Disowned or Restored?

This morning I am reflecting on some interesting stuff, namely the restoration process of the Lord.  I am going to look at three sets of verses that almost seem to be opposites.  

First from Matthew 10:32-33 NIV:

[32] “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. [33] But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

Next from John 18:15-17,25-27 NIV:

[15] “Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, [16] but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. [17] “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. 

He replied, “I am not.” 

[25] Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” 

He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 

[26] One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” [27] Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.”

And finally from the end of John’s Gospel - the restoration of Peter as recorded in John 21:15-19 NIV:

[15] “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” 

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 

[16] Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” 

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 

[17] The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” 

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” 

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. [18] Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” [19] Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Putting these three sets of verses together is an interesting study.  If we just read the first two sets of verses, we would think that Peter was done, that Jesus had disowned Peter before the Father, and he was as good as gone!  I mean, how does one come back from denial, disowning and abandoning the one you had just promised you would rather die than disown or abandon? 

Since John is the one recording this, we know he was an eye-witness to Peter’s denials, and his promise to never falter in his following of Jesus, even to the point of death (See John 13:37, and Matt 26:33,35).  It is clear that Peter certainly through he would never disown Jesus, but within just a few hours, when he felt like he was being exposed, that he must deny Christ Jesus.  This was no small issue, but one that would mark Peter, and certainly impact the rest of the ministry team Jesus had gathered.  Peter was one of the leaders, and he had effectively failed!  His failure shows the true nature of his ability to follow Jesus on his own power.  

I love the fact that Jesus was not going to allow Peter to stay in that place of self-condemnation, that place of doubting himself, his abilities, etc.  You know the enemy was working overtime on Peter.  In fact Jesus had prophesied exactly that in Luke 22:31-32 NIV: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. [32] But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 

Jesus, even though He knew that Peter did or said or didn’t say, never lost His hope in Peter, nor in the rest of his followers.  The other 11 all had abandoned Him, and yet He loved them, appeared to them and acted like nothing had happened, other than asking Peter three times, we see no other indication that Jesus considered disowning those that disowned Him.

How must we then interpret Matt.10:32-33?  

Did Jesus misspeak?  

Is the Bible contradicting itself?

Which perspective should we take as our key understanding?  I think that we must look at the context of the statement, and and the rest of Jessuss’ ministry.  At the time He spoke the words in Matt 10, he was talking about a future time of testing, and such  I believe that He was specifically talking about relationship with Him, and in the case of the individual in 10:32-33, they never had one, which is what the disowning before men is relating to.

We know from other verses that Jesus, in describing the final day of judgement, uses relationship with Him as the primary calling card for those who enter into the Kingdom.  Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 7:22-23 NIV:

[22] “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ [23] Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Those the Lord has chosen, those He has selected, those who do have relationship with Him, have been chosen, and the Lord, in His unchanging nature, never thinks otherwise.  Jesus prophetically knew they would abandon Him, for He knew scripture and clearly had some direct revelation from the Holy Spirit about Peter’s denial. 

In other words, if Jesus has chosen you, we know this if we are saved, then we must believe that He already knew about our abandonment, our disowning him, our struggles with our faith, and He still chose us!  

The good news is that the Lord is so confident in His selection that He has no doubt that even if we screw everything up, His plan and purpose will still stand!  He knew everything about us, our struggles our sins, our walking away, our disowning, our betrayals, and He still chose us, called our names and sanctified us! 

The enemy was trying to separate His followers, beating them down with condemnation, and Jesus stepped in and said that’s enough!  He restored Peter, and all the rest!  He acted as if that never happened, and continued to bear witness of His selection of Peter andall the rest!

He feels the same about all of us!  He loves us, knows we will stumble, fall, be discouraged, want to quit, actually quit, sin, reject Him, disown Him, and still He chooses us!

This morning I am greatly encouraged that the Lord is waiting to restore anyof us, his followers, who have believed the lies of The enemy who is trying to get us to believe that we have screwed up too much!  

Jesus made no mistake in choosing us, loving us, and calling our name!  HE is faithful, ever when we are not faithful (2 Tim 2;13).  He is faithful to restore, faithful to forgive, and faithful to complete his plan and purposes.

Amen and Amen!

A Rich Tapestry of Life

I had an interesting dream last night and interpretation right after I woke up.  In my dream I went back to our childhood house, and was given the opportunity to walk around it, but as it was back when we lived there.  I guess a sort of time travel dream.  

Anyway, I was aware of the fact that the house didn't look like remembered it, in fact it was much larger, had many more features and things than I remembered.  IT was completely familiar, and yet everywhere I turned there were added features that I knew weren’t present when we lived in the house, at least according to my memories. In my dream I was pondering why my memories were so wrong, and then I woke up.

As soon as I woke up I felt like the Lord gave me the interpretation.  In our dreams your house generally represents your life, and what I was seeing was the difference between my conscious experience and memory, and what actually was happening in the spiritual realm as well as how others' lives were interacting with mine, if that makes sense.  

To put it another way, I saw the richness of my life as the Lord sees it.  There is so much more that is happening in and through me than I am ever aware of consciously.  There is a rich spiritual reality that is all around me and I almost never have a sense of what is happening in that realm, but I know from experience that it is real  

Additionally, my life is interconnected with many others and my little life impacts others, and their lives impact mine.  Whereas I might look back at a family event in my life, and have one perspective,  my brothers and sisters, my Mom and Dad all would have memories of that event and they would be different than mine, and they would have a different take on my part and place in the midst of that event..  

It is almost like I was seeing a documentary about my life written by tens if not hundreds of others and that was being projected as a very rich three dimensional house.  My life is not some single strand of thread, but as I was writing yesterday is connected to so many others and part of God’s plan and purpose!  

I think if I were to try to create a word picture, it seems like God is creating a massive tapestry that is not not just two-dimensional, but rather can be viewed from many points of reference, and angles.  Our lives are part of His master plan, and purpose, and an integral part.  

I was reminded of a simple three dimensional sculpture we have at our local park if you view it from the side it looks like a child leaping.  If you move  your position exactly 90 degrees from where you were standing and look at it again you will see a butterfly. The artist who created it did a wonderful job of capturing 2 completely different images and combining them in a sculpture. 

In the same way our lives are interconnected and part of a much larger reality, that is rich beyond our best imaginations, and part of God’s great plan.  We have impact in people lives both in this present age and through our children and grand-children, impact in the lives of future generations.  

We live in a spiritual realm and Jesus says that our prayers and actions here affect the spiritual realm as well. Here are just a couple of verses that refer to this reality as spoken by Jesus - Matthew 18:18-19 NIV:

[18] “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

This morning I am encouraged that my life is much richer than I know!  My life, my words, and actions impact those around me, and somehow are part of God’s grand plan!  I am conscious of how little of the overall picture I am aware of in my daily life.  I have no idea how my life, my words, my writing, my interactions with others are actually being received or experienced, but God sees it all!

Oh Lord, I pray that more than anything, my life might in some way give glory to You for everything good in me comes from You!  I pray that I might fulfill my part in Your grand plan!  I am so aware of how little I see and understand, but trust that You are faithful to finish what You started in me!   I am reminded of a couple of verses from Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1:4-6 NIV:

[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.”

Amen and Amen!

God's Magnificent Plan

This morning I was reading the book of Zephaniah, and had a picture run through my mind and spirit of the ages of the Lord's crafting and directing, watching over His plans and purposes through generation after generation.

Here is one verse that got me thinking - Zephaniah 3:6 NIV: “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.”

When I read that verse I saw sort of a fast action view of the world and empires rising and falling, cities being built and destroyed, families growing and spreading, nations rising and falling, and it was all part of HIs plan!  We are at a point in history within that flow of His working, and He is every bit as focused and in control as He has ever been.  Somewhere in the mix of all this the thread of His purpose and plan that would produce me was being watched over, blessed and directed.  

As I was thinking about this and God’s plans for redemption, His purposes, I saw how my life was just this tiny little thread in the greater work of the Lord, but one that He has been actively directing, guiding and blessing, along with all the rest of the work He is doing in the earth!  His plans are so rich, so complex, so perfect! 

In my life time, I think about how He has directed us (My family) to our present state, relating with our friends and family, and all of it matters to Him.  There are in each of our lives, things that have been forgotten, things done long ago, people and places we used to frequent that we no longer do.  The Lord’s hand is over all our lives, He is so intimately aware of our situation, or the days and weeks and years that have been perfectly crafted to get us to this point. 

Our back-stories go back centuries, as our family trees are each crafted and purposed to bring us to this place in time and space. I have traced my honey’s ancestry back tens of generations, and while most of us don’t have records, this is true for all of us.  Her genetics go back to the before the time of Christ, and who she is is directly there result of all those generations of people marrying and having children.  Her ancestors are scattered across North America, the UK and Europe.  The combination of all of them has resulted in her creation! It is just amazing to think about God’s purpose and plan alive and well through all of that!

I am reminded once again of the statement Paul makes in Athens, found in Acts 17:26-28 NIV:

[26] “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. [27] God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. [28] ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

My appointed time in History is now, and the boundary of my land, my influence is set by Him. This has been a part of His plan since before the creation of the world!  This is just so amazing to me!   I think I need to reread Ps 139.

Psalm 139:13-18 NIV:

[13] “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” 

[16] “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. [17] How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! [18] Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”

I am also reminded of Paul’s grasp of this concept and his statement found in Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV:

[3] “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

This morning I am just amazed by the grandeur of the Lord’s plan and purpose in my life!  I am amazed at HIs infinite ability to interact with all of us, with every nation and tribe, every individual, and perfectly coordinate it all inline with His plans and purposes!  

He truly is far beyond our comprehension, and yet He is knowable to each of us, in our own way, in our life!  

Wow!

Lord, help me to better grasp Your magnificent plan and glory!

Amen!

Who Is The Good Shepherd?

This morning my mind and heart are drawn back to my reflections of the last few days.  I am reminded of some additional points the Lord made to me, as I continued to let that reflection rumble around in my mind and heart.

The first thing that I felt the Lord add was that He, not the church, is our Lord!  Specifically this applies to each and every person individually.  His relationship with us is the most important thing in all our lives, and He sees it that way!  He is more interested in us individually, and our relationship with Him, than He is about our role or position in the Church! 

I hope that makes sense!

Our role, our job, our position, our gifts, our ministry all are supposed to flow out of our relationship with Him, and are never meant to replace our relationship with Him, or take precedence over our relationship with Him.

Secondly, He is our Shepherd, our Lord, not church leadership.  He is fully capable of shepherding each of us, of speaking to us, of directing and guiding us!  He says in John 10:2-4,14 NIV: 

[2] “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. “

[14] “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—”

Sometimes in our humanness and our desire to help, we can start thinking we are responsible for speaking for Him.  While that is true to some extent (proclaiming the Gospel, preaching and teaching, and prophesying), we are never meant to be the sole voice of the Lord in anyone’s life!  We all know His voice, and we all need to learn to hear His voice, and while He does speak through us on occasion, He desires to speak to us all, individually, first and foremost. We must help one another group in our ability to hear and discern the word of the Lord!

Church leaders are called to care for those under them, but that does not mean they replace the Lord, rather that they become examples and bring encouragement, counsel, pray, preach, teach and aid in discipling.  Peter specifically cautions leaders against replacing the Lord - 1 Peter 5:2-4 NIV:

[2] “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; [3] not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. [4] And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

Thirdly, the Lord deals with each of us through our unique relationship with Him!  We are each unique, and the path the Lord has each of us on, is custom developed for us!  We can’t take our path, or experience and force someone else into the same process and path.  We can talk about what the Lord is doing, but we should never think that what He is doing in our life is exactly the same as what He is doing in someone else’s life.

For example, it is amazing to me to see how even in a church service, the Lord will speak completely different things to many people.  He is crafting His voice so that we hear what He wants us to hear, and this actually reminds me of the day of Pentecost, which each heard the Good news in their own language (See Acts 2:6-12).  

Fourthly, my role in someone else’s life, even my spouse’s, is one of encouragement and service, not Lordship. (See verses from Peter 5 above)  Jesus is each of our's Lord!  I must never replace Him for any other, for that would be idolatry.  

Sometimes, I have seen churches so elevate a pastor or leader that they think they have a position right next to the throne of God (it seems) and this is always a bad thing.  Not only for the leader, but for those that allow that leader to take a role in their life that is the Lord’s!  Yikes!  I have seen leaders that think that their perspective, their understanding, their view of what the Lord is doing is more important and more accurate than anyone else’s, even if it conflicts with what the Lord might be saying to another individual directly. 

Fifthly, if the Lord is each of our's shepherd, then we must believe that He is the one that can most effectively bring correction, direction and guidance.  Psalm 23 is a wonderful set of verses that describe the shepherding of the Lord - Psalm 23:1-4 NIV:

[1] The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

[3] he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

[4] Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”.

We must not try to take that role (shepherd/judge/Lord) on for ourselves or others.  We never know fully the heart and mind of another, only He knows that, and thus our judgment of someone’s motivation is always incorrect to some extent. The Lord is fully capable of being each of our's Chief Shepherd and Lord, individually!  We must believe that He is capable of doing so.

Jesus, during His ministry was specific in not taking on the role of judge.  He said the following in John 12:47-48 NIV:

[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”

I know I have written  on this specific theme recently, but I guess it bears repeating.  If Jesus didn’t come to judge, then who are we to think we can?  Jesus is also very clear about who the Judge will be, and that is His spoken word!  Our job, if anything, is the proclamation of His word, and the teaching of His word. 

Oh Lord, help us to embrace a right perspective, right mind-set, and right relationship with You!  Help us to encourage one another, serve one another, care for one another, extend grace, mercy, compassion to one another!  Help us to preach and teach Your word!  Help us to be good examples to those around us of living connected to You, making You the Lord of our lives! Help the church to have a right understanding of her role, especially those in leadership positions.

I am encouraged that the Lord is providing us a plumb-line to allow us to get ourselves and our thinking in proper order and perspective.  The Lord spoke of this through the Prophet Amos 7:7-8 NIV:

[7] “This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. [8] And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” 

“A plumb line,” I replied. 

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”

In our days, a plumb-line is meant to enable us to see where we are out of alignment, to bring repentance, and change.  The Lord cares deeply for each of us, and cares deeply for us corporately, as His Body, and we must believe that He is our Lord, the Good Shepherd, and that He will guide us and direct us, whether with rod or staff (See Ps. 23) and lead us to  good places.  

My prayer for each of us is that we might learn to hear the Lord, that we might know His voice, and that we might embrace HIs invitation to go deeper, to pursue Him, to allow Him to direct, correct, and lead us to life!  

Help us all to get in proper alignment, that we might bear up under the weight of His increasing glory!

Amen and Amen!

Dealing With Sin In The Church

This morning I was reflecting on some recent stuff swirling around in the church and everywhere in life, it seems, and I was reminded of something that Jesus said, to help us deal with  sin and conflict, specifically in the Ekklesia and within the Kingdom, found in Matthew 18:10-17 NIV:

[10] “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [12] “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? [13] And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. [14] In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” 

[15] “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. [16] But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ [17] If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

I included the verses about the lost sheep which immediately precede these verses on dealing with sin because I think they set the context for the following comments by Jesus. He is speaking of the value we all have in the heart of the Father, and the Father's heart for restoration of relationship!  He loves us and values us immensely, and cares about our path, and seeks us in our waywardness, and rejoices when we return to Him, whether we return on our own or are brought back by a brother or sister.

Secondly, any reflection on inter or intra body conflict must be based first on the new commandment that Jesus gave us in John 13:34-35 NIV: “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.”

Sacrificial love is meant to be the calling card of our faith, belief and relationship with Jesus and others in the Church. Our love should be the very thing that people experience and see, more than anything else!  

In this context of love, and value for others we can then look at Matt 18:15-17. The first phrase is most telling,  “If our brother or sister sins” is pointing first and foremost to the fact that you have relationship with someone and they are part of the body of Christ.  Secondly, Jesus does not specify the sin, but a form of the Greek word hammartia is used by Matthew, and this word, is used several ways in scripture, as follows: 

• to be without a share in
• to miss the mark
• to err, be mistaken
• to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
• to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin

Since we don't know what specific sin we are looking at, we must use a generic perspective, and consider this a minor issue, and one that somehow affects us, as Jesus’ next command is that we should go directly to that person, to discuss their behavior that was missing the mark, etc.  We don’t involve anyone else, we don't mention it to someone to get their take, their perspective, etc. Instead, we go to that person directly, one-on-one.

In my experience, one of the most difficult things to bring into the alignment with the Word of God is our tongue, the things we are saying,  and the things we are thinking about another.  I have written a few things lately about the accuser and the courtroom of judgement, and this reflection is related. Going back to the two foundational principles, of value (one could say honor) and sacrificial love of laying down one’s life for another, we must look at our words, commentaries, and conversations we have in our daily life, with our friends and fellows in the church.  If we are ever talking about someone else, we must ask ourselves are my words reflecting the value that they have to the Father, and am I loving them as I should by laying down my life for them?  If the words and thoughts are not from this place of foundation, then it would be better for me to keep my mouth closed.

Getting back to the verses from Matthew, the whole purpose in going one-on-one is restoration of relationship, not to point out another's fault. I find that almost 100% of the time, my perspective of someone’s motivation, or thoughts is wrong.  If I go to them one-on-one, I have the opportunity to discover their true motivation, their thinking and from that place provide commentary or questions about their sin, if any remains.  Again, the purpose is restoration of relationship, and this is supposed to be done one-on-one.

If we look closely, we find that it is only after going to them directly, and their NOT listening that we are supposed to discuss this issue with anyone else. Then and only then! 

This is very much against our present culture, of taking offense about pretty much everything and sharing our offense with others, to get them to take up our perspective. Our news headlines are almost 100% sharing of offense, rather than reporting news, and somehow this mentality has infiltrated the church.  

Rather than being for one another, we find ourselves engaging in “he said, she said, he did, she did” conversations with others, and none of this should be happening in the church, if we haven’t first gone to the other, one-on-one.  The point of bringing in another is not to spread the offense, but to revisit the individual and have further conversation, in an effort to restore them to right relationship.  

If our words are critical or judging towards someone else, and we haven’t talked to them yet, then we are not in alignment with this teaching of Jesus, and we have the opportunity to change or repent, for we are missing the mark ourselves.

I am reminded of one other thing Jesus said in His sermon on the mount, found in Matthew 7:1-5 NIV:

[1] “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. [2] For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 

[3] “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? [4] How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

In the case of speaking about someone else’s sin without going to them first, we are in a similar state, we have a plank in our own eye, for we are going against the very word of Jesus, and certainly not following His command to love one another as He loves us.

Oh Lord, please help us!

Help us to stop speaking accusations, and judgment!

Help us to stop judging someone’s motive! 

Help us to stop spreading the offense, or conflict!

Help us to instead pray for one another that the enemy would not have access to our ears to spread his accusations against the brethren, our brothers and sisters.

Help us to love one another first and foremost!

Help us to always look to the value that each other has in the heart of the Father and treat each other that way!

Help us to embrace this teaching from Jesus, for it runs counter to the ways of the world.

Help us Lord, to embrace one another, to honor one another and to bless one another!  

Help us Lord!  Help us to demonstrate to the world a different approach to dealing with conflict and sin!  Help us to operate from a Kingdom perspective rather than a worldly perspective.  Help us to love each other as You loved us!

Amen and Amen!

Gifted to Serve

This morning I am reflecting on some familiar verses from 1 Peter.  The translation is a bit different than my normal NIV, so the wording just caught my attention.  Here are the verses - 1 Peter 4:7-11 NIrV:

[7] “The end of all things is near. So be watchful and control yourselves. Then you may pray. 

[8] Most of all, love one another deeply. Love erases many sins by forgiving them. 

[9] Welcome others into your homes without complaining. 

[10] God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. 

[11] If anyone speaks, they should do it as one speaking God’s words. If anyone serves, they should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to him for ever and ever. Amen.”

The verses I underlined are just worded differently in this version (Readers version) and I like them as there is an external focus on the gifts.  

We have received a gift (gifts) in order to serve others. 

Our gifts, while given to us, are actually meant to enable us to serve others better.

God’s purpose in giving us His Gifts is for the benefit of each other.  As Paul said, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

I guess the question is how do I serve others best through the gifts that are present in me?  

Or to put it another way, am I using the Gifts that God has given me to serve others at all?  

These are such good meditations, for so often I am all focused on myself, on my needs, my wants, my thoughts, my path, my life, and the Lord seems to be asking me to lift my eyes up and look around to see others.  The things He is doing in me, the things He has given me are not for me so much as they are to enable me to add to the common good, everyone else and myself included.

It would be like, instead of a birthday party where all the gifts are given to benefit the one whose birthday it is, the gifts that are given are for all the attendees, meant to be enjoyed and experienced by all!  

This whole idea flows out of the very nature of God!  He has everything, and He wants to share all of that with us!  He wants us to experience what He has and He holds nothing back.  As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans 8:32 NIV:  “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

He has given us His best, and now invites us into His nature, by giving us gifts to serve others, to be used for the common good!  He wants us to bless others, even as He has blessed us! 

Oh, that we would learn to turn our eyes outward, to look around and see the opportunities to serve others, to bless others, to speak words of encouragement, to heal, to bring revelation, to love, to show mercy and grace, to be faithful, to offer hospitality, to pour out that which have been given to the benefit of us all! 

No gift is too small to share! 

No individual is without gifts to share!

We are all meant to be blessed by the abundance of gifts the Lord has poured forth!

Oh Lord, help us to embrace the opportunity to love and serve others!  Help us to give our very best, imitating You who sent us Jesus!  Help us to learn how to build each other up, that we all might experience the benefits of the gifts You have given!

Amen and Amen!

Danger! Reciprocity Ahead!

This morning I am continuing reading from where I left off yesterday reading Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount.  This sermon is so full of content that one could probably write several books just examining the basic principles the Jesus covers, not to mention all the nuances and deeper themes.  Today I am looking at just a couple of verses - Luke 6:37-38 NIV:

[37] “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. [38] Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I think if we have heard these verses previously, we probably heard a sermon preached on verse 38, and not likely verse 37, or at least that would be my normal approach, focusing on the positive, the uplifting and optimistic, instead of those that sound serious, and require some soul-searching.  I am always one to interject some humor into serious conversations.  

Jesus just makes it very clear here, that there is some level of reciprocity in our lives, that depends on our actions, and in this case what could be deemed negative reciprocity.  He is very clear in His statement “DO NOT JUDGE”.  There are no conditions here, there is no allowance for a level of knowledge about a situation, our command is simple, “do not judge”!

I know there are other verses in the New Testament, specifically in 1 Corinthians that talk about judgment, and people use them to bolster their judging ways, but I am pretty sure Jesus can’t be any clearer here. I see the danger of judging others, for I never know the full story, instead I think I know their motivation, their reasons, and I judge without ever hearing or even wanting to hear or see more about their life and circumstances.  My judgment is always marred by my lack of knowledge!  

Secondly, Jesus continues, “Do not judge and you will not be judged!”  All I can say is that there must be a bunch of sinless people who are not afraid of being judged!  If we read about judgment in any book of the New Testament, besides 1 Corinthians, it is clear that God is the only one who can judge fairly, and that will be His role on “Judgment” day.  I prefer to cling to the second half of this statement by Jesus, that the grace, mercy and humility I extend to  others might be extended to me!  

Jesus continues, “do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”  While similar in meaning, I believe this is related to the sentencing of the one who is judged guilty.  This is taking judgment to the next level, ascribing punishment accordingly.  If we are unable to judge correctly, how are we ever to think we can sentence someone correctly?

I am reminded of a few verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans 14:10-13 NIV:

[10] “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 

[11] It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” 

[12] So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. [13] Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”

Oh Lord forgive me for anytime I have judged or condemned someone!  I pray that I might take my place in humility, knowing full well that I am not worthy to judge or condemn anyone!  I pray that You might help me to forgive others, to plead mercy not judgment!  I pray that I might extend to others that which has been extended to me!  

Amen!

On The Contrary

This morning I felt led to read from Roman's 12, which is a great chapter, one that I have spent plenty of time reading and reflecting on, especially the first two thirds of the chapter. Today the verses that stood out to me were at the end of the chapter, Romans 12:17-21 NIV:

[17] “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. [18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. [19] Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 

[20] On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

[21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

These verses are quite challenging, for they certainly are opposite most of our natural inclinations. We want to “fight fire with fire” and respond in-kind when someone is acting against us. The last thing we want to do is bless our enemies, feeding them or caring for them, and yet that is clearly the guidance and invitation we are given.  

Waiting on God to avenge us is a difficult thing, because we want to see punishment meted out! When someone hurts us, we want to see them hurt that same way, and yet that is not the way of the Kingdom of God. 

We are called to forgive, to bless, to pray for those who wound us, hurt us or have evil intentions against us. Jesus spoke about this and then provided us a perfect example through His passion and death. 

These all are contrary to our normal response, and that is why Paul, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, writes this here. We need to know that we are called to a different response.

Jesus in His sermon on the mount, introduced this theme and I am sure it was contrary to how people thought. Here are the verses from Matthew 5:38-48 NIV:

[38] “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ [39] But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. [40] And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. [41] If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. [42] Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” 

[43] “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

These words of Jesus are the foundation upon which Paul builds. Even though Paul wasn’t present when Jesus spoke these words, his revelation was equally clear. As Christian’s we are supposed to respond differently than the world. Our invited response, as difficult as it is to embrace, is clear. We are to act differently than those around us, to be Holy (set apart). 

This call, this invitation is not just us about our actions, but our words and intentions even. We are supposed to pray for those against us, to bless instead of curse (Luke 6:28), to love in words and actions.  

I find that the temptation to engage in verbal volleys is rampant in our world today. As the church, we are invited to take a different approach. As Paul wrote, “overcome evil with good”!

My prayer is that we might embrace this contrary way! I pray that we might not get caught up in the swirl of the political spirit. I pray that we might accept this invitation to love, and bless and pray for those who would seek to harm us individually, or the Body of Christ. I pray that we might present to the world a response that represents the character of God, the one who has mercy, grace, compassion, love and forgiveness for all!  

Oh Lord, help us!

Amen!  

New & Renewed Mind

This morning I am reminded of something I was thinking about last evening, the idea of God’s complete healing. What I mean by this is that when God heals, He often does such a complete healing work that there is nothing left of the old condition or any of its effects. One could say that the people and their lives were transformed. In scripture Paul writes about us becoming a new creation when we receive Christ, and I think the idea of complete healing is a sign pointing to the greater spiritual reality. I was reminded of a couple of different healing stories from Scripture that demonstrate this complete healing, restoration and new creation.

In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man, who is so transformed that people don't believe it is him. Here are a couple of verses - John 9:6-9 NIV:

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

[8] His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” [9] Some claimed that he was. 

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” 

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

I might be reading into this, but the fact that people didn’t recognize the formerly blind man says to me that his outward appearance was changed, but so was his character and way of acting. While this one is understandable, we need to know that the blind were essentially beggers, looked down upon, for as we see earlier in the chapter, the common thought was that their blindness was the result of sin. Blind beggers were likely some of the lowliest in society, and certainly not righteous, nor allowed in the Temple Sanctuary (see Lev. 21)

This man was so transformed, that people didn’t recognize him. In fact they called his parents as witnesses because they just couldn’t believe how different he was! When he was called before the Pharisees he not only stood his ground, but was accused of lecturing them! He went from begger to lecturer in an instant! :-)

The second story is found in Acts 3, where the man born lame was healed and transformed in an instant through the name of Jesus. Here are the verses - Acts 3:6-10 NIV:

[6] “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.” [7] Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. [8] He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. [9] When all the people saw him walking and praising God, [10] they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

This man’s body, brain and nervous system were all healed in an instant. Someone who is born lame, means that they were never able to move naturally, and in this case the man was carried every day and placed outside the temple to beg (See verse 2). He was clearly unable to walk which means his brain never developed in the area needed to walk. Not only were the muscles atrophied, but his ligaments, and tendons were most likely all shriveled. Additionally the nerve pathways required for walking and jumping had certainly never developed. In an instant his legs, ankles and feet were completely healed, as was nervous system and nerve pathways and brain function were created anew in him.

This time people could recognize him. What was transformative was his ability to enter the courts and temple itself! I think some of his joy was the result that his healing meant he could enter the temple! He was not longer lame, no longer under any restrictions. 

Again, this man was completely transformed! I believe these two healings represent the reality that Paul was speaking about in his letter to the Romans 12:1-2 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.”

What I love about this, is the fact that this is available to all of us! Not only can we learn to think differently, we can see the complete renewal of our mind and even our brains!  

It is my conjecture that this man born lame, didn’t have a limp, nor did the man born blind have any of the vestiges of his blindness so complete was their healing! 

This gives some additional meaning to Paul’s statement found in 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

What a great promise! We are a new creation! I pray that we might experience the fullness of this promise, the fullness of God’s redemption, healing, deliverance, reconciliation and restoration!  

Yes Lord! Heal us completely! Make us new! Give us renewed or new minds! Rewire our brains, change us so completely that those who knew us before would question as to whether we really were the old person! 

Amen and Amen!

Am I Salty?

This morning I was reading through Matthew, Chapter 5 and ran across a few verses that I have reflected on in the past, and I took some time to reread those reflections. Here are the original verses from Matthew 5:13-16 NIV:

[13] “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

[14] “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The last three verses were the Gospel for our wedding ceremony, and they have been verses that have been a focus for us throughout our life. The one that grabbed my attention this morning was verse 13, speaking of us as the "salt of the earth".  

Salt is an interesting topic and I have written about it several times, for it does come up in Scripture with some regularity. There was even something called a Salt Covenant, and I have spent some time looking at that, and other “salt” verses.  

Today as I read this verse, I am just reminded again of how the Church, the Body of Christ is supposed to stand out, to be different from the rest of the world. We are supposed to be the “Salt of the Earth”. 

We have an old saying that someone is “Salt of the earth” and that generally means that they are just fundamentally good people, honest, hardworking, reliable, etc. While those are praise-worthy, I think the Lord was speaking about a bit more than good wholesome character. His next words, point that out in how He says we should be the “light of the world”. Again, we could try and paint a picture of this being similar, just being a light of goodness to those around us, and while that is admirable, I think it again sells short the meaning that Jesus is pointing to in this His most significant teaching, as veritable constitution of the Kingdom!

I believe that in both cases, Jesus is saying that we should be different, and this is for a reason. Jesus specifically says if salt loses its saltiness it is good for nothing. A light that is hidden does no good either (verse 15), and it is meant to be seen.   

The question in my mind today is how is the Church, the Body of Christ different than the world? How is our light supposed to shine? What is supposed to differentiate us from others or from the world?

Jesus, in His last discourse found in John, speaks quite clearly about what is supposed to differentiate us, it is supposed to be our love for one another! Here are His words, found in John 13:34-35 NIV:

[34] “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.”

What's our salt, or our light supposed to be?  

Our love for one another! 

In case we aren’t clear, this isn’t some emotional good feeling type of love, this is love defined by Jesus as loving the way He loved, sacrificially, serving and in humility (see verse 34).

So my questions to myself today is “Am I salty, and am I a light, and am I demonstrating the Love of God for my friends, family, and everyone I meet?  

Do people walk away from meeting me thinking, “He sure was different in a good way!”?  

Do people feel loved by me?  

Do I love people the way that Jesus loves them?

All good questions, and all ones that I know I can work on! I pray that I might be “Salty” and that in that people might see the Love of Christ directed towards them! I want to be a light pointing to and reflecting Jesus’ love!

Help me Lord, for I am too often saltless and and dim!

Lord help us to consider our ways, to look at our lives and to choose to be different in a good, salty way!

Amen and Amen!

The Priesthood of the Believer - You and Me

Yesterday, I started meditating on a theme of the Priesthood of the believer and due to the effects of my allergy medicine I wasn't able to finish.  Ragweed is no fun! 

Anyway, the verses that comes to mind first when I think about the Priesthood of the believer is found in 1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV:

[9] “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

This passage makes clear that this is not he call of just some people in the body of Christ, some 2% of the overall who are called to professional ministry, but rather speaks to all, to every believer.  We have our citizenship in His Kingdom, we are members of His Body, we are all called out, and joined to Him.  This Holy Nation, Royal Priesthood is all of our identity, from greatest to smallest, young to old, man or woman.

To often in our expression of Christianity, we find a model that does not represent these verses well.  We have professional ministers and volunteers who have been called out or identified to aid in the ministry, while the majority of the congregants are merely participants, or observers. Some say its an 80/20 rule, whee 20 percent of the people are engaged, but I think the percentage of people actually engaged in active ministry is much smaller in the overall church.

I believe that all of our invitations are to active priestly ministry. 

If we had that understanding and belief, I think we would encounter a very different church!  Imagine if walking into a church for the first time, if you were met, and greeted, invited, ministered to, and impacted by the person sitting next to you, or the person who created you at the door!  Oh that our greeters would be as effective ministers as our preachers and teachers!  It is totally possible for God to use us, to call us to minister in whatever role or position we find ourselves.  

I am reminded of a couple of unlikely “priests” who didn’t serve as priests, but rather in lowly positions.  One is Brother Andre Bressette from Montreal Canada.  He was not a professional minister he was the doorman at the college.  A few quick notes about him -  “after struggling academically, he was admitted to the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1870 and took the name Brother André. He was given the simple task of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College, where he answered the door, welcomed visitors, and performed other menial tasks.  Over time, people began to confide in him and ask for prayers. He gained a reputation for having a gift of healing, and many people were cured of their ailments after he prayed with them.”

The other individual that came to mind was Brother Lawrence.  After leaving his life of soldiering, he joined a monastery.  “He spent the rest of his life with the Parisian community, where his primary assignments were working in the kitchen and, in his later years, repairing sandals. He carried out this office of cook until his leg became ulcerated, at which point his superiors assigned him an easier task, as sandal maker. Gradually, the influence of the humble sandal-maker grew, not only among the poor. Many learned people, religious and ecclesiastics had esteem for him as well.  Despite his lowly position in life and the priory, his character attracted many to him. He had a reputation for experiencing profound peace and visitors came to seek spiritual guidance from him.”

Both of these men had beautiful ministries that represented Christ to the people around them.  They were never professional ministers in the normal sense, and yet they embraced the ministry that was available to them, affecting the lives of countless people from their roles of doorman, or sandal maker. 

We all have this same opportunity both in church, as well as in our day to day life! We are called and invited to represent Christ Jesus in our daily lives, not just on Sunday.  We can learn to love as He loved, to case for individuals as He did, and be present to people in their need and in their daily life.  We can learn to hear from Jesus for them, see them as Jesus sees them and walk empowered lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, ministering to those we meet every day. 

Paul writes a great encouragement to all of us in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NIV:

[17] “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

The “we” in verse points back to verse 17, the “anyone who is in Christ” which is all who believe. We are all ambassadors, or sent ones.  We are all minister of reconciliation, bringing people back to God, revealing to them the Love of God.  We don’t need to be ordained, licensed or given some other form of official recognition, this is the call and invitation to all believers. 

My encouragement today is to keep my eyes and ears open for the opportunities that present themselves throughout the day!  Lord help me to stay “in” You, to clothe myself with You (Rom 13:14) and Your Love, so that people might meet You, and see You when they encounter me!  Help me to embrace my position, my role, my job, and recognize that You can use me right where I am, whether that is a doorman, a dish washer, a sandal maker or a salesman. 

Thank You Lord for Your call and invitation to represent You through my life, through my words, and through my actions.

Amen!

Pure Joy of Embracing Trials and Testing?

This morning I felt like revisiting a reflection I had about 10 years ago, that dealt with seasons of trials and difficulty.  It seemed very timely of late, so I have revisited it and updated it slightly.  It originally was posted June 29, 2015. 

I am reading from the letter of James.  I am always challenged when reading his letter, for he is very practical and has a very specific perspective.  I am thinking about the following verses - James 1:2-8 NIV:

[2] "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."

First, his opening sentence is one that I just don't like to read.  I would like to be instantly mature and complete, and not go through any process of growing, for that is really what James is talking about here, a maturation process.  The testing and perseverance produce maturity and completeness and that is what happens when we grow naturally.  We see this process used in schools, educational programs and training of all sorts. The same process is used by the Lord to grow us, and while we generally think of trials as bad, I think we could easily replace trials with experiences or testing and have exactly the same meaning.   We can be tested by good things as well as by bad, especially as it relates to our faith and relationship with the Lord.

There is plenty of teaching out there that associates experiencing good things with God's approval, and bad things with God's punishment, but here James takes a different approach that is more helpful and healthy.  He effectively says we should embrace trials of many kinds because they bring about our maturation, which is good for our overall health and well-being, and our faith.  The point is that God uses many things to enable us to grow.  Ultimately what He (God) wants is for us to gain His perspective, see our lives from His eyes.  

While James doesn't say that explicitly, this understanding of God's perspective is the wisdom that James is speaking about.  He encourages us to ask, and says God will give wisdom to us generously.  When we face a trial, rather than asking "why me?" maybe we should be asking "what are You wanting me to grow in?"  It seems to me that this means trials are actually opportunities, which is a completely different mind-set than I usually have concerning trials.

Finally, the final three verses have to do with our belief in God.  He speaks of people being double-minded and unstable.  It seems to me the area of doubt and questioning is related to what we think God is like.  A. W. Tozer says that ‘the most important thing is how we think about God’.  Our image of Him and thoughts about God color our whole outlook and perspective.  If we think God is someone who punishes us for bad behaviour, then anything that we don't enjoy in our life causes us to think that God is not pleased with us.  However the author of the Letter to the Hebrews had a completely different take on difficulties and relates them or maybe redefines them as discipline.  Here are two verses taken from section on discipline - Hebrews 12:7-8 NIV:

[7] "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? [8] If you are not disciplined---and everyone undergoes discipline---then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all."

Here we see that difficulties and hardship might actually be used by God as ways to help us grow and mature, because the Father considers us His true sons and daughters.  Rather than Him being angry, it’s the exact opposite.  He sees us as His beloved children and is giving us opportunities to grow and mature.  

He does this because He knows that we are capable of great things and wants us to have the character and strength of relationship to walk into great things and not lose our way.  In fact, the author of Hebrews continues on with the following statement - "...God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness." (Heb12:10b)  He has great plans for us!

So, let us not doubt God's love.  

Let us hold firmly to Him, trusting that all things are for our good, our growth and maturity.  

God is good always, and He has good plans for each of us.  

He is not angry and does not punish us, for all punishment for our sin was already borne by Jesus.  

God desires us to grow and mature, learning to think like Him.  He wants us to embrace life in all its fullness, recognizing that we are His beloved sons and daughters.  Let us not be tossed about by fears and doubts, or think these trials are punishment but let us believe our Father loves us and is going to help us to grow into mature sons and daughters.

Lord help me to change my mindset about trials, testing  and difficulties, that I might see these as opportunities to grow, mature, and encounter Your faithfulness, mercy and love!  I am not sure I can get to "counting them as pure joy", but I can change my mind about the benefits of such times!

Amen!

Stone Fight?

Last night I was reflecting on some stuff that is flying around lately, and I was reminded of the story of the woman caught in adultery, found in John 8. 

It is such a  wonderful study in the grace of God, and such an interesting study of our humanity and our tendencies to judge those we know who are sinners.  Here is the story, which is one of my favorites - John 8:2-11 NIV:

[2] “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. [3] The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group [4] and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. [5] In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” [6] They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. 

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. [7] When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

[8] Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. [9] At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 

[10] Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 

[11] “No one, sir,” she said. 

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

In my life I have spent a considerable time reflecting on this story, and every time my heart is moved by two things, the vulnerability of the woman, and Jesus’ response! 

However, the ugly part of the story is the group gathered ready to condemn! It is amazing to me how quickly a group gathers when someone is caught in sin, regardless of the sin, especially when it becomes known publically.

I am not sure what it is in our character and nature, but the idea of someone caught in sin, seems to drive a blood-lust like no other.  The term “sharks to blood” seems applicable.

I think there is something in us that is so relieved that “it isn’t me” that’s been caught, that we forget that we are every bit as much sinners as the next individual.  Jesus lays His finger directly on that idea with His simple statement “”Let any of you who is without sin throw the first stone.”

Secondly, I find it intriquing that it is the Pharisees and teachers of the law that parade the woman in front of Jesus. They are effectively the leaders of the church, the religious ones, and they are all spun up, ready to condemn this woman (one wonders where the man that she was caught with was in all this, but that’s another reflection). 

I have always found it interesting how quickly leaders will condemn those caught in sin, again, maybe it's to make sure the finger of accusation is not pointed at them, for we know we are all sinners (Romans 3;23).  There is clearly a role in pastoring and leading that includes dealing with sin, but I am pretty sure that gathering around the sinner and pointing fingers, ready to condemn the sinner is what Jesus deals with here!  Lord, have mercy on us!

I have always thought dealing with sin to be a bit like cleaning toilets, or maybe changing a nasty diaper.  When one of our kids had a blow-out we didn’t gather a group of people around to enjoy the experience, or talk about it endlessly.

I am reminded of a few verses whose heart we see in the verses above.  Jesus was speaking about His purpose in coming into the world - John 12:47-48 NIV:

[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”

Here we have Jesus, the very Son of God, the only one on earth that could judge, and He specifically says He didn’t come to judge!  I, for one, don’t want to take a position that Jesus wouldn’t take.  We see this very heart presented in the story we started with today.  Jesus, rather than judge or condemn, calls the woman to leave her life of sin.  One must believe that  this woman was radically changed by her encounter with such a savior.

Oh that people would experience this same mercy, love, gentleness and forgiveness at the hands of the church!

I just had a funny thought, imagine if the crowd actually started throwing stones at the other sinners after Jesus’ statement.  I think everyone would have come away bruised and battered as they would have been throwing stones at themselves!

I believe humility is the better and safer way.  I am reminded of several scriptures:

1 Peter 3:8 NIV: “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV:

[5] “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Philippians 2:1-5 NIV:

[1] ”Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. [5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”

Ephesians 4:2-4 NIV:

[2] “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. [3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;”

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this story about "the woman Jesus wouldn’t condemn" is here for a very important reason, to show us God’s heart towards us all!  He constantly deals with our sins, our mistakes, our misunderstandings, and washes us clean again and again!  He extends mercy, when we are absolutely not worthy of mercy! 

Oh that the church would learn to walk in this part of Jesus’ character.  He deals with sin, and He calls us out of sin, but His approach is gentleness and mercy.  

The day will come when we will be judged, and it's my prayer that I am found hidden in Him, washed in His purifying and cleansing blood.  I am certainly unworthy of His forgiveness and mercy, but then none of us are!  It is only due to His sacrifice that I have any hope!

Let us choose to embrace the ministry of Jesus!  Let us love one another deeply, being gentle and humble and bearing with one another in love!  Let us extend mercy and grace to one another and remind ourselves of God’s incredible grace and mercy towards us.

Let us present to the world a completely different approach to sin, the very one that Jesus demonstrated!  

How do we ever expect that the church will be clean and spotless if we deal with sin by throwing stones?  

Oh Jesus help us!  Oh Holy Spirit blow upon us!  Blood of Jesus, wash us clean!

Amen and Amen!