A Faithful Witness

This morning I felt led to read from John 12, which is the chapter immediately preceding the Last Supper.  It certainly is helpful to think about some things chronologically, as it helps to place proper perspective on the importance of what is being said.  Here are the verses - John 12:42-50 NIV:

[42] "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved human praise more than praise from God. 

[44] "Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 

[45] The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 

[46] I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 

[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 

[48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 

[49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 

[50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

The verses that caught my eye this morning were verses 44 & 45!  This is such a simple yet profound statement that Jesus makes.  He is representing the Father!  If we want to know what the Father is like, we look at Jesus!  He gives us a small glimpse into the character of the Father!  I say small because of the Father's immenseness, not because of any slight on Jesus or His representation!   

Equally important is verse 49, where we receive additional confirmation of Jesus' representation of the Father.  The Father commands Him to say all He has said, so if we want to know what the Father would say, we look to Jesus!  

As tempting as it might be to judge the Lord by the way the Church represents Him, it is important to not do so!  There are many who have lost faith in the Lord because of the actions of the Church, or those that said they represented Him.  It is clear that we should be familiar with the words Jesus spoke, the way Jesus acted, and His character, so that when we can identify when the church, or those saying they represent the Lord, are acting or saying things not in-line with the character of the Lord!  We must be so familiar with the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, that we are able to both represent Them, and protect their character when others are misrepresenting them.

Going back to the first two verses I quoted this morning, John adds a couple of comments about the leaders, possibly to set the stage for these words of Jesus.  Verse 43 is  such an excellent gut check for all of us, "Do we love human praise more than praise from God?'  Oh man, that is such a critical question in our life!  We must rightly relate to the Lord, and have Him as our relational foundation for everything!  If the praise of men takes His place we are truly a decrepit creature, one who has lost our connection to our Head (Christ Jesus - 1 Cor 11:3).  

We must also be aware of the danger of spiritual pride, thinking that what we are doing is in some way earning us God's Favor!  Scriptures are quite clear their is no favoritism in God (Romans 2:11), so anytime we think we ae earning kudos from God, or elevating ourselves above others in His eyes, we are listening to lies from the deceiver.

Oh Lord, help us! 

Returning to the primary focus, I love that Jesus has provided a trustworthy representation of the Father.  I am encouraged to read and reread and ponder the Gospels that I might better understand the heart, mind and words of the Father, that I might better represent Him to those I meet, interact with and do life with at home, work and my community. I am encouraged to allow the words and actions of Jesus to become my guiding example of the way to live my life.  I am encouraged that there is much more available in terms of representing the Father than I am presently doing, so I much room for growth and maturation!  

Lord, You know my heart and my desire to live my life aspiring to follow You and represent You to those I meet!  Help me, empower me, and forgive me for my selfish lapses, where I turn my eyes towards myself instead of looking to You.

I pray that You will help us, Your Church, to faithfully represent You to our world!  Help us to continue Your ministry of speaking the Words of the Father, and doing  what the Father shows us to do!  Oh that the world would be able to look at the Church and see You!  That we might be a faithful witness to You!

Amen and Amen!

He is Gentle, Persistent and Patient

This morning I felt led to read from the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 5.  I do enjoy the treasure hunt, if you will, that often accompanies my time of prayer, reflection and meditation.  I am engaged in a conversation with the Lord, and as I ask Him what He wants me to read, I will often hear chapter and verse, sometimes a them, sometimes a page number, but always there is a sense of anticipation as the Lord brings revelation, in the midst of our conversation.

Here are the verses that stood out to me - Hebrews 5:1-6 NIV:

[1] "Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. [2] He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. [3] This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. [4] And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 

[5] In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” [6] And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. ”

What caught my eye this morning was verse two, and the heart of the high priest.  We know that in our present dispensation, that we are all priests (1 Peter 2:9), and we have only one High Priest, Jesus Christ. I love how verse 2 can be applied to Jesus, who become man like us (Phil 2:6-8), and embraced our weak human condition.  He knows exactly what we are like, our frailties and struggles, and He does deal gently with us, at least that is always my experience.

Just recently I received some very clear direction from Him, and as I often do, I asked that He would provide me some confirmation (not that I don't trust Him, its that I don't trust myself to hear well).  Anyway, I was thinking He might have one of my prophetic friends reach out to me to give me a confirmation, and instead the Lord gently reminded me of what I had heard previously, several different times.  

Sometimes I miss the point of what He is saying, and this was one of those times.  I serve the Body in a semi-prophetic way, and at times I will come to understand what the Lord is saying to our local congregations, and sometimes the larger church, and often times His word is just for me.  Anyway, earlier the Lord had been speaking a particular word, and I was sure it was an encouragement for the Body, which I believe is accurate.  However, as the Lord gently pointed out it was also for me, and very specific.  

There was no berating me for not understanding, or any sense that I had missed the timing of the Lord, just Him gently pointing to what He had said before, which was exactly the confirmation I needed. He knows my weakness, He knows my thoughts, He knows my desire to do His will, and He will help me to understand, even if it takes me multiple times of hearing!   I might be dense, but He is persistent and patient!

Thank You Lord for your gentleness in dealing with me!

Thank You for understanding my weakness and calling me forward anyway!

Thank You for for Your patience, Your persistence, Your compassion, love and mercy!

Amen and Amen!

A Beautiful Christ-Like Ensemble

This morning I felt led to read out of Paul's letter to the Colossians.  I do love his letters and so appreciate his logical progressions, as builds upon truth, one thought at a time (at least that is how I experience his writings).  Here are my verses for today - Colossians 3:1-14 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. 

[3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

[4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 

[5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 

[6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 

[7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 

[8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 

[9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 

[10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

[11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 

[12] Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

[13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

[14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

I noted in my blog yesterday that sometimes writing verses in such a way, with each sentence is given its own line, helps me to see the separate thought each contains, and helps me to stop and think about what I just read before continuing on with the next verse.  I read many materials very quickly, and I have to force my mind to slow down so that I can allow the truth to settle in my heart before moving onto the next verse.  Anyway, I hope it is helpful to you as well.

The verses that caught my attention were verses 8, 5 and 3 in that order.  I find that I do oftentimes read something in reverse order to understand the logical steps Paul is taking between each sentence and thought.  In verse 8 the word that caught my attention was "also" as in something in addition to what Paul had previously written (verse 5), which was a response to a fact (verse 3).  

One of the things that we can overlook is that Paul is addressing real people, with real issues, in His letters.  They were Christians much like ourselves, and Paul, is not shy in providing guidance to what our lives should look like in response to the gift of salvation, and relationship with the Lord!  The point is that there were people in the church of Colassae who were dealing with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language!  That is quite the shocking list of issues to find in any church, and yet, I think it is true of pretty much every church!  

Paul's list is an example of our human condition, and as humans, we struggle with similar things.  Many churches try to hide the fact that there are sinners in their midst, but the fact that there are sinners present is true of every single church.  We should not be surprised that sins such as these are present in each other, but we also should encourage one another to lay aside these self-focused, vain imaginations, these desires for personal gain at the expense of others, so that we might press forward into our new identity, putting on our new self.  We are not above such people, nor better than such people, we ARE such people!!

Oh Lord, help the church to lay down its spiritual pride, and judgment!  Help us to embrace each other, recognize our own brokenness and encourage one another forward to love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience!  The Lord did not reject us in our brokenness, He came to heal us, forgive us and welcome us into His family!  As Paul says, we must endeavor to rid ourselves of such things, and we must bear with each other, forgive one another and over all of this, to constantly operate in love!

I love how Paul encourages us to "put on love", for often we think love is a feeling, but I find it is most often a choice I make.  When I choose to take my eyes off myself, refusing to idolize my imaginations, my "feelings", my own desires and wants, and choose instead to really look, hear and understand others, I find I am much more loving in my attitudes and actions.  Oh Lord, please continue to help me to love others as You love me!

This morning I am encouraged to choose to put on love, to operate from a place of mercy instead of judgment!  I am encouraged to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness, putting love on over the top for a beautiful fashion ensemble of Christ-likeness.

Amen!

Quest For Maturity

This morning I was reading from one of my favorites, Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  Rather than just looking at one or two verses, I am re-reading the first half of the fourth chapter, which is so significant in giving a high-level view of the Church and how we should operate.  Here are the verses (minus the 9th and 1oth, which are a note with another focus) - Ephesians 4:1-8,11-16 NIV:`````````````

[1] "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 

[2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

[3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

[4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 

[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 

[6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

[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."

Occasionally I will write the verses each on its own line, like above, to help distinguish the individual thoughts that each captures.  There is something about reading each sentence separately, allowing the fullness of the meaning to stand-alone, and then to build upon it with the next line.  

Reading it in this mode, the fact that Christ Jesus gave us the Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as Gifts to the church is very evident.  It is amazing that somehow we have forgotten about the fact that these roles are gifts from Jesus to His Body, the Church, for good reason, to help us mature, and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ Jesus!  

It seems to me that many of our churches today, at least in America, function without the full set of giftings, some even limit themselves to one or two, with limited or no connection (ligaments) to the rest of the Body of Christ.  Oh Lord, help us!!  How could these churches possibly produce mature Christians who will represent the full ministry of Jesus?  Christ Himself gave us these gifts, these ministries to us, and somehow we think we know better?  Why are we fearful of the gifts of Jesus?  How can we mature?

Oh Lord, help us!

I pray that You would release into this world a refreshment upon these treasures, these gifts that You have given us!  Help us to embrace and fully appreciate the unique aspect of each ministry, that we might truly grow and mature into the Body of Christ, unified in love, connected together with the full Body of Christ.  Help us to build ourselves up in love, doing the work that You have called us to do!

I don't want to take on some critical spirit as I look at the Body of Christ, yet it seems that we have many opportunities for growth and change as we press forward to embrace the fullness of Christ's plan for us.   Below are some good questions to ask ourselves:

Do we gravitate to the gifts that we can control, or the ones that allow us to be comfortably fed and nourished, but not the ones that challenge us and really grow us?  

Have we have allowed ourselves to be coddled and fed, and become convinced that this is all there is to Christianity, having someone feed us and look after us until we go to Heaven?  

Do we know what is in the Word of God without someone else telling us?

Have we have lost our sense of the mission and ministry, the advancing Kingdom of God, of which we are witnesses and bearers?  

Do we struggle to remember our identity as members of one world-wide Body of Christ, joined together as brothers and sisters, loving each other, laying down our lives for each other?  

Do we think the commands of the Lord are for the leaders, and those with special ministry calls to serve us?

Do we fear the gifts of apostle, prophet and evangelist because of some bad representations we have seen or heard about?  

Do we even believe these verses of Paul's are possible for our modern church?

Do we struggle with knowing what to believe or listen to in this world today?  Is our source for perspective the Holy Spirit?

Do we recognize these gifts in the local and our regional church expressions?  Are we in relationship with individuals who walk faithfully in these gifts?

This morning I am so convicted that there is much more growth available to us as the Church! I am encouraged that the Lord is stirring and moving and causing His gifts to enable us to grow and mature!  I am encouraged that the Lord isn't going to allow His Body to continue to be weak and ineffective.  I am encouraged that HE is about something far bigger than we can think or imagine!  

Oh Lord help us!  Oh Lord encourage us!  Oh Lord refresh Your gifts to us!  Help us to mature and grow!  Help us to embrace the quest for real maturity, as You would describe it!

Amen and Amen!

Thoughts on The Promised Land and Kingdom of God

This morning an interesting idea popped into my mind, concerning the Promised Land, and how that is some type, a shadow of what was to be revealed in Christ. I was reading through Nehemiah yesterday, and at one point they were called to confess their history, and their sins, and the following verses come from that confession - Nehemiah 9:19-27 NIV:

[19] "“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. [20] You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. [21] For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. 

[22] “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. [23] You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. [24] Their children went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. [25] They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness. 

[26] “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. [27] So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies."

I have always read about the Promised Land, and part of God's whole promise was to help the Jews conquer that land, subdue it, and take possession of a land that was in the possession of others, and never thought much of it.  With the recent escalation of violence and battles for land and power in the Middle East, my mind, heart and prayers have been constantly turned towards them, and this morning I was once again drawn back to these verses.

Having read through the whole of the scriptures, it is quite clear that this was part of God's plan, and His plan as it is revealed in both the Old and New testaments is full of things we don't fully understand.  The Old testament was always pointing towards the future and the coming of the Messiah.   Much of the Old Testament Law was a type and shadow of things to come.  

The Jews, in Jesus' day were under Roman rule, and were crying out once again for redemption and rescue to God.  They were waiting for the promised Messiah, one who would rescue them from the Romans and set up God's kingdom on earth once again!  Their history pointed to this type of salvation, and we see it here in Nehemiah, as they reminded themselves of God's movement on their behalf. They were also aware of their inability to follow God's plan, His Law, or to even keep Him in their hearts!  Their history was one of constant falling away and God having mercy and compassion.  

With the coming of Jesus, and His ministry, they thought the time had come for their deliverance, and they were correct, but not in the way they expected.  They wanted a military leader, a  King to sit on an earthly throne, one who would lead them to victory on the battlefield, allow them to take possession of their promised land once again, and shower them with the riches of nations that he subdued.  Instead they received the Messiah of God's promise, one who set them free from the power of sin and death, one's whose Kingdom was not geography, but instead found in the hearts of men and women!  

Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God was at hand, and rather than defeating the Romans, He defeated the real enemy, and showed Himself powerful over sin, sickness, the demonic, and even over nature!  He has all authority and all power!  He has shown Himself merciful, compassionate, loving and faithful!  He knows our condition, our proclivity for sin and falling away, and yet again He has made a way for us all, offering salvation to any that come to Him.

His Kingdom absolutely is one that takes possession of 'a land previously occupied' but this is in our hearts, minds and souls!  We are all captives of the power of sin and death prior to our salvation! He has come to win back all that was lost and it is much more than a piece of geography in the middle East, He is after the hearts and souls of all men and women!  He is waging war against the kingdom of the true enemy of our souls.  Paul brings revelation to this when he writes in Ephesians 6:10-20 NIV:

[10] "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

[18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. [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."

Let us pray for the real battle that is being waged.  There is a spirit behind the hatred, and we must protect our hearts and minds against such an attack.  We must be purveyors, messengers of the Gospel of Peace!!  Let us pray for the salvation of those in Gaza and Israel!  Let us pray for the salvation of our communities, our neighbors, and our sons and daughters!  Let us be about advancing the true Kingdom of God!  

Lord, protect and bless all your sons and daughters!  Oh that the son of righteousness would rise with healing in His wings!  

Amen and Amen!

Friends and Wounds

 

I was reminded of a conversation a friend and I had, about wounds from a friend (Prov. 27:6).  I mentioned that I wasn't sure of the verse, if it was "from" a friend, or "of" a friend, and that I probably needed to dig deeper into that verse.

This morning I thought I would at least look into it, and see what the Word says, and dig a bit deeper.  The whole verse is as follows with the context of the preceding verse - Proverbs 27:5-6 NIV:

[5] "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 

[6] Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."

Without going into all the research and word studies of the original Hebrew words and such, a my take on a rewrite of those two verses could be:

"To uncover correction is pleasant and good, more than love that is carefully concealed"

"Bruising from one who loves you is meant to confirm and support you. One who hates you just kisses you many times."

This is such an interesting statement, one that if we put it in context might be helpful.  In my mind I imagine that this is like two training partners, training with wooden swords.  The strike that gets through reveals a point of weakness in the other's defenses.  It is better to have this type of friend, than one who sits aside and loves you but is not active in bettering you.  An enemy, or one who hates you, would watch your sword practice and tell you you are magnificent, wonderful, and never point out your weaknesses.

Neither the one who loves from afar who is unhelpful, or the one who covers you with kisses but hates you and can't be trusted are beneficial in our lives.  We need friends we can trust to give us the straight scoop, the ones who see in us our flaws, and point them out to help us, not just to tell us about them.   They are active in their love, active in their support, active in working with us to help!  

I do like the sword practice analogy, for each individual is meant to strengthen the other, and from the place of friendship this is so valuable.  If we imagine the two friends going into actual battle, fighting back to back, each aware of the other's weaknesses, and so helping to cover them, to protect them from wounding, I think we can begin to uncover the richness of these statements.

This approach also addresses the heart of the one who is receiving correction, for it is for their own good.  A bruise given in practice, and learned how to defend against will save you from a killing or disabling blow in a real sword battle.  No one becomes a sword master by themselves, they must practice, must practice against those who are better, those that can identify additional weaknesses, those who understand how to protect and defend.  

Unfortunately these types of friends are few and far between, at least in my life experience.  I am sure part of the issue is my own, for I don't like having my weaknesses exposed, nor do I even like people really knowing me. My fear is that in knowing me, they might recognize my flaws and dislike me or reject me because of them.  

However, in looking at the wisdom of these verses, I see how such a friend will help me, not hinder me, will make me stronger, healthier, and more skilled in love and relationships.  Life is not about physical battles for most of us, our battlefield is in our mind and in relationships.  Our wounds come in our heart, our emotions, our families, even our faith.  

If you are anything like me, you are constantly barraged by thoughts and accusations about our weaknesses, our failures, our inadequacy.  In the place of these woundings, we either learn defensive techniques or we just suffer them and continue to be wounded in the exact same place over and over again.  Some of the times our defensive techniques are simple, we just avoid all such scenarios so that we will not get wounded!  Other times we believe the accuser who says we are inadequate, or a failure, and we just lay down our weapons and accept the wound over and over again.  Some of us go so far as to welcome the wounds in a way that confirms our agreements with the accuser's diagnosis.  

We must be willing to be loved and love others in a way that will help each other.  We must be willing to enter the real battle, to bring hope and healing, to love actively!  We must help our brothers and sisters to defend their hearts, their minds, their emotions and their faith!  

Oh Lord help us!  

Help us to love one another!

Help us to see the real fight, to engage in the real battle!  As Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV:

[10] "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

[18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

Let us pray for one another, strengthen one another and love each other!

Oh Lord, release real brotherhood, and sisterhood, life on life, fellowship that is active and helpful and life-giving!

More than anything help us to hear Your Voice, and listen to the only real Truth about who we are!

Amen and Amen!

Familiarity and Unbelief

Sometimes a reflection take more than a couple of days, and this is one of those times.  This morning I am continuing my reflection from a few days ago...

I was reading in Luke's Gospel and I turned to the 4th chapter and read about his visit to his former hometown of Nazareth.  Here are the verses - Luke 4:13-30 NIV:

[13] "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. [14] Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. [15] He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 

[16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, [17] and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 

[18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 

[19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” 

[20] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

[22] All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn't this Joseph's son?” they asked. 

[23] Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' ” 

[24] “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. [25] I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. [26] Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. [27] And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed---only Naaman the Syrian.” 

[28] All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. [29] They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. [30] But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way."

Both Mark 6:1-6 and Matthew 13:54-58,  have similar descriptions of Jesus' visit to Nazareth after He began His ministry.  Luke gets more into the details of what Jesus said,  which seems to be why they were offended at Him.  Mark and Matthew have very similar more expansive descriptions of the people's familiarity with Jesus.  There is something deeply true about how familiarity can lead to unbelief.  They knew Jesus, and they were clearly amazed at His "gracious words" and the authority of His teaching.  The crowds reaction was interesting, they ask one another, "isn't this Joseph's son?"  In other words, they were familiar with Him as the son of the carpenter, and had no high esteem of him in that roll, and certainly not of His ability to speak publicly.  I have written several times about the offense that I think they felt towards Jesus, and that clearly led to unbelief, or as Mark and Matthew write, "their lack of faith".

I was just thinking back over my life, and the times I have been aware of how familiarity has led to contempt, and how that has led to offense.  I was thinking about how familiarity causes us to be blinded to other aspects, options, or ideas.  We think we know someone and we stop thinking at that point, and reject anything else.  We label them, and expect nothing else from them, and reject anything that doesn't agree with our judgment.  I know there have been times where I was labeled, and essentially put in a box, and not considered for anything else.  I know how frustrating that was to me personally.  I think that is the danger of familiarity, it blinds us or others to a person's true identity and capabilities.  

It is a beautiful thing to know another person deeply, but we must maintain an open mind and heart towards them, for we all are immensely capable and beautiful people created in God's image.  We need to be willing to allow people to grow, mature, and decide to be different. We need to recognize where we are limiting someone through our own "familiarity" with them.

It seems to me that the people in Nazareth couldn't get past their previous labels of Jesus, and missed out on fully benefitting from His ministry and relationship!  What a terrible thing to have the Messiah in your midst, and your familiarity with Him previously, causes you to rise up in anger when He reveals Himself,  and to the point you want to kill Him.  I heard a preacher recently talking about how Nazareth would always be known as the town that rubbed-shoulders with Jesus but rejected Him (or something to that effect), and reading these passages one would think that is true, for they tried to kill Him.  

What I find so interesting, and so hopeful is the fact that Jesus referred to Himself as Jesus of Nazareth, even after His Resurrection and Ascension.  We find this in Acts 22:8,  where Paul is describing his experience when He got knocked off the horse.  This happened to Paul after the stoning of Stephen, so probably somewhere between 2 and 4 years after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension.  In fact, seven time in Acts we find Jesus referred to as Jesus of Nazareth!  

The very fact that Jesus refers to Himself as being from Nazareth certainly redeems the name of that town, and I think that reveals the heart of Jesus.  While the fact that He was from Nazareth emphasises His humanity and humble beginnings, I believe His using the title 'Jesus of Nazareth' reveals His love and redemption of the very people that rejected Him.  He refuses to allow His familiarity of them to be His final word, or judgement.  In fact, later in His ministry when He is proclaiming woes over some of the towns He did so many miracles in Luke 10:13-15, He leaves Nazareth off the list.

Now I am not trying to force any theological point here, I am just thinking about Jesus and His willingness to forgive.  On the cross He prayed for those that had crucified Him (See Luke 23:34), He took upon Himself the sins of the world, and His treatment at Nazareth would be included. 

Finally, this gives me great encouragement today that Jesus does not label us and cast us aside, He does not proclaim "this one is only capable of..." He knows us, knows our weaknesses, our limitations, and yet He is always calling us, always inviting us higher up and farther in, He does not hold our sins against us, but forgives us and encourages us!  In spite of the wickedness of man, He chooses to be identified as one of us, Jesus of Nazareth!  

I am also encouraged to look at my thoughts about Jesus.  Do I think I know Him, and does this in some way limit my expectations, my faith, even my belief?  Am I willing to press past what I know about Him, into knowing Him fully?  Have I settled for head knowledge and judgment of Him, rather then pressing into the depths of who He is?  Have I settled for the words of other people, rather than getting to know Him truly for myself?  Have I let my past experiences of Him, or His Church limit my belief, my faith, my hope or my desire?

Oh Jesus, help me to press past any limitation, any familiarity, any judgment I have made about You and Your love for me!   Help me to press into the limitless knowing of You, Your splendor, Your majesty and Holiness!

Amen and Amen!