Operate In Our Gifts

This morning I am reading through some of Paul's letter to the Romans, which is such an excellent letter. Here were the verses that I am thinking about this morning: Romans 12:1-8 NIV

[1] "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God---this is your true and proper worship. [2] "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will.

[3] For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. [4] For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; [7] if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; [8] if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

So often when I read scripture, I look for the quotes I know, and look past the verses on either side of those verses, and in doing so, can often miss some of what the author was actually saying. These verses are a great example, as we would not usually hear a sermon that combines the first verses with the second set of verses. However, I think that the second set of verses flow out of the context of what Paul was saying in the first paragraph.

The pattern of the world seems to be the focus to me, and Paul's urging us to not he conformed to it, but to be different. We are to be transformed by changing the way we think (renewal of the mind). We are to view ourselves as a part of the Body of Christ, not only as individuals. We are to see our place, understand our gifts, and use them for the betterment of the Body. We all belong to each other.

That statement alone should cause us to stop and think...I belong to everyone in the Body of Christ. The original Greek language says it something like this - we are all members recipricolly of the same body. There is a sense of equality, of sharing in as a part, but no one better than the other, and all needed to be whole.

I love how in these passages Paul is not setting one gift above the others, but encouraging those with gifts (all of us) to use them to better the community. We need each and every one, and we need them all being exercised. We are called to operate to the level of our faith, and in stating this Paul doesn't look down on those with less faith, he just says to operate in accordance with Your faith, but definitely operate the gifts.

Often in our churches we are encouraged to have a certain level of proficiency before stepping out and using our gifts. While this might maintain a professional look and feel, that isn't what Paul calls us to here. He is basically saying that everyone regardless of their level of faith or maturity needs to be operating in their gifts. I recognize that this could get messy, but without exercise how are we to grow stronger, or mature?

So let us be encouraged today to step out into our fittings, into those things the Lord has planted in us, and let us strengthen the body. Let us give each other mercy and grace and recognize we all need each other and all belong to each other. Let us encourage one another is the exercising of our gifts, and rejoice in growth and maturity, but also rejoice in new Christians just learning to walk in and use their gifts! Put another way, we should rejoice over and encourage the one just learning to ride a bike as much as we do over someone who participates in the Tour de France. Let us encourage one another to operate in our gifts!

His Plans Are Better

I spent this morning reading through 2 Chronicles 14-20, which details the lives of two of the kings of Judah, Asa and Jehoshaphat, and how they pursued the Lord. Both did right before the Lord and followed His ways. However, Asa at one point was threatened with war and went and aligned himself with the king of Aram, rather than inquiring of the Lord what he should do (2 Chron 16). His plan was successful, but because he relied on the help of man, rather than God, other countries were not afraid to attack him.

Jehoshaphat on the other hand continually sought the Lord, and at one point was threatened with war, and he directed all leaders and the people of Judah to wait on the Lord and depend on Him for instruction. The Lord honored their prayers and told them exactly what to do and where to fight the enemy. When they followed the Lord's directions they never even had to draw their weapons for the Lord had wiped out the opposing armies (2 Chron 20). They recovered much from the enemies camps, and because God had fought for them, all the surrounding countries decided it wasn't a good idea to fight Judah, and they had peace.

So, I guess the lesson this morning is turn to the Lord and seek His guidance, regardless of whether we think we have a solution, God's ways are better. His ways are meant to bring us peace and prosperity. I know I am often tempted to just make decisions based on my own abilities, and not consult the Lord, but I know that He does have direction and guidance for me that is based on His plan and His perspective, which are perfect. So I can choose to try and figure it out on my own, or go with His plans which will always be better than mine. Put that way it doesn't seem like much of a decision, yet I fail to seek the Lord time and time again. Lord, help us to look to You, to wait on You and to trust that Your plan is better, and worth waiting for.

Faith And Belief

This morning I am reading from Mark 11:19-25 NIV:

[19] "When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
[20] In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
[21] Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
[22] “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. [23] “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [25] And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

These are some very interesting verses, as just prior to these, Jesus had cursed the fig tree because it bore no fruit. The tree had withered, and the disciples were amazed by His authority, here demonstrated over creation. He had previously commanded the wind (Mark 4:39) and had multiplied the bread and fish (Mark 6:30-44) and even had walked on the water (Mark 6:45-52), so they should not have been that surprised. I think this demonstrates the ability of us all to lose faith and to forget that which we have seen.

The second major focus of these verses is the section on faith and prayer. It could be very easy to take these single statements about faith and prayer and create a whole theology around them, as some streams in the Christian faith are doing. They look on these statements by Jesus as a basic prescription to get what we want, yet that is not the point of what Jesus is discussing here. The two key components that Jesus is discussing are faith in God, and relationship with Him in prayer. It is in the place of prayer in conversation with the Lord, that we understand His will, and unite ourselves to Him. We are no longer concerned only with our needs, but now with understanding of His will, heart and mind. It is in this place of knowing Him, of intimacy, that our faith in Him grows, and our confidence in His abilities grows. Nothing is impossible for God (Matt 17:20) and Jesus is demonstrating that here.

Also, we cannot read these verses and overlook everything else that is said in scripture about prayer and asking things of God. The following section comes from the Fourfold Gospel Commentary: Jesus here lays down the broad general rule in the application of which we must be guided by other Scriptures. The rule is, indeed, liberal and gracious, and the limitations are just and reasonable. We must not expect to obtain that which it is unlawful for us to desire (James 4:2,3), or which it is unwise for us to seek (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), nor must we selfishly run counter to the will of God (Luke 22:42; 1 John 5:14,15).

In other words, what we ask of God must lie within the context of His will for us. God will not break His own rules because we believe something with our whole heart. God desires to bless us and is always faithful. We will learn this and understand it deep our being, and we will be able to move the largest of obstacles through the power of God flowing through us. Faith is ultimately a gift from God, and it is based on experience, an impartation from
God to us. It is not something we convince ourselves of by repeating it over and over again.

So, in summary, these verses are not about us bending God to our will, but us melding ourselves to God, and His great future plans.

Love: God, Ourselves, Others

This morning I am reading from the Gospel of Mark, and thinking about our call to love God and each other.

Mark 12:28-33 NIV:
[28] "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [31] The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

It is an interesting thing, to be commanded to love God, for that goes against the popular idea that love is a feeling. The idea that we can choose to love, work on love and love with more than our emotions is somewhat foreign to our modern ideas on love. In reading this, one could feel like this type of commanded love is not love at all, but rather coerced feeling, but that is a wrong assumption.

God is calling us to relationship with Him, first and foremost. It is in this place of relationship that we learn how to love Him with our whole being. This loving with our heart, soul, mind and strength includes our emotions, but adds to it our thoughts, our actions, our inner being, everything we are, and everything we do. This is not something we can accomplish with simple following of rules, but something we internalize and we meld into our very core.

The Lord wants our relationship and our love first and foremost, and that is what Jesus is saying here. Our relationship with Him should be first before all others. Our relationship with Him becomes the foundation for all others. It is in relationship with Him that we discover our true identity, learning to love ourselves, and from that place of identity we are able to interact with all others (our neighbors). It is in relationship with Him that we see the value of all others, and understand that they are also God's chosen, the ones He loves, and from that place we learn to love them like we love ourselves.

Finally, the Lords commands, are not suggestions for good lives, although they have that effect. They are the best path forward, the best and only way for our fulfillment and finding our true purpose. They are meant to be the foundation upon which we interact with each other. They are meant to guide us, give us purpose and keep us healthy in our relationships with others, by way of our relationship with God. I think it is safe to say that if we have a healthy, loving relationship with God, we are far more likely to have healthy loving relationships with others.

There is great wisdom in these few verses, and we would be well counseled to dive deep into them and discover how we can more effectively live them out in our lives. We are called to love God and to love others, as Jesus says in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We are called to be examples to the world of Love, love for God, His love for us, and our love for one another. Let us learn to love with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

More On Our Inheritance

Yesterday, the theme of my meditation was inheritance, and again today I am stirred in that direction. The whole idea of us having an inheritance from Jesus is firmly established in the New Testament, as evidenced by the multitude of verses speaking of it (35). Many of these verses speak of us inheriting Eternal Life. What I find interesting is that although I always read them as having to do with our life after death, I don't think that is entirely accurate. Clearly in many instances that is the meaning, but the one thing that has caused me to stop and think is that traditionally an inheritance is really only for the living to enjoy, something that is passed to us, the living, upon a loved one's passing to the next life. So there must be some component of our inheritance that we enjoy now, in this life.

In several scriptures, eternal life is equated with knowing the Lord (John 17:3; 1 John 5:11-12). I have always understood it to speak of a quality of life, in addition to meaning living forever. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he tells Timothy to take hold of the eternal life (1 Tim 6:12), and clearly is talking about his life here on earth, not after he has passed into the life after death. It would be a completely nonsensical statement to tell a living person to take hold of something that can only be grasped after dying. Jesus speaks of creating in us a fountain that wells up to eternal life (John 4:14). Jesus also makes a very clear statement that whoever shares in His body and blood will have eternal life (John 6:54), and He will raise them up on the last day.

I truly believe that we are meant to experience our inheritance in this present life, and in the life to come. Paul in his letters to the Corinthians, Ephesians and Galatians talks about inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5; Gal 5:21). Jesus told us to pray for His Kingdom to come on earth, as it is in Heaven (Matt 6:10) and this would make no sense if His Kingdom, His rule and reign, was only meant to be experienced once we pass on to the next life.

Lord, I pray that You will open my eyes and my heart to that which You have for us here and now. Lord, I don't want to miss anything in this present life, that You want me to walk in and experience. I want to embrace the inheritance You have left us, Your Kingdom, and Eternal Life.

Doing The Stuff, Our Inheritance

This morning I felt like I should read from Isaiah 61, which is a section of scripture that I love. The specific verses that I was directed to are the following:

Isaiah 61:7 NIV: "Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours."

When I read this, I felt that it was related tot the topic I was thinking about yesterday morning, that of power and authority in the Kingdom. We often don't think about the fact that our inheritance in the Body of Christ, is exactly what Jesus demonstrated during His ministry. Before Jesus died, he was talking to the disciples and basically telling them what He was leaving as an inheritance. Here are a few verses from John:

John 14:18-21, 26-27 NIV "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

[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. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Those verses were prefaced with these: John 14:12-14 NIV: "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."

The Lord through Isaiah is speaking of inheriting a double portion, a rejoicing in our inheritance, and then in John, He describes some of what that inheritance looks like. He says will will inherit peace, identity, love, The Holy Spirit, authority in His Name. In John 14:14 Jesus says that anything we ask in His Name, He will do. This isn't some sort of code word, but rather a description of relational authority. We are able to do these things because we represent Him, and are exercising our inheritance.

Finally, I was reminded of part of sermon I heard many years ago, by John Wimber, where he talks about doing the stuff. The link to the video is here, hopefully it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTep5jzjhu8&feature=youtube_gdata_player


So, let us step into our inheritance, and start believing that this what we are called to do, namely the very same stuff that Jesus did.

The Kingdom and Power

This morning I am reading from Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. Apparently they were getting into some areas of pride. Paul is reminding them that he is an Apostle and that he had taught them differently. The following couple of verse caught my attention.

1 Corinthians 4:18-20 NIV:

[18] "Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. [19] But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. [20] For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

As I read this, my thought was upon the church, and how if we used this measure to judge a church, the measure of what power they had, it would potentially be a very sad situation, for many churches have lost their sense of what the Kingdom is all about, and how it is demonstrated. While well run programs are good, good teaching and sermons are very helpful, the Kingdom of God is supposed to be demonstrated by power. Jesus called the disciples together, sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom and then demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom with power (Matt 10:7-8). The power to heal, cleanse, cast out demons, and work miracles is the demonstration of the Kingdom.

Ultimately I believe that power and authority comes thorough relationship. The disciples that Jesus sent out walked n the authority and power because of their relationship with Jesus. Jesus ministered in power and authority because of His relationship with the Father. Simply put when we know someone deeply, we can represent them correctly. I have a good friend who says that he wants me to preach at his funeral because his pastor doesn't really know him, certainly not the way that I know him. He wants someone to faithfully represent him.

The Lord is much the same, He is looking for those who can really represent Him effectively. God is full of power, love, compassion, mercy and many more characteristics. He wants us to represent who He is to the world around us, for the Kingdom flows out of who He is. If we are preaching a God of power, but unable to demonstrate that to the world, then why should they believe us? The same is true for love, mercy, compassion, faithfulness, etc. The church must demonstrate these characteristics faithfully or the world will not believe us that God is like that.

Right now the common characterization of Christians in the media is one of judgmental, angry, compassionless people. Part of this is based on the liberal agenda of the media, but part of it is drawn from the actions of Christians. The church must rise up and restore the image of the Lord. We are His representatives, and our actions are associated with His character. So let us throw off arrogance, judgmentalism, angry speech and instead demonstrate to the world the true character of God, as demonstrated by Jesus. Let us restore to the church relationship with Jesus and the demonstration of His power and authority. Let such learn to desire mercy, not sacrifice (Matt 9:13). Let us demonstrate that mercy triumphs over judgement (James 2:13). Let us demonstrate the true power of Love, the power of the Kingdom of God, present in our midst.

Seeds of Change

This morning I was reading a bit through Proverbs. Such good stuff, every two lines you could stop and think for quite a while. Here are some excerpts: Proverbs 12:1, 14, 18, 22, 28 NIV:

[1] "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.

[14] From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.

[18] The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

[22] The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

[28] In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality."

So much of this chapter has to do with our words, our choices, and actions. Good things to think about for us all.

What I say affects my life, and the lives of the people around me. My words can bring life and healing, or they can tear down and bring destruction. You can tell much about a person by listening to their words, listening to how they talk about others.

What I choose to think on, and how I interpret things around me also greatly affect my life. I can choose to recognize that my life has purpose and pursue the one who knows what that purpose is (God), or just go with the flow, never thinking or pondering the deeper things of life. I can recognize that my thoughts and attitudes affect how I view life and others. I can choose to be grateful or not, I can choose to be kind or not, I can choose to look at the positive opportunities or the get stuck in my past hurts or woundedness. So much of our life experience is the fruit of our thinking and our choices. One of my favorite authors, Graham Cooke says, "if you don't like where your thinking has led you in your life, then have another thought, or think again", but this time change the way you think.

Finally, how we choose to act greatly affects our life. We can think grand thoughts but never act on them. I think the famous saying says 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'. In other words, people's thoughts didn't line-up with their actions. For example, in my mind I am always thinking about the need to eat better and exercise more, yet rarely do I act on those thoughts. My intentions won't make me healthier, it requires my actions. I might speak wonderfully, but it is the work of my hands that brings me rewards.

I guess I could meditate on these few verses for hours, but at the end of it all I need to apply these verses to my life and act differently. Lord, help me to sow the seeds of change, and begin to act differently.

We Are All Working Deacons

This morning, after reading several different scriptures, I felt led to Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV:

[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."

Verse eleven is a famous verse in the church, for it speaks of the what is known as the five-fold ministry offices. We are probably most familiar with the pastor office, and surely have heard of the other four. My focus this morning is not on these ministries, but on their purposes. Paul is very clear that the whole reason for these ministries is to build up the Body of Christ, or edify it. These gifts are meant to equip us with that which we need to do the works of service to which we are all called.

In my opinion, that is the real point Paul is making, that we all, everyone in the Body of Christ, has works of service to which we are called. In other words we are called to active ministry, through which the Body of Christ reaches maturity. The Greek words here translated works of service (verse 12) are "Ergon Diakonia". We might see some resemblance to words we are familiar with Ergo(nomics) which relates to work, and Deacon. We could have translated these words accordingly "working deacons" and the sentence would read, "to equip the people as working deacons, so that the Body of Christ might be built up". That would likely change all our perspectives on our own call within the Body of Christ. We are not called to be pew-sitting observers, but actively involved in the ministry of the Church, the Body of Christ. This body participation, or body engagement is what brings unity and maturity to the Body of Christ. The church is not meant to have a few full-time ministers, and the rest just faithful members of the congregation, but rather it is meant to be full of deacons, all actively participating in the ministry of the church.

I like to think of this model as the Church of responsible people, for we are all responsible to do our part. It is when we are all doing our part and growing in maturity that we then have the ability within us to resist waves and winds of the lies and deceptions that the enemy will try to sow in our midst. We will all know the truth and be able to recognize that which isn't the truth, and speak the truth to one another in love. In doing so, we grow together and mature into the fullness of the Body of Christ, fitting for our head Jesus. I think this is so important to grasp, we are all called, everyone of us. In this we are all called to grow, to mature, to step into our place, and we must be responsible for ourselves in this regard. The five-fold ministry gifts are meant to equip us, but we must be willing and desiring to grow and mature.

There is a growing understanding of our calling in the church today, some call this missional living, missional lifestyle, etc. The Readers Digest version of the idea is that we are all called to a mission field, namely those who we interact with every day. Saying it another way, we are all called to be shepherds, not sheep. The five-fold ministry is really about converting the sheep into shepherds. We may not all have a large flock, but we all are supposed to have flocks, those that Lord has called us to love and interact with regularly. Thus, we must all be equipped and maturing. We must all be more than familiar with the Word of God, His character, His heart, His kindness, His mercy and compassion. We are all called to represent Him to those around us, those we meet, those we live with and work with in our daily lives.

So, let us pray for the greater release of the five-fold ministries, and of the working deacons, into the works that will build up the Body of Christ. We need to grow in unity and maturity. We are all called, so let us step into our place and take responsibility for ourselves.

Kingdom Authority And Rule

This morning I am reading from Matthew 8:5-13 NIV:

[5] "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. [6] “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

[7] Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

[8] The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

[10] When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. [11] I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. [12] But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

[13] Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment."

This is a great story about the authority of Jesus, and faith in Him. The Centurion grasped clearly the idea of Jesus' demonstrations of the Kingdom of God, as examples of His authority over sickness and disease and the demonic powers and even nature itself. He also understood that Jesus' authority flowed from the Father, for his own authority flowed down from the throne of the Caesar. It is interesting how little the idea of authority and the Kingdom seems to be preached and instead the focus of this story often becomes the faith of the Centurion. Since Jesus commented on his great faith that does make sense, however much of that faith was founded on his understanding of how authority worked, and we would be well served to understand the same.

The Centurion was from Capernaum where Jesus had moved after returning from the wilderness, so he had likely seen Jesus active in ministry, and likely even heard Him speaking of the Kingdom. As one under authority, and having authority, he understood what Jesus was talking about when He was preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God being in their midst and then demonstrating that reality by operating in authority and healing people, casting out demons, and such. All were demonstrations of the rule and will of the King.

In a kingdom, the rule and will of the king determines what happens when and to whom. The King sets in place a set of laws that generally guides all those living under his rule, but then also has the authority to intervene personally where he sees fit. It wasn't always a good thing to have a king visit, because if you fell under his wrath, he could exact whatever punishment he willed, because you were one of his subjects, subject to his will and rule. However, you could also receive the blessing of the king, which could include provision, promotion or even just his presence in your house. In a kingdom, all authority flows down from the king, and those closest to the King have the greatest authority, even though they are not the king.

This is what Jesus was demonstrating, the authority of the King (The Father), as one of His representatives (Heb 1:3). Jesus had willingly laid down His divinity becoming fully man (Philippians 2:5-10), and was now operating as a man under authority. The Centurion had likely seen Jesus operate under this authority and had seen people healed and demons cast out. His faith was in the authority, power and rule of the King, for he had seen it demonstrated over and over again. His request of Jesus was to simply say the word, or give the command for the sickness to leave. He knew Jesus had the authority to issue the command and the sickness had to obey.

Often times we hear people praying these same words, in an effort to mirror the faith of the Centurion. Although that is laudable, the problem is that the words don't indicate faith. Rather, the belief of the Centurion in authority and rule, which was evident in his words, is what Jesus heard. The words without the understanding and knowledge of authority do not constitute great faith.

So let us be encouraged that Jesus now sits on the throne, alongside the Father and it is their rule and authority that we operate under. The same things that Jesus demonstrated are available to us, for we are under the exact same authority and rule, that He operated under while on this earth. Let us pray for opportunities for the Lord to teach us about Kingdom authority and rule. For we are called to advance the Kingdom of God, and demonstrate the reality of that Kingdom to all (Matt 24:14 & Matt 28:18) nations.

Amen!

Salvation For The Really Lost

This morning I am reading one of my favorite stories, the story of Zacchaeus. Yesterday I was so tired from a night of minimal sleep, that I ended up sleeping through my prayer time, which is actually just fine. I am convinced the Lord is able to speak to my spirit while I sleep, and has no problem with my falling asleep with Him on my mind.

So here is the story - Luke 19:1-10 NIV:

[1] "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. [3] He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. [4] So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

[5] When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

[6] So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. [7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

[9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

One of the things I like about this story is the realness of it all, there is no sense of anything even remotely made up. I can easily imagine the situation as it unfolded. Zacchaeus must have been an interesting man, as he was short, and also considered a traitor, for he worked for the Romans as a collector of taxes. He personally benefitted greatly from that arrangement, but his wealth came from the taxes he collected from the people around him. No wonder there was grumbling when Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus's house, he was probably one of the most hated men around, for they saw him get rich on what was once their money.

If I ever wondered if there was hope for the salvation of someone because of their character, Zacchaeus is a great example of the Lord's touch being able to completely transform someone in an instant. He was clearly an astute businessman, who knew how to survive and thrive in a negative environment. He was not a friend of the poor, for often the tax burden fell heavily on them, nor was he known for his charity, for he had amassed great wealth on the backs of those around him. He had to be ruthless in the profession of tax collecting, and being charitable would not have helped him in that regard. That he was selfish is a given.

So here is a man, probably hated by all, surrounded by people who only liked him for his money, and considered by all to be a traitor to the Romans. He meets Jesus after climbing down from the tree and before Jesus can even say anything else, he boldly proclaims how his heart has been changed, for he pledges half of his possessions to the poor! Adding to that he opens himself up to make restitution to anyone he cheated. This is huge, for his wealth was all he really had that made him somebody, it was likely where he derived his whole identity. Now he was readily giving it away! This is like the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas, whose heart and whole life was changed. Zacchaeus just had that kind of experience in meeting Jesus.

Jesus for His part confirms the change in Zacchaeus by calling him a true son of Abraham, which established him as a Jew, not a traitor. In addition to that, Jesus says that salvation came to him, and his house! He wasn't just talking about his restoration as a Jew, but the word is also used to mean the salvation that Jesus won on the cross, so likely the Lord is prophetically speaking about his eternal destiny.

Finally, in the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus is the second to last person mentioned who received salvation, the other being the criminal who was crucified wth Jesus. So, let us take encouragement that anyone can meet Jesus and be transformed in an instant, even those most lost, no matter how late it might seem. I am convinced that Jesus was specifically sent to Jericho by the Father to save Zacchaeus. He knew his name and where to look (up) to find him. The Lord said He must stay at his house that night, which sounds to me like He was on a mission from the Father. In fact, Jesus in his last sentence said He was sent to SEEK and SAVE the lost. Sounds exactly like Jesus was seeking out Zacchaeus.

This is a great story of salvation, of hearts being changed and of the specific purposes the Lord has for us all. All of us are known to the Lord, and where we are presently. He has a day of eternal destiny planned for each of us, even the most lost. Let us continue to pray for those who we know that are lost, even the most hardened, for at some point the Lord will seek them out and call their name.

Sowing Peace

This morning I am reading from the Letter of James. He is so straightforward in His language and views, generally easy to understand. The verses this morning come from the third chapter - James 3:13-18 NIV:

[13] "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. [14] But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. [15] Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. [16] For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

[17] But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [18] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."

I like the terms that James uses - bitter envy and selfish ambition. The original Greek offers a helpful perspective. The root words of the Greek for selfish ambition could be translated to say "boiling, piercing". This is not a casual envious thought, but something that is boiling up since us. I think of issues that cause us to fixate on something we don't have, or some wrong that has been done to us. So the focus is all in self, the same can be said of the original Greek here translated selfish ambition. The focus is on oneself, and this is done without regard for those around you, in fact it often results in or cause factions, division, etc. This kind of focus clearly doesn't fit the gospel according,nor the charge given by Jesus to the church.

In stark contrast, James writes the next few verses. These words should help us to quickly discern the origination of the thoughts and feeling within us. First is purity, in other words no carnality, or fleshly desire, the exact opposite of selfishness. Peace loving and considerate, speaks of focusing on others and putting them first. Submissiveness means we are willing to lay down our own agenda, our own plans. Full of mercy and good fruit - not judgmental and not causing division but showing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Impartiality and sincerity means a willingness to actually see both sides, or all sides and then deciding but deciding with a true heart, and clean conscience. Finally, sowing in peace, means we have peace in abundance in our lives, so much that out of the overflow we can provide seed for others.

The fruit borne out of sowing peace is righteousness, which is interesting in that you usually have the same thing you plant. Planting corn leads to a corn harvest. In this case though James is apparently pointing out the cause of much sin, namely selfishness and envy. Also to point out an important fact, ur righteousness does not come from us and our actions, but rather from Jesus. This makes perfect sense in James's logic here, for the word he uses for peace is a word that means among other things, knowledge of salvation, or a settledness in our hearts and soul. So as we sow this, others come to understand that their salvation comes from Christ, and thus entrust themselves to Him, bringing about righteousness in their lives.

So my encouragement today is to look at the origination of my thinking, to see if it boils up from some internal selfish focus, and desires division or if it comes down from Heaven and leads ultimately to Him. The fruit of which source should be evident to all. Lord help me to look to You, rather than to myself. Help me to change my mindset and my focus, and become one who sows peace by my words and actions.

Confirming The Gospel

This morning I am reading from the beginning of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi.

Philippians 1:3-11 NIV:
[3] "I thank my God every time I remember you. [4] In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

[7] It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. [8] God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

[9] And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, [10] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ---to the glory and praise of God."

There are a few things that stand out as I read these verses, besides Paul's love and affection for the church.

First, in verse 5, he talks about their partnership in the Gospel. The Greek word, here translated partnership is the word Koinonia. Its definition follows:
1. fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse
a. the share which one has in anything, participation
b. intercourse, fellowship, intimacy 1. the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office)
c. a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship

What Paul is describing is a common effort joined by all the members of the church, the spreading of the good news. The general feel here is not one of rallying behind a leader/pastor, but an active participation of all members. They are the "good work" and they are participating in the "good work". When I read verses like this I reminded of churches that seem alive at all levels, where the whole church is involved and active and where its not a sit back and teach me kind of congregation. I believe this is exactly the kind of church the Lord wants to see in our day, one where everyone is sharing in the life and the effort of representing the Kingdom.

Second, in verse 7 Paul writes of defending and confirming the Gospel. It is the word confirming that caught my eye as I read over these verses, for that is not a usual description of the work of spreading the Gospel. Other translations use the word, confirmation and that is the exact translation of the original Greek. Confirmation in the Websters dictionary means: "proof which shows that something is true or correct." I believe that is exactly what Paul was saying here, that he was at working defending the Gospel and proving that what He said was true, by visible proofs, not just in words, but in deeds.

When I read this I am reminded of Peter and John's interaction with the lame man outside the temple - Acts 3:6 NIV "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Peter went on, in the reminder of that chapter, to describe this healing as proof that Jesus was the Messiah, and had been raised from the dead (the core of the Gospel). Paul described his ministry as being not in word only but with power and the Holy Spirit (1 Thesis 1:5). I believe this is what Paul meant when he said he was at work confirming the Gospel, that he was busy allowing the Lord to work through him to bring about healings, miracles and other signs. He knew that the effective proclamation of the Gospel was coupled with demonstration, or proof that what he was saying was indeed true.

Every time I read something like this, my heart and spirit are stirred to see this in the church today, more than we are presently seeing. The same thing is true today, words alone are only so effective, especially when we consider the many ideas that are bombarding everyone these days. The best way to grab someone's attention and prove to them that what you are saying is true, is to demonstrate something that is only possible if what you saying IS true. That is what I am after, visible, defendable, obvious proofs that the Kingdom of God is indeed present and in operation. Lord help us to see this happen in our midst!

On Denying Oneself

This morning I am reading from Matthew, chapter 16 and it is one of those sections we would prefer not too have in Scripture. Here are the verses - Matthew 16:24-27 NIV:

[24] "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [25] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. [26] What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? [27] For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done."

These verses are probably ones we have heard, but not ones that are our favorites, because they speak of denying oneself. Honestly, I don't like doing that and I am pretty sure I am in good company. We tend to like our lives, like the things that bring us pleasure, and like being in control. These words of Jesus are meant to cause us to look at our lives, and see what or who we are consistently choosing to follow. Discipleship is a choice we make, not something that just happens. Jesus is making it very clear that choosing to follow Him will require some amount of self-denial.

The exchange, that He describes, is giving up our own plans and our own control of our life and finding in Him real life, and ultimately eternal life. To firmly understand this we must have eyes that see beyond the here and now, and recognize that there is more to our lives than this present life. That is the hard part for us who grew up with a western mindset, for we don't think of the afterlife and our souls and they aren't a significant theme, unless you like scary movies.

However, the Lord has made it very clear that there is eternal life, and our actions here on earth determine what that life will be, and our souls (that which is in us which is spirit) will definitely live on after our physical bodies pass away. This is not theory, this is truth given to us by the Father through His Son Jesus. We will all be confronted with this reality, whether we believe it is true or not. God's Word does not depend on our belief.

Now again, we must not only look at these verses, for Jesus spoke of the cost of following Him several times, so it is good to look at other verses to gain a fuller understanding of what He is talking about here. Jesus replies to Peter's statement about that which they had given up in following Him in the following verses.

Matthew 19:27-29 NIV
[27] "Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

[28] Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."

In Luke's version there is a little more added by Jesus - Luke 18:29-30 NIV:

[29] “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God [30] will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

So, although we may be asked to give up things in this life for the sake of the Kingdom of God, for the sake of following Jesus, we will receive that which more than compensates for what was given up. Again this is always our choice, never something that is forced upon us, but a decision we must choose for ourselves. The Lord makes it clear that we will receive much more than we ever give up, and that should cheer our heart, for the Lord is faithful and infinitely generous.

I think our problem is the level of attachment and ownership we have for our stuff. Whether it is our house, our furnishings, our lifestyle, our friends, our electronics, or our money, we mistakenly think that giving them up means losing part of ourselves. We put too much of our identity into our things, and thus feel like we are losing ourselves, but Jesus makes it clear that whatever we lose for His sake, we will gain much more. In other words, speaking just of our identity, we will have more identity if we follow Him. We will have more to offer others, our life will have more meaning, our joy will be more complete, our peace will be deeper, our hope will be stronger, our sense of identity will be clearer. In other words, if we follow Him, we will be more fully us. I know that is totally paradoxical, but that is essentially what Jesus is saying here. It is in following Jesus that we will be released into that which we were called to be, that which we were created to do, into the very purposes of God for our life, both here and eternally.

One final thought, there are those who try to turn these verses into some sort of spiritual cash machine. They look at these verses and then teach that if you give $100 to the Kingdom of God, that you will receive 100 times as much in return ($10,000). That would be an abuse of the Word, and not truly what the Lord said, nor meant. He is after relationship with us, for the invitation was to follow Him in discipleship. He doesn't want to be our cash ,machine, but rather our Lord and savior. The prosperity gospel, as it is sometimes preached, is really not Jesus' message, for Jesus is talking about denying oneself, and the prosperity gospel is full of oneself. Their focus is how to get more stuff for oneself by pretending to be spiritual. They lay down one thing ($100) and immediately have their hand extended for the return ($10,000). The focus is not relationship with Jesus but rather getting more stuff, as a sign that Jesus loves them. Let me say this simply - Jesus doesn't need to buy friends or followers.

So rolling back to the beginning of today's meditation, I am encouraged to look at my life and consider my choices. Am I consistently choosing to follow Jesus? Am I willing to lay down my stuff to follow Him, should He ask me? Is my life and my stuff more important than following Him? Do I have an eternal mindset, or am I only concerned with the here and now? Am I willing to make my relationship with Him my top priority? Is He my treasure, or is my stuff my treasure?

The Greatest Commandment

This morning I am meditating on the following verses - Mark 12:29-33 NIV:

[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [31] The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

It is interesting that Jesus boils down all of the law into these two commandments, loving God and loving our neighbors. The word used for love here is Agape and that denotes more than just brotherly love and affection. Definition: Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. In other words this is the type of Love that Jesus demonstrated in dying for us.

His love for us was demonstrated in His coming to earth, to reveal the heart of the Father and restore a way for us to be in eternal relationship with us. He then calls us to that exact same Love in our relationship with the Father. I think that Agape love is impossible without relationship. The teacher of the law gets it right, relationship is more important than the religious ceremonies and sacrifices.

Loving the Lord with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength, means that this love is all encompassing in our life. It involves our emotions, our understanding and reasoning, our choices and finally our physical exertions. This is not a one-hour on Sunday kind of love, but a life focus kind of love. The is a daily, hourly, never ending, never decreasing kind of love. This is the kind of love that shapes one's life, and the object of all this love is God.

Secondly, we are called to love our neighbor, in the same way we love ourselves. This is every bit as hard as the first command, in fact sometimes it seems harder. It is so easy to love ourselves, to spend our money on ourselves, to think constantly about our self, and to prioritize ourselves above every one else. The issue is that Jesus says we should love others just like we love ourselves, and that means we need to be ready to spend money on them, think about their needs and make them a priority. In our independent western mind-set, this is not common. In fact, it seems that about the only time we really see this type of love expressed is during times of difficulty that affect everyone, such as blizzards, ice storms, etc.

These few verses give me much to think about, and much to look at in my daily life. Am I truly loving God with my everything? Am I loving my neighbors in the same way I am loving myself? Am I pursuing relationships with God and my neighbors or am I just doing the minimal religious, and community duty? Lord, You said our love would be a sign to all that we follow You, and I pray that this would be the case for us all, that when people looked at us they would see our love! Amen!

Soaring Above Our Situation

Yesterday I was reminded of these verses from Isaiah and they are some of my favorite verses. The Lord has spoken to my heart many times with these verses, and I am always encouraged.

Isaiah 40:27-31 NIV:
[27] "Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
[28] Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
[29] He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
[30] Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
[31] but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Often when I am struggling or weighed down, I can have a little pity party where I think my situation has been overlooked by everyone, and no one cares, etc. Many of those times the Lord has brought me to these very verses, and reminded me of His constant love and faithfulness. He reminds me that He should be my source of strength, my place of peace. David called Him - "My Rock" and that is so true. By rock, we are not talking about some small rock that can fit in our hand, but something more like the Rock of Gibraltor, huge, unmovable, and always there! Sometimes we just need to turn around to see Him (this is basically what repenting means).

In addition to His faithfulness, God also provides the life we need, when we need it. Jesus speaks about how the Spirit is really the true source of life in John 6:63 NIV: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you---they are full of the Spirit and life."

Finally, the image of soaring on wings of eagles is helpful as well, because the eagle doesn't beat its wings to soar, it just glides on wind currents, and is capable of actually soaring higher without ever moving its wings. If we can catch the wind of the Spirit, we can soar to incredible heights, all with minimal effort on our part.

So let us be encouraged! God sees us, sees our situation and He is not surprised or caught unawares. He is the source of life, strength and hope. Let us lean into the wind of the Spirit and soar above this all!

Approaching The Father With Shameless Audacity

I had a very interesting time of insight on Luke 11 yesterday, and had a bit more as I was thinking about it later - see my notes yesterday, breaking the passage down and taking a different perspective about what is generally taught as the need to persevere in prayer. I am continuing on my thoughts around those verses - how I really think we have generally been focused on the wrong thing.

Luke 11:5-10 NIV
[5] "Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; [6] a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ [7] And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ [8] I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

[9] “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

So, Jesus has just finished teaching them to pray using something we call the "Lord's Prayer". To further clarify this teaching, He uses the example above. So I was thinking about why He used this specific example., and figured there must be some things that we often overlook if we always thought this next story was about persevering in prayer.

First, the assumption that Jesus makes is that you have a need. It is not a big need, but one that is based out of a desire to be hospitable. I was thinking about the fact that Jesus could have used any example of need, but chose to use this, one that is not critical, one that doesn't even involve our own needs. We wouldn't need the bread for ourselves, but for a visiting friend. However important the need, the attitude of the one asking is not even apologetic, and that is the point. There is an expectation, and understanding that this need is one that will be met, no apologies needed. It is as if this was a common need, and everyone understood that of course you would be given bread if you needed it. The timing is the only questionable thing.

Second, why would we go to any friend in the middle of the night for bread? The answer is actually pretty simple, its because we would know that he had bread! You wouldn't be wondering if he had bread, especially if it was the middle of the night and you just keep knocking. You kept knocking because you had no doubt that this person had bread. So your attitude is simply that you won't leave until he gives you what you want, and what you know he has available. You know that he will give you as much as you need, no doubt about.

Third, Jesus calls it shameless audacity that wins you the bread. That is exactly what I just described, no shame, no apologies in asking, and an absolute certainty that the bread would be provided. This is the real focus of what Jesus is talking about - the attitude of the one in need, not the attitude of the one with the bread. In other words, Jesus is giving us direction about our attitude, as we approach the Father - and calls it shameless audacity. We could just as easily call it expectant faith.

Fourth, I was just thinking that another similar example would be sitting at the table when your father is distributing the food and you hand him your plate. There would be no shame in handing him your plate because you know that he has food that he is giving out, and you are his son or daughter. You would not be ashamed of your hunger, its only natural, and you wouldn't be apologetic about asking for something that was a given. You would however be thankful for the food.

Fifth, I think Jesus was contrasting the heart of the one who was asked for the bread, and comparing him to the Father. The Father is in no way like this friend and He does not require perseverance, or incessant asking. He does not sleep, or grow weary, (Is 40:28) but is always watching over us ready to respond (PS 18:6; PS 34:15). So to contrast, if we need to continue knocking to get bread from the friend, in contrast the Father will respond immediately. If the man is in bed too tired to answer, in contrast the Father is waiting and listening and ready. If one persistent approach is required for the man, in contrast, we don't need to use that approach with the Father. Jesus was trying show us the Father's heart.

Finally, Jesus goes right from this story of going to friend in the middle of the night to telling us to ask, seek and knock. He is freshly applying the principles He just described, and simply calls us to approach the Father directly with our needs, whatever they may be. We should do so without shame, knowing that He has exactly what we need, and He loves to give us that very thing. Jesus doesn't add any qualifiers, or any conditions, and that is why I believe He was really talking about our heart condition and attitude toward the Father.

So let us be encouraged in prayer, in turning to the Father. Let us realize that He loves us and does not need to be convinced of our need, nor moved by our incessant asking. He will answer, will open the door and will direct us as we need. Let us repent for any wrong view we have of the Father and let us ask, seek and knock for what we need.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

This morning, I am reading from Luke 11:1-13 NIV:

[1] One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

[2] He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. [3] Give us each day our daily bread. [4] Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ”

[5] Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; [6] a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ [7] And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ [8] I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

[9] “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [11] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? [12] Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

These are such interesting verses as they relate to prayer, especially when we realize that this is Jesus teaching His followers how they should approach the Father, in prayer. Looking at His teaching on prayer with a fresh eye we see:

1. Focus on the Name of the Father, bringing Him Glory and honor, recognizing that there is no other God, and He is wholly worthy of our praise.
2. A calling forth of the Kingdom of God - one would expect this would then result in its demonstration (healing, signs & wonders, deliverance, etc.)
3. A call for blessing and provision, in a very practical sense. God is not just interested in our spiritual condition, but also our natural condition.
4. Asking for forgiveness for those wrongs we have committed in our relationship with Him, and a commitment to forgive others for those wrongs they have committed against us. "Freely you have received, so freely give." (Matt 10:8)
5. Asking Him to guide and direct us and keep us on the correct path, to protect us from the deception of the enemy, and unhealthy pursuits of the flesh and the world. The Greek word can be literally translated trial - with both a positive and negative context. The idea is either that the Lord is testing our character and His work in us, or they are specifically designed to lead us to walk away from God and His plans, and thus from the enemy, or both.

After finishing this brief teaching, it seems Jesus tells His followers to persevere in prayer, almost to the point of obnoxiousness (verses 5-8). This is where it gets interesting, for He is teaching His followers how to approach the Father. I think that sometimes we misunderstand these particular verses, because these verses are really to help us to understand the character of the Father, not teach us to persevere in asking, for He isn't anything like the friend Jesus mentions. Jesus is using the story of the friend, who won't help until you just keep banging on their door, to illustrate that the Father isn't anything like them. The real focus is the attitude we should come with when we go to the Father. The NIV translates it shameless audacity, other translations use the word persistence. I like shameless audacity, for that is how I see the Lord wants us approach Him in the confidence of knowing Him. There is no shame in recognizing and our admitting our need, nor in going to the one who can really meet my needs.

Next, the Lord gives us simple directions, ask, seek, knock, depending on your particular need. He has established that the character of God is completely different than the character of man, and where a man might give us something if we ask many times, the Father will always. There's is no hesitancy, no waffling, no extensive questioning from the Father. There is no misunderstanding, no bait and switch, no shaming, no rejecting, just answering our need.

Our Father is so much more capable, so much more loving and so much more faithful than any person we have ever met, even the best earthly father. If we can receive good things that we need from these types of people, who are sinful and limited at their best, how much more will our Father in Heaven, the one who created us, loves us and has a plan for us, give us exactly what we need. We don't need to be ashamed when we come to Him in our need, we don't need to fear His answer, we just need to ask, seek and knock, and He will deliver.

This is all related to the teaching on prayer, all to help us understand how to approach the Father in prayer. He loves us, and desires the best for us. Let us approach Him with shameless audacity, knowing that He is indeed that good and that faithful.

A Focus On Life, Not Sin And Hell

This morning I had an interesting thought while thinking about sin and hell. I thought about how so much of some churches message is based around those themes when its only a very small part of the Gospel message from Jesus, and the New Testament. I decided to do a little research on the Greek words as the are used in the New Testament, pertaining to sin and hell, and other themes. The two primary Greek words for sin are skandalon/skandaliza (44 times), and Hamartia (177), and of those only 31 are in the Gospel and thus possibly attributable to Jesus. Hell and Hades are used a total of (19) times 13 in the Gospels. While the Greek words for love, agape and phileos are used (345), faith - Greek pistis (243), hope - Greek elpis (84), Kingdom - Greek Basileia (162), Father - Greek Pater (413), Spirit - Greek pneuma (379), mercy - Greek eleeo (59), forgiveness - Greek aphiemi (145), Heaven - Greek ouranos (275), heal/save- Greek sozo (106), heal - Greek therapeuo (43), heal - Greek iaomai (26). In summary, there is much to speak about, much to focus on in the New Testament rather than sin and hell. Note: some of the counts are combined with slightly different variants of the same Greek word, that mean the same thing.

The way I saw it was that there is this huge message about the awesomeness of God, and the potential of life within Him, and we only talk about what's the punishment if we don't embrace that life option. It is not that we shouldn't speak about sin, judgment and hell, but the message should be in balance with the rest of the Gospel. Paul says it well in Romans 6:22-23 NIV:

[22] "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In other words, let us not focus on the wages of sin, but on the great gift that we have been given in Christ Jesus our Lord, the one who has set us free from sin! So often we only hear the first part of verse 23 preached, when the focus of the verse is the second part - the great gift we have been given, namely eternal life. If we have been set free from the sin, then we have been set free from the effects of it as well, or the wages associated wth it.

So, let us look to the good news, the promise of eternal life, the message of the Kingdom, faith , love, mercy, healing, forgiveness, salvation, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and recognize that this is the message we have been called to preach and represent. Let us focus on that which brings life, that which encourages us forward in our relationship with the Lord, and the life available in Him.

God's Great Unfailing Love

I am filled with gratitude this morning for the loving relationship, the constant companionship of my Lord. I am so aware of His constant help, His intimate knowledge of my life and circumstances, and His untiring and unchanging love. I was just thinking back at all the things I have seen Him do in my life, in the lives of others and the wonder and joy I have experienced, and I am overwhelmed. I am reminded of His steadfast love, and support through difficult times , and I so grateful.

I am reminded of the verses from Lamentations 3 that say, [22] "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. [23] They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. [24] I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” [25] The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;"

[26] it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. [31] For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. [32] Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. [33] For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone."

Thank You Lord for Your steadfast and unfailing love, Your new mercies every day, Your faithfulness in all circumstances. You will never cast us off or forsake us, but will always welcome us, always forgive and always have new mercies for us every morning! Your love is truly great and unfailing, and directed at us all!

The Path To Eternal Life

This morning I am reading from Mark 10:17-22 NIV:

[17] As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

[18] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good---except God alone. [19] You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”

[20] “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

[21] Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

[22] At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

I love this story because it clearly lays out what is important, and the path forward. Many people have taken this story to mean that the only way forward for us towards eternal life is to sell everything we have, and in that they really miss the main point. It's not something we can do, but who we are in relationship with that determines our eternal status.

If we look closely at the man's question to Jesus, he wanted to know what he needed to do. He thought he could earn his way into heaven, or eternal life, by works of some sort, even if they were good works.

Jesus' reply was to come and follow Him, and it was out of His love for Him that He gave the man this invitation. This was an invitation to relationship with his savior. Unfortunately, the man's riches and responsibilities would have made a life of following Jesus impossible for this man, so Jesus gave him direction on what to do. I was reading David Guzick's commentary and he made a good point. He said that the man had made his wealth an idol, and Jesus was inviting him to break away from that which bound him, for idolatry of any sort will bind us, and control us to some degree.

Relationship with Jesus was the one thing the wealthy man lacked, and it is the only path to eternal life of joy in heaven. Being good won't be enough, following the law won't be enough, it is only in relationship with Jesus that we find eternal life.

Paul wrote in Galatians 2:15-16 NIV: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

John wrote in 1 John 5:11-12 NIV: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-4, 8-9 NIV: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Jesus himself said in John 17:3 NIV: "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

So, let us examine our life's and see if there is anything that keeps us from relationship with Jesus. Jesus does not condemn us if there is, but rather looks on us with love and invites us to put whatever it is aside and enter into relationship with Him. He loves us, and wants us to be in relationship with Him. He is the path to eternal life!

Context Matters

This morning I was reading from 1 Thessalonians and realized that Paul was writing to them as new Christians, for his visit to them had been short, and they had only been able to share with them briefly before they had to leave town (see Acts 17). Paul hadn't had time to fully form the church there, nor preach the fullness of the Gospel, for they only stayed a very short time. So Paul's message to the church there was not the message to a mature church, but rather to new believers, fresh in their faith and not fully formed. He longs to return to them and finish what he started and supply what was lacking in their faith. The verses below illustrate this:

1 Thessalonians 3:1-2, 5-6, 10-13 NIV

[1] So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. [2] We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

[5] For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.

[6] But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.

[10] Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

[11] Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. [12] May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. [13] May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

In the preceding chapters we also see how gently Paul dealt with them, and how He loved them.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 NIV
[7] "Instead, we were like young children among you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, [8] so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. [9] Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. [10] You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. [11] For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, [12] encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."

My point in all this is understanding who Paul is writing too, helps us to understand ad frame his messages, for we can become confused by some of the simple language he uses here, compared to some of the more thoroughly written and thought out letters to mature believers, like Romans or Hebrews. We must always take Paul's writings as a whole, and recognize that no one sentence or one chapter can be understood on its own, nor can a theological point be extracted correctly without understanding the greater body of his work.

A good example is 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 NIV:

[3] "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, [5] not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; [6] and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before."

First the phrase translated "the Lord will punish", could be more accurately translated "the Lord is the avenger". If takeN out of context, and with this single translation we could think that the Lord will punish those who sin sexually. The issue with this is that the Lord has already taken all the punishment for all sins upon himself on the cross (Romans 6).

Secondly we might think this is an immediate punishment, but Paul writes in Romans 2:5 "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath , when his righteous judgment will be revealed." In other words, the punishment, if the sin is not forgiven, will be meted out on the day of Judgement, the day of God's vengeance.

Thirdly, one might misunderstand that this sexual sin is different than any other sin, all of which come under the blood of Jesus and can be forgiven. Jesus paid the price for all of us, and His blood cleanses us of every sin, if we come to Him and ask forgiveness (Eph 1:7, Col 1:14, Heb 9:22)! The author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 10:14, 17-18 NIV:

[14] "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

[17] Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” [18] And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary."

In other words, Jesus made the sacrifice for our sins, and if we come under His blood, in faith, our sins are remembered no more, and sacrifice for them has already been made.

So, in summary, let us read carefully and understand the fullness of the Gospel message, not taking things out of context, or creating theology out of one sentence. Let us be fed upon the whole Gospel and pursue maturity in Christ Jesus, that we might faithfully proclaim the Gospel, the good news, to all the world. Let us live to please God, not out of fear of punishment, but out of joy and relationship.

Adding To Our Righteousness?

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians. He is discussing the ideas of grace and works. Here are two critical sections:

Galatians 2:15-16, 19-21 NIV:
[15] “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles [16] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

[19] “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

The goal here is to be deemed righteous, or free of sin, which is the requirement to enter into God's presence, or eternal life. Earlier in the chapter Paul was describing how he was calling Peter to task for giving in to the "circumcision" party, those who were trying to force Jewish laws on the Gentiles. Paul's stance was critical to the message of the Gospel, that through faith they might be saved. This was not a message of works, some set of acts that would enable a person to reach the required state, but rather a message of faith.

Paul makes it very clear that if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Jesus would not have needed to come and die for our sins. Additionally, the next step in the works logic is that following some of the rules of the law would enhance one's righteousness, thus producing a group of people who were 'more' righteous than the rest. That is exactly what Paul was battling here, the members of the "circumcision party" were considering themselves above the Gentile believers, because they were more righteous. Paul understood this was very dangerous territory and a stream that must be stopped, for it would taint the whole Gospel.

There can be only one answer, for there is only one savior, Jesus. He either died or all our sins or He didn't, and He either has made us righteous by His sacrifice, or He hasn't. There is no incompleteness to His sacrifice, no need to add to His sacrifice. We cannot achieve new levels of righteousness by our acts, for we have been made righteous by Jesus, and this is not based on anything we do. In other words, everyone who comes to Jesus for salvation and believes in Him through faith, has the same level of righteousness in God's eyes, that of Jesus.

Any acts of obedience, any embracing of the way of the Lord that we do is the result of our relationship and salvation we have already received. Our actions should be birthed out of relationship, not out of following some set of rules that someone else has written or communicated. Those who have just come to salvation in Christ, are just as righteous as those who have walked for years with the Lord, the difference is intimacy.

Using an example that we can relate to, a couple who just got married yesterday are every bit as married as a couple who was married 40 years ago. Those who have shared life together for 40 years are not more married, but they likely enjoy greater intimacy. The couple married for 40 years should not look down on the newly married couple with contempt, or act as if their marriage is better, but rather should be encouraging to the young married, of the joys and life they will experience. Similarly, there are many married couples whose life together is significantly different than other couples, yet their marriage is every bit as legitimate, and intimate, so they should not believe that the way their life together has developed is the way ever one else's should be.

So let us examine our lives and make sure that we do not believe a Gospel that has been added too, one that requires anything other than faith in Jesus as the standard and requirement for righteousness. Let us encourage each other onward in intimacy and relationship with the Lord, but let us not look down on those whose walk is young, different, or less intimate.

Healed of Blindness (2}

This morning I went back to the story of the man born blind who is healed by Jesus found in John 9. I was thinking about the whole healing and the way the whole situation was reported in such an understated way. Here are a few verses from the story - John 9:3-11 NIV:

[3] “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

[6] After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. [7] “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

[8] His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”

[9] Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

[10] “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

[11] He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

So I think the end of verse 7 may be one of the most understated sentences in the Bible - "So the man went and washed and came home seeing."

This is a man who was born blind and had never seen anything, and now he could see everything! He didn't just come home seeing, like it had been another day at the corner begging, but today he could see! No, he was utterly transformed in character, so much so that the people who were his neighbors didn't recognize him! Imagine yourself having never seen anything, and now being able to see! To see your world, and all the details and colors, and animals and plants, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, everything was new! To see people, to put faces with names, to see how people walked and talked and used their faces to express things, these were all new to the man! Imagine your best Christmas morning and birthday ever and multiply it times 1000, that is what this man just experienced. He didn't just come home seeing! He came home rejoicing, examining everything, every detail, every color, everything was new! He had never seen his house, never seen his parents! There must have been incredible joy in that house that day!

His demeanor and character must have been utterly transformed, for his very neighbors argued about whether it was him or not. He was no longer a beggar, no longer an outcast, he could see! He was no longer someone you ignored or didn't look at as you walked join by, but now he could truly see you and interact with you. Maybe this was the first time his neighbors had actually ever looked at him, for the blind were outcasts and beggars in that society. Its funny, you can tell by the conversation among themselves that they had never treated him as a real person, for they were arguing with each other in his very presence about whether this could be the same man who was born blind, like he didn't even matter. It is like he was formerly blind and deaf, like it didn't matter if he heard them or not. The man actually had to defend his own case for healing by telling them he was the man. He wasn't just the man, he was a whole person now! He had been healed of his physical blindness, and of everything that went with that. Wow, it must have been an incredible experience.

One final point, this man didn't ask Jesus to be healed, Jesus just happened to have walked by and the disciples asked Him about the man. Talk about someone's destiny be changed in an apparently chance encounter. Again, notice the way the disciples talk about the man as if he wasn't even there... they hadn't yet fully embraced the heart of the Lord in seeing the significance of every person. They were having a theological discussion about the man and his sin state, without ever addressing man, and they must have been standing right in front of him.

While they were talking Jesus spits in the dirt, which was probably a very normal thing to do, and this time reaches down and makes some mud. I think we can also say that Jesus wanted to heal the man, for without being asked, Jesus touches him. I have heard someone say that Jesus heals the man with the very thing that people usually cursed the man with, their spit. Again if we think about the notion of sickness or in this case blindness, being caused by sin, we can understand that people didn't want the man coming near them. In their culture, touching a sinner could make them unclean. I guess a common reaction to a sinner was to spit on the ground near them, to basically tell them of your contempt and disgust at their sin. The blind man had probably been spit at his entire life, but this time the result was completely different, he was healed rather than cursed.

The man didn't realize his healing until he went to the pool of Siloam and washed, and Jesus didn't say anything publicly about him receiving healing. I imagine there was something about the way that Jesus told him to go wash, that caused the man to do so, otherwise he probably would have just wiped the mud off his face with his own cloak. We don't know, as it wasn't recorded. Again, the understatement of the whole affair is amazing!

As I reflect back on this story, I come away with a few significant points:

1. Everyone is significant to Jesus, even those we consider cursed or less than whole persons.
2. The touch of the Lord can radically transform everything about a person.
3. Any day might be the day that we meet the Lord and He brings healing to us! Sometimes it might take a bit of time, or a little effort on our part, but He wants to heal us.
4. Jesus desires to heal us, and will heal not just physical needs but the whole being, in this case turning what had been a curse (spit) into blessing. It is like He erased all the years of cursing and rejection in an instant. The man would never look on spit the same way again.

Lord, You are so good, and such a lover of people. We pray that You will help us to love each other in the same way, as You have loved us.

Healed of Blindness

This morning I have been reading from John's 9th chapter, which is the story of the healing of the man born blind. I love this story for several reasons, but one of the main things I like is the realness of the conversation, the interaction of the Pharisees and the man, and then his parents. I can just imagine the circumstances, the pompous posturing of the Pharisees, the relative innocence of the man who was healed, etc. Here is a link to John 9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+9&version=NIV

There are a few things that I think are very interesting in this story. First, Jesus doesn't stick around to experience his healing. Instead He sends the man to wash in the pool of Siloam, and it is then that the man is healed, but Jesus is nowhere to be found. In other words, Jesus just wasn't worried about acclamation. He wasn't worried about the turmoil that He caused the religious establishment. He ultimately came back and addressed the man personally and revealed Himself to him that he might believe. Jesus was concerned for the individual, and that was His main motivation.

Secondly, the whole idea of sickness relating to his sin is discussed. This was a common thought back then, and still exists in the church today in places. I have written about this in several blog entries, but it is always worth revisiting. The disciples ask Jesus who sinned to cause this man's blindness, the man or his parents? They were asking for clarification - was this and example of Deut. 5:9 or Ezek 18 - was the sin of the parents or the man himself responsible for his condition? Jesus responds simply "neither" was responsible. This was the perfect place for Jesus to have tied sin to sickness, but He didn't. We only have four recorded times where He speaks specifically of a person's sins, and yet we have recorded His healing of thousands, all with no comment from Jesus on their sin being the cause of their sickness. Sometimes we can learn from what is not said, and this is one of those situations where Jesus' lack of comment is very educational.

Thirdly, I love the last few verses concerning the man's interaction with the Pharisees - John 9:30-33 NIV: "The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. [31] We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. [32] Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

This is a perfect answer to those who in this day, hold to cessationist theology, namely that all miracles and healing and spiritual gifts ceased after the last of the Apostles died. This is their theology which then forces them to say that any healing, miracles or signs and wonders being performed in the church today are from the enemy, because they can't be from God. The Pharisees argued that Jesus couldn't be from God because He didn't follow the rules, which were clearly from God, via Moses. They clearly missed the fact that Jesus had created new eyes in the man and that is something only God can do, and a clear sign of the Messiah (see Isaiah 42:7) because He didn't follow their understanding of the rules. The same can be said of those who believe in cessationism, they are missing the very move of God in our midst, because of their own theology.

Finally, Jesus speaks of spiritually blind eyes - John 9:39-41 NIV: "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." Spiritual blindness really is the result of pride, believing that one understands all things. We need to have humility in coming before God, for none of us can fully understand Him or His ways. God is creative and never stops creating, and He understands all His ways, and will never act outside of His character. The problem is that we don't fully understand Him, so cannot rightly judge all His ways. There will be times that we will see Him act in wholly new ways, and we must not reject them because they don't fit into our understanding.

Let us pray that we can have our eyes opened by the Lord to see His wonderful salvation available to us all. Let us lay down old, wrong ways of thinking and judging, and let us pursue the truth of the Father, revealed by Jesus both in scripture as well as in our daily experience. Let us examine ourselves and rid ourselves of our spiritual blindness. Help us Lord!