen Keller learn to communicate.  In the dream, I was watching the playing out of this experience described by Helen herself -  “As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly. I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten–-a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then that ‘w-a-t-e-r’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away.” (See: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/March-April-08/On-this-Day--Helen-Keller-Comprehends-the-Word--Water-.html )

When I woke up, I remembered that I had reflected on this experience last year, and even journaled about it, as I felt it related to our desire to communicate with the Lord, see - https://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2020/10/an-invitation-to-greater-revelation-and.html

This morning I feel that this invitation to a new paradigm of communication and understanding is continuing to be extended, as the Lord draws me deeper.  Recently I read a book by Kris Vallatton, titled "Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle." In this book he talks about the language of God, and how He communicates with humans.  He writes that God's first language isn't English, or any language of men, but rather reveals His communication in other ways.  In Acts, Chapter Two, Peter is explaining the outpouring of the Holy Spirit they had just received and he quotes the Prophet Joel  saying, “ 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke." ( Acts 2:17-19 NIV).

Scripture is full of images and pictures, visions and dreams, understandings, signs and wonders, and even angelic visitations that were communications from God Himself to humans.  We find God continually intervening and bringing understanding and revelation, guiding and directing, first one way, then another, always with a heart to lead His people to a greater understanding of Himself, and their relationship to Him.  

The experience of Pentecost, was the beginning of a massive outpouring of Holy Spirit into the Church, and He has never withdrawn from the Church since that day.  We may have grown deaf or blind, or just plain unbelieving over the years, but Holy Spirit is still alive and well and desirous of rich communication with us!  I feel that this invitation is open to all who would put their hand into the cool water and allow Him (Holy Spirit) to teach us to communicate in new ways, new ways to us, that is!  

Let me be clear their is plenty of communication occurring all  around us, every day, in the spiritual realm, we just don't have an awareness.  In the same way that our lives are surrounded by RF (radio frequency) signals which carry music, sports, news and entertainment to TVs, cell phones, and any other wireless receiver with the ability to pick up the signal, there is spiritual communication occurring for those who can hear and perceive.  

I remember in junior high when I built a crystal radio that was able to pickup radio signals without even using a battery to power the receiver.  I was amazed to think that this signal was all around, and didn't even require power to listen.  

Is it possible that God is constantly communicating to us, we just don't have much ability to discern and understand yet?  People were speaking and listening all around Helen Keller, before she started to understand and interact, and in time she learned to participate and communicate effectively.  We need someone like Anne Sullivan who taught Helen to communicate.  Thankfully, Jesus said the following - John 14:16,26 NIV: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever---"  

[26] "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."  

We have the greatest teacher of all residing with us and in us, we just need to learn to listen to Him.  We expect words, but maybe He is using images, visions, dreams, imaginations and ideas!  

I remember when I first came to know the Lord, it seemed His voice was loud, but as I grew in understanding His voice seemed to fade away.  One day I was out walking complaining about this very thing to the Lord, and I felt Him say that "learning to listen to His quiet voice was part of maturity".  Since that day I have made an effort to listen daily, and to recognize His quiet voice, and I am glad to say that I am still hearing Him.  

This invitation, however, seems to me to be an invitation to a higher level of communication and revelation, an invitation into the greater stream of heavenly communication that is constantly pouring forth from the Throne room of God.  I am reminded of the image Ezekiel had of the stream flowing from the temple (See Ezekiel 47:1-12).  What if this stream of water represented, among other things, the stream of communication from God to His people?

Philip, at one point asked Jesus to show them the Father, and Jesus responded as follows - John 14:9-14 NIV:

[9] "Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] 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. [13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

Oh that we could answer the world, "believe me when I say the (Holy Spirit) is in me, or at least believe on the evidence of the works!"  Oh that we would hear the words of the Lord clearly, and speak them forth!  Oh that we would see, hear, know and understand all the communication from Heaven, that we might represent God truly to this world, and bring Glory to Him!  

Lord, open our understanding, reveal your communication, help us to step into the cool stream and understand!  That we all might cry out, "That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!"  

Come Holy Spirit and help us!

Amen!

Set Your Heart and Set Your Mind!

This morning I am reflecting on a couple of verses from Daniel, and Paul's letter to the Colossians.  They are an encouragement and a promise.  Here are the verses from Paul's letter, the encouragement - Colossians 3:1-2 NIV:

[1] "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

and here is the verse from Daniel - the promise - Daniel 10:12 NIV: 

[12] "Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."

And finally an encouragement from Jesus - Luke 12:29-34 NIV:

[29] "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 

[32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

What great encouragements and promises, especially in these days of distraction!  Oh Lord, that we would set our hearts and minds on You!

It is interesting how the NIV has translated these verses, for the Greek word, here translated 'set your heart', is the word zeteo and it means to continue seeking.  It seems to be more of a chosen direction or ultimate goal to pursue. These days we have great examples of people who have set their hearts on becoming famous (Tiktokkers), or popular (Celebrities), or even the best athlete in the world (Olympic Athletes).  These are all people who are constantly in pursuit of something.  Jesus encouragement is for us to seek His Kingdom, constantly and firstly.  

The Greek word translated set your mind is phroneo, and Strong's defines it: "From G5424; to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensively to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience): - set the affection on, (be) care (-ful), (be like-, + be of one, + be of the same, + let this) mind (-ed, regard, savour, think."

Thus, while related to setting one's heart, it really is about what we interest our self in and how we even think.  I was thinking that zeteo is like setting a course for one's feet, and phroneo is what we really pay attention to and learn along that course.   

So back to the encouragements and the promises. Jesus and Paul both encourage us to set our hearts, and that is a very important step.  This is not a going with the flow and seeing what happens thing.  This is not being a Christian because our parents were Christians, this is an encouragement to own, to choose, to pursue.  Jesus encourages us to seek His Kingdom, to seek after what God is about, to seek what is on His heart.  He knows we can be distracted by all sorts of things, and sometimes they are even classified as needs.  His promise is that if we seek God first, God will provide that which we need, and that which has real value. Jesus encourages us to set our hearts on Him, and  as we do so, our true treasure will be revealed, and that treasure does not necessarily exist here and now.  

Paul's encouragement is to both direct our heart and to set our minds, on heavenly things.  It is interesting that both Jesus and Paul are directing us to gaze heavenward.  We would be wise to listen and embrace this attitude.  Again, in this world there are so many distractions, yet our home and our true identity is anchored in Heaven, as that is where we are hidden in Christ.  We can become so focused on the here and now, that we miss what's happening in Heaven.  Not that we can necessarily see, although some can occasionally receive glimpses, but we can make ourselves aware as much as possible.  

I included the verses from Daniel because the promise is not just for Daniel, but I believe for all of us!  I believe that when we set our hearts and minds on the Lord, on heavenly realities, our action is noted in Heaven, and our prayers are heard and God's response is swift.  It might not seem that way to us, but then again, what are we looking at?  I kind of think this is a bit like when I get a question or a request from a customer.  Upon receipt I try to let them know as soon as possible that I have seen the request and started working on it.  The actual task may take days, sometimes even weeks, but rest assured I am working, and communicating in the background to get an answer for them.  From their perspective it might not seem like I am doing anything, until I provide them the answer.  I often will send a note just letting them know that I am still working on it.  Is not the Lord much better at all of this?    

When we are praying, setting our hearts and minds on the Lord, we know He sees this choice we are making, and this is His chief desire for us!  Will He not respond?  Will He not acknowledge our movement towards Him?  If we are looking towards Him, looking to Him, we will see His response, we will hear His response, we will understand He is moving on our behalf.  

There have been times where I really needed an answer and it seemed like God was willing to talk about anything but the answer I needed, and I remember being frustrated, like, "Don't you realize how important this is to me?", and God was just not apparently responding to those pleas.  In looking back, He was totally at work, but it was in ways I didn't see or understand at the time.  The fact that He was still engaging me daily should have been enough for me to know that, not only was he working on my stuff, but He was also wanting me to experience the peace His presence brings!   My heart and mind were so set on the answer I thought I needed, I missed the fact that He was standing right there with me, providing me the assurance that He was, and is and will always be working on my behalf, interceding for me, guiding me and helping me.  If I could have pulled my gaze out of my situation, I would have seen this...

I could go on indefinitely, but let me stop here.  In summary, where we look, what we set our hearts to pursue, what we focus our minds on, greatly affects what we see!  That shouldn't be a revelation but sometimes we miss it, or are distracted.  He is so good, and so desirous of our hearts being turned towards Him, that He will run to meet us, as Jesus described the Father's response in Luke 15:20.  Let us choose to direct our hearts and minds to pursue God and to pay attention to Him!  Let us lay down the things we are distracted by, and let us raise our eyes, our hearts and our minds to heaven.  Let us contemplate His great love for us!  Let us enjoy the sweetness of His presence, His peace and consolation.  Let us choose the best thing like Mary when she sat at the feet of Jesus.  In closing here are Jesus' words to Mary's sister Martha.  

Luke 10:41-42 NIV:

[41] “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, [42] but few things are needed---or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Amen!